Chapter 601: Entering the Demon Clan Battlefield

When Ye Qingchen and Xiao Xiao returned to the inn, Zhang Guangling was already waiting at the door.

Seeing them enter, Zhang Guangling spoke first to Xiao Xiao, "Junior Sister Xiao Xiao, I’ve already spoken with the others. We’ll rest today and officially enter the Demon Clan Battlefield tomorrow."

Xiao Xiao glanced at Ye Qingchen, who smiled and nodded. "Xiao Xiao," he said, "since your sect appointed you as the captain for this mission, they must want to temper your leadership skills. You should be the one to make these decisions. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you."

Xiao Xiao smiled sweetly and said to Zhang Guangling, "Senior Brother Zhang Guangling, please inform the others. We’ll set out for the Demon Clan Battlefield tomorrow at eight in the morning."

Zhang Guangling nodded, the gloom on his face vanishing in an instant. He then added, "Junior Sister Xiao Xiao, there’s one more thing I need to make clear. We’ve agreed to let this Ye Qingchen you brought join the team. However, if he doesn’t pull his weight on the Demon Clan Battlefield, we won’t hesitate to kick him out."

Just as Xiao Xiao was about to retort, Ye Qingchen stopped her. He smiled at Zhang Guangling and said, "You don’t need to worry about that. If I find the other team members are too weak, I’ll leave of my own accord!"

Zhang Guangling snorted coldly and said no more, turning to go back to his room.

Ye Qingchen then comforted Xiao Xiao, reminding her that as the captain, all her decisions should be for the good of the team, not based on personal feelings.

Xiao Xiao pouted, clearly unhappy.

Ye Qingchen chuckled and ruffled her hair, finally bringing a smile to her face.

「Early the next day」

Xiao Xiao, Ye Qingchen, and the others made their way to the Teleportation Array in Eternal City.

Ye Qingchen surveyed the team. Besides himself, Xiao Xiao, and Zhang Guangling, there were three other Wuji Immortal Palace disciples, all at the fourth layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. The faint aura of Attribute Energy emanating from them suggested they were not far from breaking through to the fifth layer. As disciples of a nine-star Sect, their combat prowess was not to be underestimated.

Zhang Guangling, the strongest member, had reached the fifth layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. His strength was definitely superior to that of Shui Changkun and Huo Ziyang. Those two had only managed to break through in the Secret Realm by relying on treasures bestowed by a Saint Heir. In terms of foundation, they were no match for Zhang Guangling. Furthermore, as a disciple of the Wuji Immortal Palace, the Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques he practiced were surely extraordinary.

As for Xiao Xiao’s strength, Ye Qingchen didn’t ask.

Including himself, a six-person team shouldn’t face any real danger on the first layer of the Demon Clan Battlefield, even if they couldn’t sweep through it.

After the six of them presented their Identity Tokens, they approached the Teleportation Array, took out their Points Jade Pendants from the Demon Burial Pavilion, and signed a team agreement before stepping into the array to enter the Demon Clan Battlefield.

The moment he entered the Demon Clan Battlefield, Ye Qingchen was hit by the thick stench of blood. One could only imagine how many battles had occurred here and how many human Martial Artists had lost their lives on this battlefield.

The overwhelming smell made Xiao Xiao slightly uncomfortable. She furrowed her brow and began to survey her surroundings.

This was the first layer of the Demon Clan Battlefield. According to their intelligence, it was primarily a gathering place for lower-tier demons, though some were on the verge of evolving into True Demons.

Ye Qingchen had witnessed the power of lower-tier demons during the sect’s newcomer competition; their strength was roughly equivalent to that of a low-level Martial Emperor. The sign of evolution for a lower-tier demon was a pair of wings on its back, and its strength would be around that of a mid-level Martial Emperor. However, the powerful members of the Demon Clan cultivated an energy different from that of humans. Only upon evolving to the True Demon Realm would their strength reach the level of a high-level Martial Emperor, at which point they would also develop a special form of energy.

After scanning the area and seeing no demons nearby, Xiao Xiao addressed the group, "The lower-tier demons on the first layer pose no real threat to us at our current level. There’s no training value for us here. Our goal is to find a demon gathering place as quickly as possible, rack up five thousand points, and enter the second layer of the Demon Clan Battlefield."

No one objected, but Zhang Guangling spoke up again. "I agree with Junior Sister Xiao Xiao’s plan, but I have a suggestion."

He paused, then pointed at Ye Qingchen. "Ye Qingchen just joined the team, and he’s only at the first layer of the Martial Emperor Realm. To be honest, we don’t really trust a teammate with such low strength. Now that we’re on the Demon Clan Battlefield, he must prove himself!"

Xiao Xiao frowned. Seeing that the other three Wuji Immortal Palace disciples wore the same expression, she mulled it over before asking, "Then what do you propose he do to prove himself?"

She didn’t address him as Senior Brother, a clear sign that his constant provocations were getting to her.

Zhang Guangling remained unfazed. "This first layer of the Demon Clan Battlefield is filled with lower-tier demons. Dealing with them will be easy for the rest of us. For Ye Qingchen, however, it probably won’t be so easy."

Ye Qingchen knew Zhang Guangling was trying to provoke him. Ordinarily, he would have just ignored it. But Xiao Xiao was the captain. If he refused, it would put her in a difficult position.

So, with a cold laugh, Ye Qingchen said to Zhang Guangling, "How about this: we’ll find a demon gathering place, you all will be responsible for luring the lower-tier demons out, and I’ll be responsible for killing them. Let’s see if you can lure them out faster than I can kill them!"

"Young Master," Xiao Xiao cried out anxiously, but Ye Qingchen stopped her.

Zhang Guangling sneered. "Boy, those were your own words. In that case, we won’t make things difficult. As long as you can single-handedly kill enough lower-tier demons to earn each of us two thousand points, I will have no objection to you staying on the team."

The other three Wuji Immortal Palace disciples nodded, clearly in agreement with him.

Ye Qingchen let out a soft breath. He understood the condition. Killing a single lower-tier demon awarded one hundred points. When divided among the six-person team, each member would receive twenty points. Therefore, to earn the required two thousand points for each person, he would have to kill one hundred lower-tier demons all by himself!