"Your divine might is unparalleled, Uncle Master. I am in awe."
Dean Meng hurriedly flattered Chu Feng with a respectful tone.
Chu Feng smiled and asked, "Your surname is Meng. Could you be my master's grandson?"
"Indeed, Uncle Master. My great-grandfather is your master."
Dean Meng beamed as he tried to establish a connection with Chu Feng. This position of Dean should never have fallen to a newly ascended Saint like himself, but the moment his great-grandfather spoke, the old timers had caved.
The main reason was that this particular Uncle Master of his already possessed twelve Divine Cores as a Divine King—even the Suppressing Divine King himself gave his Uncle Master a wide berth.
"I see," Chu Feng said. "Prepare some food and wine. Let's have a drink and chat, the two of us."
"Right away!"
Dean Meng immediately ordered his subordinates to prepare the feast, bringing out his treasured premium Saint wine. He carefully poured it for his esteemed Uncle Master.
Seeing how quick-witted this young man was, Chu Feng casually tossed a Dao Fruit Pill to him.
This Dao Fruit Pill wasn't even a premium grade. It was a reward he'd received for alchemy during his time at the Saint Academy—not because his skills were lacking, but because the materials those old fellows provided couldn't be used to craft premium Dao Fruit Pills.
"Thank you, Uncle Master."
Dean Meng could sense the rich Dao essence contained within the pill. Taking it would likely advance his cultivation by a hundred years.
After three rounds of drinks, Chu Feng began inquiring about the situation of everyone.
"Little Changyu, tell me where Xiuyuan and the others have gone."
Dean Meng took a sip of wine and replied, "Uncle Master, all the senior brothers have gone to the Hongyuan Continent. Apparently, about sixty years ago, a tribe of demons suddenly rose up and began contending with our Wendao Sect for dominance over the Central Continent. Senior brothers Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian had already become Divine Kings and were preparing to leave when they discovered that the demons had a Divine King supporting them. So they remained at Wendao Sect."
"Now, no one knows the situation of the war in Hongyuan Continent. The message I received a year ago was that Wendao Sect and the Myriad Demons were in a stalemate, with no major battles erupting."
"The rise of the demon tribe."
Chu Feng's lips curved slightly as he murmured, "This sounds familiar. I just don't know if it's the local demons rising up or if they're being supported by external forces."
When the Ten Sacred Territories divided the spoils of war, they only specified that our Wendao Sect would have exclusive rights to the Hongyuan Continent, but they didn't guarantee that forces from other continents wouldn't enter it.
Since a new continent could be discovered by the Divine Kings of the Ten Sacred Territories, it naturally could also be discovered by Divine Kings from other continents.
I wonder how Xiao Chen and the others are faring in the Hongyuan Continent now. It seems I'll need to set off for the Hongyuan Continent tomorrow.
He wasn't worried that Xiao Chen and the others would be defeated by the demons. After all, Xiao Chen was a future Sword Emperor in the making, and he had treasures bestowed by me. Unless a Divine Emperor appears, no one can defeat him.
In the Hongyuan Continent, within Wendao Sect, the dark clouds of war had loomed over the sect for sixty years.
Sixty years of war had reshaped the power structure of the Central Continent. Wendao Sect controlled territories primarily populated by humans, while the demons occupied the other half.
The Ancient Three Races, meanwhile, watched the tigers fight from the mountains across the three overseas continents.
To this day, the Ancient Three Races had not forgotten their past defeat. They still believed that without Wendao Sect, they could occupy the entire Hongyuan Continent.
Wendao Sect didn't concern themselves with this. As long as the Ancient Three Races didn't ally with the Myriad Demons, they were willing to grant them space to survive.
If the Ancient Three Races did ally with the Myriad Demons, then only reckoning awaited them.
In the Divine Hall, Ji Jiuwu sat in the main seat, with Xiao Chen and Cao Youqian standing at his sides, while the rest of the crowd stood on either side.
"Fellow disciples, we can now confirm that other continental forces have infiltrated the Myriad Demons' side, and they have several Divine Kings among them. We have two paths before us: one is to fight them until both sides are crippled, the other is to negotiate with them, stabilize the situation, and wait for a better opportunity to strike. What do you all think?"
Ji Jiuwu had personally witnessed the Three Races War, so he knew that if his two senior brothers were to unleash their full power against the Myriad Demons' Divine Kings, it would shatter the Central Continent. The luck that Wendao Sect had painstakingly gathered would be scattered, which was something he was unwilling to see.
Cao Youqian smiled and said, "Ninth Brother Ji, I understand your concerns, but Senior Brother and I are not Divine Kings who can only act within the Hongyuan Continent. If necessary, we can challenge the Myriad Demons' Divine Kings to a battle in the void. I doubt they would want to see a shattered Central Continent either."
Upon hearing this, Ji Jiuwu's eyes lit up. He was now just one step away from achieving 999 Dao essences. If it weren't for the years of continuous warfare that left him no time to cultivate, he would have already become a Divine King.
If his two senior brothers could defeat the Myriad Demons' Divine Kings in the void and temporarily check their expansion, then by the time he himself became a Divine King, their chances of counterattacking would be much greater.
He immediately stood up and said, "I ask Senior Brother Xiao and Senior Brother Cao to take action and suppress the Myriad Demons' Divine Kings."
Cao Youqian and Xiao Chen exchanged a glance and smiled. "No problem."
At this point, they were both Divine Kings with two Divine Cores, completely fearless of any opponent. Even if they faced a Divine King with more Divine Cores, they could use the sword jade bestowed by their master to suppress them.
"Excellent. Then tomorrow, I will send someone to deliver a challenge."
Ji Jiuwu said, his face filled with excitement.
Cao Youqian waved his hand. "No need for that. I will personally issue the challenge tomorrow. The Myriad Demons' Divine Kings have long wanted to test their strength against me."
Ji Jiuwu nodded. "Then we shall proceed as Senior Brother Cao suggests."
The next day.
Cao Youqian appeared in the air above the Myriad Demons' territory. As he released just a trace of a Divine King's pressure, countless demons below trembled in fear.
Soon, a resonant voice came from within the Myriad Demons' territory: "Daoist friend, what is the meaning of this provocation?"
"No misunderstanding."
Cao Youqian smiled and said, "I am here today to deliver a challenge."
"Oh?"
Accompanying a puzzled voice, a lion-headed, winged demon Divine King appeared before Cao Youqian. Looking at him, he asked, "What, has Wendao Sect grown unable to continue this war and now wishes to duel me?"
"Not at all. I simply feel that continuing this way is just a waste of time. Why don't we battle in the void? The victor will continue to rule this continent, while the vanquished shall leave. The question is, do you dare to fight?"
"Hmph!" the demon Divine King snorted. "Why should I battle you to decide the fate of this continent?"
Cao Youqian shrugged. "Surely you don't want a shattered Hongyuan Continent instead of a relatively intact one. If we both destroy each other, neither of us will gain this continent's luck."
Hearing this, the demon Divine King's face showed conflict, but after a moment, he gritted his teeth and agreed. "Fine. As you say, in seven days, we shall battle in the void and determine the victor!"
"It's a deal!"
"It's a deal!"
After speaking, Cao Youqian turned and left.
The lion-headed Divine King watched Cao Youqian's departing figure with a hint of contempt on his face, then turned and returned to his own camp.
As soon as he landed, three demon Divine Kings surrounded him. A two-headed tiger Divine King said, "Mad Lion, why did you agree to his challenge?"
The Mad Lion Divine King smiled. "Twin-headed King, if I didn't agree, would you have him hide forever? What I said was that we would battle to determine the victor, not a one-on-one duel."
Hearing this, the other two Divine Kings gave the Mad Lion Divine King a thumbs-up.
"Mad Lion, I never thought sleeping with a fox demon would make your brain work better."
"Nine-headed Bird, if you can't speak properly, get lost. What do you mean by sleeping with a fox demon? My brain has always been sharp." The Mad Lion Divine King said displeased.
The other Golden Ape Divine King said, "Since we're going to ambush the human Divine King, let's first discuss how we'll fight and how we'll divide the spoils."
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise