It wasn’t difficult to test Jiang Chen’s blood, but he needed the forefathers to be his witnesses. And so he invited all them of them to watch the test.
The results were as they’d expected. Although the composition of his blood was complex, there wasn’t any trace of demonic blood.
The captives, known cultivators in Myriad Abyss, didn’t have any demon blood in them either.
That was an immense relief. At least they were unlikely to be executed.
“You didn’t know that Lightford was a demon sovereign. It was a mistake for you to serve him, but an unintended one. You may live. However, you were forced into surrendering, so you must yet prove your innocence,” Jiang Chen continued. “You’re required to not only swear an oath, but also accept control over your consciousness and serve as divine servants for some time. The probation period may be hundreds or even thousands of years. If you behave well, you may regain your freedom in three to five years.”
The cultivators knew they had surrendered under much uglier circumstances compared to Yu Gong and the others. They immediately made their oaths.
Jiang Chen smiled. “Brother Long, Old Brother Vermilion, Ole Brother Black, these divine cultivators are all yours.”
The three sacred beasts didn’t turn the gift down. Throughout history, it’d been the spirit creatures submitting to human cultivators as rides or contracted beasts. It was a novel experience to command human beings as their servants.
No one dared object, whether publicly or privately.
Jiang Chen turned to Xu Yigu and Lan Tianhao. “I promised earlier to set you free, gentlemen. Eternal’s forefather has lifted his control over you. You’re free to go now. Before that though, a word of advice for you: a challenging time is coming. You better behave yourselves and don’t pick the wrong side of history again. If you pledge yourselves to offworld invaders or even demons, you won’t be given another chance to surrender on the battlefields.”
Lan Tianhao and Xu Yigu exchanged a glance and cupped their hands. “Young lord Chen, we’d like to pledge our loyalty to you and serve you.”
They’d witnessed how Jiang Chen commanded the bell and the flow of the battle until Lightford was finally killed. The young man was impressive enough as he was. Once he ascended to divinity, he’d be unrivaled in this world.
No one on the continent could afford to fight on their own. It was no longer a time for lone wolves. To survive, everyone had to come together. No one would be a better leader than Jiang Chen.
The ten forefathers were conflicted when they saw the two men choosing to join Jiang Chen’s banner. On paper, they were Jiang Chen’s allies. In reality, it was clear that they paled in comparison to him.
The ten sacred lands might still be the rulers of Myriad Abyss, but the one making the calls and standing above everyone wasn’t the forefathers, but the newly risen young genius, Jiang Chen.
The realization evoked different reactions from the forefathers. Appreciation, disappointment, regret, bemusement…
“Have you made up your minds?” Jiang Chen didn’t immediately accept the two men. He considered them carefully, the look in his eyes inquisitive.
“We have,” the pair insisted resolutely. “We’re willing to let you control us with your consciousness to prove our innocence.”
That was an offer Jiang Chen couldn’t turn down.
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“Good. Desperate time calls for desperate measures. This control is necessary to ensure there will be no unwanted surprises. I hope you’ll regain my trust sooner rather than later. I want our relationship to be one of mutual trust, not wariness.” His tone was serious and matter-of-fact.
“We greet young lord Jiang Chen.” The two men went up to him and saluted him as his subordinates.
An Kasyapa chuckled. “Good kid. You’ve proven yourself in the fight. People are falling to their knees to serve you. I’ll opt out of this though. I’m a man who values his freedom and detests restraints. But again, if there’s anything that will threaten the continent, count me in.”
An Kasyapa was at a much higher level than the divine cultivators. He’d been second only to Lightford.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. “Divine Kasyapa has never worked with Lightford. You don’t have anything to prove. I hope that one day, we’ll have a chance to fight together again.”
“Of course. As long as you stay on the right path, I’m willing to follow you for the sake of the greater good.” An Kasyapa laughed heartily. Remembering something, he added, “There are more cultivators who refused to help Lightford after escaping from the Boundless Prison. They are scattered all over Myriad Abyss. You can try to recruit them.”
Many divine cultivators had escaped the prison, and a small portion of them had turned Lightford’s offer down. They were proud individuals the likes of Divine Kasyapa.
Jiang Chen smiled. “I will if I get the chance.”
“Since I have the time, I’ll talk to them for you and try to recruit them. Even if they don’t join you, it’s better to have them be in the same boat. When the continent faces real threats, we may all fight together as comrades.”
Jiang Chen responded seriously, “Then I’ll leave the matter in your capable hands.”
That would be of infinite help. Every divine cultivator was invaluable. That was why he had done his best to spare as many of them as possible.
One god killed was one less ally on their side.
Although killing a divine cultivator could yield them a divine decree, it would take a long time for someone to ascend to divinity with the decree.
Besides, there was no guarantee that whoever was given the decree could ascend to divinity; it’d take more time for the new divine cultivator to grow strong enough to fight in the coming war.
Under the circumstances, every god was an important asset.
The battle had come to an end. The captives had surrendered. Everything was going smoothly.
However, there remained one more thing. Jiang Chen turned to the ten forefathers with a smile. “You remember the fight on Sandplain, venerated forefathers. I mentioned then that some of the cultivators in Myriad Abyss are in cahoots with Lightford. We must identify these people.”
They could recruit the captives, but the traitors had to be fished out and dealt with.