Sovereign of the Three Realms

"Young lord, we've heard some news. A group from Sunrise escaped the siege before the invasion and have rallied inside Radiance. These two factions are tightly knit, but gathering together in one place makes them too tempting a target. The fire demons are already beating the drums of war to make the two sacred lands fully theirs," reported the Goldbiter Rats.

About half of the rats had died after a succession of battles, but despite the losses, their overall power had risen by quite a lot, thanks to the strengthening of their bloodline.

The thought of using brute force against Sunrise's invaders crossed Jiang Chen's mind, but the time wasn't ripe for that.

No matter how confident he was, it would be foolish to pick a fight when the fire demons were at their strongest.

"Let's go, we leave for Radiance." He suddenly recalled the smiling faces of two holy girls.

These two sacred lands had helped him quite a lot back on Sandplain Island. Although Holy Girl Yao Guang was fond of singing a contrary tune, he knew it was a test at most. They'd never truly meant to embarrass him.

As a magnanimous man, he didn't resent them for such trifles. Not to mention, with the threat of a great enemy looming large, the Fire of Firstdawn's whereabouts came first and foremost.

He spotted many demon patrols on the way to Radiance. Fire demons, but also winged demons.

Always accompanied by a strong, lively fire aura, the former were easy to spot, and consequently, to avoid.

But the winged demons came and went like the wind. They hovered high in the sky, and no details escaped eyes that were sharp as a falcon's.

If not for his exceptional abilities, it would've been difficult to escape their attention

It took him three days to finally steal inside Radiance's territory.

He didn't barge in heedlessly. Everyone must be on edge, and the sacred land must have taken every defensive measure available.

He didn't want to reveal his presence or cause a misunderstanding, so he opted for a message via transmission instead. For the sake of discretion, he didn't directly contact the leaders, but chose Holy Girl Yao Guang.

The girl was headstrong, as he recalled. But that was simply due to her straightforward nature. She wasn't ill-intentioned. Among Myriad Abyss's sixteen golden hairpins, she was a distinguished figure.

Inside the sacred land's quarters, she was in Holy Girl Si Tong's company when she received the transmission. Startled, she murmured, "An old friend from Sandplain Island? Zither music that lingers in the ear? Who is it?"

But she came to a sudden realization, and a blush crept up her charming cheeks.

At her side, Holy Girl Si Tong asked in surprise, "Wise young sister, what's the matter with you?"

Yao Guang stammered, "Big sister, do you remember that frivolous kid? That jerk Jiang Chen!"

Jiang Chen?

Si Tong's phoenix-shaped eyes sparkled. "Did he get in touch with you?"

"That's right. Look!" Yao Tong showed her friend evidence of the message. They were as close as blood sisters, so there were no secrets between them.

Si Tong brightened immediately. "To communicate with us, he must be nearby. To be able to slip his consciousness through the great defensive formation... it seems Brother Jiang Chen's cultivation must have progressed again."

Indeed, such a feat was impossible for the two girls. Only a divine cultivator had the sheer power to do so. Did that mean he'd attained such a realm?

The young man had demonstrated superb talent and valiant strength back on Sandplain Island, but he had still been at empyrean realm. To think he'd pull so far ahead in twenty short years!

Yao Guang's thin lips opened and closed as she fixed Si Tong with a strange stare. "Big sister, you're quite polite with him. Brother Jiang Chen....? Tut tut, don't you sound close to him!"

"Silly girl, what are you blabbering about? Remind me, who was blushing just a few seconds ago ago?" Si Tong feigned anger, but the short-lived squabble ended in fits of enchanting giggles.

It took a moment for Si Tong to compose herself. "Alright, back to the matter at hand. Jiang Chen must surely have pressing matters."

"Or maybe he came because he missed you?" Yao Guang teased with a laugh.

What was to become of Sunrise's people after they'd lost their roots?

Si Tong's heart trembled for no apparent reason, and she couldn't resist a certain thought. If I truly happen to vanish for good, will Brother Jiang Chen at least miss me a little?

Nothing had really happened between them back on Sandplain Island, she well knew.

But his outstanding display and the strength he'd showcased later against Lightford made him almost irresistible for a girl with standards as high as hers.

Ever since then, a certain unbidden silhouette sometimes flashed in her heart. The image might be vague, or might be clear, and from time to time drove her into a certain mood that haunted her when the night was darkest. She would sigh in self-pity then, or let her imagination run wild.

She'd never own up to these feelings, but she couldn't lie to herself.

Yet, she knew better than anyone nothing could possibly occur between them. And Yao Guang was in the same boat as her.

As close sisters, how could she fail to notice the deep concern hidden beneath her friend's loud complaints about the man?

But alas, they were too late. He already belonged to Yan Qinghuang, another one of the sixteen hairpins. They had no choice but to bury their feelings.

Of course, he wasn't the only young man of note in Myriad Abyss, but his mere existence dimmed the splendor of other talents from the same generation

It was a cause for lament, but also a source of pride for their era.

"Wise sister, stop joking now. He must have serious reasons for coming. The situation at large is urgent. The fire demons have conquered Sunrise, and the winged demons are monitoring all possible exits from Radiance. We've collected a decent amount of Fire of the Firstdawn, but what use is it if we can't deliver it?"

"How benevolent of you to worry about the fire when you've lost your own home, big sister. Who cares about Eternal when we're in such a plight ourselves? With the ten great forefathers gone offworld and the demons so formidable, it's impossible for us to resist."