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Chapter 298 - Sword Devil

The other was a thin and short man only reaching up to Long Chen’s chest. He was a little pale with clean features, so he was decent-looking. However, he had an arrogant look on his face, walking with his nose in the air. He could not even hide his arrogant personality in front of the Sword Devil.

He must be a dwarf.

This person had caught his eye when they were outside because quite a few Immortal Guards had escorted him, and all of them were obsequious towards him.

After listening to the stories told by the Goldfish Islanders, Long Chen felt enmity towards the dwarves.

They were all silent while walking. Soon, they arrived in a vast hall. The walls were black with giant burning torches at four corners to light up the black hall. At the front of the hall was a main seat accompanied by five other seats. At this moment, all six seats were filled.

The Sword Devil and five leaders mentioned by the black-armored teenager came to mind. These seemed to be the six strongest experts of Counter Essence City. The person sitting at the very top drew Long Chen’s attention.

He had white hair but the face of a young man. Time had not left a single trace on his skin. Although he was merely sitting in his seat, Long Chen sensed an intimidating aura rushing towards himself. He even felt a slight prickling pain on his skin when the man’s gaze swept past him.

That was the Sword Devil.

He was likely in his forties, yet he maintained a youthful face. This was a rare sight, and Long Chen could tell that he was no ordinary person from this alone.

Sitting beneath the Sword Devil were five middle-aged people. Long Chen sensed that while they were weaker than the Sword Devil, they were much stronger than himself.

“Sit.” The white-haired young man, the Sword Devil, spoke gently. Long Chen instantly felt an invisible force wrap around his body, forcing him down on a seat nearby. All nine of them had their own seats. Long Chen looked around and noticed that he was sitting at the very back. Next to him was the black-armored warrior.

The Sword Devil looked around the room, then his gaze rested on the short man.

“Song Yuefeng, come here.”

When the short man was walking into the tower, he had been arrogant. However, after he entered, he was completely suppressed by the Sword Devil and did nothing but obey the Sword Devil’s commands reverently, his head hung low.

“Yes.”

The short man, Song Yuefeng, stood up and walked up to the Sword Devil shakily. He was pale from fear.

That was when a short and fat middle-aged man sitting beneath the Sword Devil hurriedly turned to the Sword Devil with all smiles and said, “My Lord, this is my son, Song Yuefeng. He is sixteen today and is already at the Fifth River Stage.”

“Your son?” The Sword Devil eyed Song Yuefeng up and down, then he nodded and said, “Reaching the Fifth River Stage at sixteen is almost on par with the people of the imperial family. Not bad. Since he is your son, there is no need for inspection. Song Yuefeng, return to your seat.”

“Yes, thank you, my Lord!” Finally, he no longer had to face the terrifying, suffocating force coming from the Sword Devil. Song Yuefeng nodded and bowed hurriedly, then he rushed back to his seat.

Long Chen watched it all calmly.

He was surprised that there was a dwarf amongst the five leaders. However, it was not very odd that they had a seat here, seeing as the Harmony family was one of the three largest factions in the Biyang Imperial Capital.

The next person had already gone up to be inspected by the Sword Devil. The Sword Devil merely placed his palm on the person’s body and rubbed a circle, feeling his star veins, and that was it.

“Brother, do you know what he is checking?” the black-armored soldier next to Long Chen suddenly asked.

“Since he is touching the star vein, I’m guessing that he is checking the quality of the person’s Qi. But we are all here through recommendations, so there should not be a problem,” Long Chen answered after some thought.

Then, he regarded the soldier. Perhaps due to the black-armored teenager from before, Long Chen felt friendly towards him. This soldier’s gaze was determined yet pure, unlike Song Yuefeng, who looked like a person he should not interact with. Long Chen lacked friends now, so he would never let a chance to make a new friend slip by.

Since it was not yet their turn, Long Chen asked, “How should I address you?”

“Zhang Yuanteng. You?”

“I’m Long Chen. You’re from the Counter Essence Army, right?” he asked.

“I am. I wasn’t always strong, but I recently experienced some improvements and reached the Second River Stage. Since I have some knowledge on the Counter Essence Realm, I was promoted to an Immortal Guard,” Zhang Yuanteng answered, sounding grateful.

“Are you familiar with the Counter Essence Realm? I followed the Ninth Prince here from Yuanling City, so everything here is foreign to me. Since you know more, tell me more,” whispered Long Chen with a grin.

“Followed the Ninth Prince? If you were able to gain his favor, you must be very talented. As for your request, I am happy to oblige. Out here in the world, we can only rely on our friends. Serving you would be my honor, haha ...” Although Zhang Yuanteng had not spoken before this, the moment he did, it was clear that he was a straightforward and simple person.

Long Chen started to chat with him, asking him questions ranging from the Biyang Imperial Capital to the Counter Essence Realm. In the end, they talked about the five leaders.

“The five leaders are all at the Eighth River Stage. The two on the left are from the imperial family, while the three on the right are people from the three great clans. That guy, Song Yuefeng’s father, is the patriarch of the Harmony family,” whispered Zhang Yuanteng.

The Sword Devil and the rest were at the end of the great hall, so they did not dare to speak too loudly.

Very quickly, it was Zhang Yuanteng’s turn. Since he had come from the Counter Essence Army, naturally, there were no problems with him. He very quickly returned, and it was Long Chen’s turn next.

Long Chen walked on the shiny black floor under the gazes of a Ninth River Stage and five Eight River Stage cultivators. He stopped when he came up to the Sword Devil.

Different from the servile Song Yuefeng, Long Chen felt no fear despite standing in front of the ultimate master. There were many people he respected, but the Ninth River Stage master in front of him was not one of them.

The Sword Devil noted Long Chen’s eyes, then, without a word, reached out and rubbed his palm in a circle on Long Chen’s chest over his shirt. Long Chen sensed a surge of heat from the Sword Devil’s palm that flowed into his body, quickly circulated once in his star vein, and finally returned to the palm.

“You’re Long Chen, the one recommended by Little Nine?” The Sword Devil looked slightly puzzled as he gazed at Long Chen. He was indeed inspecting the quality of his Qi, checking if it was Demon Qi, and subsequently determining if he was a disciple of the Heavenly Demon Palace. While he did not find any Demon Qi, Long Chen’s Qi was four times stronger than that of other people. That was why the Sword Devil felt a different sensation compared to when inspecting the others.

Long Chen nodded. “Yes, Lord Sword Devil. Is there an issue?”

“No. Return to your seat.” The Sword Devil shook his head, though he was just a little puzzled.

Long Chen descended and returned to his seat.

He had been able to feel the strength of Xiaolang’s enemy at close range. The Sword Devil’s sword Qi seemed to seep into every pore on Long Chen’s skin, entering his body. Just being near him made Long Chen feel terrible.

After Long Chen returned, the inspection of the nine recruits was over. The Sword Devil did not declare the process over, whoever. Instead, he walked up to Long Chen and the others and said, “There are no problems with your backgrounds. However, what the Counter Essence Realm needs most is combat capabilities, which is not necessarily the same as cultivation level. Now, I shall inspect your combat abilities. The minimum requirement of being an Immortal Guard may be the First River Stage, but if a person of the Second River Stage has poor combat skills, he will have to get the hell out of here.”

His eyes swept across the nine of them. The coldness in his gaze made them instinctively lower their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

“The rules are simple. I will not do anything; you all may attack me with your most powerful moves. I will be able to spot anyone whose attack is too weak or has no battle experience immediately. Everyone, stand up!”

Since he was called the Sword Devil, he was sure to be more bloodthirsty than other people. He had been calm up until now, but his voice had become icy and he seemed like an extremely sharp, unsheathed sword. Just his presence alone radiated a suffocating sharpness.

Long Chen was the first to stand up. He was mentally stronger than the rest of them, plus Xiaolang held a grudge against the Sword Devil. Therefore, Long Chen was not afraid of him at all. As for the others, even the Fifth River Stage Song Yuefeng’s legs trembled as he stood up.

The Sword Devil stomped on the ground, and the vibrations caused the luxurious chairs to pulverize. The great hall now seemed empty.

“Being Immortal Guards not only requires combat skills but also cooperation. From now on, all nine of you are a team. Attack me with all you have! Anyone who is not passionate enough, or cooperative enough, will be eliminated!”

The nine of them looked at each other. Just like cornered dogs jumping over a wall, they launched their attacks to avoid elimination.