158: In a game of rules, who is the banker?

Boom—!

World-destroying!

When dozens of terrifying attacks, capable of easily wiping a super city off the map, descended like a doomsday catastrophe meant to judge the entire world, simultaneously striking the black-clothed youth who still stood with his hands behind his back…

The whole world seemed to hold its breath!

The hearts of everyone watching this scene through the live broadcast were in their throats!

What they were about to witness was either the birth of a myth or the downfall of a madman!

However, just a split second before the overwhelming divine light, Sword Qi, lightning, and demonic shadows were about to touch Lin Tian's body…

Lin Tian finally slowly raised his hand.

He didn't form hand Seals, didn't gather power, and didn't even release any earth-shattering Aura.

He merely snapped his fingers lightly at the torrent of attacks in front of him, capable of annihilating everything.

Snap.

A crisp, insignificant sound, as if merely shooing away mosquitoes.

Immediately after, a “miracle” occurred, one that was enough to make all demigod-level powerhouses feel their scalps tingle and completely overturn their worldview!

Dozens of incredibly violent, space-tearing terrifying attacks, upon reaching within ten meters of Lin Tian, solidified simultaneously in mid-air, as if they had crashed into an invisible, absolutely insurmountable Wall of Sighs made of higher-dimensional Law!

Time, at this moment, seemed to be paused!

The dazzling Holy Light still shone, but it could no longer advance an inch.

The sharp Sword Qi was still keen, but it was confined in place, humming mournfully.

The raging lightning still roared, but it was like an insect sealed in amber, unable to move.

The entire martial arts arena fell into an extremely bizarre, surreal, absolute silence!

Everyone seemed to be petrified, staring blankly at the colorful “attack scroll” frozen in mid-air, looking at the youth who still stood before the scroll, calm and composed, his clothes not even fluttering, their brains completely crashed!

“This… what kind of power is this?!”

“Words become Law?! No! This is more terrifying than words becoming Law! This is… this is a Divine-Grade Domain that forcibly overrides one's will above all Law!”

Saint Arthur, the Eastern Goddess, and the others were even more terrified, as if they had seen a ghost. They could clearly feel that the connection between them and those attacks was being forcibly… severed! Erased! by a more Advanced, more overbearing Law power!

Lin Tian looked at the group of Prodigies in front of him, who were already scared witless, and slowly shook his head, his eyes seeming to look at a group of ignorant children wantonly playing on his chessboard.

He spoke indifferently, his voice not loud, but it echoed clearly in everyone’s Soul, like a divine decree.

“Fighting and killing is too ungraceful.”

The moment his words fell, he gently waved his hand.

The torrent of attacks, frozen in mid-air and capable of destroying everything, silently vanished into thin air, like dust gently brushed away by an invisible large hand.

As if it had never appeared.

After effortlessly resolving this concentrated attack in a more imposing and unreasonable manner, Lin Tian forcibly shifted this conflict from “martial combat” back to the “negotiation” level he preferred.

He no longer looked at his “defeated opponents” whose faces were ashen, but instead turned his gaze to the mysterious man still confined in the iron cage, whose eyes were filled with violence and confusion.

Then, he turned his head and, facing the entire venue and the entire world, revealed a smile full of playfulness and control, like a dealer announcing new game rules.

“Want to get him?”

“You can.”

“We’re going to play a game.”

He ignored City Lord City Lord's surprised and confused gaze, took the initiative, directly altered the final rules of this “Martial Arts Assembly,” and announced an ultimate gamble, hosted by him personally!

“He,” Lin Tian pointed at the mysterious man in the iron cage, as if introducing a personal collection, “is my trophy.”

“But I, for one, never like to eat alone. So, I am willing to give you all a chance… to win him.”

He scanned the entire venue, his deep eyes gleaming with a devilish, tempting light.

“The rules are simple.”

“You can challenge three of my ‘proxies’.”

He extended his finger, pointing successively at the three figures behind him, each with a distinct style, but all possessing an equally unfathomable Aura.

“The first is Long Qingtian, my Dragon Family's former First Sequence.”

“The second is Simba, my newly acquired mount.”

“The third…” His finger finally landed on the beautiful figure in a maid outfit, who had kept her head down the entire time, her expression unreadable, “…Qin Yubing, my newly acquired maid.”

“Any of you, as long as you can defeat any one of them, will be qualified to participate in the final struggle for this ‘mysterious man’.”

“But…”

He changed his tone, his voice taking on a cold, ruthless quality, befitting a dealer.

“…There’s no such thing as a free lunch. To sit at the table, you must put up a ‘bet’ commensurate with your status and position!”

“S-rank Cultivation Technique, S-rank weapons, rare Heaven And Earth Treasure, or even… the core interests of your Family! Anything I deem worthy will do.”

“If you win, you have a chance to obtain a descendant of an ancient Divine Beast with infinite potential.”

“If you lose…” He smiled, his grin filled with a capitalist's greed, “…your bet will belong to me.”

These rules were overbearing! Shameless! And full of inequality!

What kind of game was this? This was clearly a banquet set by him, a sure-win gamble!

Saint Arthur and the others' faces were ashen. How could they have ever endured such humiliation? What did he take these top Prodigies for? Gamblers who could be freely bet upon?!

However, they couldn't refuse.

Because beneath Lin Tian’s seemingly “negotiating” tone was an absolute strength they couldn't resist!

And even more so, because the temptation represented by the “mysterious man” in the iron cage was simply… too great!

Finally, after intense internal struggle, Saint Arthur was the first to grit his teeth and step forward!

“Alright! I'll bet!”

He took out an ancient horn from his storage space, radiating a rich Holy Light, as if woven from angel feathers, and said in a deep voice: “This is the Holy Temple’s Legacy artifact, an S+-rank treasure, the [Horn of Paradise]! I will use this as my wager to challenge… Your Excellency Long Qingtian!”

The “proxy” gauntlet officially began!

Long Qingtian slowly walked out and cupped his fist towards Arthur, a gesture of greeting.

Immediately, the great battle erupted!

However, the battle process was far simpler than anyone had imagined.

Long Qingtian held nothing back, aiming to establish his first “pledge of allegiance” before his “new master”! His Heavenly Tribulation Body fully erupted, and purple Divine Thunder descended like heavenly punishment, completely suppressing Arthur's holy, light-filled Holy Light power!

Just ten moves!

Arthur was blasted out of the arena by a heavy punch containing endless tribulation lightning power, and the [Horn of Paradise] in his hand also fell into Long Qingtian's hands.

First round, Lin Tian, wins!

Immediately after, the Eastern Goddess, the Son of Brahma from India, and others, also unwilling to believe, placed heavy bets and stepped onto the stage to challenge.

But their fates were identical to Arthur's.

Facing Long Qingtian, who was now far stronger than before and infinitely close to the demigod level, their so-called “trump cards” seemed so ridiculous, so vulnerable!

Long Qingtian, with one man and one punch, defeated all the so-called Prodigies who came to challenge him! Winning a thoroughly satisfying… great harvest for Lin Tian!

Soon, no one dared to step forward on the stage.

Just when Lin Tian thought this boring “gamble” was about to end…

Thor, the Thunder God of Sacred Mountain, who had been silent, and the Prodigies from the African Beast King Hall, exchanged glances, and finally, together, stepped forward!

They actually chose to… team up!

“We will jointly challenge your second ‘proxy’!” Thor, the Thunder God, rumbled, pointing at the Golden Lion Simba, who was already impatiently waiting, “We refuse to believe that we can’t even defeat your beast!”

“Oh?” Lin Tian’s face showed a more interested smile upon hearing this, “You may.”

Simba roared excitedly; it had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time!

The battle erupted again!

And the result, likewise, was without suspense!

Simba's terrifying Bloodline, belonging to an ancient Divine Beast Crown Prince, was fully displayed at this moment! The phantoms of its nine heads simultaneously unleashed nine distinctly different S-rank Talent Divine Ability, beating Thor, the Thunder God, and the others into a continuous retreat, leaving them with no power to retaliate!

Finally, after paying the heavy price of one death and two severe injuries, this “allied army” composed of top Prodigies from various major forces also declared… a crushing defeat in an even more humiliating manner!

Second round, Lin Tian, wins again!

By now, all male Prodigies who dared and had the strength to challenge had been defeated.

They not only lost the precious treasures they wagered but also lost the last shred of dignity belonging to top Geniuses! Their faces were ashen, and they slumped to the ground, looking at the youth who had been leisurely sipping wine the entire time, their eyes filled only with the deepest… fear and… despair.

Now, on the stage, the only ones still standing and qualified to challenge were the few female Prodigies.

And… that last “proxy,” who, in everyone’s eyes, was the “weakest”—

Qin Yubing.

Just when everyone thought this farce was about to end…

Lin Tian, however, slowly spoke again, uttering a sentence that astonished everyone.

“The game isn’t over yet.”

His gaze fell on the maid beside him, who had kept her head down the entire time, like an invisible person.

“Go,”

he said indifferently.

“Let them see what kind of ‘blessing’ one can receive by being my maid.”