Chapter 205: Expel All of These Eight Players

Chapter 205: These Eight Contestants, All Expelled

【Ding! Cold Iron Helmet Equipped — Earth God】

【All War Armor Pieces Have Emerged!】

Zhang Yuanqing, rushing toward where the radiant light shot skyward, felt both surprise and disappointment: "The helmet fell into the Earth God's hands."

The surprise came from finally locating Old Man Chao; if he could persuade him to ally, victory would be assured.

The disappointment stemmed from every armor component having an owner — none left for him.

No matter; once allied, an ally's armor is my armor... Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself.

Sun Miaomiao maintained her high-speed movement, asking:

"Can you convince him?"

"Unclear. We're not actually familiar." Zhang Yuanqing answered honestly.

Sun Miaomiao nodded, then added:

"Hey, Primordial Heavenly Venerable, you really won't consider selling me that little spirit servant? I'll trade you a far more precious and powerful one."

"No!"

"Just think about it a little more."

"No negotiation!"

The two, each with their own corpse puppets in tow, rose and fell through the ruins, leaping ceaselessly toward where the radiant light had faded.

...

On the other side, the ancient city's main thoroughfare, Tianxia Guihuo led Yinchi and Qingsongzi toward the helmet's location. Burdened with the heavy breastplate on Yinchi's back, the trio's pace was slow.

Tianxia Guihuo took the lead, calling out loudly:

"Remember, you must bring the Earth God into our camp — only then do we gain bargaining chips with the Primordial Heavenly Venerable."

"What if the Primordial Heavenly Venerable has already allied with the Earth God?" Qingsongzi's breathing remained steady; a long-distance sprint was as simple as eating and drinking to him.

Tianxia Guihuo vaulted over a pile of rubble, saying:

"Then we find a way to strike a deal with the Earth God. With the pressure of Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao joining forces, they have no reason to refuse."

In Tianxia Guihuo's analysis, everyone's scores were now precarious, unable to withstand a report. The optimal solution was to recruit the Earth God, then ally with the Primordial Heavenly Venerable — the supreme strategy.

Promise the Primordial Heavenly Venerable a spot; in exchange, he would use his abundant points to first wear down a wave of Taiyi Sect's Night Roaming Gods. Then they would step in and, in one stroke, eliminate Zhao Chenghuang's trio.

Afterward, they would negotiate how to divide the spots.

Thus the top three would all belong to the Five Elements Alliance, everyone sharing the spoils — how delightful.

But if the Earth God allied with Zhang Yuanqing first, their small team's utility would diminish greatly, yet negotiation would still be possible.

...

When Zhang Yuanqing arrived on scene, the Earth God had not left. Instead, he sat atop a half-collapsed earthen wall, a cigar clamped between his teeth, his heavily wrinkled face wreathed in utter contentment.

Zhang Yuanqing noticed he was wearing a helmet atop his head, similar to those in historical dramas, yet terribly worn.

Zhang Yuanqing stopped several meters away, cutting straight to the chase as he shouted:

"Old man, let's ally. Name your terms!"

In the current situation, the Earth God had limited options for allies: either Zhang Yuanqing's faction, or the All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire faction.

As long as the old man saw Sun Miaomiao had already switched sides, he would definitely choose to join them.

The Earth God didn't agree immediately; sure enough, he looked toward Sun Miaomiao behind Zhang Yuanqing, exclaiming in surprise:

"How is she together with you!"

"She was conquered by my peerless charm; she's one of us now," Zhang Yuanqing said, thumping his chest.

Sun Miaomiao rolled her eyes, gently rubbing Little Doubi's head.

"Then you even have a kid already?" The Earth God chuckled heartily. After pondering for a few seconds, he gave a slight nod:

"An alliance is fine. Win or lose, you have to give me two hundred thousand, and only for this round."

"Deal!"

"Straightforward."

Only then did Zhang Yuanqing lead Sun Miaomiao to the foot of the earthen wall, saying:

"Our plan is to eliminate the All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire group first, then have a final showdown with Zhao City God and Yuan Ting."

The Earth God chewed on his cigar, glanced at Sun Miaomiao, and chuckled:

"Not necessarily them first. Taking out Zhao City God first works too. Once those two from the Taiyi Sect are dealt with, the three from All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire will be turtles in a jar."

The Earth God still doesn't trust Sun Miaomiao enough... Zhang Yuanqing smiled:

"That's what I thought too. Depends on who we run into first."

The Earth God was about to nod when he suddenly tilted his head, saying:

"Someone's coming!"

Zhang Yuanqing and Sun Miaomiao instantly pressed their backs against the wall, concealing their figures, and summoned the Yin Corpse to hide alongside them.

The Earth God unhurriedly turned his gaze. The arrivals were precisely the All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire trio.

Seeing the Earth God look over, All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire halted his steps, holding a narrow, long saber in one hand, raising the other high, and called out:

"Old man, care to talk?"

All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire? What a coincidence... Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice and whispered: "Earth God, stall them. Sun Miaomiao and I will ambush them."

"Talk about what?" The Earth God held the cigar in his mouth, his tone unchanged.

"That... before we talk, could you raise both hands to show you're unarmed?" All-Under-Heaven-Return-to-Fire shouted.

Qing Songzi and Yin Chi behind him immediately raised their hands, showing sincerity.

Do I look like that kind of shameless person? A string of curses stuck in the Earth God's throat, nearly spilling out. Helpless, he raised his hands in compliance, grumbling:

"Sp-spit it out if you've got something to say!"

Tianxia Guihuo said:

"We want to ally with you, to deal with the Night Wanderer of the Taiyi Sect together. Yuan Shi Tianzun is also a target for our recruitment. I believe the members of the Five Elements Alliance should join forces, take down the top three together, and split the profits evenly."

The Earth God pondered for a moment, then said:

"How can I trust you?"

Tianxia Guihuo replied:

"Easy! We can swear an oath right here in front of the elders, the deacons, and our colleagues. We are all prominent figures; if we go back on our word, how will we ever survive in this world afterward?"

The Earth God clamped the cigar in his teeth, feigning deep thought, stalling for time, and said:

"Well then, I have no reason to refuse. Fine, alliance it is. You three, swear the oath."

At this moment, Zhang Yuanqing, who had entered the Night Wander, poked his head out for a glance.

The perspective of the three Tianxia Guihuo was strange; they maintained a forty-five-degree upward gaze, keeping the Earth God's lower body forever out of their field of vision.

The method of suddenly appearing by stripping the Yin Corpse's pants wouldn't work. A normal person instinctively looks when something appears suddenly, but I've used that trick once already. Tianxia Guihuo has suffered for it; he'll definitely be on guard, wary, and won't fall for it so easily...

Shooting directly? Yin Chi has a breastplate for protection, Qingsongzi is a wood demon with regenerative abilities, Tianxia Guihuo has fire resistance, and who knows if they have defensive artifacts...

As thoughts raced through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, he decided to use the most ancient method: a close-quarters ambush.

This way, even if the enemy had defensive capabilities, with his and Sun Miaomiao's combat power, they could quickly subdue them.

The two Night Wanderers circled out from behind the earthen wall, treading lightly, one left, one right, slowly closing in on the three Tianxia Guihuo.

Night Wander could conceal sound and breath, but some things couldn't be hidden—like footprints left on soft ground, or pebbles dislodged while walking...

In this desolate, ruined ancient city, such flaws in the details were most likely to appear.

Ten meters, eight meters, five meters... Zhang Yuanqing walked with extreme caution, not only avoiding sand and pebbles but even stepping around the moss.

Just as he was about to spring forth and kill, Qingsongzi's face suddenly changed, and he shouted urgently:

"Careful, ambush!"

Qingsongzi had been secretly communicating with the surrounding plants, guarding against the Taiyi Sect's Night Wanderer taking advantage of the negotiations to launch a stealth attack.

After all, this was the location where the equipment would spawn. Zhao Chenghuang, Yuan Shi Tianzun, and the others were bound to be rushing over. The probability of all parties meeting here was extremely high.

Sure enough, he soon received feedback from the plants.

Discovered? Zhang Yuanqing's heart tightened. He hesitated no longer, gripping the Bloodthirsty Blade and lunging forward.

Forewarned, Tianxia Guihuo reacted in advance, kicking off with both legs and leaning back in a backward leap.

Zhang Yuanqing's blade stabbed into empty air.

Mid-leap, Tianxia Guihuo's right arm whipped out like a lash, driving the narrow, long saber in a horizontal sweep.

The blade emitted a shrill, tearing sound.

Zhang Yuanqing planted his feet, retracting his blade, the Bloodthirsty Blade rising vertically!

"Ding!"

Two weapons collided; the narrow-mouthed longsword swept across the Bloodthirsty Blade, and Zhang Yuanqing saw sparks burst forth, saw the weapon that had accompanied him for so many days chip a notch.

Supernatural-stage weapons... they can no longer keep pace with my steps... A pang of heartache struck him.

On the other side, the Tone-Deaf Musician lowered his head and blew a mournful, plaintive flute melody.

Soul-piercing sound waves reverberated.

Everyone present clutched their heads, brows furrowed—only the Earth God showed no reaction.

Sun Miaomiao's delicate brows knitted tight; she could no longer maintain Night Roaming, her form manifesting.

As a Level 3, 90% EXP Night Roaming Deity, her spirit body was already incomparably powerful; thus the flute's damage to her was minimal.

"Is it you?"

Tianxia Guihuo gazed at Yuanshi Tianzun and Sun Miaomiao, astonished: "You've allied?!"

Impossible. How could these two ally?

"And me!" The Earth God stomped, cracking the earthen wall, soaring skyward, treating himself like a meteorite crashing toward Tianxia Guihuo.

"Don't come over!"

Tianxia Guihuo pressed down on his belt.

Qingsongzi and the Tone-Deaf Musician, in tacit understanding, pressed down on their belts.

This move constituted three waves of reports.

The Earth God's tiger-descending-the-mountain posture stalled; he forcibly altered his descent trajectory, landing with a boom beside Zhang Yuanqing.

He cursed grumpily:

"Yuanshi Tianzun, you've put us in a passive position—this match is truly miserable to play."

Even as he said this, the old man pressed his belt and gazed skyward at a forty-five-degree angle.

Zhang Yuanqing pressed his belt, gazed skyward at a forty-five-degree angle, and with his peripheral vision swept the three men disdainfully, saying:

"A threat, is it! Come on then—I have more points, who fears whom!"

"Come on!"

"Come on!"

Both sides roared, both "arrogantly" lifting their chins, as if they were facing off with guns drawn, fearless tough guys—not men about to undo their belts.

"How lively!"

At this moment, a cold, icy voice rang out from afar.

The clamoring parties froze, all turning their peripheral gazes.

The arrivals were none other than Yuan Ting and Zhao Chenghuang in black clothes and black trousers, plus two Yin Corpses trailing behind.

Zhao Chenghuang gazed at Sun Miaomiao with deep, profound eyes:

"Why have you allied with the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Sun Miaomiao? Do not forget your station."

"This old woman handles her own affairs—she needs no instruction from you."

Sun Miaomiao glanced down at her little skirt, then silently summoned a Yin Corpse, clamping her hand upon its waistband in a silent threat.

Seeing this, Yuan Ting hastily pressed his own hand to the coat at his Yin Corpse's waist, tilting his head skyward at a forty-five-degree angle.

Zhao Chenghuang knitted his brows tight; resistance churned in his heart, a helpless resignation to drifting with the tide. He too summoned a Yin Corpse, mirroring the gesture, matching the exact angle of skyward gaze.

The three parties fell at once into deadlock.

Such tactics left everyone miserable, yet none could do otherwise—mutual torture, mutual threats.

All of it the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's fault!

...

In the footage, the eight quarterfinalists each clutched their waistbands, heads lifted in "arrogant" disdain. Watching this, the coliseum audience fell silent, the entire arena deathly still.

The elders of the Taiyi Sect and the Five Elements Alliance—some with lips twitching uncontrollably, some faces iron-gray, some with blue veins bulging at their temples.

The greatest scandal in twenty-one years of official history had been born.

These eight within—they must all be severely disciplined, no, expelled outright!

...

The ancient city ruins.

"Done!"

Zhao Chenghuang said coolly: "Since you insist on aiding the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, so be it. How you answer to Elder Sun—that is your own affair."

He turned his head, casting a sidelong, disdainful glance at Qingsongzi and the other two, and said:

"Let us ally. Eliminate them. Of the two slots, I will yield one to you."

Tianxia Guihuo shot a sidelong glare back:

"Why should I trust you."

Zhao Chenghuang's tone remained cold: "Do you have a choice? If, in this situation, you still wish to ally with the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, then pretend I said nothing."

Qingsongzi immediately replied: "Good. We ally!"

Tianxia Guihuo opened his mouth, then cast another sidelong glance at the Primordial Heavenly Venerate's camp, forced to say:

"Then we ally."

Though the alliance was struck, three sides becoming two, still no one moved to attack.

The reason was simple: during a standoff, one can gaze heavenward at forty-five degrees; but in a brawl, who can fight with their chin tilted back?

Should anyone abandon martial virtue, suddenly dropping their trousers mid-fight, the odds of being caught unawares were exceedingly high.

The situation sank into stalemate.

Zhang Yuanqing's thoughts raced, analyzing the point differential between the two sides:

Tianxia Guihuo had only three points; Qingsongzi, Yin Chi, Zhao Chenghuang, and Yuan Ting each had four. Although our side had fewer people, we held the point advantage. The act of dropping one's pants to file a report was mutually assured destruction.

They wouldn't dare engage in a war of attrition with us using such methods. If they wanted to reclaim the advantage and reverse the situation, they had to knock down the score of one of our own.

The thought had barely surfaced when he heard Zhao Chenghuang speak coldly:

"To celebrate the alliance, allow me to present you all with a small gift."

Gazing skyward at a forty-five-degree angle, he declared in a loud voice:

"I, Zhao Chenghuang, hereby file a real-name report against the Earth God for peeping at the Yin Corpse's private parts. Reason: Illegal!"

"I, Zhao Chenghuang, hereby file a real-name report against the Earth God for foul language. Reason: Immoral!"

Beneath the gloomy firmament, the hundred-zhang Heroic Spirit drew a great bow and loosed two arrows at the crowd below.

One arrow struck the Earth God; the other struck Zhao Chenghuang.

The first report stemmed from Yuanshi Tianzun's initial stripping of the Yin Corpse's pants. At the time, Yuanshi Tianzun had deliberately ignored the Earth God, but Zhao Chenghuang had always remembered.

The second report was filed based on Zhao Chenghuang's knowledge of the Earth God's penchant for profanity.

Regrettably, the second report failed.

Hearing the notification tone of being reported, the Earth God cursed, "Old... does this grandpa look that stupid to you?"

He had entered the instance alone, so he had no target for his profanity. Immediately afterward, he witnessed Yuanshi Tianzun's shameless reporting methods firsthand, so the Earth God grew cautious. For several hours of instance time, he stubbornly refused to utter a single curse word.

Zhao Chenghuang said blandly:

"Now you only have four points left, everyone. Later, find a way to report the Earth God out, and victory is ours."

The breach had been opened.

Find a way to report the Earth God. Right, the Earth God just deceived us into an alliance... Tianxia Guihuo pondered for a few seconds, his eyes lighting up, his facial features twisting with excitement as he shouted:

"I, Tianxia Guihuo, hereby file a real-name report against the Earth—"

Disaster!!

The Earth God, Sun Miaomiao, and Yuanshi Tianzun all changed expression.

Zhang Yuanqing recited like a mantra, his speech incredibly fast: "I report Tianxia Guihuo for public urination. Reason: Lack of public morality!"

The Heroic Spirit beneath the vault of heaven immediately loosed an arrow, striking Tianxia Guihuo squarely.

"...Reason: Illeg..." Tianxia Guihuo hadn't finished speaking when he saw the arrow fill his vision, and heard the Spirit Realm notification chime beside his ear:

[Ding! Your points have been cleared to zero. You have been eliminated!]

The next second, Tianxia Guihuo vanished from the instance, vanished from everyone's sight.

Everyone froze, the Earth God included.

Tianxia Guihuo was eliminated?!

He had actually become the first contestant eliminated.

Yin Chi's mouth opened and closed, anxious, angry, and bewildered: "You, your report format was wrong. Why did it succeed?"

Tianxia Guohuo lost because his statement ran too long, allowing Yuanshi Tianzun to file the report a step ahead.

Zhang Yuanqing let out a cold laugh:

"Isn't the report format 'Report Content' and 'Reason for Reporting'? The mission prompt told you that when you entered the instance. The real-name reporting was just me messing around, who told you that was the correct format?"

At the same time, he breathed a sigh of relief. This report's content relied half on luck, half on deduction.

"!!!"

The contestants stared at him with stiff expressions.

Because Yuanshi Tianzun was the first person to develop the reporting method, whatever succeeded for him had to be correct. Driven by this inertia of thought, no one questioned whether the reporting format had issues.

Besides, it didn't matter; as long as the report succeeded, no one would quibble over such an irrelevant detail.

After the shock, the eyes of everyone present lit up with a "shua." Based on Yuanshi Tianzun's report content, they thought of one thing.

From entering the instance this morning until now, from the first stage to the second, over four hours had passed.

Transcendents needed to eat, drink, and relieve themselves. Among these people, someone had definitely used the toilet.

The next second, a cacophony of reports rang out.

"I report Yuanshi Tianzun for public urination. Reason: No public morality."

"I report Zhao Chenghuang for public urination. Reason: No public morality."

"I report Sun Miaomiao for public urination. Reason: No public morality."

"I report..."

The Heroic Spirits in the sky drew their bows continuously, loosing arrow after arrow that rained down upon the crowd.

Among these reports, most failed. Only Qingsongzi's report against the Land God succeeded.

Yuanshi Tianzun's report against Zhao Chenghuang, Yinchi's report against Yuanshi Tianzun, Sun Miaomiao's report against Yinchi, and the Land God's report against Yuan Ting—all failed.

And because Yuan Ting had no reporting target (he didn't need to report), he naturally did not fail.

In an instant, only Qingsongzi and Yuan Ting retained the use of the reporting function; everyone else was sealed.

Regarding points: the Land God had only 1 point left. Yinchi and Zhao Chenghuang had 3. Yuan Ting and Qingsongzi had 4. Sun Miaomiao had 9. Yuanshi Tianzun had thirty.

Yuan Ting said in a deep voice: "The three of them have lost the reporting function. No need to worry about them dropping their pants to report anymore."

The implication was clear: they could start fighting!

Instantly, the scene bristled with killing intent.