Chapter 592: Meng Jingzhou: There is Shady Manipulation

The Phoenix Elder nodded; in his youth, he too had entered the Ancient Realm of Creation, and he knew that given Jiang Shishi's temperament, reaching the third layer would have been an arduous feat, making her elimination highly probable.

Since she had not been eliminated, it signified that Jiang Shishi's state of mind had undergone a tremendous advancement.

To become a qualified leader, personal might alone was insufficient; one also required calculating shrewdness and must learn to be thick-skinned.

In the art of being thick-skinned, the patriarch of the Qiongqi Clan was undoubtedly the master.

"Who is left inside now? Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er?" A demon elder counted the heads, noticing that the prodigies of the Phoenix and Nine-Tailed Fox Clans had yet to emerge.

"No, there are two more inside, following Jiang Shishi," Qin Feng shouted, for though he knew neither the lineage nor the names of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, their faces were absolutely unforgettable.

"Oh? Following Jiang Shishi?" The elder of the Jiuying Clan narrowed his eyes, catching onto the anomaly.

"Elder Jiang Wei, this seems amiss. We had a firm agreement that each clan could only select one person to enter the Ancient Realm of Creation. Did your Phoenix Clan send in three?"

He was eager to deflect the conflict now, and according to Qin Feng's account, the elimination of the Demon Alliance's prodigies in the first trial was inextricably linked to the Phoenix Clan!

"What if three entered?" Elder Jiang Wei sneered, utterly undaunted. In terms of foundation, the Phoenix Clan reigned supreme in the Demon Region; even the ancient Dijiang dared not provoke them for the time being.

The Dragon Clan was split into two branches, one in the Demon Region and one in the Eastern Sea, dividing their heritage, so the branch in the Demon Region could not match the raw foundation of the Phoenix Clan.

Elder Jiang Wei proactively took responsibility for the matter; after all, he could hardly reveal that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou were humans from the Daoist Sect.

Claiming that Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou belonged to the Phoenix Clan might actually prevent an immediate conflict, as the Phoenix Clan had always been imperious.

If he disclosed that they were from the Daoist Sect, the spectating tribes would likely all demand a piece of the action.

And if Gan Tian saw her own people being bullied and summoned Yun Zhi over, the resulting chaos would be far greater.

"The Phoenix Clan truly is overbearing." The Taowu Clan, White Tiger Clan, and other tribes of the Demon Alliance stepped forward to support the Jiuying Clan.

If they could seize this opportunity to deal a heavy blow to the Phoenix Clan, they would surely win the favor of the ancient Dijiang.

"The Phoenix Clan possesses vast wealth and power; it matters not if they harbored two extra prodigies inside." A Dragon Clan elder stepped forward in defense of the Phoenix Clan.

He had learned that Ao Yue, with the assistance of Jiang Shishi, had entered the second layer and obtained a spiritual fruit to heal old injuries—a debt of gratitude that must be repaid.

"I believe the Phoenix Clan's exception this time is perfectly understandable," the Jade Rabbit Clan elder declared, sweeping his sleeve as he stepped forward.

"My Tiangou Clan..."

"My Baxia Clan..."

More and more demon clans stepped forward to voice their support for the Phoenix Clan.

Aside from the members of the Demon Alliance, nearly all the demon prodigies present had received aid from the Phoenix Clan.

Witnessing this scene, the Third Senior Sister's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

What on earth did those two youngsters do in the secret realm to leave these demon clans so thoroughly spellbound, siding with the Phoenix Clan as if bewitched?

This was certainly not the scene when Master and the others entered the secret realm back then.

...

The four of them, including Lu Yang, were transported by Luo Hong to the third layer, an exceedingly dim space bordering on pitch-black, devoid of anything else.

Luo Hong produced four straw mats, which flew to the ground like a dealer distributing cards.

"Do not be tense, take your seats. The four of you performed splendidly in the first two layers; even if you fail the third trial, your rewards will vastly exceed the others."

In the evaluation of the first layer, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, and Jiang Shishi tied for first place in history.

In the second layer, Lu Yang achieved the highest rating, followed by Meng Jingzhou, then Jiang Shishi, and finally Su Lian'er.

The overall comprehensive rankings mirrored the results of the second layer.

Lu Yang's performance ranked first in history, while Meng Jingzhou took second.

Lu Yang appeared the least nervous, sitting down immediately when told to do so.

The four of them sat down.

"What do you say, care to wager on who gets the higher evaluation in the third trial?" Meng Jingzhou winked at Lu Yang, eager to settle the score.

"That hardly seems proper," Lu Yang said with a grin that looked entirely improper.

Both were fiercely competitive individuals.

What kind of wager was a guaranteed victory anyway?

Seeing Lu Yang's smile, Meng Jingzhou knew he agreed and asked, "What is the reward for the winner?"

"You decide."

"The loser must grant the winner a single request."

"It is a deal!"

Neither placed constraints like staying within one's ability or remaining within moral bounds; they both knew the other's request would naturally fall within those limits, rendering such words superfluous.

Luo Hong cleared her throat.

"As members of the demon race, history is something you must never forget. You ought to derive wisdom and lessons from the past."

"This third trial will test your mastery of the ancient history of the demon race."

Lu Yang: "..."

Meng Jingzhou: "..."

Bloody hell, this is rigged, how are we even supposed to compete?

Unaware of the internal monologues of Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, Luo Hong proceeded with the standard protocol.

"After I pose a question, you may buzz in to answer. A correct response grants one point, an incorrect one deducts one point, and remaining silent yields none."

"Considering the passage of time, I shall present these questions from the perspective of the modern demon race."

"Now, listen to the first question: To which clan did the Demon Immortal belong?"

Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er froze in unison.

Which clan did the Demon Immortal belong to? Who could possibly know that?

Though many demon scholars studied ancient history, there were countless speculations regarding the Demon Immortal's true form; should they simply hazard a random guess?

"The Demon Immortal did not belong to any clan; he was the sole Qilin in the world."

Lu Yang answered lazily, treating it as a total giveaway question.

Meng Jingzhou yawned in utter boredom, already pondering what to eat upon his return.

"Correct, one point."

Jiang Shishi and Su Lian'er stared at Lu Yang in utter disbelief, wondering if he had guessed correctly by pure luck or if he genuinely knew the true form of the Demon Immortal.

Lu Yang thought to himself that this was merely the tip of the iceberg; if they wanted to hear the embarrassing history of the Qilin Immortal, he could lecture them for three days and nights without pause.

Luo Hong was rather astonished by the sheer speed of the response.

The questions on the third layer were randomized, differing with every trial, and her sole duty was to verify correctness, not to explain the right answers.

"The second question: Did the ancient ancestor of the Phoenix Clan ever force the Demon Immortal to deploy a sword formation? If so, please describe the scene from an objective and impartial perspective."

Jiang Shishi's eyes lit up; while she might be ignorant of other matters, how could she possibly be clueless when it came to the ancient ancestor of the Phoenix Clan?

Su Lian'er glared at Jiang Shishi with envy, wondering why no questions were being asked about the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.

With excitement in her voice, Jiang Shishi raised her hand and declared, "I know this one! The ancient ancestor of my Phoenix Clan once spoke the absolute truth, pressing down on the Demon Immortal until he could not even lift his head. With a heavy thud, he fell to his knees. Under that immense pressure, the Demon Immortal activated his sword array in a desperate attempt to resist, yet he still failed and was utterly defeated!"

"This is the famous legend of 'A Single Word Forces the Immortal to His Knees'!"

"According to my speculation, this must have happened back when the Demon Immortal had not yet ascended to immortality."

Otherwise, it made no sense for the Demon Immortal to suffer defeat at the hands of the Phoenix Clan's ancient ancestor.

"Incorrect answer. Deduct one point."

"What?!" Jiang Shishi doubted her own ears. This was a tale she had heard directly from the clan chief, absolutely authentic and reliable, so how could it possibly be wrong?

Seeing that no one else was offering an answer, Lu Yang let out a soft sigh and said, "I am not entirely sure which specific incident Senior is referring to. The only thing I can say for certain is that on that day, when the Demon Immortal returned home, the ancient ancestor of the Phoenix Clan stared him down and asked in a freezing tone, 'Which lover did you go to see?'"

"Upon hearing those words, the Demon Immortal's expression changed drastically. He whipped out his sword array, dropped to his knees right on top of it with a loud thud, and swore to the heavens that he would never dare do it again, and that if he ever strayed again, may heaven strike him down with five bolts of thunder."

"Correct answer. Add one point."

(End of Chapter)