Chapter 575, Chapter 588-589: The Bet

"The rules for this round: the strikes made by the Demon Generals and their respective helpers will be combined!"

After saying this, the man in golden Armor didn't wait for the surrounding spectators to start discussing again. He pointed at one of the Demon Generals and shouted, "Demon General Yu Sen, step forward!"

From among the Demon Generals, one person stepped out. This person's gaze was indifferent, and his Armor made a crisp sound as he moved. With each step, he arrived beneath the Demon Drum.

He gazed at the Demon Drum, and a sharp glint suddenly burst forth from his eyes, igniting the strong Battle Intent in his heart!

He didn't act immediately but stood quietly beneath the drum, circulating his Demonic Power and adjusting his internal Qi to reach his optimal state. Yu Sen had no confidence in striking this Demon Drum; after all, this drum was like a sacred object to him.

The man in golden Armor glanced at Yu Sen, thinking to himself, "With Yu Sen's cultivation, he can strike it four times! If he forces a fifth strike, his blood Qi will surely collapse!" He closed his eyes after just one glance.

At this moment, everyone's gaze converged on Yu Sen. Yu Sen's expression was normal; he continuously adjusted his internal Qi. To prevent external disturbances, he closed his eyes, oblivious to everything outside.

Gradually, a thick Demonic Qi emanated from his body, spreading outwards and rising into the air, with clouds constantly surging within it.

On the high stands around, low discussions rose and fell.

"The Dao of Slaughter is extremely difficult to Cultivate. Yu Sen has Cultivated the Dao of Slaughter for many years. Being the first to enter today, he might surprise everyone!"

"Not necessarily. This Demon Drum is refined from the skin of an ancient demon. Even if Yu Sen truly strikes it, he will surely be injured by the backlash."

The eight Demon Marshals on the stands also looked at Yu Sen, showing interest in their eyes. However, they didn't discuss like ordinary people; instead, a single glance between them was enough to guess most of it.

Although the six Vice Marshals didn't have the discernment of the main Marshals, their cultivation was profound, and they could also discern clues at this moment. Only Vice Marshal Xuan's gaze was not on Yu Sen but on Wang Lin among the Demon Generals.

"Wang Lin, I wonder how many times you can strike it!"

As he pondered, Vice Marshal Huang beside him chuckled, "Vice Marshal Xuan, I'm afraid I'm going to win our bet. The Cultivator you chose can only go up by himself, so he's bound to lose!"

Vice Marshal Xuan snorted coldly and said, "You just wait and see. This person is not as simple as you imagine!"

As the two conversed, Yu Sen in the plaza suddenly opened his eyes wide. At this moment, he seemed possessed by a War God, the sharp glint bursting from his eyes like a bright moon!

A low growl, like a tiger and a Dragon, came from Yu Sen's mouth. He stomped his feet on the ground, and his entire body, like a sword unsheathed, drew a brief long rainbow through the air, heading straight for the Demon Drum.

Mid-air, he formed a sword with two fingers of his right hand. In this instant, his essence, Qi, and spirit all converged, transforming into a force that furiously rushed out from between his two fingers, striking the Demon Drum.

The Demon Drum's pitch-black surface slightly caved in, though the extent was very small. The moment it caved in, it swiftly rebounded.

"Dong" A deep drum sound echoed through the sky, spreading across the plaza, extending throughout the entire Imperial Capital, and affecting half of Tianyao City.

The moment the drum sound rang out, Yu Sen immediately felt an unimaginable force surge in waves from within the Demon Drum, impacting his body like a broken bamboo.

Yu Sen's face was pale, his eyes revealed Killing Intent. Instead of retreating, he took another step forward, striking the Demon Drum again with two fingers of his right hand without hesitation!

"Dong!"

The drum sound rang out, like thunder landing.

As Yu Sen roared, the Demonic Qi outside his body immediately transformed into grotesque demonic faces. These faces all showed expressions of pain, appearing and then disappearing within the Demonic Qi.

This cycle repeated, with new faces appearing immediately each time the old ones vanished.

"Soul Devouring Slaughter, First Form!" Yu Sen's voice seemed to come from the Nine Nether Hell. As his voice fell, the endless pained faces outside his body immediately rushed towards Yu Sen's right hand as if they had found an exit from a predicament.

His entire right hand instantly flashed with dazzling blue light!

Yu Sen roared, forming a palm with his right hand and striking towards the Demon Drum.

Before his palm even touched the Demon Drum, his palm wind furiously blew, striking the Demon Drum.

"Dong" The third sound echoed through heaven and earth. At this moment, the surrounding people were instantly moved. To strike this drum with palm wind, although there was a bit of a trick involved, it still showed the might of Soul Devouring Slaughter!

After the palm wind swept by, Yu Sen's right hand pressed onto the Demon Drum.

"Dong" Almost immediately after the third sound echoed, the fourth sound closely followed, the two drumbeats almost merging into one, transforming into rolling thunder.

Yu Sen quickly withdrew his right hand and rapidly retreated, stumbling back a hundred zhang on the ground before steadying himself. He took a deep breath, his face unnaturally flushed, and forcefully suppressed a mouthful of blood Qi.

His right hand trembled slightly, having lost all sensation. Eighty percent of his Demonic Power had been expended, integrated into the First Form of Soul Devouring Slaughter.

"Four strikes! Demon General Yu Sen's helper, step forward!" The man in golden Armor said indifferently.

"I have no helper!" Yu Sen took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

The man in golden Armor glanced at Yu Sen, then shifted his gaze to the crowd of Demon Generals, selecting the next person. He first looked at Wang Lin, sneering inwardly, but did not call Wang Lin forward. Instead, he pointed at Mo Fei in the crowd and shouted, "Demon General Mo Fei, step forward!"

As soon as these words came out, the surrounding discussions instantly ceased, and everyone's gaze fell upon one person.

This person wore Armor, with a ferocious mask on his face. His black hair swayed in the wind. He walked out from the crowd, his pace not fast, but to the spectators on the surrounding stands, it seemed to match the frequency of their heartbeats, giving an extremely strange feeling.

"Demon General Mo Fei, the number one Demon General three hundred years ago!"

"This person has been stationed at the border for many years. It is said that in the eyes of the people of Fire Demon Commandery, Mo Fei's head is worth a lot!"

"Mo Fei's Cultivation Technique is mysterious. So far, he has only displayed the Divine Ability of the Reincarnation Great Law. I am certain he can strike the Demon Drum at least five times or more!"

The Earth Marshal carefully looked at Mo Fei, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, and said, "If this child undergoes another Dragon Pond tempering, he could be among the top three Vice Marshals!"

Beside him sat a middle-aged man in purple robes. This man had an elegant appearance and chuckled, "Could it be that Earth Marshal has taken a fancy to his talent?"

The Earth Marshal laughed heartily and nodded.

"If this child can strike it six times, even if he doesn't become a Vice Marshal, I will recommend him!" the Earth Marshal chuckled.

Mo Fei walked calmly towards the Demon Drum, the gazes of those around him following his every move.

When he was ten zhang away from the Demon Drum, Mo Fei stopped. He looked at the Demon Drum, his eyes calm. He didn't waste time adjusting his internal Qi; he simply threw a punch into the Void Realm.

"Dong" The drum sound echoed, deep like muffled thunder.

Mo Fei's entire Armor immediately made violent clanking sounds as if blown by a strong wind, and his hair also danced wildly in the wind. However, Mo Fei's body was as if nailed to the ground, unmoving, his expression not even changing slightly.

"Turns out, it's not that difficult." The person chuckled, stepping forward one zhang, and waved his right hand.

"Dong"

Mo Fei did not stop, stepping forward another zhang, clenching his right fist, and striking the Void Realm.

"Dong"

Three consecutive drumbeats, like a giant roar from ancient times, thundered over the entire Tianyao City. The drum sounds echoed continuously, and some spectators, lacking Demonic Power, were even directly shaken to suffer internal injuries.

After three sounds, Mo Fei's body paused. He felt a surging wave-like aura suddenly rush out from the Demon Drum, heading straight for him. He stomped his foot, and his entire body seemed to grow into the ground, like a rock in the waves, unmoving.

The Armor on his body made violent shaking sounds, but eventually, it stabilized as his Demonic Power spread!

A sharp glint burst from Mo Fei's eyes behind the mask, revealing a serious expression. He softly muttered, "Quite interesting!" He stepped forward another zhang, and at the same time, threw his right fist.

"Dong"

One punch went out without pause, then another punch!

"Dong"

Mo Fei continuously stepped forward, rapidly closing the distance to the Demon Drum. With each step, he threw a punch.

"Dong" The moment the sixth drum sound rang out, strong cheers immediately erupted from the surrounding people. Even the Demon Marshals, except for the Heavenly Marshal, all showed admiration in their eyes.

"Mo Fei!!"

"Mo Fei!!!"

"Mo Fei!!!!" Cheers echoed from the surrounding stands. To strike it six times was to be a Prodigy!

Especially since this person was not injured, but rather calmly struck it six times. This alone far surpassed all other Demon Generals!

Even the man in golden Armor nodded, his admiration extremely strong.

"Six sounds, can that stop me, Mo?" A sharp glint flashed in Mo Fei's eyes, and he leaped up, stepping into the Void Realm, striking the Demon Drum with a punch.

"Dong" The seventh sound echoed.

This seventh sound, however, was completely different from the previous six. A sense of iron-like killing and conquest faintly emanated from the sound. Mo Fei's usually calm expression suddenly changed at this moment. He retreated immediately without any hesitation.

As he retreated, his Armor shattered with banging sounds, instantly turning into flying ash and dissipating. Mo Fei's face was slightly pale. He stopped himself, let out a low growl, and charged out again. This time, he formed Hand Seals with both hands, and streaks of white light danced in his hands, transforming into crystal-like fragments, like mirrors, coiling around him.

He flicked a finger, and from within the Demon Drum, another "Dong" sound came. This was the eighth sound!

A more violent rebound force than before furiously unleashed itself. All the crystals in front of Mo Fei instantly collapsed under this impact, but it also weakened the impact force by more than half. Even so, it still shook Mo Fei's body, causing him to retreat a hundred zhang before stopping.

The mask on his face completely shattered, revealing his handsome countenance.

Wang Lin's gaze immediately narrowed, staring at Mo Fei's face, a strange light appearing in his eyes.

"His appearance…"

Wang Lin recognized at a glance that this person's appearance was identical to that of the black-haired man deep within the Hong Prison!

At this moment, Mo Fei's body swayed, and the fresh blood welling up in his mouth was forcibly swallowed. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked towards the crowd of Demon Generals.

At this moment, the entire plaza erupted in thunderous cheers, so loud that they almost drowned out everything else.

"Mo Fei, the foremost among Demon Generals!"

"He can ring the drum eight times! In our Tianyao Commandery, besides the Heavenly Marshal, Mo Fei is the first!"

"This time, Mo Fei will definitely become a Vice Marshal! This man has outstanding military achievements, and after becoming a Vice Marshal, he will surely bring countless more battle merits to our Tianyao Commandery!"

On the high platform, the eight Demon Marshals, except for the Heavenly Marshal whose gaze remained calm and unmoved, all showed deep admiration in their eyes.

"This child can ring it eight times; he is a Prodigy among Prodigies, excellent!"

"Indeed, and I observe that this child seems not to have used his full strength yet. Otherwise, he might have been able to ring it a ninth time!"

"To possess such hidden cunning at such a young age is truly rare!"

The Vice Marshals were also conversing among themselves. Among them, Vice Marshal Huang laughed heartily at Vice Marshal Xuan and said, "Little brother, this time, won't you admit defeat?"

Vice Marshal Xuan snorted lightly and said with a firm tone, "This Mo Fei is very strong, exceptionally strong, one could say. When I was his age, I was not as good as him! One could even say that after this person undergoes the Dragon Pool baptism, his strength will become even greater!

However, compared to the person I chose, Mo Fei is still not enough!"

Vice Marshal Huang hadn't paid too much attention to this wager initially, but after repeatedly hearing Vice Marshal Xuan, whose strength was comparable to his own, praise that person—it could no longer be called mere praise. Vice Marshal Huang vaguely felt that Vice Marshal Xuan's tone was almost one of fear!

This greatly surprised him.

"Alright, then I want to see how many times this person can ring it!" Vice Marshal Huang said with a slight smile.

Vice Marshal Xuan fell silent. He looked with a complex gaze at Wang Lin among the Demon Generals in the distance and thought to himself, "Mo Fei is merely strong, but this Wang Lin, he is terrifying!

Can strength and terror be compared?"

The Golden-Armored Man watched Mo Fei walk back into the Demon General ranks, his eyes filled with strong admiration. For the first time, he smiled and said, "Mo Fei, the helper of the Demon General, step forward!"

From the crowd, a green-robed Cultivator walked out. He carried a large sword on his back, and his entire being stood there like a sword. The moment he stepped out, his body swayed forward, instantly transforming into a wisp of green smoke that shot towards the Demon Drum.

As he neared the Demon Drum, the Cultivator formed Hand Seals with his right hand and pointed into the Void Realm. As the drum's reverberations echoed, he withdrew his finger seals into a palm, uttered complex whispers, and gently patted forward. With this pat, the drum's sound immediately echoed.

The intense momentum caused the Cultivator's face to turn slightly pale. He did not retreat but instead drew the treasured sword from his back and slashed downwards. A series of whistling sounds instantly erupted. The Sword Qi unleashed by this sword forcefully broke through all lingering drum sounds and landed on the drum.

The drum's sound reverberated again. After the third ring, the Cultivator's face was extremely pale. Waves of furious impact rebounded from the drum; each strike required enduring several times the backlash. He gave a wry smile and retreated without hesitation, no longer attempting.

"With my cultivation, three strikes are easy. If I go all out, four are possible, but five will definitely cause severe injury. Mo Fei's victory is already decided, and getting severely injured for this person is truly not worth it!" The green-robed Cultivator pondered for a moment, then stopped and walked back into the crowd.

Eleven times!

Mo Fei, along with his helper, rang it a total of eleven times! This score caused many Demon Generals to look gloomy. To surpass Mo Fei, both the Demon General and their helper would have to ring it six times each, and only then would it be possible!

But this was almost an impossible feat, as among the numerous Demon Generals, there was only one Mo Fei!

Even Mo Lihai's face was pale at this moment. He looked bitterly at the Demon Drum, then at Wang Lin, whose expression was gloomy beside him, and sighed softly, whispering, "Brother Wang, let it be. We've lost this second round."

There was another person among the Demon Generals, Shi Xiao. His face was as calm as water, staring intently at the Demon Drum, and he said in a deep voice, "Chen Tao, how many times can you ring it?"

Chen Tao, beside him, was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If I were in my prime, I should be able to ring it more than ten times. The exact number is hard to determine.

But now… even if I take a medicinal pill, I can only ring it seven times. It's impossible to surpass Mo Fei! Mo Fei is indeed very strong. If he were in our Cultivation World, he could be called the foremost person below Soul Transformation. I think even a Soul Transformation Cultivator, if not in the Middle Stage, might still be able to fight him!"

Shi Xiao's eyes flashed with Killing Intent. He turned to glance at Mo Fei, who had been meditating with closed eyes since returning, and snorted coldly.

Besides them, several other Demon Generals were also secretly pondering how many times they could ring it and if they had a chance to enter the top ten!

The Golden-Armored Man now swept his cold gaze over everyone, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. He pointed his right hand at Wang Lin and slowly said, "You, step forward!"

Wang Lin calmly stepped forward, arriving on the plaza. His gaze was like lightning as he looked at the Golden-Armored Man and said calmly, "I am not called 'you.' My name is Wang Lin!"

The Golden-Armored Man's eyes revealed unconcealed Killing Intent, and he said in a deep voice, "Wang Lin, do you dare to make a wager with me?!"

"Speak!" Wang Lin said.

"I bet you can't ring it five times! If you win, I will personally recommend you to the Demon Emperor, guaranteeing you the title of Demon General. But if you lose, you will be held responsible for injuring a Demon General! If you don't dare to bet, then get out of here, don't participate, and directly leave Tianyao City! You are not welcome here!" After the Golden-Armored Man finished speaking, discussions on the surrounding stands resumed!

"He can also ring it four times? Although this outsider easily killed Ao Di, ringing this Demon Drum is the ultimate test. I think it would be good if this person could ring it three times. As for that Ao Di, I think he could only ring it once!"

"Ao Di's cultivation among the Demon Generals is only considered average. Any one of Shi Xiao, Mo Fei, Yu Sen, or Xie Lian could easily defeat him. Wang Lin defeating Ao Di is nothing.".

"Steward Jin is quite interesting, actually making a wager with this outsider. How amusing."

On the stands, Vice Marshal Huang laughed at this moment, "Vice Marshal Xuan, the person you chose seems to be in a bit of trouble."

Vice Marshal Xuan looked at Wang Lin, snorted, and said, "Steward Jin will be greatly surprised."

Wang Lin calmly looked at the Golden-Armored Man, a smile gradually appearing at the corner of his mouth. But this smile, in Vice Marshal Xuan's eyes, caused a chill to rise in his heart.

"He smiled like that when he attacked before!" Vice Marshal Xuan gritted his teeth and thought.

"I don't need you to recommend me to the Demon Emperor…" Wang Lin said with a faint smile.

The Golden-Armored Man's eyes showed contempt, and he said, "You don't dare to gamble!"

"I want your hand!" Wang Lin's voice, like the chilling wind from the Nine Netherworlds, slowly drifted over.

These words caused everyone around to be startled. Just then, Wang Lin took a step and walked towards the Demon Drum!

Killing Intent flashed in the Golden-Armored Man's eyes, and he sneered, "You want my hand? If you can ring it more than five times, I'll give you a hand. If you ring it ten times, what's two hands?"

"This Wang Lin is too arrogant. He seems to be overestimating himself too much. Ringing this Demon Drum is not that simple!"

"Once this person understands the backlash of the Demon Drum, he will realize how terribly wrong he was."

"It's a pity for Mo Lihai; he will probably lose face because of this person in the next three hundred years."

Wang Lin's expression remained calm and unruffled as he walked towards the Demon Drum. His steps were extremely composed. In just a few strides, he arrived before the Demon Drum. Unlike others who would strike the drum from a distance in the Void Realm to reduce the backlash, he did not.

Coming directly beneath the drum, Wang Lin's feet left the ground, and he floated into the air. Gazing at the enormous, pitch-black Demon Drum before him, at such close proximity, he could even faintly smell a fishy odor.

The drumhead was not smooth like a mirror; instead, it had many dense, tiny pits and subtle veins, just like animal hide!

"Ancient Demon Skin…" Wang Lin extended his right hand and touched the giant Demon Drum. The moment he made contact, a faint backlash force flowed into his body through his palm.

Wang Lin's eyes instantly narrowed. At this moment, his entire body was permeated with the Brand of Life. Over three thousand Brands of Life enveloped him completely, like three thousand layers of protection.

"Betting I can't exceed five strikes…" Wang Lin patted his Storage Pouch with his left hand, and a wine pot immediately appeared in his grasp. The pot was filled with wine. Wang Lin held the pot in his left hand, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp, laughing, "Golden-Armored Demon, watch closely!"

Wang Lin's right hand instantly clenched into a fist, and he struck the Demon Drum!

"Dong!" The drum's sound reverberated, forming rolling thunder that streaked across the plaza's sky. Wang Lin's body did not move an inch. His right fist moved three inches away. At this instant, Wang Lin's right fist boomed down, one, two, three, four times!

"Dong!" "Dong!" "Dong!" "Dong!"

Four consecutive strikes!

These four drum sounds almost rang out simultaneously, catching up to the first sound, merging into one, actually forming a sound storm that violently surged outwards from the Demon Drum as its center.

The plaza's ground cracked inch by inch, as if an annular Earth Dragon was rolling, spreading wildly. In the sky, the thunder formed by this silent drum sound became even more intense. On the surrounding stands, countless people directly spat out fresh blood, actually suffering severe internal injuries from the five merged drum sounds!

Even several people were directly shaken into a state of suspended animation!

All eight Demon Marshals, except for the Heavenly Marshal, abruptly stood up from their seats, their eyes filled with disbelief. The Golden-Armored Man in the plaza also had a greatly changed expression!

Five thunderous strikes would not have astonished these people so much. What truly shocked their minds was that Wang Lin's body remained completely still during five consecutive strikes!!

"This… this is impossible!" Vice Marshal Huang, beside Vice Marshal Xuan, exclaimed in shock.

—

This chapter is a bit watered down, apologies…