The championship, third round, third match.
Murong Xuan versus Li Yin.
âOnce I defeat you, Iâll go onto defeating Nangong Huang! The Black Heaven Sectâs unstoppable momentum will stop here with me!â
âBlack Emperor Indestructible Exterior!â
Li Yin cried out.
Tremendous strength and qi abruptly erupted from him. A mysterious Daoist Rhyme then circled his body before it stuck to the surface of his, and like ink waters, it rapidly painted his entire body into pitch-black color.
Murong Xuan stared at his opponent and then asked, âDo you know where Nangong Huang is now?â
Upon hearing that, Li Yin frowned. He scanned the entire arena but could not find any signs of Nangong Huang, and he was not at the skybox either.
âHe has gone back.â
Murong Xuan revealed the answer.
âWhat do you mean, he gave up on the championship?â
âWhat championship? After I beat you, itâll just be him and I left. Both of us are from the Black Heaven Sect, so it really doesnât matter who wins or loses.â
Li Yin finally got what he meant, which made him all the more furious. âIâd like to see how you guys can break my Black Emperor Indestructible Exterior!â
As soon as he said that, he made a charge towards Murong Xuan with a violent poise that was similar to an ancient ferocious beast. It was extremely horrifying.
Murong Xuan, on the other hand, simply narrowed his eyes but did not dodge nor retreat. Instead, he drew out his sword and a surge of overwhelming sword qi lanced towards Li Yin.
Li Yin let out a deep cry as he remained rooted on the spot. When countless sword qi landed onto his body, sounds of metal rattling rang out continuously.
âItâs no use. Your sword qi canât break through my exterior.â
âYou canât beat me.â
Li Yin proclaimed loudly.
In truth, this overwhelming sword qi could not do any harm to him at all. It could not even leave a scratch on him.
Such incredibly intrepid physical secret technique made many at the scene gasp in awe.
âThatâs amazing. He can do it! He can beat Murong Xuan!â
âBlack Heaven Sectâs unbeaten record seems to be coming to an end.â
The crowd of sky-prides was extremely excited.
At the skybox, Linghu Clan Head burst out in laughter and said in the direction of Chu Kuangren who was not too far away, âIt looks like Murong Xuan is about to lose.â
âOh? Would you like to make a bet?â
Chu Kuangren replied with a calm smile.
âWhat kind of bet?â
âTo bet on whether Murong Xuan could win. If he wins, I want a hundred million Top-tier soulstones from the Murong clan. How about that?â
That sentence stunned many of the sage orthodoxies.
A hundred million Top-tier soulstones was not a small number to ask. Finding out that amount even for a sage orthodoxy would not be easy.
Was Chu Kuangren so confident that Murong Xuan would win?
Linghu Clan Head suddenly felt like he should back away.
However, when he saw how Murong Xuanâs sword qi could not damage Li Yin at all, an idea suddenly popped up in his head.
Could this Chu Kuangren be playing mind games?
He could be pretending to be calm when in reality, he was not so sure if Murong Xuan would win at all. However, given his usual demeanor and way of handling matters, could he think that it was inappropriate to show weakness?
He even waged such an outrageous bet to cover up the anxiety inside him, thinking that it would intimidate his opponent and they would not dare to take on his betâ¦
Linghu Clan Head pondered for a very long time before he turned to look at the composure in Chu Kuangrenâs expression. The more he looked, the more he felt that his instinct was correct.
If Chu Kuangren thought that Murong Xuan would win, then he should be pretending to be anxious so he could bait his opponent to take on the outrageous bet. However, his calmness proved that he was indeed anxious at heart, that he was just pretending to maintain his composure to scare off his opponent. That way, he would not dare to betâ¦
âThis Chu Kuangrenâs mind is so elaborate!â
Meanwhile, Chu Kuangren was not at all aware that the Linghu Clan Head was brainstorming all of this in his head in such a short amount of time.
All he saw next was Linghu Clan Head laughing out loud, saying, âChu Kuangren, do you really think Iâd chicken out? Iâll take that bet of yours!â
âHowever, if Murong Xuan loses, I donât want any soulstones. I only want that Descendant Self Sword thatâs hanging at your waist.â
Upon hearing this, Chu Kuangren raised an eyebrow. âYou wish to trade a hundred million soulstones for my Descendant Self Sword? You are really thick-faced.â
After all, the Descendant Self Sword was fused with the Sword Soul, which gave it its own spiritual ego. It was only a matter of time before it would progress into an Emperor Weapon.
Not to mention a hundred million soulstones, even a billion soulstones would not suffice to trade for its value.
âWhy? Are you afraid?â
âThereâs nothing to be afraid of. Thatâs our agreement then.â
Chu Kuangren smiled.
The Descendant Self Sword lightly vibrated at his words, seemingly unsatisfied that Chu Kuangren was going to give it away just like that, like some gambling stake.
âRelax, he wonât win.â
Chu Kuangren pressed onto the sword handle and assured it.
In contrast to his composure, Linghu Clan Head looked anxious.
The fact that Chu Kuangren agreed to his terms so swiftly meant that he had absolute certainty that Murong Xuan would come out as the winner. Were his speculations earlier all wrong?
âIâd like to have a bet with Brother Chu as well.â
Just then, a voice came from the void.
It was a white-robed elder who was speaking.
The crowd turned their gaze toward him.
This old manâs surname was Hong, and he was the Sky Emperor Palaceâs Lord.
âOh, the Sky Emperor Palace has come to join in the fun too. If Iâm not mistaken, Iâve never had any encounters with your people before, right?â Chu Kuangren replied calmly.
âHeh, I just like to gamble. I heard that you guys are placing a wager, so I couldnât resist myself. I hope that Brother Chu wouldnât mind.â
The Sky Emperor Palaceâs Lord returned a soft smile.
âNo harm doing that. Since Palace Lord Hong is so enthusiastic about this, I donât think I should turn you down. I wonder what Palace Lord Hong would like to bet on?â
âThe same thing, to bet if Murong Xuan could win. If he loses, Iâd like to take that little bird on Brother Chuâs shoulder.â
The crowd then automatically turned their gaze to Lil Red who was on top of Chu Kuangrenâs shoulder, wondering why the Sky Emperor Palace would want this bird.
After that, as if one of the people had thought of something, his eyes inadvertently narrowed.
âCould that be the Godly Phoenix?!â
That claim caused a commotion in the crowd.
There were rumors that Chu Kuangren had successfully tamed a Godly Phoenix. Moreover, a bird that could gain recognition and admiration from Sky Emperor Palace would naturally be an extraordinary one, hence there was a high chance that it was indeed the Godly Phoenix.
âYou want to wager the Godly Phoenix? Do you even have the resources to?â
Chu Kuangren replied indifferently.
âA billion Top-tier soulstones plus two Sage Weapons!â
The Sky Emperor Palace Lord declared to everyoneâs astonishment.
As compared to Linghu Clan Head, this bet was much bigger.
Even for a sage orthodoxy to suddenly lose a billion soulstones and two Sage Weapons would surely be too devastating.
Perhaps only a top-notch sage orthodoxy like Sky Emperor Palace would dare gamble this much on a bet. If it were any other sage orthodoxy, it would warrant them some serious consideration even if the wager was reduced to half.
âNot enough, this is still not enough. I want to add another term, which is for you to make all cultivation techniques in Sky Emperor Palace available to me unconditionally. Do you agree?â
âAlright!â Sky Emperor Palace Lord gritted on his teeth and accepted the additional term.
âVery well, is there anyone else here whoâd like to bet with me?â
The remaining sage orthodoxies glanced at each other.
They looked at Murong Xuan and Li Yin in the arena then looked back at the Sky Emperor Palace Lord. Since he dared to open such a wild bet with Chu Kuangren, he must have a high certainty of winning it.
âIâll wager three hundred million Top-tier soulstones with you, Brother Chu. If Murong Xuan loses, I want the Black Heaven Sectâs Sage Technique. I wonât demand a lot, just let me pick any three is enough,â the Daoist School of Dedicationâs Sect Leader spoke.
He had huge confidence in Li Yin as he knew clearly how fearsome the Black Emperor Indestructible Exterior was. With that, he was certain that there was no way Murong Xuan would win this!
âIâll accept that,â Chu Kuangren answered calmly.
âCount me in as well. If Murong Xuan wins, the Overlord Sage Tribe would give you two hundred million Top-tier soulstones. If he loses, I want your Illusive Mirage!â
âTwo hundred million is not enough, I demand five hundred million!â
âDeal!â the Overlord Sage Tribe Leader agreed resolutely.
âSince everyone is so down with this, we Thunder Falcon Tribe shall join in too. If Murong Xuan loses, I want a hundred million Top-tier soulstones from the Black Heaven Sect. But if the reverse happens, the Thunder Falcon Tribe will give you a hundred million Top-tier soulstones.
âFair.â
Chu Kuangren nodded.
âHaha, I like how youâre so easy-going about this, Sect Leader Chu. I might as well join in the fun then. Like Thunder Falcon Tribe, I shall bet a hundred million Top-tier soulstones too.â
âHow about I chip in as well?â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
All the orthodoxiesâ sky-prides could not help but gulp when they saw how Chu Kuangren was setting ridiculous betting sums with the orthodoxiesâ leaders, one after another.
Crazy⦠Absolutely crazyâ¦
This Chu Kuangren must have gone mad!