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The price in the latter case was exorbitant. If they managed to kill Lightford and the other gods in the end, what then? Losing two-thirds or more of their own would render their achievement pointless.

Myriad Abyss couldn’t afford such terrible a loss of power.

“I presume that Lightford is completely exasperated by this point,” Jiang Chen noted. “He must have guessed by now that the two gods missing from Sandplain have either joined us or are us in disguise. What he doesn’t know, however, is that daoists Lan Tianhao and Xu Yigu have seen the light as well. We can use this fact to our advantage to lie in wait for him and launch a surprise attack.”

“What kind of elaborate ruse can we possibly come up with in so short a time?” someone interjected. “How do we fool Lightford when we have no time?”

“If the old man could assert his dominance in the Boundless Prison, he’s sure to be a wily fox. An ordinary ambush might not work on him.”

“Not necessarily,” disagreed An Jiashe. “Old Lightford is shrewd, but he has one weakness: he is intensely arrogant to the point of blindness. If we can use that fact to our advantage, our ploy may yet work.”

“I agree,” the Radiance forefather nodded. “We finally have the upper hand in terms of numbers. Even if we can’t strike down Lightford himself, it will be good to eliminate a few of his cronies. Without sufficient support, he won’t be able to make any significant further trouble.”

“You’re absolutely right. His lack of backup is his greatest affliction right now. Each man of his that we kill is one more that we don’t have to deal with.”

Jiang Chen smiled smoothly. “We must rip out the problem, root and stem. Lightford is too powerful to be allowed to live. If he escapes, even alone, he can make trouble for us down the line. He might not be able to rule, but he sure can destroy. Thus, we must ensure that he doesn’t survive the next encounter with us. We can let everyone else escape and cut him down alone, if we have to make the choice.”

It was ideal to stamp a problem out at its source.

Aside from Lightford, the others were only small fry. Once Lightford was out of the picture, his men would be as helpless as headless chickens.

It would be trivial to quash or turn them, either way. The crux of the problem lay with their leader.

“If that’s what you’re saying, Jiang Chen, you must have your own ideas already,” the Eternal forefather smiled. “Let us know what plan you have up your sleeve.”

“Yes, you’re the only one who’s fought against Old Lightford before. You thoroughly know what he’s capable of.”

None of the gods dared underestimate Jiang Chen any longer. They regarded the young man as their equal.

The younger cultivators were envious of his special treatment, but had to admit he was much more capable and incredible than all of them. Myriad Abyss relied upon his intervention to maintain its current stability. Without him, the ten sacred lands would be no more.

“At this point, any and all conspiracies have lost their sway. Force of arms will decide the day in the end.” Jiang Chen smiled a little, looking into the eyes of all those around him composedly. “I’m sure everyone is in agreement with this?”

Some consideration revealed that yes, this was indeed the case.

Intricate planning wasn’t going to be of much use any longer. Fighting was required at some point down the line in their near future.

“As usual, the two sacred beasts and I, as well as Divine Kasyapa, will be in charge of holding Lightford’s attention. The other divine seniors must focus your attentions on his divine servants. You’ll have the upper hand when it comes to numbers.

“Moreover, I will confuse and disorient them for a time using a formation. Since Lightford is around, I’m not sure how long it’ll hold, but you’ll have a window to take advantage of. You must seize the chance to strike and kill as many as you can in that time. Obviously, it would be best if you can slay them all, but even if you can’t, you should at least take out a fair number.

“Think about it, everyone. Does this plan sound reasonable to you? Are you able to play your part?” Jiang Chen rolled his words very slowly.

All the divine forefathers began to consider. After a few moments, one of them spoke up. “We’re preparing to catch them unawares. There are more of us than there are of them. Given both of these facts, it’d be pathetic if we couldn’t kill at least a few. Use all that you have available to you, my friends!”

“Absolutely. We shall do what we must and give it our all.”

“If Lightford brings eight gods, it’d make things much easier if you could get rid of three or four in our surprise attack. We’ll outnumber the ones left over two- or three-to-one,” Jiang Chen smiled. His eyes moved across Yu Gong’s face, then Lan Tianhao’s and Xu Yigu’s.

“Gentlemen, you three come from the Boundless Prison. Not long ago, you served Old Lightford. Tell me, will you be trustworthy in this coming battle?”

There was no reason to worry about Yu Gong. He had accepted Jiang Chen’s seal over his consciousness. The young lord could kill him with a single thought.

Lan Tianhao and Xu Yigu, on the other hand, were new recruits. Whether they were worth relying on was unknown at present.

Lan Tianhao was surprisingly resolute. “Though we obeyed orders to attack the Void Sacred Land, much of it was due to pressure from Lightford. Since he has no sense of righteousness and will only bring disaster to the continent, we are willing to pitch in alongside the sacred lands to exterminate this demon. If you cannot trust us, we are willing to temporarily surrender mastery over our own consciousnesses. However, you must return our freedom to us after the battle.”

Xu Yigu nodded as well. “I’ve no problem with that.”

Their sincerity was clear in the suggestion.

“Alright. As the leader of the sacred lands’ allowance, I will deign to exert my consciousness over yours. As you said, your freedom will shortly be returned to you.” The Eternal forefather took the initiative.

The overall direction decided, the group immediately began to discuss the details.

All of them knew that Myriad Abyss’s fortune and survival hinged on this coming fight. Their lives too, hung in the balance.