607: Chapter 18 Gambling Battle

As the heavenly thunder struck, Chonglou keenly sensed a hint of danger and instinctively moved to dodge.

He was a battle maniac, not a masochist; naturally, he wouldn't just stand there waiting to be struck by lightning.

Right then, the ground that had been blasted open suddenly contracted and tightened, trapping Chonglou.

Though Chonglou erupted with mana to shake it off, it was too late.

The heavenly thunder fell, striking him squarely.

That wasn't the end of it. As the thunder dissipated, the Demon Sword arrived, piercing toward Chonglou's chest like a rainbow piercing the sun.

Startled, Chonglou hurriedly pressed his palms together to clamp the Demon Sword. However, it still pierced over half an inch into his body, truly wounding him. Simultaneously, the momentum sent him flying backward horizontally, only stopping after retreating nearly a hundred zhang.

Afterward, Chonglou erupted with power to shake the Demon Sword away.

Following closely, Meng Li saw this, reached out with a beckoning motion, and caught it.

Chonglou looked somewhat disheveled at this moment; not only was his hair frizzed from the lightning, but his clothes were torn and he had wounds on his body—some from the Demon Sword, some from the heavenly thunder.

However, instead of being angry, he was delighted. His eyes were full of excitement and agitation: "Aside from Feipeng, you are the first to successfully wound this venerable one, and the first person capable of making me bleed. This venerable one recognizes your strength; you are qualified to be my opponent."

After speaking, Chonglou circulated his mana, and the wounds on his body healed instantly.

Then, he took a stance: "Again!"

Saying so, Chonglou was about to launch an attack.

Meng Li raised a hand to stop him, saying, "Wait a moment, don't be in such a hurry to fight."

"This is the Human Realm, and your strength is suppressed by the laws of heaven and earth, preventing you from going all out. This is unfair to you. Even if I win, you'll likely feel somewhat indignant. How about we change the way we fight?"

"Change the way we fight? What do you mean?" Chonglou asked.

Meng Li said, "It's simple. Neither of us will use Spells or mana; we'll only compare Moves. How about it?"

"Only compare Moves?" Chonglou was somewhat surprised. After a brief thought, he readily agreed: "Fine."

He was a warrior who liked and excelled in the style of fist-to-flesh, close-quarters combat.

Meng Li's previous mage-like fighting style had actually displeased him. Those Spells didn't cause him much damage, but they were full of tricks, coming one after another. Once hit, he was subjected to a smooth sequence of combos, making it difficult to counter-attack and forcing him to just take the hits, which was truly stifling.

Meng Li's proposal could be said to be perfectly to his liking.

Furthermore, Chonglou's title of "Supreme of the Six Realms, Seeking but a Single Defeat" was earned through combat.

He believed he wouldn't lose to anyone in terms of Moves.

Seeing Chonglou agree, Meng Li added, "A simple duel is a bit boring. Let's add a little Wager."

Add a Wager?

Chonglou frowned slightly but didn't refuse, merely asking, "What Wager?"

Meng Li said, "It's simple. If I win, it proves you still have room for improvement in your Moves, so you'll return to the Demon Realm and practice well. Based on the Demon Realm's time, don't come looking for me or Jing Tian for a fight within one year."

"If I lose, I'll tell you how to turn Jing Tian back into Feipeng, so you can complete that unfinished battle from back then."

"How about it?"

Chonglou pondered for a moment and nodded. "Fine."

"This venerable one never keeps promises to the weak, but you are qualified to be my opponent and can be called a powerhouse. If you can best this venerable one, even if only in Moves, you would be a powerhouse among powerhouses. I am willing to keep my word to you."

"However, the time limit must be changed."

"The time ratio between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm is too great."

"Three days in the Demon Realm is a thousand years in the Human Realm."

"One year in the Demon Realm would be over a hundred thousand years in the Human Realm."

"This venerable one is immortal; time has no negative impact on me."

"You are human. Though you have extraordinary cultivation, you cannot live that long."

Hearing this, Meng Li was a bit surprised.

The reason he used the Demon Realm's time as the standard was precisely because of the massive difference in the flow of time between the two realms.

As for a hundred thousand years, Meng Li didn't dare say he could live that long—after all, the cumulative time he'd lived across several lives didn't even reach a fraction of that number. But he was certain he would likely have left this world by then and wouldn't be pestered by Chonglou.

He hadn't expected Chonglou to actually notice this issue.

When did this battle maniac grow a brain?

Could it be he was tricked by Jing Tian before and learned his lesson?

Seeing Meng Li lost in thought, Chonglou held up one finger and said, "One day! If this venerable one loses the contest, based on the Demon Realm's time, I won't come looking for you or Feipeng for a duel within one day. This venerable one has little patience, but waiting for one day is not a problem."

"In the Human Realm, that would be over three hundred years—enough for your strength to improve, yet not so long that you'd have to undergo Reincarnation again."

Meng Li thought about it and agreed: "Deal."

Even though Chonglou's counter-offer was harsher than a fifty-percent cut, the opponent had the capital to negotiate.

He was immortal. Although he seemed to be suppressed just now, looking disheveled and wounded, he hadn't actually suffered any substantial damage and was fine in an instant. And that was with his strength suppressed while in the Human Realm.

Although Meng Li also held back a lot of strength, he wasn't certain he could finish the other party off once and for all.

Besides, his impression of Chonglou was decent.

With the matter settled, Chonglou made a slight adjustment and flashed in front of Meng Li, swinging the yanbo bloodblade to launch an attack.

Meng Li met him with the Demon Sword in hand.

Blade met sword, and power collided.

After a brief stalemate, both sides retreated several steps.

Chonglou was somewhat surprised by this result.

He and Meng Li had agreed not to use Spells or mana, but the human body is weak while the Demon Body is robust—this is an Innate gap between the human and demon races. This gap manifests in strength, speed, lifespan, and many other aspects, and it is difficult to bridge even with successful Acquired cultivation.

Even if a Mortal achieves the Dao and undergoes Immortal Ascension, gaining longevity, they still cannot compare to his Innate immortality.

The same went for physical strength.

Because of this, Chonglou had worried about an unfair victory and held back a lot of his strength.

But through that brief exchange, he felt that Meng Li's physical strength was also extraordinary.

This made him even more interested, and his Battle Intent surged.

"Again!"

...