Chapter 630: Smoky and Intense

For a moment, he seemed to sense a powerful malevolence. Was something happening outside? He quickly hid the remaining Essence of Water.

Outside, everyone listened, dumbfounded. What a vicious oath!

Although swearing to the heavens might not always be effective, as cultivators who contend with heaven for longevity and vie with the Dao for essence, they were still very wary of such things. They would not easily swear to the heavens; if they did, they usually had absolute certainty. Given the malevolent oath Jiang Fan had made, it was likely he had indeed been wronged.

Mu Ziyu was momentarily stunned. What a vicious oath! Yet she still didn't believe him, saying, "Alright, I believe you didn't use it, but you must have hidden it!"

Jiang Fan, with practiced ease, swore again.

"I, Jiang Fan, swear to the heavens: The one who hid the Essence of Water shall be impotent for life, marry eighteen beautiful wives, and have eighteen fat sons! Furthermore…"

Mu Ziyu was shocked. She quickly stopped him: "Alright, alright, stop talking!"

"It's too venomous!" It was so venomous she couldn't bear to listen anymore!

Yu Qingxuan almost spat out the tea in his mouth. This oath was utterly vicious. He no longer suspected Jiang Fan of taking the Essence of Water; he began to suspect that Jiang Fan had some personal grudge with the person who took it.

Even the Demon Emperor's mouth twitched slightly as he listened. He lightly rebuked, "That's enough rudeness." Then he looked at Yu Qingxuan and Mu Ziyu, saying, "It seems someone else has obtained the Essence of Water. You two should investigate further. As for the gift for me, there's no need."

Previously, visiting delegations never had a tradition of bringing gifts. Why did they suddenly want to present the Essence of Water this time? The Demon Emperor understood in his heart. It was to shut the mouths of the mainland demons with a gift first, to prevent them from losing too badly later and fostering hatred, just as they did ten years ago. The North Sea demons were currently severely weakened and truly didn't want to make enemies.

Precisely because he understood this, he couldn't accept the North Sea demons' gift. What, did the North Sea demons think they could still sweep aside the mainland demons like ten years ago? Ten years had passed. It was time for the roles of offense and defense to reverse!

Yu Qingxuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. The Demon Emperor's refusal of the gift saved him a lot of trouble. Otherwise, where would he find a second portion of the Essence of Water on such short notice? The only unpleasant thing was that the Essence of Water had ended up in the hands of some scoundrel!

Only Mu Ziyu stared fiercely at Jiang Fan, saying, "You're truly merciless to yourself! I concede!"

Jiang Fan lifted his head and puffed out his chest, saying, "My conscience is clear!"

The matter was thus concluded without serious incident. It was just unfortunate for the schemer. He hoped the oath would be even harsher.

Inside the Heavenly Thunder Stone, the schemer hugged his body, curled into a ball. "So cold..." he muttered. "I only ate a bit of the Essence of Water. Why does it feel like I've attracted some very vicious karma?"

In the Demon Emperor's Hall, after the confrontation between the two races and the minor dispute over Jiang Fan's alleged crime, the exchange between the two races finally reached its unavoidable stage.

After several rounds of wine, the Demon Emperor's gaze fell upon the four extraordinary young sea demons. He smiled slightly and said, "Are these four the distinguished talents who have come to further their studies among our mainland demons this time?"

As soon as he spoke, all the demon powerhouses became solemn. It's coming!

Yu Qingxuan calmly put down his wine cup. Although he didn't want to face it, this moment was ultimately unavoidable. He suppressed his emotions and smiled, saying, "Allow me to introduce them to Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor. These four youngsters are the elites of our North Sea demon race, the Four Lords of the North Sea: Eastern Lord Bai Chu, Southern Lord Jiu Yu, Northern Lord Zhao Ri, and Western Lord Wu Meng."

As he introduced them, the Southern, Northern, and Western Lords raised their heads and puffed out their chests, naturally releasing their auras. The demon powerhouses' expressions changed as they sensed the auras.

"So strong!""At least Core Formation Seventh Layer!""Even stronger than ten years ago!""The North Sea demons are truly like oil blazing, their rising momentum unstoppable."

Ten years ago, among the young participants of the visiting delegation, there were still some at the Core Formation Sixth Layer. Ten years later, the lowest was the Core Formation Seventh Layer! Moreover, the Eastern Lord, who kept his arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed with eyes closed, had not revealed any aura. According to the order, he should be the leader of the Four Lords. His strength was certainly above the other three! The elites of this visiting delegation were terrifyingly strong!

Even the Demon Emperor's gaze grew solemn. To wipe away the previous shame, the best resources of the demon race for the past ten years had been prioritized for the Four Prodigies, followed by the Ten Stars, and only then were they allocated to the various tribes. Even his daughter, Liuli, had her resources restricted because she hadn't been selected among the Four Prodigies or Ten Stars. It could be said that for this day, the Demon Emperor had gambled the fate of the demon race for ten years! Only then did the Four Prodigies achieve their outstanding abilities. Unexpectedly, the Four Lords of the North Sea demons were no less formidable! This put immense pressure on the Demon Emperor.

Suppressing his emotions, he calmly said, "The Four Lords of the North Sea. What a coincidence, our mainland demons also have Four Prodigies of the demon race: Mi Long, Shen Tu, Hun Yuan, and Ling Shu! You four haven't met the Four Lords of the North Sea yet."

The Four Prodigies, led by Mi Long, lifted their cold eyes to gaze at the Four Lords of the North Sea. Even the most delicate Ling Shu had a frosty gaze and rising battle intent. The two sides stood, one to the left of the hall, the other to the right. They stared at each other across the distance. Invisibly, their gazes clashed, sparking intense friction. The air was thick with tension.

Since the atmosphere was set, the Demon Emperor added the final spark. His eyes flickered slightly, and he continued: "Soon, you will exchange places with them to further your studies. You will go to the North Sea, and they will remain on the mainland. Now, get to know each other well."

Yu Qingxuan's heart felt a chill. With these words, the superficial pleasantries of the meeting were over. What followed would be a real, no-holds-barred confrontation!

He smiled slightly and said, "On behalf of the North Sea demon race, I warmly welcome your esteemed prodigies to further their studies in the North Sea! However, our young ones have their own ideas about staying on the mainland. If they wish to stay, I will not stop them. If they don't, I cannot force them."

The Demon Emperor chuckled. It was the exact same rhetoric as ten years ago. He then dropped the pretense and looked at the Four Lords, saying: "Are you intending to emulate the four North Sea prodigies of ten years ago? To engage in a power-based wager? If you lose, will you willingly stay? If you win, will you return to the North Sea?"

Western Lord Wu Meng, the only female prodigy, had very thin and sharp cheeks, and her eyes were a deep blue. She wore a very loose robe; for a moment, it was impossible to tell what race of sea demon she belonged to. She said expressionlessly, "Replying to Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor. We do indeed have such an intention. If our peers among the mainland demons are superior to us, it indicates there are things worth our staying to learn. If they are not as good as us, what would we learn by staying? To learn how to become weaker?"

Hun Yuan angrily retorted, "How arrogant! We haven't even fought yet, how can you know we are weaker than you?" The other three prodigies also showed coldness in their eyes. Among the Four Lords of the North Sea, even the weakest Western Lord dared to show such contempt for them. This showed how much the North Sea demons looked down on the mainland demons! Outrageous!

The Demon Emperor tapped his finger on the table, a smile on his face: "Good! Since you four young ones wish to determine your stay or departure based on strength, then I shall grant your wish! Clear the arena! Prepare for battle!"