Sovereign of the Three Realms

"It's him." An Kasyapa looked up at the figure hovering in the sky some distance away, the look in his eyes deep. "That old bastard was always arrogant and prideful."

Whether in the Boundless Prison or Myriad Abyss, Lightford topped the list of people Kasyapa hated. The old man plagued An Kasyapa like a nightmare.

"You of the Eternal Sacred Land, listen up!" a voice boomed. "Master Lightford has come to you personally. You clowns should be coming out to greet him!"

Jiang Chen snorted. "Such hypocrisy. He's here to assign blame. Does he actually expect us to throw him a welcoming party?"

"That's just a suck-up's doing. Don't take it seriously. Be on your guard for a surprise attack from Lightford. We must maintain our calm and not let them affect us." Kasyapa was an experienced fighter. He remained calm and collected, unfazed by the commotion outside.

His composure inspired Jiang Chen.

The Eternal heir had had no experience in the battlefield in his past life. Although he'd gotten into his fair share of battles in this life, he was no match for someone who'd survived the Boundless Prison like Divine Kasyapa.

"Send someone to taunt Lightford," transmitted Kasyapa. "Remember, don't leave the circle of defense or we won't be able to ensure the person's safety."

The second prime wasn't interested in the task, while the third prime tapped Ziju Min to do the job. It should've been the primes' responsibility, and yet the two of them shirked their duties. Meanwhile, the elder didn't object.

Jiang Chen's contempt for the two primes intensified.

It was far from a serious clash, but from the little things, it was clear that the two primes were much inferior to the first prime.

"You should protect yourself when you provoke him, Elder Ziju. Beware of sudden retaliation. A divine cultivator will be able to destroy a lesser cultivator with a single strand of consciousness. Stay on guard."

"Don't worry. I'll be careful." Ziju Min nodded with a grave expression, then raised his voice. "Are you Old Man Lightford?"

"How dare a little junior like you talk to me this way!" responded Lightford. His voice hit Ziju Min's chest like a sledgehammer.

Fortunately, Ziju Min had kept Jiang Chen's warning in mind and dodged the sudden attack.

"Hmph! You just like the others, attacking without forewarning. So you're the Lightford they talk about huh? You don't seem like much!" Ziju Min wasn't one for aggression. Intimidation and insults weren't his strong suit.

Lightford cast his emotionless eyes down in an aloof assessment. "The Eternal Sacred Land has dared to kill my two enforcers. Do any of you have the guts to take responsibility? What is this weakling doing here? This a joke!"

"Be careful, Jiang Chen. Lightford must be planning something. Watch out for any sudden moves." Kasyapa always expected the worst from Lightford. He'd never let his guard down.

"I know you're here, An Kasyapa. You're from the Boundless Prison as well. You were at the mercy of the ten sacred lands, yet you shamelessly bow to Eternal. You're an embarrassment to your fellow inmates!" Lightford's voice dripped with sarcasm.

An Kasyapa flushed red. Lightford had hit a nerve.

"He's provoking you on purpose, senior," Jiang Chen hurriedly messaged. "He's up to no good."

An Kasyapa did his best to control his emotions and returned to his calm self. "Don't worry. That's not enough to make me lose it."

Lightford surveyed the area.

There was a great formation guarding the mountain under the sacred land. Yet, he was confident he'd be able to break defense of that level.

However, there was also a strange disturbance in the air around the formation. Further observation imparted that a spatial method had been used to disrupt the space. That was the source of the oddity.

"The Eternal Sacred Land does have some tricks up its sleeves. My two enforcers must have suffered a defeat because of that. It's laughable that they think the same trick will work on me!"

Lightford dived boldly toward the formation in a flash of white, giving his orders. "You two can redeem yourselves by accomplishing something in this fight. Attack the sacred land from both flanks. See if you can seize the opportunity to break their ultimate defense formation!"

Lightford hadn't punished the two divine cultivators for escaping from Sandplain. This was their chance to make up for their failings.

Therefore, the two cultivators didn't spare any effort. They followed Lightford's momentum and shot towards the sides.

Jiang Chen cursed under his breath seeing the two divine cultivators Lightford had brought. Just how many had broken out from the Boundless Prison?

Quite a few had been sent to attack the ten sacred lands. A good number had been split out for Sandplain Island. And now, there were yet another two.

Jiang Chen hadn't seen the two men back on Sandplain, so he didn't know they had fled from the island.

"Don't worry about them. Focus on Lightford," Kasyapa told everyone silently.

Rays of black light rose from behind the Black Tortoise's back, bringing with them an endless stream of strange, ancient patterns. The Vermilion Bird flapped its wings, sending incredibly hot clouds of flame toward Lightford.

Kasyapa cackled and pointed in the air. From his hand flew two crystal-clear, green leaves.

They were obviously two treasures rather than regular leaves.

They expanded in the wind and formed a shield like shellfish under attack, taking a defensive stance.

Lightford had planned to break through the defense with one hit, but things didn't turn out as simple as he expected. First came the waves of heat from the Vermilion Bird, which slowed him down and made his breathing belabored.

With a twist of his body, his white robe brought up a wave of snowflakes, freezing the heat waves. They dissipated into thin air as a result.

However, the Black Tortoise's defensive circle rippled outwards by this time.

Jiang Chen also had the golden bell ready, waiting for the right moment. Lightford's reaction had made him even more wary. The old man was indeed powerful.

Jiang Chen knew the Vermilion Bird's power well. None of their previous enemies had been able to resist the heat waves. Lightford, however, had impressively resolved the attack with a simple flourish of his robe.