Chapter 1483: Dead End

He Lingchuan sized up Ding Qingshan from head to toe and smiled. "Alright, let's sign a death pact then. If my guard accidentally kills the Supervisor's subordinate, it wouldn't be right without a liability waiver."

It was standard procedure for opponents in a death match to first sign a death pact, indicating they accepted full responsibility for life and death.

He Yang chuckled, "Island Master He seems very confident."

"Paper and pen," He Lingchuan gestured to a palace attendant nearby, then turned to He Yang. "With so many people behind you, I'll need to sign a few more death pacts to buy some time."

He spoke so directly that the officials exchanged glances, all sensing the determined look in He Yang's eyes.

The Supervisor of Qingyang had brought over twenty Green Guards today, all of them formidable. Even if Wanqifong fought and defeated Ding Qingshan on He Lingchuan's behalf, a series of continuous challenges would likely follow.

The King of Yao's birthday celebration usually lasted three or four hours, but only two had passed. The opponent still had plenty of time to cause trouble.

The Supervisor of Qingyang had been patient in the early stages, even ignoring the deafening construction noise of the Secluded Lake Villa right in front of her. It turned out she had decided to eliminate this troublemaker today.

Qingyang had indeed given He Lingchuan one last chance. Since he had rejected He Yang's suggestion to flee, Qingyang now wanted his life!

She intended to openly kill this audacious young man who dared to oppose her, right under the nose of the King of Yao and the assembled officials!

At that moment, everyone silently thought, "It's here."

The Supervisor's retaliation had arrived.

The officials, well aware of the court's dynamics, understood immediately upon seeing Ding Qingshan challenge He Xiao that this was the Supervisor of Qingyang's move to eliminate an eyesore.

He Xiao had recently gained much prominence, essentially provoking the Supervisor. How could she simply ignore it?

Of course, she had to teach He Xiao a harsh lesson, and ideally, subtly undermine the King of Yao's perception as well.

All the officials waited to see He Lingchuan's ultimate fate.

Although Island Master He had been making waves in Tianshui City recently, his most recognized identity was that of a merchant.

Could a mere merchant, relying on his own martial prowess, defeat a cultivator under the Supervisor of Qingyang?

Fan Shuang also muttered inwardly, thinking that this kind of match was a bit like bullying, which was why He Yang hadn't had the gall to fight himself and instead called Ding Qingshan to stand in?

However, since the Supervisor of Qingyang arrived in Yao, had she done any less bullying?

If He Xiao were beaten to death, it would prove that the Supervisor of Qingyang was still someone not to be trifled with. Who would then be able to, or dare to, take over the construction of the Secluded Lake Villa?

In just these few breaths, a myriad of emotions stirred within everyone, prompting countless thoughts.

Just as Ding Qingshan received paper and pen and was about to write, He Lingchuan suddenly spoke up:

"Wait! I've had another thought—"

He Yang raised an eyebrow. "What, Island Master He, don't you want to fight anymore?"

He Lingchuan chuckled. "Fight? Of course, I'll fight! But my subordinates' lives are also lives. What's the point of having them stand in? Lord He, you don't need to use someone else either. How about we just have a match, you and I?"

He actually directly challenged the head of the Green Guards, astonishing everyone.

He Yang was also slightly taken aback, but these words were exactly what he wanted to hear. He immediately chuckled, "Island Master He's courage is indeed extraordinary. No wonder he has flourished in the Glimmering Gold Plains."

He lowered his gaze and glanced at Qingyang, who remained expressionless, giving him only a cool look.

He Yang understood instantly: the Palace Mistress had said, "Kill without mercy!"

"It's not courage, just a tenacious life that others can never take away," He Lingchuan quipped, standing up to unfasten his cloak. He handed it to Wanqifong and, at the same time, took the paper and pen from him.

Although he was wearing brocade robes for the ceremony today, they were actually lightweight and perfectly suitable for a fight.

He Yang also took the pen from Ding Qingshan.

This was still a death match, just with a change in combatants. So, the death pact still needed to be signed.

Both parties retrieved paper and pen, wrote out the pact stating that they accepted full responsibility for life and death in a royal match, then signed and pressed their thumbprints, and exchanged them.

He Lingchuan received He Yang's death pact, scrutinized it for a moment, and then put it away casually.

Qingyang frowned. It was unusual for someone named He to proactively challenge He Yang.

What was his confidence based on?

Wanqifong whispered, "Master, be careful!"

Qingyang had set a deadly trap for tonight, and He Yang, executing it himself, was clearly well-prepared.

He Lingchuan smiled, then turned and walked towards the martial arena.

He Yang was about to enter the arena, but then saw He Lingchuan stop again. He pulled a stack of silver notes from his robe and handed them to Wanqifong. "Bet on me to win, thirty thousand taels!"

His hearing was sharp; he could already hear quiet wagers being placed around him, betting on who would win between him and He Yang.

Everyone anticipated that this match might not be as thrilling as the duel between Chongwu and Qu Ruhai, but He Xiao was currently the King of Yao's favorite, and He Yang was Qingyang's capable subordinate. Therefore, strictly speaking, this match was a contest between the sovereign and the Supervisor!

How intriguing was that?

Since He Lingchuan was putting in the effort and the work, he intended to personally earn back his appearance fee.

The King of Yao couldn't help but smile; this was truly like reaching into a coffin for money, utterly obsessed with wealth.

He felt he hadn't misjudged He Xiao at all. This young man, though capable, was far too greedy; if he became an official, he would surely be a massive corrupt one.

This time, the odds were not as lopsided as in the previous match; bets on He Yang to win were only slightly higher than those on He Xiao. To be fair, the officials in Tianshui City also didn't have a deep understanding of He Yang's cultivation or combat skills; they only knew him as the head of the Green Guards and a trusted confidant of Qingyang.

He Yang was already standing in the martial arena, growing impatient. "Are you done yet?"

"Does Lord He have some urgent matter to attend to?" He Lingchuan slowly walked into the arena.

The Soul Mirror chuckled, "He's rushing to be reborn!"

The old palace attendant, Qiu Long, stepped forward and loudly announced the rules of the death match:

The battle could only take place within the arena's barrier;

No one else was permitted to interfere, give vocal instructions, or disturb the combatants;

Any death-replacement spells were forbidden.

After speaking, he struck a jade chimes next to him, and the battle officially began.

He Yang revealed his weapon: not a saber, nor the tiger claws he had shown earlier, but a long scythe.

Its handle was seven chi (2.2 meters) long and slightly curved, resembling a gnarled tree branch. The scythe's blade itself was four chi long, shimmering with a faint gray light.

Wanqifong's eyes flickered from outside the arena; none of the intelligence he had gathered mentioned He Yang ever using this weapon.

Knowing how to conceal his true capabilities, this fellow wasn't as straightforward as he appeared.

No sooner had He Lingchuan taken his stance than He Yang swung his long scythe. Before anyone could get a good look, the blade had already slashed past He Lingchuan's waist!

It was important to note that the two were still two zhang apart, not at a close-quarters combat distance at all. How had He Yang attacked his opponent?

Only a few individuals, like Chongwu, noticed that as He Yang infused true energy into the long scythe, a one-and-a-half-zhang illusionary extension "grew" from it, scaled proportionally. Thus, with a mere flick of his wrist, He Yang's effective attack range suddenly extended to two zhang (over six meters)!

An inch longer, an inch stronger. An ordinary person wouldn't even have time to react before being cut in half.

This attack was completely unexpected; no one had anticipated He Yang would go for a killing blow the moment he entered the arena!