Desperate Battle (III)

"Good shit!" Xu Lanyi exclaimed, "Little sister is doing great!'

The other disciples cheered with her. They were all surprised by Bei Yingluo's performance. Although the battle was still a long way from being over, she had already pulled off several impressive moves. Given the level of competition, being able to survive until now was already quite an accomplishment.

"I'm surprised. Junior Sister Bei has quite a sharp mind. Perhaps she could even compete with Sister Zhou in that area." Wu Qianyu said.

Everybody looked at her in surprise because she rarely made any comments or gave out praises.

Zhou Ziyun smiled wryly but didn't respond. She also was taken aback by Bei Yingluo's cleverness in using other contestants against each other.

Bei Yingluo was always quiet and humble around her senior sisters. She never gave off indications of such ability before. In fact, she was also like this in front of her family and her clan so this change was truly unexpected.

Chen Wentian rubbed his chin and pondered the question. In actuality, he wasn't really surprised because he had seen this side of Bei Yingluo before. It had only been a few times but this time, he was finally able to figure it out.

The moves she made in the midst of the free-for-all battle were all risky bets that weren't guaranteed to succeed. If she had been a little slower, if she had not maneuvered her body correctly, if her opponents had realized what she was doing, there were many factors that could have resulted in quick defeat. What kept her going was a little bit of cleverness but that wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was her desperation as well as a fearsome level of decisiveness when faced with such moments.

Her desperation in a life-or-death situation had unlocked her unbelievable realm-hopping ability for the first time. Afterward, it was that same desperation that drove her to beg him to take her in. He was the only choice out of the monkey fortress and she took it.

He didn't why but she was fighting with a similar sense of desperation today. He was curious just how far she was willing to go and how far she could go.

Immortal Thousand Swords Jin Wu soon announced that the five-minute mark had passed. Immediately, the outer barrier rapidly shrank until the width of the square decreased by a third. Several contestants that had not been prepared were left on the outside looking in.

In total, there were no more than thirty people left in the arena. One thing of interest to the audience was that two distinct groups of people had formed out of the chaotic melee. One had six people and the other had three. The larger group consisted of members of the Four Greats while the smaller group were disciples of the Tower of Swords.

These two groups preyed on individual fighters. They ganged up on people in twos and threes, easily overwhelming even the toughest opponents. The two groups made a point to avoid each other and only go after individuals. It was incredibly unfair but there was nothing in the rules against this so the lesser sects and loose cultivators could do nothing but gnash their teeth in impotent fury.

Another five minutes passed and the arena was barely one-third of its original size. The Four Greats and the Tower of Swords were still standing strong. The rest had dwindled down to merely nine contestants including Bei Yingluo.

She was still in it, a fact which was already a small miracle. She had expended a tremendous amount of strength running from the two groups of bullies, making many other contestants fall to their swords in her place.

By now, those remaining had realized the dangerous situation and stopped fighting each other. They all warily faced the disciples of the Four Greats and the Tower of Swords while still keeping an eye on others around them.

Bei Yingluo leaned on her pudao and gasped for breath, taking the moment to try and recover. She also saw the situation for what it was. Soon, the two groups would continue to pick off the individual contestants one by one until no one else was left. Then and only then, the two factions would vie for supremacy.

She shook her head as dark thoughts threatened to overwhelm her weary mind. If she did nothing, then she would also lose without a doubt. But what could she do when here so many strong cultivators had already failed?

"Brother Chang Bo! Brother Chang Bo! Do you remember me?" One of the remaining contestants shouted. "I am Kang Ni from the Legendary Fighter League. Let's team up! Otherwise, these bastards from the Four Greats and the Tower of Swords will eat our lunch for free!"

The one named Chang Bo shot a glare at Kang Ni, "Why should I? Do I have to remind you what your sect did to my senior brother at the Glittering Cave?"

"That was an accident, an accident!" The other insisted but it was far from convincing.

These sects all had their histories and reputations. Many had already fought against each other before in sword meets or even in street brawls. They were rivals to begin with so it was impossible for them to help each other, even in such a situation.

After a few more verbal exchanges, it was clear that Chang Bo and Kang Ni were done talking and were about to start fighting.

Bei Yingluo couldn't let that happen, no matter what. If they did, then it was all over. In a moment of desperation, she made a rash decision.

"Stop! Stop fighting!" She shouted.

Nobody had even bothered to pay attention to her since she was so weak. Her interjection was so surprising that it had the intended effect, freezing everyone in their tracks.

"I am Bei Yingluo from Ten Thousand Flower Valley. Surely, all of you have heard of it, my master Immortal Blue Dragon Chen Wentian and my senior sister the famous Wu Qianyu."

"So what?" Chang Bo snapped.

Bei Yingluo ignored him and spoke rapidly, "The Four Greats and the Tower of Swords are so shameless, using numbers in what was supposed to be a free-for-all battle. Since they can do it, then we have to do the same. We have to all group together or we will be picked off by those guys one by one."

"But…" Chang Bo wanted to interject but Bei Yingluo shouted over him.

"I know you all don't want to listen to me. I know you don't trust me or anyone else. But I'm sure you all will trust this." She swept her palm outward.

There were many flashes of light that left sparking red crystals in her palm.

"Red spiritual crystal!"

"So much!"

"That's right. If you work with me, I will give each one of you one kilogram of red spiritual crystal!"

This had the intended effect and all of them stared at the crystals in her hand hungrily. Red spiritual crystal was exactly what cultivators at the peak of the Mind Focusing Realm needed. One kilogram of the precious resource was enough to allow almost anyone to break through to the Spirit Initiate Realm. This kind of offer was too tempting to ignore.

Bei Yingluo placed a fist over her heart, "I swear on my honor as a disciple of Ten Thousand Flower Valley. It doesn't matter if we prevail or not, help me fight the disciples from the Four Greats and the Tower of Swords, one kilogram of red spiritual crystal is yours. Afterward, should we prevail, we can resume fighting each other!"

"You can't do that!" Someone from the Four Greats shouted.

"That's unfair!" Another idiot on their side joined in.

However, it was too late for them. There were few rules for this free-for-all battle. There was nothing against teaming up and there was also nothing against buying a team. It was certainly a far more shameless approach but Bei Yingluo had learned from the best.

Chang Bo cupped his fists and saluted her, "Miss Bei. I, Chang Bo of Myriad Castle, accept your plan."

"I agree as well!" Kang Ni joined in.

After those two, the others quickly fell in line without complaints.

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