Chapter 123: The Fifth Players of Both Teams Take the Stage

At the referee’s signal, Sikong Lang, Sikong Ming, Hao, and the God of War stepped toward the front of the arena amidst the cheers of the audience, awaiting the start of the match. Seeing that the Sikong Team also had only four members, some of the demons in the stands began to murmur.

"Why are there only four people on both sides?"
"Yeah, how is this supposed to work?"
"Didn't the previous matches always have five?"
"Can the tournament organizers explain?"
"Exactly, what is going on here?"
"We paid full price for these tickets."
"Give us an explanation!"
"We need an explanation!"
"Shh, listen to what the referee has to say..."

"Please, everyone, quiet down," Miss Xingmeng said, addressing the noisy crowd from the arena stage. "According to the rules of this martial arts tournament, the matches will be conducted in a one-on-one format. The team that wins three out of five matches will be crowned the ultimate champion. If neither side has any casualties, the fifth member of each team must also enter the fray..."

"Hey, Xiaochuan, who exactly is our fifth member? You’ve been keeping it a secret since yesterday. Can you tell me now?"
"That guy didn't run away, did he?" Qin Xiaochuan looked at the opposing Sikong team members, feeling a bit uncertain himself.
"What? Is it Kui? Or Yuan? Good heavens, you don't mean that kid Lingju, do you?"

Just as the audience was filled with confusion, Mr. Yujing walked down from the spectator stands toward Sikong Lang and his team. Seeing Mr. Yujing approach, the demons began to gossip again. "Hey, isn't that the sponsor of the Sikong Team? Why is he going on stage?"
"Yeah, can that guy even fight?"
"Exactly. He looks so weak; I could eat him!"

Hearing the jeers from behind him, Mr. Yujing walked up behind Sikong Lang, took the cigarette from his mouth, and said to Qin Xiaochuan and the others, "Fight? You’ve misunderstood. I just wanted to stand in the best position to watch the match. The probability of me having to fight is zero." With that, he leaned back into a sofa brought out by the arena staff and resumed smoking.

"Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease," Zhang Yang said. He turned around to find that Little King Yama had arrived at the arena, wearing a rather flashy cloak. Walking up to Qin Xiaochuan and the others, Little King Yama continued, "Normally, as the successor to the Spirit Realm, I shouldn't be here in the human world involving myself in such affairs. However, due to special circumstances and Qin Xiaochuan's request, I had to join this tournament. That said, should the situation require me to step in, I have made full preparations." He pulled on his cloak, revealing two rocket boosters strapped to his back. "This is the latest equipment I brought from the Spirit Realm!"

"Oh my god!"

"Wait a minute," Miss Xingmeng said, waving her hand at the newcomers. "This won't do. The masked contestant on your team hasn't been eliminated, so..."
"It doesn't matter! Let him participate." Mr. Yujing spoke from his sofa. As the sponsor of the Sikong Team and a member of the tournament organizing committee, his word was the final decision. Miss Xingmeng had no choice; after all, she was working for his money and couldn't afford to offend the boss.

With this minor interlude over, the first match of the Dark Martial Arts Tournament finals began. First to take the stage were Bai Ying and his opponent, Hao.

"Bang!" Hao pointed a finger at his own head, whispered the word to Bai Ying as a provocation, and stepped onto the final arena.

"Hey, Bai Ying, are you going to use that medicine Junfu gave you?" Zhang Yang asked with concern.
"I already took it two minutes before the match," Bai Ying said, turning to look at Zhang Yang’s worried expression with a faint smile. "I tried it several times yesterday. It takes a little time for the liquid to take effect."
"So you've already taken it before the finals." Zhang Yang finally felt relieved.
"Heh, I’m not bold enough to wait until I’m on stage. What Junfu said is true; one sip maintains the fox-spirit state for about 15 minutes," Bai Ying said, turning to look at Hao on the stage. "That’s more than enough time to defeat him."

"Will both contestants please take the stage!"
Bai Ying and Hao stepped onto the arena.

"Go to hell, Bai Ying!"
"How dare you show your face here!"
"Go home and eat dirt!"
"You're disgusting!"
"Hao will win!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Go, Bai Ying!"
"We’re rooting for you!"
"Bai Ying will win!"

Hearing a different set of voices for the first time, many demons looked around in confusion. Who was bold enough to cheer for him? They turned toward the source of the sound to see a group of young women in the VIP seats. These were Qin Xiaochuan's mother, Qin Susu, along with Xia Dan, Fan Fan, Qin Xiaochuan's sister Jingchu, and Feiyan's sister Feixue. Because their original tickets had been ruined in the laundry, the scalper who sold tickets to Little King Yama had been generous enough to provide them with five VIP tickets before the match, allowing them to come and cheer for the team today.

"Are we really going to be okay?" Feixue asked Susu, looking at the unfriendly glares around them.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Susu said, taking a sip of wine to bolster her courage. "Blessings or curses, you can't dodge what’s coming. Just watch calmly; with Jingchu here, there's nothing to fear."

"But why didn't Grandma come to the finals? Wasn't she the masked contestant on Xiaochuan's team?"
"Oh? That's right," Susu realized after hearing Fan Fan's question and turned to Xia Dan. "Did she give up because the finals were too grueling? Is that it, Xiao Dan?"
Upon hearing the mention of Master Jinghai, the calm look on Xia Dan's face became unnatural. "Oh? Yes... well, time waits for no one, haha. Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom..."
"Hey, don't go! The match has started!"

"Sister Xia Dan has been acting strange these past two days," Jingchu said. Watching Xia Dan head toward the restroom, Jingchu stood up and followed her. As she expected, Xia Dan was in the hallway, secretly wiping tears against the wall. Jingchu walked over, patted her shoulder, and comforted her. "Hey, don't be sad. Keep your chin up."
"Sister Jingchu..."
"If you, the guide of the underworld, stay this depressed, Grandma won't be able to rest in peace on the other side."
"You... you knew?"
"I had some history with Grandma. She came to say goodbye yesterday and told me to take care of myself." Jingchu brushed her hair back with her right hand, her face showing a trace of sorrow. "She told me to take care! That was just her personality; she always followed her heart. Even though she didn't say why she was leaving, I think she had already accepted her fate by then."
"Sob..." Xia Dan began to cry. "But... I still can't forgive..."
"Alright," Jingchu pulled out a tissue, wiped Xia Dan’s eyes, and held her close. "Don't cry, little beauty. Leave the rest to Xiaochuan and the others. If they get wiped out, I’ll be the one to slaughter them!"

"The match begins now!"

At the referee’s announcement, Hao extended his right hand, gathering his demonic energy. Staring at Bai Ying, he asked with disdain, "Do you intend to fight me in that state? Did you come to the finals just to seek a simple death?"
"Don't you worry about that. I'll show you soon enough."

Bai Ying extended his right hand, holding a handful of rose petals. As his demonic energy expanded, the petals drifted around him, forming a wall of roses that protected him tightly.

*I need to put some distance between us to buy time for my true form to recover. This 'Wind Flower Dance Formation' should buy me enough time. Every petal is infused with my demonic energy, sharp as a blade. If you dare to step inside, this formation will shred you without mercy.*

"What a magnificent formation! Contestant Bai Ying has released rose petals that drift with the wind around him. It’s truly beautiful, and the entire stage is filled with the scent of flowers—it’s quite refreshing! However, Contestant Hao doesn't seem to care at all; he’s walking straight toward Bai Ying in the center of the petals!"

"Slish! Slish!"

Several strands of Hao’s hair were severed by the drifting petals as he approached the formation. Then, a petal slashed across his cheek, leaving a thin crimson trail on his pale skin as a drop of blood trickled down.