“What happened?” Jiang Wuya asked.


    When he arrived, Zhao Danchen had been forced a hundred meters back due to the Sun Devouring Wolf’s Nine Devils Ancestral Fire.


    The rest were even more confused.


    Lei Zhen looked around and smiled bitterly. “I was chatting with Seventh Brother here, but Zhao Danchen suddenly appeared. He wanted to kill me, but Seventh Brother said I was going to participate in one of the three duels, so he would be breaking the conditions of the bet if he killed me. So, since Zhao Danchen couldn’t kill me, he shifted his focus to Seventh Brother.”


    “Does that mean Zhao Danchen was attacking Long Chen just now?” Everyone looked at Long Chen. They had seen part of the battle, and it seemed like Long Chen and Xiang had worked together to force Zhao Danchen back.


    What did that mean?


    He was only at the First Earthly Martial Stage, while Xiang was a Category One King-tier demonic beast. Yet they had forced the Third Earthly Martial Stage Zhao Danchen back?


    How strong was he?


    Everyone looked at Long Chen awkwardly.The eight Battle Kings naturally did not know how strong Long Chen was. As for the Dragon n, they knew that Long Chen was extraordinary, as he could defeat an Earthly Martial Realm opponent when he was at the Ninth Passage Stage. This was not surprising!


    “If I saw correctly, although I was blocked by the red mist, I think I saw that Zhao Danchen even used his unique attack, the Golden Eye of Annihtion!”


    Lei Zhen looked at Long Chen in shock.


    “Golden Eye of Annihtion? Only other Third Earthly Martial Stage cultivators can withstand that attack. Long Chen, how are you still unharmed?” Even Jiang Wuya’s jaw dropped in disbelief.


    Long Chen did not know what to say as everyone’s attention was on him. “I was lucky that I was able to survive. I knew that he would leave when you all arrived, so I used all my strength to hold him off for a while. Actually, it was Xiang’s mes that forced Zhao Danchen back.”


    Everyone turned their gazes to Mo Xiang, who looked like he could harm no one. They could not understand how a mere Category One King-tier beast could produce such terrifying mes.


    “Second Brother, Fourth Brother, shall we start nning our next step?” asked Long Chen, changing the topic.


    All of them were walking back, and the ones who were present were trustworthy, so Lei Zhen said, “The three duels areing soon, and I cannot wait any longer. Tomorrow, at dawn, I will go to the forbidden area and enter the Lightning Pool toprehend the Thunder Knife Technique. It’s an intermediate King-tierbat technique. Even with the help of the Lightning Pool, I’m not sure if nine days will be enough for me toplete it!”


    Everyone nodded!


    Tonight’s ordeal had passed without incident due to Long Chen’s quick wits. When the eight Battle Kings and Old Vulture left, Lei Zhen looked at his own siblings. Suddenly, he fell to his knees.


    “Fourth Brother, what are you doing?! Get up!” Jiang Wuya said sternly as he helped Lei Zhen up. He was strong, so Lei Zhen could not fight back.


    “My brothers and sister! I beg you to do one thing!” Lei Zhen said through gritted teeth.


    “We are brothers! Why would you need to <em>beg</em> us? Fourth Brother, if you say that word again, it will mean you don’t see me, Jian Chen, as a brother!” said the white-haired Jian Chen.


    Lei Zhen nodded. He looked at them solemnly and said, “Everyone, you saw just now that Zhao Danchen has recovered from his injuries. With Zhao Danchen and Yang Ningfeng together, we are no match for them! The Battle n is already fated to die! I’m sincerely requesting you all to leave! Don’t die because of me! I don’t care if I die, but if I burden my siblings, it’ll be even more painful than death!”


    Tears poured out of his eyes.


    Everyone looked at each other. In the end, Jiang Wuya gently patted Lei Zhen’s shoulder and said, “Fourth Brother, you still don’t understand that all men must die. If we’re all going to die one day, we might as well die for a noble cause! If I have to die for a brother, I, Jiang Wuya, will die with no regrets!”


    “That’s right! My life was given to me by Big Sister. Without her, I would have been in the ground by now. I should have died a long time ago, so if I die now, I won’t be losing anything. Just like Second Brother said, I have no regrets.”


    Chi Ying smiled and said, “Fourth Brother, don’t fight us on this. We’re all people who should have died a long time ago. Sheer luck allowed us to live this long. Do you think any of us fear death? It’s just like going to sleep, right?”


    Lan Ling’er smiled. “Fourth Brother is crying! That’s embarrassing!”


    Long Chen did not say anything, but from what he had done earlier, Lei Zhen knew what his intentions were. He knew that the youngest brother was actually the most stubborn one present. If Long Chen put his mind to something, he would never change it!


    Lei Zhen wiped away his tears. Looking at his brothers and sister, he saw the stubbornness and fire in their eyes. This is the moment that he knew that his life had been worth living.


    “You’re all good brothers!” He held out his hand, and everyone stacked their hands on his. Six hands stacked on top of each other.


    “Let’s all fuck the Martial Alliance up!” Lan Ling’er cried out excitedly. Everyone pressed their palms down with bright grins.


    Looking at them, Long Chen suddenly felt moved. No matter how many achievements a person had, it did not mean that he was sessful. But if he had a loved one who loved him back, and a group of siblings who were willing to live and die together, he could die with no regrets.


    The Dragon n was a name that would forever sit in the deepest part of Long Chen’s memory.


    Although they could notpare to Ling Xi or Mo Xiang, their spirit moved Long Chen.


    “We shall bathe in the blood of our enemies!”


    Everyone’s eyes were filled with passion. They viewed death asing home.


    “My brothers, the great war cannot be avoided. I won’t waste my time on more nonsense. This time, the odds are against the Battle n, so I must keep the Battle n’s roots alive. A few days ago, I personally picked a hundred talented Battle n children. I hope that when the great war starts, you all will get them out of here! They are the roots of the Battle n, and I hope you all will not refuse this request.”


    Lei Zhen looked at everyone. Who would lead these children out of the Martial Alliance’s grasp safely?


    Jiang Wuya looked around, and his gaze fell on Long Chen and Lan Ling’er. “Long Chen’s talent runs deeper than we can see. He and Lan Ling’er are still young. There’s no need for them to risk their lives with us. We will have Long Chen and Ling’er escort the children. Remember, the future of the Battle n is in your hands. Do not let your guard down, especially you, Long Chen. You are extraordinarily talented. If we all die at the hands of the Martial Alliance, you’re in charge of avenging us when you get stronger!”


    Long Chen did not know what to do when he saw their hopeful gazes. His initial n was to choose a suitable time to tell them about changing the candidates for the duels. Now they had given him a task that would most likely ensure that he would survive. He did not know what to say, so he had to agree for now. “Alright, leave it to me.”


    He could put the children in the Primordial Realm if needed, and they would be absolutely safe. Long Chen also had another idea where war was not inevitable. As long as they won the bet, the war would not need to happen.


    “Alright, in that case, you may all return to your cultivation. There’s not much time left. Use this time wisely. Tomorrow, Fourth Brother is going into the Lightning Pool. We’ll send him off,” said Jiang Wuya.


    Then, after a few words from them, they dispersed. After Long Chen and Xiang returned to their quarters, they suddenly recalled Old Vulture. While everyone was focusing on Long Chen, he noticed something off with Old Vulture.


    When Lei Zhen was in danger, he had been the slowest to arrive. His response did not fit the reputation of being the strongest master of the Battle n. He should not have arrived that slowly, so it must have been on purpose.


    “Lei Zhen clearly respects him greatly. It’s probably nothing. I’m overthinking it.” Long Chen tossed it to the back of his mind and started to focus on studying the Soul Dispersing Dragon w and the Willow Step. At the same time, he was also quickly improving in the second part of the Earthly Martial Realm Punching Technique.


    ***


    An old figure was standing by the window of a dark stone house, looking at the stars in the sky. The door suddenly burst open, and a simrly thin but handsome man walked in. He was the Second Prince, Old Vulture’s son. The old man by the window was Old Vulture himself.


    “Father.” Lei Ming entered and closed the door gently, then he stood respectfully behind Old Vulture.


    Old Vulture’s low voice rang across the dark room. “You must have guessed what happened today, right?”


    Lei Ming nodded and said, “I have. You arrived muchter than Jiang Wuya. I’m sure that was on purpose.”


    “Unfortunately, Lei Zhen did not die! I thought he was surely going to die this time. I knew Zhao Danchen would never befortable with Yang Ningfeng’s bet, so I was sure he woulde looking for Lei Zhen. I can’t believe even Zhao Danchen failed to kill him. I was slow on purpose, but it seems like that did not work.” Old Vulture sighed.


    Lei Ming’s brows were furrowed. Puzzled, he asked, “Father, I still don’t understand. Lei Zhen is being protected by almost everyone, and he has help from his Dragon n friends. It’s hard for us to knock him off his seat as n leader. Why must we kill him?”