Qin Shi was also the only person that Long Chen had seen who could rival Su Zhe.
Because she was also one of his most important opponents, Long Chen was quite concerned about her.
At this moment, Qin Shi was standing in the middle of the three people. Her face was calm and expressionless, and her dark green dress was fluttering in the wind. She was actually quite young, and her face had a childish look. She was not as charming as Li Xuanji, but her temperament was similar.
This woman had an unapproachable aura. Although she didn't express it in words, the pride in her bones was something that even the disciples of the Nine Great Families couldn't compare to. After all, she was the disciple of the strongest person in the Nine Underworlds, and also someone who had the potential to become the strongest person in the future.
That pride in her bones made her despise everything she saw, but she didn't show it.
Even if she smiled at you and talked to you, she still thought that there was a hierarchy between the two of them.
From her eyes, Long Chen could roughly understand her character. He had traveled extensively over the years and met too many people. The more people he met, the more experience he would have.
As for the other two, Long Chen wasn't familiar with them.
One of them looked gentle and elegant, and his appearance was somewhat similar to Shangguan Ya's. However, he was not at the same level as Shangguan Ya. Shangguan Ya's elegance was fake, but this man was indeed noble and elegant. This was a unique temperament that others couldn't imitate. At this moment, he was the only one who smiled at Long Chen, giving him a warm feeling like a spring breeze.
As for the other one, he was wearing a black suit. His eyes were sharp, and his expression was arrogant. His whole body was sharp, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised. One look and anyone could tell that he was the eldest son of an aristocratic family, and he had far surpassed his peers since he was young.
A total of three people stood in front of Long Chen.
At this moment, Qin Shi and the young man in black didn't move. The man who looked like Shangguan Ya took a step forward and stopped in front of Long Chen. With a smile on his face, he said politely, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Shangguan Feng, a member of one of the nine big families, the Shangguan Clan. As for these two, they're even more famous. For example, this one …"
He pointed at the arrogant youngster in black and said, "This is Zhao Yunlong, a young expert from the Zhao Clan of the Nine Great Clans. Within the Zhao Clan, at least within a hundred years, no one is a match for him. He's the number one genius of the Zhao Clan in a hundred years. As for this one, I don't need to introduce him. As long as you're from the Nine Underworlds, you'll know him."
He was referring to Qin Shi.
"I know, he is the disciple of the World Emperor." Long Chen said.
Looking at Long Chen's expression, which was neither servile nor overbearing, Shangguan Feng was very satisfied. Qin Shi was still expressionless, as if it had nothing to do with her. As for Zhao Yunlong, he had a disdainful smile on his face. He crossed his arms and ignored Long Chen.
Shangguan Feng was confident that as long as it was a young disciple of the Nine Underworlds, they would be shocked by the combination of these three people. However, Long Chen's calmness matched his strength.
At this moment, Shangguan Feng said with a smile, "We saw your battle just now. According to our estimation, your strength should be at the peak of the sixth level of the Divine Martial Arts Realm. Among the three of us, Zhao Yunlong and I are also at this level. As for Lady Qin Shi, she is outstanding and has already comprehended the Laws of Heaven and Earth. Our strength is similar. It's also fate that we can meet here."
Long Chen roughly understood what he meant.
Just now, he had heard from a group of warriors that the real demon race was in front of them. It could also be the last checkpoint of the Nine Underworlds Demon Mountain. Those who dared to pass through here were basically above the sixth level of the Divine Martial Arts Realm.
Speaking up to here, Shangguan Feng smiled and said, "Oh right, we have already talked about this, but I still don't know your name."
Long Chen thought for a while. He didn't want to be seen as an enemy by the disciples of the nine families, especially by Qin Shi. Therefore, he said calmly, "Jiang Yunfan, from the Jiang family of Dong Sheng City, which is under the jurisdiction of the Shangguan family. I believe young master Shangguan knows about Dong Sheng City."
Hearing the name Dong Sheng City, Shangguan Feng smiled. He vaguely remembered that there was indeed a medium-sized city in the jurisdiction of the Shangguan family.
Of course, he didn't know who lived in that city.
The jurisdiction of the Shangguan family was one-ninth of the entire Nine Underworlds Demon Mountain. It was so huge that he couldn't remember it clearly.
However, since he was a warrior from the jurisdiction of the Shangguan family, it was even easier.
Shangguan Feng was very satisfied, but Zhao Yunlong wasn't. He shouted, "Shangguan Feng, if you have something to say, just say it. He's just a disciple from a small family. You don't have to waste so much effort."
His eyes were full of contempt. He didn't take Long Chen seriously at all. After hearing about Long Chen's family background, he became even more disinterested.
It was indeed impressive for an expert from a small family to reach such a level. However, he did not have the heritage of a large clan. In the future, Shangguan Feng and Zhao Yunlong would definitely leave Long Chen far behind under the nurturing of their clans. Shangguan Feng was slightly angered, but he did not do anything.
He acted as if he had not heard Zhao Yunlong's words. He said to Long Chen, "Actually, brother Jiang has probably already guessed my intentions. The Daemons that live here are the Poison Shadow clan. They possess the bloodlines of the Wolf clan and the Bat clan. Not only are they extremely fast, their attacks are vicious, and they are also shockingly poisonous. The Daemons cannot be compared to regular vicious beasts. Their battle prowess is shocking, and they can often kill cultivators who are stronger than them. Our nine clans have imprisoned the Poison Shadow clan in the Nine Underworlds Demon Mountain for several tens of thousands of years. The Poison Shadow clan's hatred for us humans can already be described as monstrous. The competition for the Saints' Fruit that occurs once every five hundred years is their only chance for revenge, especially against the young geniuses of the nine clans. For example, if we move alone and are surrounded by them, our lives really might be in danger. After all, they are a group of vicious madmen."
Shangguan Feng and the others just happened to witness Long Chen's battle earlier. They estimated that Long Chen was at the peak of the Sixth Layer of the Divine Martial Realm. They just happened to run into him, so Shangguan Feng suggested that Long Chen join their group. At the very least, one more person would be more protection.
With that, Shangguan Feng looked at Long Chen with some anticipation.
Long Chen was actually weighing the pros and cons. If it was really as they said, the more talented the Poison Shadow clan was, the more they would want to kill them. If Long Chen really came across experts of the Poison Shadow clan, it would be impossible for him to die, but there would definitely be a vicious battle. It might even affect the competition for the Saints' Fruit.
Of course, if he advanced alone, he would be able to move quickly. He would be able to reach the location of the Saints' Fruit sooner.
However, Long Chen discovered that his greatest disadvantage was that he knew nothing about the Nine Darkness Demon Mountain. Li Xuanji did not know much either, while a disciple like Shangguan Ya even knew about the bloodline of the Poison Shadow clan. He probably knew more about the Saints' Tree in the future. As for when the Saints' Fruit would ripen, Long Chen had no idea at all.
Moreover, even Qin Shi was in no hurry. Su Zhe had even directly gone underground to kill the Myriad Evil Vine, so there was no need for Long Chen to rush up. The first person to arrive would not be able to obtain the Saints' Fruit.
If he stayed with these people, he might be able to obtain even more useful information.
After weighing the pros and cons, Long Chen had already made up his mind.
On top of that, Qin Shi, Shangguan Feng, and Zhao Yunlong were all peak geniuses of the Nine Darkness Demon Domain. They were all people of status and thought very highly of themselves. Even Shangguan Feng was a very prideful person. If Long Chen turned down their invitation, it would be a slap in the face.
As a result, Long Chen made up his mind. He smiled and said, "Since you've invited me so warmly, I'd obviously be happy to join you."
He did not say anything else. This was enough.
Shangguan Feng also smiled when he heard Long Chen's reply. He gently patted Long Chen's shoulder and said, "Then from now on, we're comrades who will fight alongside each other. You're not a member of the nine great clans, so you might not have enough information. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."
"Thank you."
Long Chen nodded.
They walked together happily, but Qin Shi remained expressionless. After confirming the matter, she directly turned around and walked in front. Zhao Yunlong also snorted coldly and walked away. Clearly, he was rather displeased that Shangguan Feng treated a disciple of a small clan so politely.
In his eyes, Shangguan Feng had lowered the status of the nine great clans.
No matter what, they were finally on their way. Only now did Long Chen carefully examine the desolate forest. Compared to the forest from before, this forest did not have the stench of decay from poisonous beasts. However, it was extremely gloomy and filled with a somber presence. Even the leaves of some trees seemed sharp.
The group advanced without saying anything.
Long Chen and Shangguan Feng walked at the back, using their Spirit-Devouring Demonic Eyes to scan their surroundings. If the so-called Poison Shadow tribe came, he would definitely be the first to discover them.
"This forest seems to lead all the way to the peak of the Nine Underworld Demon Mountain, where the Holy Tree is. The Poison Shadow tribe might appear along the way, so we can't slack off. There should be around three thousand Poison Shadow tribe members, excluding the old, the weak, the women, and the children. Once they reach adulthood, their strength is usually at the fifth grade of the Divine Realm. According to the demonic race, they are called fifth grade Daemon Gods. However, a portion of them can reach the sixth grade, or even the seventh grade. They're extremely troublesome, and there might be experts that even we can't handle. Fortunately, there are quite a lot of people in this forest, so the Poison Shadow tribe has to split their attention."
Shangguan Feng explained to Long Chen in a low voice as they advanced.
"Why did you place the demonic race in this place?" Long Chen probed.
Shangguan Feng smiled. "You still don't know? Of course it's to train the younger disciples. Our Great Yin Demon World has always been at odds with the Desolate Imperial Region, and we've had quite a few conflicts with them. It's very likely that we'll fight the demonic race in the future."
… …
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