Old Lightford, retreated!

Almost everyone present was incredulous at this turnabout.

Even Divine Kasyapa was speechless for a time, gazing into the distance at the direction that Lightford had fled toward. He would’ve never imagined that the tremendously conceited old man would actually flee!

Jiang Chen was the only one who remained as calm as ever. The outcome hadn’t disturbed him in the slightest. Perhaps everything was already under control for him.

“Good job, kid! You’re really something, huh,” Kasyapa remarked in praise.

The other cultivators who’d participated in the battle approached Jiang Chen now as well. They were evidently still reeling from the aftershock of their confrontation.

They had uniformly believed that the battle was to be their last stand. Incredibly enough, their side had won the day after all! What they were experiencing now seemed almost like a dream.

The four demigods who served Kasyapa quite respected Jiang Chen’s astounding achievement. They regarded the young man in a completely different way from before.

The strength he’d exhibited today was considerably greater than what he’d shown in their sparring. They were both astonished and impressed.

The two captive gods were delivered to Jiang Chen. The wart-faced cultivator and Yuan Zijing were both ghastly pale, very much aware of the situation they were in.

The wart-faced cultivator raised his head to see Divine Kasyapa and Yu Gong. 

“Daoist An, Daoist Yu,” his eyes lit up. “I didn’t expect former comrades-in-suffering to come to blows like this! Is this really necessary?”

Divine Kasyapa sneered wordlessly. He could hear the cultivator’s insinuations; their captive wanted to stay alive.

Yu Gong was a bit more thin-skinned. He turned his head, pretending not to know the man.

Yuan Zijing was displeased at the simpering show. “Fellow daoist, we should be content with our lot as the losers. What need is there to spew hot air everywhere? Do you think brownnosing now will convince them to let you off?”

The wart-faced cultivator blinked, then muttered, “We’re all gods here! Why should our lives be thrown away for the sake of petty disputes?”

Divine Kasyapa laughed angrily. “Do you think you’ll be allowed to live?”

The wart-faced cultivator colored. “Brother An, I’ve respected you since our days in the Boundless Prison. We were in the wrong today – our greed got the better of us. Please, intercede for me so that I may join the right side that is the Eternal Sacred Land.”

Kasyapa chuckled. “You joined Lightford in much the same way as you’re trying to join Eternal now. If there’s the chance to do so in the future, you’ll definitely leave us as well. Do you think we have any use for someone like you?”

The wart-faced cultivator blanched immediately; his intentions had been pointed out too plainly for comfort.

Yuan Zijing harrumphed. “If you’re going to kill us, just do it already. It was enough for us to see the light of day again after escaping from the Boundless Prison. Master Lightford will avenge us another day.”

“Avenge you?” Jiang Chen burst into laughter. “You’re certainly confident in that old man. If he was capable of such a thing, why did he run away today?”

Though Old Lightford had retreated of his own accord, saying that he had ran away was a reasonable statement. 

“You only got us because you ambushed us with trickery,” Yuan Zijing snorted. “When Master Lightford raises an army of gods, the Eternal Sacred Land will be done for!”

Jiang Chen smiled coolly. “That may possibly come to pass, but you won’t be around to see it. The enforcers aren’t that far ahead of you on the road to hell, so you’ll be able to catch up if you try. At least you won’t be lonely, eh?”

He didn’t want to waste any more time. These two were different from Yu Gong. The former had actively assisted Lightford, while the latter had been pressed into service.

Their attitudes had been quite evident in their fighting. Jiang Chen wasn’t interested in attempting to recruit them either. Refining their life essences and taking their divine decrees was fine enough.

In no time at all, the two gods followed in the late enforcers’ footsteps.

The second and third primes were greatly tempted by the sight of each divine decree’s materialization upon the death of the holder. For them, a divine decree was a very desirable thing.

They knew well enough that they probably wouldn’t be able to break through to divine realm via their own strengths. A divine decree, however, was a game changer.

Refining a divine decree was a nearly guaranteed opportunity to attain divine realm in one’s own right. Yes, one’s achievements would be limited after that, but getting there was more than good enough.

Unfortunately for them, Jiang Chen clearly had no plans to give something so precious to someone like the second prime. Though he had joined the Eternal Sacred Land, he wasn’t exactly close to the second prime.

At this point in time, he was the proud owner of a smattering of divine decrees. He had gained one during the quelling of the rebellion, and the battle at Sandplain Island’s exit had added two more to that number.

Killing the two enforcers after returning to Eternal had yielded two more. When added to the wart-faced cultivator’s and Yuan Zijing’s, that made for seven in all.

If he hadn’t given away the sallow cultivator’s divine decree to Divine Kasyapa, he would own eight right now.

Jiang Chen was very pleased with his collection as well as the process. Each divine decree represented a divine realm cultivator. Used as gifts, they represented an enormous debt that needed to be repaid.

He completely ignored whatever yearning the second prime had for one.

If he was going to give these treasures away, he would certainly prioritize those close to him.

Right now, he wanted to give one to Elder Ziju Min and another to Yan Wanjun.

Both men were ninth level empyrean realm, which meant they weren’t far from the edge of divinity.

However, their current level represented nearly the maximum their natural potential could achieve. Only a divine decree and life essence from another divine cultivator could help them break through.

Moreover, they were very trustworthy, having weathered numerous trials loyally by his side.

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