Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Heavenly God Realm

“Family Head, I don’t quite understand.”

After Jiang Die was reprimanded, Jiang Yuan approached Jiang Ding Tian respectfully but with a hint of confusion.

“What is it that you don’t understand?” Jiang Ding Tian placed the tea on the table opposite him, gesturing for Jiang Yuan to sit down.

Jiang Yuan obediently took his seat.

“Jiang Die has already defeated Jiang Tianxin, and she did so with the strength of the Destined Third Layer against a peak in the Destined Realm. If we allow her to grow, she might become someone we can’t underestimate, right?” Jiang Yuan expressed his doubts.

Jiang Ding Tian took a sip of his tea.

“It’s undeniable that during the Second Heaven, Jiang Die was an absolute powerhouse. If she were to ascend in that state, not only would I have given all the strength of the Jiang Family to support her, I might as well hand over my position as Family Head to her.”

“But now, she’s not capable anymore.”

Jiang Yuan was taken aback.

“Are you saying that Jiang Die has suffered grave injuries?”

“It’s more than just injuries; she has completely thrown away her power. Think about it: if you were Jiang Die, once immensely powerful, but now fighting across realms as if it were child’s play.”

“And then you lose all that power.”

“What would be your first thought?”

Jiang Ding Tian asked.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yuan replied, “I would definitely do whatever it takes to regain my strength.”

“So, has Jiang Die done that?”

Jiang Yuan frowned.

“She hasn’t.”

“Exactly. If you lost something very important, your first reaction would definitely be to search for it. If you couldn’t find it, you would rally your friends and family to help you search, giving it everything you’ve got.”

Jiang Yuan got the point.

“So, the Family Head means that Jiang Die’s actions are illogical. She clearly lost her immense strength but isn’t trying to recover it because she knows better than anyone that she can’t regain it.”

“That precious thing has been completely destroyed!”

Jiang Ding Tian nodded.

“Yes, completely destroyed…”

“Now, while that Lu Ye hasn’t arrived yet, we need to exhaust every way to squeeze out Jiang Die’s value. Once Lu Ye comes, we’ll assess his strength and potential. If both are substantial, we’ll hand Jiang Die over to him along with some gifts to wipe the slate clean.”

“Huh? What about the Jiang Family’s reputation?”

Jiang Ding Tian scoffed with a smile.

“What nonsense about reputation! Your reputation comes from your strength. As long as the Jiang Family is strong enough, if you bow to others, the world will say you’re fair-minded, know right from wrong, and generous. If the Jiang Family weakens, then that’s when real danger arrives. There are at least eight or even ten billion people who want to see the Jiang Family perish!”

“The family’s first duty is survival and continuation, and only then should we focus on growth and becoming stronger.”

“So, just wait and see!”

“The more Jiang Die obediently shares her techniques, the more it proves her value is continuously decreasing.”

“If the Jiang Family fell because of her during the Second Heaven, so many eyes are watching me. Even as the Family Head, I must give them an explanation!”

At that moment, Jiang Yuan downed the tea in his hand.

He understood.

Jiang Yuan left.

Jiang Ding Tian quietly gazed at the light shining from the doorway.

Jiang Die… what secrets is she hiding?

Perhaps I can detect a thing or two from the spells she teaches.

As the Family Head, I certainly can’t covet the opportunities of my kin.

But…

…

Lu Ye was unaware that Jiang Die was gradually sinking into dire straits.

In truth, it could be roughly guessed.

Traveling 80,000 miles, Lu Ye had three objectives.

First, to gather momentum, to summon the invincible might, and to fight Jiang Die because her realm was too high, and she possessed means that were unclear to Lu Ye.

Second, to wipe out all enemies in one go, drawing them all out.

The Second Heaven had nothing particularly worth his while.

Third, to expose Jiang Die’s everything to the world, even if he couldn’t kill her, the ensuing mistrust and dreadful creatures would be enough to keep Jiang Die under pressure.

The most terrifying thing right now was that Jiang Die really had lost her invincible capital.

Lu Ye had an abundance of resources at his disposal, some of which he could use, and some he couldn’t.

The Emperor’s Banner was frustrating; Lu Ye was going to refine it again. He wanted to alter the souls that were constantly raging and howling because as long as they weren’t chaotic, the souls stored within could be more numerous, and it was better for them to remain orderly than to run around like headless chickens.

There was still too much.

Lu Ye hadn’t played with the Emperor’s Banner in his past life, so he just began to use the System for simulations.

Eventually, the System devised a pretty good method.

That was to squeeze the souls into juice, forming a Soul River; with this, the soul storage of the Emperor’s Banner would greatly increase.

Let’s get to work!

The raging souls could wait.

Lu Ye targeted those souls that were just coasting along, being lazy every day.

Because this group of souls was truly turning the Emperor’s Banner into an inn.

That simply wouldn’t do!

Get up and shake things up!

They had all become souls, yet they were still so listless.

If the souls don’t hustle, the true spirits suffer!

As Lu Ye proceeded, thunderous cheers erupted within the Emperor’s Banner.

“Ahhh!”

A cheer loud enough to burst eardrums rose from the Emperor’s Banner.

Every soul found motivation at that moment.

As the Soul River slowly took form, its pitch black color began to change.

The deep black was surprisingly transforming into a shade of purple.

The snarling souls were dumbfounded by this sight.

They watched as a perfectly normal soul was suddenly grasped by a hand, squeezing tightly, with drops of liquid falling from beneath the fist.

Countless hands appeared.

Some of the originally fierce souls, caught off-guard for a moment, were directly juiced.

Some souls reacted quickly and let out ear-piercing shrieks.

Their faces twisted grotesquely, each one resembling a mask that was hard to look at.

Lu Ye paused slightly.

Huh?

He hadn’t noticed there were so many fierce souls in the Emperor’s Banner before.

In that instant, they all turned aggressive.

But whatever, Lu Ye waved his hand, and three Ten Thousand Souls Banners flew over, and in the next second, they shattered.

The Emperor’s Banner gently waved.

All the souls in the Ten Thousand Souls Banner rushed into it.

“Hold it in!”

Lu Ye shouted.

The Emperor’s Banner, caught midway in a burp, was forcefully held back.

The banner’s body displayed a rhythm that was anything but regular.

One by one, the Ten Thousand Souls Banners were refined inside.

A dreadful purple aura began to swirl, all thickened with viscous soul fluid.

Finally, all the Ten Thousand Souls Banners were incorporated.

The Emperor’s Banner officially ascended to the innate Dao treasure!

Lu Ye didn’t waste any time; the Earth Immortal Realm had reached its limit, and he simply rolled it up three layers.

Would there be any toxic aftermath this time?

Breakthrough!

In an instant, True Essence boiled.

Lu Ye’s aura surged, reaching the Heavenly God Realm!

Lu Ye’s nose twitched as he caught a whiff of a fragrance.