Sovereign of the Three Realms

"Damn it, is that bald man trustworthy or not?" The gold-clad enforcer began to doubt.

This was the perfect chance for the man to come to their aid, but no matter how long they waited, nothing was forthcoming. Moreover, the crimson heat wave seemed to be growing ever more intense.

In only a few breaths of time, red clouds had expanded to cover every inch of the sky. Waves of scorching heat rolled and slammed toward them. It felt as if they were thrown into a kiln and enveloped by the heat.

The sudden turn of events made them lose their composure.

"Why is this happening?"

When they finally recovered enough to look up, the Vermilion Bird had morphed into a behemoth in the sky, its presence as tremendous as a blazing sun. Terrifying waves of heat scorched toward the two brothers with increasing velocity and density, interweaving into a web of fire.

Divine Kasyapa knew Jiang Chen must have taken care of the bald cultivator. He laughed heartily and flashed out of the battlefield.

The two enforcers could barely stay alive. They couldn't even spare a glance for Kasyapa. They struggled mightily to defend against the bird's relentless attacks.

"We've been played, big brother! That bald bastard didn't do his job!" spat out the silver-clad enforcer through gritted teeth. Not only hadn't the Vermilion Bird been delayed, it'd come and trapped them.

Jiang Chen hovered in the air and laughed. "Discretion is the better part of valor, folks. Your companion has surrendered to the Eternal Sacred Land. The heavens look favorably upon preserving life. If you two choose the right side of history and pledge to be my faithful servants, not only will I let you live, I promise you'll have a better future than you do serving the old bastard Lightford."

His tone was both casual and mocking.

The two enforcers raged and snapped, "Who do you think you are, brat?! You think you're good enough to turn us? My brother and I are loyal only to Master Lightford. Our devotion has stood the test of heaven and earth."

Jiang Chen snorted. "I wonder what he's given you to win your undying loyalty. What's the point though? Your lives are in danger. Is he coming to save you?"

"Talk all you want! Do you think a sacred beast will be enough to take us down?" The enforcer in gold looked serious, but not afraid.

It was clear that he wasn't yet intimidated.

The brothers exchanged a glance and reached an unspoken understanding. They crossed their hands and made several hand seals, deploying a secret method.

Divine Kasyapa's eyes glinted as he shouted, "Watch out! They're going to escape with a secret method. We'll each seal off a cardinal direction and stop them!"

The powerful divine flourished his arms and manifested layers of barriers in the air, continuously reinforcing the barricade.

The Vermilion Bird put everything it had into spewing scorching air torrents, forcing the two enforcers to spare more effort to deal with its attacks.

Jiang Chen repeatedly jabbed at the air, creating suspended runes in all directions as another layer of defense.

Simultaneously, he summoned the golden bell with a wave of his hand, bringing about layers of golden clouds as it dropped down.

The ancient glyphs on the golden bell danced and leapt, radiating a strange, disorienting energy. The presence of a primordial aura made the bell seem even more sacred and holy.

"Ancient golden bell imbued with the might of the heavens, suppress them!" Jiang Chen sent the bell to capture the two brothers with incredible speed, interrupting their attempt to deploy the secret method.

"Celestial fire set the aeons aflame and reduce the world to char! Burn! Burn! Burn!" The Vermilion Bird continuously spat fire, creating tidal wave upon tidal wave of flame.

After fully deploying the secret method, the two men slowly changed form into two streaks of light with an edge as keen as a blade. They were sharp and unstoppable.

They shot into the sky.

"Hmph! You want to leave!?" Jiang Chen could see them well. He sent the bell ramming towards the light.

The extraordinary bell wouldn't be broken by any sharp edge. The gold and silver blades scored a direct hit and filled the air with sparks and an agonizing explosion of light. The bell rumbled at the impact. The sound rolled and echoed, sending shockwaves outwards.

The two enforcers failed to penetrate the bell and the counter force sent them flying backwards. They morphed back into human forms, their secret method dispelled.

The scene took even Divine Kasyapa by surprise.The bell's defenses were shocking!

No wonder Jiang Chen had reached such heights at such a young age! His offensive and defensive power absolutely rivaled an initial divine cultivator!

The two enforcers scowled, their eyes glinting with defiance. Shooting the bell a glare, they exchanged a nod and activated the secret method again. The two blades dived down toward the earth.

Obviously the sky wasn't the way to go. Their enemies had sealed off that escape route and could overpower them. It'd be unwise to try flying away.

However, their secret method allowed them to escape through the earth without slowing down.

The brothers didn't hesitate to execute their plan.

It was imperative for them to take the initiative. Their enemies wouldn't expect them to go down, and it'd be too late to stop them when it became apparent what they wanted to do.

They were confident that they'd be able to escape. Though they were reluctant to just flee, they had no other choices.

The two of them weren't enough to turn the tide. With An Kasyapa's help, the Eternal Sacred Land was now a big enough threat that only Master Lightford himself could eliminate.

Therefore, they had to flee and report back, having their master make the decision and lead them.

The two blades dived down at a speed that was double that of the bald cultivator's. This speed was the source of their confidence in a successful escape.

However, they met the same fate as their companion. As they drew closer and closer to the earth, their bodies grew heavier and heavier.

Clink!

They hit an invisible force with two ghastly collisions, sending sparks flying again. The impact left them completely disoriented.