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Chapter 157: The Agreed Battle, Shaking the World
2023-04-04 Author: Fu Hejun
Neptune and Xiaobai had not been in White Cloud City for long when they were spotted by the informants spread throughout the entire city, their presence reported up through various layers until it finally reached the City Lord.
Ye Cheng, who had been busy with documents, smiled upon receiving the report from his subordinates. He temporarily set down his pen and said, "Honored guests have arrived." He then instructed his subordinates to invite the two distinguished visitors.
Naturally, his subordinates dared not delay and promptly took action.
A short while later.
The main body and the clone finally began their official meeting.
"Lord of White Cloud City, I have long admired your name." Neptune looked at Ye Cheng, a smile gracing his face. Xiaobai, accompanying him, was visibly tense, her entire body taut, as if ready to break out of an encirclement at any moment. After all, she had no idea that these two were one and the same, putting on a double act.
In Xiaobai's eyes, the two of them had now deeply penetrated enemy territory. If negotiations broke down later, a fight would surely break out at any moment. How could she not be nervous?
"Sea God Successor, Ye Mou has also long heard of your renown."
Ye Cheng also revealed a slight smile. Though he possessed the face of an austere, handsome man, his persona was not that of a taciturn, cold-faced individual. On the contrary, he was very amiable. Anyone who had spent time with him knew this.
"Please, sit."
Ye Cheng gestured for Neptune to sit, whereupon nearby maids respectfully served fragrant tea to the three of them.
Xiaobai had no interest in drinking tea.
However, Ye Cheng and Neptune, like a typical host and guest, only began to discuss their main business after taking a sip of tea.
"City Lord Ye, I have come seeking the return of Sea God Island's ultimate treasure—the Sea God's Heart. I heard that this treasure has now been transferred by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to the Medicine King. May I ask if you could provide an introduction?" Neptune dispensed with pleasantries and directly stated his purpose.
"The Sea God's Heart..."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cheng's expression turned somewhat subtle. After pondering for a moment, he said, "If you are referring to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Vast Sea Cosmic Cover, then there is no need to seek out the Medicine King. Senior Medicine King has already transferred this treasure to me; it is now in my possession."
"Oh, the Sea God's Heart is actually in the City Lord's hands!" Neptune appeared greatly surprised, then stood up, clasped his fists in a salute, and said, "The Sea God's Heart concerns the survival of the Great Sea. I implore City Lord Ye to part with it. I would be endlessly grateful."
Xiaobai, observing Neptune, the future Sea God, behave in such a manner, immediately felt a surge of indignation directed at Ye Cheng. After all, the Sea God's Heart was originally an inherited treasure of Sea God Island, and now, to retrieve it, he had to make such a humble request. In her view, this was undoubtedly an extremely irritating matter.
"Hmm..."
Ye Cheng pondered for a moment before saying, "Since it concerns the survival of countless living beings, the Vast Sea Cosmic Cover can be given to you. After all, strictly speaking, it inherently belongs to your Sea God Island. However..."
Xiaobai, witnessing Ye Cheng's amenable demeanor, had originally begun to change her opinion of him. However, upon hearing the twist at the end of his words, her heart, which had just settled, instantly tightened again.
"However what? City Lord Ye, please speak frankly." Neptune's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not lash out, seemingly out of consideration for Ye Cheng's strength.
"This Vast Sea Cosmic Cover was gifted to me by Senior Medicine King. For you to simply take it away like this would be somewhat inappropriate..." Ye Cheng paused here, then changed his tone, saying, "Therefore, let us have a spar according to the rules of the Soul Master World. After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, I will present the Sea God's Heart to you with both hands. What do you think?"
"Good!"
Neptune agreed without a second thought.
At this moment, battle intent gradually ignited in his pupils. He looked at Ye Cheng and said, "Since City Lord Ye is interested, I shall gladly accompany you!"
And so, it was settled.
The two agreed to hold a duel at a certain location ten days later!
When Neptune led Xiaobai out of the City Lord's Manor, Xiaobai, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did you agree to his challenge? What if there's an ambush? Humans are the most despicable."
"Don't worry, he's not that kind of person."
Neptune shook his head and calmly said, "And have you forgotten that I'm human too? At our level, it's truly lonely at the top. It's rare to encounter a worthy opponent; naturally, one gets excited and wants to spar."
"From the moment he said that the Sea God's Heart would be handed over to me regardless of victory or defeat, I knew he was just looking for an excuse to spar with me. Coincidentally, I also wanted to gauge my own current strength, so I agreed."
"The way you humans speak is so hard to understand..." Only after hearing his explanation did Xiaobai realize there were so many twists and turns involved. It was too convoluted.
...
As for the news regarding the agreed-upon battle between the Lord of White Cloud City and the Sea God Successor, even though Ye Cheng had not deliberately publicized it, the spies from various factions lurking within White Cloud City all swiftly relayed the news back.
Immediately after, the news somehow leaked, and in the end, even some commoners knew about the impending duel between the two Limit Douluo.
In an instant, the entire Soul Master World was in an uproar!
It must be known that these two individuals, who were about to duel, were peak experts standing at the very pinnacle of the Soul Master World!
Two such experts, who had almost reached the end of the Soul Master path with one foot across the threshold of godhood, were about to face each other in a one-on-one duel.
Such a rare spectacle might not be seen even once in several centuries.
Who wouldn't be curious? Who wouldn't want to witness it?
If one could be fortunate enough to gain even a sliver of insight from the two experts' battle, it would undoubtedly benefit them for the rest of their lives.
For a time, everyone eagerly anticipated the arrival of the duel day.
Some people even arrived at the duel location ahead of time to stake out spots, ready to observe the duel between the two great experts at any moment.
Wuhun City.
Compared to massive cities like White Cloud City and Heaven Dou City, this city was much smaller. It didn't even have one-tenth of Heaven Dou City's area. However, despite Wuhun City's modest size, its city walls were built to the absolute specifications of a capital city. The eighty-meter-high city walls appeared extremely majestic from the outside. The walls' thickness also exceeded thirty meters, and they were entirely constructed from granite.
This city had not existed previously; it was entirely funded and constructed by Spirit Hall. Most peculiar was that Wuhun City was not quadrilateral like ordinary cities, but hexagonal, meaning it had a total of six city walls.
All those responsible for patrolling the city walls were Soul Masters, dressed in Spirit Hall's specialized uniforms. Furthermore, each of the six city walls featured a massive relief, identical to the ones on Spirit Hall tokens, symbolizing six powerful martial souls.
If one were to look down from above, one would discover that this hexagonal Wuhun City was actually built around a hill. On this hill, there were also two extremely prominent buildings: one halfway up the slope, and one at the summit.
The building halfway up the hill was the most magnificent, featuring a columnar structure, a domed roof, and an exterior covered in a golden material that shimmered in the sunlight.
This building was the Pontiff's Palace, completed only in recent years. Spirit Hall's nominal supreme ruler resided here.
(end of chapter)
2023-04-04 Author: Fu Hejun
Neptune and Xiaobai had not been in White Cloud City for long when they were spotted by the informants spread throughout the entire city, their presence reported up through various layers until it finally reached the City Lord.
Ye Cheng, who had been busy with documents, smiled upon receiving the report from his subordinates. He temporarily set down his pen and said, "Honored guests have arrived." He then instructed his subordinates to invite the two distinguished visitors.
Naturally, his subordinates dared not delay and promptly took action.
A short while later.
The main body and the clone finally began their official meeting.
"Lord of White Cloud City, I have long admired your name." Neptune looked at Ye Cheng, a smile gracing his face. Xiaobai, accompanying him, was visibly tense, her entire body taut, as if ready to break out of an encirclement at any moment. After all, she had no idea that these two were one and the same, putting on a double act.
In Xiaobai's eyes, the two of them had now deeply penetrated enemy territory. If negotiations broke down later, a fight would surely break out at any moment. How could she not be nervous?
"Sea God Successor, Ye Mou has also long heard of your renown."
Ye Cheng also revealed a slight smile. Though he possessed the face of an austere, handsome man, his persona was not that of a taciturn, cold-faced individual. On the contrary, he was very amiable. Anyone who had spent time with him knew this.
"Please, sit."
Ye Cheng gestured for Neptune to sit, whereupon nearby maids respectfully served fragrant tea to the three of them.
Xiaobai had no interest in drinking tea.
However, Ye Cheng and Neptune, like a typical host and guest, only began to discuss their main business after taking a sip of tea.
"City Lord Ye, I have come seeking the return of Sea God Island's ultimate treasure—the Sea God's Heart. I heard that this treasure has now been transferred by the Heaven Dou Imperial Family to the Medicine King. May I ask if you could provide an introduction?" Neptune dispensed with pleasantries and directly stated his purpose.
"The Sea God's Heart..."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cheng's expression turned somewhat subtle. After pondering for a moment, he said, "If you are referring to the Heaven Dou Imperial Family's Vast Sea Cosmic Cover, then there is no need to seek out the Medicine King. Senior Medicine King has already transferred this treasure to me; it is now in my possession."
"Oh, the Sea God's Heart is actually in the City Lord's hands!" Neptune appeared greatly surprised, then stood up, clasped his fists in a salute, and said, "The Sea God's Heart concerns the survival of the Great Sea. I implore City Lord Ye to part with it. I would be endlessly grateful."
Xiaobai, observing Neptune, the future Sea God, behave in such a manner, immediately felt a surge of indignation directed at Ye Cheng. After all, the Sea God's Heart was originally an inherited treasure of Sea God Island, and now, to retrieve it, he had to make such a humble request. In her view, this was undoubtedly an extremely irritating matter.
"Hmm..."
Ye Cheng pondered for a moment before saying, "Since it concerns the survival of countless living beings, the Vast Sea Cosmic Cover can be given to you. After all, strictly speaking, it inherently belongs to your Sea God Island. However..."
Xiaobai, witnessing Ye Cheng's amenable demeanor, had originally begun to change her opinion of him. However, upon hearing the twist at the end of his words, her heart, which had just settled, instantly tightened again.
"However what? City Lord Ye, please speak frankly." Neptune's brows furrowed slightly, but he did not lash out, seemingly out of consideration for Ye Cheng's strength.
"This Vast Sea Cosmic Cover was gifted to me by Senior Medicine King. For you to simply take it away like this would be somewhat inappropriate..." Ye Cheng paused here, then changed his tone, saying, "Therefore, let us have a spar according to the rules of the Soul Master World. After this battle, regardless of victory or defeat, I will present the Sea God's Heart to you with both hands. What do you think?"
"Good!"
Neptune agreed without a second thought.
At this moment, battle intent gradually ignited in his pupils. He looked at Ye Cheng and said, "Since City Lord Ye is interested, I shall gladly accompany you!"
And so, it was settled.
The two agreed to hold a duel at a certain location ten days later!
When Neptune led Xiaobai out of the City Lord's Manor, Xiaobai, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, "Why did you agree to his challenge? What if there's an ambush? Humans are the most despicable."
"Don't worry, he's not that kind of person."
Neptune shook his head and calmly said, "And have you forgotten that I'm human too? At our level, it's truly lonely at the top. It's rare to encounter a worthy opponent; naturally, one gets excited and wants to spar."
"From the moment he said that the Sea God's Heart would be handed over to me regardless of victory or defeat, I knew he was just looking for an excuse to spar with me. Coincidentally, I also wanted to gauge my own current strength, so I agreed."
"The way you humans speak is so hard to understand..." Only after hearing his explanation did Xiaobai realize there were so many twists and turns involved. It was too convoluted.
...
As for the news regarding the agreed-upon battle between the Lord of White Cloud City and the Sea God Successor, even though Ye Cheng had not deliberately publicized it, the spies from various factions lurking within White Cloud City all swiftly relayed the news back.
Immediately after, the news somehow leaked, and in the end, even some commoners knew about the impending duel between the two Limit Douluo.
In an instant, the entire Soul Master World was in an uproar!
It must be known that these two individuals, who were about to duel, were peak experts standing at the very pinnacle of the Soul Master World!
Two such experts, who had almost reached the end of the Soul Master path with one foot across the threshold of godhood, were about to face each other in a one-on-one duel.
Such a rare spectacle might not be seen even once in several centuries.
Who wouldn't be curious? Who wouldn't want to witness it?
If one could be fortunate enough to gain even a sliver of insight from the two experts' battle, it would undoubtedly benefit them for the rest of their lives.
For a time, everyone eagerly anticipated the arrival of the duel day.
Some people even arrived at the duel location ahead of time to stake out spots, ready to observe the duel between the two great experts at any moment.
Wuhun City.
Compared to massive cities like White Cloud City and Heaven Dou City, this city was much smaller. It didn't even have one-tenth of Heaven Dou City's area. However, despite Wuhun City's modest size, its city walls were built to the absolute specifications of a capital city. The eighty-meter-high city walls appeared extremely majestic from the outside. The walls' thickness also exceeded thirty meters, and they were entirely constructed from granite.
This city had not existed previously; it was entirely funded and constructed by Spirit Hall. Most peculiar was that Wuhun City was not quadrilateral like ordinary cities, but hexagonal, meaning it had a total of six city walls.
All those responsible for patrolling the city walls were Soul Masters, dressed in Spirit Hall's specialized uniforms. Furthermore, each of the six city walls featured a massive relief, identical to the ones on Spirit Hall tokens, symbolizing six powerful martial souls.
If one were to look down from above, one would discover that this hexagonal Wuhun City was actually built around a hill. On this hill, there were also two extremely prominent buildings: one halfway up the slope, and one at the summit.
The building halfway up the hill was the most magnificent, featuring a columnar structure, a domed roof, and an exterior covered in a golden material that shimmered in the sunlight.
This building was the Pontiff's Palace, completed only in recent years. Spirit Hall's nominal supreme ruler resided here.
(end of chapter)
