194: Twenty-nine Grandmasters are fighting, and the Imperial Edict has arrived!

“Shut up, you useless thing! Do you think everyone in the VIP section and the tens of thousands of spectators are blind? You’re making a fool of yourself. Get him out of here!” Zhang Qingshan’s face instantly turned ashen. How could his Huangquan Pavilion have taken in such a worthless fool?

Shui Zhan’s words undoubtedly offended everyone present, especially those in the VIP section, and might even incur Chu Jiang’s displeasure.

Although Huangquan Pavilion had Golden Core Realm experts, it was not advisable to forge enmity with another Golden Core Realm expert.

Shui Zhan, already severely injured, was struck by Zhang Qingshan’s slap like a kite with a broken string, directly knocked unconscious.

He was carried away by the Disciples of Huangquan Pavilion.

“Please excuse us!” Zhang Qingshan said with an embarrassed expression.

He specifically observed Chu Jiang’s expression.

Upon seeing his expression return to normal, he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. Unless absolutely necessary, no one wanted to offend a Golden Core Realm expert.

Despite this small interlude, it did not diminish everyone’s enthusiasm for the Heavens Pride Gathering.

Next.

After a brief rest, Guixu Zhenren, standing tall like a sturdy pine tree, once again stood before the stage and declared in a booming voice, “I now announce that the Grandmaster Competition officially begins!”

Twenty-nine Grandmasters, like brilliant stars, officially made their appearance. They were all Grandmasters under forty years old, and all of them came from other provinces.

“The main event is finally here!”

“The Grandmaster battle is about to erupt!”

Especially for the local people of Yunzhou, Grandmasters were the top combat forces of various sects, and they rarely had the opportunity to witness so many Grandmaster experts at once.

Zhao Ritian, with a sneer on his lips, leaped onto the arena like a nimble leopard, looking at the other twenty-eight Grandmasters with disdain.

“What exactly is this Zhao Ritian up to? Is he trying to challenge twenty-eight Grandmasters by himself?!” Wang Chao exclaimed in astonishment.

“That shouldn’t be the case. Those who can come and register are all Genius Grandmasters under forty, and in terms of both Realm and strength, they are among the best.”

“Fighting twenty-eight Genius Grandmasters alone is almost a fantasy,” Fu Yunxuan said softly.

Chu Jiang also turned his gaze to Zhao Ritian. If this guy could really fight twenty-eight Grandmasters alone, he would be famous throughout the entire Western Seven Provinces.

He saw.

Zhao Ritian’s eyes were like torches, staring at the referee team on the arena, and he said loudly, “Seniors, I have a suggestion. This one-on-one duel is too slow and lacks novelty. How about we change the rules and let these twenty-nine Grandmasters engage in a free-for-all? The last person remaining on the arena will be the top of the Heaven's Pride Ranking. What do you think?”

As soon as these words came out, the entire venue was in an uproar.

“This person is quite arrogant!” Chu Jiang said with a faint smile, his expression clearly full of confidence that he could be the one to stand until the end.

Bai Ge lay lazily on Chu Jiang’s shoulder, yawned, and said with a playful smile, “This little brat still has some strength. Just watch the show.”

Ever since he absorbed the resources from the demon lair in Yunzhou, his Cultivation had skyrocketed like a rocket, soaring all the way to Underworld-level Seven Revolutions.

Longteng’s Realm had even Broken through to Underworld-level Nine Revolutions.

The talents of both were extraordinary. With the help of Cultivation resources, their Breakthroughs were unstoppable, with no Bottlenecks to speak of.

Bai Ge shook Longteng, urgently calling out, “Wake up, there’s an exciting show to watch!”

“Bai Ge, I’m not interested in these things. I just want to sleep!” Longteng rolled over, his large eyes, like those of a lazy cat, opened slightly, then quickly closed again.

“Idiot, you’ll become a Sleeping King sooner or later!” Bai Ge said angrily, sighing helplessly.

In the audience.

“This Zhao Ritian, has he gone mad?”

“Twenty-nine Grandmasters fighting at the same time, what an earth-shattering scene that would be! I can’t even imagine it!”

“Zhao Ritian proposing such a rule clearly thinks it benefits him, and he completely disregards the other Prodigies. He’s simply too arrogant!”

And look.

In the eyes of the other Grandmasters, raging anger had already ignited, expressing extreme dissatisfaction with Zhao Ritian’s proposal.

If this matter were proposed by the organizers, it would be understandable, but for a participant to propose it meant that he didn’t put anyone else in his eyes at all. This was a great insult to everyone.

“If you feel you’re not up to it, you can leave on your own. That would save a lot of trouble!”

Zhao Ritian seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire.

The Grandmasters present were all first-rate Geniuses from their respective regions, and many of them were in their twenties. All were full of vigor and how could they endure such a great humiliation?

“Zhao, you dog thief, don’t push your luck!”

“Who do you think you are, daring to speak so wildly in front of us!”

“Afraid? I’ll make sure to beat you to a pulp later!”

One after another, the Prodigies from other provinces were actually looked down upon by a greenhorn who appeared out of nowhere.

A scholar can endure, but there are limits!

“I request to change the rules, start a free-for-all, and decide the winner in one battle!”

“Me too!”

“And I…”

One Prodigy after another spoke, refusing to show weakness in Aura.

“This…”

The Elders of the referee team hesitated. There had never been such a precedent for a competition like this.

Several people looked at Guixu Zhenren.

“Since all the Prodigies have this intention, then let’s go with it!”

Guixu Zhenren agreed to the plan.

“However, stop when enough is enough. Do not cause any fatalities.”

He then added.

After a short while.

Twenty-nine Prodigy Grandmasters ascended the stage simultaneously.

“The Grandmaster Competition officially begins. The last ten people remaining will be the top ten Grandmasters, and then these ten Grandmasters will determine the champion.”

“In this battle, killing is forbidden, and external forces are forbidden, such as one-time large-scale destructive weapons, Medicinal Pills that temporarily enhance strength, etc. Other than that, there are no restrictions on methods.”

“Have you all understood?” Guixu Zhenren’s voice boomed as he narrated the rules.

All the Prodigies nodded in agreement.

“Then, begin!”

Rumble!

Bang bang bang bang bang!

As soon as Guixu Zhenren’s words fell, the twenty-nine Grandmasters collided like wild horses unleashed.

This battle was earth-shattering, with various powerful martial arts dazzling the eyes like blooming fireworks, splendid and captivating.

It made people cheer with excitement.

If this arena had not just been reinforced, it would probably have been shattered by this fierce battle long ago.

Half of the Grandmasters, at the very first moment, swarmed Zhao Ritian like hungry tigers pouncing on their prey.

“Kill!”

“Zhao, you dog thief, die!”

“Today, I’ll make sure to beat you to a pulp, so you can’t act so arrogant anymore!”

Thirteen Grandmasters simultaneously launched a siege against one person. However, the anticipated defeat of Zhao Ritian did not occur.

“Look, that’s Lin Langtian!”

“Zhao Ritian and Lin Langtian have teamed up!”

The people in the audience couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

Lin Langtian and Zhao Ritian were both seeded contestants in the Grandmaster Competition.

Now, they had formed a powerful alliance, and for a time, they actually suppressed the thirteen Grandmasters.

The situation began to shift in an unknown direction.

No wonder Zhao Ritian proposed the idea of a free-for-all. It turned out he had already secretly cooperated with the top Prodigies of the Grandmaster Competition to first eliminate the others.

Then, they would compete for the championship.

Chu Jiang focused on the chaotic battlefield, and one person quickly caught his attention, not Zhao Ritian, nor Lin Langtian.

It was a burly young man, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

He immediately formed a three-person team and called on the other Grandmasters to first deal with the strongest, Lin Langtian and Zhao Ritian, otherwise they would have no chance.

Unfortunately.

Very few people responded.

Everyone was fighting for themselves.

Seeing that his call was ineffective, he became a sneaky player.

Specializing in ambushing people from behind.

He advanced and retreated with precision, striking decisively, and was able to eliminate enemies at crucial moments every time.

“Who is this person?”

Chu Jiang asked.

“My Lord, this person is named Zhao Hu, from Fire Province, and is currently a Loose Cultivator,” Fu Yunxuan said, having already known all the information about the Prodigies on the field.

Chu Jiang nodded slightly.

This person was worth paying attention to.

In just fifteen minutes, the top ten of the Grandmaster Competition had been decided.

On the stage, only two groups of people remained.

Lin Langtian, Zhao Ritian.

Zhao Hu’s three-person team, after several fierce battles, had re-gathered five more people, becoming the largest team present.

Lin Langtian whispered to Zhao Ritian, “Crippled him. He’s ruined my plans repeatedly and even dared to rally the other Grandmasters to oppose us, almost ruining our grand plan.”

Zhao Ritian nodded in agreement.

He didn’t care about a mere Loose Cultivator at all.

The two exchanged glances.

Zhao Ritian was responsible for holding back the other eight Prodigies, while Lin Langtian was responsible for crippling Zhao Hu.

Once Zhao Hu was defeated, the others would surely crumble.

“Zhao Hu, since you’re seeking death, then this Young Lord will grant your wish!”

Lin Langtian said coldly.

Zhao Hu fought him for over a dozen rounds. Although Lin Langtian could suppress him, the opponent was experienced in combat and difficult to defeat quickly.

“Lin Langtian, what are you doing? You can’t even take down a Loose Cultivator!”

Zhao Ritian was furious. What a useless piece of trash.

He was struggling to hold off seven Grandmasters alone.

“Yellow Springs World Destroying Palm!”

“Execute!”

Lin Langtian became ruthless and unleashed his ultimate technique.

There was a loud bang.

Zhao Hu flew backward like a kite with a broken string, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Langtian attacked again, his sinister and terrifying hands, like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey, struck towards Zhao Hu’s heart.

“This Lin Langtian is trying to kill him!”

“Didn’t they say no killing?”

“Not killing, but severely injuring or crippling him doesn’t violate the rules!”

“One can only say this guy is too underhanded.”

“Besides, he comes from a transcendent force, so even if he kills, who would dare to say otherwise?”

Everyone was discussing animatedly.

“I surrender…”

“Too late. How dare you, a mere Loose Cultivator, contend with our great sect? You’re simply overestimating yourself, utterly ridiculous!”

Lin Langtian sneered.

Loose Cultivators should know their place. They’re asking for trouble.

They’re tired of living.

But the next second.

Lin Langtian’s smile instantly froze. He felt as if his entire body was being crushed by a huge mountain, unable to move at all.

And the one who acted was Chu Jiang.

“Thank you for your great kindness, Commander Chu!” Zhao Hu said, tears of gratitude streaming down his face. If Chu Jiang hadn’t intervened in time, he would have already perished in the Yellow Springs.

“Commander Chu, what is the meaning of this? The Heavens Pride Gathering strictly prohibits outside interference!”

“Are you relying on your profound Cultivation to act so recklessly?”

“I advise you not to tarnish the Demon Suppression Division’s reputation!” Lin Langtian’s eyes turned cold, without any fear. Others might fear Chu Jiang, but his Huangquan Pavilion would not.

Chu Jiang was in the Golden Core Realm, but didn’t his Huangquan Pavilion have one too? The reputation of Kui Province’s top force was not just for show!

Zhang Qingshan in the VIP section was speechless. How could the Prodigies of Huangquan Pavilion be more arrogant and reckless than the last, each one more ignorant of their own limitations?

This was Chu Jiang, a living Yama King!

He actually dared to threaten him. Wasn’t this like an old man hanging himself—tired of living?

“Commander Chu…”

Zhang Qingshan was about to open his mouth to explain and apologize.

Suddenly, a vast voice, like a great bell, resounded from the sky, as if the entire world was trembling violently, oppressed by an invisible force.

Immediately after, a black figure stepped through the air. His steps were steady and powerful, each step seemingly capable of shaking the heavens and earth, suppressing the universe.

“Imperial decree—arrives—!”