“The so-called hell said in stories is just a name. In reality, it is a spatial crevice between two worlds. It is the crossing zone between the Martial Heaven Continent and the Netherworld. Some creatures that die will have their souls drawn into the Netherworld-” The Xuan Master suddenly shut his mouth when he reached this point. “I can’t tell you too much right now. With your current power, touching the Heavenly Daos too early will draw karma for you.”

Long Chen’s heart shook. The Netherworld? Wasn’t that a place of stories, where souls went after a person died?

“The devil beasts you fight in the Infernal Devil Abyss are lifeforms that exist in the crevice between two worlds. The Martial Heaven Continent actually has countless spatial channels. The various large powers are all guarding those channels secretly. So although this world seems very peaceful, in reality, there is a great deal of internal trouble and external enemies.

“Fortunately, the devil beasts that come from there have a trace of yuan spiritual energy in their crystal cores. We can purify them to help Foundation Forging disciples cultivate. Once you kill the devil beasts, people will come to clean up the battlefield and gather their crystal cores. They’ll give them to the sect to be refined, and a portion of them will be available for sale to Foundation Forging disciples, while a portion will be put out for sale to other sects.

“It can be said that defending the Infernal Devil Abyss has its drawbacks and advantages. It is a responsibility and a burden, but also good work.”

“Disciple understands. Xuan Master, can disciple brazenly ask you something?” said Long Chen after a long moment of hesitation.

“For even you to say that it’s brazen, it seems it must not be small. Ask,” said the Xuan Master, involuntarily laughing. For Long Chen to say he was about to do something brazen was almost a joke.

Long Chen couldn’t help being embarrassed. But he thickened his skin and said, “Forgive disciple for his rudeness, but I want to know, if someone covets my secrets in the Dao Sect, will you, the Xuan Master, come out and protect me?”

Although he didn’t know what this Xuan Master was thinking, he could sense his good intentions. The Nine Star Hegemon Body Art definitely wouldn’t make such a mistake.

However, even if he had good intentions, Long Chen needed a promise from him. Otherwise, he would have no confidence in an existence that he couldn’t comprehend. People like him schemed so deeply. Long Chen was too lazy to do the same thing.

The Xuan Master smiled. “Don’t worry, as long as the Dao Sect is within your heart and you don’t betray the sect, then let alone someone in the Xuantian Dao Sect, even if someone in the Martial Heaven Continent dares to touch you, I will help.”

“Many thanks, Xuan Master.” Long Chen was delighted, and he respectfully bowed.

For the Xuan Master to say that he would personally help meant that even if the Xuantian Dao Sect was unable to help him in name due to its politics, the Xuan Master himself would come out. That was what made him the most grateful, as well as what raised his confidence the most.

This was the thing that had made him the happiest since arriving in the Central Plains. He immediately felt much more assured.

“Xuan Master, I have two brothers and a lover…”

“They are still in the Xuantian Catalog comprehending their Dao-paths. The Xuantian Catalog is actually a transformed portion of the Heavenly Daos. A person will only get one chance to comprehend the Xuantian Catalog in their lifetime. They are searching for their own inheritances within the Xuantian Catalog. It is an immense opportunity, but once they come out, they won’t be able to go back in. Most people are unable to enter the actual catalog when comprehending it, but you repeatedly entered over and over. Now, your fate with it has come to an end. It’s not that I don’t want to allow you to enter again, but that you can’t,” explained the Xuan Master.

Only now did Long Chen understand that things in the Xuantian Catalog weren’t as simple as he had thought. He couldn’t help but feel regretful that he hadn’t obtained any lightning inheritance.

Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, he bid farewell to the Xuan Master and left. When he left his door, he realized he was in the inner sect plaza. He didn’t even know where the Xuan Master’s private room was.

When he appeared in the plaza, all the people there jumped in fright. Long Chen ignored those people and returned directly to Crouching Dragon Mountain.

Once he was there, all of Crouching Dragon Mountain erupted into wild cheering.

Only then did Long Chen learn that the Dragonblood Legion had taken first place in the competition. Each ninth rank devil beast was equivalent to ten million points, which shocked Long Chen. The ninth rank devil beasts he had killed had added up to four hundred million points. Adding on the devil beasts slain by others, they almost reached six hundred million and placed first.

Second place was the Heaven Female Alliance. They had half their number of points. The reason they had taken second was all because of Long Chen.

He had killed quite a few of the top experts of the Flame Gate, Divine Beast Mansion, and Hegemon Hall. Once they were killed, the points they had earned were gone as well.

Third place was the Ten Thousand Insect Guild. Fourth was the Divine Beast Mansion, fifth was the Hegemon Hall, and last was the Flame Gate.

The Flame Gate’s leader, Que Xinyan, had been killed by Long Chen. The Flame Gate had disbanded, which caused all its disciples to be dumbfounded. They didn’t know what to do.

Other than the Dragonblood Legion, Heaven Female Alliance, and Ten Thousand Insect Guild, everyone else was full of worry. This time, Long Chen had been too vicious. He had completely crippled the other three factions.

Now, the Dragonblood Legion’s name was soaring, and Long Chen’s name shook the entire Xuantian Dao Sect. Countless people had heard of how he had repeatedly killed six rank five Celestials on the battlefield, but they didn’t dare to believe it.

But after accumulating a mass of proof, they were forced to believe it. Now that Long Chen had returned to Crouching Dragon Mountain after ten days, it caused an uproar in the entire sect.

Even Hua Shiyu and Wang Zhen came over to celebrate. Hua Shiyu also brought her sincere thanks. If it hadn’t been for the Dragonblood Legion’s help, her Heaven Female Alliance’s losses would have been even more appalling.

When Hua Shiyu led her Heaven Female Alliance to Crouching Dragon Mountain, it evoked passionate cheering from the Dragonblood Legion. The Heaven Female Alliance received the warmest welcome possible.

Long Chen had Guo Ran arrange a grand bonfire party, and he also had Wang Zhen call over his disciples for the fun.

Wang Zhen was a man of few words, but he actually wasn’t antisocial. He directly brought all his people over to party.

They had so many points that they bought all the best wine and food. In the Xuantian Dao Sect, as long as you had points, you could get anything.

Tens of thousands of men and women drank and ate, laughed and talked. It was exceptionally lively. They were no longer as foreign or cold as when they had first joined the sect.

“Long Chen, I…” Hua Shiyu was profoundly grateful.

“I like to be straightforward, so you don’t need to keep thanking me.” Long Chen knew what she was about to say. “The Dragonblood Legion’s warriors do what they want. Even if the same thing happened again, even if they knew the results, they would make the same choice. So you don’t need to feel bad. Their choice was right, and even if they fell, they’ve passed their aspirations and dreams to their living brothers. We’ll bring their dreams forward for them.” Long Chen offered a bowl of wine to Hua Shiyu while raising one of his own.

Hua Shiyu nodded. But she hesitated for a long while when she looked at that wine. In the end, she took a sip, and as a result, her face immediately turned red. She clearly had no alcohol tolerance.

“Brother Long, let me offer you a bowl as well. I, Wang Zhen, have never admired anyone, but when it comes to you, I can’t not admire you.” Wang Zhen also raised his cup.

“Drink, drink!” Long Chen touched his bowl to Wang Zhen’s. This wine contained great medicinal energy. It was a kind of medicinal wine, and the best kind at that. It was greatly beneficial to cultivators, and it cost a hundred points just for one bottle. If they weren’t rich, no one could afford to drink it.

“Brother Wang Zhen, you’re too modest. If you went all-out, then perhaps there would be no one amongst all the disciples capable of beating you,” said Long Chen.

Wang Zhen was startled. “Brother Long, what are you talking about?”

Long Chen smiled. “Although I’m not an insect cultivator, I know the small insects you’ve summoned are just the troops. Your true trump card should be the mother insect you’re raising. We’ve all exposed our trump cards, but you’ve never revealed yours. That means you’re the strongest amongst us. Due to this, let me offer you another drink!”

Hua Shiyu was startled. She hadn’t even thought of that. But as soon as Long Chen said it, she looked from Wang Zhen in shock, to Long Chen with admiration. Wang Zhen had truly hidden himself well.

“Brother Long, you must not know this. While I do have a mother insect, I cannot use it until the point of no return. The mother insect is something I raised from the moment it was born, and it is connected to my soul. Although it is powerful, once injured, I will also have to pay a great price. Most importantly, if it dies, I would die with it. Although I have this trump card, I can’t use it, so it’s no different from not having a trump card.” Wang Zhen bitterly smiled.

Beside Long Chen, Tang Wan-er said, “So it’s your final trump card? Then it must be extremely terrifying.”

It was unknown if it was due to his expert’s pride or because he had drunk too much wine, but Wang Zhen said, “If I truly summoned the mother insect, those devil beasts we encountered would have all been annihilated. But after that, I would be in trouble. At the very least, I would be bedridden for half a year to a year. Even a rank four Celestial would be able to crush me then.”

His prideful expression turned bitter toward the end. Having a powerful trump card but not being able to use it was even more painful than not having a trump card.

Long Chen wasn’t in the habit of asking people for their secrets, so he changed the subject. They drank all the way until the sun rose once more before they finally scattered, wishing they could continue.

After a true life and death battle, people would realize things they hadn’t before. When they thought about the value of their lives, fighting and scheming against each other seemed like such senseless games. After this night of drinking, the three factions’ experts had formed much better relationships.

When the Heaven Female Alliance and Ten Thousand Insect Guild left, Long Chen summoned all the warriors of the Dragonblood Legion. He had an extremely important matter to announce.