Chapter 46 : The Ancient Desolate Demon Realm, Supreme Palace!
âCough, cough.â The Third Elder coughed a few times and then spoke seriously, âAlright, enough with the foolishness. Weâre not young anymore, acting like children. Arenât we just making ourselves a laughingstock in front of the Holy Son?â
At this, the elders who had been frolicking around stopped their antics abruptly, their eyes wide as cow eyes, staring at the Third Elder in disbelief. They couldnât believe this unrespectable old man was trying to shift the blame onto them.
âBy the way, Holy Son, the Holy Master will be returning soon!â the Third Elder continued with a smile. âHoly Master will be overjoyed to see that youâve reached the Great Master realm!â
âIs it that soon?â Jiang Chen feigned a slight surprise, though he had already been aware of it. His adoptive master, the Holy Master of Primordial, was expected to return to the Nine Heavens Realm in about three months!
âHas the situation in the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm been resolved?â Jiang Chen further inquired.
The absence of the Holy Master from the Holy Land was due to the seal of the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm being broken a few years ago, prompting many strong figures from the Nine Heavens Realm to reseal it while exploring the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm.
The Ancient Desolate Demon Realm was the stronghold of the Outer Realm Demons a million years ago. During that distant era, the Nine Heavens Realm was not as peaceful as it was now.
At that time, the Outer Realm Demons roamed freely, dominating the entire Nine Heavens Realm and reducing all races as their livestock.
It was a living hell, with countless lives being erased and devoured daily, leaving all beings in a constant state of fear and dread, worried they might be the next to be consumed by the demons.
This terror lasted until a great emperor emerged a million years ago, leading all races to sweep through the Outer Realm Demons and eventually seal them within the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm.
Now, a million years later, the seal on the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm had started to weaken, prompting the strong from various forces to gather there for resealing efforts.
In response to this, strong figures from various forces have converged in the Ancient Desolate Demon Realm to reseal it!
âWeâre not clear about the current situation,â replied the Third Elder. âBut since the Holy Master is returning, itâs likely that the issue is mostly handled by now. We hope the seal is re-established.â
The Third Elder sighed. Although he hadnât experienced that era personally, he had some understanding of it through the records left behind. If the Outer Realm Demons were fully unsealed, the Nine Heavens Realm would once again become a hellish place, a scenario he dreaded.
Jiang Chen remained calm but sighed internally, knowing that the seal issue was far from resolved. Even the powers of various forces, including the Holy Master of Primordial, werenât enough to solve it. The seal established by the ancient emperor was too complex for even someone of the Holy Masterâs caliber.
âSince my master is returning, the problem must have been solved,â Jiang Chen said softly.
âYes, I believe so too,â the Third Elder agreed. âThe Supreme Palace will soon open. Last time, our human race was utterly defeated. This time, we count on you.â
The Supreme Palace was a secret realm left by a true immortal. It opens once every five hundred years, admitting prodigies below one hundred years of age to explore and compete.
The last time it opened, the human race suffered a crushing defeat, with only one person making it into the top ten, overshadowed by members of other races, which was a disgrace to the human race.
With the upcoming opening of the Supreme Palace, the human race is eager to redeem itself. This generation boasts numerous exceptional talents, including the well-known three prodigies and many just a step behind them. This batch of human prodigies is arguably the strongest in many years.
Hence, the strong figures of the human race, especially the Third Elder, have high hopes for this generation. Seeing Jiang Chenâs extraordinary abilities, they anticipate even more.
âDonât worry, Third Elder,â Jiang Chen confidently assured. âThis time, we will surely trample the prodigies of other races under our feet!â
In the original story, Jiang Chen underperformed in the Supreme Palace, leading to him being overshadowed by prodigies of other races, while Du Gouyun excelled, defeating many of them. This incident significantly tarnished Jiang Chenâs reputation and paved the way for Du Gouyun to replace him later.
Dugu Yun had also benefited greatly from the Palace of Sovereign, laying down a solid foundation for his rapid rise in the future.
Of course, he was going to screw it up. However, Jiang Chen needed to find a reasonable excuse. This plot couldnât be missed, and the rewards were bound to be extraordinary.
âGood to hear! Good to hear!â said the Third Elder, smiling lightly and patting Jiang Chen on the shoulder. After that, he left with the other elders.
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âThe Supreme Palace, huh? How should I arrange it this time?â Jiang Chen pondered, lying on a chair, thinking about his next moves.
He had to do it because he didnât want to disappoint the elders, who had high expectations for the Supreme Palace. And the thought of watching Du Gouyun show off was irksome to him. Even though he planned to slack off, he couldnât give Du Gouyun a chance to outshine him.
âFor now, Iâll just wait and see. If it doesnât work out, I might not slack off after all,â Jiang Chen decided. He was the king of slacking off, but he couldnât just slack off for the sake of it. Sometimes, taking action was necessary, even if it meant missing out on some rewards.
âLetâs see if I can train Yan Ruyu,â he thought. âIf she can handle the prodigies, I can slack off indirectly.â
âThe Holy Master is returning soon,â Jiang Chen thought with anticipation. He had high expectations for the Holy Master from the original story, who was very kind to Jiang Chen.
If it werenât for the Holy Masterâs early demise, Jiang Chenâs position as the Holy Son wouldnât have been usurped by Du Gouyun. The Holy Master was fiercely protective; if anyone dared to cross her, even the mightiest would face her wrath. If the Holy Master hadnât fallen so early, Du Gouyunâs schemes would have never succeeded.
âHoly Master, with me here this time, no one will be able to harm you,â Jiang Chen murmured, standing up and looking towards the horizon, his voice filled with determination.