Chapter 1049: Chapter 1049: Outmatched
"That’s right!" Nero, riding high on his success, couldn’t feel the bitterness in Ye Ruozai’s heart. Facing the enemy’s doubts, he agreed without hesitation, touched his own chest and continued to mock him: "Morning bell and evening drum—so that so‑called drumbeat is your second Divine Artifact, right? Your teacher really went all out for you, finding two Divine Artifacts that complement each other so well. The bell strikes the soul, the drum shakes the heartstrings; one bell, one drum, in endless cycle—every cycle makes people black out for a moment and take a hit."
As he spoke, Nero spread his arms and sneered: "Didn’t you say I couldn’t beat you relying on just this body? But the fact is, it’s precisely this body that tanked all your attacks. If it were any other Child of Origin facing this kind of assault, they’d probably have collapsed after the fourteenth beat and stayed down. Yet I’ve already recovered sixty percent. What other moves do you have to fight me with?"
"Heh heh heh, Nero, you know what your real loss is? You talk too damn much!" Ye Ruozai raised his head to look at Nero, disdain and contempt written all over his face. "Who told you I only fused two Divine Artifacts?"
The moment Ye Ruozai said this, Nero’s expression darkened. He’d heard that during this period Lin Ruxue had visited Yirong Pavilion and come to some agreement with the Investigation Bureau. Could it be that he really still had a hidden trump? Looking at those limp, hanging arms and that utterly confident face, Nero unconsciously raised his guard and readied himself for battle.
He moved! Ye Ruozai moved! His figure vanished right where he stood! Spatial movement! Such a small fluctuation and such speed! Is it a space‑type Divine Artifact? The next second, Nero quickly locked onto the spot where Ye Ruozai reappeared. Hm? Not near himself, but at the edge of the arena?
"I admit defeat!"
Hearing those three words shouted by Ye Ruozai after he blinked into the forfeit zone, Nero, whose old injuries hadn’t healed yet, spat out another mouthful of clotted blood in rage. So this brat ran his mouth for so long just to make him zone out so he could escape. By the time Nero snapped back and wanted to strike, it was already too late. The arena’s defensive Array had fallen, and the match officially ended with Ye Ruozai conceding and Nero taking the win.
Once the defensive Array vanished, Ye Ruozai’s injuries recovered in an instant. He rubbed his sore, aching arms and spread his hands toward the livid Nero. To be fair, not a single sentence Ye Ruozai had just said to Nero was a lie—he really had absorbed a third Divine Artifact. It’s just that this third Divine Artifact, exactly as Lin Ruxue had promised back then, wasn’t a top‑tier combat Artifact but a space‑type one. After fusion it was fine for self‑preservation, fleeing for his life, or launching sneak attacks, but if he wanted to use it for direct combat, its effectiveness dropped sharply.
Knowing his trump card couldn’t win him the fight, Ye Ruozai was never going to pretend to be tough and stubbornly clash to the death. He decisively chose to withdraw from the match and preserve himself.
"Sorry, I lost this round." Facing the crowd surging forward to greet him, Ye Ruozai said helplessly.
"We all saw how you performed. You did your best. The failure isn’t your fault—it’s because the opponent is too strong." Those words of comfort came from Pei Yan’s mouth, but the one actually speaking was Lin Junzhao. Pei Yan knew that if he said it himself, it would sound like he was showing off and would hurt Ye Ruozai’s pride.
After saying this, Lin Junzhao added regretfully: "Actually the real fault lies with me. Ye Ruozai, you don’t need to be discouraged just because of this loss. You’re excellent—honestly, I’d say you’re even better than Pei Yan. I’m not saying that against my conscience just to comfort you. You two each have your strengths, but in terms of the cultivation path, I’m more optimistic about your future. Pei Yan is the kind of person who only rises up and turns pressure into motivation when he’s given enough external pressure. If he were left in peace, he would’ve long since slacked off, found a quiet place, and enjoyed life at his leisure."
Hearing this hit the nail on the head about his own mindset, Pei Yan scratched his head awkwardly. Lin Junzhao continued his assessment: "But you’re different. At any time, you’re more self‑disciplined than ordinary people. You’ve always maintained passion and desire for the cultivation path. You have talent, you have perseverance, and you’re more patient than Pei Yan! It’s just a pity I don’t have more resources to give you. Of course, I’m not denying Pei Yan’s talent and hard work, but a huge part of his and Nero’s strength is piled up from countless resources."
Lin Junzhao spoke sincerely, and Ye Ruozai could only shake his head with a bitter smile. At this point Lin Junzhao smiled faintly and said, "But this situation will soon be eased. We absolutely must seize this opportunity of the planes going into chaos, ride the momentum, and I guarantee that by then we’ll have amassed enough capital to shape you into one of the strongest groups across all planes."
"And the most urgent task is to win the next match, right?" Listening to Lin Junzhao’s rousing words, Gu Shenghui spoke as he stepped onto the arena without looking back. He went straight into the challenger’s light circle and shouted, "Second round, I challenge Blood Emperor Xin."
The broken arena floor had yet to be fully repaired when the light circle signifying a challenger lit up. All eyes turned to the Bloodkill side. Di Xin, who had just been whispering with the still‑fuming Nero after he stepped off the stage, heard the challenge and exchanged a smile with his companion, then leapt onto the arena and entered the defender’s light circle as well.
The damaged floorboards were restored at top speed, and the defensive Array around the arena flared to life again, announcing the start of the second match. Seeing such a quick handover, the spectators outside the field knew both sides were already fired up; the coming fight would only grow more intense. Compared to latecomers like Pei Yan and Ye Ruozai, Black Teeth Gu Shenghui had already made a name for himself across the Four Great Planes even before the Bloodkill invasion. Being able to see him personally take the field today naturally piqued the interest of many major powers’ leaders. They all fixed their gaze on the center of the arena, eagerly awaiting the start of this great battle.
"You’re Black Teeth Gu Shenghui, right? The current head of operations in the Investigation Bureau? Heh heh heh, I have to say, your strategy really has zero creativity—it’s exactly what we predicted."
As the match began, Di Xin walked out to the center of the arena and kept mocking Gu Shenghui, who was still standing inside the light circle: "According to Nero’s so‑called ’Tian Ji horse‑racing’ tactic, you already used your inferior horse to trade for our superior horse. And now it’s your medium horse’s turn to trade for my inferior horse, huh? Hey, old man! I don’t care if you look down on yourself, sink low, and put yourself beneath Pei Yan. But you looking down on me like this really pisses me off! Why am I the most underestimated one? Is it because in the battle with the Daoist Realm I used my trump cards too thoroughly?"
Gu Shenghui still didn’t answer. He slowly walked out of the light circle, casually took off his coat and tossed it to the side of the arena. His right arm gave a light shake, and a weapon shaped like a judge’s brush appeared in his palm.
"Heh heh heh, what, did I shame you into silence? Compared to your subordinates, you’re a lot more tight‑lipped. Oh right, you used to have a good friend named Mu Fanchen, didn’t you? Over on our side he’s been..."
"Seal!"
