Chapter 2433: Nameless Guest Battles Waning Moon

Novel:

In the Starry Sky Fragment of the Combat Arena, Que Yue entered first.

Lu Ye followed closely, but they were so far apart that they could only vaguely make out each other's presence.

As Lu Ye appeared, the combat tokens of all cultivators in the spectator stands received information from the Combat Arena. This included basic details about the two participants and the betting odds. All bets could be placed through the combat tokens, with settlements and payouts occurring after the results were known.

The constantly changing odds clearly showed that most cultivators were betting on Que Yue. After all, their apparent strength levels were completely mismatched. If it were a regular fight, there might still be some variables, but this was a deathmatch, and killing an opponent three minor cultivation levels above oneself was truly rare.

In a private room, Yuan Xi found Lu Ye increasingly familiar. Her slight tipsiness instantly cleared. She then took out her sound transmission charm and sent a message.

Lian smiled faintly and said, "I advise you to bet on that unknown contender."

Yuan Xi turned, blinking at her. "What have you figured out?"

Lian shook her head. "Old Man Qin always claims to be a man of integrity, so he wouldn't reveal any information about the unknown contender. However, given his personality, he's not one to act without personal gain. It's hard to believe he would organize a deathmatch with no suspense three months in advance."

Yuan Xi understood. "So Arena Master Qin actually favors that unknown contender?"

"Who knows what he's thinking? Or perhaps he intends to do the opposite. Maybe it's just a normal duel between a sixth-level and ninth-level Fusion Dao cultivator. The inner realm is so boring; it's not impossible for him to seek some entertainment."

"That's like saying nothing." Yuan Xi couldn't help but roll her eyes. She checked her sound transmission charm again; receiving no reply, she immediately made a decision. Taking out her combat token, she placed all her few Dao Fish on the unknown contender.

If this unknown contender truly was the person she had in mind, then this battle... would surely be a victory!

After all, she had personally witnessed the unknown contender's magnificent displays of overcoming the strong with weakness and fighting against greater numbers.

"Who did you bet on?" Lian asked.

"Didn't you suggest betting on the unknown contender?" Yuan Xi asked, staring at her in astonishment, then quickly realized, "You didn't *not* bet, did you?"

"I'm still considering..." Lian said, looking quite indecisive.

Yuan Xi urged her, "Fortune favors the bold! What are you still hesitating for? Look at the unknown contender's odds! If you're not confident, just bet a little less; you're rich anyway, you can afford a small loss." By the end, her voice was laced with sarcasm, clearly still annoyed that her friend had refused to lend her money.

"Alright, I'll listen to you!" Lian nodded helplessly.

"It's starting!" Yuan Xi exclaimed, turning her head towards the Combat Arena.

In the Starry Sky Fragment, two figures were rapidly approaching each other.

Lu Ye had seen images of Que Yue many times before. Although he hadn't seen the actual person, now, his appearance seemed no different from what was seen outside, though his expression appeared more ruthless.

Que Yue, on the other hand, only now realized that his opponent was a surprisingly young-looking individual.

After his Phoenix Nirvana, Lu Ye's appearance had become significantly younger. Though there had been changes over the years, they weren't very significant.

This easily gave others a misleading impression of his youthfulness.

Que Yue was inwardly fuming. As a cultivator trained by the Combat Arena, he had a certain reputation in the deathmatch circuit. Being assigned a sixth-level Fusion Dao cultivator as an opponent felt like an insult.

Such an opponent meant a victory would be meaningless.

Yet he couldn't refuse the Combat Arena's arrangements. In fact, for this battle, Gong Mao had even specially provided him with a spirit treasure and invested immense effort and resources to allow him to nurture it to the fifty-five Dao level within just three months.

Now, he felt unbelievably powerful, confident he wouldn't be inferior even against a peak Fusion Dao cultivator. How could he possibly care about a mere sixth-level opponent?

So he decided to quickly end this farce.

As they drew closer, he could clearly see the expression on his opponent's face: an indifference and calmness that showed no regard for him at all.

The suppressed anger in Que Yue's heart instantly ignited. He raised his hand, and with Dao power surging, a ruler's shadow emerged from his Heaven-Measuring Ruler, striking directly towards Lu Ye.

As it descended, the ruler's shadow continuously expanded, seemingly covering the sky and obscuring the earth. Along its path, numerous meteorites shattered.

If it were a normal fight, Lu Ye wouldn't have bothered with this ruler's shadow. As a weapon cultivator, close-quarters combat was paramount. But this time, he had his own purpose for this battle, so he needed to make his opponent realize one crucial thing:

He was very strong! He wasn't a pushover to be easily manipulated. If Que Yue wanted to kill him, he'd better use all his true abilities.

So, almost the instant Que Yue made his move, Lu Ye simultaneously drew his blade. With a light flick, a blade light slashed out, meeting the ruler's shadow.

Unlike the continuously expanding ruler's shadow, the blade light, as it advanced, instead continuously shrank, quickly becoming a single point of light.

Yet, when this seemingly insignificant point of light collided with the gigantic ruler's shadow, it was the shadow that dissipated first. That point of light continued to fly towards Que Yue, skimming past his body and soaring into the depths of the void, flying an unknown distance.

Que Yue raised an eyebrow, and the anger on his face quickly subsided.

Though it was just an exchange of long-range attacks, judging solely by the outcome, he clearly realized that this opponent could not be judged by ordinary standards.

He finally reined in his emotions and truly adopted the posture of facing a powerful enemy.

With this long-range collision, the betting odds for both combatants in all cultivators' combat tokens suddenly underwent a massive change.

During the combat, cultivators could continue to place bets, and the final payout odds would be calculated based on the odds at the time each bet was placed.

Originally, judging solely by the betting results, Lu Ye's chances of winning were minuscule; almost no one favored him. Only a few risk-takers had placed bets on him. But now, the bets on him suddenly increased significantly.

"As expected!" In the private room, Yuan Xi's face showed understanding.

She hadn't been entirely sure if this unknown contender was Lu Ye, but after Lu Ye drew his blade, she confirmed it.

This unknown contender was none other than her City Protector Grand Commander!

She recognized that pitch-black long blade.

"What's wrong?" Lian turned to look at her.

Yuan Xi said, "Sister Lian, if you trust me, bet more on the unknown contender."

"You know him?" Lian asked, a little surprised.

Yuan Xi smiled mysteriously, neither confirming nor denying.

Actually, Yuan Xi didn't need to remind her. Just moments ago, Lian had already increased her stakes, as she had always felt that Old Man Qin organizing this combat wasn't just to pass the time.

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