Chapter 345 - Reunited with Xuanxiao

It was not by choice. Long Chen’s fame had skyrocketed recently because he had started as an unknown, nameless kid but committed several earth-shattering acts. Since then, he had stepped into the ranks of the Cangyang Kingdom’s strongest cultivators. The common person would find it difficult or even impossible to kill the Ninth Prince, the six commanders of the royal guards, and annihilate the dwarf tribe. But one psycho had done all of that.

Even the three Demon Elders were shocked by Long Chen. Since the imperial family was their archnemesis, they were privately happy to see their rivals being abused by a newbie kid. However, they had been under the assumption that Long Chen was at least at the Eighth River Stage in order to accomplish these earth-shattering feats. How could he have killed Song Zhongcheng, who was at the Eighth River Stage, if he was not at the same level himself?

The teenager standing in front of them was only at the Fourth River Stage. That was why after they eyed him for a while, they could not figure it out and concluded that the Heavenly Demon Lord had made a mistake.

The three Demon Elders looked at each other. They genuinely did not believe that this Fourth River Stage kid was the Long Chen that everyone had been talking about. The Third Demon Elder was the most straightforward of the three. He scoffed and said in a low voice, “All he wanted was to recruit a new disciple, but I can’t believe he used that young prodigy’s name as a cover. This is difficult to swallow.”

Although the words he used were ugly, most of them agreed.

Naturally, the rest of them dared not speak their minds. This was the Heavenly Demon Palace after all, and Zhao Qingyun was a good Palace Lord. They merely felt that he was unreliable at recruiting disciples. After this experience, he had become even more unreliable.

Zhao Qingyun obviously heard them, but he was not angry. He merely gave a small smile.

“Why don’t you explain?” Long Chen raised an eyebrow. If he were the Heavenly Demon Lord, he would have kicked all three Demon Elders out.

“Have you heard of this saying? It goes like this: ‘the world criticizes me, bullies me, humiliates me, laughs at me, looks down on me, betrays me, hurts me, and lies to me. How can I solve it? The only solution is to control thyself, let him be, avoid him, have patience, respect him, and ignore him.’ Wait a few years, and they’ll see. Today, they underestimate you; I do not need to say more. When the day comes, they will see it. Why should I waste my time?” Zhao Qingyun smiled.

Long Chen was stunned.

This was the difference between him and Zhao Qingyun. Perhaps due to his youth, he was impatient for revenge every time he was humiliated. However, he started to reflect after hearing Zhao Qingyun’s words. Due to the Ancient Bloodsoul Dragon’s influence, he had been rash and impatient along his growth journey since the beginning, strengthening himself through violent killing. This caused his mind to become heavily influenced by the Ancient Bloodsoul Dragon, and he had a huge amount of violent energy within him.

Perhaps being as nonchalant and focused as Master will help me greatly. A gentleman’s revenge can wait; even ten years is not too late. I am not in a great hurry, so I should stay in Heavenly Demon Palace for a while to train my mind in order to achieve stable growth. Perhaps both my cultivation and mind will strengthen beyond my expectations here.

Long Chen suddenly realized what he needed to learn most from Zhao Qingyun. It was not combat techniques, but attitude. An attitude of “letting it go.” Only this mindset would prevent Long Chen from losing himself on the path of massacre.

From this moment onwards, Long Chen truly recognized Zhao Qingyun as his master because he saw the things he could learn from Zhao Qingyun.

Seeing as the announcement had ended, the Third Demon Elder stood up and said directly, “Palace Lord, since the announcement has been made, can we adjourn now? We have many matters to attend to; we’re busy people, you know.”

His tone was filled with mockery. Indeed, the three Demon Elders managed the daily affairs of the clan while Zhao Qingyun was merely a symbol.

“Go ahead.” Zhao Qingyun flicked his sleeve gently.

“Alright. Also, are you sure you want to write ‘Long Chen’ on the name list?” The Third Demon Elder eyed Long Chen and smirked.

He spoke so rudely that it was incongruent with his position. It was clear that he was extremely disapproving of the Palace Lord’s actions. Since the three Demon Elders always acted together, Long Chen guessed that the other two were not happy either, seeing as the Third Demon Elder was dissatisfied.

“Let’s put something else then ...” Long Chen suddenly said. He smiled and looked at the Third Demon Elder, then continued, “Third Demon Elder, my real name is Dié Dié. Like ‘Hu Dié.’ You may record this name in the namelist and read it aloud thrice daily. I think you’ll get a very magical feeling.”

“Dié Dié?” The crowd was a little confused. That was not a man’s name! But when they realized what the joke was, many people burst into laughter. [1]

Didn’t “Dié Dié” sound like “daddy?” Long Chen had told the Third Demon Elder to read it aloud thrice daily, meaning he wanted him to call Long Chen his father. No one could have imagined Long Chen to be as bold as this.

When the Third Demon Elder realized that he had been insulted, his temper flared instantly. He roared at Long Chen and was about to charge at him! He had always been arrogant due to his lofty status in the Heavenly Demon Palace, so there was no way he would stand for being insulted like that! He had been humiliated in front of a bunch of people by a bratty kid!

But he was held back by the other two Demon Elders because Zhao Qingyun stood in front of Long Chen. His expression turned cold when he saw that the Third Demon Elder was about to attack.

“Were you about to attack someone in the Demon Pavilion? Third Demon Elder, have you forgotten our ancestors’ reminders? No one is allowed to attack their own kin in the Demon Pavilion. This is your last warning. If this happens again, I don’t mind crippling you.”

Zhao Qingyun was mild when he was not angry, but when he was, it was terrifying. The Third Demon Elder had crossed the line today. If Long Chen had not humiliated the Third Demon Elder, he would have been walking out with his tail in the air.

From this moment onwards, everyone started to become cautious of Long Chen. No ordinary person would be bold enough to use Zhao Qingyun’s power to insult the Third Demon Elder after all, as the Third Demon Elder was ranked fourth in the clan.

“Everyone, you may all leave. I do not want to see a repeat of what happened today. His name is Long Chen. I don’t care if you record it or not. My direct disciple is recorded in my heart, not on the namelist,” Zhao Qingyun said mildly as his gaze swept across the crowd.

“Yes, Palace Lord!” Everyone nodded and left with their heads bowed low. Although the Third Demon Elder was indignant, he had no choice but to leave the Demon Pavilion after the two Demon Elders gave him pointed looks. However, there was already hatred in his glare towards Long Chen.

Zhao Qingyun turned to Long Chen in exasperation. “You’re really good at creating problems for me. Aren’t you afraid he’ll start targeting you?”

“Master, I’m sure you understand that the more you oblige these clowns, the more arrogant they become. Although you’re completely focused on cultivation and do not care about trivial matters, people like that still need to be taught a lesson. And if he targets me, what do I have to worry about when I have you?” Long Chen said with a chuckle.

When everyone was heading out, a couple entered the Demon Pavilion. The elders and enforcers gave the man unfriendly looks.

“Father, let me tell you some-”

They were a man and a woman who looked to be above thirty years old. The man was handsome and the lady was beautiful, therefore making them look like a compatible couple. They passed the crowd and entered the Demon Pavilion excitedly. The woman had just entered and spoke excitedly to Zhao Qingyun, but when she saw Long Chen next to him, she froze. Even the man behind her froze instantly.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Long Chen had no idea how to react either, because the couple was his stepfather, Dongfang Xuanxiao, and Xuan Ming!

Long Chen gasped and blurted, “Stepfather?” He never imagined that he would meet Dongfang Xuanxiao in the Heavenly Demon Palace.

“Chen’er?” Dongfang Xuanxiao was shocked too.

Xuan Ming could barely react to this and asked hurriedly, “Chen’er, why are you here?”

After hearing their conversation, Zhao Qingyun was also stunned. He looked at the trio and asked, “You all know each other?”

“Of course, Master. Dongfang Xuanxiao is my stepfather. We are from Yuanling City,” Long Chen quickly explained. Since Xuan Ming was a member of the Heavenly Demon Palace, it was normal that she was here. However, he had not expected her to be Zhao Qingyun’s daughter. The relationships were getting complex.

Zhao Qingyun was pleasantly surprised by this outcome. This was great because the relationships would become even stronger.

All four of them stood together while Dongfang Xuanxiao and Xuan Ming regarded Long Chen carefully. Dongfang Xuanxiao could not help but ask, “Chen’er, there are stories out there about someone named ‘Long Chen’ killing the Ninth Prince and being pursued. Is that you?”

This was what he desperately wanted to know. When he first heard the news, he did not believe it because no matter how quickly Long Chen improved, it was impossible for him to reach that level within such a short time.

“Of course it’s me! Why would I be here if it wasn’t?” Long Chen replied with a grin. Then he asked, “Stepfather, you’ve been to Yuanling City recently, right?”

If Dongfang Xuanxiao had not returned to Yuanling City, he would’ve been under the assumption that Long Chen was dead.

“That’s right. I’ve gone back to Yuanling City. I think you were in the Burning Heaven Secret Realm then. Ming’er and I waited for a few days, but since you hadn’t come out, we left,” he said.

That was how he had heard the news that Long Chen was still alive. Not only had he not died, but Long Chen was also even stronger now.

“Chen’er, I can’t believe how much stronger you’ve become. Father, how did you get to know Chen’er?” Xuan Ming asked, looking at Long Chen emotionally.

1. Butterfly = 蝴蝶 (Hu Die); so 蝶蝶dié dié should be a female name. That’s why they thought it was a strange name for a man. 爹爹(diē diē) = Daddy in Chinese / an affectionate term for father

Long Chen said to call him蝶蝶(dié dié), which sounded like 爹爹(diē diē). This means he wants them to call him Daddy/Father. Usually, calling someone your father or grandfather means you are beneath them because you imply that you are the son/grandson. Since the Elder is ranked higher than Long Chen, it was taken as a very rude joke. ☜