Wang Jue was dead, shot through the heart by Xu Mu’s rifle and falling in the Sun Never Sets Plaza.
Their entire engagement hadn't even lasted a minute.
Thus, all the more than three hundred onlookers who had placed bets fell into a deathly silence.
“I told you, it was easy.”
Xu Mu moved his head away from the scope, straightened his neck, no longer maintaining the standard sniper’s stance. He then smiled at Yin Shui'er and gave a thumbs-up.
The girl’s cherry lips parted wide, incredulous.
The opponent she hadn’t been sure of winning against, Xu Mu had finished in the blink of an eye?
“Jue’er!”
From the spectator stands, Wang Hua, with his gaunt face, let out a roar and then rushed out from his spot, arriving before the youth’s pooling blood.
“This… this…”
Blood soaked the man’s shoe soles. Wang Hua’s expression was dazed. He clearly saw the hole in his heart, his pupils contracting violently, then he fell silent. The life-saving pill he was holding was gently crushed in his hand.
It was a Bone Rejuvenation Pill, a treasure he had prepared for Wang Jue in case of emergencies. It could regenerate blood and bone. It was thanks to this pill that Liang Jue had managed to cling to life and return to Luocheng, otherwise, he would have died long ago.
But now, his heart had been pierced through; nothing would help.
“How could this happen!”
“What was that thing in his hand, to possess such immense power!”
At the edge of the plaza, the middle-aged man with a child, an anomaly user, looked at the AWM in Xu Mu’s hand with an exaggerated expression.
Unlike others, whose attention was entirely on Wang Jue, who had summoned giant vines, he had been staring at Xu Mu. This was because his beloved son had bet fifty taels of silver on Xu Mu.
This was his monthly salary.
Even so, he hadn’t expected Xu Mu to win. He just wanted to clearly see how his fifty taels of silver had vanished.
But to everyone’s surprise, Xu Mu had actually won, and had eliminated the opponent instantly, without any hesitation!
“The grade of this artifact must be at least third-tier,” a refining master said with a solemn expression. He had forged countless powerful artifacts, many far more potent than this.
However, most of them lacked long-range attack capabilities. They required anomaly users to inject their own energy and engage in close combat. Take Yin Zhongxiu’s spear for example; he had been one of the refining masters who assisted in its creation.
“Powerful, requiring no energy injection, and instantaneous. An artifact like this is unheard of, even my master couldn't achieve it.”
Another refining master shook his head. If he had known Xu Mu possessed such a powerful artifact, he wouldn’t have bet on Wang Jue. He had lost a thousand gold ingots for nothing, and the pain made him cough.
But if it came to losses, the one feeling the worst at this moment should be Jin Jiao, the head of the Jin Yin Trading Firm, who had set up the odds.
Thus, everyone’s gaze turned towards the lone bald man standing there.
Jin Jiao had been known as the God of Gamblers in Luocheng years ago. With no background, he and his brother Yin Jiao had climbed their way to the positions of the two heads of the Jin Yin Trading Firm through sheer skill, a true rags-to-riches story.
But now, Jin Jiao had lost. And this, at a time when the Jin Yin Trading Firm was already severely weakened, resulted in a loss of hundreds of thousands of gold ingots.
Therefore, no matter how fierce and strong he usually was, his face turned pale, and his body began to shake uncontrollably.
“Big Brother…” Even with mental preparation, Yin Jiao couldn’t quite accept it, but he knew in his heart that Jin Jiao was suffering a thousand times worse than him.
This legend, who had never lost a bet, had now completely lost in front of the anomaly users and powerhouses of more than half the Strange Night Domain.
“A bet is a bet.”
“My quicksand space doesn’t have that much gold for now.” Jin Jiao said after a moment of silence. He piled up all the gold and silver that had been bet by everyone. Then, using his anomaly, he drew a circle in the space and produced a large pile of glittering gold, like a golden mountain.
“This is for Fellow Daoist Yan Yu, Fellow Daoist Yin Shui'er, and this elder.”
“What about Xu Mu’s?” Yin Shui’er asked, startled by the mountain of gold before her.
“His…”
Jin Jiao looked up, the veins on his forehead slowly bulging, his gaze towards Xu Mu filled with undisguised killing intent.
This young man had made him lose face completely and had severely weakened him. The Jin Yin Trading Firm would not recover from this loss for at least three years. If not for Yin Jiao's help, he might even have been overthrown this time. It was all Xu Mu’s fault!
However, Yin Zhongxiu then let out a light cough, his spear in hand, as if issuing a warning.
Jin Jiao’s eye twitched, and he could only retract his gaze, saying through gritted teeth:
“Once I return to the firm and collect it, I will first hand it over to the Demon Slaying Division, and then you can give it to him.”
“It is only right,” Yin Zhongxiu nodded, exchanging glances with Wu Ye and Liang Shanping, then looked at the Tree Dwelling Elder. “The result of this battle is that Xu Mu won, correct?”
Hearing this, everyone turned their gaze back to the old man.
They were all curious. Would this only fourth-tier anomaly user in Luocheng accept this defeat?
“The one who is alive is naturally the victor,” the Tree Dwelling Elder said calmly, meeting Yin Zhongxiu’s gaze.
“However, I believe the method by which Xu Mu achieved victory was not within the rules.”
At these words, everyone’s expression tensed.
It seemed the Tree Dwelling Elder had accepted an unimaginable reward from the Wang family, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so unreasonable.
Yin Zhongxiu sighed inwardly. If he wanted to leave safely today, a battle was inevitable.
“What do you mean ‘not within the rules’? The life-and-death contract explicitly stated there were no restrictions,” Xu Mu pointed to the sky. “All the citizens can see.”
“If you accepted a bribe from the Wang family and wanted to target me, just say it directly, there’s no need to be so indirect. I’ll accept it!”
Xu Mu’s expression was calm as he spoke loudly and sarcastically, each word hitting its mark. He stared fearlessly into the old man's eyes, his demeanor brimming with provocation.
The young man felt no nervousness. Normally, he wouldn’t dare speak to a Lord-level anomaly user like this even with a hundred times the courage. But today was different; he had brought people with him!
Lord level. Nangong Maoguan had only used two fingers to kill that tiger!
…
“I’d like to ask all the refining masters present, have any of you seen the artifact in Xu Mu’s hand before?”
The Tree Dwelling Elder suppressed his anger for the moment and scanned the anomaly users present one by one, his pressure immense.
Those people, not wanting to offend anyone, could only answer truthfully:
“Never seen it.”
“Never.”
“Me neither…”
“Everyone here is a top-tier refining master and anomaly user. Nearly half the experts of the Strange Night Domain are gathered here, yet none of you have seen this artifact. You are merely a Night Watcher who has just awakened his anomaly, how is this possible?”
“Furthermore, has everyone considered why he wasn’t killed when he was framed by Wang Jue, caught in the white mist, and less than a hundred meters from the Lord-level tiger demon?”
His words left Xu Mu bewildered:
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying that only something from the Celestial Book can forge such a miraculous artifact.”
“And that you weren’t killed when caught in the white mist must also be because you have the Celestial Book, and the Celestial Book belongs to Veritaan!”
The elder reasoned with a serious expression, his eyes like a hawk’s:
“Therefore, you are one of the instigators of the Western Mountain chaos! You are Veritaan’s accomplice!”
“Speak! Where is Veritaan!”
The Tree Dwelling Elder stomped his foot fiercely, and his domain spread out, infinitely green and full of energy, engulfing the entire Luocheng plaza.
“That’s quite a hat you’re trying to put on me.”
Xu Mu clicked his tongue. This old guy had no shame in trying to kill him. To come up with such a far-fetched reason, he had really gone to great lengths.
But unfortunately, no matter what reason he used, he wouldn't be able to kill him today.
“Yes, Veritaan’s Celestial Book is on me. So, do you want to try and kill me?”
Xu Mu met Nangong Maoguan’s gaze, then smiled and beckoned the old man with a finger.
“Is he crazy?!”
Everyone exchanged glances. The reason given by the Tree Dwelling Elder was indeed ridiculous, and no one would believe it. Moreover, Yin Zhongxiu was already preparing for a fight.
The man’s spear flashed. He intended to escort Xu Mu away first, covering their retreat, just as he had done that night in the Western Mountains.
But he hadn’t expected that Xu Mu wouldn’t try to run, and was even provoking him?!
“If you think your master hiding in the shadows, or your elders in the Demon Slaying Division can protect your life, then you are gravely mistaken.”
Before the Tree Dwelling Elder, a giant lotus slowly bloomed, more beautiful than before, radiating a heart-stopping fluctuation that made people hold their breath.
The pressure of a Lord-level being was terrifying.
Xu Mu clicked his tongue:
“Don’t you want to know how I managed to escape the Western Mountains that night?”
The Tree Dwelling Elder: “Hmph, as I said, it’s because you colluded with Veritaan!”
Xu Mu wagged his finger: “No, no, no. Even Veritaan is only third-tier. That tiger demon was fourth-tier.”
“What truly allowed me to escape was a bolt of lightning.”
“Lightning?!” Yin Zhongxiu’s eyebrows shot up. That night, the tiger demon’s domain had suddenly disappeared. He had indeed seen two terrifying bolts of lightning, but he hadn’t understood what was happening!
“That lightning was very big and long. It struck and killed that tiger in one go,” Xu Mu said with an exaggerated expression, spreading his arms and waving them, describing it as if acting in a play on Blue Star.
“Lightning that struck down a Lord?!” The Tree Dwelling Elder couldn't help but chuckle. “A joke. If you’re saying this intentionally to stall for time, then you’ve succeeded.”
“If this fairy tale has no sequel, then you die now!”
Saying this, the elder slightly bent his index finger, and his domain shifted. Thousand upon thousand of lotuses seemed to sprout simultaneously from all parts of space, emitting incredibly terrifying anomaly fluctuations. Ordinary citizens, having never seen such a scene, frantically fled.
And not just them; even the anomaly users retreated further and further, fearing being caught in the crossfire of this battle.
But some did not leave. Yin Zhongxiu, for instance, gripped his spear with a look of facing death.
Ji Chang also stood his ground, his gaze fixed on an old man.
— Not the Tree Dwelling Elder.
But Xu Mu shrugged indifferently, a mysterious smile on his face:
“It might not be me who dies.”
The Tree Dwelling Elder’s eyes narrowed, and he stopped the movement of his fingertip.
Because he felt a cold yet powerful hand grip his arm.
He turned his head, looking at the old man beside him, his eyes vacant.
Who is this?
“The lightning… might be right in front of you!”