Chapter 609: Deity Transformation Gambling Match

Chapter 609: The Deity Transformation Wager

Latest quotes updated. First place: Dao Qiankun of Wanfa University, advertising quote 830 spirit coins per match.

Second place: Kuang Tianqing of Tianmo University, advertising quote 750 spirit coins per match.

Third place: Yan Xiang of Youming University, advertising quote 630 spirit coins per match.

On the third day of the tournament, An Zhen, the True Monarch and instructor of the Wanfa University team, gazed at the latest advertising rankings and mused in his heart, "The top three have all seen increases. In particular, after two consecutive days of action, Kuang Tianqing's advertising quote has surged, closing the gap with Dao Qiankun."

An Zhen glanced further down the list. "The top ten are mostly rising. Bai Zhenzhen, having fought alongside Dao Qiankun and achieved a subtle breakthrough in her swordsmanship, has climbed from tenth to ninth."

"From the eleventh place onward, the numbers are more or less declining."

"After all, as the tournament progresses, the traffic is increasingly concentrating at the very top."

He reviewed and analyzed each student, and when his gaze swept over Zhang Yu's name, he noticed the young man had plummeted from thirty-eighth to forty-fifth.

This did not entirely surprise An Zhen.

"After all, aside from the battles on the first day, Zhang Yu has been holed up at the construction site ever since, showing no further dazzling performances, and his followers are dwindling."

"But this is the correct strategy."

"He has already caught Kuang Tianqing's eye. His name must be highlighted with glaring colors and special effects in her gaze by now."

"Stepping outside would be far too dangerous; it is better to hide in the stronghold."

"If he can hide until the very end, until Kuang Tianqing has no chance to strike at him, that in itself would be a kind of victory."

"However..."

Watching the live broadcast before him, An Zhen thought to himself, "Judging by the current development of the situation, I'm afraid he won't be able to hide much longer."

...

High above the Floating Continent.

Inside the Spirit Realm conference room.

The divine lights representing the ten Deity Transformation principals rippled gently.

Throughout the tournament, although the ten Deity Transformation experts could not remain in person to watch the matches, they had each left a strand of divine sense to monitor the ten major leagues, occasionally discussing the situation with other Deity Transformation sovereigns in the conference room.

And every time these sovereigns conversed and exchanged ideas, every time their thoughts and intentions shifted, every time they formed new perspectives on the situation, their mental tendrils extended outward... countless soul cultivators in the Spirit Realm would leave messages, post threads, and manipulate data, triggering wave after wave of public opinion.

Now, with the fierce battles of the first and second days behind them, the battlefield on the third day had grown much quieter. It seemed the students from various schools had gone into hiding, no longer initiating combat lightly.

However, over the past two days, under the leadership of Dao Qiankun, the four-school alliance of Wanfa and others had captured a full twelve prisoners, four more than the four-school alliance of Tianmo and others.

Tianyan, the Divine Sovereign of Wanfa University, could not help but remark, "The transmission of arts by the Eight Great Sovereigns seems to be nothing extraordinary after all."

Zizai, the Divine Sovereign of Tianmo University, replied indifferently, "If it truly is nothing extraordinary, then why is Dao Qiankun avoiding battle?"

Lingxi, the Divine Sovereign of Hehuan University, chuckled lightly. "Tianyan, I cannot pretend not to have heard those words. Are you implying that our Hehuan dual cultivation techniques are inadequate?"

The principal of Tianyao University snorted and said, "Dao Qiankun and Kuang Tianqing are both clearly avoiding a direct clash, intentionally or not. They both wish to conserve their strength so as not to let others reap the rewards."

He sighed, "The human race still lacks the courage we demon descendants possess to fight for survival when pushed to the brink of death."

In an instant, the Deity Transformation principals were stirred, each voicing their opinions from within their divine lights.

Some expressed the superiority of the demon descendants, some affirmed the advancement of the human race, and others spoke of the unity and equality of humans and demons. However, the topic soon shifted back to the arena, with discussions about Dao Qiankun and praises for the four Tianmo schools...

This discussion among the Deity Transformations once again stirred countless ripples in the Spirit Realm, causing wave after wave of shifts in public opinion.

Every Deity Transformation was trying to guide the flow of public opinion for their own benefit.

Yet, regardless of the discourse, Dao Qiankun and Kuang Tianqing, due to their formidable performances, popularity, wealth, and supreme strength, had become the most popular contestants in the ten major leagues, growing ever more dazzling.

And when the live broadcast showed the four Tianmo schools, led by Kuang Tianqing, beginning to gather their forces and converge toward the stronghold of the four Wanfa schools, more and more people realized that a great decisive battle was imminent.

For a moment, the viewership of the ten major leagues' live broadcasts began to soar continuously.

Divine Sovereign Tianyan said, "Old Zizai, how about we make a wager?"

Divine Sovereign Zizai asked, "What do you want to bet on?"

Divine Sovereign Tianyan: "Didn't that student Kuang Tianqing boast before? She said she would definitely capture Zhang Yu within three days. I bet she won't be able to do it."

Divine Sovereign Zizai said indifferently, "It seems you believe those students of Dao Qiankun can protect Zhang Yu."

"Very well, then I bet that Kuang Tianqing will break through the protection of Dao Qiankun and the others, and capture Zhang Yu alive."

"Let's open the betting on the Path to Heaven."

The Path to Heaven, one of the largest gambling platforms on the second layer of Kunxu, advertised itself with slogans like "The foremost shortcut to the immortal path," "The wholesale market for fortuitous encounters," and "The machine that manufactures destiny," claiming that every year, the poor stepped onto the Path to Heaven and, upon sudden wealth, surged forward wildly on their immortal journey.

The next moment, the other sovereigns also joined in, each beginning to place their bets on the Path to Heaven.

Immediately, the news of the ten school sovereigns setting up a wager spread throughout the Spirit Realm, even disseminated through the official channels of each school.

Involving the Ten Great Sovereigns, the Ten Major Leagues, Kuang Tianqing, and Dao Qiankun... any of these were current buzzwords. Once this wager was announced, it immediately sparked a frenzy, drawing countless people to place their bets.

Especially on the Path to Heaven, promoted by the sovereigns, besides the event of Kuang Tianqing capturing Zhang Yu, there were various other gambling options such as school rankings, the number of prisoners captured by each school, and the number of prisoners captured by individuals.

Apart from the gambling events of the ten major leagues, the platform offered thousands of other betting options, ensuring that every client had something to bet on at every moment. And this time, with the traffic driven by the sovereigns, the Path to Heaven attracted a massive influx of funds in an instant.

Tianxing, the Divine Sovereign of Tianjian University, watched this scene in silence, thinking to himself, "They're running the bank again."

Tianxing understood that although Tianyan and Zizai, as the principals of Wanfa and Tianmo universities, had many conflicts of interest,

it did not prevent them from joining forces to run the bank and share the profits whenever necessary.

Tianxing sighed, "A bunch of lower cultivators, burdened with loans, drowning in debt, lacking even the time and energy to follow the ten major leagues from start to finish, able only to steal a few glances... and they still think about participating in the wagers of Deity Transformations?"

"For lower cultivators, gambling is absolutely forbidden."

"But for Deity Transformations, gambling is merely a form of investment."

As he spoke, his voice echoed from the divine light he represented.

"Count me in."

...

At the same time.

On the battlefield of the Floating Continent.

There were six hours left until the end of the first match.

Deep underground in the prison, Zhang Yu slowly spat out the digested materials.

He had been continuously undergoing this process of consuming, excreting, and processing materials for over fifty hours.

"We are leading in the number of captives, and the four Tianmo schools have made no moves yet. The battlefield seems peaceful, and the situation looks favorable, but..."

Zhang Yu knew in his heart that Kuang Tianqing must be preparing something.

Although their contact had been brief, Zhang Yu could sense... she was absolutely not the kind of person who would give up easily.

Just then, Ye Xingli sent a message to Zhang Yu: The four Tianmo schools might launch a general offensive.

Ye Xingli: For the rest of your time, remember to hide carefully. Don't show your face, and don't let Kuang Tianqing target you.

Looking at the messages from Ye Xingli, Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback and asked where she got the information.

It was then that Zhang Yu learned that the vanguard students of Wanfa, Jingang, Xianbing, and Tianjian had held a meeting together, where they shared the latest intelligence and deduced that Kuang Tianqing was gathering her forces to launch a general offensive.

Zhang Yu felt no surprise at being left out of such a meeting, for his presence within the faction was hardly felt these days.

Yet, thanks to Ye Xingli's timely reminder, Zhang Yu's own judgment was firmly confirmed.

"Kuang Tianqing is on her way... I must hasten my preparations for the final matters."

...

Three hours remained until the conclusion of the first match.

To the north of the Myriad Laws Four-School Outpost.

Kuang Tianqing stood upon the empty air, her form concealed beneath a thick canopy of swirling clouds and mist.

Gazing at the colossal fortress kilometers away, her eyes seemed to pierce through layers of barriers, discerning the silhouette of her greatest rival, Dao Qiankun.

Kuang Tianqing spoke in a faint, detached tone, "Dao Qiankun, if it is a melee you desire, then a melee you shall have."

Behind Kuang Tianqing stood three figures, the paramount disciples of the Youming, Baigu, and Hehuan Universities.

Turning her head toward Yan Xiang of Youming University, Kuang Tianqing said, "Begin."

"Send a greeting to Dao Qiankun. Tell him... we have arrived."

As the earth trembled and quaked, countless demonic beasts burrowed their way out of the ground.

The floating continent had been seeded not only with various resources but also with a vast multitude of demonic beasts to form an integral part of its ecosystem.

Yet now, these beasts were a gruesome sight, their flesh rent and mangled, bodies rigid, shrouded in an aura of death, bearing not the slightest semblance of living creatures.

For Yan Xiang of Youming University had transformed them all into corpse fiends—fearless of death, devoid of pain or sensation, stripped of all but the most rudimentary intellect and primal combat instincts.

Clearly, over these past three days, Zhang Yu was not the only one leveraging the arena's resources to grow; others from different academies were also utilizing the environment to temporarily bolster their combat prowess.

A vast, dark tide of corpse fiends burst from the earth, surging directly toward the fortress like an unstoppable flood.

Simultaneously, the myriad fortifications on the fortress's exterior sprang to life, as bolts of thunder and tongues of fire erupted into the sky.

Then, students began to take turns stepping forth, suppressing the charging corpse fiends one by one.

(End of Chapter)