Nine Astra Skies

When Ye Chen mentioned Little Ning, Qing Yu developed an almost instinctual trust in Ye Chen.

"I believe him too." Ye Qiu nodded. Even though Ye Chen did not look particularly reliable, she believed that Ye Chen did not harbor any ill will.

"I believe him as well." Ji Lei nodded. He had never doubted Ye Chen.

Mingyi and Fei Ying expressed their trust in Ye Chen as well.

'These are good people,' Ye Chen thought.

Hei Ming did not expect Ye Chen to gain the trust of the others so quickly. His face was a little grim. "I was just curious."

Ever since the moment Ye Chen got here, Hei Ming had been acting aggressively toward Ye Chen. The other five people also held their suspicion about why Hei Ming did not appear earlier but ultimately they did not suspect Hei Ming. After all, the area within several dozen kilometers here was all under the supervision of the Leo King's Psyche. If Hei Ming contacted the people of the Wolven Kingdom to ambush them, the Leo King would have found out about it.

Perhaps Hei Ming was just merely being hostile toward Ye Chen, which caused a misunderstanding.

"Let's go back." Ji Lei did not want to remain in this area for too long. He led the group and headed toward the Leo King's Palace's main forces.

At the Leo King's Palace's main forces, the battle was approaching its end. Tens of thousands of Mystique Venerable Rank Spirit Beasts were decimated when the four Daemon Kings made their appearances. The members of the Leo King's Palace were looting what remained. Even though the battle did not cripple the Leo King's Palace, they suffered a large number of casualties where a large number of Mystique Venerable Rank fighters were either dead or wounded.

Ye Chen and the others had arrived.

"We're going to meet the Leo King. Ye Chen, come with us." Ji Lei planned to introduce Ye Chen to the Leo King.

Ye Chen was planning to refuse but he thought it would not do him any harm to meet the Leo King so he nodded. "Alright."

Ji Lei and the rest were treating Ye Chen like he was their sibling and Hei Ming was not very pleased with it. He glared at Ye Chen behind his back then turned to look at Fei Yin who kept sticking to Qing Yu like she was his shadow. Hei Ming remained quiet. It was difficult to tell what he was thinking.

Ye Chen stayed behind Ji Lei and the others and followed the group.

They reached a vast flatland. Four Daemon Kings sat together next to each other. Tong Tian the Leo King sat at the head of the group. He was a fierce and majestic-looking humongous man. He lifted his head and looked at Ji Lei and the others, then at Ye Chen. His low voice grumbled, "All of you are back."

"Yes, Uncle." Ji Lei bowed.

Tong Tian the Leo King was Ji Lei's uncle? That explained the resemblance between the two of them.

Apart from Tong Tian the Leo King, the other three Daemon Kings fixed their gaze on Ye Chen. Ye Chen instantly felt a wave of Daemon Kings' aura on him.

Were the three Daemon Kings trying to measure him?

Ye Chen figured that since he had come all the way here, he could not leave a weak impression. Even though his Astral Body cultivation base was just beginner Daemon King Rank, he could still fare well against three Daemon Kings. He held his ground against the Daemon Kings.

The three elders were respectively morphed from a Purple Flame Avian, a Divine Elephant, and a Green-scaled Pangolin. The three of them were astonished when they saw a mere eighteen to nineteen-year-old teenager withstanding the combined aura of three Daemon Kings. That would imply the young man was close to Ji Lei and the other's level and he must be an extremely gifted individual.

They were the elders after all. All they wanted to do was just to test Ye Chen. Within a moment, they quickly retracted their auras.

"Grandpa," Ye Qiu greeted sweetly. She walked toward one of the elders and sat down beside him, grinning all the while.

The elder that transformed from a Purple Flame Avian looked at Ye Qiu and returned a kind smile.

"The lot of you was almost slain by the Silver Wolf Daemon King because of your King's unwise judgment. The Wolven Kingdom is willing to resort to all sorts of tricks to destroy my Leo King's Palace!" Tong Tian the Lion King said with a hint of anger in his voice, "the Leo King's Palace and the Wolven Kingdom had been at each other's throats for a very long time. Throughout our long battle, thirteen of our Daemon Kings have perished. The Wolven Kingdom has also lost nearly twenty Daemon Kings. This grudge will not be settled so easily."

When they heard the Leo King's words, the eyes of the Celestial Beasts and mystical beasts nearby glowed bright red with hatred.

"The Wolven Kingdom seems to have received intel about our discovery of Daemon King Rank Spirit Beasts and the Purple Demon Armor. I've detected them stalking us from a distance. We have to give up on our objective for now and confront the Wolven Kingdom head-on. You have my gratitude for your unwavering loyalty, following me all the way here. If any of you wish to take your leave now, I, Tong Tian will not stop you. My friends, make haste with your decisions." Tong Tian the Leo King's voice echoed in the crowd.

"Leo King, I'm not a member of the Leo King's Palace but I've been graced with the kindness of the Leo King's Palace several times. I planned to put my life on the line for the Leo King's Palace. However, I have a wife and children at home. Please forgive me, Leo King," a Mystique Venerable Rank human fighter said.

"No matter, I understand. My friends, please take great care when you leave, lest you might be hunted down by the men of the Wolven Kingdom." Tong Tian expressed concerningly.

Following the first one, another fifty to sixty Mystique Venerable Rank fighters took their leave as well. In the end, more than five hundred men remained in the Leo King's Palace's tent.

"I'm willing to stay with the Leo King, in life and death!" Inside the Leo King Palace's camp, nearly every single person knelt and vowed to the Leo King, their voices trembled in the air like rumbling thunder.

As the people around him knelt one after the other, Ye Chen remained standing. He had an indifferent expression as he looked around.

Jing Yu urgently yanked the corner of Ye Chen's shirt, but Ye Chen adamantly remained standing. Ye Chen was not going to kneel to anyone.

Tong Tian the Leo King fixed his gaze on Ye Chen. Ye Chen looked back at Tong Tian the Leo King without a hint of fear.

Ye Chen thought that Tong Tian the Leo King would be angered. If that happened, he would have to brandish Master Lion's purple flames. Unexpectedly, Tong Tian the Leo King was not offended but instead smiled at Ye Chen. "This one here has an exceptional gift, an extremely outstanding man. One day, he's bound to stand above all."

The other three Daemon King elders slightly nodded and they were not offended either. After all, Ye Chen was not a member of the Leo King's Palace so it was not a big deal even if he did not kneel. Since he chose to stay, he was a friend of the Leo King's Palace!

Ji Lei, Qing Yu, and the rest were slightly caught off guard. They were not aware that the three Daemon King elders had already tested Ye Chen earlier, so they were left wondering why the elders held Ye Chen in such high regard. Even Ye Qiu was blinking blankly, staring at Ye Chen with a confused look on her face.

Hei Ming locked his brows tightly. He almost felt like laughing out loud when he saw Ye Chen not kneeling. He thought Ye Chen was suicidal. To his surprise, not only were the Daemon Kings not angered but they even showed admiration for him. Hei Ming's eyes were burning with envy. What was the deal with this Ye Chen anyway? First, it was Ji Lei and the others placing their trust in them and now, the four Daemon Kings were treating him like this?

"All rise. For the survival of the Leo King's Place and its allies, I, Tong Tian vow to fight until my last breath!" Tong Tian the Leo King proclaimed.

"The forces of the Wolven Kingdom are on its way!" Master Lion said from the Heavenly Astra Seal, "are you sure you want to stick with the Leo King's Palace? Their forces are a lot weaker compared to the Wolven Kingdom."

"How many do they have?" Ye Chen asked.

"Eleven Daemon Kings and more than a thousand Mystique Venerable fighters!"

"How are there so many of them?" Ye Chen asked, frowning.

"They came prepared and probably brought reinforcements with them. Eleven Daemon kings, four of them used a secret technique to conceal their energy. I suspect even Tong Tian the Leo King cannot detect them. This is bad for the Leo King's Palace. I sure hope Tong Tian the Leo King still has another weapon up his sleeve," Master Lion said.

"Master Lion, you're both of the same Lion Clan. Are you not going to help them?"

"The Leo King's Palace isn't the only Lion tribe in the Great Eastern Continent. I don't do this for charity." Master Lion shrugged. "Besides, I can't be of much help anyway."

The forces of the Wolven Kingdom were approaching from behind. On the side of Leo King's palace, they began to assume a defensive formation as well. Both sides had not launched an attack yet, but there was already a clash of Psyche between Tong Tian the Leo King and three Celestial Beast Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom.

Both sides sent out a portion of their Mystique Venerable Rank fighters in their ranks. They began a vicious battle in the middle zone.

On the side of the Wolven Kingdom, three figures were seen leaping into the skies above. It was none other than the three Celestial Beast Daemon Kings of the Wolven Kingdom.

On the side of the Leo King's Palace, Tong Tian the Leo King took to the skies as well to confront the three Celestial Beast Daemon Kings.

"Tong Tian, today is the day you die. From today onward, the Leo King's Palace will be nothing but history!" The eyes of the Blood Wolf Daemon King grew blood red with a murderous lust. The Daemon Wolf Manic Blade he wielded in his hands radiated with an unsettling red glow.

"Blood Wolf, this isn't the first day that your Wolven Kingdom and my Leo King's Palace have fought. Today, we shall see who gets the last laugh. Now, let me see if your Wolven Kingdom has what it takes!" Tong Tian the Leo King grinned smugly, his golden locks danced in the air. A Golden Divine Warhammer appeared in his hand.

The rank scent of battle was growing thicker in the air around them.

Ye Chen did not expect himself to be suddenly swept into this massive war as well. At his current level, should both forces engage in an all-out war, he would not be able to do anything that could affect the outcome of this war. However, Little Tanuki's brother, Qing Yu and her sister-in-law were here. There was also Ji Lei along with the rest of them who were good people. It would be a shame to let them die here.

Ye Chen approached Qing Yu and whispered, "There are a total of eleven Daemon Kings with the Wolven Kingdom. I'm afraid the Leo King's Palace cannot hold against them. You can't do much against them either. If the battle begins, you should take Fei Yin with you and get out of here."

Qing Yu was taken aback. Eleven Daemon Kings with the Wolven Kingdom? That was impossible. The Wolven Kingdom only had seven Daemon Kings. How was there eleven now? Also, how did Ye Chen know about this? Qing Yu stayed silent for a moment. "Brother Ye, thank you for your kind offer. I, Qing Yu have received nothing but kindness from Tong Tian the Leo King over the years. When the Tanuki Clan was facing a crisis in the Lianyun Mountains, it was all thanks to Tong Tian the Leo King that we could avoid the clan being wiped out. If the Leo King's Palace were to face its end, I, Qing Yu will fight until my last breath alongside the Leo King as a show of my gratitude to the Leo King!"

After Ye Chen heard Qing Yu, he understood that Qing Yu was not going to leave even if it meant his death. If Ye Chen was in his shoes, he would do the same. However, this was Little Tanuki's brother so Ye Chen could not sit by idly and watch Qing Yu die.

"Brother Ye, thank you for saving my life previously. I must apologize, I expect that I will not be able to repay your kindness. You better take your leave as soon as you can. When the Wolven Kingdom gets here, they'll rain down on us like hellfire. When that happens, we can't help you either," Qing Yu said earnestly.