Chapter 171 - 100: Zhao Ci: Lao Mo, Listen Up, the Demon Monarch Is Nothing but a Piece of Shit

Chapter 171: Chapter 100: Zhao Ci: Lao Mo, Listen Up, the Demon Monarch Is Nothing but a Piece of Shit

One man and his spear stood, barring the way for everyone.

For a moment, no one dared to make a move.

They all stared at Zhao Ci as if they had seen a ghost.

’When did this Tenth Prince get so strong?’

’They had previously thought Zhao Ci was no slouch, but they never expected him to be *this* far from it.’

A First-Grade Flesh Soul.

’How many years has it been since anyone heard of that?’

Everyone here was a genius. They could tell Tan Yu’s condition at a glance. His True Qi had been scattered by the powerful impact. It wasn’t a severe injury, but he would be almost incapable of using his True Qi for a short while.

’He couldn’t even guarantee a win against Feng Kucha without his mop now!’

Before this, even without fully revealing his strength, Tan Yu had been considered middle-of-the-pack among the Mansion Officials.

Now that he had revealed his Power of the Three Corpses, none of the people present could guarantee more than a thirty percent chance of victory against him.

And yet, a man like that had his combat ability instantly nullified by Zhao Ci in an utterly brutal fashion.

’So what were they supposed to do now?’

"Your Highness..."

One of the men immediately grimaced, trying to think of an excuse to back out.

Zhao Ci sneered. "Son of a bitch! So it’s okay for you to kick a man when he’s down, but you get all pissy when I do the same thing?"

The crowd was speechless.

Zhao Ci turned his head and shouted, "Is the master from the Imperial Clan Court here? The time for this match was clearly set. What’s the penalty for a challenger who makes up an excuse to bail?"

Those snakes from the Imperial Clan Court always loved to spy on people. This was the very first battle of the mansion tournament; how could they not be secretly observing?

Sure enough.

The words had barely left his lips.

A voice echoed from an unknown location, "If the challenged party refuses to fight, they forfeit. If a challenger withdraws out of cowardice and without reason, they, of course, also forfeit. You lot can stop making up excuses. Miss Qingque isn’t pregnant. This old man tested that theory just yesterday."

Zhao Ci: "..."

Zhu Li: "..."

The crowd: "..."

’Alright, alright, alright!’

’So that’s how you want to play, huh?’

Hearing what the old sneak had to say, the crowd could only wilt and return to their seats. The Imperial Clan Court truly wasn’t an organization that could be so easily deceived.

If they just made up an excuse and the Imperial Clan Court investigated it later, the fallout would be even more embarrassing.

’They had no choice but to bite the bullet and press on. Besides, Zhao Ci was facing a gauntlet of opponents; his strength was bound to wane eventually.’

Spear in hand, Zhao Ci leaped directly onto the raised platform.

"Next up, Gongshu Cuo!"

"Coming, coming..."

Gongshu Cuo ascended the Martial Arts Arena with his iron umbrella, a look of pure agony on his face. When he’d first signed up, he’d been so eager, wanting to be among the first to test the Tenth Prince’s mettle. But as it turned out...

’He should have waited. The current Zhao Ci had barely used any of his True Qi.’

’But no matter.’

He grit his teeth. ’I’m a genius of the Yellow Sea Gongshu Clan, damn it! I can’t just be thinking about picking up scraps.’

He took a deep breath.

He twisted the handle, and the iron umbrella snapped open with a WHIRR of intricate mechanisms. "I am Gongshu Cuo. My weapon is the Luban Umbrella. Your Highness, I ask for your guidance."

"Please!"

Zhao Ci made a welcoming gesture and then charged straight at him.

The Luban Umbrella spun, and countless hidden weapons shot out from it like lightning.

Seeing this, Zhao Ci neither dodged nor blocked with his spear. Instead, he unleashed his tyrannical Imperial Extreme True Qi, which erupted from his body to meet the bizarrely shaped projectiles head-on.

With a resounding HUM, all the hidden weapons were sent flying back the way they came.

Gongshu Cuo was horrified. He frantically poured his True Qi into the Luban Umbrella, forcing a change in the projectiles’ trajectory. But some of them he couldn’t redirect in time, and he could only lift the iron umbrella in a desperate attempt to block them.

"TING! TING! TING! TING..."

The sound of metal on metal was as dense as a downpour, enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Gongshu Cuo’s face was pale. He never imagined that Zhao Ci’s True Qi would be so tyrannical, or that he would immediately choose the perfect counter.

The Luban Umbrella was a required part of a young Gongshu Clan member’s foundational training. Its basic principle was similar to that of a lodestone compass; by infusing the magnetic umbrella with True Qi, one could control a rain of hidden weapons. If Zhao Ci had merely tried to block with his spear, he would have surely been wounded and defeated.

’But if he used his True Qi to blast them away...’

Gongshu Cuo cursed inwardly. He hadn’t expected to be forced onto the defensive right from the start.

’If Zhao Ci gets close...’

’No!’

’He’s already here!’

Sensing the immense True Qi behind him, the hair on Gongshu Cuo’s entire body stood on end. ’To be closed in on by a First-Grade Flesh Soul... this is going to be bad!’

’I’m no good at close-quarters combat! I’m done for!’

"I forfei—"

Before he could finish the word, he felt a surge of True Qi seal his throat.

Then, a large hand clamped over his mouth.

He was slammed to the ground.

"THUD!"

A fist landed on his stomach, the pain causing his body to arch like a bow.

"’Forfeit what?’"

Zhao Ci wore an indignant expression. "Are you saying you think I’m weak? Well then, I’ll just have to prove you wrong!"

And so...

"THUD!"

Another fist fell.

It was a heavy blow.

But it was far from the standard of a First-Grade Flesh Soul, and certainly not enough to cause any serious injury.

With each punch, however, a wisp of Imperial Extreme True Qi seeped into Gongshu Cuo’s meridians. It began to rampage through his channels like a herd of elephants charging into a stream, completely disrupting the gentle flow.

"THUD!"

"Mmph..."

"THUD!"

"Mmph..."

"THUD!"

"Mmph..."

’Even if the punches weren’t meant to cause lasting injury, they still hurt like hell!’

And with his mouth covered...

Forget about forfeiting.

He couldn’t even get a proper scream out.

With every punch that landed...

...the other challengers on the list felt their eyes twitch.

They had seen one-sided beatdowns before.

But they had never seen someone beat their opponent while covering their mouth to stop them from forfeiting.

’This... this, this, this... who could possibly stand up to this?!’

The crowd: "..."

Yang Mo: "!!!"