Chapter 2028: Bet Battle
Seeing Zhang Ruochen ready to kill Teng Gu and the others, the strong experts of the Dark Demon Realm all turned their gazes to Mo Sheng, waiting for his final decision.
Even with the Dark Demon Realm’s foundation, losing several hundred Saint Kings in one go, including five top-tier Nine-Step Saint Kings, would be a painful blow.
Mo Sheng’s eyes became extremely sharp. Being threatened like this in front of him, humiliating the strong experts of the Dark Demon Realm, even with his indifferent personality, he couldn’t help but be angered.
In all these years, Zhang Ruochen was the first person to dare threaten him like this.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen’s gaze was also very sharp, meeting Mo Sheng’s without any fear.
Invisibly, their wills collided violently, piercing through the boundless void and entering a strange white space.
The two wills appeared very hazy, like two masses of chaotic energy, colliding wildly, each trying to defeat the other.
"Boom."
After more than a dozen consecutive collisions, both wills exploded simultaneously.
"Buzz."
Space shook violently, and ripples spread out in all directions.
For a moment, the strong experts of both the Blood God Sect and the Dark Demon Realm were subjected to an extremely powerful impact, involuntarily stepping backward.
"What is this…"
The strong experts on both sides showed surprise, not knowing what Zhang Ruochen and Mo Sheng had done.
Zhang Ruochen’s body trembled slightly, but the corner of his mouth curled up, revealing a peculiar smile.
Mo Sheng stood unmoving, but his eyes narrowed slightly.
This brief clash of wills made Mo Sheng finally take Zhang Ruochen seriously.
He had absolute confidence in his own strength and was fully confident he could defeat Zhang Ruochen, but keeping Zhang Ruochen here might not be an easy task.
"This kid’s growth rate is truly terrifying," Mo Sheng thought to himself.
If Zhang Ruochen continued to grow like this, there would be few below the Great Saint realm who could restrain him.
Of course, with Zhang Ruochen’s strength having reached this level, it would be extremely difficult for him to improve further, and he might even be stuck at this level forever.
This situation was all too common.
Shifting his thoughts, Mo Sheng stared intently at Zhang Ruochen and said in a low voice, "Fine, Zhang Ruochen, I agree to this bet with you. Let’s see what tricks you can pull."
"Now that’s the spirit befitting the leader of the Dark Demon Realm," Zhang Ruochen said with a smile, taking his foot off Teng Gu’s shoulder.
Zhuo Gu and the others were somewhat surprised, not understanding why Mo Sheng had suddenly changed his mind.
Given Mo Sheng’s cold and ruthless nature, he probably wouldn’t care much about Teng Gu and the others’ lives. Some sacrifices were inevitable to achieve his goals.
Zhang Ruochen waved his hand, and a dark demonic light appeared, transforming into a black stone tablet several zhang tall.
As soon as the stone tablet appeared, it released a terrifying demonic aura. Vast demonic energy spread, gathering into thick black clouds in the sky, almost crushing the heavens.
"Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription."
For a moment, all the cultivators of the Dark Demon Realm showed excitement.
Especially Zhuo Gu, whose eyes gleamed with intense fervor, almost unable to resist the urge to snatch it.
On the stone tablet was carved a world-dominating demon king clad in battle armor, holding a demon spear that pierced through a great world. He was so towering that even the great world seemed insignificant before him.
Such an image was truly awe-inspiring, making one wonder if such an invincible demon king had truly existed in those distant ages.
"Heavenly Demon Overlord Spear Diagram."
Zhuo Gu licked his lips, his gaze growing even more fervent.
He cultivated the Heavenly Demon Overlord Spear Diagram and had achieved great success in it. At the same cultivation level, few in the history of the Dark Demon Realm could match him.
But Zhuo Gu was not satisfied. He vaguely felt that his demonic art was incomplete, and the reason was likely that he had only studied a copied version.
If he could obtain the original Heavenly Demon Overlord Spear Diagram, his demonic art would surely reach a new level. Then, surpassing Mo Sheng to become the strongest below the Great Saint realm in the Dark Demon Realm would not be impossible.
This time, Zhuo Gu had specifically come to the Blood God Sect because he had heard that the Heavenly Demon Overlord Spear Diagram might exist there.
Now, it seemed his trip had not been in vain.
Zhang Ruochen placed his hand on the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription and said with a faint smile, "Our Blood God Sect has four Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions. How many do you have in your hands?"
"Four? I doubt it’s just that. The Heavenly Demon Blood Axe Diagram that Xie Canghai won at the auction should be with you, if I’m not mistaken," Mo Sheng said calmly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Perhaps. Let’s first talk about how many Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions you have."
"Coincidentally, I also have five Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions here."
Mo Sheng flipped his hand, and a stone tablet several zhang tall appeared out of thin air.
On this stone tablet was carved a ferocious greedy wolf, so lifelike it seemed ready to leap off at any moment.
The greedy wolf howled wildly, destroying a starry sea, shattering countless stars, as if the apocalypse had arrived.
"Heavenly Demon Greedy Wolf Diagram."
Zhang Ruochen murmured, a strange light flickering in his eyes.
He didn’t believe Mo Sheng’s words. With the Dark Demon Realm’s power, after searching the Kunlun Realm for so long, the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions they had collected would certainly be more than just five.
Long ago, the thirty-six Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions had been scattered, collected by forces like the Black Market, the Blood God Sect, and the Moon Worship Demon Sect.
Zhang Ruochen remembered that even the treasury of the Sacred Bright Empire had once housed two Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions, but their whereabouts were later unknown.
The Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions were of great significance, being one of the six great strange books of the Kunlun Realm. Each contained exquisite and unparalleled inheritances, ensuring the prosperity of the demonic path in the Kunlun Realm.
Moreover, they themselves were powerful war artifacts. As long as one cultivated the corresponding demonic art, they could unleash immense power.
Zhang Ruochen knew very well that it was unrealistic to try to take all the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions collected by the Dark Demon Realm.
So, what he was thinking now was to take as many as he could. Disrupting the Dark Demon Realm’s plans was always a satisfying thing.
With many thoughts flashing through his mind, Zhang Ruochen said, "In that case, let’s bet on five matches. The rules are simple: both sides send cultivators of similar cultivation levels, each carrying one Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription. No matter what means are used, as long as you can seize the opponent’s Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription, you win. If you win, I’ll also release some prisoners. How about that?"
"Agreed. But I want to know, will you, Zhang Ruochen, be participating?" Mo Sheng asked.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept over the strong experts of the Dark Demon Realm, and he said with a light laugh, "If I participate, at the same Dao Domain realm, who in your Dark Demon Realm can be my opponent?"
Hearing this, the Dao Domain realm strong experts of the Dark Demon Realm couldn’t help but show anger. They had never been so belittled before.
But after their anger subsided, they calmed down. Although Zhang Ruochen’s words were arrogant, the facts seemed to support them. None of them could match the astonishing achievements Zhang Ruochen had made.
"How about I be your opponent?" Mo Sheng suddenly said softly.
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Dark Demon Realm cultivators showed surprise, feeling very unexpected.
Mo Sheng was the strongest Saint King in their Dark Demon Realm, and throughout history, few at the same cultivation level could match him.
In the eyes of all Dark Demon Realm cultivators, although Zhang Ruochen was strong, he was far from qualified to make Mo Sheng personally take action.
Zhang Ruochen stared at Mo Sheng for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Good. I also want to see if the leader of the Dark Demon Realm is as powerful as the rumors say."
"But you must put up two Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions as stakes. Otherwise, I’d rather fight someone at the same cultivation level."
Hearing this, Mo Sheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, he said, "I agree. Let’s begin quickly."
"To ensure the fairness of the bet battle, both sides must retreat far enough to provide an open battlefield for those fighting. For the first match, I will send a Dao Domain realm cultivator," Zhang Ruochen said.
Mo Sheng just nodded slightly without saying anything.
With a movement, Mo Sheng mounted the Blood-Eyed Demon Wolf and quickly retreated into the distance.
Seeing this, the Dark Demon Realm cultivators did not hesitate and immediately followed.
Seeing the Dark Demon Realm forces retreat, many in the Blood God Sect breathed a long sigh of relief.
They had too few strong experts here. If it came to a direct fight, they would undoubtedly be at a disadvantage.
"Little Junior Brother, are you really going to fight Mo Sheng? I can sense that this person harbors extremely terrifying power within him, far surpassing mine," Luo Chen said solemnly.
He himself was very strong, able to enter the third tier below the Great Saint realm, and his perception of power was far greater than others.
Hearing Luo Chen’s words, the others also showed worry, feeling that Zhang Ruochen was taking too great a risk this time.
Zhang Ruochen smiled slightly. "Mo Sheng is indeed very strong, but not completely invincible. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything without some certainty. Now, we need to decide on the participants. Besides me, we need four more."
This bet battle was no small matter, and the choice of participants had to be careful.
"Little Junior Brother, let me fight. I’ve long been annoyed with those demon brats," Bao Lie was the first to volunteer.
Jin Yu shook his head slightly. "Fifth Junior Brother, you probably can’t do it. Setting aside Mo Sheng, even at the same Lintao realm, there are at least three people on their side stronger than you. Even I don’t have much confidence."
"Then what do we do?" Bao Lie became anxious.
He really wanted to share Zhang Ruochen’s burden at this moment, but he was also afraid of losing the bet battle and letting the Dark Demon Realm take the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions.
For a moment, everyone present fell silent, seriously thinking about this problem.
"I’ll fight the first match."
Mu Lingxi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
Then, Han Xue also said, "Master, I want to fight too."
When Han Xue returned from the Underworld, her cultivation was only at the Rule Grand Heaven realm. Using the Sundial, she had closed up for ten years and successfully broken through to the Dao Domain realm.
In terms of cultivation, Han Xue was now not far behind Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept over Mu Lingxi and Han Xue. Seeing the determination in their eyes, he knew he could no longer change their minds.
So, Zhang Ruochen nodded. "Alright, I’ll count you two in. As for the remaining two, I’ll choose Fourth Senior Brother and Xiao Hei."
"Mm." Luo Chen responded without hesitation.
Xiao Hei, however, turned his head away, looking unwilling. "Are you kidding me? You want me to fight those demon brats? What kind of status do I have? Are they even worthy of fighting me?"
"Don’t you want to vent your anger on the Dark Demon Realm? Or do you not care if the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions fall into their hands?" Zhang Ruochen countered.
Hearing this, Xiao Hei glared fiercely at Zhang Ruochen. "Do you think I’m that kind of person? It’s just dealing with some juniors from the Dark Demon Realm. I’ll do it. But how can you ensure that our Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions won’t be taken by them?"
Zhang Ruochen flipped his hand and took out a scroll. "This is a Space Teleportation Scroll. If you really can’t defeat your opponent, use it to escape. It would be great if we can win the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions collected by the Dark Demon Realm, but if we lose, we absolutely cannot let our Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions fall into their hands."
"So you’ve already planned to cheat, huh? Not bad, very much in my style," Xiao Hei said with a sly grin.
Zhang Ruochen didn’t feel embarrassed at all. When dealing with the Dark Demon Realm, there was no need to be too particular.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen take out the Space Teleportation Scroll, everyone felt relieved.
This item could not only protect the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions but, more importantly, ensure the safety of the participants. That was the most crucial thing.
Handing the Space Teleportation Scroll and one Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription to Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen said seriously, "Be very careful. Don’t push yourself. I don’t want to see you get hurt at all."
"Don’t worry. I will definitely bring back a Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription," Mu Lingxi said with great confidence.
With that, Mu Lingxi quickly flashed out and appeared on a snow-capped mountain that pierced the clouds.
This mountain was three thousand li away from both the Blood God Sect and the Dark Demon Realm’s new stronghold, right in the middle. It would be difficult for the strong experts on either side to intervene.
Standing atop the snow mountain, Mu Lingxi’s clothes fluttered in the wind. She looked toward the Dark Demon Realm and said loudly, "Who will fight me?"
"Senior Brother Mo Sheng, let me handle the first match."
Immediately, Xiao Wuchang stepped forward and said.
Because he had obtained the original Heavenly Demon Blade-Drawing Diagram, Xiao Wuchang had already become the strongest Dao Domain realm cultivator in the Dark Demon Realm.
Mo Sheng nodded slightly. "Mm. Don’t disgrace the Dark Demon Realm."
There was no need for Mo Sheng to take out a Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription. Xiao Wuchang directly took out the one he possessed.
To him, this was not only a stake but also a major trump card.
At this moment, Zuo Li was staring intently at the black stone tablet floating beside Mu Lingxi, his eyes full of desire.
On that black stone tablet was carved a demon flood dragon emerging from the sea, stirring up monstrous waves that threatened to drown an entire world. The scene was extremely shocking.
"Junior Brother Xiao, you must bring back that Heavenly Demon Stone Inscription. I will reward you handsomely," Zuo Li said in a trembling voice.
The original Heavenly Demon Mad Flood Dragon Diagram was the object of his dreams.
Xiao Wuchang extended a hand and gently touched the Heavenly Demon Blade-Drawing Diagram, the corner of his mouth curling up. "Senior Brother Zuo, rest assured. It won’t take long for me to bring back that Heavenly Demon Mad Flood Dragon Diagram."
With that, Xiao Wuchang didn’t delay any longer. His entire body turned into a sharp blade light, charging straight toward the snow mountain where Mu Lingxi stood.
The first bet battle was about to begin.
Both the Blood God Sect and the Dark Demon Realm were eagerly watching.
At the same time, near the Blood God Sect, more and more cultivators were gathering.
The commotion caused by the Blood God Sect was too great, and Mo Sheng’s earlier appearance at the Merit Branch Station had certainly not gone unnoticed.
Of course, these cultivators were only watching from afar, not intending to get involved in the conflict between the Blood God Sect and the Dark Demon Realm.
Neither Zhang Ruochen nor Mo Sheng was easy to deal with. It was better not to wade into this muddy water rashly.
"Why has the Dark Demon Realm suddenly changed its tune? They’re willing to use Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions as stakes for a one-on-one bet battle with the Blood God Sect? Wouldn’t it be better to just attack the Blood God Sect directly?"
"The Blood God Sect, after all, was founded by a deity. Even if it has long declined, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Who can say the Blood God Sect doesn’t have some powerful trump cards? The Dark Demon Realm naturally has to be cautious."
"Comparatively, this kind of bet battle should make it easier for the Dark Demon Realm to seize the Heavenly Demon Stone Inscriptions. After all, how can the Blood God Sect’s foundation compare to the Dark Demon Realm’s?"
"It might not be that simple. When have you ever seen Zhang Ruochen suffer a loss? Just wait. The upcoming bet battles should be very interesting."
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