Chapter 142: The Number One Expert in the Southern Territory?
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The Grand Lama of Brahma Kingdom stood in the hall, his tone stern and his attitude haughty. With his declaration that "there is no one in the Southern Territory," his arrogance was extreme!
"Presumptuous! What are you to dare provoke the entire military of the Southern Territory? I, the Commander, will personally enter the battle!"
Furious, Lan Youzhong, as the Chief Grand Commander of the Southern Territory, could not tolerate such an affront. He stepped forward and pointed at the Grand Lama's nose, enunciating each word, "Listen well! My name is Lan Youzhong, the Grand Commander of the Southern Territory. I now challenge you to a fight to the death!"
The Grand Lama's face immediately changed colors. He had just entered the Hua Jin, having also stepped into the realm of Grandmasters, but how could he possibly be a match for Grand Commander Lan?
Although the Grand Lama felt timid in his heart, he didn't show it on his face. After all, losing face wasn't just about him; it would bring shame to the entire Brahma Kingdom. He smiled slightly and said, "I have long heard of Grand Commander Lan of the Southern Territory and have wished to experience your prowess.
However, today, the Great Zen Master is fulfilling a long-held aspiration, and it would not be proper for me to thwart the wishes of the Great Zen Master."
He didn't wait for Lan Youzhong to speak before hurriedly adding, "Of course, if Grand Commander Lan wishes to take action, you might wish to have a bout with our Great Zen Master!"
The Quasi-Wheel Grand Zen Master, upon hearing this, nodded and said, "Indeed, although I have been in secluded cultivation for many years, I have always heard of Grand Commander Lan's reputation in the Southern Territory. As you are the Chief Grand Commander and a capable general under the Old Southern King, it would be fitting for you to make a move."
Lan Youzhong immediately clenched his teeth and said, "If I have to fight, then so be it! I'm not afraid of you!"
It must be said that although Lan Youzhong had courage and ferocity, he was imprudent. Incited by a few words, he became restless.
Ye Feng shook his head. He knew better than anyone present that if Lan Youzhong went into battle, he would be undoubtedly defeated, unable to withstand even half a move from the Great Zen Master.
After all, the Great Zen Master was already a Martial King, and while Lan Youzhong was a Huajin Grandmaster, he was probably on par with Sima Zhantian, not even matching the conference Swordsman from the Heng Mountain Sword Sect, let alone contending with a Martial King.
Clearly, the Four Great Guardian Realm Kings also understood this but preferred someone else to take the initiative at this moment. After all, it was not their faces that would be lost, so all four Protectors became silent, turning invisible.
Seeing this, Ye Feng shook his head in secret and then whispered a few words to Dugu Ming by his side.
Dugu Ming heard him and nodded slightly before loudly declaring, "Hold on, Grand Commander Lan, step back. Although you are unmatched in bravery, you are more suited for slaying enemies on the battlefield, not as an opponent to the Reincarnation Wheel Zen Master. Step back!"
Lan Youzhong originally wanted to say something, but with the Southern King speaking up, especially in front of the people from Brahma Kingdom, it wouldn't be appropriate to disobey, lest they take it as a joke.
The Great Zen Master sneered, "What, now that the Old Southern King has passed away, does the Southern Territory have no one left who can fight?"
The opponent's words reached this extent, yet the Four Protectors still played deaf and mute. Ye Feng couldn't help but shake his head — these spineless beings, caring only for themselves, had the audacity to step into the limelight, truly shameless to the extreme.
Inspired by Ye Feng's suggestion, Southern King Dugu Ming spoke, "Ridiculous! My Ancient Xuanyuan Kingdom is a vast nation, and the Southern Territory is full of countless warriors. How could we have no one capable of fighting? The toughest person to beat in the Southern Territory is right here in this hall."
"Oh really? Who is it? I would ask the Southern King to quickly bring him out," the Great Zen Master said with a smile.
In fact, when he had entered, he had already observed carefully in secret. Among those present, only the auras of the Four Protectors were a bit more substantial. As for the other popular candidates, they were still far from catching the Great Zen Master's eye.
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Of course, the reason he thought so was that, with the Reincarnation Wheel Grand Zen Master's current realm, he simply could not sense the Qi Force within Ye Feng's body. If he had known in advance, he would have been so scared that he wouldn't even dare to step through this door.
Southern King Dugu Ming turned his head to look at the Great Protector and said word by word, "Right now, the number one expert at our Southern Territory Base Camp is the Great Protector, the leader of the Four Great Guardian Realm Kings. The Great Protector's power was already incredibly high five years ago, and after many years of secluded cultivation, his strength must now be unfathomable!"
As he spoke, Dugu Ming didn't wait for the Great Protector, who was already trembling with anger, to speak, and immediately proclaimed loudly, "Great Protector, heed my command.
Since the Quasi-Wheel Grand Zen Master from Brahma Kingdom has come to request an exchange of martial arts skills, as a retainer under the Old Dharma King and currently the number one expert in the Southern Territory, you shall represent the Southern Territory and accept the battle against the Quasi-Wheel Grand Zen Master!"
The Great Protector, upon hearing this, was so angry that his teeth began to grind. He had already heard that Dugu Ming's speech was all tutored by that despicable youngster in the wheelchair; otherwise, with Dugu Ming's intelligence, how could he ever think of such a sly strategy.
Though his heart was filled with towering rage, the Great Protector always kept a smile on his face. But now that he had been specifically named to fight, he could no longer pretend to be invisible.
After all, Dugu Ming was still the Southern King and if he openly defied and disobeyed the command at this moment, it would be a minor matter for him to lose face. More importantly, it would disgrace the Southern Territory and even the Xuanyuan Nation.
Moreover, if he refused to fight today, his prestige in the Southern Territory would undoubtedly plummet, and the capital would never allow him to become the King of the Southern Territory.
Thinking this, the Great Protector wished he could just kill that guy in the wheelchair right there and then. But given the situation, he had no choice but to harden his scalp and slowly stand up with a smile.
"Southern King honors me too much. I dare not claim to be the number one expert in the Southern Territory. The territory is filled with numerous experts; it's just that they are not in the base camp at the moment," he said.
The Reincarnation Wheel Grand Zen Master snorted coldly, "After all is said and done, will you fight or not? Do you dare to accept the challenge? If you're too scared, I shall immediately return to Brahma Kingdom. But then, I'm afraid that the whole world will laugh at Xuanyuan Nation for having no one, laughing at your Southern Territory for being cowardly and weak!"
The more than ten Brahman Kingdom Grand Lamas behind him also started to jeer, "From our point of view, what 'vast Xuanyuan Ancient Kingdom' with its 'origin of national martial arts and ancient martial arts'— we see it as nothing but hot air. It is our Brahma Kingdom that is the true martial arts ancient nation, the real cradle of martial arts!"
Sima Zhantian and Xiao Chuanqi couldn't bear to hear this and were about to stand up abruptly.
Ye Feng immediately waved them down, saying, "Sit down, both of you. This is not the time for you to step in!"
The two could only obediently take their seats.
The Great Protector let out a silent sigh and said loudly, "In that case, I accept the challenge!"
The Great Zen Master laughed, thinking that whether the battle happened today or not, he would profit.
"Very well, in that case, Southern King, please announce to all the soldiers in the Southern Territory that they gather at the training ground. I want them to witness the true national martial arts and ancient martial arts of our Brahma Kingdom!" The Grand Zen Master declared, gesturing grandly with his hand and a smile on his face.
The Great Protector's expression, however, turned grim, thinking that this damned Old Bald Donkey couldn't have come at a worse time.
"Commander Lan, immediately notify all the soldiers at the base camp to gather at the training ground!" Southern King Dugu Ming issued the command in a stern voice.
"Yes!" Commander Lan saluted and promptly left the hall.
"Let's go to the Southern Territory's training ground!" The more than ten Brahma Kingdom Grand Lamas all stood up, each carrying an arrogant stance.