Jiang Chen knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this demonic beast invasion was only the beginning of this stage of the original plot.
The Purple Heaven Holy Land could easily deal with it for now, but there were bound to be more waves of demonic beasts or other enemies to follow.
He could confine Fang Yuan in the healing hall and keep him out of this first outbreak, but under the pull of Heavenly Fate, it would be nothing more than wishful thinking to believe he could do the same for what was to come. Trapping the protagonist forever was impossible.
’As the true main character,’ Jiang Chen thought with certainty, ’Fang Yuan will inevitably have his chance to take part in this large-scale battle.’
So, if that was the case, why not prepare some strategies in advance?
These two Shadow Wind Obsidian Martens, at the Late-stage of the Inquiring Journey realm, were the perfect targets. They were skilled in concealment and wouldn’t be easily wiped out. All in all, they could prove useful in his plans.
Considering Fang Yuan’s current strength, he could, at best, take down demonic beasts at the Middle-stage of the Inquiring Journey realm. Against these Shadow Wind Obsidian Martens, he would undoubtedly struggle!
Jiang Chen’s mind worked relentlessly, calculations spinning as his final strategy slowly began to take shape.
Of course, he wasn’t naive enough to think he could use the Shadow Wind Obsidian Martens to kill Fang Yuan.
Even at the Late-stage of the Inquiring Journey realm, they stood no chance of defeating Fang Yuan, the Son of Heavenly Fate.
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But they could certainly be used for other purposes!
At this stage, what was the key to dealing with Fang Yuan? It was to drive an even deeper wedge between him and Nangong Wan, as well as Shangguan Ning.
"Let’s proceed like this!" Jiang Chen murmured under his breath, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Wasting no time, he began to recall a cultivation technique called the Misty Cloud Soul Tracking Art.
This Dao Comprehension rank secret art, acquired from the Cave Heaven Secret Realm left behind by Immortal Tian Cui, had a single purpose: to imprint a tracking mark on its target.
This specialized cultivation method was extraordinarily powerful, and the tracking mark it imprinted was incredibly, almost impossibly, discreet.
Unless someone had reached the Dao Palace realm, it was virtually undetectable.
Given their current weakened states, with their residual souls too fragile, neither Nangong Wan nor Shangguan Ning would have any chance of sensing it.
Moreover, the range of this tracking mark was impressively vast, and its duration exceptionally long, ensuring there was no worry about the target slipping beyond its reach.
With a single mental command, the Wordless Heavenly Jade embedded in Jiang Chen’s heart sprang to life. In the next moment, it linked to his soul in a mysterious way, initiating the practice of the Misty Cloud Soul Tracking Art.
Even within the same realm, martial techniques and secret arts could vary greatly in difficulty.
The Heaven Sundering Prismatic Sword Technique was one of the more challenging ones, renowned for its incredible complexity.
In contrast, the Misty Cloud Soul Tracking Art was relatively simpler, as it served a singular purpose.
As a result, during this cultivation practice, the unique energy within the Wordless Heavenly Jade was barely depleted.
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Chen had mastered the Misty Cloud Soul Tracking Art to the Perfect-level!
With a mere wave of his hand, two imperceptible marks quickly landed on the two Shadow Wind Obsidian Martens, completely unnoticed by them.
Though he had secured his first two pawns, Jiang Chen knew this small number was far from enough to guarantee the success of his plan.
’I need to find more suitable targets,’ he decided silently, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He turned swiftly, morphing into a streak of sword light and vanishing into the distance.
...
At the same time, within the sacred grounds of the Purple Heaven Holy Land, a high-ranking meeting was underway inside the Purple Heaven Grand Hall.
Present were the mightiest forces of the Purple Heaven Holy Land—its five Dao Palace realm powerhouses: Holy Lord Ji Mingxiu, along with the four Supreme Elders, Mo Yu, Li Shang, Han Xu, and Liu Mei.
"How does the current situation look?" Ji Mingxiu asked, a slight furrow forming on his brow.
The recent massive eruption of Demonic Spiritual Qi, combined with the influx of high-level demonic beasts invading the Purple Heaven Holy Land’s territory, was an event unlike any they had faced before!
"The situation is now under control," Li Shang responded immediately, his tone laced with amazement. "The Holy Son displayed an awe-inspiring level of combat prowess. Incredibly, he even grasped certain aspects of the Sword Dao on the spot, helping Liu Xiong and the others slay three demonic beasts at the Early-stage Dao Comprehension realm!"
"Now, Liu Xiong and the rest are spreading out to offer support. The total eradication of these demonic beasts is only a matter of time. Additionally, we’ve found no traces of any Dao Palace realm demonic beasts."
After delivering his report, Li Shang raised a question, "Should we send one or two more people to speed up the extermination of the demonic beasts?"
"There’s no need," Ji Mingxiu replied, dismissing the concern with a casual shake of his head. "Since no Dao Palace realm demonic beasts have appeared, there’s no reason for us to intervene."
"The disciples of the Holy Land haven’t faced such a large-scale conflict in quite some time. They need this kind of tempering. After all, this is how the Holy Land continues to thrive." He elaborated on his reasoning before a chuckle escaped his lips, repeating the wise words of someone once before: "Flowers nurtured in a greenhouse cannot withstand the wind and frost!"
"Well said." Mo Yu, who was thoughtfully stroking his long beard, nodded in agreement, a pleased smile spreading across his weathered face. "So, we stay out of this one."
"Now, back to the main point." Han Xu interjected, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "The Holy Son is truly remarkable, having grasped part of the Sword Dao at only twenty years old. Perhaps our Purple Heaven Holy Land will soon boast a Dao Comprehension realm prodigy still in his twenties!"
"It’s more than a mere possibility," Ji Mingxiu added, his expression glowing with pride. "Jiang Chen is destined to break through to the Dao Comprehension realm very soon!"
"By the way," Liu Mei, seated next to her Dao companion Han Xu, suddenly spoke, curiosity evident in her tone as she voiced the intriguing thought in her mind. "The Holy Son mentioned he could make use of the bodies of those demonic beasts, but I’m not sure what method he intends to employ."
Even with their vast knowledge and power, they couldn’t harness the bodies of these demonic beasts.
This was due to the pervasive corruption of every cell by the Demonic Spiritual Qi, which caused fundamental transformations in their structure.
Mo Yu was the first to respond to Liu Mei’s query, offering his own deduction. "It must have been imparted by those two Void Tribulation realm great powerhouses."
"Regardless of the method, if it proves beneficial to the Holy Son, it will undoubtedly benefit our Purple Heaven Holy Land as well," he added, his tone turning cautious. "So, we shouldn’t dig too deeply into this."
"Yes, we shouldn’t inquire further," Ji Mingxiu agreed with a nod.
"Once the battle concludes, all demonic beast corpses will be handed over to Jiang Chen for further handling," he decided before shifting to another important topic. "What’s the current situation with the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple?"
"Based on our informant reports, their situation mirrors ours," Li Shang replied. "Should we consider consulting the Holy Son on using the Demonic Qi Extraction Art to potentially gain an advantage over the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple?"
"This matter…" Ji Mingxiu frowned thoughtfully before responding. "I will seek Jiang Chen’s counsel first."
The Demonic Qi Extraction Art was Jiang Chen’s property, and Ji Mingxiu was not one to make decisions carelessly regarding it.
Hearing this, Li Shang nodded in understanding before raising another point. "Regarding the demonic beasts slain by the Imperial Extreme Heavenly Palace and the Jade Lake Heavenly Temple, should we negotiate for their bodies on behalf of the Holy Son?"
Ji Mingxiu considered the idea for a few moments before shaking his head slightly. "Requesting the corpses of the demonic beasts could reveal certain aspects we’d rather keep hidden. For this matter as well, we should consult Jiang Chen first."