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Chapter 499 - Not Related at All

The aura of a Ninth Passage Stage cultivator erupted from his body, and a mountain of force pressed on Long Chen, pushing him several steps back. Then Demon General Strongman roared furiously and stomped his muscular leg on the ground before sprinting towards Long Chen!

If he attacked, Long Chen would surely die in one strike!

“Stop!” The Clear Shallows King stopped him immediately, pulling Demon General Strongman back. She said with a cold expression, “Strongman, you’d better calm down. This is the Clear Shallows Pavilion; I am the one who makes decisions here, not you!”

The Clear Shallows King was an Earthly Martial Realm master, so she was much stronger than he was. After she pulled him back, he could not move at all. Even her voice had scared him. Demon General Strongman finally snapped out of his rage; he had acted on impulse due to the rage caused by Zhao Wuji’s death.

“Jiang Cheng, explain what happened!” said the Clear Shallows King, looking at him coldly.

“It’s simple. I’m sure you both know that Zhao Wuji has been looking to fight me ever since he reached the Fifth Passage Stage to get revenge for the humiliation he experienced during the qualifiers. I did not agree to his request this morning, so tonight, he used manipulative tactics to lure me here. I defeated him but let him live. Unfortunately, he was unwilling to accept defeat and took out the Nine Heavens Thunder Talisman to kill me. I was lucky enough to survive it, and I had to kill him afterwards.”

Demon General Strongman and the Clear Shallows King indeed knew that Zhao Wuji had been looking to harass Long Chen for several days now. Due to the Clear Shallows King, news of Long Chen’s true strength had not been leaked out, and Demon General Strongman had not found the time to tell Zhao Wuji about Long Chen. He had not expected this to happen tonight.

The Clear Shallows King nodded. What Long Chen had said was the same as what the situation looked like, so it was clear that he was telling the truth. Demon General Strongman was even more familiar with Zhao Wuji’s combative personality, so he also knew that Long Chen was telling the truth. However, Zhao Wuji was his nephew; how could he let Zhao Wuji die just like that?

“Jiang Cheng, you still killed Zhao Wuji. You are only a regular disciple, and yet you dared to kill the Red Ghost King’s direct disciple! Plus, Zhao Wuji is my nephew. If you kill someone, you pay for it with your life. It doesn’t matter what the reason was; you need to pay!” growled Demon General Strongman.

If Long Chen was truly just a regular disciple, Demon General Strongman could have easily killed him to avenge Zhao Wuji. There was a clear rule forbidding private duels in the Ancient Demon Domain, but as one of the twenty-eight Demon Generals, Demon General Strongman had the right to kill regular disciples. He had killed many regular disciples before, and the Clear Shallows King had never intervened!

That was why Demon General Strongman did not think much into it. After Long Chen had described what happened, he immediately prepared to launch an attack!

“Stop it!” roared the Clear Shallows King, and she shoved Demon General Strongman several steps back. Her stern glare completely stunned Demon General Strongman, who looked at her in confusion.

“Lord Clear Shallows, he is merely a regular disciple, yet he killed my nephew! Can’t I avenge my nephew?”

The Clear Shallows King had never intervened before, so why was she stopping him now? He was one of the four great Demon Generals of the Clear Shallows Pavilion; how could he not outrank the puny Long Chen?

The Clear Shallows King’s strange behavior drove Demon General Strongman up the wall.

“Enough with your nonsense. The disciple of the Red Ghost Pavilion was the instigator. Jiang Cheng was only defending himself. We belong to the Clear Shallows Pavilion. Strongman, you cannot be taking the wrong side,” the Clear Shallows King said coldly.

Demon General Strongman froze. He knew that if the Clear Shallows King was taking this angle as her explanation, it meant that there was no room for discussion. He was no idiot, so the true reason was not hard to figure out. Why was the Clear Shallows King using all sorts of methods to protect Long Chen? It was because of his potential. Plus, Demon General Strongman knew some things that even Long Chen did not.

“I’ll let you handle Zhao Wuji’s matters. Jiang Cheng, follow me back to the Clear Shallows Pavilion.” The Clear Shallows King did not give Demon General Strongman room to negotiate at all and left promptly. Long Chen calmed himself and quickly followed the Clear Shallows King.

He did not look at Demon General Strongman, but he could feel the venomous glare from him. In this world, everyone needed strength to survive. Long Chen was no match for a Ninth Passage Stage cultivator, so all he could do was follow the Clear Shallows King without a sound.

With the Clear Shallows King protecting him, he would not need to worry about Demon General Strongman in the near future, unless Strongman went mad and decided he no longer wanted to stay in the Ancient Demon Domain.

Only the people of the Clear Shallows Pavilion could see what had happened in the mountains, while the other pavilions were not as clear. Under the instruction of the Clear Shallows King, the information was temporarily suppressed, and no one knew what had happened for now. As for Long Chen, he was led to the place where the Clear Shallows King lived, which was the core of the Clear Shallows Pavilion. He had not been here before.

Long Chen and the Clear Shallows King were the only ones in the royal pavilion. She sat on her luxurious throne on the dais, looking down at him. As an Earthly Martial Realm cultivator, she had gained Long Chen’s respect.

“Jiang Cheng, I don’t think you’re an idiot, so you must know that I am keeping you alive,” the Clear Shallows King said after a while.

“Thank you so much for your graciousness, Clear Shallows King. I understand that if it were not for you, Demon General Strongman would have killed me.” Long Chen knew this very well. He only dared to kill Zhao Wuji because he had guessed her stance after observing her actions. It looked like a huge risk, but Long Chen was very confident in his decision. Plus, Zhao Wuji had wanted to kill Long Chen on multiple occasions, so how could Long Chen let him live?

“It’s good that you know. We are not related at all, and you are not a direct disciple of mine. Yet I helped you. I’m sure you know that there is a reason,” she continued.

“What can I do for you?” Long Chen had his guesses, but this confirmed his suspicions.

The Clear Shallows King was silent for a while, then she smiled bitterly. “Five years ago, during the examination of the seven pavilions’ disciples, the Clear Shallows Pavilion placed last. There was a large gap between our disciples and the others too. I’m sure you know the current situation. The Clear Shallows Pavilion does not have any Eighth Passage Stage disciples in the younger generation, but the other six pavilions do. This means it is almost certain that we will end up in last place again. The Clear Shallows Pavilion has not achieved anything throughout my leadership, and the disciples are getting worse by the year. Perhaps when I retire, the Clear Shallows Pavilion will no longer exist.”

When she spoke, her mood was somber.

Long Chen listened to every word she said.

Last place, twice in a row? That’s quite a tragedy. But Liu Yiyi is almost at the Eighth Passage Stage. Looking at her abilities, it’s just a matter of one or two months. I think the Clear Shallows King is being a little heavy-handed with her declaration that the Clear Shallows Pavilion will not exist. Long Chen pondered the topic. If Liu Yiyi were someone else, the Clear Shallows King might have forgotten about her. But Long Chen was clear about Liu Yiyi’s strength, so he was puzzled.

Of course, no matter how tragic the Clear Shallows Pavilion’s trajectory was, it had nothing to do with Long Chen. He understood what she meant.

“Are you saying that you want me to represent the Clear Shallows Pavilion at the examination in a month’s time?”

He was privately delighted because this was going according to plan. He had been wondering how he could participate in the examination to get the Emperor Flame Pearl, and now the Clear Shallows King was giving him an opportunity.

“You’re very smart. That’s exactly what I was thinking. From today onwards, I will mentor you so that you will make huge progress within one month. Are you confident you can defeat an Eighth Passage Stage cultivator and enter the top three in a month’s time? Maybe even become champion?” she asked solemnly with her eyes fixed on him.

Long Chen knew that because she had kept him alive today, he had no right to refuse, or Demon General Strongman would tear him to pieces.

“If you are willing to mentor me and give me the things I need, I’m sure we will not be ranked last at the very least. Even getting into the top three won’t be difficult,” he said decisively with determination in his eyes.

From the outside, he looked like he was being cornered by the Clear Shallows King’s demands, but Long Chen was actually ecstatic inside. His objective was already to become as strong as he could before the examination and get the Emperor Flame Pearl. She was now offering huge benefits, and Long Chen would now no longer need to worry about resources because he would get everything he needed.

Long Chen’s confident answer satisfied the Clear Shallows King. She said with a smile, “You seem confident. It looks like you’ve got a plan, right? What do you need? Just tell me.”

Long Chen thought for a while and said, “I want a million Heavenly Passage Pills and the crystal used during our Demon Light Bath.”

One million Heavenly Passage Pills. That was the total sum of an average Ninth Passage Stage cultivator’s assets. Furthermore, that crystal was a treasure of the Clear Shallows Pavilion, and she only had five of them.

Long Chen’s demands made the Clear Shallows King’s brows furrow slightly. She thought for a while and said, “If I give you these things, you’re confident that you can defeat an Eighth Passage Stage cultivator in a month? How can you guarantee this?”

“If I do not achieve it, my head will be yours.”