Tang Bai Li

Chapter 22 The Eight Forbidden Zones, Blade Drawn Against Ye!

Ye Que's mind was a bit muddled.

He couldn't understand how his golden beetle had been swatted away with a single claw by the opponent. It was supposed to be his strongest defense, which even demon beasts with true divine beast bloodlines couldn't easily breach. It had once blocked countless terrifying dao techniques for him, so why was it now sent flying by that seemingly ordinary claw?

As Ye Que pondered these questions, he also summoned his natal great demon: a three-eyed golden beast with crystalline, transparent golden fur. Its forehead bore a heavenly eye, a blood-red vertical pupil within, and its four claws resembled dragon's.

Seeing his demon, Ye Que felt his heart settle.

This demon was a treasured acquisition from an elder in his clan, obtained at a great cost. Taming it alone took three years. Its bloodline was noble and immensely powerful; ordinary third-stage great demons were no match for it.

Ye Que believed this would be enough to scare off Qiongqi.

However, he hadn't anticipated that his three-eyed golden beast, possessing divine beast bloodline, would not only fail to intimidate Qiongqi but would instead show greater reverence and fear due to its noble blood.

For the more powerful the demon, the more they understood the disparity in bloodline concentration. Ordinary demons might also feel fear, but they wouldn't know its source, whereas the three-eyed golden beast did.

It knew that Qiongqi's bloodline was far more potent and noble than its own. Most crucially, it knew that Qiongqi was in the fourth realm, an undisputed great demon possessing terrifying Samadhi True Fire that could melt it instantly.

Therefore, facing Qiongqi's claw, it lacked any courage to resist. It merely swiped a claw in return, then was sent flying backward by the immense force emanating from the opponent's claw.

Ye Que stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him, still unable to comprehend what was happening. He himself was then swatted away by Qiongqi's claw.

*Splat!*

Ye Que's body violently slammed against the mine wall, embedding itself within, rendering him immobile. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

...

"Easier to deal with than that toad," Qiongqi transmitted to Xu Mu on the battle platform, licking its claws.

The bloodline of this three-eyed golden beast bore some resemblance to his own, which was why even a third-stage great demon would be suppressed by him into a mere mortal, daring not to resist. If it had been that gray golden toad, it could have endured a few more claws.

"You're the overlord; this is a bit too much bullying," Xu Mu transmitted with a chuckle. He then stood up from the spectator stands and spoke in a calm voice:

"You don't seem to be as strong as you claimed."

Xu Mu's voice echoed throughout the beast mine battle arena. Everyone present could clearly hear his words and see what had just transpired, yet they couldn't believe it was real.

"Did I... did I just see wrong?" In the direction of the Lin family, people stared blankly at Qiongqi on the battle platform.

This creature had defeated Ye Que in just three claws, swatting him off the stage?

"Patriarch!" Lin Che's eyes rolled back, and he fainted directly. The members of the Lin family's expressions changed drastically. They rushed forward to support him, pinching his philtrum and forcing medicinal pills down his throat.

Meanwhile, on the Yu family's side, the reactions of many family heads were no better than Lin Che's. Their eyes were a bit glazed over, and Yu Lin was even shedding tears of excitement.

"Miss Le Yao, you don't have to get married," Xu Mu said with a faint smile. He then turned to look at Yu Le Yao, feeling a sense of contentment. This way, he felt he had repaid his favor.

"I... don't have to get married." Yu Le Yao stared blankly at the scene before her, swaying, and fell into Xu Mu's embrace.

Xu Mu caught her soft, yielding form, feeling a touch of surprise.

He hadn't actually expected Qiongqi to finish the battle so quickly.

After all, Ye Que was a top young genius from the Tianyu Sect, stronger than Yang Xiao and others. He was also formidable when commanding a third-stage demon beast. Logically, he should have lasted a bit longer.

But it was all Qiongqi's monstrous bloodline that was to blame.

Xu Mu shook his head. At this moment, Ye Que, who had been embedded in the mine wall, slowly extricated himself. With a grim expression, he spat out a fragment of internal organ.

"In broad daylight, daring to tamper with a member of my Ye clan, I believe you don't wish to live," Ye Que's eyes were sinister as he asked Xu Mu in a hoarse voice.

"Tamper? I wouldn't dare," Xu Mu replied, shaking his head. "Besides, he doesn't have hands or feet, only claws."

"Heh, playing dumb with me here!"

Ye Que roared, re-entering the battle platform. An extremely potent great demon aura surged from his body, and the three-eyed golden beast behind him also erupted with golden light, roaring in anger.

"That tiger demon is clearly a descendant of a divine beast, and its bloodline is far superior to my three-eyed golden beast. How could it possibly be something you bought for fifty thousand taels of gold!" Ye Que stared at Xu Mu with a cold gaze. "This is clearly a setup you orchestrated to help the Yu family secure the beast mine."

"I, Ye Que, do not acknowledge this defeat!"

At this moment, Lin Che, who had just regained consciousness, heard these words and immediately leaped up, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Our Lin family also does not acknowledge it!"

"No matter how much background and strength you, Xu Mu, possess, how could you have such a powerful natal demon at such a young age? I believe this is clearly a great demon belonging to an elder of your clan, and you are colluding with the Yu family to put on a show!"

"You are mistaken, Lin Che. If my Yu family could control such a powerful great demon, would we still be here fighting you for the beast mine!" Yu Lin roared angrily.

"You cannot, but what about him!" Lin Che sneered, pointing at Xu Mu. "Was this brat really saved by your daughter by chance? Is your daughter truly so lucky that she saves five people at random and they all turn out to be unparalleled geniuses?"

Lin Che roared:

"When did unparalleled geniuses become as common as cabbage!"

"I believe these four people from the Tianxing Sect, along with Xu Mu and this tiger demon, are all part of a scheme set up by your Yu family, targeting my Lin family. And within this scheme, there has been a violation of the rules, and that is this demon!"

Yu Lin's expression was unsightly.

"To find fault where there is none, why worry about lacking a pretext. If you want to know the truth, you can investigate further later. But the current result is clear: your Lin family has lost!"

He paused, then pointed at Ye Que and roared, "Even if you are from the Ye clan, you must acknowledge this outcome, because this is a rule personally set by your Ye clan's rulers!"

"You insolent fool!" From the Lin family's direction, a masked expert's aura surged, and with a raised hand, a terrifying palm strike shot towards Yu Lin. Sensing the oppressive pressure, Yu Lin's face instantly turned ashen.

"When you are in the wrong, you resort to force. As the ruling clan, is the Ye clan also so unreasonable?" From within the Yu family, an ancient voice emerged. He flew into the air, intercepting the palm strike with both his palms, then retreated dozens of steps, landing back on the battle platform with a somewhat grim expression.

"Old Ancestor!" Yu Lin exclaimed, surprised. When had the Old Ancestor arrived? He hadn't even known.

"Elder Di, there's no need for you to act." Ye Que, standing on the battle platform, stopped the elder and then said to Xu Mu, "I, Ye Que, can lose, but I cannot lose so inexplicably."

"Since you cannot prove this is your natal beast, and I cannot prove it is not, then you will come down and fight me yourself."

"If you defeat me, I will admit that I lost just now."

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, you have already lost," Xu Mu said calmly, standing his ground.

"You don't dare to come. You're afraid," Ye Que stated.

"A defeated opponent, what is there to fear?" Xu Mu shook his head slightly and said indifferently, "I truly don't understand where you get your confidence from."

"You were the one who avoided the fight, you were the one who arrogantly demanded we concede, you were the one who looked down on my demon brother. Yet, in the end, you lost, acted unreasonably, and still demanded another fight, stubbornly refusing to change your ways. That person is still you."

Xu Mu looked down from his position, his gaze indifferent:

"So Ye Que, where exactly is your pride?"

"If you fight me again and lose, won't your face hurt?"

Ye Que's expression turned ugly, and he laughed in his anger:

"Hahahahahaha..."

"You glib-tongued brat, after all that talk, you still don't dare to come down and fight me, because you have something to hide!"

"You're afraid I'll see through it, that this demon beast isn't yours at all, and that you have no strength to control it!"

"The one demanding a rematch now isn't me, it's you," Xu Mu said, looking at Ye Que with a calm expression. "If you want to fight me, you can't just come empty-handed."

"You yourself said that not everyone is qualified to challenge you, so naturally, not everyone is qualified to fight me. You need to show some qualification, or rather, sincerity first."

Upon hearing this, veins bulged on Ye Que's forehead. He forcefully suppressed the urge to have Elder Di crush Xu Mu into a meat paste, his face contorted as he spoke, "If you win against me, I will give you this token for the Myriad Races Grand Assembly!"

Xu Mu looked at the token in his hand and shook his head. "Why would you consider this thing a treasure? Do you think I can't obtain it myself?"

"Heh..." Ye Que's mood had reached its breaking point, but he still suppressed all impulses to kill Xu Mu. He took out a rusty iron ruler from his spatial storage bag.

"This ruler is called the Dragon Seeker. It is an essential item for traveling in one of the eight great contaminated lands, 'Alfheim.' Those who possess it have a chance to find the Elven Kingdom with its help."

"I will stake it as a wager. If you win, it will be yours!"

*Boom!*

Ye Que's words caused a massive stir in the arena. Even Elder Di, a peak fourth-stage expert accompanying him and ensuring his safety, couldn't help but cast a greedy glance.

"Alfheim, Dragon Seeker Ruler, the Elven Kingdom, you say?" Xu Mu narrowed his eyes. He had learned some things about Alfheim; it was a boundless desert, similar to the Realm of Whispering Night, one of the eight great contaminated forbidden lands. The Elven Kingdom was said to be a sacred relic buried within Alfheim.

However, no one had ever found the Elven Kingdom. Countless strong individuals had attempted to venture deep into it, only to get lost in the swirling sandstorms and never return.

"If I win, you'll really give it to me?" Xu Mu asked with narrowed eyes. Such a precious item capable of locating a sacred relic; he couldn't believe that Ye Que would be willing to give it to him.

"Whether I give it or not, you'll only know if you win!" Ye Que said with a cold smile, simultaneously putting the Dragon Seeker Ruler back into his spatial storage bag.

Of course, he wouldn't give it. This item didn't belong to him; it belonged to his clan. Under normal circumstances, he would never dare to reveal it publicly, as even as a member of the Ye clan, it would attract danger. But now, he had been enraged to the point of losing his reason by Xu Mu!

"A good item, snatch it!" Qiongqi transmitted excitedly. Xu Mu nodded, then drew his saber, his expression unreadable, and stepped off the battle platform in a single stride!