The Demon Master's face was shrouded in his black robe; he was clearly satisfied that Lu Fan had taken the bait.
His withered fingers were crossed over his chest, and his hoarse voice rang out, carrying the composure of someone who held victory in his grasp:
"The The name associated with the treasure side will certainly meticulously arrange their battle order."
He pondered slightly, his gaze sweeping over the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm Experts below, whose aura was fierce but not top-tier. A playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth:
"The first battle concerns morale. To ensure stability and intimidate us, they might send out a veteran Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm Expert with decent strength."
"We will assess the situation then. We might as well... 'cede' the match."
"Cede?"
The several Demon Race Great Experts were somewhat surprised.
"Precisely."
The Demon Master's tone was calm, yet it revealed a complete sense of control.
"The opponent is currently a frightened bird. If we crush their first combatant instantly with the momentum of thunder, it would certainly be satisfying, but it would easily scare them off. It might even cause those core Prodigies to feel fear, refuse to fight again, or come up with other tricks. This is not what I desire."
He paused, then explained:
"For the first battle, we only need to send up someone with mediocre strength. They should fight to a standstill, or even... 'regrettably lose' one match, which would be acceptable."
"Regrettably lose?"
A faint light flickered in the eyes of the Demons; they seemed to understand.
"Yes, regrettably lose."
The Demon Master's tone carried a hint of cold mockery.
"Give them a little'sweetness,' let them mistakenly believe they have a chance, mistakenly believe our race is nothing special, thus lowering their guard. Also, let those watching ants feel hope they shouldn't possess. When they send out their core Prodigies, believing victory is assured..."
The Demon Master's voice suddenly turned cold:
"We will then send out our true Powerful Experts and tear apart their cherished 'Genius' one by one on the arena stage, using the most brutal methods!
At that moment, the drop from hope into the abyss of despair will maximize the destruction of their will, causing their Dao Hearts to collapse and making them defeat themselves without a fight!"
"Brilliant!"
"Thinking about it, it is indeed a good plan. We can certainly cede this first battle, lest the opponent forfeits immediately."
...Soon, it was time for the first wager battle to begin.
"Human Emperor Lu, are you ready? Our Demon Race Great Generals are already parched with anticipation."
As the Demon Master's cold words fell.
Outside Shenji City, several streaks of immortal light appeared.
Lu Fan, surrounded by Jiang Linyuan, Ancestor Shenhui, and others, arrived using a Divine Thought Incarnation.
"Human Emperor Lu."
The Demon Master's hoarse voice was the first to sound, clearly reaching the ears of every Cultivator:
"The hour has arrived. Are you... prepared to die?"
The contempt in his words was undisguised.
Lu Fan's expression remained unchanged, and he responded loudly:
"The outcome is only known after the battle. Do you truly think you are guaranteed victory?"
"Oh?"
The Demon Master seemed to chuckle lightly, as if amused by the remark:
"You certainly possess some mettle, but I wonder how long that mettle will last? Is it relying on that old fellow who just Broke Through to Hunyuan, or perhaps the Nine Nether Devouring Phoenix whose strength is less than one-tenth of its peak?"
This was blatant contempt, clearly intended to demoralize the crowd before the fight.
Lu Fan's eyes slightly chilled, but he did not become angry. He merely said calmly:
"I see that you, the famous Demon Master, are only good at running your mouth. Let us meet on the arena stage to see the truth. Any other words are useless."
"Obstinate."
The Demon Master's voice faded, showing no emotion.
"Very well. Since you insist on witnessing despair firsthand, I shall grant your wish."
He paused and said:
"The rules of the wager are: four wins out of seven matches. Both sides send out Cultivators to decide the victor. Life and death are disregarded, and methods are up to individual ability. Are there any questions?"
The rules were extremely simple, which was precisely the Demon Master's intention.
They weren't actually trying to fight the opponent fairly.
"Good."
Lu Fan didn't bother arguing about the specifics; rather, this suited his intentions perfectly. The rules never limited who could fight, how many times they could fight, or restricted cultivation levels... there were far too many loopholes.
Seeing Lu Fan's straightforwardness, the inherently suspicious Demon Master was somewhat shocked.
"Could there be a trick?"
But this was merely an insignificant thought in his mind. The next second, he shook his head, thinking he was overthinking things.
No matter how much strategy was employed, it was useless in the face of absolute strength!
"Since that is the case, I request that the Demon Master and the others recite the oath publicly once more."
Lu Fan said in a deep voice.
The Demon Master seemed to have anticipated this and was not surprised. He said lightly, "Fine."
Having said that, he was the first to recite the previously agreed-upon content in the ancient language of the Demon Race:
"If the The name associated with the treasure side wins according to the agreement, our race shall immediately withdraw our troops and shall not invade the Lingxu Immortal Domain for ten thousand years! Should this be violated, we are willing to suffer the backlash of the Great Dao, and our Dao cultivation shall be permanently sealed!"
Behind him, the auras of several Primordial Chaos Golden Immortal Realm Demon Venerables also fluctuated, faintly echoing his words, counting as a joint oath.
"Commendable courage. Since that is the case, our Demon Race shall send one person up first, to show our sincerity!"
The Demon Master said with a slight smile.
"Oh?"
Lu Fan's eyes flickered; he hadn't expected this move. He thought the opponent still had some scheme planned.
"Begin."
As the Demon Master's voice fell, a figure wearing black armor appeared on the Demon Race side. Its aura was considered robust among Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm Experts, stirring up a circle of black Qi waves.
It was precisely the Demon Race Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm Expert, "Hei Yuan Demon King."
His figure was human-like, incredibly tall, with an ugly face. He held a giant demonic blade, pointed it toward Shenji City, and his voice was coarse:
"Black Abyss of the Demon Race, I have come to receive guidance! Who dares come to die?"
As his voice fell, terrifying Devilish Qi erupted, sweeping out like a tornado. The dreadful demonic might permeated all directions, chilling the souls of beings below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
On the other side.
Han You nodded slightly to the crowd, his figure transforming into a faint, ethereal dark aura. Like a phantom, he silently floated down outside.
His ethereal and profound temperament formed a stark contrast with the ostentatious violence of the Demon General opposite him.
The Hei Yuan Demon King's demonic might was like raging seas and wild waves, and his giant demonic blade was wrapped in foul demonic light that corroded the Divine Soul. Clearly, he was not an easy opponent.
The Demon Race has bizarre beings like the Lord of Nightmares, and also beings like the Hei Yuan Demon King who achieved sainthood through their Physical Body. Essentially, they are not much different from the Immortal Dao.
Seeing Han You appear, the Demon Master was somewhat surprised.
He hadn't expected a Prodigy like this to enter first.
There was little information on Han You, and the Demon Master wasn't very clear about his abilities. He only knew that he was the Junior Brother of Lu Fan, Jiang Hao, and others, and his talent was equally outstanding.
"Black Abyss, this child must not be spared! Go all out!"
The Demon Master transmitted his voice secretly.
"Yes."
The Hei Yuan Demon King replied full of confidence.
"Military Advisor, wait for my triumphant return!"