Jiang Chen patiently described the ten demonic tribes to Ziju Min, ceasing only when he was sure his old acquaintance fully grasped what he had said. 

“Demons are strong,” he advised, “but they have a fatal weakness: they are vastly undermanned and very poor at reproduction. The strategy they use to invade the various planes is one of bloodline assimilation, which requires them to constantly fight wars to increase their numbers. 

“Most of the time, it’s their puppets who do the dirty work. The actual demons are elites and rarely take to the field. When they do, it’s for a hard battle ahead. Thus, each pureblooded demon we kill is one fewer for them. The same goes for their forefathers. This is especially true if they don’t have any fresh forces to replenish their numbers with.”

This was the demons’ greatest detriment.

The two hundred thousand years of being sealed away had naturally precluded any procreation. The demons that lived in the present were remnants from the ancient era.

In fact, some had died as a result of the passage of time.

Therefore, the number of demons in human lands was grossly insufficient for them to launch an all-out invasion. That was the reason for their current precision.

Myriad Abyss Island was a great example of this.

Despite their endemic intrusion, they couldn’t afford to fight on too many fronts, much less attack all ten sacred lands at once.

Moreover, Jiang Chen was the one whom they were wariest about. His name was known to even celestial demon forefathers.

The young lord’s words of encouragement alleviated the burden upon Ziju Min’s heart.

“Relax, Forefather Ziju. I can’t ignore Myriad Abyss at the end of the day. Plus, I promised the venerated forefather that I would change the situation of the offworld battlefield. I must do all these things one step at a time, because it’s rather difficult to accomplish all of them overnight.”

Jiang Chen wasn’t really scared of fighting. The human domain simply hadn’t stabilized enough for him to rampage through Myriad Abyss. Losing his home base would render all his work here meaningless.

The talk with the young lord fortified Ziju Min. He activated the communication formation and contacted the Sunrise Sacred Land immediately.

Sunrise and Radiance possessed warm sentiments toward Eternal and Jiang Chen after the battles near Sandplain and against Lightford. The sacred lands were thus on very good terms.

The two were harassed by the demons as well, but their lands remained currently secure. Sunrise firmly guaranteed that a large amount of Fire of Firstdawn would be delivered to Eternal in secret for the war effort against the wood demons.

At the end of the day, the ten sacred lands were connected to each other through the alliance. The suffering of any one would be reflected upon all of them. As such, there was no reason for Sunrise to refuse the request.

……

Within Divine Kasyapa’s secret realm, An Kasyapa was currently treating a number of other escapee gods from the Boundless Prison to dinner. He had visited and spoken with many of them over the past while; recent happenings in the outside world made him especially anxious.

He had agreed to help Jiang Chen persuade the other wandering gods to join the human side. Two or three gods had expressed agreement with his views so far, but the remainder were still unsure.

New developments, however, might ease his persuasive efforts. Therefore, An Kasyapa specifically invited nine gods to a banquet at his abode.

Two or three of them were nearly equal to him in strength.

“Daoist Kasyapa, you certainly take good care of yourself. This place is so remote that you can enjoy as much peace and quiet as you like. It’s a wonderful refuge from the world.”

“Indeed. I’d very much like a place like this myself.”

“If my fellow daoists enjoy this place, why not I make a gift of it to you?” An Kasyapa smiled faintly. “When war strikes the realm, what locale is truly safe for us to take refuge in? The iron boot of demonkind stepped upon Myriad Abyss a long time ago. Any perceived peace and quiet we might enjoy is only a delusion!”

His dinner guests’ expressions froze. Some nodded to themselves in secret, while others remained unimpressed.

“Fellow daoist, the demons are causing a bit of a ruckus, but I doubt they’d be able to find secret realms like these… Furthermore, we’ve no interest in fighting them right now. Why would they attempt to exterminate us? They wouldn’t want to make enemies of us, would they now?”

An Kasyapa snickered immediately. “Your perception of the world is laughable. Is there be peace between men when they lack a parity of strength, to say nothing of demons? Demons are exceptionally ambitious. They conquer all that they see. Why should they give us any peace?”

It was naïve to imagine that demons could coexist with anyone else. Realizing that he was only fooling himself, the previous speaker shut up.

“Daoist Kasyapa, what should we do in this situation?”

“Yes, you are our older brother. We would like to hear your wisdom.”

“What wisdom do I have?” An Kasyapa smiled serenely. “Man and demon have always been at odds with each other. Either kneel in debased slavery, or stand and fight to the last.”

He was firm and clear-cut.

The demons were wreaking havoc in Myriad Abyss right now. This was no time for reticence. He needed to make things as distinctly understandable as he could.

No self-respecting human god would kneel as a slave.

All of An Kasyapa’s guests were veterans of countless fights in the Boundless Prison. Divine Kasyapa’s words evoked their internal heroism.

“What the hell can those demons do that we can’t? We’ll give it all we’ve got!” someone shouted.

“We survived situation after dire situation in the Boundless Prison. We’re lucky to be alive right now. If that prison couldn’t bend our knee, why should we bend it to the demons?”

“Demons are strong, but Divine Abyss won against them in ancient times, didn’t it? If we can beat them once, we can beat them twice!”

“Old Brother Kasyapa, we’re right behind you!”

An Kasyapa’s eyes thoughtfully swept around the table before him. His all-knowing eyes drew across his guests’ faces, as if he wanted to see into their hearts as well.

He opened his mouth after a long while. “Friends, I’ve no interest in forcing your hand. If you’re interested in fighting off the demons, feel free to stay and brave the war with me. If not, you are under no obligation to stay. I will begrudge neither choice!”

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