The Final Match

As the match ended, everyone who had been watching the battle with rapt attention finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Those two are seriously strong. If I faced either one of them, I'd probably lose in seconds!"

"True Person Lingyu's strength stands out among the younger generation, but Brother Shen Ye's strength can be measured against the entire world of Espers!"

"Yeah, even among the older generation of Espers, there probably aren't many who could beat him!"

Amid the praise and acclaim, a gaze filled with hatred and fear fixed itself on Shen Ye. "Go ahead and enjoy all this cheering. Once my grandfather returns, I'll make him kill you!"

At the same time, a frightening suspicion crept into his heart. But Grandfather has been missing for days, and this guy is so strong... No, impossible. Grandfather is one of the Ten Elders. How could he possibly lose to this bastard? I'm just overthinking things!

After examining Zhang Lingyu's injuries and allowing everyone a brief rest, Rongshan announced, "The next match will be Zhang Chulan versus Hua Yue!"

"Whew, it's finally here!" Zhang Chulan stretched his body, trying to ease the pressure.

Although the little girl's displayed strength was nowhere near as terrifying as Shen Ye's, she was absolutely a top-tier contender in this Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual!

More importantly, Shen Ye, the ultimate Great Demon King, still awaited him after Hua Yue. He had to conserve his strength and defeat her at the lowest possible cost. Otherwise, there would be no point continuing tomorrow's battle.

At that moment, Hua Yue suddenly said, "I forfeit this match!"

The entire venue fell silent for a moment before erupting into an uproar.

"What's going on? Why did she suddenly forfeit?"

"There's definitely something shady going on!"

"I get it! That 'No Shame' guy must have threatened her with some underhanded tactic!"

Zhang Chulan, who was equally bewildered, listened to the voices around him, his mouth twitching. Just how terrible was his reputation? Why was everyone's first thought always him?

Shen Ye shook his head slightly. The only person who could make Hua Yue decide this was naturally him. Zhang Chulan was, after all, this world's Son of Destiny. Only by personally defeating him could Shen Ye obtain more Destiny.

Hua Yue explained as well, "He didn't threaten me. This is Young Master's order!"

The entire venue sank into an odd silence. Young Master meant Shen Ye, right? What benefit could this possibly bring him?

In that silence, Feng Shayan suddenly shouted, "Why do you have to listen to someone else? Don't you have any thoughts of your own? Stop suppressing your anger! Tell him loudly that you don't want to admit defeat!"

Hua Yue looked rather speechlessly at the woman she had defeated. "Who told you I'm angry?"

Feng Shayan could not understand. "He forced you to concede. Aren't you angry at all?"

"Of course not." Hua Yue shook her head. "Young Master must have his reasons for doing this. Besides, victory and defeat that have nothing to do with life and death simply aren't important!"

Feng Shayan's heart turned cold. What kind of cruel circumstances could breed such an extreme way of thinking? Nothing besides life and death mattered?

"Allow me to explain," Shen Ye said as he stepped down from the stands. It was as though he were walking down invisible stairs, descending one step at a time.

"This Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual was actually held by you for Zhang Chulan, wasn't it, Celestial Master? As long as he takes the title of Celestial Master, the people of the Quanxing Sect won't dare touch him!"

Zhang Zhiwei slowly nodded. "Brother Shen Ye has sharp eyes. That was indeed this old man's plan!"

"Master!" Zhang Chulan was deeply moved, looking gratefully at the Celestial Master.

Meanwhile, the Longhu Mountain Daoists were struck dumb. Had there ever been a Celestial Master in history who went streaking under the moon?

If Zhang Chulan became Celestial Master, how would they ever dare show their faces outside again?

Shen Ye continued, "Most contestants who came to the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual are here for the Heavenly Ascension Talisman. But I have my eye on the position of Celestial Master. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not take what another loves. Yet I am determined to obtain the position, so I had Yue'er concede and give him a fair chance to fight!"

"He wants to become Celestial Master?" The Longhu Mountain disciples imagined Shen Ye and Zhang Chulan becoming Celestial Master, then instantly switched sides.

"Gasp, I think Layman Shen Ye becoming Celestial Master would be pretty good too."

"Yeah. Whether in appearance or bearing, Layman Shen Ye surpasses Bi Lian a hundredfold. If he became Celestial Master, at least Longhu Mountain's thousand-year reputation wouldn't be ruined in one go!"

"Young Layman Shen Ye, go for it! You must become the Celestial Master!"

Zhang Chulan felt as though the corners of his mouth were about to cramp. How little did these people think of him? They would rather support an outsider than let him become Celestial Master.

"The position of Celestial Master?" Zhang Zhiwei frowned slightly. The Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain held an exalted position and could cultivate the Thunder Technique passed down through generations of Celestial Masters. To outsiders, it was naturally an exceptionally desirable position.

But he had been observing Shen Ye for several days. Given the other man's pride, he should not have valued the position of Celestial Master so highly.

"Mastering the Five Elements and yin and yang, knowing the future and the past..." Zhang Zhiwei suddenly recalled what Shen Ye had said in the previous battle and pondered to himself. Could his true goal be the Heavenly Master's Degree? Was helping Lingyu eliminate his inner demon also a gesture of goodwill toward us?

Once Zhang Chulan understood Shen Ye's intentions, he naturally agreed with delight. Who would be foolish enough to turn down a free advantage?

"Haha, I feel almost embarrassed. So tomorrow, it'll be a match between you and me, Brother Shen Ye!"

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Shen Ye shook his head. "It's still early. Let's continue."

Zhang Chulan froze for a moment. "You just fought a match. Don't you need to rest?"

Shen Ye said, "The previous match did not drain me much. After resting for a while, I've mostly recovered."

I was planning to go back and discuss a strategy with Sister Bao'er. Looks like there's no time, Zhang Chulan wailed inwardly. Shen Ye had displayed his Five Elements Arts today, so the strategy they had previously devised was naturally no longer suitable.

But now that things had come to this, he did not hesitate any longer. "Since you insist, then let's begin!"

True Person Rongshan looked toward the Celestial Master. Seeing that his master did not stop them, he returned to the referee's seat, picked up the bronze gong, and struck it heavily. "The final deciding match of the Grand Heavenly Offering Ritual: Shen Ye versus Zhang Chulan!"

For once, Zhang Chulan put away his smile, his expression solemn. "Even my junior uncle wasn't your match, so naturally I don't have much chance of winning. But just as you said, I have reasons why I must claim this victory. Let me overestimate myself just this once!"

Shen Ye smiled. "Even if you say that, I won't let down my guard."

"This isn't pretending to be weak. Before you, everyone is weak! So I'll go all out from the very start!" Zhang Chulan shook his head slightly, steadied his mind, and used lightning to stimulate the meridians throughout his body, releasing an intimidating aura. "I can only maintain this state for one minute. Take this—Thunderbolt · Temporary Member!"