Chapter 665: Challenge!

Facing Chi Tian Yi Lang's Provocative Smile, Qiao Zhenyu stood in the center of the Arena, his posture upright, his gaze as cold as a blade.

He stared at Chi Tian Yi Lang's fierce eyes, and his mouth slowly drew a Cold Smile.

"Chi... have you forgotten? According to our agreement, three battles, two victories, my Tianzhou Martial Arts has already won."

He paused briefly, stepped half a pace forward, his aura becoming even more fierce.

"Now all you have to do is hand over the Sea-Quelling Cipher, then lead your people out of Tianzhou!"

The moment those words fell, the Tianzhou martial artists on the Stand, who had been holding back for too long, seemed ignited and erupted violently.

Wu Tong was the first to stand, his voice like a burst of thunder, drowning out all the clamor.

"Yes! Hand over the Sea-Quelling Cipher, get out of Tianzhou!"

Immediately after, more and more people joined in the shout.

Each face was filled with decades of suppressed resentment and the exhilaration of finally being able to vent.

Voices from all over the Stand converged, forming a roaring wave that pressed toward the Arena.

"Hand over the Sea-Quelling Cipher! Get out of Tianzhou!"

"Hand over the Sea-Quelling Cipher! Get out of Tianzhou!"

In the past hundred years, in the various contests between Tianzhou Martial Arts and Ying Kingdom martial artists, Tianzhou has suffered more losses than wins.

Countless Tianzhou heroes have fallen in battle upon this Arena.

Each generation of Tianzhou martial artists carries a massive stone in their hearts, heavy and suffocating.

Today, finally someone overturned that stone, allowing everyone to glimpse a sliver of light.

Chi Tian Yi Lang stood at the edge of the Arena, surrounded by the wave of sound, his expression showing little change.

He looked at the fervent Tianzhou martial artists below, then glanced again at Qiao Zhenyu standing on the Arena, his mouth slowly drawing an even deeper curve.

He unhurriedly reached into his chest, pulled out the yellowed Sea-Quelling Cipher, and casually tossed it toward Qiao Zhenyu, as if discarding a useless rag.

The scroll arced through the air, and with a pop it landed on the Green Stone Slab beside Qiao Zhenyu's foot, the scroll unfurling a segment to reveal densely packed ancient characters.

Qiao Zhenyu looked at the Sea-Quelling Cipher lying at his feet, bent down, picked it up, and held it in his hand.

Its texture was rough and heavy, bearing the aura of countless ages.

He glanced at Wu Tong, who stood on the Stand, his eyes already reddened, lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Chi Tian Yi Lang's voice rang out again, carrying a light, carefree tone.

"A mere fragment of the Sea-Quelling Cipher, the Ying Kingdom does not covet, and naturally we are willing to Accept Loss."

After saying that, his gaze returned to Qiao Zhenyu, his voice deepening, bearing a teasing Provocative Smile.

"Now I intend to duel you alone, General Qiao. I only ask you! Do you dare to accept!"

Qiao Zhenyu's hand gripping the Sea-Quelling Cipher tightened slightly.

He looked at Chi Tian Yi Lang's face still bearing Laughter, his mind rapidly weighing the pros and cons.

He indeed wanted to fight Chi Tian Yi Lang, that had always been his wish. But he could not gamble Lu Zhanlian's life, that was a living Human Life.

He was about to refuse when a hoarse yet firm voice came from beside him.

"If you lose to Commander Qiao, what then?"

Lu Zhanlian, at some point, had already stepped into the center of the Arena, standing beside Qiao Zhenyu.

His wounds still bled outward, his white hair was blown into disarray, yet his gaze remained sharp, his back straight.

Chi Tian Yi Lang looked at him, his brows slightly lifting.

"If I lose, do as you wish."

Lu Zhanlian's mouth curled slowly, revealing a smile with a hint of ruthlessness.

"Fine. If we lose, return the Nine Dragon Cauldron that Tianzhou Martial Arts lost back!"

At those words, Qiao Zhenyu's pupils constricted sharply.

The Nine Dragon Cauldron, a seal forged by the founders of Tianzhou Martial Arts' nine great schools, is said to contain three parts of Tianzhou Martial Arts' Qi.

Back then, Ying Kingdom martial artists won the Nine Dragon Cauldron in a high-stakes gamble, and since then Tianzhou Martial Arts' talent dwindled, the era of prodigies vanished.

In recent years, everyone of Tianzhou Martial Arts has sought to reclaim the Nine Dragon Cauldron, but it is now a national treasure of the Ying Kingdom, enshrined within the sect of Shinto Munenryu, and cannot be retrieved with a few words.

Lu Zhanlian's wager clearly aims to trade his own life for a chance at Tianzhou Martial Arts' resurgence.

Qiao Zhenyu's complexion changed; he turned and seized Lu Zhanlian's shoulder.

"Old Lu, we have other ways to reclaim the Nine Dragon Cauldron; I cannot risk your life!"

"Commander Qiao, Tianzhou Martial Arts has waited for decades. My old life has long been due to be accounted for. If we can retrieve the Nine Dragon Cauldron, even death would be worthwhile."

Qiao Zhenyu's lips trembled, wanting to speak, but seeing Lu Zhanlian's eyes, already veined with blood yet still burning with flame, all words were stuck in his throat.

Just as the two were at an impasse, a faint voice sounded from behind them.

"Since Old Lu is prepared to gamble his life, Commander Qiao, why do you not dare a gamble?"

The voice was soft, carrying a theatrical nonchalance, but when it reached Lu Zhanlian's ear, his body jolted sharply.

His pupils contracted dramatically, his whole being seeming struck by something, and he snapped his head around.

He saw Jiang Feng, who at some point had already moved to the edge of the Arena, looking at him with a faint gaze.

Lu Zhanlian's Brain buzzed.

"That voice... why does that voice sound so similar to the one that taught him swordsmanship in the stagnant world earlier?"

The voice that faced away from him, that made him awaken with the Sha Po Lang Thirteen Swords, the voice that shattered the bottleneck of fifty years of training in an instant, the voice that saved his life and let him break through his Realm!

Could it be him?

Lu Zhanlian's lips trembled, his eyes widened.

He looked at Jiang Feng's unbelievably youthful face, at his casual demeanor, and everything in his mind clicked together at that moment.

He opened his mouth; his voice was hoarse and trembling, carrying a complex emotion he himself could not label as shock, gratitude, or confusion.

"You… are you? Are you the one just now…"

Jiang Feng looked at him, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he said nothing.

Lu Zhanlian's body swayed, his knees softened, and he was about to kneel.

But Jiang Feng lifted his hand, and an invisible force supported his knees, preventing him from kneeling.

"Finish the fight first, then we'll talk."

Jiang Feng's voice remained flat, as if nothing had happened.

"Don't delay the main business."

Lu Zhanlian's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his eyes reddened slightly.

He inhaled deeply, suppressed the emotion surging to his throat, turned around, and faced Chi Tian Yi Lang again.

This time something seemed to be re‑infused into his body, making the white‑haired old man look about ten years younger.

He looked at Chi Tian Yi Lang, his voice hoarse yet powerful.

"Chi, you heard me. I, representing Tianzhou Martial Arts, accept this wager. If you win, you take my life. If you lose, return the Nine Dragon Cauldron to me!"

Chi Tian Yi Lang stood there, looking at Lu Zhanlian, then at Jiang Feng, and a flash of extremely complex emotion passed through his sharp, predatory eyes.

He was silent for a moment, then smiled, his smile carrying the smugness of a hunter finally seeing his prey walk into a trap.

"Fine, it's a deal."

Just Qiao Zhenyu, Heavenly Person Mid-stage!

I have already reached Heavenly Person Peak; killing him will be a piece of cake!

Wait for it, Zhongcun!

I'll soon send this old dog down to you as atonement!