The Unparalleled Sword Emperor Chapter 2698 - 2673: Moon God!

The news regarding the Sword Demon's impending duel with the Moon God swept through Black Water City, igniting yet another significant stir.

Undoubtedly, the Sword Demon is presently basking in glory, having recently vanquished the Beast and achieving widespread renown. All the martial artists within Black Water City are currently abuzz with talk of the Sword Demon.

And with the Sword Demon's duel against the Moon God coinciding with this period, it naturally sent shockwaves throughout the entire community.

"The Sword Demon is set to face the Moon God! By the heavens, the recent events in the fighting arena are becoming increasingly thrilling!"

"The Moon God, the esteemed Great General of the Tang Family. While this lady hasn't often participated in the fighting arena, having only engaged in fifteen duels in total, the arena authorities have, even within these fifteen bouts, acknowledged her martial prowess as befitting a Great General!"

"What is most daunting is her sword mastery; not a single warrior who has crossed swords with her has managed to withstand more than a hundred moves!"

"It is rumored that the Moon God herself initiated this challenge against the Sword Demon!"

"The Moon God issued the challenge?"

"It appears the Moon God harbors considerable confidence!"

"Now, a major dilemma arises: on whom should we place our wagers?"

"Should we bet on the Sword Demon? Or perhaps the Moon God?"

"..."

Numerous martial artists found themselves in a state of indecision.

The Sword Demon is currently the center of attention, with all warriors believing him to be immensely powerful.

Nevertheless, with the Moon God stepping into the fray, in the minds of many, the Moon God is clearly the superior combatant.

Especially since the Moon God actively challenged the Sword Demon, this situation presents a quandary for these warriors, leaving them uncertain about where to place their bets at this moment!

The highly anticipated duel between the Sword Demon and the Moon God is slated to occur in five days.

However, four days have already elapsed. Within the underground casino of the fighting arena, only a modest number of martial artists have made their wagers.

They are hesitant to bet carelessly, fearing the potential of losing everything if they do!

Witnessing the lack of bets being placed.

It seemed as though the fighting arena itself was experiencing a sense of unease!

Promptly, an announcement was issued by the Zhao family.

This announcement declared: the Great General of the Tang family, the Moon God, was subjected to an attack by an assailant last night and sustained severe injuries, and now the Zhao family is dedicating all their efforts toward her recovery!

Following the dissemination of this announcement throughout the fighting arena, the eyes of all the martial artists gleamed with understanding!

"The Moon God was ambushed? This is unmistakably a stratagem devised by the Zhao family!"

"It's apparent that the Zhao family believes the Sword Demon cannot possibly defeat the Moon God, hence they dispatched an assailant to injure the Moon God, intending for her to compete while wounded, thereby granting the Sword Demon a chance!"

"Indeed, it seems most likely that the Zhao family orchestrated this move!"

Across Black Water City, virtually all martial artists were engrossed in discussing this very news.

Furthermore, the fighting arena dispatched skilled individuals to the Tang family to ascertain the veracity of the situation.

The Tang family's response was: "The Moon God's injuries are superficial, and she will be fit to compete tomorrow! Even if the Moon God is operating at only one-third of her full strength, it will be more than sufficient to vanquish the Sword Demon!"

After this statement was released, many warriors indeed began flocking to the underground casino to place their bets.

And their chosen wager was none other than the Moon God!

Based on the information emanating from the Tang family, the Moon God had been ambushed and gravely wounded, diminishing her strength by a third. Logically, given this news, the martial artists of Black Water City ought to be placing their bets on the Sword Demon!

Yet, contrary to all expectations, the martial artists of Black Water City acted in the opposite manner!

Upon hearing of the Moon God's injury, they proceeded to place even more bets on her instead!

In the span of a single night, the betting odds between the Sword Demon and the Moon God escalated to an astonishing five to one.

As dusk settled, Ban Ye and Uncle Fatty made their way into the underground casino.

"The current odds between the Sword Demon and the Moon God stand at five to one. Yesterday, they were even, and within the course of just one night, they have shifted to five to one. Do so many people genuinely believe the Moon God will emerge victorious?"

"Are these individuals lacking common sense? Have they not heard that the Moon God sustained injuries?"

Uncle Fatty remarked with a wry smile.

Ban Ye appeared quite perplexed, his brow furrowed in silent contemplation.

At that precise moment, a martial artist passed by the duo, chuckling as he spoke, "You two are truly too naive!"

Both Fatty and Ban Ye turned their attention to the warrior who had just passed them and hastily intercepted him, inquiring, "My good brother, what exactly do you mean by that?"

The warrior, now held by Fatty, let out another laugh and explained, "The Moon God's supposed injury is clearly nothing more than a lure disseminated by the fighting arena. They announce that the Moon God is injured, and if other gullible warriors were to fall for it, they would undoubtedly wager all their fortunes on the Sword Demon!"

"After all, the Sword Demon is incredibly powerful, dealing with an injured Moon God would surely be a simple task!"

"But it's such a straightforward scheme, so easily seen through!"

"The reason the fighting arena is propagating this rumor is in the hope that all the warriors will place their bets on the Sword Demon, and then, when the match actually occurs, the Moon God will not be injured and will end up defeating the Sword Demon!"

"By then, all the wagers placed on the Sword Demon will be utterly lost!"

"So, now you understand why so many individuals are placing their bets on the Moon God!"

The warrior cast a glance at Uncle Fatty, extricated his hand, and proceeded to depart.

Uncle Fatty observed the warrior gripping a betting slip, upon which the inscription "Moon God wins, one hundred thousand merits" was clearly visible. Plainly, this warrior had placed a substantial wager on the Moon God!

As Fatty watched the warrior depart, a sudden realization dawned upon him as he exclaimed, "So that's how it is, is this entire situation orchestrated by the fighting arena?"

"Ban Ye, should we place our bets on the Moon God?"

Upon hearing the warrior's explanation, Ban Ye's countenance grew grim. After a prolonged period of contemplation, he declared, "No, I shall continue to bet on the Sword Demon!"

Fatty protested, "Ban Ye, did you not just hear what that person said? The Moon God is not injured at all. This is merely a pretense created by the fighting arena!"

"If we continue to bet on the Sword Demon now, it seems highly probable that the Sword Demon will meet an unfortunate end at the hands of the Moon God!" Fatty added with concern.

Ban Ye offered a smile and stated, "Fatty, I cannot compel you, but I have faith that the Sword Demon possesses the capability to defeat the Moon God, hence my decision to wager on the Sword Demon!"

"If you wish to join me in betting, you may do so; otherwise, feel free to place your bet on the Moon God!"

With those words, Ban Ye strode towards the betting counter and announced, "Sword Demon wins, fifty thousand merits!"

Witnessing Ban Ye's decisive bet, Fatty's teeth clenched. He promptly followed suit, declaring, "Sword Demon wins, ten thousand merits!"

Both Ban Ye and Fatty placed significant wagers on Lin Bai!

...

The news regarding the Moon God's supposed injury was creating considerable commotion throughout Black Water City.

Before long, the day designated for the duel had arrived!

Lin Bai, as anticipated, made his appearance at Yellow Character No.1. He inquired in a low tone, "I heard the Moon God was injured? Why not postpone the duel until she has recovered?"

Madam Yang let out a soft chuckle and replied, "How could the Moon God possibly be injured? That was merely a fabrication I disseminated. If I hadn't spread such a story, how could I have possibly enticed so many warriors to bet on the Moon God's victory?"

"And if not for the multitude betting on the Moon God, how would the betting odds have escalated?" Madam Yang elaborated with a laugh.

It was only then that Lin Bai grasped the truth: the reports of the Moon God's injury were not a manipulation by the fighting arena itself, but rather a scheme masterminded entirely by Madam Yang.

"Sword Demon, today I have placed a bet of ten million merits directly on you, and additionally wagered five hundred thousand merits with the Tang family. You must not let me down!" Madam Yang whispered conspiratorially.

Lin Bai gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Subsequently, Judge Ning Zheng's voice boomed, "Sword Demon and Moon God, please enter the arena!"

Heeding the summons, Lin Bai departed the Elegant Pavilion and made his way into the fighting arena.

From the opposite side of the fighting arena, a stone gate in the passageway slid open. From within emerged a woman of extraordinary grace and enchanting allure, clad in a dark robe and adorned with a mask fashioned like a silvery-white crescent moon...