Chapter 1472: Small Risk, Big Reward
The moment Yang Haoran uttered those words, Lei Bao and Hou Yu both froze.
"Are you out of your mind? Who do you think you are, to actually challenge both of us at once? What do you take Hou Yu and me for, flimsy mud figures that can't withstand a single blow?"
Lei Bao, having recovered, looked aggrieved. He felt that Yang Haoran was blatantly disrespecting him and Hou Yu, which made him feel an unprecedented insult. Thus, the cold sneer vanished from his face, replaced by a look of fury.
"Is that true?"
Hou Yu also reacted. He didn't provoke Yang Haoran like Lei Bao; he merely questioned him, looking as if he was terrified Yang Haoran might retract his words.
"Heh, it's true."
Yang Haoran chuckled softly, giving a decisive affirmative answer.
Yang Haoran understood Hou Yu's thoughts; he knew what Hou Yu was planning. However, this was precisely what he wanted, so he not only didn't retract his words but gave a decisive affirmative answer, seemingly cutting off his own retreat, but simultaneously cutting off Hou Yu's and Lei Bao's retreat as well.
Having received Yang Haoran's affirmative reply, Hou Yu immediately struck while the iron was hot and continued speaking. Yang Haoran smiled and nodded upon hearing this, then said,
"Of course. I've always been one to keep my promises. Since I've promised, I certainly won't go back on my word."
Once again receiving Yang Haoran's affirmative reply, Hou Yu turned his gaze to Lei Bao and spoke.
"I have no problem. I've decided to take this wager. What about you?"
According to Hou Yu's thoughts, he naturally hoped Lei Bao would agree, because if Lei Bao didn't, the duel couldn't proceed normally. Since he wanted the duel to go smoothly, he naturally didn't want Lei Bao to refuse.
"Hou Yu, this kid is clearly just toying with us. Are you seriously going to believe his nonsense? As soon as we agree, this kid will definitely go back on his word and then thoroughly humiliate us. Don't fall for his trick!"
Lei Bao tried to persuade him, his expression agitated and his face full of anger. It seemed he didn't believe Yang Haoran's promise one bit. Not only did he disbelieve it himself, but he also hoped Hou Yu wouldn't believe Yang Haoran either, to avoid being made a fool of.
"Stop talking nonsense to me. Just tell me if you dare to participate in this duel or not. If you don't dare, just say so; don't make excuses for yourself. As for whether this kid's promise is true or false, I'll discern that myself."
Provoked by Hou Yu, Lei Bao immediately flew into a rage. He no longer cared whether Yang Haoran's promise was true or false and immediately roared at Hou Yu.
"I don't dare? You actually think I, Lei Bao, don't dare? Have all these years of dealing with each other been for nothing? Don't you know what kind of person I, Lei Bao, am? You say I don't dare? This is simply an insult to me! I'll participate, I'll participate! What is there for Lei Bao not to dare!"
With Lei Bao's agreement, the wager naturally became established. The duel area was set up a thousand meters above Half-Moon Island, because the airborne combat area was large enough for both sides to maneuver unhindered, without any restrictions. Furthermore, the height of a thousand meters also had a reason: at such an altitude, even if the two sides fought intensely, it would be difficult to affect Half-Moon Island below. Even if some powerful attacks did reach Half-Moon Island, the extent of the impact should not be too great.
Within a radius of several thousand meters, apart from the three participants in the duel, there were no other people. The others, as spectators or rather, witnesses, stayed far away, not daring to get too close to the battlefield. They were all worried that the intense battle between the two sides might affect them, and it wasn't entirely impossible to lose their lives as a result. So, staying far away had only benefits, no drawbacks.
On the battlefield, the two sides stood suspended in the air, forming a standoff. Yang Haoran smiled, looking calm and unconcerned. Hou Yu's expression was serious, his brows furrowed. Lei Bao, on the other hand, looked grim-faced and furious.
"You brat, arrogance needs backing. Since you're so arrogant, let this old man see what you're truly capable of!"
Lei Bao spoke first. As he uttered these words, his body immediately began to change, rapidly expanding and twisting. Soon, his human form disappeared, and he reverted to his true Leopard Head Sea Demon Saint appearance. His massive body exuded an extremely strong sense of oppression, and combined with the powerful energy fluctuations erupting from him at this moment, this oppressive feeling became even more intense for a time.
Although Hou Yu didn't speak, his actions were no different from Lei Bao's. He also reverted to his true Water Wing Monkey Demon form and let out a roar, as if venting his inner indignation and fury, and also as if demonstrating his power to Yang Haoran.
Hou Yu and Lei Bao were inherently demons. As demons, to fully unleash their strength, they had to revert to their true forms. Although they were powerful in human form, there was still a certain gap compared to when they reverted to their true forms.
After reverting to their true forms, neither Lei Bao nor Hou Yu held back against Yang Haoran, immediately launching a fierce assault. In this state, their massive bodies were the best weapons. Fangs, sharp claws, tails, and every other part could unleash terrifying power, capable of shattering the heavens and splitting the earth. With such powerful physical bodies as weapons, close-quarters combat was a significant advantage for them, as they didn't believe Yang Haoran, a human, possessed a physical body comparable to theirs.
Indeed, Yang Haoran's physical body truly couldn't be compared to that of the two Demon Saints, Lei Bao and Hou Yu. So, when faced with the two demons' close-range attacks, he chose to evade rather than clash head-on.
Facing two Demon Saints simultaneously, without the help of his Guardian Spirit Zhong Siyu, Yang Haoran dared not be careless in the slightest. Despite his calm and unconcerned demeanor when issuing the challenge, as if he didn't take the duel seriously at all, the truth was quite the opposite: he was extremely serious about this matter, he just didn't show his inner seriousness on his face.
Yang Haoran couldn't help but take it seriously, after all, the two Demon Saints were equivalent to Life Soul realm experts in the Yin Division. Such experts were certainly not easy to deal with, and moreover, Yang Haoran's own injuries had not fully recovered, making it even more difficult to face two Demon Saints simultaneously. However, even if it was difficult, Yang Haoran wouldn't show it on his face; this was his character, and also his strategy.
Of course, Yang Haoran was not entirely without a chance of winning. Given his personality, since he dared to make such a decision, it indicated that he not only had a chance of winning but a very high chance; otherwise, he wouldn't actively put himself in a passive situation.
Firstly, regarding Lei Bao and Hou Yu's strength: although the two demons had entered the Demon Saint realm, judging from the power fluctuations they unleashed during their previous battle, they were both in the early stage of the Demon Saint realm, at most having solidified their foundation, still a long way from the early stage peak.
Secondly, both demons had suffered considerable injuries in their previous battle, and their strength was greatly reduced compared to their peak. Facing the two demons in this state would certainly be much easier.
Based on these two points, and combining them with his own strength, Yang Haoran felt that even without bringing his Guardian Spirit Zhong Siyu, it was highly possible to successfully defeat the two demons. Of course, he couldn't completely rule out the possibility of an unforeseen accident causing him to suffer an unexpected defeat.
If Zhong Siyu were brought into this duel, victory would certainly belong to Yang Haoran, without any suspense or accidents. However, the two demons would not accept this, nor would they be foolish enough to accept a duel with no chance of winning.
Conversely, if Zhong Siyu was not brought, the two demons would certainly agree in the end—Yang Haoran was sure of this. Furthermore, if he defeated the two demons without using his Guardian Spirit, he would not only win this duel but also establish an incredibly imposing reputation in the minds of these sea demons, including both the sea demons under the two Demon Saints and the two Demon Saints themselves.
Once he successfully established a powerful and unvanquishable image in the minds of these sea demons through his formidable strength, these sea demons would be more likely to submit to him, facilitating his future management of them.
Precisely because of this, even though Yang Haoran knew there was a certain risk involved in this duel, he still decided to do it. After all, it was a small risk for a big reward, with no reason not to do it, and he didn't believe the probability of him losing was very high.
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