Chapter 699: Great Demon 62

Back in the Golden Ring Snake Clan’s territory, Bai Ze and the other Great Demons naturally didn’t leave, remaining by Tan You’s side. After all, the Golden Ring Snake’s domain was more than spacious enough; a few extra guests were nothing.

But Tan You didn’t expect to receive a pleasant surprise the moment she arrived in the territory. "Qing Ming? You ascended? When did you ascend?"

Qing Ming looked a bit embarrassed. "It was just a few years ago. My aptitude is poor, so ascending was a real struggle. I knew you were at the Immortal-Demon Battlefield, My Lord, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Fortunately, the sovereign allowed me to stay here."

"It wasn’t just me. Xuezhi and Two-Tailed Cat ascended too. It’s just Little Mouse—he’s too fragile. He’s still in the lower realm, waiting to grow up with Little Bai Ze."

Tan You casually scooped the Two-Tailed Cat into her arms. "That’s wonderful. You all made it. Ascending must have been tough, wasn’t it?"

The Two-Tailed Cat’s two tails wrapped around Tan You’s wrist. "It was really tough, but knowing you were here, we were determined to push through no matter how hard it got."

"But Lord Cold Dragon will have to wait a while. Little Cold Dragon is still at the tenth rank, so it’ll be a long time before he can ascend."

The Cold Dragon was unconcerned. "The little one can take his time. Who’s in charge of the Demon Market now?"

"No one wanted to manage it; everyone was just focused on cultivating so they could ascend and find you, My Lord." Qing Ming smiled sheepishly. "Qinglian is in charge now. His cultivation is slow anyway, so he can manage it for a long time."

"Qinglian’s cultivation is slow?" Tan You was confused. "A Buddha’s Heart Tree is a heavenly treasure. It shouldn’t be..."

Jin Yao laughed. "The Buddha’s Heart Tree is indeed a heavenly treasure, even with Qinglian inhabiting it. But plant spirits have always had a difficult time cultivating. If you’re waiting for it to ascend to the Upper Realm, you’ll be waiting a while."

Tan You thought about it and understood. "Then let him cultivate slowly. Besides, for a Buddha’s Heart Tree to find its own path is truly unprecedented. As a pioneer, it’s bound to be difficult."

Jin Jue nodded. "Exactly. Now that you’re here, the clan’s territory has certainly become more lively. Speaking of which, now that you’ve awakened your Emperor’s Soul, you should have your own palace in the Nine-Layered Heaven. Haven’t you thought about going to live there?"

Tan You rolled her eyes. "And do what? Wait for someone to assassinate me? No way. Speaking of which, where is my palace, Fourth Uncle? Do you know?"

Jin Jue looked at Jin Yao, who rubbed his nose. "I know where it is. I’ve even been there once. Over the years, as your cultivation has progressed, your palace has moved closer and closer to the central region."

"I’m only a Third Grade Immortal Monarch."

Jin Yuan gently tapped Tan You’s head. "You’re no ordinary Third Grade Immortal Monarch. You’re being far too modest, little one."

Tan You just smiled. She wasn’t the type to get arrogant with a little success. ’Low profile. What I want is to fish in troubled waters. Becoming the main target is not my intention.’

"By the way, more and more members of the Demon Clan will be ascending from the lower realm. They are your people from the Demon Market, after all. You should find a way to settle them." Jin Yuan glanced at Tan You, offering a pertinent suggestion.

Tan You... Of course, Tan You had been thinking the same thing. "Alright, I’ll make sure everyone is settled. Speaking of which, our Demon Market was originally located on the outskirts of the Ten-Direction Great Mountain."

"I’m a Golden Ring Snake, but the others aren’t. They’ll inevitably feel uncomfortable staying in our uncles’ territory. So I suppose they could put up with staying at my place... or maybe we should claim our own territory? Somewhere near our uncles’ lands, so we can still use your names for protection."

Jin Yao said, "Fine. I have no objection."

Privately, he didn’t want Tan You to be too far from the clan either. She was their own little one, after all, and such a troublemaker. It was best to keep her under their watch.

Over a hundred Great Demons from the Demon Market had now ascended. Compared to the Demon Market in the lower realm, this number was undoubtedly minuscule. But in the Nine-Layered Heaven, a force composed of over a hundred Immortal Monarchs was not to be underestimated.

Granted, the highest cultivation level among these Immortal Monarchs currently belonged to Bai Ze, who was only at the Fourth Grade. But that didn’t matter. They were all still young and had plenty of time to grow.

Besides, with so many companions to support her, when Tan You truly went to participate in the grand inter-clan competition, Jin Yao and the other Golden Ring Snakes could rest a little easier. The Golden Ring Snake Clan feared no one in a one-on-one fight, but if their opponents ganged up on her, Tan You was, after all, still young.

Thinking of this, Jin Yuan took the rare initiative to say, "Then let’s get them settled near Jin Yao’s territory. From now on, that area will be designated for Ahzhao. It’s time Ahzhao had her own little world."

Tan You’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, First Uncle! We’ll manage the Demon Market well and cultivate diligently."

Jin Yuan smiled. "I’ve always had faith in you. You’ve always known what’s most important. Your life is your own; you have to be the one to fight for it."

"Back then, the Immortal Monarchs of the Nine-Layered Heaven schemed to seize the luck of the lower realm. Although you exposed them, those Cultivators won’t look for fault in themselves. They’ll just resent you for ruining their plans. Because of this, you’re bound to face no shortage of dangers when you participate in the grand inter-clan competition."

"That’s one reason. Another is that the grand inter-clan competition involves a battle for luck. It’s the only time such a struggle can happen out in the open. To seize luck for their own clan, your opponents won’t hold back. You must be careful."

Tan You slowly sat up straight. "I always thought the grand inter-clan competition was just like the sect competitions in the lower realm. So it’s not?"

"Of course not," Jin Jue said with a laugh. "The struggle for luck isn’t something that can be spoken of openly; only core disciples are usually privy to it. However, in our Golden Ring Snake Clan, there are only six of us in total, including you. There are no secrets between us."

Tan You suddenly grew curious. "In this world, are there no Golden Ring Snakes who are born that way? Look at how other clans have so many descendants. Haven’t you uncles ever thought about propagating the clan?"

"You wish," Jin Yuan said, patting Tan You’s head. "Where would we find such a good thing? Anything blessed with great luck will also face difficulties in equal measure."

"For our Golden Ring Snake Clan, the highest starting point is the Silver Ring Snake. Other than that, they almost all start as Purple Ring Snakes and cultivate their way up, step by step, through atavistic regression. I’ve never seen a naturally born Golden Ring Snake."

"Back then, I refused to accept it. After becoming the Golden Ring Snake Emperor, I also tried to produce heirs. But my offspring, without exception, were all Purple Ring Snakes. In the end, not a single one reverted to become a Golden Ring Snake. They all perished under the tribulation lightning of atavism."

Tan You froze, her gaze quickly sweeping over Jin Yu, Jin Zhen, Jin Jue, and Jin Yao. Jin Yao said irritably, "Anyway, they all tried. Not one of their offspring was a Golden Ring Snake. I didn’t bother trying after that."

Tan You was curious. "But aren’t snakes supposed to be... you know? How are you so ascetic, Fourth Uncle?"

Jin Yao shot her a sideways glance. "You, with your heart of stone, are talking to me about being ascetic? It’s true I’m a Golden Ring Snake, but at our level, we are no longer easily controlled by instinct."