Chapter 85: Chaos on the Field

Before Judge Ruoxi could finish her words, Frost had already raised his ice blade and charged at White Shadow. “White Shadow, stop struggling. Just die!”

Seeing Frost rush at him, White Shadow seemed prepared. He crouched slightly and lifted his left arm. From the wound on his left arm, a slender, vine-like plant crept out and instantly coiled around the ice sword aimed at his head. Then, with a thrust of his right arm, another vine—formed like a blade—shot forth from the wound, piercing Frost’s abdomen.

In that desperate moment, White Shadow summoned the last remnants of his demonic energy to activate the rootless grass seeds he had earlier placed in his wounds. This rootless grass was a cold, climbing vine, akin to wild ivy, and under White Shadow’s power, it grew rapidly, transforming into a weapon of attack.

“You… you actually grew a plant… from your wound…” Frost’s eyes filled with disbelief as he collapsed before White Shadow. Though the sword was formed from only a slender vine, it possessed a terrifying trait: it would continue to destroy any living body it entered. As the stem broke off within Frost, it began to writhe inside him, causing such excruciating pain that Frost howled in agony, “Kill me… White Shadow!… Ahhh… kill me… ahhhhhh…” Rolling on the ground, his eyes pleaded for release. The rootless grass was wreaking havoc within him; he wanted White Shadow to finish him off, sparing him further torment.

“Don’t move!” Watching Frost writhe on the ground in pain, White Shadow’s eyes softened with pity—the same look he had once given the Painter. Leaning down to pin Frost to the floor, he said, “The more you struggle, the further the rootless grass will spread inside you, until it destroys all your internal organs. These vines have no roots to anchor them, so if you stay still, they’ll wither without nourishment and eventually be expelled from your body.”

Hearing this, Frost held back the stabbing pain and stopped moving. Just as White Shadow promised, the agony eased as soon as he lay still; the sharp, searing pain dissipated.

“The tides have turned again! Frost is down! I’ll begin the count: one… two… three… four…” Seeing Frost collapse, Judge Ruoxi hurried forward. After confirming Frost could not stand, she raised the microphone and began the countdown over his prone body.

“Eight… nine… ten! White Shadow wins again!” When the ten seconds passed and Frost still lay motionless, White Shadow, grievously wounded, had once again defeated a member of the Demon Envoys, earning Qin Xiaochuan a precious point—though at a dear cost.

By now, White Shadow was utterly exhausted. Two consecutive battles had drained all his strength and demonic power, and even though the rootless grass grew from his own wounds and did little harm to him, it still posed a risk. If he didn’t stop moving and allow the vines to die, even the smallest wound could be destroyed from within, turning his injured arms irreparably lame. So, the moment the judge declared his victory, White Shadow closed his eyes, let his arms fall limp, and stood motionless on the stage, like a man fallen asleep.

“White Shadow!!!”

Seeing him stand so still, Qin Xiaochuan, watching anxiously from below, feared that White Shadow had died on his feet and called out in alarm.

On stage, Judge Ruoxi also seemed puzzled by White Shadow’s stillness. She slowly approached, reached out to feel for breath at his nostrils, and detected a faint exhalation. “Unbelievable! Even with such severe wounds, White Shadow hasn’t died—he’s simply fallen asleep standing! It’s astonishing! He truly is indestructible!”

Hearing the judge’s words, Qin Xiaochuan finally relaxed. If White Shadow had died onstage, he would have disregarded all rules of the tournament; even if it meant becoming an enemy of the entire Dark Tournament, he would have found and killed the ones who sabotaged them in secret. Only then could he answer for White Shadow’s death.

But given the current state, White Shadow was clearly unable to fight further. With this in mind, Qin Xiaochuan shouted to the judge, “Judge, White Shadow is finished! It’s time for a substitution! I’ll go next! Get White Shadow off the stage, now!”

“That won’t do, Judge!”

Just as Qin Xiaochuan was negotiating the substitution, a hulking member of the Demon Envoys threw off his coat, leapt onto the stage, and glared at the motionless White Shadow. With a menacing tone, he declared, “Isn’t he still standing? I, Lord Mist Veil, won’t allow such a perfect human punching bag to step down!”

“Idiot, make the substitution! Don’t you see White Shadow can’t fight anymore? I’ll take the next match!”

“But… but…” Judge Ruoxi glanced at the VIP stand, but received no response. She hesitated. As the match judge, she ought to uphold fairness, but the organizers’ rulings for these last two rounds had been astonishingly unscrupulous. Though she had presided over many such tournaments, she had never seen such blatant bias. Even if some organizers secretly supported certain teams, today’s open suppression of their opponents was shameful. As a judge responsible for justice, she couldn’t let this unfairness continue. With this resolve, she loudly announced to the audience, “A substitution is allowed!”

At her words, the spectators erupted in protest. After all, they had finally seen White Shadow pushed to the brink by the Demon Envoys, and now they were about to miss the moment they most anticipated. The crowd began to clamor:

“No substitutions! Kill White Shadow!”
“Are you kidding? The match must go on!”
“Keep fighting! I want to see him killed!”
“What kind of judge are you? Do you have a death wish?”
“Exactly! We want the match to continue!”
“Keep fighting!”
“Keep fighting!”
“Continue!”
“Continue!”
“Continue!”
…

Just as the crowd’s outrage reached its peak, the arena’s loudspeaker blared: “By unanimous decision of the organizing committee, the match will continue! No substitutions for Qin Xiaochuan’s team!”

“What?!”

At the announcement, Qin Xiaochuan’s mind went blank. He had always suspected foul play, but this was simply outrageous. Such an arrangement was a death sentence for White Shadow. What were the organizers thinking? It was inhuman!

Behind Qin Xiaochuan, Feiyan could no longer restrain himself. He jumped off the table, ready to rush forward. Noticing this, the barrier master Liu Qing increased her flow of demonic energy, strengthening the seal’s electric power to its maximum. “Don’t move, Feiyan. One more step and you’ll be hurt by my barrier! Listen to your big sister and stay put, alright?”

Feiyan glanced at Liu Qing, whose body crackled with electricity, and curled his lips into a sinister smile. She was right: while the barrier could immobilize him, it also had a healing effect. As he let its power seep into his body, strength gradually returned to his right arm, and the stony numbness faded. Soon, his arm would be fully healed. If that woman kept him sealed, he would break out, even at the risk of injury, to kill her and escape. If White Shadow was harmed, he would disregard all rules, even if it meant destroying the entire tournament to avenge him.

With this in mind, Feiyan calmed himself and glanced at Liu Qing’s sweat-soaked brow. He said nothing, propped himself on the table, and jumped back onto it, deciding to heal his arm first and act when the time was right.

The audience’s shouts and the committee’s verdict seemed to excite Mist Veil. He licked his lips, grabbed Judge Ruoxi by the collar, and hurled her toward the stands without a trace of humanity. The only gentle soul on the field was tossed aside like a rag doll. Watching her fly, the hideously scarred Mist Veil laughed maniacally. “I hereby strip you of your role as judge. Go reflect on your actions over there! Hahahaha!”

“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
“Kill him!”
…