The Great Ruler (Web Novel)
chapter-976

"Tianghuan Clan Leader, it would be disrespectful of me to decline the last slot."

Mu Chen's voice spread around the square and drew countless varying reactions from the crowd, yet no one dared mock him. This was because Mu Chen's previous performance had not only convinced them, but it had also left the cautious elders speechless for some time! They certainly hadn't thought that he would have ever been able to defeat Jiang Ya and Qin Xuan!

"This guy, Mu Chen, is actually qualified to represent the Nine Netherbird clan in entering the Land of the Divine Beasts…"

Some people from the Nine Netherbird clan nodded silently. Judging from Mu Chen's fighting force, which he had shown previously, only Ink Blade and Nine Nether could transcend him among the young generation from the Nine Netherbird clan.

The crux of the matter really lay in the fact that Mu Chen only had the strength of a Grade Six Sovereign! As for Ink Blade and Nine Nether, the former had reached the strength of Grade Seven Sovereign for many years, while the latter managed to achieve a breakthrough after receiving an inheritance force from the clan.

Hence, Mu Chen's potential was extremely huge. If he could make a breakthrough again in the Land of the Divine Beasts, it would mean his advancing to Grade Seven Sovereign, which would enable him to truly having a fighting chance against a supreme talent from the Divine Beasts clan!

As they were sitting on the stone seats, the elders of Nine Netherbird saw the people from the clan whispering and looking at each other. The elders could only smile silently.

Heavenly Sparrow Elder shifted his attention from Mu Chen to an elder robed in green, who had always held objections. Heavenly Sparrow Elder then laughed. "Green elder, I suppose you won't be objecting again, right?"

The elder robed in green looked pale. After a long while, he said, "This person's strength is acceptable, but he is still only a human being after all. Isn't it inappropriate for him to enter the Land of the Divine Beasts?"

"Although he is a human being, he has a blood bond with Nine Nether, so his entering the Land of Divine Beasts will not be a problem," Heavenly Sparrow Elder said.

The elder was speechless. Looking at Heavenly Sparrow Elder's mocking face, he brushed his sleeve and said, "Then, I hope that he won't prove himself incompetent in the Land of Divine Beasts!"

Heavenly Sparrow Elder did not care about the angry elder anymore. Instead, he turned his gaze towards the Tianhuang Clan Leader, waiting for his final verdict.

The Tianhuang Clan Leader's expression was calm, as his palm gently touched the back of his chair. After a while, he said lightly, "We are a clan that keeps its promises. Since you defeated Jiang Ya and Qin Xuan, my clan's fourth slot for entering the Land of Divine Beasts shall be yours."

The Tianhuang Clan Leader's speech made Mu Chen feel relieved. Although the Land of Divine Beasts was a great opportunity for him, the thing that he prioritized most was actually being able to help Nine Nether solve the problems regarding her blood bond in the Land of Divine Beasts.

Nine Nether's blood was mired because of him. So, if he could not help Nine Nether to resolve this hidden danger, it would cause him great anxiety and guilt.

"Thank you so much, Tianhuang Clan Leader!" he said gratefully.

Holding one of his fists with his other hand, Mu Chen thanked the leader respectfully. He knew that, at least for now, he had staved off the disaster caused by the blood bond temporarily. This was the best outcome he could have expected, since he did not have to leave the Daluo Territory, and because Nine Nether also did not have to stand between him and her clan, which would have put her in a difficult position.

The Tianhuang Clan Leader was looking at Mu Chen from a great height, his face, which was always expressionless, finally picked up a weak smile, as he said, "Your attendance pleases me. This respect that you have shown by your coming here is incomparable even to the feat of you defeating Jiang Ya and Qin Xuan."

Mu Chen was shocked and humbled by his words.

"If a man is unable to bear his responsibilities, and only seeks to escape when he encounters obstacles, it is difficult for him to become great, no matter how talented he may be."

The Tianhuang Clan Leader was looking at Mu Chen satisfactorily with his brooding eyes, then he continued, "Although I rarely forcibly make decisions for Nine Nether, if you couldn't be here at the appointed time, then I would have cut off the blood bond between you and Nine Nether. At that time, no matter where you fled, we would have found you. But… I'm glad that I now will not need to use such a fierce method. I now see that Nine Nether is pretty good at judging people, after all."

At the end of the conversation, The Tianhuang Clan Leader nodded lightly. His words were self-evident, showing his recognition of Mu Chen. As for the surrounding Nine Netherbird Elders, they looked at Mu Chen strangely. This was because they were familiar with their leader's judgement. In all of these years, only a few people of the younger generation within the clan had been able to gain his recognition. Judging from the Tianhuang Clan Leader's comments to Mu Chen, he was obviously very satisfied with Mu Chen.

On the other side, Nine Nether also looked at her father incredulously. It seemed that she had also not expected that he would give such a compliment to Mu Chen.

She patted her chest gently, thinking that it was fortunate that Mu Chen did not go and hide in the Daluo Territory as she had suggested. Otherwise, her father would have gotten a bad impression of Mu Chen, which would have made it nearly impossible for him to accept Mu Chen. As for the blood bond, that would have been a disaster!

Thinking of this, Nine Nether could not help but glance at Mu Chen. As she did so, she realized that the latter was looking towards her at that exact moment, too. Mu Chen grinned, hoping to put her mind at ease.

After all, for what Nine Nether had proposed to him before, he did not blame her at all. Of course, he had no reason to blame her, as Nine Nether's proposal was completely of pure intent, as she had just been trying to look out for him.

The Tianhuang Clan Leader seemed to have not seen Mu Chen and Nine Nether making eye contact with each other, as he said softly, "Besides, the Land of Divine Beasts is a treasure land among the Spiritual Beasts World. Although there are many opportunities, there are also endless dangers. During ancient times, when the Extraterritorial Race destroyed the Land of Divine Beasts, their evil forces also invaded the land. Even now, that evil has not dissipated, so there will inevitably be many unforeseen events that will occur under the influence of these evil forces."

Mu Chen listened and nodded. This was not his first time encountering the Extraterritorial Race's evil forces. Therefore, he already knew how tricky and strange these forces, which did not belong to the Great Thousand World, could be.

"Of course, the most dangerous threat in the Land of Divine Beasts are still those supreme clan leaders in other Spiritual Beasts clans and Divine Beasts clans. So, you must watch out for them," the Tianhuang Clan Leader concluded.

Mu Chen nodded once again. From his experience of fighting this time, he already understood that the talents of these powerful Spiritual Beasts clans and Divine Beast clans were tough. Moreover, he now saw that Jiang Ya and Qin Xuan were tougher than even the Prince of Netherworld, Fang Yi, and many others.

And, these two people were not even considered to be the best fighters among the young generation in the Nine Netherbird clan! Judging from this fact alone, one could only imagine how strong the supreme talents from the clans were!

Mu Chen concluded that, if he wanted to help Nine Nether snatch the Undying Bird's divine blood, a brutal fight probably could not be avoided. But, no matter how hard it was, he was determined that he would do his best. After all, Nine Nether had helped him so much during these last few years, so now, it was time for him to repay her.

"Within my race, there are three people, besides you, who are entering the Land of Divine Beasts." The Tianhuang Clan Leader then looked at Nine Nether, who stood beside him. He then said, "Nine Nether is one of them. As for the other two, you should get to know them, too."

Mu Chen felt curious now, as he also wanted to know who the other two talents were.

Swoosh!

Just when the Tianhuang Clan Leader's voice faded out, there was a light that began to shine outside the square, then quickly appeared inside the square. Immediately thereafter, two silhouettes of human figures bowed and greeted the Tianhuang Clan Leader respectfully. Out of curiosity, Mu Chen's attention was focused upon this scene.

The two human figures were a man and a woman. The man's body was slender and looked extremely handsome, but his expression was indifferent. He had no reaction to Mu Chen's stare. Instead, his face was apathetic.

Even though this man's attitude was one of indifference, Mu Chen could feel a strong oppression coming from his body. That sense of oppression made Mu Chen feel shocked. This man's capability was actually able to rival Lord Asura's! Apparently, this indifferent man had reached the strength of a Grade Seven Sovereign!

Standing beside this man was a dainty girl, who was wearing a purple shirt. With her elegant face and ponytail hairstyle, she emitted a youthful and lively aura. Noticing Mu Chen's gaze, she turned her head and smiled at him. She then examined Mu Chen with her friendly eyes.

Ink Ring waved her fist, and with a smile that showed her white canine teeth, she said, "My name is Ink Ring, and this is my brother, Ink Blade. We witnessed your battle just now, and it was impressive."

"Thank you very much," said Mu Chen.

Mu Chen smiled back politely, but he still felt a bit shocked. Ink Blade's power was very shocking. He must be the only one who could compete with Nine Nether, since he was considered to be the best among the Nine Netherbird race.

However, Ink Ring only had the ordinary strength of a Grade Six Sovereign, and being weaker than Jiang Ya and Qin Xuan, how could she become one of the four selected people?

Obviously, Mu Chen still had some doubts. But, Ink Blade couldn't care less about those doubts, as he just turned his head and looked at him, then said, "Since you have won the fourth place, we are now to be companions in the Land of Divine Beasts. I hope we are able to help each other in the future."

Although he talked in a friendly manner, the coldness in his face did not diminish. This feeling of disharmony made Mu Chen feel embarrassed. However, he could feel that Ink Blade was not actually against him, but that his demeanor was just one of a strange temper...

"My brother has always been like this! I hope you don't mind." Ink Ring, who was standing beside him, immediately explained her brother's moodiness, hoping to avoid Mu Chen's misunderstanding it.

"It's okay," replied Mu Chen.

Mu Chen smiled, indicating that he understood. During their first meeting, he had a good impression on the siblings. At least they easier to interact with than Jiang Ya and the others!

On top of the stone seat, seeing the meeting of the two sides, the Tianhuang Clan Leader nodded and waved, his clear-cut voice resounding throughout the audience.

"Mu Chen you will stay here for now. In ten days, the Land of Divine Beasts will be completely opened. At that time, the four of you will represent us, the Nine Netherbird clan, in entering the Land of Divine Beasts!"

Listening to him, Mu Chen, Ink Blade, Ink Ring and Nine Nether, who was standing in front, saluted him solemnly.

"Yes, Clan Leader!"