Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 258 - 246: A Round of Climbing (1/3)

Chapter 258: Chapter 246: A Round of Climbing (1/3)

Although the offspring of great families all had substantial allowances, who would ever complain about having too much money?

One by one, everybody placed their bets. Even though they didn’t know Zhou Heng personally, with Zhao Hongcheng by their side, they were not worried about anyone reneging on their debts—after all, the Zhao Family was a great family, and they would never destroy their reputation over a few Spirit Stones.

Zhou Heng accepted all comers. Instead of taking out Spirit Tickets, everyone simply called out a number. With the memories of these high-tier martial artists, everyone would remember clearly, and Zhou Heng wasn’t afraid they would deny their debts if they lost.

Naturally, everyone bet on Ying Chuchen to win; no one was "stupid" enough to think the Little Cute Bear had the slightest chance of winning.

"You stingy guy, I bet on Grey to win, a zillion zillion zillion zillion Spirit Stones!" said Feng Lianqing, not wanting to be outdone as she joined in on the fun.

Zhou Heng’s face darkened. This foodie whose mind was occupied by wealth was actually trying to trick him? They were all friends here! He waved his hand and asked, "Do you have the money?"

"No!" Feng Lianqing shook her head with a troubled frown, but then immediately added, "I’ll bet myself as the stake; I should be worth a hundred million Spirit Stones, right? Hmm, plus Grey, it’s also worth a hundred million, so that makes it a zillion zillion!"

A zillion zillion my foot, what kind of math is that!

Zhou Heng sighed and said, "After we win, we’ll split these bets evenly!"

"Hmph, Grey and I should only split half, you greedy kid!" Feng Lianqing shrewdly retorted.

"Alright, alright, we’ll divide it into three equal parts—one for each person. That should be fair, right?" Zhou Heng shook his head; this Wild Girl really wasn’t easy to fool.

"Fine, since I’m soft-hearted, I’ll let you take advantage of me just this once!" Feng Lianqing spread her hands and made a helpless gesture.

At that moment, Zhou Heng felt an urge to commit murder. Why did he always get angry every time he saw this wild girl?

"I bet ten thousand Spirit Stones on the bear winning!" suddenly proclaimed Bai Feifei. She even took out a Spirit Ticket and with a flick of her right hand sent it shooting towards Zhou Heng like an arrow, a mere piece of paper giving off an overwhelmingly powerful impression.

Zhou Heng casually caught the Spirit Ticket, looking it over to confirm that it was indeed valued at ten thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones. The corners of his mouth slightly curled up in a thoughtful smile.

This little princess from the Bai Family was not simple!

While the others were only thinking about taking advantage, seizing the opportunity to earn some Spirit Stones from the Zhao Family to fatten their wallets, she stood by with a cold eye and made a choice that surprised everyone.

Actually, ten thousand Lower Grade Spirit Stones was a mere trifle for the offspring of great families, but it represented Bai Feifei’s attitude, a choice she made. And, she took the opportunity to test Zhou Heng’s reflexes.

While she didn’t manage to find out exactly how capable Zhou Heng was, she knew he was no common hand, otherwise he’d have been caught off guard by Bai Feifei’s move.

At that moment, people started looking at Zhou Heng with a bit more caution.

But Ying Chuchen merely sneered. What did it matter if Zhou Heng was not weak? The competition at hand was about beast fighting, not humans! His Winged Locust Mantis was a Third Layer Heaven creature, and if he could get some precious materials to cultivate it, it might even break through to the Land Cleaving Realm!

At that point, his Fighting Beast might well dominate everything!

"Let’s fight then!" he couldn’t wait to defeat Zhao Hongcheng and further undermine his rival’s confidence.

"Let the fight begin!" Zhao Hongcheng saw Zhou Heng’s confidence and was ready to go all in. After all, losing a battle doesn’t mean losing spirit—one’s momentum must remain strong.

They submitted their fight request to the Beast Fighting Arena, and after more than half an hour, the Arena informed them that they could start their battle—the Beast Fighting Arena had so many fights that if they were not individuals of high status, they would have had to apply several days in advance.

The two Fighting Beasts entered the arena, and the Little Cute Bear was as naughty as could be, still looking like a little dog with its big eyes and clumsy appearance winning the loving gaze of many women. Even Bai Feifei felt the urge not to let the fight happen, wanting to hug the Little Cute Bear and take it home.

The Winged Locust Mantis also appeared, a Demon Beast similar to a mantis but much larger, measuring two zhang (approximately 6.4 meters) in length with four wings that were just as impressive as forged black iron. The blades of its wings shone with a chilling light.

It held up its two scythe-like forelimbs; each fully extended could reach an attacking distance of about three zhang (approximately 9.6 meters)!

This was utterly terrifying!

Demons Beasts couldn’t use Martial Arts Techniques, so for long-range attacks powered by Spiritual Power, they could only muster a tenth or even a hundredth of their potential power. But the Winged Locust Mantis’s blades could reach as far as three zhang, meaning the area within three zhang of it was its most powerful attacking range!

Moreover, since it could also fly, it was a hunter born for slaughter!

The Little Cute Bear just sat on its butt on the ground, its large eyes projecting an inherently dumb look. It didn’t seem at all like it was here for a beast battle, looking completely like an adoable idiot capable only of looking cute!

"Kill!" Ying Chuchen shouted from the side.

Unlike Demon Beasts, Fighting Beasts could follow their master’s orders, only acting when commanded and stopping when told to do so. Otherwise, anyone could just grab a Demon Beast to fight.

"Squeak!" The Winged Locust Mantis emitted a piercing shriek, its wings batting fiercely as it swooped towards the Little Cute Bear in an attack, its two knife-like limbs dancing and sending countless blades of air slicing through the air along with it.

The two Fighting Beasts were on completely different levels. How could they fight?

The spectators in the stands all showed signs of boredom. If it weren’t for the participation of the Winged Locust Mantis in this battle, they wouldn’t even be interested in glancing at it. Although the reputation of the Flying Feather Mantis was formidable, only a few sparse cheers erupted from the stands, as the one-sided fight failed to excite them.

Blade Swiped!

The Little Cute Bear swung its paw, and during this process, the paw kept enlarging until it became an actual bear paw, grabbing towards the blade.

Thwack!

With a muffled sound, the Little Cute Bear firmly grasped the blades of the Winged Locust Mantis in its huge paws. No matter how much the Winged Locust Mantis struggled, it was like a mantis trying to shake a tree, utterly unable to break free.

At this moment, the interest of all the spectators was suddenly piqued.

What a surprise turnaround!

Unlike humans, apart from Zhou Heng and Feng Lianqing who were aware of Little Cute Bear’s real strength, the others did not know how terrifying this Demon Beast, which seemed as cute as a little dog, could be. The Winged Locust Mantis was a Demon Beast, and Demon Beasts had an innate sensitivity to danger!

The Winged Locust Mantis instinctively trembled, its wings fluttering wildly trying to escape.

Bam!

With a casual flick, the Little Cute Bear slammed the Winged Locust Mantis hard onto the ground, kicking up clouds of dust. But the Little Cute Bear did not stop there; it swung around wildly, treating the Winged Locust Mantis like a punching bag.

"Enough!" Ying Chuchen shouted. If this continued, his Fighting Beast would be killed alive! He had invested almost all his fortune on this Fighting Beast. How could it die like this?

Zhou Heng naturally didn’t bother with him and acted as if he heard nothing, while Zhao Hongcheng’s face was brimming with excitement. Although he had hoped for this result, he truly did not expect it to come true!

"Roar!" The Little Cute Bear let out a soft roar, and with a gentle tug of its paws, the blades of the Winged Locust Mantis immediately snapped, green bodily fluids gushing uncontrollably, causing the Demon Beast to emit a shrill, piercing scream from the pain.

However, this seemed to infuriate the Little Cute Bear, which suddenly grew in size, finally revealing its true form. The terrifying aura of the Mountains and Rivers Realm erupted wildly!

The entire arena went deadly silent in an instant!

Crack!

Grey stomped down, and the Winged Locust Mantis instantly burst apart, scattering limbs and green blood splattered into every corner of the Beast Fighting Arena.

"Roar!" Grey stood on its hind legs, issuing an earth-shattering roar as if declaring to everyone that it was the true king of all, the only supreme ruler!

A complete and utter domination, only that the roles were thoroughly reversed!

After a brief moment of breathlessness, the spectators in the stands erupted into thunderous cheers. They came here and paid to watch beast fights for two reasons: the bets and the thrill of witnessing the bloody scenes of Demon Beasts fighting to the death.

In the private room, Ying Chuchen’s face was deathly pale. This defeat was not just a simple loss of face, but the Winged Locust Mantis was something he’d bought by spending his entire fortune, hoping to make a killing in betting battles. Little did he know, just ten days after getting it, it died!

He glared at Zhao Hongcheng viciously and said, "You killed my Fighting Beast, how will you compensate?"

"Funny, a few days ago when your Fighting Beast killed mine, I didn’t see you offering any compensation?" retorted Zhao Hongcheng with a snort.

"Hmph, can your Fighting Beast compare to mine?" Ying Chuchen showed a dismissive sneer, then his eyes heated up as he pointed towards Grey in the arena, saying, "Give that one to me as compensation!"

"Ying Chuchen, have you no shame?" Zhao Hongcheng immediately stood up angrily. How could this man be so shameless?

"I already requested to stop the fight earlier, but you ignored it, leading to the death of my Fighting Beast!" Ying Chuchen remained unflustered, "According to the rules, that Fighting Beast should be given to me as compensation!"

Bai Feifei and the others didn’t speak up. None of them were qualified to intervene in the conflict between the Zhaos and the Yings, while Bai Feifei was watching Zhou Heng, curious to see how this man, who orchestrated such a scene, would bring it to a conclusion.

"You lowlife, I want to settle this with you—," Zhao Hongcheng was unable to contain his anger, about to drag Ying Chuchen into the arena for a battle, when he was stopped by Zhou Heng.

"Go outside, crawl around the Beast Fighting Arena!" Zhou Heng said indifferently.

"What did you say?" Ying Chuchen’s mouth curled into a dangerous smile.

Neither he nor Zhao Hongcheng had taken that bet seriously—whichever of them lost would at most walk away dejectedly and keep their distance from the other in the future; they would certainly not actually crawl! If they really did so, it would not just be their own faces they’d lose, but they would also disgrace their families!

"Are you deaf?" Zhou Heng’s eyes grew cold.

"People from the Zhao Family are really getting bolder!" Ying Chuchen sneered and suddenly reached out his hand towards Zhou Heng, "Today, I’ll let you learn that there are only three great families in the Imperial Capital; what is the Zhao Family but a pile of shit!"

Thud!

Zhou Heng kicked out, striking Ying Chuchen right in the gut. Ying Chuchen was sent flying, his backside in the air, whoosh, like a shooting star across the sky, instantly reduced to a speck. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)