The demon race worships strength.
Although Chen Nan's cultivation realm was not high, his actions today had won the respect of many.
"My name is Bao Ba," the middle-aged man said, glancing back at Chen Nan and grinning, "Don't worry, with me here, I guarantee no one will harm you."
"My name is Chen Nan," Chen Nan said, feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders. He looked at Bao Ba with a trace of gratitude in his eyes. If Bao Ba hadn't intervened, his situation would have been dire.
Bao Ba's actions had deeply angered Man Ba and his son. They had expected Chen Nan to die, but they hadn't anticipated Bao Ba protecting him.
Thinking this, Man Ba signaled to a fifth-level Demon Emperor in the crowd. This was his confidant, who understood the signal and in turn signaled to two middle-aged men beside him.
The three fifth-level Demon Emperors attacked simultaneously.
"What's going on?"
"Why are they all ganging up on this young brother?"
A middle-aged man, about 1.8 meters tall, stepped out and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Bao Ba. His name was Duan Yunchuan, a descendant of the Human-Demon race.
"Count me in. I can't stand such despicable tactics either," a man over two meters tall with three eyes stepped forward. His third eye, on his forehead, was closed, but he exuded the aura of a fifth-level Demon Emperor.
Demons were considered purely evil in the eyes of humans, devoid of any virtues. However, among demons themselves, friendship could exist.
Seeing this, Wen Chuxue's interest waned. She said indifferently, "It's about time. Release the remaining 499 Black Demon Tokens!"
"Alright," Man Ba reluctantly released the 499 Black Demon Tokens. Instantly, fierce fighting erupted in the crowd. Thousands of people were fighting over the Black Demon Tokens, and the scene was filled with bloodshed, with auras of blood and demonic energy soaring into the sky.
Chen Nan felt a pang of covetousness. He desperately wanted to absorb the blood and demonic energy, but if he used the Blood Demon Great Law, it would surely be detected, which would be more loss than gain. However, he could use this opportunity to recover his strength. After all, everyone was busy fighting for the Black Demon Tokens, and no one was bothering him.
He looked towards the judges' stand. Wen Chuxue's eyes held a mysterious smile as she looked at him. Chen Nan was puzzled, then he understood. Wen Chuxue had deliberately let Man Ba delay releasing the Black Demon Tokens, likely to allow him to gain the recognition of more powerful demons. Otherwise, Bao Ba and the other two wouldn't have stepped forward to protect him at a critical moment. But who was this woman, and why was she treating him this way? Could it be that she truly fancied him? The idea of engaging in relationships with demons was somewhat unacceptable to him.
As he was still trying to make sense of things, he felt two intense killing intents. Who else could it be but Man Ba and his son Man Qian? Chen Nan chose to ignore them. If they pushed him too far, he wouldn't mind finding a place to use the Pear Blossom Rain Needles to eliminate the father and son. Even Gu Jin had died by the Pear Blossom Rain Needles; what was Man Ba in comparison?
With a loud bell echoing through the heavens and earth, the first trial came to an end. Some were joyful, while others were dejected. The joyful were those who had obtained the Black Demon Tokens, while the dejected were those who were wounded but had failed to acquire them. To Chen Nan's relief, the three who had helped him earlier had all managed to obtain Black Demon Tokens and successfully entered the second round of selection.
Subsequently, everyone submitted their Black Demon Tokens and exchanged them for a white token.
"The second round of assessment will be held in three days," Wen Chuxue announced, leaving with a parting remark, "You may return to heal your wounds."
Others dispersed one by one. However, before leaving, Man Ba and his son cast a cold glance at Chen Nan, as if to say that the matter was not over.
"Three gentlemen, please stay!" Chen Nan caught up with the trio of Bao Ba and politely said, "Thank you for your generous assistance today. If you don't mind, how about a drink together?" He was a man of his word. These three had helped him today, and he remembered their kindness.
The three were all fifth-level Demon Emperors with powerful cultivation. Although they had gone through a chaotic battle, they were not injured.
"Alright, I like making friends with geniuses like you," Bao Ba grinned. Duan Yunchuan and the three-eyed man also readily accepted Chen Nan's invitation, and they went to a large restaurant together with Chen Nan. Chen Nan ordered plenty of food and wine. After a few rounds, they became more familiar with each other. The three of them all had human bloodlines and were descendants of Human-Demons. They had also participated in the Commander selection before, but they had been unlucky and hadn't even passed the first round.
Bao Ba then said, "Brother Chen, if nothing unexpected happens, the second trial should be a demon-hunting battle."
Chen Nan asked curiously, "What is a demon-hunting battle?"
Bao Ba explained, "There is a small world within the Myriad Demon Cave, where many powerful demonic beasts are kept, even said to include powerful ninth-level Demon Emperors. The purpose of these demonic beasts is for our demon race to kill and train. But you don't need to worry too much. The Myriad Demon Cave will not release demonic beasts whose cultivation realm significantly exceeds ours. If they did, it wouldn't be training; it would be sending us to our deaths."
Chen Nan understood. Even if the Myriad Demon Cave released a ninth-level Demon Emperor, it would pose no threat to him. Not only would it not be a disadvantage, but it could even be a great help. After all, he had the Dragon Soul within him, and the Dragon Soul was the nemesis of all demonic beasts! If, one day, there was a rebellion, he could completely instigate the ninth-level Demon Emperors within the small world.
"Yo, enjoying yourselves?" As they were drinking and chatting, a dissonant voice rang out. Man Qian arrived with a sinister grin, accompanied by his father, Man Ba.
"Greetings, Commander Man Ba!" Bao Ba and the other two stood up to salute. They lived in Kun City and naturally knew Man Ba, an eighth-level Demon Emperor.
With a roar, surging demonic energy erupted from Man Ba's body, instantly blasting Bao Ba and the other two away. They spat blood and knelt on the ground. Man Ba's eyes blazed with murderous intent, "How dare you ruin my business during the competition? Are you three worthless half-breeds tired of living?" In the demon realm, humans had no status whatsoever, but the descendants of Human-Demons had even lower status.
"Commander Man Ba, we had no intention of ruining your business," Bao Ba said, his face filled with humiliation.
Slap! Man Qian stepped forward and slapped Bao Ba across the face, shouting, "Chen Nan's woman destroyed one of my bodies. You helping Chen Nan during the competition means you are our enemy. Today, none of you three will live." The three men's faces turned grim. They had long suspected that someone was targeting Chen Nan, otherwise, no one would have bothered him. But they never expected Chen Nan to have offended Man Ba and his son.
At this moment, Man Ba looked at Chen Nan with a ferocious expression, "Chen, they saved your life, it's not an exaggeration to call them your saviors. Do you want them to live, or die?"