Volume 1, Chapter 395 – A Colossal Wager

“King Xuan seems to be in rather a leisurely mood today.”

Li Jingzhou raised a brow and sat back down in the seat of honor.

“I had nothing better to do. A little wager can be a pleasant diversion.”

Chu Hanzhou replied casually:

“And how do you want to wager?”

Li Jingzhou pondered for a moment, then smiled faintly.

“In the outer starry sky, I still have a medium-grade starfield under my control. It contains seven high-grade life-bearing stars, nineteen mid-grade stars, and thirty-seven low-grade stars. I’ll use that as my stake and bet that Gao Linyuan will take first place.”

Using an entire starfield as a wager was such an extravagant move that the people from Yunlai Immortal Palace around them all sucked in cold breaths.

After hearing that, however, Chu Hanzhou burst into laughter.

“Why don’t we gamble even bigger?”

Li Jingzhou’s gaze sharpened. Looking at the smile on Chu Hanzhou’s face, he suddenly found himself unable to read him.

“Then I’ll add a one-pattern Sovereign Weapon.”

After a long while, Li Jingzhou spoke indifferently, raising the stakes. Then he added at once:

“I’m wagering for the Nine-Dragon Cauldron in your possession, along with the Lunar Soul-Restoring Golden Pill.”

“Sure.”

Chu Hanzhou smiled and nodded without the slightest hesitation.

“Since you’re betting on Gao Linyuan to win, then this king will bet that Gao Linyuan is certain to be defeated today!”

That attitude made Li Jingzhou frown slightly. He had dared to place such a heavy wager because he knew Gao Linyuan well enough and had tremendous confidence in him.

Where, then, did Chu Hanzhou’s confidence come from? Had he found some monstrous prodigy hidden deep within Shenzhou, someone no one had yet discovered?

The more he thought about it, the more Li Jingzhou felt as though he had stepped into a trap, and a tightness grew in his chest.

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But now that things had reached this point, the wager he had already laid down could not be taken back.

He still cared about face. He could not bring himself to go back on his word.

For a time, the atmosphere on the high platform turned rather strange. The people of Yunlai Immortal Palace had also already noticed that something was off between the two royal lords. One after another, they stopped speaking and simply stared solemnly at the images reflected in the mirror in the sky.

They could not afford to offend either side, so it was best not to get involved.

Chu Hanzhou took a light sip of hot tea. Catching Li Jingzhou’s subtle expression from the corner of his eye, he laughed inwardly.

Young people cared too much about face. Sometimes that was not a good thing.

…

On the arena where Gao Linyuan stood, a Nascent Soul golden body had already manifested. It stood more than eight zhang tall, wrapped all over in glassy, multicolored radiance and carrying a terrifying aura of invincibility.

The spectators gathered around the arena could not help but cry out in astonishment. For an ordinary martial artist at the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, a golden body usually measured only nine zhang nine.

Although Gao Linyuan was only at the middle stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, his Nascent Soul golden body had already surpassed many of the older generation’s great cultivators. In terms of combat strength, he was already approaching mighty figures of the Heaven-Man Realm.

Standing in the opposing position, Bu Bingyan showed not the slightest fear on her face. Silver light flickered within her pupils like lightning.

In an instant, the thunder-white glow that had nearly spilled from her eyes suddenly surged back, flowing from her spiritual platform through all four limbs and every bone.

Her aura soared abruptly, as though the potential within her body had been unleashed, boosting her combat strength by several times over.

“I’ll defeat you in three moves.”

Gao Linyuan spoke indifferently. Against the radiance of his golden body, even his plain and ordinary face suddenly took on a trace of kingly dominance.

Terrifying fluctuations of qi swept across the entire arena like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Bu Bingyan did not reply. She stepped forward first, and space was torn apart in an instant, exploding with a shriek sharp enough to split metal and stone.

Her figure transformed in a flash into countless strands of sword light, using her own body as the sword’s frame and erupting with icy killing intent.

Sword light blazed across the surroundings. Bu Bingyan’s Nascent Soul golden body appeared, less than three zhang tall, like glazed crystal. Deep within it, an ancient sword rang sharply. Though the blade remained sealed within its ancient sheath, it still released a terrifying edge of razor-sharp sword intent.

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Clang, clang!

The sword light slashed across Gao Linyuan’s Nascent Soul golden body, sending up blinding sparks. When the sparks faded, only a few shallow marks remained.

Gao Linyuan was completely unharmed.

Bu Bingyan’s expression changed at once.

“First move.”

The three words emerged from the mouth of the Nascent Soul golden body like the tolling of a great bell, shaking the ears and mind alike.

Clang!

A giant golden palm swept through the air and struck the sword light Bu Bingyan had become. The sword light shattered, and a figure was instantly sent flying, scattering great sprays of blood through the air.

Gao Linyuan did not give Bu Bingyan even the slightest chance to catch her breath. His golden body lunged after her, Nascent Soul power condensing into a blade that took the form of a massive golden saber in his hand, which he brought down in a straight chop.

Buzz, buzz.

Space was split open, whipping up shrieking chaotic currents.

Bu Bingyan barely managed to halt herself at the edge of the arena. Her eyes flew wide, and the ancient sword deep within her Nascent Soul stirred, slowly drawing a sliver from its sheath.

A sharp sword qi shot out from her eyes, grand and vast, slashing upward from below with a thunderous roar.

Crack!

The long blade condensed from Nascent Soul power was severed in an instant. The golden body retreated three steps in a row, leaving spiderweb cracks across the arena floor.

Gao Linyuan’s brows drew together slightly, but quickly smoothed again. A gleam flashed at his brow, and a jade flute appeared in his hand.

A clear and distant melody slowly rose. The pleasant sound that entered Bu Bingyan’s ears instantly turned into a life-reaping devil’s tune, making her feel as if her insides were being torn apart. She could not help bending over, cold sweat soaking her back.

Her Nascent Soul golden body stood guard beside her and detected nothing abnormal. Clearly, her true body was completely unharmed. It was only that the flute’s music carried a mysterious power of the Dao and had affected her five senses. It was an illusion.

The ancient sword within her Nascent Soul had already returned to its sheath and fallen silent again. This was her trump card, and it could not be used continuously.

For a moment, Bu Bingyan was trapped in a difficult situation.

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Boom! Boom! Boom!

The flute music did not stop. Gao Linyuan’s golden body advanced once more, its enormous feet crashing down with peals of thunder.

Bu Bingyan’s expression turned icy. Even after severing her senses, the intense pain still clung to her. It felt as if her organs were burning, and everything before her eyes had turned dim.

The violent agony surging through her body greatly distracted her attention. She could only forcefully drive her Nascent Soul and condense several strands of sword light to meet the attack.

Crack, crack, crack!

The sword light shattered on contact. Gao Linyuan’s Nascent Soul was like a golden mountain, impossible to shake, and it crashed straight into Bu Bingyan’s golden body.

Boom!

Bu Bingyan’s Nascent Soul instantly collapsed and returned to her brow.

Darkness swept over her vision, and she staggered.

Gao Linyuan did not pause in the slightest. The golden Nascent Soul saber manifested once more and came crashing down, plain and direct, intent on cleaving Bu Bingyan in two on the spot.

“I concede!”

The golden blade stopped in midair before Bu Bingyan’s forehead, and the melodious flute music came to an abrupt halt.

Bu Bingyan let out a long breath of relief. She retreated two steps, sat down on the ground to regulate her breathing, then quickly took out several pills and swallowed them.

“Brother Gao, your strength surpasses what it was before. I hope that in the future, when my Heavenly Sword can fully leave its sheath, I’ll have another chance to spar with you.”

After a while, Bu Bingyan rose to her feet, wiped the sweat from her brow, and cupped her hands in salute.

She did not care much about victory or defeat.

As a successor of an ancient divine sect, she had defeated far too many heavenly prodigies and possessed extremely strong confidence. A single defeat like this was not enough to damage her Dao heart.

Although one would not die fighting here, overly severe injuries would inevitably affect one’s later cultivation. That would not be worth it.

So she conceded without hesitation.

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Although her sea of consciousness had suffered a tremendous shock, the foundation itself had not been harmed. After a few days of recovery, she would be able to return to normal.

In those few brief exchanges, she had also gained a great deal. Her connection with the ancient sword within her Nascent Soul had grown even closer.

“I used four moves.”

Gao Linyuan replied blandly. Bu Bingyan had been stronger than he had expected.

For someone who had only just entered the Nascent Soul Realm to withstand several of his moves was no easy feat.

…

Gao Linyuan stood on the arena with his hands behind his back, restraining all the fluctuations of qi around him, like an utterly ordinary mortal.

Silence filled the surroundings. For a while, no one dared step onto the arena again.

Bu Bingyan, third on the Heaven Ranking, had used the ancient sword within her Nascent Soul and still only managed to endure four moves before conceding. How could the others possibly be a match for him?

Gao Linyuan’s strength was far too terrifying. He was simply not someone people of the same generation could compare to.

A trace of satisfaction flashed through Li Jingzhou’s eyes. After giving a slight nod, he turned to look at Chu Hanzhou beside him.

“King Xuan, would you say that our wager counts as my victory?”

“What’s the hurry? It’s not over yet.”

Chu Hanzhou narrowed his eyes halfway and leaned back in his chair, calm and unhurried.

…

At the edge of the arena, Shi Lan ascended the steps and slowly walked onto the stage. Looking at the calm-faced Gao Linyuan, she spoke slowly:

“Do you need time to recover and regulate your breathing?”

Gao Linyuan was not weak. Shi Lan did not underestimate him in the slightest and had fully armed herself for the fight.

Her hair was bound into a high ponytail with a golden crown, hanging all the way to her waist. She also wore a suit of pale golden battle armor, like a war god shining with dazzling brilliance.