Chapter 602 - 289: Dominating a City

Chapter 602: Chapter 289: Dominating a City

Chen Cheng smiled faintly and stepped onto the arena stage.

He scanned his surroundings but saw no sign of the disciples from the Four Major Sects.

There was still a quarter of an hour until the appointed time for the duel. Chen Cheng wasn’t in a hurry, so he stood tall on the stage and waited leisurely.

The crowd below, however, was growing impatient. At first, they were quiet, but they slowly grew restless and began to whisper among themselves.

"Master Chen arrived so early. Why aren’t the disciples from the Four Major Sects here yet?"

"I bet they’re too scared to show up!"

"No way, right? The disciples from the Four Major Sects bet a lot of silver taels on themselves to win. They seemed very confident."

"That’s true. The odds were as high as five-to-one. If they don’t come, they’ll lose all the silver taels they wagered!"

"Tch! Losing a bit of silver is better than losing your life!"

"Damn it! I bet a ton of silver on those sons of bitches!"

"My condolences, brother!"

...

"They’re here!"

Someone suddenly shouted.

But when the crowd looked toward the main street, there wasn’t a single person in sight!

"Who’s shouting nonsense? They’re clearly not here!" someone yelled angrily.

"Look at the distant rooftops!"

Everyone looked up again, scanning the area. Sure enough, they spotted four faint figures standing on the roofs of the distant houses.

The four figures were barely visible in the blowing snow; someone with poor eyesight would have missed them entirely.

These four were none other than Zhang Daozong, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect; Zhu Jiu, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Blood Moon Sect; Fan Jinhua, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Sutra of Ultimate Sect; and Hassamutira, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Brahma Sound Sect.

The four of them were not far from one another, and each was gazing at Chen Cheng from a distance.

"Hmph! That bastard Chen Cheng. He really has been caught in a Demon Thought Cage. He’s already a cripple!" Zhang Daozong snorted.

"What a pity," Fan Jinhua sighed softly.

Zhu Jiu’s expression was indifferent.

"Donor Chen truly has an affinity with my Buddha. If he were willing to convert, he might be able to resolve the Demon Thought Cage!"

Hassamutira’s large eyes were wide, a hint of envy in them!

He could faintly discern that Chen Cheng had cultivated a Dharma Aspect. Right now, streams of Telekinesis were continuously surging toward Chen Cheng, strengthening it.

"You damn monk, aren’t you afraid of spraining your tongue with such big talk!"

Zhang Daozong shot him a glare and said,

"Even a Martial Arts Grandmaster would find it difficult to break free from a Demon Thought Cage.

Your Brahma Sound Sect doesn’t even have a single Martial Arts Grandmaster. What makes you think you can do anything about it?"

Hassamutira said, "A sin! A sin! This humble monk never speaks falsehoods.

If I am not mistaken, Donor Chen has already cultivated a Dharma Aspect. As long as he is willing to serve before the Buddha Master for several decades, he might be able to resolve the Demon Thought Cage."

Zhang Daozong mocked him, "If that’s the case, why don’t you go and enlighten Chen Cheng today? Take him back to the Brahma Sound Sect and save us the trouble."

Hassamutira’s thick brows twitched. He hurriedly said, "Donor Chen has an affinity with the Buddha Master, but not with this humble monk. I am not the one to enlighten him!

Fellow donors, this humble monk will take his leave first!"

With that, he turned and strode away, quickly vanishing into the distance.

"That damn monk. He has no other skills, but his ability to flee is first-class!"

Zhang Daozong said sarcastically. When he turned his head, he saw Zhu Jiu’s figure flicker a few times before disappearing into the snowstorm.

"Another one ran off!" Zhang Daozong said with great disdain.

"Hehe..." Fan Jinhua giggled, her ample chest rising and falling. "Brother Zhang, your strength is formidable, so of course you have no fear of Chen Cheng.

However, I am delicate and frail. I can’t handle such a rough-and-tumble affair. I shall take my leave first!"

With that, she opened her flowered umbrella and drifted away into the distance.

’What a guy, this Chen Cheng. He just cultivated some useless legacy, yet he’s showing off like this. How detestable!

A cripple is still a cripple. I’ll let you run wild for a while!’

Zhang Daozong’s pupils shrank as he stared intently at Chen Cheng. After a long moment, he finally leaped away and departed.

...

Down below, when the crowd saw the disciples of the Four Major Sects retreat one after another, they erupted in an uproar!

Immediately, all eyes turned back to the stage. The tall figure with a handsome, slightly tanned face seemed impossibly immense!

Just by casually standing on the stage, he had scared the Inner Sect Disciples of the Four Major Sects into hiding. What magnificent presence was this?

In all of Linji City, who could possibly compare?

What did it mean to dominate a city? This was dominating a city!

"Master Chen is mighty!"

Someone shouted from the crowd!

In an instant, everyone began to cheer in unison!

"Master Chen is mighty!"

"Master Chen is mighty!"

"Master Chen is mighty!"

...

Gazing calmly at the spot where Zhang Daozong and the others had retreated, Chen Cheng’s expression was serene.

’Perhaps my fists are finally hard enough now. I should have fewer troubles in the future.

To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Not bad at all!’

Just then, Chen Cheng suddenly turned and looked in another direction.

He saw two figures speeding over from the high rooftops, only to stop in the distance, gazing at Chen Cheng from across the snow-swept expanse.

It was Xiao Nianci and Shen Zhaoyi, who had returned early from the Great Wilderness Mountain Range.

Although they had just arrived, they could already guess the outcome of the duel from the crowd’s roaring cheers!

Xiao Nianci gazed at Chen Cheng for a long time before letting out a soft sigh:

"This young man, Chen Cheng, his sharpness is on full display, no less than Zheng Hun’s!

I misjudged him before!

With such presence, he would be considered stunningly brilliant even in the Great Dao Sect, or anywhere in the Land of the North!

Sigh... What a pity! If you don’t enter the Innate Realm, you will always be an ant!

To encounter the Demonic Thought of a Demon Venerable in a place like Linji City... one can only say that fate is cruel, and heaven is jealous of great talent!"

Shen Zhaoyi, however, had an excited expression. He felt a surge of hot blood in his chest, and he couldn’t help but feel a rush of youthful fervor despite his age!

Before seeing Chen Cheng, he had indeed been worried for him!

But upon seeing Chen Cheng standing tall and straight, as still as a deep pool and as imposing as a mountain, as calm and composed as ever, like the undisturbed water of an old well, Shen Zhaoyi’s worries vanished without a trace.

In his view, Martial Arts Cultivation required an indomitable, forward-charging spirit. So what if he was trapped in a Demon Thought Cage?

As long as his Martial Dao Will was firm enough and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit remained, anything was possible!

And Chen Cheng had always been creating infinite possibilities!

"Lord Xiao, in my opinion, your lamentations are a bit premature!"

Xiao Nianci wasn’t annoyed. He said quietly, "Elder Shen, some things are just a matter of fate."

Just then, several figures appeared in the distance down the street, rushing toward the Life and Death Arena.

The two of them fell silent.

"Huh... The disciples from the Four Major Sects are back!"

"Tch! Those are just the messenger lackeys. They’re probably here to surrender."

"Hahaha, the Four Major Sects have really taken a huge fall this time!"

The people in the crowd parted to make a path.

Chen Cheng also turned and calmly watched the newcomers approach.

"Shijia Luogeng, Inner Sect Disciple of the Brahma Sound Sect, greets Donor Chen!"

The young Ascetic Monk from the Brahma Sound Sect bowed to Chen Cheng, then took out a string of Agate Prayer Beads and said with a serious expression,

"My Senior Brother, Hassamutira, said that Donor Chen has an affinity with the Buddha Master. If you wish to resolve the Demon Thought Cage, you may take this token to the Brahma Sound Sect and serve the Buddha Master."

"There’s no need." Chen Cheng didn’t take the prayer beads, nor did he bother paying him any mind. He glanced at the others and said flatly,

"Are you all here to surrender on behalf of your Sects?"

All of them fell silent. After all, fleeing without a fight was truly disgraceful!

Most importantly, it had damaged their Sects’ prestige. When the Sects inevitably questioned them later, it would be extremely difficult to explain.

"I am from the Taiyi Sect..."

"Silence!" Chen Cheng waved his hand, cutting him off. "You need only answer me: does Zhang Daozong, the Inner Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect, concede defeat?"

The disciple from the Taiyi Sect said in a muffled voice, "Senior Brother Zhang concedes!"

The others followed suit:

"Senior Brother Zhu concedes!"

"Senior Sister Fan concedes!"

"Senior Brother Hassamutira concedes!"

"Excellent!" Chen Cheng nodded lightly. "Since your Four Major Sects have conceded, you must abide by the rules of the Jianghu. You may no longer establish businesses or recruit disciples in Linji City.

Alright, I am busy with official duties and have no time to get entangled with you. You may all leave!"

"Ma... Master Chen, Senior Brother Zhang Daozong asked me to give you a message," said the disciple from the Taiyi Sect.

"Speak," Chen Cheng said flatly.

The disciple looked at Chen Cheng and stammered for a long time before finally saying:

"Senior Brother Zhang Daozong said that since Master Chen is trapped in a Demon Thought Cage, you have no hope of ever reaching the Innate Realm in this lifetime. You are, in the end, just an ant.

Therefore, Senior Brother Zhang Daozong said that thirty years from now, when he reaches the Innate Realm, he will surely settle the score from today."

"Hn?" Chen Cheng’s expression suddenly darkened.

The disciple was startled and quickly said, "Master Chen, those were Senior Brother Zhang’s words! They have nothing to do with me."

’Conceding defeat, yet still talking tough. That’s Zhang Daozong’s style, all right!’

"Then you will relay a message back to Zhang Daozong for me. I order him to get the hell out of Linji City before nightfall, or he will face the consequences!"

Chen Cheng said coldly.

"Yes, I will definitely relay the message." The disciple cupped his fists and fled as if his life depended on it.

Chen Cheng looked at the others and said, "The rest of you will also take my words back with you!"