Chapter 620 - 616: A Man Ought to Be Wild

Chapter 620: Chapter 616: A Man Ought to Be Wild

"Kekeke, your Perception is as sharp as they say. Worthy of an expert with ninety-one consecutive wins!"

A grating voice suddenly echoed from the darkness.

Before Hong Yu lay a patch of shadow so small it couldn’t hide a child, yet strangely, an expert completely enveloped in black mist now stood there.

He wasn’t particularly tall, standing around five feet seven.

But Hong Yu sensed a thread of danger from him.

This man was undoubtedly a powerhouse.

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

His mind raced, trying to place the man.

He couldn’t recall ever meeting someone like this, much less making an enemy of them.

’But if we’ve never crossed paths, why would he follow me all the way from Peacock Mountain?’

"Kekeke, no need to guess who I am, Your Excellency."

The shadowy figure cut off Hong Yu’s thoughts, his voice like scraping blades, unbearably grating. "I’ve come today on orders to inform you of a few things!"

"I don’t know you. What could you possibly need to inform me about?" Hong Yu asked, frowning.

The shadowy figure chuckled. "Oh, it’s just a small matter. You’ve already won ninety-one matches in a row. People are calling you the most promising challenger for the title of Hundred Victory War God in the last century. The wagers on whether you’ll succeed have already reached one hundred thousand Soul Stones, and they’re still climbing."

He paused there.

But his blood-red eyes, looking exceptionally sinister, were fixed on Hong Yu, sizing him up.

Hong Yu frowned. "Were you sent by the War God Arena?"

’Match-fixing.’

He’d seen plenty of it in his past life.

Horse races, underground boxing matches... they were all rife with fixed outcomes.

’He just never thought it would happen to him!’

The shadowy figure nodded. "You’re a clever one. My master sent me to discuss something with you. We will arrange your final nine matches for tomorrow. You’ll win the first eight with ease, but we want you to lose the last one."

"Of course, we won’t ask you to lose for nothing. If you throw the one-hundredth match, we’ll give you one hundred million Soul Stones as compensation!"

The shadowy figure said no more.

His eyes were filled with confidence and certainty.

He seemed absolutely certain that Hong Yu would accept his offer.

After all, one hundred million Soul Stones was a massive fortune, even for one of the Four Great Tribes, let alone a single person.

The shadowy figure and his master had discussed and analyzed the situation carefully before deciding on the sum of one hundred million to buy Hong Yu off.

They had run this play many times in the past.

Most experts, upon hearing the offer of one hundred million Soul Stones, would accept immediately. Some might hesitate, but they’d cave after a bit of haggling.

Unfortunately for him, this time he was destined for disappointment.

Hong Yu smiled faintly. "One hundred million Soul Stones. A truly generous offer." After a pause, he shook his head. "Unfortunately, my ambitions lie elsewhere. I cannot accept your terms."

"Hmph?"

The shadowy figure’s blood-red eyes twitched. He let out a few cold, grating laughs. "Then one hundred fifty million Soul Stones. That’s the final offer. Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"

"I’m sorry, I still can’t agree," Hong Yu said, taking a deep breath and shaking his head.

"Hmph!"

The black mist around the shadowy figure roiled, and an overwhelming killing intent washed over Hong Yu. "I’ll say it one last time. One hundred fifty million Soul Stones, and you cooperate with us. Otherwise, you will regret it!"

"Sorry."

Hong Yu still just shook his head.

’Soul Stones?’

’Of course they’re good to have, but my real goal is the Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit.’

’It’s the key to Refining the Nine Orifice Breaking God Pill and advancing to the Primordial Spirit Realm. I can’t be careless about this.’

The shadowy figure studied Hong Yu intently, then suddenly grinned, revealing a row of stark white teeth. He spoke in a chilling tone, "What a shame. I thought you were a smart man, but it turns out you’re just a fool. No matter. The War God Arena has a thousand-year history, yet there have been fewer than five Hundred Victory War Gods..."

"Over the millennia, many promising experts have emerged, hopefuls for the title. In the end, they all compromised. Of course, some refused us... and then, they simply vanished from this world!"

The shadowy figure said slowly, his words dripping with unconcealed, deadly intent.

Hong Yu’s eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me?"

"Kekeke, you could say that. The War God Arena has many ways of making people disappear."

The shadowy figure seemed to recall something and suddenly grinned. "Oh, that’s right. You seem to care a great deal for those siblings, Zhao Hu and Zhao Feng’Er, don’t you? Our Young Master has a... particular taste for heart’s blood. I wonder if the blood from those two little ones’ hearts would be sweet or bitter?"

Staring at the figure before him, Hong Yu’s calm gaze slowly sharpened, becoming as cold and deadly as a razor’s edge.

’First bribery, and when that fails, threats and coercion.’

Such tactics were standard for the profit-driven War God Arena, but to try and kill him, and even use the Zhao siblings as leverage... that had crossed a line. They had touched Hong Yu’s reversed scale.

The plight of the Zhao siblings was so similar to his own.

Hong Yu saw them as his own younger brother and sister. For someone to dare threaten them...

"Heh... heh... heh..."

Hong Yu let out a cold laugh, his voice as sharp and unyielding as steel. "You would be wise not to entertain any ideas about them. Otherwise, I wouldn’t mind turning your entire War God Arena upside down."

"Hahaha! You’ve got some nerve, kid!"

The shadowy figure shook his head, a chilling killing intent enveloping Hong Yu. "Do you really think you’re invincible? Turn the War God Arena upside down? Just who do you think you are? The Peacock King? Kekeke, didn’t your elders ever teach you that arrogance can get you killed?"

Hong Yu retorted, his tone firm and steady, "A life without a little madness is a youth wasted. A man must have some fire in his belly. If I have to swallow injustice and keep my head down, then what’s the point of cultivating, of walking the path of the strong? Go back and tell your master that the title of Hundred Victory War God is mine for the taking!"

"You’re courting death!"

With a SWOOSH, the shadowy figure lunged.

A dagger, glinting with a cold light, had appeared in his hand.

It shimmered with a sinister glow, its blade coated in a deadly poison.

The shadowy figure was supremely confident.

He had used this very dagger to eliminate many other disobedient experts.

"Get lost!"

But Hong Yu was utterly fearless.

He stood his ground, and as the words left his lips, he raised his arm high.

The integration of the Venerable Golden Bone in his right hand was complete. Even though he couldn’t currently draw upon the Venerable Power, it had already made his hand indestructible.

"Wisdom King Movement!"

With a low roar, Hong Yu’s palm swiped down.

His hand formed a claw that sliced through the air, unleashing a brilliant golden radiance.

"You think a mere Claw Skill can stop me?"

The shadowy figure confidently blocked with his dagger.

But his expression quickly changed as the dagger met the claw with a series of crisp metallic rings. BANG! BANG! BANG!

CRACK!

With a final sharp crack, the Sixth Grade Primordial Weapon dagger snapped in two.

’Not good!’

The shadowy figure shot backward.

But this claw technique, which Hong Yu had comprehended from watching a peacock hunt, was relentless. Once it struck, it would not stop until its prey was dead.

BAM!

The golden light flashed.

The sharp golden claws flashed, five streaks of light tearing across the shadowy figure’s body from his left shoulder down to his right hip.

"GACK!"

The shadowy figure was sent flying, spraying a mouthful of thick blood.

Five claw marks, so deep the bone was visible, were gouged into his torso. Mangled flesh and blood poured out, and the black mist shrouding him could no longer conceal his wounds.

"You... You were hiding your strength?" the shadowy figure stared at Hong Yu in horror.

He was at the War King Peak, and with his bizarre Body Technique, he could even escape unscathed from a War Emperor.

But before Hong Yu, he hadn’t even been able to dodge the attack.

It terrified him.

Hong Yu didn’t answer, saying coolly, "Out of respect for the War God Arena, I won’t kill you today. But I hope you don’t do anything else to provoke me. Otherwise, I don’t mind causing a real scene. Even if I can’t defeat the powers behind you, I can certainly drag the War God Arena’s name through the mud."

"You..."

The shadowy figure’s eyes darted back and forth.

Normally, he would have struck again to finish the job, but after that brief exchange, he knew Hong Yu’s combat prowess was terrifying.

His eyes flickered, and he snorted coldly. "Fine, fine! I’ll remember this. Just you wait. No one who offends the War God Arena meets a good end. Tomorrow is the day you die!"

SWOOSH!

In a puff of black smoke, the shadowy figure vanished into the darkness.

Hong Yu raised a slender eyebrow, a determined glint in his deep, starlike eyes. "War God Arena, I hope you don’t force my hand."

With that, Hong Yu returned to the Xishang Clan Mansion.

Now that he’d had a complete falling out with the War God Arena, tomorrow’s battles were bound to be difficult. They would surely pull out all the stops, using every means at their disposal against him. Although Hong Yu was supremely confident he could become the Hundred Victory War God, an organization like the War God Arena, with a thousand-year legacy and powerful backers, would have a deep foundation. It was best to be cautious.

The night passed without incident, with Hong Yu spending it in cultivation.

「Meanwhile.」

The heavily wounded shadowy figure returned to the War God Arena. In a room on the top floor, the Young Master had just sliced open a young woman’s chest and plucked the still-warm heart from her body.

He squeezed it gently in his palm, wringing out the heart’s blood into a wine glass.

It was a crystal goblet, perfectly clear. He gently swirled the cup, the fresh, steaming blood sloshing within, gleaming with a bewitching crimson luster that was both gorgeous and grotesque.

Taking a delicate sip, the Young Master let out a sigh of pleasure.

Then, without turning his head, he asked coolly, "He refused?"

"This subordinate was useless. Please punish me, Young Master," the shadowy figure said, his voice flat.

"No matter," the Young Master said dismissively. On his indistinct face, two crimson eyes glinted with a cold light. "Go and tend to your wounds. Tomorrow, we proceed as planned."

"Which plan does the Young Master mean?" the shadowy figure asked.

The Young Master was silent for a moment, then a cruel smile spread across his face. "Proceed with the God-Slaying Plan. For someone who dares to defy the War God Arena, we must ensure his death is a particularly miserable one."

Upon hearing the words "God-Slaying," the shadowy figure couldn’t help but tremble before hastily retreating.

The Young Master narrowed his eyes and cracked his neck. "Tsk, tsk. Another tough nut to crack. His heart’s blood should be delicious! Kekekeke..."