Chapter Nineteen: Accusing Zhao Changsheng-Eu só aceitei discípulos por acaso, como eles se tornaram Grandes Imperadores?(Espalhadas como estrelas sobre o rio inteiro.)

“Sun Yao, you are shameless beyond measure!”

Sun Yao’s first strike failed to land. Alarm bells rang in his mind, but he still forced a sneer and coldly snorted, “In war, deceit is justified. Winning is all that matters. Spare me your sanctimonious accusations!”

With that, he surged forward again. Unbeknownst to anyone, several spirit energy ore stones had appeared in his hands. He brandished them like throwing weapons, fanning them out as they shot toward Zhao Changsheng’s vital points.

Zhao Changsheng snorted coldly. His figure flickered, becoming a shadow as he weaved left and right through the torrent of flying ore stones.

Employing exquisite footwork, he occasionally swept away the incoming stones with gusts of palm wind, flawlessly neutralizing the assault.

A sinking feeling deepened in Sun Yao’s heart.

Then, Zhao Changsheng ceased holding back. With a heavy stomp, he propelled himself forward using the rebound force from the ground. His finger, like a sword’s tip, surged with spirit energy. He was determined to give this despicable man a harsh lesson.

From the slender fingertip, a sharp sword qi erupted, slicing through the air with a hissing sound, aimed directly at Sun Yao’s throat.

Sun Yao’s face drained of color. In a panic, he twisted aside to dodge, flinging the spirit ore stones wildly at Zhao Changsheng in a desperate attempt to block the fierce strike.

But Zhao Changsheng offered no respite. Effortlessly evading the scattered stones, his fingertip sword qi changed direction midair and slashed Sun Yao’s right arm.

Sun Yao failed to evade in time. With a crisp tearing sound, the sleeve of his right arm was sliced clean off by the sword qi, revealing a dark, muscular arm marked with several fresh bloodstains where the sword qi had grazed.

Stunned and furious, Sun Yao’s eyes widened as he roared, “Zhao Changsheng, how dare you!”

Zhao Changsheng seemed not to hear him. A cold, stern curve lifted the corner of his lips.

“Why wouldn’t I dare?”

Lightly tapping the ground, he soared into the air. From his commanding height, his hands rapidly shifted through finger formations. Suddenly, a web of sword qi crisscrossed like a spider’s net, engulfing Sun Yao from all directions.

Sun Yao was petrified. He flailed his hands wildly, desperately gathering spirit energy to resist, erecting a fragile shield around him.

But under Zhao Changsheng’s relentless onslaught, the shield shattered instantly, crackling like breaking glass.

Then, the torrent of sword qi poured down unhindered.

“Shhhh—shhhh—shhhh—”

The sound of fabric tearing was incessant as Sun Yao’s clothes proved no match for the savage sword qi, instantly shredding into fragments fluttering everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, his upper body was exposed, clad only in a pair of shorts.

For him, this was an unthinkable humiliation!

When had he ever been so disgraced before?

The crowd froze momentarily before erupting into loud laughter.

“Hahaha, Sun Yao is utterly shameful, fighting bare-chested in the arena! The Spirit Ore Peak’s reputation is completely ruined!”

“He always acts so imposing, but facing Zhao Changsheng, his true nature is exposed. Now he’s the laughingstock of the entire venue!”

The disciples of the various peaks laughed uproariously, pointing and jeering without restraint.

Within the Spirit Ore Peak faction, many disciples flushed with embarrassment and fury, wishing they could disappear into the earth.

The Spirit Ore Peak’s master was livid, staring daggers at the disgraced Sun Yao onstage, his wrath burning fiercely. Yet, constrained by the competition rules, he could not intervene.

He never imagined that the carefully chosen disciple he had sent to compete would be beaten by someone from the Celestial Peak!

Sun Yao’s face burned red with shame and anger. Instinctively clutching his exposed torso, he curled up, all arrogance vanished.

His eyes blazed with hatred, but he dared not attack recklessly. Trembling, he retreated, muttering, “You… you cheated! How could you humiliate me like this?”

Zhao Changsheng slowly descended from midair, standing with hands behind his back, disdain glinting in his gaze.

“Sun Yao, you brought this upon yourself! On the battlefield, if you resort to ambushes and underhanded tricks, you should expect such consequences. Since you have no warrior’s honor, I shall teach you the meaning of rules!”

With that, his fingertip sword qi flashed again, carving a deep furrow in the ground beneath Sun Yao’s feet, sending soil and stones flying. Startled, Sun Yao stumbled, nearly falling.

From the crowd, Ximen Feixue raised his arms and shouted, “Brother is mighty! Well done! Such a despicable scoundrel deserves a ruthless lesson!”

Ye Xinghe also smiled with satisfaction, nodding approvingly.

Indeed, this was excellent! From now on, no one would dare underestimate Celestial Peak again!

As Zhao Changsheng stepped down from the arena, a sharp, sarcastic voice suddenly rang out from the crowd.

“Oh, Zhao Changsheng is truly imposing! Though he won the match, his methods were excessively ruthless. We are all disciples of the Sacred Land—why must you reduce someone to such a pitiful state, showing no brotherly compassion?”

The Spirit Ore Peak disciples, already fuming from Sun Yao’s public disgrace, felt their anger rise even higher at this complaint.

“Exactly! It’s just a match; there’s no need to humiliate him like this! Destroying Sun Yao’s clothes—how can he ever stand tall in the Sacred Land again?”

“Hmph! I don’t think Zhao Changsheng regards us as brothers at all. He only cares about winning and losing—so selfish!”

Filled with indignation, some of the Spirit Ore Peak disciples even rolled up their sleeves, ready to charge at Zhao Changsheng. Only their comrades’ firm grip held them back from causing a scene.

The Spirit Ore Peak master’s face darkened as if it might drip water. Crossing his arms, he snorted coldly, “Though Spirit Ore Peak is less skilled, no outsider has the right to humiliate us like this! Zhao Changsheng, your actions today lack grace. Don’t expect Spirit Ore Peak to befriend Celestial Peak in the future.”

Hearing this, Zhao Changsheng frowned deeply, a flash of anger in his eyes. He opened his mouth to retort, but Ye Xinghe stepped forward two paces first. With a wave of his robe sleeve, his aura surged, sweeping across the crowd as he spoke loudly:

“Everyone, hold your tongues! This grand arena is a place where strength speaks. Fighting to the death is not uncommon—how can you say the methods were ruthless?”

“Sun Yao repeatedly tried to ambush unfairly, scheming for victory. Changsheng merely defended himself and punished wrongdoing. What fault is there?”

“Furthermore, when did brotherly feelings ever matter in competition? If we always held back for such vague sentiment, what meaning would this contest have?”

Ye Xinghe’s words rang true and firm, silencing many of the critics who now looked embarrassed.

Yet, a few stubborn voices persisted, stiffly replying, “Even so, there’s no need to disgrace someone so thoroughly. Zhao Changsheng’s actions remain improper.”

Ximen Feixue’s anger flared uncontrollably.

“You are unreasonable! Sun Yao ambushed first; brother only retaliated. Should we allow ambushes to succeed and let him injure brother? Is that what you want?”

“Honestly, if brother had not held back, Sun Yao might not even be alive now. Why blame the victim and not the despicable scoundrel?”