Chapter 666: As You Wish

“Do you concede?”

Hong Yu asked calmly.

Chen Tao looked as if he had been struck by lightning, his body trembling slightly. His focus gradually returned, and he looked up to gaze at Hong Yu.

After a long while…

Chen Tao took a deep breath, stood up, and said in a heavy voice, “In the literary contest, you won!”

Although he had been immersed in solving the chess game, he had seen the outcome in everyone’s eyes.

A glance at the poetry and paintings revealed them to be superior masterpieces, a cut above his own.

No matter how unwilling he was, it was no use. He could only lower his head and admit defeat.

Hong Yu wore a calm expression and offered no taunts. In truth, the war song he had just played had stirred his emotions, and his heavy mood had not yet lifted.

Mao Mei’Er scanned the crowd, then nodded. “Everyone’s performance was excellent. The winner of the first round of the literary contest is Beichen, with a total of fifteen points. Does anyone have any objections?”

“None!”

“We’re convinced. He deserves first place!”

Everyone nodded, no longer trying to make things difficult.

Hong Yu had just shown them the scene of a General dying after a hundred battles, earning their heartfelt admiration. They even felt a sense of reverence for that General.

In turn, their attitude toward Hong Yu had also changed somewhat.

Bear Tao said gruffly, “I may be convinced by your literary skills, but when it’s time for the martial contest, I still won’t go easy on you!”

“Let your horses run loose!”

Hong Yu smiled.

‘This Bear Tao is straightforward and single-minded. It’s actually a rather likable personality.’

Hearing Hong Yu’s words, he couldn’t help but scratch his head, asking in confusion, “Let my horses run loose? The only Horse here is Ma Fengxing. Why do you want me to let him out?”

PFFT!

Everyone burst out laughing.

The face of Ma Fengxing, the talented expert from the Celestial Horse Race, darkened. “You big dumb bear, no one will think you’re mute if you just keep your mouth shut!”

“You lookin’ for a beating?”

Bear Tao brandished his fist menacingly.

Everyone was speechless.

Then, Mao Mei’Er said, “The rules of the martial contest are simple. You may all choose to challenge others, and a victory will earn you five points. The one with the highest total score will be the winner of the martial contest. Finally, the points from both the literary and martial contests will be added together!”

“The one with the most points will be the Prince Consort of my Spirit Cat Race!”

After Mao Mei’Er finished speaking, she waved her palm.

She tore open the void.

She led Hong Yu and the others out of the great hall, and they appeared on a vast, empty plain. She said faintly, “Gentlemen, who will be first?”

“Me!”

Bear Tao eagerly raised his hand and stepped forward.

“Alright!”

Mao Mei’Er nodded.

With a thought, she used Void Power to create an invisible, giant hand. It descended from the sky and forcibly ripped a massive peak from the ground.

The void around the mountain peak became chaotic and cracked open. A powerful storm of void energy, sharp as Steel Sabers, carved into the massive peak, quickly shaping it into a huge arena.

Mao Mei’Er said, “This arena has been reinforced by my Void Divine Power. Anyone who falls off the arena, surrenders, or is rendered unable to fight back will be considered defeated!”

“Haha, I prefer to just get straight to the fighting!”

Bear Tao laughed heartily and leaped onto the arena.

The moment his feet landed, the floating arena was forced several meters downward. He looked down on the crowd, a crazed, battle-hungry expression on his face. “Who dares to come up and fight me?”

“Big dumb bear, I, Ape, will face you!”

Ape Feng, the expert from the Golden Ancient Ape Clan, leaped onto the stage. His gleaming golden fur was like a mass of golden steel needles, scattering a faint golden light. His body was covered in powerful muscles like blocks of lead, filled with explosive power.

Bear Tao’s will to fight surged. “Little monkey, let’s fight!”

“Get lost!”

Ape Feng roared.

A large black staff appeared in his hand, or rather, a giant Totem Pillar.

The entire Totem Pillar was five meters tall and as thick as a grown man’s thigh. Even Ape Feng himself needed to grip it with both hands to wield it.

But when swung, such a Totem Pillar whistled through the air with immense power, its strength great enough to shake the Celestial Universe.

The Golden Ancient Apes are among the top-ranked combatants of the War Race.

They fight with incredible ferocity, their attacks both lightning-fast and cunningly tricky.

Bear Tao was no weakling, either.

The Holy Bear Tribe was famous for its heavy, powerful attacks. His burly frame charged forward like a great wall, his fists smashing down like hammers on a thunderous war drum.

DONG! DONG!

A series of dull impacts echoed one after another.

Both were masters of strength-based combat. Every collision made the arena tremble and threw the surrounding space into disarray, nearly shattering it.

Their combat power was immense.

“Bear Dominates the World!”

Bear Tao roared.

Battle Qi billowed from his body like a surging golden tide, coalescing into the figure of a giant, golden-yellow bear.

This golden bear figure was towering and immense. Its eyes were like two burning stars, and its brows were like two Coiled Dragons.

“Kill!”

Bear Tao bellowed.

He threw a punch, and the golden bear figure behind him mirrored the action. A fist of golden light enveloped Bear Tao’s arm, making his already heavy and powerful attack even more crushingly ferocious. The arena roared and trembled as if it might shatter at any moment.

“Spear Dance Sky!”

Ape Feng was not to be outdone.

A giant Golden Ancient Ape appeared behind him, letting out a heaven-shaking roar. His staff shot toward the sky, infused with Primordial Qi.

Overwhelming shadows of the staff descended like a sudden, violent storm.

The two attacks collided.

RUMBLE!

Ape Feng and Bear Tao were both forced back dozens of meters, only stopping themselves at the very edge of the arena.

“ROAR!”

A cold glint flashed in Ape Feng’s eyes. He actually threw the Totem Pillar in his hands with great force.

“Hmm?”

A fierce light flickered in Bear Tao’s eyes, and he suddenly grinned. “Get the hell down!”

His palm suddenly transformed, becoming immense as it viciously grabbed for the Totem Pillar.

ZZZZT!

The Totem Pillar spun wildly, containing supreme power.

The force of the attack slammed into his palm, turning it bright red. Sparks flew as if two pieces of incredibly strong metal were colliding.

His arm bent and his body trembled, but he managed to catch it. Then, with a spin, he threw the Totem Pillar back, its speed increased several times over.

This move was clearly beyond Ape Feng’s expectations.

Caught off guard, he was struck by the Totem Pillar and fell from the arena with a muffled grunt.

“This battle, Bear Tao wins!” Mao Mei’Er announced faintly.

Bear Tao laughed loudly. “Who else wants to come up?”

“I will face you!”

This time, it was Ma Fengxing who went up.

As soon as he was on the stage, he put distance between himself and Bear Tao, unleashing his terrifying Arrow Technique. Faced with a stream of golden Arrows, Bear Tao could block and counter them, but Ma Fengxing kept his distance. Neither could gain an advantage over the other.

“I hate fighting people from your Celestial Horse Race the most! You always hide so far away!”

Bear Tao grunted sullenly.

Shrouded in a golden radiance, like an invincible war bear, he stopped blocking the golden Arrows and charged at Ma Fengxing, relying on his thick skin and powerful defense.

After a struggle.

Ma Fengxing had a bitter look on his face. “You brute, your hide is too thick. I can’t break through at all. I give up!”

His desire for the Saintess was not as strong as Bear Tao’s and the others’. Seeing that Bear Tao was about to use a Forbidden Combat Skill and risk his life, he gave a wry smile and stepped down from the arena.

This wasn’t to say that Bear Tao was guaranteed to beat Ma Fengxing.

Ma Fengxing had his own Forbidden Combat Skill as well. The problem was, such skills were uncontrollable once unleashed and could severely injure or even kill an opponent. Their statuses were not ordinary. An injury could easily spark a conflict between their two races, an outcome neither of them wished to see.

Seeing Ma Fengxing step down, Bear Tao grinned foolishly. “Thanks!”

“You dumb bear. There’s just no dealing with you!” Ma Fengxing shook his head helplessly.

Although Bear Tao’s directness could easily offend people, he had the pure heart of a child and was easy to get along with.

Their relationship was actually quite good!

Afterward, Bear Tao won several battles in a row.

The only exception was his fight against Tiger Wei, where he was severely injured but managed to win by a narrow margin. Tiger Wei was furious and wanted to fight to the death, but Mao Mei’Er absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.

Thus, Bear Tao won this battle as well.

He had already won four consecutive matches, reaching twenty points.

At this moment, Chen Tao finally took the stage.

He held a Profound Iron Feather Fan. It was a Primordial Weapon, ranked at the Seventh Grade Junior Level.

“I’m injured. Let me recover a bit first!” Bear Tao said.

Chen Tao said coolly, “On a battlefield, would your opponent allow you to rest?”

“Fuck, then I’ll fight you to the death!”

Bear Tao’s eyes widened in fury as he roared and charged forward.

「Below the arena.」

Ma Fengxing looked at Chen Tao with contempt. “Despicable!”

“Humans have always been incredibly cunning. Otherwise, with their frail bodies, how could they contend with a naturally gifted War Race like us?” Tiger Wei said coldly.

Ape Feng was thoughtful. “He’s attacking a weakness. He knows the big dumb bear is easily provoked, so he’s baiting him into a hasty fight. This battle, the big dumb bear is going to lose!”

“Despicable human.”

“It won’t be an honorable victory.”

The few members of the War Race still had disdainful expressions.

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes, thinking, ‘This Chen Tao is much more formidable than Chrysanthemum King. Whether it’s strength, methods, or cunning, he’s on a completely different level from that idiot. If I have to fight him later, I’ll need to be careful!’

「On the arena.」

BOOM!

Bear Tao’s right arm was injured, and Chen Tao focused his attacks specifically on that right arm.

Under a barrage of attacks as fierce as a rainstorm, Bear Tao’s right arm was dripping with blood. He made a single mistake, and Chen Tao seized the opportunity.

He used Arrow Step to surge forward, his speed so incredibly fast that one could only catch a glimpse of an afterimage.

The Iron Fan in his hand shot out with a “SWOOSH”.

Bear Tao was forced to raise his left hand to block. A mocking sneer touched Chen Tao’s lips. He paused, spun on the spot, and whipped out a kick with a “WHOOSH.”

THUD!

The kick was powerful and came from a tricky angle.

He had calculated that Bear Tao would raise his left hand, leaving his left side wide open. The kick landed viciously under Bear Tao’s left ribs.

The area under the left ribs was already a weak point, not to mention its proximity to the heart.

The kick left Bear Tao dazed, his chest tight, and his movements sluggish.

“Bear Tao has lost!”

“That big dumb bear really is dumb. That was obviously a feint just now, how could he not see it?”

Pain flared in his left side, and Bear Tao subconsciously dodged to the right. But at that exact moment, Chen Tao had already circled to his right. The Iron Fan in his hand suddenly snapped open, unleashing a streak of blue light.

The light was incredibly sharp, piercing into the wound on Bear Tao’s right arm with a “BOOM”.

Blood splattered. The wound on Bear Tao’s right arm was made even worse, and he cried out in pain.

“Get down!”

Chen Tao roared, kicking Bear Tao off the arena.

Mao Mei’Er frowned, clearly displeased with Chen Tao’s methods, but she didn’t show it. She said indifferently, “Chen Tao, wins!”

SNAP!

Chen Tao snapped open his Iron Fan and fanned it gently. He looked at Hong Yu and beckoned with his finger, his face full of contempt. “Do you have the guts to come up for a fight? Of course, if you’re afraid of dying, you can kowtow and surrender. This king won’t kill you!”

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes, then suddenly broke into a grin…

“As you wish!”