King of Creation Chapter 1771 - 1756: Bi Ze’s Roar
Previously on King of Creation...
Within the Ancestor God Temple, a multitude of branch halls led to incessant disputes over resources and authority, causing frequent turmoil shortly after its inception.
These conflicts, whether minor or major, frequently festered into deep-seated grudges over the years.
Fueled by these resentments, private duels often resulted in severe casualties, a situation even the Great Chief Priest and the collective Power Priests found impossible to contain.
Recognizing the futility of suppression, a more pragmatic approach was adopted.
Consequently, the Ancestor God Temple instituted a policy permitting unrestricted martial competitions between branch halls under specified conditions.
The term 'unrestricted' signified that participants were permitted to exert their full strength during these contests, with fatal outcomes for opponents being fully permissible.
Furthermore, once two halls initiated such a martial competition, they were bound by a Secret Technique, invoking their Tributor’s Ancient God, War Spirit, or War Soul, to swear that all accumulated grievances would be irrevocably settled, irrespective of the final result.
As a direct consequence, the frequency of friction between branch halls within the Ancestor God Temple saw a considerable decline.
This was primarily because every hall understood that engaging in a formal war through a martial competition would inevitably lead to mutual devastation.
However, for resentments that had accumulated over decades, or even centuries, a martial competition remained an unavoidable necessity.
And when a martial competition was declared, the outcome was invariably catastrophic, if not a literal river of blood.
At this precise moment, Xii Mo’s pronouncements constituted a direct threat to Princess Changle.
Should Princess Changle persist in her unreasonable support of Ye Zhen, then their War Soul Hall would initiate a war against the Barbarian Spirit Hall, engaging in a fight to the death.
The critical issue lay in the fact that the Barbarian Spirit Hall’s Priests numbered a mere fifteen thousand in total, predominantly Sky Priests and Earth Priests. In stark contrast, the War Soul Hall boasted over a million Priests.
Let alone Sky Priests and Earth Priests, the number of Star Priests alone surpassed seventy thousand.
Under normal circumstances, once the two halls commenced a martial competition, the War Soul Hall possessed the overwhelming capacity to annihilate the Barbarian Spirit Hall.
This disparity was precisely why Ye Zhen’s expression shifted dramatically.
The War Soul Hall was leveraging its superior strength to intimidate.
Truth be told, Ye Zhen, in his pursuit of a breakthrough, had reluctantly involved Princess Changle. The prospect of implicating all the Barbarian Spirit Hall Priests and causing immense casualties was something Ye Zhen could not countenance.
Ye Zhen was completely unwilling to be responsible for such a catastrophe.
He would much rather seek an alternative solution than have the Priests of the Barbarian Spirit Hall perish because of him.
Just as he resolved himself to this decision and was about to voice his intentions, Princess Changle’s voice resonated once more.
Compared to others and even Ye Zhen, Princess Changle exhibited remarkable composure in the face of Xii Mo’s explicit threat of all-out war.
"An all-out war, excellent!"
"As long as your War Soul Hall dares to confront us, our Barbarian Spirit Hall will face you head-on! Hmph, for any below the Dao Realm, Ye Zhen, the Left Chief Priest of our Barbarian Spirit Hall, will personally handle them all!"
"As for the Sun Priests in the Dao Realm, I shall face them myself!"
Having spoken, Princess Changle elegantly raised her delicate eyebrows. "Frankly, after hearing your declaration, I find myself rather eager for this battle!"
"If your War Soul Hall desires a full-scale war, then promptly summon your Hall Master. I shall accompany him to the Great Chief Priest to finalize the martial competition agreement!"
Princess Changle’s bold declaration initially stunned Xii Mo, before leaving him utterly speechless.
Despite their War Soul Hall’s formidable contingent of a million Priests, based on Princess Changle’s pronouncement, their hall would gain no inherent advantage even in an all-out war.
During the martial competition, both sides retained the freedom to select their participating Priests; any individual could be chosen, and substitutions or surrenders were permitted at any juncture.
Under such rules, if Ye Zhen and the Barbarian Spirit Hall’s Master, Ji Changle, were to alternate their participation, what conceivable chance would the War Soul Hall stand?
Below the Dao Realm, none could match Ye Zhen’s unparalleled swordsmanship.
Above the Dao Realm, even their War Soul Hall’s most formidable combatant, Hall Master Bi Ze, was only at the Middle Level Dao Realm in cultivation.
Overcoming Princess Changle, who wielded the power of Creation Spiritual Power, would prove exceptionally challenging.
Therefore, if a fight to the death were to commence, would the War Soul Hall not face devastating losses?
Considering Ye Zhen’s startling speed, dispatching a Moon Priest might consume merely a breath or two. If engaged in one-on-one duels, Ye Zhen could potentially eliminate the War Soul Hall’s Moon Priests within a single day.
In that scenario, what strategic benefit would the War Soul Hall achieve?
"Hey, Priest Xii, do say something. I am eagerly awaiting your War Soul Hall’s declaration of full-scale war against our Barbarian Spirit Hall! Why the silence?"
"Hurry up and speak!"
"It was your War Soul Hall that proposed this challenge; has your War Soul Hall lost its courage now?"
"To retreat now is not the mark of a true man; if you desire a full-scale war, then make haste!" "If you are incapable of making a decision, summon your Hall Master!" .... For the very first time, Ye Zhen realized just how sharp Princess Changle’s tongue was, causing Xii Mo to break out in a full sweat. Xii Mo, too, was left utterly bewildered. He found himself in an impossible situation. However, the thought of engaging in an all-out war was something he simply didn't dare. Even if they chose to surrender, it would still bring immense embarrassment to their War Soul Hall! Xii Mo was genuinely vexed; what kind of world had they landed in? Their War Soul Hall, boasting a million priests, was actually intimidated by two youngsters from the Barbarian Spirit Hall! Anxiously wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Xii Mo periodically cast glances back towards the main entrance of the War Soul Hall. Having exhausted all his options, his only hope was that the esteemed Hall Master would emerge to extricate him from this predicament. Yet, the crux of the matter was, if War Soul Hall Master Bi Ze had the ability or the courage to appear, he likely would have done so already, without waiting until this very moment. Princess Changle had made her intentions perfectly clear: she would be utterly unreasonable. Therefore, should Bi Ze step out, no matter what he said, Princess Changle would undoubtedly issue a direct challenge. So, would Bi Ze dare to accept this challenge? In the presence of so many priests, if he refused, it would be an admission of defeat. How could a dignified Upper Hall Master of the War Soul Hall be intimidated by a Lower Hall Master of the Barbarian Spirit Hall, and moreover, by a woman? If this news were to spread, how could Bi Ze possibly uphold his reputation? How could he continue to live with any semblance of dignity? Thus, he should accept the challenge. However, even if he did, Bi Ze harbored no confidence in his ability to defeat Princess Changle. Not only was victory not assured, but Bi Ze's chances of actually overcoming Princess Changle were less than forty percent. On the contrary, Princess Changle, shielded by the Creation Spiritual Power, was already virtually invincible. If he emerged victorious, all would be well and good. But should he lose, Bi Ze would not only suffer personal humiliation but would also bring disgrace upon the entire War Soul Hall. Furthermore, a loss would severely diminish his standing and authority as Hall Master. After meticulously weighing the potential consequences, Bi Ze made his decision: under no circumstances would he step outside today. Emerging would be akin to inviting disaster! Having resolved not to appear, Hall Master Bi Ze remained ensconced within, leaving Left Chief Priest Xii Mo utterly helpless on the outside. He could no longer maintain his composure. Princess Changle's words were like stinging rebukes, each one feeling like a sharp blade scraping across his very cheeks. "Priest Xii, you all are exceptionally slow!" "You proposed initiating a full-scale war, yet I, a mere woman, show no fear. You, however, dally and hesitate. Are you still men?" "Is it possible that your esteemed million priests of the Upper Hall are cowering before our humble fifteen thousand priests of the Lower Hall?" With Princess Changle's taunting voice echoing, the resounding laughter from all around intensified, rendering Xii Mo's aged face as miserable as a bruised eggplant. A few moments later, amidst Princess Changle's relentless prodding, War Soul Hall's Left Chief Priest Xii Mo abruptly turned and bellowed, "Everyone return! Secure the gates and seal the hall!" The priests of the War Soul Hall, resembling defeated eggplants, grudgingly retreated back into the War Soul Hall, its gates shutting once more after a mere hour of being ajar. Witnessing this turn of events, Princess Changle's eyebrows arched, and her lips curved into a devastatingly beautiful smile. She turned and offered Ye Zhen a playful wink, as if to convey, 'Impressive, wasn't I?' With a swift blur of her form, Princess Changle vanished without a trace. Ye Zhen, meanwhile, calmly continued inscribing on the third Victory Banner, "On the 9th of June, the War Soul Hall dared not engage in a full-scale war with the Barbarian Spirit Hall. Left Chief Priest Xii Mo, fearing battle, sealed their doors once again." The priests concealed behind the doors of the War Soul Hall seethed with deep-seated resentment! However, given Princess Changle's pronouncements, none of the Dao Realm Day Priests could engage in combat, and not a single Moon Priest could hope to match Ye Zhen. Aside from shuttering their doors, what other recourse did they possess? After all, even Hall Master Bi Ze himself did not dare to show his face; what else could they possibly do? Following this brief but significant confrontation, conditions became considerably simpler for Ye Zhen. Even fewer priests dared to appear at the War Soul Hall, while Ye Zhen continued to triumph over anyone who mustered the courage to challenge him. Among the onlookers, Ye Zhen kept the assembled priests thoroughly occupied as well. The prize draws proceeded without interruption, featuring an array of novel and intriguing gadgets originating from the True Profound Continent, with the occasional inclusion of one or two High Grade Thought Spirit Pills as a delightful surprise. A considerable throng of priests had gathered in the plaza outside the War Soul Hall. Indeed, Ye Zhen's prize draws, conducted every two hours, proved to be quite captivating. Naturally, some departed, but an equal number of priests arrived, drawn by the unfolding spectacle. In this prevailing atmosphere, the news of the War Soul Hall's sealed gates spread with astonishing rapidity, as if it had sprouted wings, throughout the entirety of the Ancestor God Temple.The news didn't just reverberate within the Ancestor God Temple; it spread throughout Luoyi of Great Zhou and even reached the ears of those in the Heavenly Temple after several continuous days.
Isn't it a source of deep shame for the War Soul Hall? Shouldn't they be consumed by anxiety?
The War Soul Hall deployed various strategies, with even three Moon Priests shamelessly joining forces to confront Ye Zhen.
However, the outcome was as predictable as night follows day.
Speed! That was the key!
Without any method to counter Ye Zhen's incredible speed, within a certain limit, they were utterly helpless against him.
Of course, if the War Soul Hall were to dispatch over a hundred Moon Priests simultaneously to challenge Ye Zhen, they would have lost all face and certainly would not dare to do so.
This is because, up to this point, Ye Zhen had exercised significant restraint in his actions.
The majority of the War Soul Hall's priests had sustained only superficial injuries.
Yet, the undeniable truth remained: the War Soul Hall could not endure this prolonged situation.
Even though they secretly allowed personnel to enter at night after Ye Zhen's departure to handle pressing matters, it was clear this was not a sustainable, long-term solution.
The seventh day arrived.
On the seventh day, just before dawn, after Hall Master Bi Ze had dealt with the final urgent task, he watched his War Soul Hall priests scurry about like terrified mice, constantly fearing Ye Zhen's interception as they attempted to leave. A surge of fury coursed through him.
He violently smashed the exquisitely precious teacup and inkstone that lay before him!
"What in the world is Ye Zhen attempting to achieve?"
"How long does he intend to torment our War Soul Hall?"
"Will the War Soul Hall continue to be paralyzed, blocked by Ye Zhen like this indefinitely?"
"Speak up, are you all dead?! Has no one managed to devise a solution? Are you all utterly useless?" After enduring seven days of pent-up frustration, Hall Master Bi Ze roared hysterically.