The Championship Platform.
After more than three months of travel, Qin Mutian, Zheng Tian, and the others finally arrived at the Championship Platform.
In reality, Zheng Tian's group had arrived three days earlier. They had been lying in wait here the entire ti, just for Qin Mutian's party to appear.
Zheng Tian led the experts from the Guiyuan Sect to surround Qin Mutian's group. With his arms crossed and a frigid aura about him, he said, "Qin Mutian, long ti no see. I trust you've been well!"
"Zheng Tian, you despicable villain! How dare you ambush us here?" Qin Mutian roared, grinding his teeth.
Before him, seven experts from the Royal Family already lay in pools of their own blood.
They had all died in Zheng Tian's ambush.
Every one of their faces was twisted with intense resentnt and indignation, as if they had been forced to do sothing completely against their will before they died.
Zheng Tian curled his lip in disdain. "Despicable? As despicable as I might be, I would never force my own n to march to their deaths..."
He paused, then his tone shifted. "But I have to say, I'm truly impressed. You actually managed to make them co here, bracing for certain death, and even had them hand over their Demon Bone Spirit Plates to you before they left. Tsk, tsk, your Royal Family certainly has its ways of handling people!"
Qin Mutian's eyelid twitched.
Although Zheng Tian was ostensibly praising him, the words were incredibly infuriating.
His face darkened. "Zheng Tian, you're a citizen of the Qin Kingdom, too. Is there any need to wipe out completely?"
"Wipe you out completely? If I really wanted to do that, you'd all be dead already!"
Zheng Tian stared coldly at Qin Mutian. "I can allow you to keep one Demon Bone Spirit Plate for yourself. Hand over the rest to . That way, you can at least save your own skin. Otherwise, heheh..."
Zheng Tian crossed his arms, his eyes narrowed as he sized up Qin Mutian.
Behind him, the crowd of Guiyuan Sect experts all took a step forward.
A murderous chill emanated from each and every one of them.
If Qin Mutian refused his terms, they would imdiately swarm him.
In the tense atmosphere, Qin Mutian gritted his teeth, his expression fluctuating between anger and uncertainty.
He might be stubborn and incredibly selfish, but that didn't an he was incapable of thought.
If Hong Yu and the seven n on the ground were still alive, the Royal Family's side would have stood a chance in a fight to the death against Zheng Tian's group.
But now...
He had already plotted Hong Yu's death.
And his selfishness had gotten these seven n killed.
With only the twenty-two n by his side, they wouldn't even be an appetizer for Zheng Tian's group, even if they fought to the last man.
As for handing over the Demon Bone Spirit Plates...
The Martial Arts True Soul of Young Master Celestial Beast had said that anyone without a Demon Bone Spirit Plate would not be able to enter the Championship Platform.
Any expert who failed to compete on the Championship Platform would have to face the Young Master Celestial Beast's punishnt.
The result of that punishnt was self-evident—death!
A miserable life was better than a noble death. No one wanted to die.
Qin Mutian was even more unwilling to die. A part of him wanted to hand over the Demon Bone Spirit Plates to save himself, but when he thought of the twenty-two Royal Family experts staring at him with burning intensity, he was forced to swallow the words that had reached his throat.
If he really betrayed everyone to save his own life, he feared the Royal Family's own experts would tear him to shreds before Zheng Tian and the Guiyuan Sect even had to lift a finger.
For a mont, Qin Mutian's thoughts were in utter chaos. 'What do I do? Wh-what am I supposed to do?'
An expert from the Tiger and Wolf Corps sighed softly. "Crown Prince, let's just fight them!"
"Fight? Fight with what? Your lives are worthless! If you die, you die. If you fall in battle, the Royal Family can even grant you the title of martyr. But ? I'm the Crown Prince! The Crown Prince of the great Qin Kingdom, the future King! Is my life sothing that can be thrown away so recklessly?"
Qin Mutian shrieked hysterically.
Spittle flew from his mouth, spraying all over the man's face.
He failed to notice, however, the flicker of gloom and disappointnt that flashed through the eyes of the Tiger and Wolf Corps experts when he finished speaking.
The expert from the Tiger and Wolf Corps gave a bitter laugh, stepped back, and said no more.
"So? Has our dear Crown Prince decided what to do?" Zheng Tian said nonchalantly.
Another expert from the Guiyuan Sect added sarcastically, "Tsk, tsk, what's wrong with our Crown Prince? They're just a few underlings. If they have to be sacrificed, then so be it!"
"That's right. Weren't you so decisive when you forced out Hong Yu and frad him? Why so hesitant now?"
"Hahaha, he probably knows that if he drives away any more of his people, he'll be a general with no army!"
Facing the taunts and jeers from the Guiyuan Sect experts, Qin Mutian's face alternated between pale and ashen. He ground his teeth, filled with a rage that had nowhere to go.
He was so incensed he nearly coughed up blood!
"Zheng Tian, don't go too far."
Before Qin Mutian could speak, an expert from the Tiger and Wolf Corps, unable to watch any longer, said angrily.
Zheng Tian glanced at him and said calmly, "Good. Worthy of an expert from the Tiger and Wolf Corps. You've certainly got guts, far more than your so-called Crown Prince. In honor of that spirit, I'll give you a chance. In a mont, each of our sides will send up five people. We'll do a best-of-five."
"If you win, I won't take a single one of your Demon Bone Spirit Plates. But if you lose, you hand all of them over to ."
Zheng Tian grinned.
The Royal Family experts looked at each other, then all turned their gazes to Qin Mutian.
A flicker in his eyes, Qin Mutian suddenly gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll take that bet!"
"Hahaha, Qin Mutian, you've finally acted like a man for once!"
Zheng Tian roared with boisterous laughter.
Both sides then arranged for five experts to take the stage.
On the Qin Kingdom's side, under Qin Mutian's arrangent, all five were experts from the Tiger and Wolf Corps.
Zheng Tian's side consisted entirely of Inner Sect Disciples from the Guiyuan Sect.
"Zhou Cang of the Guiyuan Sect! Who dares to face in battle?" Zhou Cang declared proudly, brandishing his twin axes.
"Hmph! Li Yan, Captain of the Tiger and Wolf Corps' 73rd Squadron, will fight you!"
Li Yan was twenty-five years old, a warrior at the Late-stage Earth Soul Realm, his cultivation on par with Zhou Cang's.
Zhou Cang grinned. "Then co on!"
The two imdiately launched into battle!
Zhou Cang and Li Yan were evenly matched in strength, but Li Yan was an expert from the Tiger and Wolf Corps. Although his Cultivation Technique and Martial Skills were inferior to Zhou Cang's...
...the techniques Li Yan had mastered were all lethal killing blows.
Therefore, every one of his attacks forced Zhou Cang onto the defensive. After a prolonged battle, Li Yan seized an opportunity and struck in an instant, lopping off one of Zhou Cang's arms with his saber.
Zhou Cang scread as blood sprayed into the air.
Li Yan gave a cold grin, stepped forward, and stomped on Zhou Cang's chest, caving it in. The screams stopped abruptly.
Wielding his Big Saber, Li Yan roared, "Listen up, you Guiyuan Sect brats! I've taken the first round!"
"Damn you! I'll cripple you!"
Another Guiyuan Sect expert roared in fury, leaped into the air, and landed before Li Yan.
This man was at the Peak of Earth Soul Realm.
His hand ford a fist, rumbling with the sound of thunder. It was the Mortal Level Middle Grade Martial Skill, Thunderous Fist.
Li Yan hastily tried to block but was struck by the punch and sent flying, coughing up blood. He was heavily injured by this single blow.
"Li Yan, fall back!"
The experts of the Tiger and Wolf Corps were comrades-in-arms with extrely close bonds. Lei Ta, a Commander with Peak Earth Soul Realm Cultivation, stepped forward. "Your opponent is !"
The two instantly engaged in a white-hot battle.
The battle raged on...
A struggle between life and death!
A stalemate between masters!
This battle wasn't just for the Demon Bone Spirit Plates, nor was it just for the chance to survive. They were fighting for dignity, battling with hearts full of fiery passion.
Ti flew by. Soon, two-thirds of the Championship Platform had already erged from beneath the ground.
At this point, the wagered duels were also reaching their conclusion.
The two currently fighting were Yan Jun, the third True Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect's Inner Sect with an Early-Stage Celestial Soul Realm Cultivation, second only to Zheng Tian and Huo Yan.
His opponent was Tian Tao, a Grand Commander of the Tiger and Wolf Corps, who also possessed an Early-Stage Celestial Soul Realm Cultivation.
"Tian Tao, take this—Breaking River and Sea!"
Yan Jun gripped his weapon with both hands, raised it high, and suddenly slashed down. A powerful blade aura surged forth, carrying a sharp force that seed capable of cleaving rivers.
Tian Tao's face was solemn. Suppressing the roiling qi and blood in his body, he took a deep breath and focused his mind. The Long Spear in his hand spun around his palm before he suddenly tightened his grip, bringing it to a halt with a sharp SHING.
The spear tip pulsed with a sharp Spear Aura.
This single spear strike condensed all the essence of Tian Tao's ten-plus years of slaughter on the battlefield. "Tyrant's Reversal!"
BOOM!
Blade and spear collided.
A blinding radiance enveloped the area, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
BOOM!
The cultivation of the two n was comparable, and the power of this single strike was frighteningly imnse.
And at this mont, the victor was finally decided!
PUH!
Tian Tao fell to his knees, still clutching his Long Spear, and coughed up mouthful after mouthful of blood.
Across from him, Yan Jun was pale, and a bloody hole had been pierced through his shoulder, but he still had the strength to fight.
Yan Jun looked at Tian Tao coldly. His expression was still arrogant, but his words now carried a trace of respect—the respect one gives a true expert. "Grand Commander Tian Tao, you let win!"
"Heh... heheh. I lost."
Tian Tao's face was ashen as he lowered his head in defeat.
Yan Jun took a deep breath, took out a Healing Elixir and swallowed one, then tossed the bottle to Tian Tao. "This is a Healing Elixir from my Guiyuan Sect. It's quite effective!"
"Thanks!"
Tian Tao nodded.
Just as he was about to open the jade bottle and take a Pill, a hand shot out from the side and—SLAP!—struck him across the face.
Tian Tao was stunned. "..."
Everyone: "..."
Qin Mutian stared at Tian Tao, his face glacial, his eyes spewing flas of rage. "You have the nerve to accept a handout from the enemy? Your Tiger and Wolf Corps lost three out of five matches, costing us the bet! Now we have to hand over all our Demon Bone Spirit Plates, and you still have the gall to take a Pill?"
A miserable expression suddenly appeared on Tian Tao's face.
The four Tiger and Wolf Corps experts beside him also showed expressions of despair, and suddenly let out bleak, bitter laughs...
"Hahaha, to think... to think it would co to this..."
"We've spent our entire lives fighting to protect the Qin Royal Family, willing to sacrifice our very lives for them... and in the end, this is the kind of person we were protecting?"
"With a Crown Prince like this in the Royal Family, the Qin Kingdom is not far from ruin..."
The five n cried out in grief.
These were words from the bottom of their hearts.
But in Qin Mutian's eyes, their words were outrageously provocative and treasonous. He roared, raising his hand and gathering a powerful Palm Wind to strike them down. "How dare you spread such traitorous words about the fall of the Kingdom! Today, I, the Crown Prince, will enforce the law and sentence the five of you to imdiate execution!"
A Palm Blade ford, about to slam into the five exhausted experts.
As the aura of death washed over them, a look of helplessness and despair appeared on all five n's faces.
Zheng Tian frowned but did not move to intervene.
'This is what you get for defying . This is what you get for speaking up for Hong Yu. I'll kill you all,' Qin Mutian thought, a cold light glinting in his eyes.
However...
Just as he was about to slay the five n, a calm voice suddenly rang out from behind him like a phantom...
"If you don't want to die a miserable death, you'd better stop. I'm protecting these five."
[There will be a third chapter later!]
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