Chapter 2513: A Reward

Yè Chén stood opposite Sōngshān Shénzi, a significant distance between them.

Every gaze was fixed upon them. The spectators straightened up, their eyes sharp and eager. Originally, the Five Peaks Battle did not include such a confrontation, and Yè Chén, being in the Saint King Realm, was not qualified to step onto the stage. However, because Sōngshān Shénzi had stirred things up, this extra match had been added for him.

"Little Stone's power is obvious to everyone, but I've never seen him use his full strength."

"The one recognized by the Dào Jīng is indeed extraordinary. Defeating Huàshān Shénzi proves how formidable he is. If they genuinely fight, Sōngshān Shénzi might not be his match," someone mused aloud.

"You're mistaken. I know Sōngshān Shénzi well. He wouldn't take a fight he's not prepared for. Challenging someone at a lower level means he must have a sure win."

"Exactly, we share the same view. That fellow might still be hiding some trump cards."

Before the battle even began, discussions erupted from all sides. Over eighty percent of the crowd favored Sōngshān Shénzi, impressed by his confident demeanor, as if he were certain to defeat Yè Chén.

As for Tàiyī and Tàibái, they simply clasped their hands and waited to see Sōngshān Shénzi get hammered. They had witnessed Yè Chén's fight against Huàshān Shénzi and knew just how powerful he was.

Sī Mìng Xīng Jūn couldn't help but smile. Just as Yè Chén had said, he had no idea where Sōngshān Shénzi's confidence came from. The tenth emperor of Great Chǔ's comprehension of the Dao absolutely crushed him.

On the battle stage, Yè Chén had already drawn his iron staff, quietly considering whether to add some stakes to the fight. He couldn't fight for nothing; he needed to gain something from it – this was his usual style.

"How about we add some stakes?" Sōngshān Shénzi said with a sly smile.

Hearing this, Yè Chén was amused. His opponent seemed even more astute about this than he was.

"If I lose, my lifebound weapon is yours."

Sōngshān Shénzi was truly bold, already displaying a golden mace shimmering with divine light. It was forged from special divine iron, humming with power – a true divine weapon.

"What a fine treasure." Yè Chén's eyes lit up as he stroked his chin, ignoring Sōngshān Shénzi and focusing only on his lifebound weapon. If he shattered it and fused it into the Dìnghǎi Shén Zhēn, it would be perfect.

"If I win, your Dào Jīng is mine," Sōngshān Shénzi added.

His words made everyone raise their eyebrows. So, Sōngshān Shénzi had gone through all this just to obtain Yè Chén's Dào Jīng, even risking his own lifebound weapon as a wager.

"Impressive."

Yè Chén laughed, flashing his pearly white teeth. To outsiders, his smile had a certain charm, but to Tàiyī and Tàibái, it looked downright sinister.

"In that case, your Dào Jīng is mine," Sōngshān Shénzi sneered, vanishing like a ghost, his movements elusive and mysterious. Those with lower cultivation couldn't even track him.

Yè Chén moved as well, leaping into the sky.

He was playing weak on purpose, not planning to defeat Sōngshān Shénzi easily. It was rare for him to get on stage, so he wanted to lure in a few more opponents. If he displayed too much power, it would scare off the others.

In situations like this, there was always the trope of pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger. The tenth emperor of Great Chǔ was a master of acting, always ready to trick whomever he could.

Boom!

The moment Yè Chén stepped away, the spot where he had stood was shattered by a palm strike from Sōngshān Shénzi. Had it been an ordinary Saint King, they would have been obliterated, their soul scattered.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Sōngshān Shénzi snorted coldly and charged through the air, thrusting a finger at Yè Chén from afar.

Pfft!

Blood splattered – it was Yè Chén feigning a vulnerability, taking the hit on purpose. This was to prove to everyone that he wasn't that strong and to signal to the other sects' divine children and maidens that he was an easy target. Perhaps they could come win his Dào Jīng as well.

"I overestimated you."

Having landed a solid blow on Yè Chén, Sōngshān Shénzi was full of arrogance, his eyes filled with contempt. He stepped into the vast sky and slammed down a palm, as heavy as a mountain.

"Suppress!"

Sōngshān Shénzi roared, his voice like thunder.

Yè Chén sneered, gripping the Dìnghǎi Shén Zhēn and swinging it upward. It pierced straight through Sōngshān Shénzi's palm, sending blood spraying into the sky, vivid and stark.

"Excellent."

Sōngshān Shénzi's eyes turned ice-cold as his palm wound healed and the blood reversed flow. Then, he summoned a sea of thunder that swept in to engulf everything, carrying the power of obliteration as it drowned Yè Chén.

Roar!

A mighty dragon's roar followed, and Yè Chén burst out like a soaring flood dragon. Before he could fully transform back to human form, Sōngshān Shénzi rushed at him, slashing with a palm blade through the air.

Yè Chén feigned vulnerability again, taking the hit head-on, then countered with a swing of his staff.

Pfft!

More blood flew as Yè Chén's shoulder bone shattered.

But Sōngshān Shénzi wasn't faring much better – he took a direct hit from the staff, sending blood and bone flying.

"Perish!"

Sōngshān Shénzi snarled, his eyes shooting lightning that formed a thunder god sword, aimed straight at the primordial spirit, ignoring the physical body. He believed Yè Chén couldn't block this soul-slaying attack.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated Yè Chén. With one swing, Yè Chén shattered the thunder god sword.

"Seal!"

Sōngshān Shénzi shouted hoarsely, a divine light bursting from his forehead – it was a small pagoda that instantly grew massive, like a towering peak, with embedded divine pearls gleaming.

"Seal Heaven Pagoda?"

Niú Mó Wáng exclaimed in surprise, clearly recognizing the pagoda. It was nurtured by Sōngshān and was a treasure of heaven and earth, innately fused with Dao essence – extremely fierce.

"No wonder he's so confident – they even passed this pagoda to their own divine child," Jiāo Lóng Wáng sighed, glancing at the Sōngshān sect leader, who remained composed.

Buzz!

As they spoke, the Seal Heaven Pagoda descended, swallowing Yè Chén whole.

"Looks like Little Stone is done for."

"The Seal Heaven Pagoda is overwhelmingly powerful. Once you're inside, few at the same level can escape."

"For the Dào Jīng, Sōngshān is throwing all shame aside."

Discussions broke out again, filled with sighs and regrets. No one believed Yè Chén could break free – the pagoda was too formidable, having suppressed countless great powers over endless ages.

Indeed, after Yè Chén was swallowed by the pagoda, there was no response from him.

On the battle stage, only Sōngshān Shénzi stood with a slight smirk, and the Seal Heaven Pagoda loomed like a small mountain, its buzzing roar deafening.

It's in the bag!

The Sōngshān sect leader stroked his beard, standing tall and straight. With the Seal Heaven Pagoda, there was no way his divine child would lose. For the Dào Jīng, they had to play some tricks.

He averted his gaze from the stage and glanced toward the Huàshān side.

Huàshān Zhēnrén remained calm, leisurely sipping his ancient tea. He wasn't worried at all about Yè Chén being suppressed by the pagoda – it was wishful thinking to trap him with that.

Sure enough, before he finished his cup, a massive boom echoed from the pagoda.

Everyone raised their eyebrows and narrowed their eyes. Clearly, Yè Chén hadn't been suppressed and was causing chaos inside the pagoda – the pounding sounds were relentless.

"How is that possible?" The Sōngshān sect leader frowned.

"Seal it for me!"

Sōngshān Shénzi snorted coldly, repeatedly adding seals to the pagoda. Even he was startled – this was the Seal Heaven Pagoda, a divine object nurtured by Sōngshān, innately fused with Dao essence, yet it couldn't contain this new Saint King.

Pound! Pound! Pound!

The metallic clashes grew even louder. Without looking, it was obvious Yè Chén was still lively inside, using his iron staff to hammer away at the pagoda.

And that was exactly what was happening. Yè Chén wasn't just hammering – he was tapping. With one hand holding a wine flask and the other the Dìnghǎi Shén Zhēn, he took a sip of wine and gave the pagoda a knock.

What a joke – trying to suppress me with a broken pagoda? Dream on!

He could shatter it with one strike if he wanted, but he held back to avoid revealing his true strength and scaring off the other divine children and maidens.

"Suppress it for me!" Sōngshān Shénzi roared again, casting more forbidden seals.

Pound! Pound! Pound!

All he got in response were those rhythmic pounds, steady and unyielding, no matter how many seals he added. It sounded like funeral bells tolling for him.

Crack!

At some point, a fracturing sound rang out, and a crack appeared on the pagoda. With each pound, more cracks spread, one after another, unstoppable.

In an instant, a tremendous boom shook the sky as the Sōngshān sect's Seal Heaven Pagoda was pierced from the inside by an iron staff, creating a massive hole. Yè Chén leaped out.

To keep up the act, he covered himself in blood to show the world that breaking free had cost him dearly.

"Break for me!"

Yè Chén's cold snort was full of dominance as he swung his staff, shattering the Seal Heaven Pagoda. The fragments that flew out were swallowed by the staff before they even hit the ground.

Pfft!

Sōngshān Shénzi spat blood and was sent flying, his primordial spirit linked to the pagoda. Its destruction backfired on him, causing his body to crack and blood to gush.

Yè Chén didn't let up, chasing after him.

What followed was a brutal scene. Sōngshān Shénzi, still unsteady, was hammered relentlessly by Yè Chén, strike after strike aimed straight at his head. It left Sōngshān Shénzi's divine sea buzzing, barely able to stand.

"That's intense." Tàiyī grimaced and clicked his tongue.

Yè Chén was using Huàshān Shén Nǚ's body, so from the outside, it looked like a graceful beauty wielding an iron staff to beat someone – quite the sight.

"If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe I could be this fierce." Huàshān Shén Nǚ laughed, happier than ever. She had lost to Sōngshān Shénzi using Yè Chén's body, but now, with Yè Chén using hers, he would turn the tables for Huàshān.

Huàshān Xiānzi laughed too – this was her first real smile since the Five Peaks Battle began. Meanwhile, Huàshān Shénzi beside her looked grim, grinding his teeth.

Huàshān Zhēnrén chuckled and set down his teacup, glancing toward the Sōngshān side.

The Sōngshān sect leader's face was a mask of embarrassment, his mouth twitching wildly. The Seal Heaven Pagoda had been destroyed, and his divine child was being pulverized by Yè Chén.

This was beyond his expectations – that Little Stone was truly a monster!

"Beat him! Beat him to death!"

The bloody spectacle drew shouts of encouragement, with Héngshān Shén Nǚ's voice the loudest and most piercing. She had completely abandoned any poise – she was a vengeful one, still fuming from being called a wretch by Sōngshān Shénzi earlier.

"Beat him! Beat him to death!"

Even louder was Héngshān Shén Nǚ's lover, some other sect's divine child, absolutely thrilled. If not for the barrier, he'd have rushed in to kick Sōngshān Shénzi a few times. How dare you call my wife a wretch – you deserve to be beaten to death for your foul mouth.

"Beat him! Beat him to death!"

The hecklers joined in waves, their insults crashing like ocean tides.

Most were from sects opposed to Sōngshān, all jumping in now – from elders to divine children, shouting louder than the next, just to rub it in Sōngshān's face.