Chapter 31 Ultimate Battle

“The final battle of the third round is a ring match. Hmm, although a one-on-one duel in a ring would be the most reasonable, Yuanshi Tianzun wouldn't have any advantage that way.”

“I was hoping for another instance dungeon battle. It was exciting, wonderful, and favorable to Yuanshi Tianzun. I read the post by the Grand Scholar of the Wenyuan Pavilion on the forum. If the final battle starts with a high-difficulty instance dungeon, then Yuanshi Tianzun might become a dark horse.”

“That’s impossible. Yuanshi Tianzun already obtained a powerful item. Starting with a high-difficulty instance dungeon would be unfair to Zhao Cheng Huang.”

“Looking forward to the final battle. This battle will definitely be incredibly exciting.”

“It could also end quickly. Did you not read the Grand Scholar’s analysis post? From level to items, to Yin Soldiers and spirit servants, Zhao Cheng Huang is crushing Yuanshi Tianzun in every aspect."

“Zhao Cheng Huang’s 'Ghoulification' unleashes combat power comparable to a beginner Saint. He also has a Level 4 Yin Soldier. What can Yuanshi Tianzun use to win? Yuanshi Tianzun was too dazzling in yesterday's instance dungeon match. It almost made me think Zhao Cheng Huang wasn't that impressive. I only realized after reading the forum analysis."

The audience was already eagerly discussing the match before it even began.

“Bao’er, they’re not optimistic about your Yuanshi brother.” Xie’s mother said, "Did you ask him what I told you to ask yesterday?"

Xie Lingxi shook her head. "Yuanshi brother doesn’t want our family's sponsored items, saying he’d rather lose than use them."

Yesterday, Xie’s mother contacted the Xie family's elders, deciding to lend Yuanshi Tianzun some items. When the elders heard that Lingxi was flirting with Yuanshi Tianzun, they were very happy and said there was no problem. So the Xie family elders gave three items for Yuanshi Tianzun to choose from.

The first item was the "Red Thread of Love." The user ties the item to the target, which will make the target have feelings for the user, and fall in love with them within half an hour. Only musicians at the Saint stage can undo the red thread; other classes cannot.

Item cost: Love is two-way. When the target falls in love with you, you will also be irrevocably in love with the target.

The second item was "Mother’s Skirt Hem." As the name suggests, it is a woman’s skirt. After putting on the skirt, everything you say will turn into a lullaby, hypnotizing the target. Item cost: For 36 hours, you will be hopelessly a male mother.

The third item was "Inspiring Horn." Blowing the horn will excite you, increasing your combat power by 20%. Item cost: After half an hour, you will fall into a state of mental exhaustion.

Xie’s mother sighed. "If he doesn’t accept the Xie family’s good intentions, then there’s no way around it. Bao’er, can he win? I bet two million on him winning."

Xie Lingxi looked at her mother in shock. "Mom, if you have too much money, give it to me. Why throw it away?"

Xie’s mother seemed to have caught her innocent daughter's flaw, and squinted at her. "So you also think Yuanshi Tianzun will lose?"

Xie Lingxi was silent for a moment. "Of course I have confidence in Yuanshi brother, but Zhao Cheng Huang isn't a pushover either."

Having confidence doesn’t mean you can definitely win! She added in her heart.

“I bought Yuanshi Tianzun to win on the black market. His odds are 1:6. If Yuanshi Tianzun can win, this will be my most profitable business this year,” Mr. Bill said.

Annie, who was next to him, said, "What if you lose?"

Today, she was wearing very elastic, tight-fitting riding pants, a dark top, and golden, dazzling hair. Her skin was fair, her blue eyes charming, and she was particularly delicate and moving. The men around her were giving her infatuated and fiery glances from time to time.

“Then it’s just a loss of five million,” Mr. Bill shrugged.

“That doesn’t fit your cautious style,” Annie said.

“Yesterday, he bought the kind of pills that heal soul injuries from me, the kind that Chen Shu asked me to buy. He bought a year’s supply at once, without paying,” Mr. Bill said. “Yuanshi Tianzun told me that he could definitely win. If he won, the cost of the pills would be waived. If he lost, he would pay for my bet and pay for the medicine. I agreed. That's called risk hedging."

“A good risk hedge!” You Fenglai Yi looked at Ling Jun beside her. “If Yuanshi Tianzun wins, you earn three million. If Zhao Cheng Huang wins, you earn one million. Either way, you’re guaranteed to make a profit." She turned to look at Fu Qingyang’s head. “Gang Leader, who did you bet on?”

Fu Qingyang said flatly, "I didn't bet!"

You Fenglai Yi said with relief, "Gang Leader, as expected of the Gang Leader, rejecting gambling, drugs, and positivity."

Fu Qingyang said flatly, "I'm the bookie. I opened the betting in the Elder group."

Ling Jun’s eyes lit up. “How did the elders bet?" The elders would occasionally gamble, but usually the younger generation couldn't participate. But Fu Qingyang was a designated elder, and promotion was only a matter of time. Plus, he had money! So he opened the betting in the Elder group.

Fu Qingyang casually sold out the elders. “The Taiyi sect all bought Zhao Cheng Huang. Most of the elders of the Five Elements Alliance symbolically bought a little of Yuanshi Tianzun, but heavily bet on Zhao Cheng Huang. If Yuanshi wins, I can earn the White Tiger Guard’s activity funds for the next five years.”

“Yuanshi Tianzun will definitely win!” The group of White Tiger Guards behind him said in unison.

Inside the arena, Zhang Yuanqing heard the Lingjing notification sound.

[Ding, you can claim the “Unyielding Armor.” Do you want to claim it?]

“Claim!”

[Ding, successfully claimed. This armor does not take up an item slot.]

The next second, an armor set appeared in his inventory. It consisted of five parts: a chest plate, a skirt plate, a helmet, arm guards, and a battle knife. Zhang Yuanqing took out the armor and looked at its attributes. The function of the chest plate was pure defense, and the skirt plate was weak defense + lower body function amplification. The so-called lower body function was waist strength and stance ability.

The wearer can transform into a pile driver, which can effectively prevent being knocked away with one punch.

The helmet defends against spirit bodies, the arm guards amplify arm strength, and the battle knife enhances output capability.

“Wearing this armor, I should be able to fight Zhao Cheng Huang’s 'Ghoulification' in close combat, and not be at a disadvantage… The armor must be worn by the Yin Soldier. This was the battle plan written yesterday. If Undead No. 1 doesn't have armor, the only outcome would be being blown up by the Level 4 Yin Soldier. At that time, Zhang Yuanqing will face the siege of Zhao Cheng Huang and the Saint stage Yin Soldier. He is destined to be overwhelmed.”

“Using a set of armor and a Yin Soldier to trade for one of Zhao Cheng Huang’s strongest reliance is very worthwhile.”

As for the battle knife, Zhang Yuanqing decided to use it himself, so he didn’t need to use the Bloodthirsty Blade, saving an item slot.

“Eh, Yuanshi Tianzun gave the armor to the Yin Soldier.”

“A very smart choice. That way, his Yin Soldier can fight Zhao Cheng Huang’s Yin Soldier.”

Zhang Yuanqing thought, and then manipulated Undead No. 1 to start wearing the armor.

“That’s true, but how is he going to deal with Zhao Cheng Huang himself? After Ghoulification, Zhao Cheng Huang’s combat power is close to the Saint stage."

“Yuanshi Tianzun is a Night Wanderer. He can use 'Night Wander' to maneuver.”

While the audience was giving pointers, the sword-wielding elder in armor strode toward the ring and said loudly, “Silence!”

The chaotic and noisy voices suddenly stopped.

The armored swordsman continued to announce, "The final battle. Yuanshi Tianzun vs. Zhao Cheng Huang, begin!"

Along with this start, the audience heard their own hearts pounding wildly. Everyone became tense and excited.

Some hoped that Yuanshi Tianzun could defeat Zhao Cheng Huang and become this year’s dark horse in the ring match. Some hoped that Yuanshi Tianzun could last a little longer and not lose too quickly. Some were eager for Zhao Cheng Huang to crush Yuanshi Tianzun and end the battle, so they could make a fortune.

Zhao Cheng Huang, wearing black clothes, with a cold and noble temperament, glanced at the Yin Soldier covered in armor, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. “Go!”

The Level 4 Yin Soldier, also wearing black clothes and black pants, lit up with scarlet eyes and pounced toward Yuanshi Tianzun. Its speed was so fast that only a black shadow could be seen.

Zhang Yuanqing stood still and also snapped his fingers. "Do it!"

Amid the sound of scales colliding, Undead No. 1 darted out like a wild dog, meeting the enemy. The two Yin Soldiers quickly approached, pulling back their fists and throwing a straight punch.

Bang!

The two fists collided, erupting in a crisp explosion. The air waves rippled out.

Stagger, stagger… The Level 4 Yin Soldier staggered backward, its right arm straight, as if an invisible force was pushing its right arm, and then causing its whole body to retreat.

Undead No. 1’s body leaned back sharply, but its lower body remained motionless.

Its lower body was as stable as a rock.

Undead No. 1 exerted force from its waist and back, pulling back its upper body. The pair of arm guards made a sound, accumulating energy. It bounced its knees and pounced toward the retreating Yin Soldier.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lightning-fast fists rained down, exploding one after another, causing the Level 4 Yin Soldier to raise its arms and barely block.

After putting on the armor, the close combat ability of the Succubus was able to be unleashed after its strength and defense caught up, demonstrating the combat ability that a peak profession should have. Yuanshi Tianzun took the advantage from the very beginning, and the audience erupted in cheers.

Zhao Cheng Huang glanced at the passively beaten Yin Soldier, unconcerned, and chuckled. “As I expected, you really used the armor on the Yin Soldier. So, are you planning to use Night Wander to maneuver against me?"

The two talked from a distance of a dozen meters, and Zhang Yuanqing raised his eyebrows and asked, "What’s the problem?"

Zhao Cheng Huang’s “Ghoulification” couldn't last too long. As soon as the opponent Ghoulified, he would immediately Night Wander, adopting a guerrilla tactic to delay time.

This was the most cost-effective response.

Zhao Cheng Huang said calmly, "There's no problem. I'm just telling you that I expected this step, so I naturally made corresponding arrangements." As he spoke, he opened his palm and took out his first item. A hazy gray mist rose from his palm, condensing into a small mud figure with blurry features. This mud figure had blurry facial features, rough hands and feet, like a mud doll casually made by a child. But it exuded an unspeakable sense of heaviness, looking at it as if seeing a towering mountain.

The small mud figure rippled with gentle, earthy yellow ripples, sweeping across the hard bluestone ground, rapidly turning it into soft sand.

Zhang Yuanqing took two steps back, looking down at the footprints he had made, and his heart tightened.

Night Wander cannot cover up footprints. Fighting on the "beach" makes stealth meaningless.

“There are many ways to break Night Wander,” Zhao Cheng Huang said lightly. “Yuanshi Tianzun, I don’t plan to give you a chance. Since you gave the armor to the Yin Soldier, then I will make a quick decision.”

His tone was calm, but his expression was incomparably confident and incomparably proud.

Holding the small mud figure in his palm, Zhao Cheng Huang bowed slightly, his muscles bulging one by one, and a painful hiss coming from his throat.

After a few seconds of charging, his body suddenly became taller, his skin quickly turned cyan-black, reflecting a metallic luster, black blood vessels winding between his knotted muscles, and his nails growing rapidly, turning into dark and sharp ghost claws.

The "beach" where he stood was quickly covered with a layer of white frost, spreading to the surroundings, and a cold aura enveloped the entire arena.

Looking at the changes in the arena, the audience burst into an uproar.

“No, he’s cheating. That mud figure is a Saint-level item. Transcendent level doesn’t have such exaggerated earth control ability."

“Elder, he’s cheating!”

In the Elder seats, nearly twenty Sovereigns were silent, without any expression.

Zhao Cheng Huang did not cheat. The most critical thing in judging whether an item is against the rules is the item's function. For example, using a Saint stage item to straightforwardly defeat an opponent is definitely cheating. But if it is an auxiliary function, it depends on the strength of the function.

The sandification ability is indeed stronger than ordinary Transcendent level Earth Ghosts, but it has not reached the Saint stage and belongs to an auxiliary function, not directly against the enemy. Compared to Yuanshi Tianzun’s “Pollution” methods, its nature is lighter.

Seeing that the protest was ineffective, many Five Elements Alliance members became anxious.

“It’s over. Yuanshi Tianzun’s Night Wander is being countered.”

“This is the mud figure used in the last battle against Jiang Jingwei. I remember it has good defensive ability. Using Ghoulification to amplify combat power, and having the mud figure for defense, Zhao Cheng Huang is using his full strength from the beginning. He plans to quickly defeat Yuanshi Tianzun.”

“+1, he wants to slap the Five Elements Alliance in the face.”

The audience turned their attention to Yuanshi Tianzun, how would he respond to such a difficult enemy?

As expected, it wasn’t going to be that easy… Zhang Yuanqing thought helplessly.

To deal with Zhao Cheng Huang’s “Ghoulification,” he listed three countermeasures. The most cost-effective one was to use Night Wander to maneuver, but this move was also the easiest to counter. As expected, Zhao Cheng Huang didn’t give him a chance to exploit loopholes.

Then use the second plan…

Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and summoned the Yin-Yang Daoist Robe.

“Swish!”

The Yin-Yang Daoist Robe unfolded in the air, with flames embroidered on the bottom and waves on the top, bearing Yin and Yang on its back.

Streams of illusory water gushed out from the black area of the Taiji fish, and streams of scarlet flames erupted from the white area. The flames and water wrapped around each other and fell, forming a Taiji formation covering a radius of thirty meters.

Enveloping Zhao Cheng Huang and the two Yin Soldiers within it.

This was the first time Zhang Yuanqing had used this robe’s formation in front of everyone. This was one of his trump cards.

ps: I’ll update first and fix the typos later.