Chapter 596: Small Matters Among Juniors Should Be Settled by Juniors

How should we look at this? By looking with our eyes!Who would still dare to bring up the idea of using a human junior to establish our prestige? If that got out, it would truly be a joke. If we were talking about killing a sect master or a grand elder from one of the Nine Sects, that would indeed be something to boast about. But killing a junior...

At this moment, among the five Demon Kings, the Sky-Devouring Tiger spoke up: “Demon Emperor, let the juniors handle their own affairs. Since receiving the notification of the Northern Sea Demon Clan's visit, our juniors have been diligently cultivating, aiming to wipe away the humiliation of ten years ago. Currently, they lack a sparring partner with whom they can freely exert themselves. How about we let Jiang Fan serve as that sparring partner? Injuring him would be fine, and if he's killed, it would serve to vindicate our Demon Clan.”

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the demon powerhouses lit up. One Demon King nodded slightly, saying, “Good idea. Since it's inappropriate for us to kill a human junior, surely there's no problem if our juniors kill him, right?” Another Demon King also agreed: “Demon Emperor, the Northern Sea Demon Clan has always looked down upon us, the land demons. Ten years ago, a few formidable juniors in their delegation defeated all of our juniors without a single loss. Since then, they've shown even less regard for us. As a result, the Northern Sea Demon Clan unilaterally ceased the exchange and learning sessions between the juniors of our two clans. This is our chance to vindicate ourselves, and we absolutely cannot miss it. Jiang Fan is human and cultivates the path of magic. If our juniors frequently spar with him, it will enhance their adaptability and perhaps increase our chances of victory in that upcoming battle.”

The Demon Emperor's face, already tinged with green, turned even more livid.

The Northern Sea Demon Clan consists of demons of the sea. Although they are also called demons, they are a distinct clan from the land demons. During the great war a thousand years ago, under the mediation of the sages from both clans, a strong alliance was formed. Their interactions were frequent, and one such interaction involved mutually sending outstanding youths from their clans to study and train deeply within the other's territory.

Over time, due to factors like distance and growing disagreements, the exchanges between the two sides gradually decreased. In recent centuries, the only remaining interaction was the steadfast, once-a-decade exchange and learning session.

However, ten years ago, something occurred that brought great shame upon the Demon Clan. The visiting Northern Sea Demon Clan prodigies proposed a contest against the land demon prodigies. The Demon Emperor agreed on the spot. But the outcome shocked both the Demon Emperor and all the powerful demons in his court. The Northern Sea Demon Clan had, for unknown reasons, experienced a surge of geniuses; each of them was a prodigy of mythical proportions.

The prodigies nurtured by the land demons with great effort all suffered crushing defeats. The best result was that the strongest prodigy among the land demons barely managed to last three moves before being defeated; everyone else failed to withstand even a single exchange. The Northern Sea Demon Clan, disappointed, then declared that the land demons were not worthy of their prodigies' advanced study, and this exchange session was suspended. They stated that in ten years, they would send another group of prodigies, but if the land demons were still so incompetent, they would permanently halt all exchanges and learning sessions between the juniors of the two clans.

At that time, the Demon Emperor had only recently taken charge of the land demons, and such an act was a blatant humiliation. Therefore, the Demon Emperor had been holding onto his resolve, diligently cultivating the younger generation of demons. Currently, the war between humans and demons was raging. The human younger generation had fully entered the fray, yet not a single demon youth had appeared. Why? It was precisely because they were being cultivated. He did not want them to waste their time, or even their lives, in the war between the two clans. Their ultimate goal was to defeat the visiting Northern Sea Demon Clan prodigies, to vindicate the Demon Clan, and to restore the Demon Emperor's face.

Now, the ten-year period was almost over. A month ago, the Northern Sea Demon Clan had already sent word. Their visiting delegation was already en route and could arrive at the Demon Emperor's court at any moment. The clan's juniors were making their final preparations.

His thoughts returned to the present. The Demon Emperor gazed at Jiang Fan, musing that having Jiang Fan as a sparring partner might not be a bad idea.“Yunxia, what are your thoughts?” He listened to his subordinates' opinions, but he particularly valued the opinions of his trusted confidantes.Consort Yunxia glanced at Jiang Fan and shook her head slightly: “I'm afraid this might not be a good idea.”Several Demon Kings looked puzzled. The Demon Emperor, too, was filled with surprise and asked, “What's wrong with it?”Consort Yunxia said, “Except for the Four Demon Prodigies, none of the other juniors are a match for Jiang Fan. If we use Jiang Fan as a sparring partner, I'm concerned they won't be able to handle it.”

Uh— The many demon powerhouses exchanged bewildered glances. The demon clan had produced an endless stream of elites over the past ten years, far surpassing the humans opposite them. Wasn't Jiang Fan only at the second level of Core Formation? There must be at least hundreds of demon elites stronger than Jiang Fan, right? Why would Consort Yunxia say such a thing?

One Demon King said, “Consort Yunxia, our clan's current generation of juniors are exceptionally brilliant, far surpassing even us in our youth. How could they possibly be no match for a mere human junior at the second level of Core Formation? Such words risk boosting the morale of others while diminishing our own prestige!”

Except for Sea Charm, the other Demon Kings also showed expressions of disbelief. If Jiang Fan were at the fifth level of Core Formation, they might grudgingly believe her words. But at only the second level of Core Formation, how could the demon juniors not handle him as a sparring partner?

The Demon Emperor's gaze flickered. “Yunxia, isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?”

Consort Yunxia replied, “I am speaking truthfully. Except for the Four Demon Prodigies, it would be best not to have Jiang Fan as a sparring partner. Otherwise, their cultivation hearts might suffer a blow.”

She chuckled bitterly to herself. After sparring with Jiang Fan so many times, how could she not know his methods? Even she had suffered significant losses, let alone the demon juniors. Saying 'except for the Four Demon Prodigies' was already her conservative way of saving face for the demon clan. If the Four Demon Prodigies and Jiang Fan were to fight without holding back, she didn't think the Four Demon Prodigies had any chance of winning.

Hearing this, the many demon powerhouses grew indignant. Consort Yunxia, wasn't this belittling their own people and elevating Jiang Fan? Who would praise an opponent like this?

“In that case, why don't we just summon some juniors to spar with Jiang Fan and find out?”

The Demon Emperor also found it hard to believe that Jiang Fan possessed such great abilities. He nodded slightly and commanded, “Summon the Ten Demon Stars!”

Upon hearing this, Sea Charm's eyes flickered, and she cupped her hands, saying: “Demon Emperor, starting with the Ten Demon Stars, wouldn't that be too dangerous? If he is severely injured or killed, the other juniors won't get a chance to spar.”She believed in Jiang Fan's strength, but she didn't believe Jiang Fan could contend with the Ten Demon Stars. Who were the Ten Demon Stars? They were the new stars of the demon clan, poised to avenge the humiliation of ten years ago. Each one was a demon prodigy personally mentored by the Four Demon Kings; occasionally, even the Demon Emperor himself would instruct them. Their strength ranged from at least the fifth level of Core Formation, with some even reaching the sixth level! How could Jiang Fan easily handle them? There was a high chance he would perish at their hands.

Demon King Sea Charm was about to plead further, but she noticed Jiang Fan discreetly giving her a look that told her to stop. If Sea Charm continued, the Demon Emperor would grow suspicious of their relationship. It would be one thing if Jiang Fan perished here himself, but there was no need to implicate Sea Charm. Sea Charm's eyes showed reluctance, yet, realizing that her pleading would be useless and would only expose her relationship with Jiang Fan—which would not only harm herself but also leave Jiang Fan with no way out—she sighed slightly and said, “Alright. I merely trust Consort Yunxia's judgment, and I don't want the Ten Stars to get injured.”

“Injured?” Her words provoked a burst of laughter. A human capable of injuring the Ten Stars simply didn't exist!