Chapter 191: A Joke That Cost a Life
The moment the final barrier surrounding the World Tree Blessing shattered, the atmosphere across the Pacific Ocean changed completely.
Golden light erupted from the colossal tree, ancient branches stretched toward the heavens, and countless streams of spiritual energy flowed through the sky like rivers of liquid sunlight.
Every participant could feel the opportunity hidden beyond those roots and branches. Every genius present knew that a single lucky encounter inside could change their destiny forever.
Yet before anyone could move, before any group could rush toward the opening pathways, an unexpected voice echoed across the gathering.
"Look at him. The famous Tony Clark finally arrived."
The speaker was a young warrior from the Demonic Sea Tribe. He stood proudly among his companions while pointing directly toward Tony. His voice carried far across the ocean thanks to spiritual energy.
For a brief moment, countless eyes shifted toward the Golden Flag Champion.
The sea warrior laughed loudly before continuing. "For days I listened to stories about this fellow. Future patriarch. Golden Flag Champion. Number one genius. The more I listened, the more curious I became. Then I finally saw him with my own eyes and realized something."
Several sea tribe members immediately grinned.
The warrior slapped his thigh and burst into laughter.
"He’s not a genius."
The surrounding sea tribe warriors joined in.
"He’s a businessman."
More laughter erupted.
"I heard he spent the entire tournament collecting favors, bargaining with people, stealing opportunities, and acting shamelessly whenever possible. Forget martial arts. Somebody should open a merchant guild and let him become the chairman."
The crowd reacted immediately.
Many human disciples tried suppressing their laughter.
Several academy participants remembered Tony’s behavior during the tournament and found themselves unable to argue.
Even Kevin Clark almost choked.
The sea warrior noticed the reactions and became increasingly excited.
"Golden Flag Champion? I think we should rename him. Instead of Dragon Genius, let’s call him Black Suitcase Tony."
The nickname exploded through the crowd. Some sea warriors laughed so hard they nearly doubled over.
A few human disciples failed completely and started laughing openly.
Even the bald monk’s shoulders trembled slightly.
The warrior pointed dramatically toward Tony and continued. "Everyone talks about cultivation and strength, but this fellow probably calculates profits before every battle. If the World Tree sold admission tickets, he would’ve bought first place before entering."
This time even more people laughed.
The joke wasn’t particularly clever.
The problem was that it felt believable.
For several seconds, the atmosphere became strangely relaxed despite the tension surrounding the World Tree.
Then the warrior made his mistake.
His grin widened as he looked directly at Tony.
"Tell me, Champion. Did you pay somebody for the Golden Flag too?"
The laughter slowly faded.
Not because the joke wasn’t funny.
Because Tony had finally moved.
Tony slowly reached behind his back and pulled out a black bow. The movement immediately attracted attention from nearby experts.
The sea warrior frowned. "What? You can’t take a joke?"
Tony smiled. "Actually, I enjoyed the joke."
The warrior laughed again. "Then why the bow?"
Tony casually pulled the string and an arrow formed with dark life energy. "Because you made one mistake."
The sea warrior narrowed his eyes. "What mistake?"
Tony’s smile widened slightly. "You forgot my other name... Evil BOY"
The string released... The sound wasn’t loud. Yet every expert present heard it clearly.
’TWANG...’
The arrow disappeared. For a split second, even Da Vinci lost sight of it.
The sea warrior’s instincts exploded with warning. Every hair on his body stood upright as danger flooded his mind. Defensive treasures activated instantly. A blue barrier appeared around him. A water shield emerged. Spiritual armor covered his chest.
It was all meaningless.
The arrow appeared far behind the mocking young man.
The young warrior froze... His laughter vanished... His eyes slowly widened.
Then he looked down. A fist-sized hole had appeared through his chest.
Clean... Perfect hole... One could see the ocean through it.
The arrow had passed directly through his heart before continuing hundreds of meters into the distance.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The warrior opened his mouth as though trying to say something.
Blood flowed instead... His body swayed. Then collapsed into the sea.
Dead.
The laughter disappeared entirely. The ocean became silent. Thousands of eyes turned toward Tony.
Many had witnessed him fight before. Many knew he was strong. Yet watching a genius die so casually created a completely different feeling.
The most terrifying part wasn’t the attack.
It was Tony’s expression afterward.
The young man looked completely calm. As though he had merely swatted away an annoying insect.
Across the sea, murderous intent erupted from the Demonic Sea Tribe.
Several warriors stepped forward immediately. Weapons appeared. Spiritual energy surged. The atmosphere exploded into chaos.
"You dare!"
"Human bastard!"
"Kill him!"
The sea around them started shaking violently.
Human participants instinctively moved as well. Academy disciples stepped forward. Imperial Family experts prepared themselves. Elders from multiple organizations immediately became alert.
The situation threatened to spiral into open warfare.
Then the sky suddenly darkened. A terrifying pressure descended upon the ocean.
The waves flattened instantly. The wind disappeared. Even spiritual energy became sluggish.
Ancestor Long had moved.
The old expert simply waved his hand. A massive wave of energy swept across the battlefield.
Every participant felt as though an invisible mountain had landed on their shoulders.
The strongest young geniuses could barely remain standing. The weaker ones almost collapsed.
Ancestor Long’s voice echoed across the ocean.
"If anyone wishes to start a war before entering the World Tree, I can grant that wish immediately."
The old man’s tone remained calm. That made it even more frightening. No one doubted him... No one questioned him.
The chaos gradually settled. The weapons lowered. The killing intent remained.
Across the sea, Luka stared at the floating corpse of her disciple. Her expression remained terrifyingly calm, yet everyone familiar with her knew that the old woman had become genuinely angry.
Slowly, she turned toward the remaining members of the Demonic Sea Tribe.
Her voice spread throughout the entire battlefield.
"Listen carefully."
The sixty-five remaining participants immediately straightened.
"I don’t care about treasures. I don’t care about inheritances. I don’t care about resources."
Luka pointed toward Tony. "I want him dead."
The sea tribe warriors immediately became excited.
Luka continued. "Inside the World Tree, whoever brings me Tony Clark’s head will become the next Supreme Member of the Demonic Sea Tribe."
Shock spread across the battlefield. Even several elders looked surprised. That reward was enormous.
The position of Supreme Member represented power, influence, resources, and status. It was the dream of every young sea warrior.
Now Luka had placed that dream on Tony’s head.
Immediately, dozens of sea warriors stared at him with burning eyes. To them, Tony no longer looked like a person. He looked like opportunity. A walking promotion... A reward waiting to be claimed.
Yet Tony merely laughed. Then he slowly looked across the sixty-five remaining sea tribe participants.
His gaze moved from one face to another.
"Sixty-six came... One already died."
The atmosphere instantly became colder.
His smile widened. "If the rest decide to follow him, do me a favor... Run together. That way, when I bury all sixty-six of you, at least the skeletons can stay in the same place."
Silence... Absolute silence.
"Is he brave or stupid?!" Lily muttered in shock as she can’t believe Tony threatening the entire sea tribe in front of their strongest ancestor.
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leave some gift’s for this poor-author!
