It was exactly like what Zhou Weiqing had predicted. They had extended their pursuit to the Heavenly Bow Empire to completely resolve their issues in the west by simultaneously annihilating the Heavenly Demon Sect and the entire higher ranks of the Heavenly Bow Empire. Regardless of how formidable an army was, the army would not be able to demonstrate much of its force without a spectacular commander. Furthermore, without higher-tier weapons, attacks from a few powerhouses would be sufficient to eliminate hundreds of thousands from the Heavenly Bow Empire's armies. At the very least, they would be stuck.
It was naturally Zhou Weiqing who was walking between Demonic Emperor Wu Yunyue and Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya. He had a faint smile on his face. It seemed like he was on a holiday. They continued walking before they stopped thirty meters away from the Blood Red Hell powerhouses.
The Fourth Elder of Blood Red Hell grunted, "Wu Yunyue, there are only these few people left in the Heavenly Demon Sect? If that's the case, we'll grant you a final chance. As long as you're willing to lead the Heavenly Demon Sect and join the Blood Red Hell, we can overlook everything that has transpired."
Wu Yunyue's eyes reddened slightly when he looked at those people. However, he was a Demonic Emperor. Thus, he forcefully contained his fury and said coldly, "Dream on, Fourth Elder. Nobody knows who'll be the victor today. Since you've called us out for a final battle, let's set the rules today."
The Fourth Elder of Blood Red Hell laughed out loud before he said, "With just a few of you, you think you make me? You're nothing more than mere ants in our eyes."
Zhou Weiqing took two steps forward, distinguishing himself from the duo at his side. He smiled. "I'm Zhou Weiqing, nice to meet you. Since you're the ones who called for the battle, it'll only be appropriate for you to give us an explanation. To be honest, I fear death, and I don't want to die at all. How about we have a bet? If you win, spare our lives and all of us will surrender to the Blood Red Hell."
Upon hearing what he had said, Third Elder of Blood Red Hell laughed loudly after looking at the charming smile on Zhou Weiqing's face, "Are you Zhou Weiqing? It seems like you're nothing more than a young man who's greedy for life and scared of death. We, the Blood Red Hell, will not casually take in trash."
The grin on Zhou Weiqing's face did not falter, "Your words are wrong, senior. I may not be a person with immense talent. However, at the very least I've reached Heavenly King Tier in my twenties, I'm not lacking at all potential wise. I didn't mean that only a few of us will surrender. I'm willing to represent the entire Heavenly Bow Empire in the surrender. I believe all of you are aware that I single-handedly led the reclamation of the Heavenly Bow Empire. Therefore, I've the power to make this decision. I don't know if all of you dare to place this bet?"
Just as Third Elder was about to speak again, First Elder raised his arm and stopped him. He then asked Zhou Weiqing flatly, "How do you want to bet?"
Zhou Weiqing chuckled and said, "Since you called for a battle, we'll naturally be competing with our powers. You have more people, and we have fewer people. How about this? We'll have fewer rounds instead. I believe each of you know about the Heavenly Jewel Tournament. I suggest that we fight according to the Heavenly Jewel Tournament's preliminary rules to decide on the final victor. I'm sorry. I've participated in two Heavenly Jewel Tournaments. I managed to advance to the top four after defeating Dandun Empire and achieved the final victory. Therefore, I'm still quite familiar with the rules of combat."
'To fight according to the rules of Heavenly Jewel Tournament? Won't that be four rounds of one-on-one and another round of two-on-two battles?' They thought.
These Blood Red Hell powerhouses had all been young once. Therefore, quite a number of them had participated in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament before. This arrangement was not foreign to them.
Zhou Weiqing's suggestion had invoked the interest in quite a few of them. After all, no matter how they looked at it, Zhou Weiqing and his people were not sufficient to threaten the Blood Red Hell. Furthermore, Zhou Weiqing looked like he was just looking for an excuse to justify their surrender.
First Eder said flatly, "What if I don't agree? You people don't have the right to be discussing terms with me."
Zhou Weiqing spread open his arm and said, "If you don't agree to this, we can only call this off. Our powers may be far inferior to yours but if we run, nobody knows how many of us you'll be able to catch."
First Elder's eyes shone, "Are you saying that if we agree with your bet, you won't run away?"
Zhou Weiqing nodded and said, "If you win, all of us will surrender. After we've surrendered, I believe that the Blood Red Hell won't treat us poorly. Why would we attempt to escape?"
First Elder's gaze swept across the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor and the Demonic Emperor. "You, a mere youngster, are calling the shots?"
Demonic Emperor Wu Yunyue suppressed the fury and distaste in his heart and nodded strongly. He said, "This is the result of our discussion."
Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya was too lazy to speak so he simply nodded in agreement.
First Elder smiled casually and said, "Alright, I'll agree with this bet. You can send your first representative."
"Wait," Zhou Weiqing said, "I have another suggestion."
The hot-tempered Third Elder of Blood Red Hell said angrily, "Why does a brat like you have so much nonsense to say."
Zhou Weiqing chuckled and said, "I'm just proposing my personal idea. It's up to you whether you agree or not. What I mean is, since this is a bet to decide our fates, let's not restrict the number of times a person can battle. Everyone can participate more than just one time. Furthermore, to decide the victory with just five rounds will be unfair since you've so many people on your side. I don't want to be a freeloader so we'll decide who's the winner with seven rounds. Two of these will be two-on-two while the rest are one-on-one. The side with more wins will be the victor."
First Elder of Blood Red Hell was momentarily stunned. He had been wary of the smiling young man because he felt that this youngster seemed to be laying his trap and coaxing them to fall deeper into it. Nevertheless, because of their formidable power, he was not bothered at all even if Zhou Weiqing had any cunning plans up his sleeves. Therefore, he agreed to the bet. He planned to resolve the issue here once and for all and to return to the Blood Red Hell earlier to handle other affairs.
However, Zhou Weiqing's proposal made him change his mind. Zhou Weiqing's suggestion was simply too advantageous to the Blood Red Hell. There were four Heavenly Emperor-tier powerhouses from the Blood Red Hell whereas there was only two of them on Zhou Weiqing's side. The more rounds there were, the less restricted it would be for the participants. Obviously, it was obviously more beneficial to them. Although the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya was incredibly strong, the Four Elders of Blood Red Hell were no ordinary Heavenly Emperor-tier powerhouses either. Not only did they possess the Destruction Attribute, First Elder was at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Emperor Tier. Thus, they did not think that they would lose against Long Shiya.
Furthermore, it was impossible to reign in one's power in a clash between Heavenly Emperor-tier powerhouses. Under such circumstances, even if a person had won a round, it was almost impossible to have any energy left to battle the next opponent.
Therefore, the First Elder really thought that Zhou Weiqing was just looking for an excuse to justify their surrender and join the Blood Red Hell.
If they were really able to take the Heavenly Bow Empire under their wings, it would be a great news to the Dandun Empire. They would then be able to make their moves on the battlefield without any restrictions.
"Alright, we'll follow your suggestion." First Elder agreed to Zhou Weiqing's proposal without any hesitation, "Now, send in your first representative."
Although the First Elder of Blood Red Hell had already significantly lowered his guard, he did not look down on Zhou Weiqing and his group since he was cunning. Therefore, he had asked Zhou Weiqing to select their first participant so they could plan accordingly.
Zhou Weiqing smiled bitterly and said, "This is not good, senior. If our side has to send out a participant first all the time, we won't stand a chance at all. How about this? We'll send our participant first for this round, and you send yours first for the next round. What do you think?"
The Four Elders of Blood Red Hell began to feel irritated. Zhou Weiqing kept on raising various suggestions but he had been smiling the entire time. Although both sides had opposing opinions, they would naturally not mind these details given their status.
First Elder nodded and said, "We're fine with it. Let's start."
Zhou Weiqing stepped forward again and said, "Well then, our first participant will be me. I wonder which of you will be willing to enlighten me."
The Four Elders of Blood Red Hell were all stunned. Although Zhou Weiqing's cultivation base might have reached the Heavenly King Tier according to their sources, and he had also admitted to it, they really had not taken the young man seriously. Regardless of his age and the fact that he had entered the Heavenly King Tier, there was no possible way that he could be on equal standing with the experienced Heavenly King-tier powerhouses.
The overall strength of the Heavenly Demon Sect was the weakest among the five Great Saint Lands but they were famed for their individual battle prowess. In their opinion, any one of the Heavenly Demon Sect's Heavenly Kings would be far more powerful than Zhou Weiqing. The elders simply did not understand why they would send Zhou Weiqing out to fight.
First Elder waved and said, "Tian Lei, you go."
From behind the four elders, an old man with a slender physique who seemed to be in his sixties walked out.
The old man's gaze was cold and there were no emotions of any sort on his face. He walked out from behind the four elders and gave them a bow. After that, he walked to Zhou Weiqing and maintained his distance.
All Four Elders of Blood Red Hell had thought that it would not be convenient for them to fight against a young man like Zhou Weiqing. Nevertheless, this person sent by First Elder was also a famed powerhouse from the Blood Red Hell. With the immense powers of the Heavenly King Tier, it was expected that he would enter the realm of the Heavenly Emperor Tier in the future. It could be said that they took Zhou Weiqing quite seriously.
A faint light shone and a gentle grin appeared on Zhou Weiqing's face. He put his hands together and paid his respect courteously. He said, "I'm Zhou Weiqing, please enlighten me."
Tian Lei spared a cold glance at Zhou Weiqing, "Enough of this nonsense. Let's begin." While he said that, he had actually folded his left hand behind his back. It seemed like he intended to deal with Zhou Weiqing with only one hand.