Chapter 691: Great Demon 54

The Golden Ring Snake Emperor was rather surprised. "Are you sure? In the Nine Heavens... there are quite a few people who wish you dead. Once you enter the Grand Tournament, your life will be on the line."

"Even if I stay in the Lower Realm, I’ll still be plotted against. It’s better to go for broke." Tan You saw the situation clearly. "At the very least, I’ve entered a period of stable growth, so I’ll have more confidence to face the future."

"Excellent!" the Golden Ring Snake Emperor boomed with laughter. "Little Jinzi, I knew I wasn’t wrong about you! Catch!"

With a forward push of his right hand, the golden Crown passed through the water mirror and came to a steady hover before Tan You. The Crown seemed to have a mind of its own. It circled her twice and bobbed up and down as if nodding, before settling securely onto her head.

Tan You shifted, unaccustomed to the feeling. The Crown wasn’t as heavy as she’d imagined, but she found it strange to suddenly be wearing one.

The Golden Ring Snake Emperor chuckled. "It’s quite pleased with you, Little Jinzi. Look up!"

He told Tan You to look up, but everyone else was already staring up at her. A golden pillar of light materialized in the sky, seeming to connect the Cultivation World to the Nine Heavens. Faint, ethereal music drifted from within the pillar, accompanied by various miraculous visions.

On closer inspection, the golden pillar of light seemed to be resonating with the Crown on Tan You’s head.

Tan You looked at the pillar of light, gritted her teeth, and cautiously stepped inside. The next moment, she felt herself being lifted off the ground, gradually floating into mid-air.

She saw Bai Ze reach for her, only to be thrown back by the pillar of light. She also saw other Cultivators attempt to approach it, but they were all repelled. Clearly, this pillar of light was meant only for her.

Looking down at the Great Demons of the Demon Market, Tan You scrambled to give her last instructions... ’Pah! I’m not dead yet! But I guess you could call them that... Never mind.’

Tan You spoke quickly. "Bai Ze has the jade slip! Cang Long, go to Bai Ze directly about your situation. And... run the Demon Market well! I’ll be waiting for all of you up there."

She had no time to say more. In an instant, Tan You and the golden pillar of light vanished completely from the Cultivation World.

Bai Ze narrowed his eyes. He mentally scheduled his own plan to face the Ascension Tribulation. His cultivation was already sufficient. He had only been suppressing it all these years to keep Tan You company as a dear friend. He never expected she would actually ascend to the Nine Heavens before him.

At this thought, Bai Ze felt a pang of regret. He wanted to face his tribulation and ascend right away, but he really needed to stay and help Great Demons like Cang Long and the Nine-tailed Fox resolve their karmic ties.

’And there’s the Demon Market. I have to get it in order. With Tan You gone, if I ascend too, the Demon Market’s future... I’ll have to entrust it to a reliable junior.’

With that thought, Bai Ze’s gaze fell upon Qing Ming.

With Tan You gone to the Nine Heavens, the Great Demons of the Demon Market exchanged dismayed glances. The Peacock smacked Cang Long on the back with his fan. "All to help you! And now our Jin Huan has gone to the Nine Heavens ahead of schedule. Look what you’ve done!"

Cang Long was furious but dared not say a word. He was, after all, the one asking for a favor and was still counting on the Great Demons of the Demon Market to bail him out.

Old Niu rose silently. "Let’s go. We need to get Old Long’s business over with, then get back to cultivating. We can’t let Jin Huan wait up there for too long."

"Exactly. Old Niu knows what’s important. Let’s get a move on!" The Cold Dragon was done watching the spectacle and scooped up Qinglian’s Divine Soul. The Great Demons exchanged a look and swiftly departed from the Buddha Sect’s grounds.

The Cultivators who were left behind stared at each other in bewilderment. The next second, they all began frantically sending messages via their various communication arts.

"Did you hear? That Golden Ring Snake went to the Nine Heavens!"

"How could it be fake? We all saw it with our own eyes! Ascension in broad daylight! A true daylight ascension!"

"But it wasn’t a true ascension, was it? It looked more like she was being summoned by an Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm."

"See? That’s the benefit of having a powerful ancestor."

"And that golden Crown... I’ve never seen or heard of anything like it. I didn’t know such an ultimate treasure existed."

"But one thing’s for sure, the Buddha Sect was completely humiliated this time."

"Their so-called ’Son of Buddha’ was actually an Immortal Monarch from the Upper Realm—and a Son of Buddha there, too... using such a classless method to overcome his Emotional Tribulation... And what was the result? He picked a woman who would kill her husband to attain her Dao..."

The Cultivators weren’t the only ones talking. The Great Demons who had left the Buddha Sect’s grounds were also in a heated discussion.

The Peacock hung his head, looking dejected. "Sigh. I was planning to display my tail feathers for Jin Huan when we got back to the Demon Market. And now? That plan’s gone up in smoke."

The Cold Dragon sighed. "We’re at the Late Mahayana Stage now. How many more years will it take to reach the Tribulation Stage? I wonder if Jin Huan will find new friends in the Upper Realm."

The Peacock snorted. "Jin Huan might seem cold on the outside, but she’s actually very gentle on the inside. She may not take the initiative to make friends, but others will be drawn to her."

"We really need to cultivate hard. After all, we’re the ones who came up with Jin Huan."

Their bickering gave Bai Ze a headache. He rarely intervened, but he spoke up now. "Alright, that’s enough. We have two tasks ahead of us. First, we need to resolve Old Long’s karmic ties, and for that, we’ll need Qinglian’s help."

Qinglian knew how to read the room. It might dare to pester Tan You, but it would never act so impudently in front of Great Demons like Bai Ze and the Peacock. After all, the Peacock had just been blaming Cang Long and the others. What if he turned his anger on Qinglian next?

So for now, it had to be a good little snake and keep its head down.

So, the moment Bai Ze spoke, Qinglian immediately pledged its resolve. "My Lord, please rest assured. I will do my utmost to assist Lord Cang Long in resolving his karmic ties."

Bai Ze snorted. "Good. When we return, Qing Ming will take over the affairs of the Demon Market. He’s a Great Demon at the Void Refining Stage now. It’s time he shouldered his responsibilities."

Qing Ming opened his mouth to speak, but Bai Ze shot him a look. "Jin Huan faces immense challenges in the Upper Realm and could be in danger at any moment. From now on, we must all devote ourselves to cultivation so we can ascend sooner and be of help to her."

Qing Ming immediately swallowed the refusal on the tip of his tongue. "My Lord, rest assured. I will do a good job. I absolutely will not let down your hopes in me."

Bai Ze was barely satisfied. "That’s more like it. The Demon Market, after all, is different from the Demon Clan of the Ten-Direction Great Mountain. When you’re in charge, it’s inevitable that some demons will use your identity and past experiences to cause trouble. You need to be prepared for that."

Qing Ming was nonchalant. "I don’t care about that. They’re not part of our Demon Market’s Demon Clan, so why should I care what they think? Besides, my lord, you once said that truth is held in the fist. I will work hard to become so powerful that no one dares to speak out of turn in my presence."

Old Niu clapped Qing Ming on the shoulder without a word. Several of the Great Demons in the Demon Market were currently at the Late Mahayana Stage. They had been suppressing their cultivation and putting off their Heavenly Tribulation for two reasons. First, the Heavenly Tribulation for the Ascension Stage was exceedingly dangerous, and the risk of perishing was very real.

The other was that they couldn’t bear to leave the Demon Market. If they left the Demon Market for the Nine Heavens, where would they ever find such like-minded companions again?