Award Ceremony, and Meeting the 'Demon King' Again

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--- Chapter 138 ---

"Well, that was a surprise." Yu Long commented as he walked to the Sword Discourse Arena. There, the top ten rankers of the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament will receive their rewards.

Xia Qingyue and Cang Yue glanced at each other, shaking their heads helplessly because they could understand why Yu Long was surprised. 

Since Yu Long has told them about his abrupt encounter with the Fairy Queen, Xia Qingyue and Cang Yue could tell how significant Fran-! No, Freya was to Yu Long's research. 

Yes, As if Freya was a key to open Yu Long's blocked path. 

"Morning, young master." Murong Qianxue, the fairy of Frozen Cloud Asgard, greeted Yu Long as they met on the street. From the looks of it, she and three other ladies from the Frozen Cloud Asgard also want to go to the Sword Discourse Arena.

"May we tag along to the Sword Discourse Arena?" She asked shortly after.

Yu Long nodded and kept thinking about something else, but his small gesture made Murong Qianxue and the three young ladies happy.

They walked a bit more, only to find Fen Juechen and Sikong Du also came out and greeted them. Tagging along to Yu Long's group, the two young men couldn't help but maintain distance because there were too many beautiful ladies in the crowd. In short, they felt overwhelmed.

'Is this the influence that comes from being powerful?' Fen Juechen thought, watching Yu Long's back silently. 

Meanwhile, Sikong Du scratched his cheek awkwardly as he could never compare himself to Yu Long. Coming this far in the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament is like a 'dream come true' for him.

They arrived at the Sword Discourse Arena and saw some crowds already gathering. The mood on the field is brimming with excitement, but Yu Long and others didn't think much of it. 

What kind of rewards could possibly arouse the interest of Yu Long's group?

However, Yu Long and others didn't show it. 

'Maybe the rewards will change. After all, my existence changed many things in this timeline.' Yu Long casually inspected the Heavenly Sword Villa's crowd.

Yu Long sensed the killing intent not far away and caught someone from the Burning Heaven Clan glaring at Fen Juechen. 

He glanced at Fen Juechen and saw the young man with a receding hairline coldly smirking at his enemy.

"Aren't you afraid?" He asked Fen Juechen. 

"Pardon?" Fen Juechen didn't understand what Yu Long implied.

Yu Long smiled and explained, "You didn't know that there would be two more additional events after the award ceremony, I assume." 

"After this, someone will bring us to the Sword Management Terrace and watch over a caged Demon. Oh yeah, they called it the Demon Sealing Ritual. Soon, we also have a chance to enter a secret realm called the Heaven Basin Secret Realm, a land filled with opportunity and grief danger." 

"If I remember correctly, one of Burning Heaven Clan's members ranked ten, right? It allows them to enter the Heaven Basin Secret Realm and possibly kill you there." 

"This..." Fen Juechen was shocked. He never heard about watching the Demon Sealing Ritual before, more so the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. 

He was too naive!

He thought gaining Yu Long's attention was enough to protect him for a while, but he didn't expect the Burning Heaven Clan to plan such a scheme.

'As long as they could kill me without noticing, people will think my death is due to the danger of this secret realm.' Fen Juechen gritted his teeth.

'But wait, didn't Yu Long notice their plan already?'

Fen Juechen dumbly stared at Yu Long.

Yu Long opened his mouth again and commented, "Don't give me that face. With your current strength, a mid-stage Earth Profound Realm won't give you much trouble." 

"I will give you protection, but that doesn't mean I will shield everything for you. You need to temper yourself, so don't even think about becoming flowers in a greenhouse." 

"You included Sikong Du." Cang Yue suddenly added after her husband's statement.

"W-We understand." Fen Juechen and Sikong Du nodded but also felt down. Their hardship just gets started.

After a while, everyone gathered in the Sword Discourse Arena. There seemed to be more crowds than when the tournament was still going.

The Heavenly Sword Villa's master, Ling Yuefeng, descended from the podium and greeted, "Welcome, everyone. I, the master of Heavenly Sword Villa, announce that the award ceremony will begin!" 

A loud cheer echoed in the Sword Discourse Arena.

Ling Yuefeng smiled outside but grimaced inside because none of his sons entered the top three or five(at least). 

The Heavenly Sword Villa's prestigious image as the number-one force in the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament has long gone since the appearance of the Lost Heaven Sect.

Three years ago, the Lost Heaven Sect's disciples dominated the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament and made Ling Yuefeng feel uneasy. 

This time, it felt worse than ever. 

'Aah, not only are those girls monsters at such a young age but they are also engaged to the Lost Heaven Sect's young leader. A bastard who stole Chu Yuechan away from me.' 

If Yu Long knew what Ling Yuefeng was thinking, he would smack him for being a delusional bastard. 

Ling Yuefeng calmed down and called out, "The top ten rankers! Please step forward to the podium and receive your rewards!" 

"We will see you in a minute." Xia Qingyue and Cang Yue as they disappeared from their position. 

Fen Juechen, Sikong Du, and three young ladies from the Frozen Cloud Asgards also followed them to the podium.

The remaining three are Ling Yuefeng's sons, Ling Yun and Ling Jie, and Burning Heaven Clan's members.

They stood before Ling Yuefeng, staring at him with a wide range of emotion.

Ling Yuefeng cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Ten of you are the most talented youths I've seen. I hope you don't give up and strive for a greater realm." 

"Yes!" 

"The fourth to tenth shall receive three Profound Spirit Pills and one Heart Linking Pills." 

"Shui Wushuang, step forward." 

"Yes." Shui Wushuang stepped forward.

Ling Yuefeng gently placed down a jade bottle and said, "As the third place, you deserve one golden-striped dragon pellet and ten Heart Linking Pills." 

"Thank you, villa master." Shui Wushuang bowed. She wasn't that happy with her rewards because she had used Heart Opening Liquids thanks to Yu Long graciously giving them to the Frozen Cloud Asgard a while ago.

And yes, the Heart Opening Liquid is better than Heart Linking Pills by a thousand leaps. It's like comparing liquid gold to a dung.

Shui Wushuang might get some pocket change by selling her rewards later.

Of course, Ling Yuefeng didn't know about this as he continued, "Cang Yue, step forward." 

Cang Yue calmly stepped forward and received her second-place's reward.

Ling Yuefeng smiled and praised, "Your fight is spectacular. You have opened countless eyes by showing them your might. With that, I will reward you with a high-grade Sky Profound Artifact: Green Dragonscale Armor and one drop of Ancient Well's Dews." 

"Thank you, villa master." Cang Yue gracefully bowed, maintaining her image as the princess of the Blue Wind Empire. Although the reward isn't good, and Ling Yuefeng is weaker than her, she doesn't show any disrespect.

Ling Yuefeng nodded and moved his gaze to Xia Qingyue, the Blue Wind Ranking Tournament's champion. "Xia Qingyue, step forward." 

Xia Qingyue stepped forward and stared at Ling Yuefeng emotionlessly.

The villa master grabbed a sword from his spatial ring and made everyone in the area gasp. It was an Emperor Profound Artifact!

"I doubt any artifact will satisfy you because the Lost Heaven Sect should amass quite a resource on you, but as the Heavenly Sword Villa... I can't let others look down on us, no?"

"So that's why you will receive an Emperor Profound Artifact: Azure Roving Sword and three drops of Ancient Well's Dews." 

"Thank you, villa master." Xia Qingyue accepted her reward and cupped her hands.

Yu Long rubbed his chin and mumbled, "What's Ancient Well's Dews?" 

Murong Qianxue coughed, "Ehem, let me explain." 

"In the previous Blue Wind Ranking Tournament, Heavenly Sword Villa discovered a well in the Heaven Basin Secret Realm. And within that well exists a miraculous yet small body of water." 

"One drop of Ancient Well's Dews could boost one's comprehension for three hours, allowing for a better grasp of one's technique. On top of that, one might open their profound veins by one or two." 

"Oh, so it's worthless then." Yu Long responded casually. 

Murong Qianxue giggled, "I'm afraid only you could say such a thing, young master." 

The Ancient Well's Dews is worthless because the Heart Opening Liquid could achieve the same effects! And let's not even mention the Greater Heart Opening Liquids. Yu Long has a bunch of those in his spatial ring and warehouses.

After the award ceremony and the visitors left the Sword Discourse Arena, an elder named Ling Kun greeted the top ten rankers and the remaining guests. 

"The current Blue Wind Ranking Tournament is such a huge surprise." Ling Kun chuckled at the top ten rankers warmly. 

"Some of you might not know why I'm here, which means I will explain something first." 

"First of all, my name is Ling Kun. And I'm an elder of the Mighty Heavenly Sword Region!" 

"You will follow me to the Sword Management Terrace, and I will show you an evil and despicable being! A Demon!" 

Gasps!

"W-What? Demon??"

"Do demons actually exist?!"

"This is crazy!" 

The naive youths in the crowds gasped. Well, with some exceptions, like Yu Long and his companions. 

Ling Kun was 'deeply' satisfied by their reactions and smiled, "Follow me."

They went to the Sword Management Terrace, and Ling Kun introduced the cruelty of Demon to the naive youths along the way.

He wanted to brainwash them, instilling the belief that the wretched thing sealed here is a literal evil incarnation.

'Only fools will believe such a one-sided story.' Yu Long thought, shaking his head inwardly. 

As they arrived at the Sword Management Terrace, Ling Kun told them to maintain a distance. He waved his hands and made specific signs, controlling the Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Formation.

The massive black sword at the center of the terrace slowly lifted, revealing an altar.

Yu Long sent a wisp of his mental energy, alarming Yun Canghai about his arrival.

...

Under the Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Formation, Yun Canghai sprawled on the altar with wine jugs and ribs all over the ground.

Burp~!

"Damn it, where the hell is that kid?!" Yun Canghai was drinking his wine in frustration. He was ready to beat some shit down, but Yu Long hadn't arrived nor given him a sign about changing the plan. 

"Arrgh! This grandaddy wants to rip that Ling Kun bastard to pieces!" 

'Oy, Old man. Are you ready?' Yu Long's voice suddenly entered Yun Canghai's head.

Yun Canghai was stunned, "Kid, is that you?" 

'Of course, it's me. Dio-! I mean, prepare yourself. Ling Kun is about to open the formation and lift you.' Yu Long couldn't resist and responded humorously.

'Also, make yourself more presentable. We don't want Ling Kun to get suspicious.' 

Yun Canghai laughed like a madman, "KEKEKE, THIS DEMON KING IS GOING TO MAKE HIS ENTRANCE!" 

...

The altar fully revealed itself.

The youths and elders watched over it, seeing a middle-aged man in a ragged robe with his limbs tied on chains. They frowned because Yun Canghai looked like a human.

Ling Kun waved his hand and shouted, "Don't be deceived by his appearance!" 

"HE'S A DEMON!" 

"No, he's the Demon King hailed from the Demon Realm." 

"The four sacred grounds must gather our strength to defeat him. And after several times, we successfully sealed him here. Although he looks no different than a battered dog, he's still dangerous." 

Yun Canghai grinned and said, "Wow, what a grand introduction." 

"Ling Kun, your asshole must be jealous of the amount of shit coming from your mouth!" 

"Shut up, demon!" Ling Kun roared back. 

"Hehehe~!" Yun Canghai laughed joyfully. 

Ling Kun's nerve twitches in annoyance. He knew Yun Canghai was acting strong in front of everyone. 

'Hmph, you're just an old and dying dog.' He thought with a sneer.

Ling Kun confidently walked to Yun Canghai and said, "You might be a monarch in the past, but right now? You're just a weak early-stage Emperor Profound Realm." 

"A mere ant." He added, giving Yun Canghai a petty kick.

Yun Canghai endured the kick, feeling like it was a kick from a toddler. He laughed inside, waiting for his moment. 

He peeked at Yu Long and saw the young man's golden eyes gleaming slightly. 

'When Ling Kun turns his back, you're free to shock everyone.' Yu Long's calm voice echoed in Yun Canghai's head. 'Follow the plan, and create enough chaos...'

'We will exchange a few moves, and you may run to the southeast. Find a man named Hua Minghai. He's waiting for you on the mountain peak.' 

'Noted.' Yun Canghai responded gleefully.

"Hmph, you demon." Ling Kun showed his contempt and kicked Yun Canghai a few more times. 

"Everyone, please remember this... Demon is a cunning creature." 

"This wretched one in particular comes from a Demonic Clan called Yun Family. They possessed a bloodline's ability called Profound Handle, which is very dangerous." 

"And is it okay for you to stand so close to the demon?" Someone suddenly raised his voice to ask this question. "Elder, you're the one who said it was dangerous..." 

Ling Kun chuckled and replied. "Don't worry. He is sealed for years by Heaven's Might Soul Suppressing Formation. His pitiful strength cannot outmatch mine." 

'Even if Yun Canghai launches a sneak attack. I'm powerful enough to handle his early-stage Emperor Profound Realm's strength.' That's what Ling Kun thought but didn't utter it. He has character to maintain, and he couldn't boast too much.

Ling Kun gazed at the youths and expressed, "Ten of you are the talented youths of this generation, so please remember that demons are our mortal enemy!"

"Kill any demons you encounter in the future..." 

"Do not show mercy!" 

After saying that, Ling Kun slowly walked away from the altar.

Everyone felt their blood boil due to his reminder.

But some youths and elders stayed calm. One youth, in particular, stared at Ling Kun like he had become a corpse already.

Swoosh!

STAB!

Someone's blood 'abruptly' spilled on the Sword Management Terrace, painting the ground red.

Everyone gasped in horror.

Yes, the chaos finally begins!