Chapter 1260: The Final Winner
No sooner had Yongle's voice faded than a pained expression twisted Wen Hexuan's face, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted from his mouth.
He had seized the opportunity to strike at Yongle just now, and to ensure Yongle's elimination from the competition, he had forcefully overdrawn his own body, unleashing two consecutive attacks. Under normal circumstances, these attacks would have been effortless for him, causing no burden whatsoever. But in his current state, these two attacks had nearly finished him off, placing an immense strain on his severely injured body.
After spitting out the mouthful of old blood, Wen Hexuan's vital energy immediately diminished. However, since his objective had been achieved and the threat of Yongle successfully dealt with, he was in quite high spirits. In his view, Yongle was the greatest threat, and with that formidable obstacle removed, the remaining matters would be far simpler. Naturally, his mood couldn't be bad.
"Heh heh, while you've lost your chance this time, it doesn't mean you won't have another opportunity in the future. Your strength is formidable, and with your power, I believe. . ."
Wen Hexuan hadn't even finished speaking when, abruptly, two streaks of black lightning plummeted from above, striking the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan and his two associates!
Although Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had been locked in an inseparable struggle with Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, neither of them had been fighting with their full strength, so the pressure wasn't overwhelming. They had also been constantly monitoring the situation across the entire arena.
When Yongle was jointly knocked off the arena by Wen Hexuan's trio, Yang Haoran had, unbeknownst to anyone, stealthily expanded the dark clouds hovering above their heads.
At that moment, Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, already an arrow at the end of its flight, were struggling significantly to deal with Xu Meijing and Yang Haoran and hadn't noticed this at all. Furthermore, seeing Yongle jointly struck down by Wen Hexuan's trio, a thought blossomed in their minds: today's competition was secured, victory was already theirs. After all, with Yongle eliminated, only Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing remained as opponents. When their five remaining combatants joined forces, it would be impossible for Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing to hold out any longer; their elimination was certain.
It was precisely because this thought had taken root in their minds that they consequently lowered their guard. Thus, they paid no attention to the rapidly expanding dark clouds overhead. They focused solely on Yang Haoran's and Xu Meijing's attacks, and the incessant black lightning descending from the sky!
As for Wen Hexuan, he naturally didn't notice it either. Having successfully eliminated Yongle, he too breathed a sigh of relief. Moreover, forcibly overdrawing his body had only exacerbated his injuries, leaving his mind drowsy and disoriented. How could he possibly pay attention to what was happening above?
Not only did Wen Hexuan and the others caught in the fray fail to notice, but even among the tens of thousands of spectators present, few noticed this detail. The battle between Wen Hexuan and Yongle had reached its most crucial point, capturing everyone's attention. Furthermore, the dark clouds formed by Black Lightning had only expanded slightly, just enough to envelop the two Emissaries of Death, without covering the entire arena. Thus, apart from a very small number of sharp-eyed individuals, no one else perceived anything amiss.
Just moments ago, looking at Yongle, who was outside the arena and already eliminated, the two utterly exhausted Emissaries of Death were filled with joy. When the two black lightning bolts struck, they didn't even grasp what those two booming sounds were before their bodies were hit by the lightning.
The distance between Wen Hexuan and the two Emissaries of Death was not great. When the lightning struck the two Emissaries of Death, Wen Hexuan's body trembled slightly, his joy vanished, and the smile on his face froze. Realizing what had happened, he immediately turned to look at the location of the two Emissaries of Death. At this sight, Wen Hexuan's face instantly turned grim.
Hearing the commotion, Yongle likewise directed his gaze towards the two Emissaries of Death. However, his expression was different from Wen Hexuan's. The scene before him initially startled him, but then a smile involuntarily bloomed on his face.
Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, who had been fiercely battling Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, also realized something was amiss. They swiftly retreated, creating distance from their opponents, then looked towards the location of the two Emissaries of Death.
At this sight, their expressions changed drastically. Their initial reaction was different from Wen Hexuan's—their eyes widened in shock. But then they quickly recovered, and their expressions became just as grim as Wen Hexuan's.
As for the spectators outside the arena, their reactions were almost universally stunned, as none of them had anticipated such a sudden shift in the situation.
Under everyone's gaze, the two Emissaries of Death were enveloped in black lightning currents. Immediately after, their bodies collapsed straight onto the arena floor, blood gushing from their mouths.
The lightning released by Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Black Lightning, was different from lightning produced by ordinary magic. Lightning from ordinary magic primarily targeted the physical body. While the lightning released by Yang Haoran's Soul Armament, Black Lightning, also had some destructive power against the physical body, its greatest harm was inflicted upon the target's spiritual soul.
Therefore, even though these two Emissaries of Death weren't charred to a crisp, the damage they sustained was considerable. Furthermore, they were already severely wounded, and enduring a direct strike from Black Lightning in that state meant that not only their physical bodies but also their spirits couldn't withstand it. Consequently, they were instantly knocked unconscious.
Moreover, given their current state after taking such a blow, recovery would undoubtedly be extremely difficult. Even if their physical bodies healed, their spiritual souls might still require lengthy recuperation, as spiritual soul recovery is more challenging than physical recovery, and elixirs for nourishing the spiritual soul are not as common as those for physical injuries. Thus, once a spiritual soul is damaged, it takes much longer to recover.
Now that they were unconscious, they certainly wouldn't awaken in a short time. And according to the rules of this competition, any participant who fell unconscious, even if still in the arena, would be considered eliminated.
Above the black clouds, Luo Yao looked at the two Emissaries of Death lying unconscious on the arena floor and couldn't help but exclaim "Excellent! " in his heart. His face, which had been gloomy since the start of the day, finally cleared, and he even revealed a faint smile.
Luo Yao's expression changed so drastically naturally because this outcome was precisely what he desired. If it had been Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing who had fallen, his expression would certainly have been entirely different.
Just moments ago, when Wen Hexuan and the two Emissaries of Death were ganging up on Yongle, Luo Yao's face had been incredibly grim. Although his face had been dark ever since he appeared today, it reached its absolute gloomiest when Yongle was being encircled by Wen Hexuan's trio.
The reason his face had been so utterly grim at that moment was his clear understanding that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, today's competition was about to conclude. The two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan's trio would fill the two vacant Guardian positions under him. He didn't believe Yongle could emerge victorious under the combined assault of Wen Hexuan and the two Emissaries of Death, nor did he believe that Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing, after Yongle's elimination, possessed the strength to simultaneously contend with five opponents. Therefore, the two Emissaries of Death from Wen Hexuan's side would become his Guardians.
This might seem like a good thing for him, as the two vacant Guardian positions under him would finally be filled. But anyone with eyes could see that if these two Emissaries of Death became Guardians, it would be anything but good news for him, the recently appointed Jingling Great Emperor whose seat wasn't even warm yet. Because these two Emissaries of Death were Wen Hexuan's people, and once they became Guardians, they would very likely side with Wen Hexuan, not him, the newly appointed Jingling Great Emperor.
Luo Yao, of course, understood this principle. That's why his face had become incredibly grim when he saw Yongle being ganged up on. At that moment, he was even considering how he would deal with the situation if Wen Hexuan's two Emissaries of Death truly succeeded in taking the Guardian positions.
Aside from the hassle of dealing with the aftermath, if Wen Hexuan's subordinates seized the two Guardian positions, it would be a blatant slap in his face right then and there.
Tens of thousands of people were watching his actions today, and most of them clearly understood his intentions: by sending Wen Hexuan's trio into the arena and allowing all other participants to gang up on them, he clearly wanted to humiliate them publicly and make them lose face.
But if the ones who ultimately seized the two Guardian positions turned out to be Wen Hexuan's subordinates, where would he put his face?
At that point, rather than saying Wen Hexuan's subordinate Emissaries of Death won the final victory of this competition, it would be more accurate to say that Wen Hexuan's trio won, and the true loser wasn't the other participants, but he, the newly appointed Jingling Great Emperor!
If it came to that, Luo Yao would have been utterly disgraced, and it would even significantly impact his prestige. And under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he couldn't possibly stop the competition or intervene to continue it. Doing so would not only make him even more shameful but also ruin his reputation. So, even though he knew the worst outcome was imminent, he still endured and neither acted nor spoke.
Facts proved that his estimation was not wrong. Yongle, facing the trio's assault, was defeated not long after. What he never expected, however, was that a turning point would suddenly emerge: Yang Haoran's two sudden black lightning bolts directly knocked Wen Hexuan's two Emissaries of Death unconscious.
Luo Yao, who had been contemplating countermeasures, how could he not be pleased upon seeing this scene? Not only were Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing Emissaries of Death he had personally promoted, they were Luo Yao's people. Even if Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had never been his Emissaries of Death, as long as Wen Hexuan's subordinates were prevented from seizing the Guardian positions, it was cause for joy.
Looking at the two Emissaries of Death lying unconscious in the arena, Luo Yao, in excellent spirits, couldn't help but smile.
Compared to him, the four Guardians sitting behind him showed somewhat different expressions at this moment.
Except for Huo Laoban, the other three Guardians looked on with utter astonishment as the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan collapsed like wooden stakes. They probably hadn't expected the situation to suddenly change so drastically.
Huo Laoban, however, had an awfully grim expression at this moment, far more severe than Luo Yao's when he saw Yongle being ganged up on by Wen Hexuan's trio.
To take down Yang Haoran in this competition, he had expended considerable effort and paid a heavy price. But Yang Haoran's strength exceeded his estimation; he had personally witnessed the Emissaries of Death he had secretly contacted being eliminated one after another. With each elimination, his vexation intensified. When the last one was also sent off the arena, the displeasure in his heart was beyond words, yet he was helpless. No matter how displeased he felt, he could only accept the reality.
It wasn't until only a few people remained in the arena, and Yongle was being ganged up on by Wen Hexuan and his two Emissaries of Death, that Huo Laoban's extremely displeased mood instantly improved considerably, and a hint of anticipation sprouted within him.
Because once Yongle was eliminated, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing would also be eliminated, and the ultimate victors would be Wen Hexuan's two Emissaries of Death.
Although Wen Hexuan's Emissaries of Death becoming Guardians wouldn't benefit him, as he was Luo Yao's subordinate, he had carefully considered the issue. Even if Wen Hexuan's Emissaries of Death became Guardians, Luo Yao, the Great Emperor, would certainly be more anxious than him and would definitely find a way to deal with the matter. There was no need for him to worry; if the sky fell, Luo Yao would be there to hold it up first, and he only needed to cooperate with Luo Yao in handling the situation.
Conversely, if Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing became Guardians, he would have to face them alone. So, after some deliberation, he was no longer as conflicted as he initially was. He would rather Wen Hexuan's Emissaries of Death sit in the Guardian position than see Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing become Guardians.
Thus, when he saw Yongle being ganged up on, his mood instantly brightened, and he harbored anticipation, hoping that Yongle would be eliminated.
At that time, he also didn't pay attention to the battle zone where Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were located. All his attention was drawn to Yongle. When he saw Yongle knocked off the arena, he silently cheered, because at that moment, he felt that Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing's elimination was not far off. With Yongle dealt with, Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing were next!
But to his utter surprise, no sooner had Yongle been knocked off the arena than the two Emissaries of Death under Wen Hexuan were struck down by two suddenly appearing black lightning bolts, instantly dispelling the joy that had just blossomed in his heart!
"Hahahaha, Guardian Wen, although you successfully eliminated me, it seems you couldn't protect these two, could you?"
Yongle chuckled, a brilliant smile once again gracing his face. However, as he spoke, his tone and expression carried no hint of mockery; he was merely stating a fact.
Yongle's laughter caused Wen Hexuan to fully register what was happening. Ignoring the intense weakness that surged from his over-exerted body, he flashed, appearing before one of the Emissaries of Death at his utmost speed.
"Wake up quickly! Hurry and wake up!"
Wen Hexuan poked the Emissary of Death's body with his cane, anxiously shouting, attempting to forcibly rouse the man through this method.
This scene caused dissatisfaction to stir in Luo Yao's heart above the black clouds, as he certainly didn't want to see this Emissary of Death stand up again. Moreover, Wen Hexuan's current actions were somewhat against the rules.
But Wen Hexuan didn't care about that right now. As long as the two could be roused and stand up again, he would find every reason and excuse to ensure the competition continued.
Conversely, if they couldn't be roused, then this competition would be completely over, and he, Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan, would all be losers.
Luo Yao saw that the Emissary of Death Wen Hexuan was trying to rouse showed no reaction whatsoever, and only then did the stone hanging in his heart finally drop. He didn't verbally stop Wen Hexuan; instead, he watched everything with a faint smile, as if wanting to see Wen Hexuan put on a show, or perhaps, to witness his humiliation.
Seeing that the Emissary of Death showed no reaction, and confirming that he was completely unconscious, Wen Hexuan stopped wasting time on him. He hurried to the other man, using the same method to try and wake him up.
But the final result was no different. This man, like the first, showed no reaction whatsoever, remaining motionless like a corpse no matter how Wen Hexuan poked him with his cane.
This person was Wen Hexuan's last hope. If this person also couldn't be roused, then in his eyes, today's winner was neither Yang Haoran nor Xu Meijing, but Luo Yao. And he, along with Long Yan and Ye Xianglan, were the losers—and completely defeated at that.
"Heh heh, Guardian Wen, you don't need to poke him anymore. When the lightning released by my Soul Armament hits a target, the damage it inflicts on the physical body is secondary; the greater damage is to the target's spiritual soul. Now that these two have taken a full hit from my lightning, not only are their physical bodies severely wounded, but their spiritual souls have suffered even greater damage. Don't even think about them waking up now; even if a Pharmacist were to treat them immediately, they wouldn't awaken in a short time. So no matter how you poke them or shout at them now, it won't have any effect."
Yang Haoran looked at Wen Hexuan, speaking with a faint smile. As soon as he spoke, all eyes were drawn to him, including those of Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan.
Everyone else had varied expressions—some surprised, some incredulous, some utterly shocked. But Wen Hexuan, Long Yan, and Ye Xianglan's expressions at this moment were different from theirs. All three of them looked awful, especially Wen Hexuan, whose face was the grimmest of all.
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