by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
The second portion of the money would go to the Xuantian Dao Sect. It was enough to finish the construction and more.
As for the remaining portion, Long Chen proposed splitting it amongst the families of the disciples who had died in the battle this time. This kind of compensation was too generous. It made even Qu Jianying nod with approval. It was no wonder so many disciples would follow Long Chen to death.
After all, based on the current situation, just taking out one billion spirit crystals as compensation would be a stunning move.
“Long Chen, you and Guo Ran both entered the top ten. There are more benefits to that than you realize. As for what they are, you’ll see soon.” Qu Jianying smiled. “Other than the reward for defending the Devil Abyss eruption, there is also the reward for dealing such a blow to the Corrupt path. Little Li Tianxuan, you did well. This situation will be quickly verified, so it won’t be long before we can confirm the damage done. In any case, you know what to do. Whether it’s spirit crystals, divine items, or other spiritual objects, just request what you want.”
“Many thanks, senior.” Li Tianxuan smiled. It wasn’t just Long Chen who had put in work this time. Li Tianxuan had also dealt a blow to the Corrupt path’s Netherpassage experts, and that came with a plentiful reward.
So even though Long Chen had practically given away five billion spirit crystals to the families of the fallen, Li Tianxuan didn’t mind. That money had been earned by Long Chen, and he could spend it however he pleased. Also, the Xuantian Dao Sect’s grand formation would be completed soon, so they wouldn’t need that many spirit crystals anyway.
Using a scheme, Li Tianxuan had managed to heavily injure the Corrupt path’s three Devil Kings. Once that matter was investigated, he would get his reward. After all, he had crippled a Netherpassage expert.
“Alright, that’s all the rewards I have. When I leave, try not to cause so much trouble. However, before leaving, let me warn you first, Long Chen. Don’t think that taking first place on the Devil Slaughter Rankings means that you can look down on the other experts,” warned Qu Jianying.
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t get a big head from this. After all, the reason I got first place was largely due to luck.” Long Chen nodded.
If it hadn’t been for Yue Xiaoqian unleashing a divine ability that had completely stunned those Life Star level Empyrean Winged Blood Devils, making them lose their ability to defend, his Double Dragon Destruction wouldn’t have been able to annihilate them. At most, he would have managed to kill the ones in the core region, but beyond that, it would be difficult to kill any more.
Furthermore, other people had been killing Empyrean Winged Blood Devils that were only on the Soul Transformation level, while he had been killing those on the Life Star level, giving him more points. It could be said that he had practically been cheating.
If everyone had been in a similar situation, he wouldn’t necessarily have gotten first place. So he didn’t feel any superiority or confidence from getting first place.
Qu Jianying nodded. Sometimes, Long Chen was still reliable.
“Then let me say this. All those who entered the top ten are extremely powerful existences. That Leng Yueyan from the Corrupt path is someone you want to be extremely cautious of. Rumor is that she possesses the spirit body of the Corrupt God and will inherit the Corrupt God’s will in the future. You’ve already seen her killing power, but based on the information I gathered on her, she has no supreme area attacks. In other words, she got those kill points by swinging her sword. Furthermore, her kill points rose at a very steady rate, meaning she didn’t unleash any large moves. That’s the most terrifying part, the fact that she got so many kill points while barely trying.”
The fact that Leng Yueyan’s kill points had risen at a steady pace showed that she hadn’t released her full power. In that kind of scenario, she had still taken second. So Qu Jianying used the word terrifying to describe Leng Yueyan.
“That Leng Yueyan is a supreme expert of the Corrupt path and upholds the Corrupt God’s mission. She is fated to be your mortal enemy, so don’t be careless,” warned Qu Jianying.
Long Chen nodded. He had always felt her to be a formidable opponent capable of taking his life. He was even a bit afraid of her.
Inside, he didn’t want to be enemies with her. However, they were on opposite sides. Sooner or later, they would face each other, and one of them would die.
Although Leng Yueyan had said that she would no longer try to kill him, that was relating only to their personal relationship. It didn’t mean that she wouldn’t attack if it was a battle between the Righteous and Corrupt paths. That kind of clash was unavoidable.
Unless there came a day when Leng Yueyan betrayed the Corrupt path, or Long Chen betrayed the Righteous path, they would have to face each other with weapons in hands. Unfortunately, that was impossible. Long Chen’s hatred toward the Corrupt path would never change.
Although he also didn’t have any good feeling toward the Righteous path, as there were far too many idiots inside it who fought amongst themselves all day long, he also knew that not everyone in the Righteous path was like that. It was just that the control of many sects was in the hands of a group of idiots.
In any case, his own position would not change, and Leng Yueyan’s position would not change. The two of them had not encountered each other in a long time, but when that time came, it would probably be a battle to the death.
“Although Leng Yueyan is frightening, I’m still not that worried about her. The one I’m most worried about is Dong Mingyu. Before the eruption of the Devil Abyss, Dong Mingyu assassinated a Netherpassage expert.” Qu Jianying’s expression was grave.
“But… how is that possible?” Long Chen was shocked.
Chapter 1720 Spirit Immortal Formation Sect and Gambling Heavenly Dao
Dong Mingyu was actually able to kill Netherpassage experts. Even Long Chen felt incomparably shocked.
Even now, although he was strong enough to slap Di Long in the face repeatedly, that was when Di Long was caught off guard and had no defense up.
If a Netherpassage expert were to use their full strength, then Long Chen would be sending himself to his death if he fought them. Even his chances of getting away alive would be very low. Hence, it was absolutely shocking to him that Dong Mingyu could kill a Netherpassage expert.
“You don’t need to be too shocked. Dong Mingyu can assassinate a Netherpassage expert, not kill one. There’s still a difference between them,” said Qu Jianying.
Assassination relied on opportunity, while killing relied on power. However, even in that case, managing to sneak attack a Netherpassage expert in control of life and death energy definitely couldn’t be done entirely by luck.
Let alone assassinating a Netherpassage expert, just holding the slightest hostility toward them as you approached would be instantly sensed by them. Assassinating one of them was essentially impossible. However, Dong Mingyu had done it.
“Rumor is that Dong Mingyu has awakened the Killing God’s blood mark, and her assassination arts are unmatched. She is the strongest killer in the history of the Bloodkill Hall. As you are already classified as a target that she must kill, you absolutely must be careful. An assassin is the most troublesome existence,” warned Qu Jianying.
Long Chen nodded but he wasn’t afraid. Having fought against the Bloodkill Hall so much, the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art had practically memorized their aura. He wasn’t afraid of their assassinations.
However, he definitely had to be careful of this Dong Mingyu. She was an assassin who did not specialize in group fighting, nor did she specialize in power, yet she still obtained third place. That meant that her one-on-one killing power had to be on an extreme level. Otherwise, there was no way she could assassinate a Netherpassage expert.
“Speaking of which, who did Dong Mingyu assassinate?” asked Long Chen curiously.
Qu Jianying’s expression became odd. “Her own master.”
“Yes. The Bloodkill Hall has this kind of inheritance where apprentices will try to assassinate their masters, while the masters will also try to assassinate their apprentices once the latter manage to threaten their position. These kinds of ancient conventions aren’t something outsiders like us would understand. In any case, assassins assassinating assassins is very normal to them,” said Qu Jianying.
Li Tianxuan and the patriarch seemed to have expected that result. They understood more about the Bloodkill Hall than Long Chen.
“Then does that mean that the Bloodkill Hall’s Netherpassage experts are more terrifying than other Netherpassage experts? If even her own master couldn’t avoid being killed by her, couldn’t she kill other Netherpassage experts easily?” asked Long Chen with disbelief.
Qu Jianying shook her head. “You can’t extrapolate this matter that way. The Bloodkill Hall’s disciples and masters are constantly scheming against each other. It includes their habits, how they prefer to attack, their patterns, their flaws, all of it is a constant whirlpool of scheming. Their profession’s unique point is that other than the Killing God and themselves, they won’t trust anyone else. Everyone else is an enemy. When they see others, they are constantly calculating their flaws and how to kill them. So the Bloodkill Hall’s assassins prefer to be carrying out missions rather than staying in the Bloodkill Hall, because if they stayed for too long, others would have more chances to secretly observe them, and it would be even more dangerous. That’s why the fact that Dong Mingyu could assassinate her Netherpassage master is because she is very familiar with her master. Of course, we can’t know if she relied on power or scheming to kill her master, but in any case, she is very dangerous, even more dangerous than Leng Yueyan.”
“I understand.” Long Chen nodded.
“As for that True Immortal Jiaoqi, he’s quite an amazing figure. He possesses two different bloodlines, one from the Heavenly Blood River Drake and the other from the Storm Wind Qilin. The Storm Wind Qilin might not be the true divine beast known as the qilin, but it contains a trace of the qilin’s blood. Their speed is shocking. As for his father, he’s a supreme expert from the Heavenly Blood River Drake race, one with an extremely pure bloodline. This race specializes in power. In fact, their power approaches the power of dragons. So True Immortal Jiaoqi was born with practically divine power. He inherited the divine abilities of the Heavenly Blood River Drake and the speed of the Storm Wind Qilin. He possesses both great power and speed and is a very terrifying existence amongst the Xuan Beasts. If you face him alone in the future, it might be difficult to avoid a fierce battle. Be careful.” Qu Jianying was solemn when it came to True Immortal Jiaoqi. He also wasn’t ordinary.
After talking about True Immortal Jiaoqi, she continued, “As for Mo Nian, there’s nothing to say, correct? I heard you are good friends?”
“Yes. More accurately, we should be classified as life and death brothers.” Long Chen nodded.
“Alright then. You flipped the Eastern Xuan Region, while Mo Nian caused chaos in the Western Xuan Region. You two really are a pair of brothers. The two of you have been called the Eastern Madman and the Western Wretch. He… he really is wretched. He actually calls himself a scholar, a pioneer of archaeology and an explorer of geology. He says he is unearthing the civilization and the culture of the ancients. But in truth, he is just doing shameful things all day. Many years ago, the Mo family was majestic and grand. Now, this little fellow has fallen to the point of digging up tombs to vent. It makes one sigh.” Qu Jianying really did sigh, her expression one of sorrow.
“Alliance head, are you saying Mo Nian’s family was very amazing back in the day?” asked Long Chen.
“Of course they were. Back then, the leader of the ancient family alliance was the Mo family. The Di family only took their place later on. As for what happened then, you don’t need to ask. Something as messy and chaotic as that gives me a headache as soon as it’s mentioned.” Qu Jianying waved her hand. She clearly was very discontented with the Di family, and her voice seemed to contain a kind of disdain. She didn’t wish to talk about it.
“Since you call him your brother, it is fated that you will go against Di Long. It’s no wonder Di Long would be so shameless in an effort to eliminate you. Hmph, after finding something to rely on, does the Di family think they can get away with anything? Does he not realize that once he loses that support that he relies on, he will have become so weak himself that he won’t be able to stand? Whatever, that’s not your affair. Just talking about these things is irritating. Long Chen, just be careful. Don’t get tricked by the Devil Slaughter Rankings,” said Qu Jianying.
“Tricked?”
“Yes, don’t think that the strongest geniuses are on the Devil Slaughter Rankings. First of all, the ancient races, Xuan Beasts, Corrupt path, ancient family alliance, and other powers only chose to send a single representative. Those representatives have amazing area attacks that give them an advantage when it comes to the Devil Slaughter Rankings, but that doesn’t mean that those people are necessarily the strongest,” said Qu Jianying.
Long Chen nodded. “I know, not everyone powerful is skilled in group fighting, and not everyone likes standing out. If I had a choice, I also wouldn’t want to take first place.”
From the start, he hadn’t been planning on taking first place. His goal had been for Guo Ran to have it. However, his plans had been forced to change.
Many people were definitely thinking like him, so the Devil Slaughter Rankings could not be used to say that those were the strongest geniuses of this world. At most, it could be used as a rough reference.
“Ah, I almost forgot, you should also take note of that Hu Feng and Xia Chen. I’ve investigated Xia Chen, and he should be the heir to the Spirit Immortal Formation Sect from ancient times. This sect had essentially vanished for tens of thousands of years, but now it has reappeared. Rumor is that the Spirit Immortal Formation Sect has no actual combat power, so they don’t like to reveal themselves. However, once they establish a formation, it is capable of overturning the land and sea. Even peak experts, no matter how high their cultivation base or combat power, will end up dying if they fall into their formation.
“As for Hu Feng, he’s also a marvel. He should be the one to inherit the legendary Gambling Heavenly Dao. The heirs of the Gambling Heavenly Dao all have a strange nickname, the ‘fifty-fifties’.”
“The fifty-fifties?” Long Chen didn’t understand what that meant.
Li Tianxuan was the one who explained, “It seems the great era has truly started to descend if even the Gambling Heavenly Dao’s heir has appeared. The Gambling Heavenly Dao’s heirs live off gambling. It’s a very strange sect. It is said that they do not cultivate magical arts or spiritual yuan. Instead, they cultivate luck. It’s an ancient sect, one that was mysterious even in the ancient era. There are very few recordings of them. In each generation, there will only be one heir, and there is no need for a master and apprentice to pass down the inheritance. Sometimes, a new heir will appear after a few hundred years, and sometimes there might be no news of them even after thousands of years. However, one thing is certain. That is that all the Gambling Heavenly Dao’s heirs have heaven-defying luck, and it is very difficult for them to be killed by someone. When they encounter an opponent, no matter how high that opponent’s cultivation base, no matter how strong they are, they will always have a fifty percent chance of winning.”
“But… why does that sound so completely unreliable?” Long Chen couldn’t believe it. “If this Hu Feng encountered a Netherpassage expert at the Sea Expansion realm, he would still have a fifty percent chance of winning?”
“Yes. This is the power of the Gambling Heavenly Dao. Even if Hu Feng was just at the Xiantian realm, he would still have a fifty percent chance of winning. However, due to their heaven-defying luck, it’s almost impossible for them to encounter enemies that are stronger than them. That’s the only reason this strange nic
kname of fifty-fifties appeared. Even in the entire cultivation world, only the Gambling Heavenly Dao’s heirs have such heaven-defying abilities. Long Chen, there are all kinds of marvels in this world. With the great era silently descending, sects that belonged only in legends have started to awaken. All kinds of monsters are being born. You cannot be overconfident.”
“That’s correct. Even the heirs of the Spirit Immortal Formation Sect and Gambling Heavenly Dao have appeared. More monsters like them will appear. This is an era of marvels, as well as an era of blood. No one knows who will be the one to walk to the peak of the martial path and dominate this era,” added Qu Jianying.
“I understand.”
For some reason, Long Chen didn’t feel any pressure. Instead, he felt a grand feeling. This era was growing more and more interesting.
Qu Jianying said a few more words before leaving. She had too many things to handle, and that made Long Chen sigh. If she was so busy, how did she have time to cultivate?
“Reporting to the Xuan Master, a man calling himself Xia Chen had come asking to see senior apprentice-brother Long Chen.”
Chapter 1721 Xia Chen Joins
He was a thin and somewhat frail-looking man, with a fair complexion. He didn’t look like a martial artist but rather almost scholarly. If he wore a scholar’s band and held a white fan in his hand, he would look even more like one.
That was the first impression that Xia Chen gave Long Chen. Long Chen could sense his aura and knew that he was definitely a Soul Transformation expert. However, the fluctuations of his spiritual yuan were very weak, so weak that Long Chen found it unimaginable. They were even weaker than a Foundation Forging expert.
“Are you surprised?” In a private room, Xia Chen faced Long Chen with a slight smile.