Emperor Vastsea and Emperor Skysplitter had serious looks on their faces as well. Emperor Vastsea especially was a diehard supporter of Emperor Shura. He had done so many things to help Emperor Shura seize power that he was surely one of the most dedicated here. That was why he couldn't accept the great emperor's defeat. Emperor Shura must hold on, because his fate was tied to the great emperor's.
If Emperor Shura succeeded, he succeeded. But if Emperor Shura failed, he failed as well. On that note, if Sacred Peafowl Mountain successfully stabilized their rule over Veluriyam Capital, then a fall from grace for both Emperor Shura and him was only a matter of time. Meanwhile, although Emperor Skysplitter had chosen to follow Emperor Shura, he wasn't that close to Emperor Shura.
"Daoist Vastsea, these people are just bewitched by that boy for the moment. Veluriyam Capital will still be ours to rule if we take this round by force, won't it? In the end, the strong dictates what happens in this world. If we win the martial dao matches, there's nothing they can do to change things."
Seven matches had taken place, but both sides were pretty even considering that the score was three victories, three losses and one draw each. Emperor Shura would be lying if he said that the mountain of cheers didn't affect his mind. However, it would also be a lie if he said that his morale was shaken as a result. It was true that he felt humiliated by the current scores, but he felt that Shura Retreat's chances of winning were growing bigger and bigger.
They could win at least one talisman round. It didn't matter if they lose or tied for the other. Both were acceptable outcomes. The key here was the martial dao match-up. Emperor Shura was absolutely certain that he could win, and he believed the same for Li Jiangcheng when it came to that pretty little doll.
Pill King Ce or Pill King Hui would certainly lose to Emperor Peerless. It didn't matter if Cloudsoar Monarch managed a tie for the last round because Shura Retreat would have already claimed six rounds of victory. As long as Pill King Hui fought Cloudsoar Monarch to a draw, the score would become six victories and two draws in favor of Shura Retreat. No matter how well Sacred Peafowl Mountain performed after that, they could only manage five wins at best.
That also meant that Shura Retreat would win the entire competition. Even better, this was just a conservative estimate. Emperor Shura was very confident in his skill with talismans, and he was certain that he could win his match.
Meanwhile on Sacred Peafowl Mountain's side, Jiang Chen decided to bring Huang'er with him again. Emperor Peerless wasn't absolutely certain that he could win with talismans, not to mention that Jiang Chen didn't wish to send him up to the arena a second time.
"Brother Mo, your ultimate mission is to claim a victory for Sacred Peafowl Mountain in martial dao." Jiang Chen gave Emperor Peerless a reminder because he was afraid that the great emperor would have doubts.
Emperor Peerless understood that Jiang Chen was saving his face in doing this, so he nodded. "Don't worry. I'll bring you my own head if I fail to take a match there."
Emperor Peerless was planning to go all in. As a representative of Veluriyam Capital, it would be humiliating if he couldn't take a single match off the enemy. Frankly, not even Emperor Shura might be able to beat Emperor Peerless. But since the rules stated that the leaders must fight one another, Emperor Shura's opponent had to be young lord Zhen. Therefore, it would be most humiliating if he couldn't win over a pill king!
Unfortunately, Huang'er's attainment in talismans was so-so at best. Worse, talismans seemed to be Shura Retreat's area of proficiency according to the intelligence they'd gotten. It was the main reason Jiang Chen had decided not to gamble everything on the upcoming subject.
"Huang'er, we're at three wins, three losses, and one draw. We still have a chance even if we lose every round in this subject. The situation is even better for us if we manage a draw and a loss."
Huang'er smiled and responded silently. "I know what your plan is, Brother Chen. We'll do our best no matter what. If we can claim a victory and a loss here, Sacred Peafowl Mountain will have the ultimate victory."
If they managed a victory and a loss in the talisman match, the score would become four-four-one on both sides. This meant that the fights would decide everything. When it came to that, Emperor Peerless was absolutely going to take a match off Shura Retreat.
As for the duel between Huang'er and Li Jiancheng, Emperor Shura probably believed that Li Jiancheng would be the indisputable victor of this round. Jiang Chen knew that that was absolutely not the case. That match would be his "gift" to Emperor Shura and his trump card to win the entire thing. Li Jiancheng might be Emperor Shura's greatest young genius, but he still was inferior to Huang'er of Myriad Abyss Island, especially a Huang'er who was freed from the Generation Binding Curse.
A win in the talisman subject or a draw in the worst case scenario. Of course, two draws are even better. When it came to talismans, Jiang Chen understood that even a draw was a good result for Sacred Peafowl Mountain. If he could claim two draws, then the competition would be completely in favor of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. Two draws or a win and a loss meant the exact same in this scenario.
There were many ways a talisman match could be conducted. The most primitive way would be to see who could make the better talisman or who could control their talisman better.
Talismans were actually Jiang Chen's weakness. He had theoretical knowledge thanks to his past memories, but lacked the ability to control them. Pill dao had interested him the most in the past. Although he had researched talismans, he didn't spend too much effort in the subject. He might have millions of years in his lifespan, but he didn't possess limitless mental and physical energy.
It was wondrous enough that he'd been able to achieve what he did in pill dao. He just couldn't pull off the same thing with talismans as well. He had used many talismans since arriving in this world, but he almost never dabbled in talisman creation before. He wasn't lacking in the foundations. On the contrary, his basics in this area were pretty solid, but he was unsure if the basics were enough to win him a match.
Surprisingly, Emperor Shura didn't bring Pill King Hui or Pill King Ce with him this time. Just like the last time, Emperor Shura and his personal disciple, Li Jiancheng, would be attending the match. This lineup surprised Jiang Chen. The young man shot an indifferent glance at the former number one genius of the Ranking of Young Lords.
Li Jiancheng met Jiang Chen's look with complicated feelings. Young lord Zhen had been far inferior to him at the Veluriyam Pagoda gathering. But just a few years later, his opponent had climbed so high that he was on equal footing as his own master. Worse, this bastard was looking at him like how a senior would judge a junior! It made him feel as uncomfortable as having swallowed a fly.
Emperor Shura had personally suffered Jiang Chen's psychological attacks before, so he quickly sent a message to Li Jiancheng. "Ignore him no matter how hard he tries to taunt you, Jiancheng. Solidify your heart and dao."
The warning made Li Jiancheng feel apprehensive. He nodded in response. However, he was quickly engulfed in a flare of jealousy when he moved his gaze to Huang'er. The young woman's temperament astounded him to say the least.
What's so good about that guy? Why is a beauty like her willing to follow him? Li Jiancheng had seen plenty of beautiful women before. In fact, one might say that beautiful women were everywhere in the world of martial dao. However, he had never seen one with a temperament like Huang'er's.
His jealousy was raging like a pyre. Young lord Zhen had taken everything that was good! He had been chosen as the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain at a young age, and was the number one idol in Veluriyam Capital. Now, he even had a partner who looked like a living goddess.
For a time, Li Jiancheng felt like murdering Jiang Chen and robbing him of his partner.
He's a lucky guy, that bastard! My master will be fighting him, and this Miss Huang'er will be fighting me in a moment. I must put on a good performance and dominate her utterly in both strength and heart. Li Jiancheng's eyes burned with desire and possessiveness as he stared at Huang'er's amazing body and divinely posture.
"The eighth match is Miss Huang'er of Sacred Peafowl Mountain versus young lord Li Jiancheng of Shura Retreat."
Li Jiancheng worked hard to adjust his feelings so he would be at an optimal state for battle. Walking up the arena steps, the young lord bowed politely at Huang'er and clasped his hands. "How often do you leave Sacred Peafowl Mountain, Miss Huang'er? To think that a beauty like you lives in Veluriyam Capital, and I am somehow unaware of it! Are you actually a descended immortal from the upper realms?"
His statement wasn't really facetious, but it was also a great feat of flattery. He thought that all woman in the world loved praise no matter how extraordinary they were. Unfortunately for him, this was completely useless on Huang'er. She shot him an indifferent glance. "Come at me."
Li Jiancheng wasn't thwarted by a minor failure. He chuckled. "Miss Huang'er, Veluriyam Capital may be in a chaotic state right now, but Shura Retreat is certain to replace Sacred Peafowl Mountain. I truly feel sorry for you, Miss Huang'er."
"Sorry for what?" Huang'er responded indifferently. She was going to ignore his impolite words, but Li Jiancheng had refused to shut his mouth. It displeased her.
"Miss Huang'er, you are an amazing person, but you are being used by that Zhen fellow like a pawn! What a mood killer, he doesn't know how to treat a lady at all! I just can't bear to see you fall from grace along with Sacred Peafowl Mountain." Li Jiancheng pretended to be generous.
Huang'er's forehead wrinkled. "Just say what you want to say. Stop beating around the bush."
The young woman had seen plenty of men who put on a mysterious front like Li Jiancheng. And in fact, she'd seen countless men on Myriad Abyss Island far superior to him in every way. She was completely immune to people like him.
Li Jiancheng was surprisingly patient. He smiled leisurely. "Since that is your command, I shall comply to your wishes. Sacred Peafowl's destiny is at its end, and it is simply unwise to stay in that place any longer. There is a saying that goes 'a talented person chooses a patron of integrity'. There is just no reason for you to decline alongside Sacred Peafowl Mountain when you're such an amazing person yourself. But don't worry, Miss Huang'er. I will protect you in Veluriyam Capital even after Sacred Peafowl Mountain has become history." Li Jiancheng puffed his chest when he said this most confidently.