Chapter 2421: Victory or Defeat

Han Li and the two had come to participate in this强者之战 (Battle of Champions) at Bi Ying's invitation. Although they found it somewhat strange that Bi Ying had agreed so readily to the opponent's request, they naturally had no objections and stood silently by.

Across from them, the Buddha Bone King's eyes, with their two flickering green flames, glanced at Han Li and the other before likewise falling silent.

Upon hearing Bi Ying agree to the matter, the Wheel King's face showed a slight smile. He lowered his head again to study the chess game before him. After a long moment, he finally made a move on the board.

Seeing this move, Bi Ying's expression immediately hardened. He lowered his head and pondered the chess game.

Witnessing this, Han Li looked towards the chessboard with considerable interest.

However, after carefully calculating a few moves, he shook his head with some astonishment.

Although his own chess skills were quite ordinary, he could tell at a glance that the complexity of the current game was astonishing, far beyond his ability to calculate.

The chess prowess of Bi Ying and the Wheel King was absolutely the strongest he had ever witnessed in his life.

No wonder both of them were so confident in using this chess game to decide the outcome of such an important contest.

As Han Li thought of this, he couldn't help but glance at Wen Xinfeng beside him.

He saw that she too was gazing at the chessboard, her beautiful eyes gleaming, but her eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

Her chess skills also seemed to be extraordinary...

Han Li couldn't help but inwardly smile wryly.

And so, Bi Ying and the other man at the stone table would spend a long time contemplating each move before finally placing a piece.

In the blink of an eye, nearly half an hour passed.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from a distance to one side. The two layers of light screens on the far right mountain peak flickered, then dissipated and vanished. From within, two figures immediately flew out, one chasing the other, shooting towards the central peak where Han Li and the others were located.

"Daoist Lei actually lost," Wen Xinfeng's gaze swept over, clearly seeing the person flying towards them, and her beautiful face couldn't help but slightly change.

Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he also took a look.

The person in front was clad in shimmering silver armor, which had become riddled with holes, and half of his body was a bloody mess. Several strange, ink-black ghost heads were still clinging tightly to the exposed flesh, and his face was unusually pale.

The person chasing closely behind was an exceptionally beautiful and charming young woman.

She appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a purple shimmering robe, but she was surrounded by hundreds of strange ghost heads, creating gusts of陰風 (Yin wind) as she pursued relentlessly.

After a few flashes, the two arrived one after another above the mountain peak where Han Li and the others were. They were momentarily startled to see the situation below with Bi Ying and the others.

However, the silver-armored man immediately reacted and descended without hesitation, while the charming young woman blinked her beautiful eyes before also floating down without delay.

The ghost heads surrounding her blurred for a moment, then vanished into thin air like bubbles.

"Brother Lei, are you alright?" Bi Ying looked up at the silver-armored man and asked slowly.

"Thank you for your concern, Brother Bi. I am fine. It's just that the previous battle probably disappointed you. That woman's divine abilities are truly too strange. Although I gave my all, I was still slightly inferior to her. I had no choice but to break through the light screen and escape," the silver-armored man said with a wry smile.

"It's nothing. Daoist Han and Fairy Wen have already won two matches. Among the Ten Yama Kings of the Underworld, cultivation and divine abilities also vary. I never expected to win all five matches. Brother Lei, healing your injuries is the priority!" Bi Ying said gently, seemingly not too concerned about the silver-armored man's defeat.

"What? Daoist Han and Fairy Wen have already defeated their opponents? This is truly a pleasant surprise. In that case, I can rest assured. I will go recover my energy now." The silver-armored man looked at Han Li and Wen Xinfeng in surprise. He then said no more and sat down cross-legged nearby.

Moments later, a dazzling silver light erupted from his body, and silver electric arcs coiled around him, instantly engulfing his form.

The middle-aged man on the other side seemed to have also exchanged a few words via spiritual transmission with the charming young woman. After learning the general outcome of the previous battle, the smile on his face deepened by two points.

"Wheel King, you've now also won one match. But as previously agreed, both of them must remain on the peak and not interfere with the final struggle." Bi Ying looked at the young woman, then suddenly spoke.

"Rest assured, that's only natural. Oh, I forgot to tell you something. The one fighting on the last mountain peak is the Seven Aperture King. His strength is formidable enough to rank among the top three of our Ten Kings, and his divine abilities are exceptionally domineering. Even I admit to being far inferior. If his opponent loses, it might not be as simple as just defeat; they might even lose their lives." The middle-aged man suddenly smiled and said.

"This Seven Aperture King truly possesses such great divine abilities? Bi is not entirely convinced. Daoist Blood Fiend is also a powerful being ranked among the top ten in our world. Perhaps it will be your companion who is slain instead." Bi Ying's expression changed slightly but immediately returned to normal.

"Is that so? Then let us both wait and see," the Wheel King laughed heartily upon hearing this.

And so, the two continued to focus on the chessboard.

Time passed quickly!

This time, they waited for an entire day and night. The duration was so long that even Han Li couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

But what made him even more speechless was that Bi Ying and the Wheel King's chess game had been going on for so long, yet there was still no sign of it ending.

Now, each move they made took several times longer than before.

Just as Han Li thought this situation would continue for most of another day, Bi Ying, who was holding a chess piece and about to place it on the board, suddenly changed his expression and abruptly looked up towards the last mountain peak.

Han Li's heart stirred, and his divine sense also swept in that direction.

He saw the light screen on the last mountain peak flicker and vanish. From within, a half-human, half-scorpion monster slowly flew out.

The monster's upper half was that of a robust man, while its lower half was a black and red giant scorpion body. In one hand, it held a strange sword emitting ripples of black light, and in the other, it carried a shriveled head, several times smaller than that of a normal person.

The head's eyes were tightly closed, and its face was filled with an expression of disbelief, as if it could not believe it had been utterly defeated and killed until the moment it was severed.

Although the head was as withered as a mummy, Han Li immediately recognized its face as that of "Blood Fiend," who had set out with them earlier.

This renowned powerful figure from the Blood Sky Continent had actually been directly slain in a one-on-one battle with a Ghost King.

Not only Han Li and Bi Ying witnessed this, but Wen Xinfeng and the silver-armored man naturally also clearly saw the head held in the monster's hand, and their expressions immediately became exceptionally grim.

After a few flashes, the monster appeared emotionlessly above their mountain peak, but it paused mid-air, floating, with no intention of descending.

"Heh heh, it seems the Seven Aperture King has won after all. Your companion being able to hold on for so long before being slain by him shows that he was indeed a powerful being," the middle-aged man chuckled upon seeing this scene.

"I also didn't expect Daoist Blood Fiend to actually fall and perish. But the victor of this Battle of Champions does not seem to be your side," Bi Ying said expressionlessly after a moment of contemplation.

"Indeed, even if the Seven Aperture King won, there is no need for this chess game to continue. This Battle of Champions has indeed resulted in two wins and three losses for our Underworld, putting us slightly at a disadvantage." The middle-aged man pushed the chessboard forward, admitting defeat frankly.

"Then, according to our previous agreement..."

Bi Ying's eyes narrowed.

"We will only take forty percent of this minor world's resources; the rest belongs to your side. However, if Daoist Friend is not satisfied with this result, we can certainly engage in another grand battle until one side completely overwhelms the other, to definitively determine the true ownership of this minor world," the Wheel King said with a light chuckle.

"There's no need for that. Our alliance is already satisfied with obtaining sixty percent of this world's resources. However, the loss of Daoist Blood Fiend in this battle seems to be a significant miscalculation." Bi Ying's eyes flickered a few times as he replied faintly.

"When cultivation reaches our level, who doesn't have one or two life-saving trump cards? Since they came to participate in this Battle of Champions, they naturally made all preparations beforehand. Whether they truly perished is another matter entirely," the middle-aged man said with a yawn, appearing completely indifferent to the demise of the Fierce Lord King.

"I hope so. However, it is also a regret that I couldn't truly spar with Daoist Friend this time. I hope there will be another opportunity in the future." Bi Ying's expression relaxed, and he nodded.

"Is that so? This King, however, hopes for a day when I can truly contend with this Daoist Han. Tsk tsk, to be able to directly slay the Fierce Lord King, leaving him no chance to escape, shows that this Daoist Han's divine abilities are probably no less than those of the Seven Aperture King," the middle-aged man said, turning his head to look deeply at Han Li upon hearing this.

"I only succeeded by chance; I cannot bear such high praise from Daoist Friend," Han Li said with a casual laugh, appearing nonchalant.

"Since the outcome is decided, we will take our leave first. We will immediately arrange to hand over the corresponding areas of the minor world." The Wheel King said no more, instead standing up and bidding farewell.

Bi Ying and the others naturally did not try to detain them. They watched as the four Underworld Ghost Kings flew off the mountain peak and headed towards the nearby "White Bone Mountain."

With a "boom," the distant Bone Mountain, after the four Ghost Kings flashed into it, immediately rolled with black qi and flew further away towards the Ghost Domain.

"It seems these Ghost Kings truly intend to keep their word and have no intention of going back on it. This is good. The backup plans Bi prepared won't need to be activated. This battle has already cost us Daoist Blood Fiend. If any other Daoist Friends were to suffer an unforeseen incident, this Battle of Champions would truly be a net loss," Bi Ying sighed deeply, then stood up.

"Brother Bi, did Daoist Blood Fiend really perish? With his world-shaking blood path divine abilities, even if he was no match for the opponent, self-preservation should have been more than sufficient, no? I once heard a rumor that Daoist Blood Fiend seemed to cultivate an extremely terrifying avatar, whose appearance and strength were almost identical to his true body," Wen Xinfeng suddenly asked with a strange expression.