Chapter 708: An Dong'er

Fang Yue felt something was odd.

After the military youth was taken away, the feeling of being watched had only slightly diminished.

That meant there was still someone—or something.

Constantly observing him, that gaze had never left him from the start.

"Could it be… Tai Yuema? Or someone from the Phoenix Organization?"

Fang Yue observed the surroundings, but detected no anomalies.

The sky had darkened; Night's Breath had officially activated.

Fang Yue's heart eased somewhat; though at the Human Realm, Night's Breath had reached the edge of its limit.

But the furious healing frequency still gave Fang Yue a strong sense of security.

Even the 【Night Rain】 falling from the black ring above now became continuous and complete, forming true 【Night Rain】, yet Fang Yue paid it no extra attention.

Because that was something to worry about only during daylight.

Before 【Night Rain】 escalated to 【Heavy Rain】 or 【Fierce Rain】, Night's Breath could still counter the HP loss.

Numbers '-1' '-1' '-1' kept flashing above Fang Yue's head; to others, it looked like his HP was constantly draining, but in reality, Night's Breath restored it instantly.

Some opponents even mistook the suddenly continuous 【Night Rain】 for one of Fang Yue's techniques, hesitating in every move.

But whether they hesitated or not, none were remotely a match for Fang Yue.

The strongest among them was merely the Guest of the Congxin Merchant Group, ranked eighth—he made Fang Yue work harder, but Fang Yue held the stage firmly.

After defeating another strong opponent, the crowd's recognition of Fang Yue reached a new height; he had essentially secured the championship of Group Four.

Because in Group Four, the strongest was only the eighth-ranked Guest of the Congxin Merchant Group; everyone else was weaker than him.

As long as Fang Yue performed normally, he could never lose his position as stage master.

What followed unfolded exactly as expected: Fang Yue won continuously, like a battle god, defeating every opponent, standing atop Group Four's peak as the ultimate victor of the Group Four stage.

"Yese! Yese! Yese!"

The crowd below shouted, filled with anticipation for this sudden dark horse.

As the atmosphere grew thicker, the victors of the other three groups were also decided.

The victor of Group One's stage: former rank seven, Guest of the Eagle Merchant Group, Tai Yuema.

The victor of Group Two's stage: former rank two, Deputy Regimental Commander of the Luo Cheng Merchant Group, Luo Yijie.

The victor of Group Three's stage: former rank three, Regimental Commander of the Zhengzhi Merchant Group, Wang Zhengzhi.

The victor of Group Four's stage: Guest of the Dayang Merchant Group, Yese Liming.

The top three were all established merchant groups with well-known names and solid strength.

Only Tai Yuema was unexpected; the outcomes of the other two groups were predictable.

Those who ranked among the top of the Tian Shang Alliance possessed real, undeniable strength—rank was rank.

Someone like Tai Yuema, suddenly exploding in power to defeat the fourth-ranked merchant group and become Group One's victor, was a rare occurrence.

Amid the crowd's chatter, Tai Yuema was also labeled a dark horse—though compared to Fang Yue's level of super dark horse, he paled in comparison.

Because Fang Yue truly appeared like a deus ex machina—a complete unknown who suddenly stormed in with the Dayang Merchant Group.

Especially his strength, impossibly deep and mysterious, leaving everyone curious.

The four stage victors stood atop their respective stages like the Four Heavenly Kings, locking eyes.

"You really made it! I didn't misjudge you, Yese Liming—I look forward to fighting you!" Luo Yijie crossed his arms, the cold wind rustling his robes.

"Who gets to this guy first isn't certain yet, but you're interested in this kid? That surprises me." Wang Zhengzhi was a burly man with a face full of muscle, bare-chested, his voice grating as if his teeth were misaligned.

"If you two are so eager, I'll leave him to you two—I'll settle for third." Tai Yuema smiled, but his true intentions remained unknown.

In fact, compared to the sudden appearance of Fang Yue, Luo Yijie and Wang Zhengzhi feared Tai Yuema more.

At the Human Realm level, strength gains usually take years.

Tai Yuema had remained silent for so many years, steadily holding seventh place in the Tian Shang Alliance without change.

Yet this year, he rose unexpectedly, revealing strength far beyond ordinary—clearly he had been preparing, having improved two ranks long ago but concealed them.

Today, Tai Yuema suddenly revealed his power—likely with intent. He had no connection with Yese Liming; he was probably targeting both of them, so caution was necessary.

As the four exchanged words, Fang Yue remained silent.

Boom—

The ring above his head strangely emitted a thunderous sound.

Fang Yue then remembered: the black ring was merely its appearance; in essence, it was a 【Black Cloud】!

Just like the thundercloud that once covered all of Qingsi County—identical in nature!

Fang Yue had nothing to say to these three; all he wanted was to fight!

Win the match, bring back An Dong'er'er—that was all.

If anyone caused trouble, Fang Yue had no objection to dealing with them.

If no one caused trouble, Fang Yue wouldn't trample on others' faces out of arrogance.

All eyes focused on these four.

The flickering 【Human Soul】 flames illuminated this grand moment.

The four victors would now compete in the final round, fighting until the last moment—the ultimate victor would receive the Tian Shang Alliance's reward and the right to challenge 【Tian Wangchuan】!

Defeat Tian Wangchuan, and the victor becomes the official ruler of Chunuan City—the number one man of Chunuan City!

His behind merchant group would become the number one merchant group of the Tian Shang Alliance, controlling all its vital resources!

But since Tian Wangchuan ascended to the top, no one has ever challenged his position.

This was due not only to strength, but also… external factors.

The most important one: this internal Tian Shang Alliance competition forbids Xian-level powerhouses from participating.

Clearly, the Phoenix Organization had nurtured the Tian Shang Alliance for so long and fully brought Chunuan City under its control; it could never allow such a obedient leading dog to be so easily replaced.

Fang Yue learned that Tian Wangchuan's strength was merely at the High Realm of the Human Level.

Yet above the Human Level lies the Cloud Level!

A Cloud Level expert could seize Chunuan City without difficulty.

But they could only manipulate things through external means.

And the Phoenix Organization must possess even greater power to enforce external suppression.

Cloud Level experts are balanced by other Cloud Level experts; Fang Yue did not know how the Phoenix Organization accomplished this, but judging from the outcome, in Chunuan City, Tian Wangchuan's rule under the Tian Shang Alliance was as stable as Mount Tai.

If the Tian Shang Alliance and the Phoenix Organization did not stir trouble, Fang Yue had no intention of overturning the table—even though he had the ability to do so.

Yet this thought completely changed when Fang Yue saw An Dong'er'er on the stage being dragged out of a prison cell.

"... Wu... Captain?"

Indeed, the beautiful woman the Tian Shang Alliance had presented as the final prize of the martial contest was, in truth, a giant man—the fellow Fang Yue knew.

It was none other than Captain Wu!

(End of Chapter)