Chapter 706: Great Demon 69

Jin Yan immediately matched Jin Yao to Tan You’s words. ’The most lively and impetuous one... that must be Fifth Grand-Uncle.’ He puffed out his cheeks. "Mother said you’re extremely curious about the world and the most down-to-earth."

Jin Yao chuckled. "Ahzhao thinks that highly of me? It’s no wonder she and I get along the best."

"That’s not it. Mother likes Second Grand-Uncle the most, because his mastery of the Array Dao is unparalleled," Jin Yan countered softly. "Second Grand-Uncle, Ayuan wants to learn the Array Dao, too."

The usually stern Jin Yu smiled. "Alright. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you."

Jin Zhen and Jin Jue exchanged a look. "Where did this little charmer pop up from? He’s such a sweet-talker. That part is just like Ahzhao—she knows just what to say to whom."

Jin Yan’s little ears twitched. "Third Grand-Uncle, Fourth Grand-Uncle, I’m not making it up. It’s from the heart, and it’s also what Mother said."

Jin Yu smiled. "What did you all run into in there? Why aren’t Peacock and the others with you?"

Jin Yan’s interest was suddenly piqued. "Later, we went to fight Desolate Beasts. Mother said it was too dangerous, so we didn’t ask Uncle Peacock and the others to come along. Besides, the battlefield is so huge, it’s hard to run into people."

Jin Yao leaned closer to Jin Yan. "So... how many Sha Crystals did you guys collect in total?"

Jin Yan furrowed his little brow. "I lost count. A lot, anyway. The Evil Qi on the Ancient Battlefield is almost completely gone. I don’t know the exact number of Sha Crystals."

"Oh? How did you manage that?" Jin Yao’s curiosity was piqued. Eager for a firsthand account, he pulled Jin Yan onto his lap. "Do tell."

But Jin Yan wasn’t about to carelessly reveal his true nature. If he was going to talk, he would do it with Tan You present. So he simply pressed his lips into a smile, one that made Jin Yao too embarrassed to press him further.

Jin Yuan had already vaguely guessed Jin Yan’s identity. He narrowed his long, slender eyes. "Your grand-uncles and I will stop asking. Let’s just wait for Ahzhao to arrive."

Jin Yan also narrowed his round eyes. "Okay, Ayuan will wait for Mother right here."

After emerging from the Ancient Battlefield, Tan You and her group couldn’t return to their clan immediately. Instead, they stood in the plaza outside the mystic realm, waiting for the elites from the other clans to appear.

Soon, dozens of Great Demons were standing by Tan You’s side. They were the very same group from the Demon Market.

Bai Ze was uncharacteristically upset. "Didn’t we agree to meet up inside the Ancient Battlefield? We went looking for you the moment we got in, but we couldn’t find you anywhere."

Tan You had her reasons. "This was a competition between clans, after all. If you all sided with me, and some Great Demons from your own clans took issue with it, that wouldn’t be good."

Bai Ze sighed. "You’re just... too considerate."

Tan You smiled. "I’m just putting myself in your shoes. I can’t make things difficult for you because of me. After all, everyone has their own clan."

That was one reason. The other was the addition of Jin Yan to her side. His existence was extraordinary, so it was best to keep it known to as few people as possible.

Peacock tapped Tan You’s shoulder with his fan. "Aren’t you being a little distant?"

"It’s not that I’m being distant," Tan You said, smiling to soothe him. "You look out for me, so of course I have to look out for you. Isn’t that how friendships grow stronger, by mutual care?"

"Making things difficult for my friends is the last thing I want to do."

Peacock reluctantly accepted Tan You’s explanation. "We didn’t collect many Sha Crystals. How about we give them all to you?"

Tan You chuckled. "No need. I collected plenty. You can’t possibly turn in a score of zero, can you? Don’t worry, I’m not short on Sha Crystals at all."

Bai Ze’s eyes slowly narrowed. "Did you run into people from the Taiyi Sect?"

Tan You chuckled softly. "I ran into an old acquaintance."

She didn’t elaborate, but an ’old acquaintance’... how old an acquaintance? Thinking of a certain former Son of Buddha, Bai Ze shut his mouth. With so many people around, there were too many prying eyes. Who knew if their conversation was being overheard?

So Bai Ze changed the subject, pulling Tan You into a conversation about their experiences in the Ancient Battlefield. "You know, this Ancient Battlefield is really a great place for training. After a year in there, I feel like my Immortal Yuan has become much more condensed."

Tan You said, "It’s true. Unfortunately, I was too busy in the Ancient Battlefield to focus on my cultivation, so I haven’t broken through to the next stage."

Cold Dragon scoffed, "Do you think a major realm for an Immortal Monarch is like a minor realm in the Cultivation World? Some people might not advance a single major realm in over a hundred thousand years."

"You’ve jumped three major realms in less than ten thousand years. Be grateful."

Tan You thought about it and had to agree. "That’s true. When you put it like that, my aptitude seems... pretty good?"

"Pretty good? It’s downright transcendent," Bai Ze chuckled. "You’re just too modest. Speaking of which, you mentioned wanting to delve into the Alchemy Dao. Have you made any progress with that over the years?"

"I haven’t had time to delve into it," Tan You said, throwing up her hands. "I want to study hard, but I’m just too busy. I mean, ever since I came to the Ninth Heaven, I’ve just been holed up cultivating."

"I finally became an Immortal Monarch, only to be sent to the Immortal-Demon Battlefield, and then I had to prepare for the All-Clans Tournament. When have I had any free time to do my own thing?"

Thinking of how Tan You was always spinning around like a top, Bai Ze couldn’t help but shake his head. "You poor thing."

Tan You stretched. "It is what it is. Who would’ve thought that someone as uncoordinated as me could become this powerful one day?"

She’d been clumsy and uncoordinated since childhood, but Tan You never imagined that the Cultivation World would forcibly train those tendencies out of her. ’My reactions are so fast now,’ she thought. ’I wonder if the skills I’ve developed here would work in the real world.’

More and more elites from the various clans gathered in the plaza. Since Tan You and her friends were standing in a corner, few people noticed her. Besides, Tan You rarely ventured out in the Ninth Heaven, so very few people even knew her name.

Everyone just knew that the Golden Ring Snake clan had gained a new Little Serpent Sovereign; they just couldn’t put a face to the title.

With Tan You’s group gathered together now, and everyone in human form, no one could discern their true lineage. They simply assumed Tan You and the others were also Immortal Monarchs.

Bai Ze and the other Great Demons certainly weren’t about to explain. They huddled together, laughing and sharing stories about their time in the Ancient Battlefield.

The gate to the Ancient Battlefield didn’t fully close until noon. Any Immortal Monarchs who hadn’t emerged by then were surely lost to the battlefield forever. This outcome was a cause for some to celebrate and others to mourn.

An Immortal Monarch with a transcendent aura raised his voice. "I declare this All-Clans Tournament officially concluded! We will now tally the scores of our elite participants. The Buddhist Sect..."

"The Alchemy Sect..."

"The Talisman Sect..."

As the Immortal Monarchs revealed their hauls one by one, a stir went through the watching crowd.

"Did you see that? The Buddhist Sect has the most so far."

"The Buddhist Sect has a technique for purifying Evil Qi... It’s only logical they would have more Sha Crystals."