Chapter 104
No one had any idea what Ning Fan was doing in the rocky chamber. As the date of the battle between Ning Fan and Bai Feiteng was approaching, many seniors began heading over to Sinister Sparrow Sect to watch such a rare match.
Thousands of feet in the air over the valley of Sinister Sparrow Sect was a suspended square purple-jade platform. Sinister Sparrow had spent a fortune building this platform for this coming duel.
It was similar to the purple-jade platform floating above the Heaven Separation Sect which reminded him of the day of Heaven Separation Sect’s annihilation and Sinister Sparrow Sect becoming the number one evil sect in Yue Country.
With the Revered Bai and a powerful young Ning Fan in the sect, Sinister Sparrow Sect was at the height of its fame.
Streams of light penetrated the clouds and sky. There were the Harmonious Spirit old experts. Some of them who had richer resources went to Sinister Sparrow Sect by using immortal clouds. As for all the famous Gold Core old experts, they travelled with their magnificent voyage ship.
The experts who were responsible for the security of Sinister Sparrow Sect and welcoming the guests were the five hundred Hawk Guards. Each Hawk Guard was above the Sixth Level Vein Opening realm and had an indifferent face. By using their flying hawk demonic beast, they brought the Vein Opening guests to the Purple-Jade Sky Platform, one after another.
The commander of Hawk Guards was Hawk Yang. He was the one responsible for welcoming the guest with status.
Hawk Yang was a middle-aged man with a scarred face in black armor, riding on a 9 meter long silver divine hawk in the sky.
He would welcome any expert who flew their way to the sky platform, but the way he greeted them would largely depend on the guest’s cultivation base.
As a late Harmonious Spirit elder in Sinister Sparrow Sect and the commander of the Hawk Guards, he naturally had his own pride and dignity.
When he greeted Harmonious Spirit experts, he would only exchange a few pleasantries with them. He would smile if he was greeting Gold Core experts. As for those top ten figures in Yue Country and some very honorable figures with old ancestor level, he would show extra respect to them.
“Commander Hawk Yang, nice to meet you. I’m an elder of the Purple Light Sect, Song Xing.”
“Ah, nice to meet you too, Elder Song Xing…” Hawk Yang’s facial expression remained indifferent because Song Xing was merely an intermediate Harmonious Spirit elder.
“This old man’s name is Qing Chengzi, a rogue cultivator. Greet Commander Hawk Yang.”
“Ah! It’s fellow Qing Cheng. Come, follow me!” Hawk Yang’s tone had become soothing. Despite the fact that Qing Cheng was only a rogue cultivator, he was an early Gold Core old expert that Hawk Yang couldn’t help but respect.
“I’m Lady Yun Hua. I have come here to attend the grand ceremony of Sinister Sparrow Sect.”
“Ahem, I had never expected that Lady would come to watch the battle too. Forgive me for not knowing who you are!” Hawk Yang’s eyes perked up and scanned Lady Yun Hua’s body from top to bottom before gulping a mouthful of saliva.
Lady Yun Hua was known as the most beautiful woman in Yue Country. Although she was only a late Harmonious Spirit expert, there were only very few male cultivators who could stay as apathetic as a stone in front of her. Her husband was the well-known old ancestor of Fire Cloud Sect in Yue Country. It was common tradition in the cultivation world that an old ancestor would have a beautiful match.
The only thing that puzzled Hawk Yang was that why did the highly respected Lady Yun Hua would make the trip to a place like Sinister Sparrow Sect. Anyone knew that Fire Cloud Ancestor was a very narrow-minded man. He would never allow any men to even peep at his wife, let alone letting her leave Fire Cloud Sect.
Now that Lady Yun Hua had come, it had to be the order of Fire Cloud Ancestor. He must have given her an important task for her to accomplish, a task that not even the higher ups of Fire Cloud Sect knew.
Bah! Why do I care so much about other people’s business? If I get involved in any unnecessary trouble, the repercussion will be unimaginable.
When Hawk Yang thought of Fire Cloud Ancestor’s scariness, his body shivered and he immediately shifted his gaze off Lady Yun Hua.
The agreed battle was delayed by half a month, but the guests were happy to wait as 15 days didn’t mean much to them. It wasn’t even enough for any of them to have a short seclusion.
Naturally, the old experts wouldn’t forget exchanging their views on cultivation. Perhaps, this was the simple reason that so many old experts had come to this grand ceremony.
“But this time, the number of experts are unusually plenty.”
Hawk Yang shook his head and sighed. Immediately after that, an ethereal silhouette emerged in the sky and spoke indifferently.
“That is of course! Naturally, these experts have come to support me!”
The voice sounded out of nowhere, sending chills down Hawk Yang’s back. Quickly, he spun. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the man. In the world of cultivation, it was extremely dangerous to be attacked from behind, even if one was in his own territory.
“Hawk Yang greets Revered Bai!”
Hawk Yang’s eyes revealed a trace of fire as he looked at Bai Feiteng. Revered Bai had advanced again, but he couldn’t detect what level it was. He was afraid that Revered Bai had already reached the bottleneck of the late Gold Core realm.
“No formalities are needed…Has Ning Fan already arrived?” Bai Feiteng squinted his eyes and spoke in an elderly tone.
“No, Elder Ning isn’t…he’s still in seclusion…”
“Humph! How disrespectful! How could he let a senior wait for him?”
Bai Feiteng frowned with discontentment.
He deliberately delayed coming out of his seclusion by half-a-month so that Ning Fan would have to wait for him. This could also help Ning Fan mold his patience, but unexpectedly, Ning Fan was even more late than him.
“Yes-yes-yes. That Elder Ning sure is rude for letting Revered Bai wait.” Hawk Yang replied hastily with a smile.
Naturally, he had to say whatever the situation required him to say, but as soon as these words were heard, he could feel a sense of danger even stronger than Revered Bai coming from behind.
For an instant, not only Hawk Yang, but Bai Feiteng too showed a pair of astonished eyes, because not even Bai Feiteng had sensed the movement of this man. They were totally clueless how and when this man emerged!
Purple-Jade Sky Platform, Treasure Amassing Vase!
Revered White > Revered Bai
“Oh? It seems like the commander of the Hawk Guards has lots to complain about Ning Fan…”
A youth in white clothing and a black cloak appeared behind Hawk Yang without warning.
Even though there was a vague smile on his face, his eyes made Hawk Yang’s mind shiver, as though he would kill Hawk Yang straightaway if he detected any more negative thoughts in Hawk Yang’s mind.
“Elder… Elder Ning, it’s Hawk Yang’s fault! Hawk Yang begs for forgiveness!”
Hawk Yang was scared, he was truly scared. This was his first time getting this close to Ning Fan. He now only realized how terrifying Ning Fan was.
He began to understand that Ning Fan’s reputation wasn’t groundless. It was established by his true strength and power.
“Hehe, the blame is not on you, Commander Hawk Yang. So, you don’t have to panic… Senior ‘White’, judging from your condition, it seems like you have just come out from seclusion as well and your magical strength hasn’t recovered to its peak yet. You may need a few more days to adjust your Qi. Anyway, this junior will head over to the Purple-Jade Sky Platform first. I will await for your arrival. Also, I like your name ‘Revered’ very much.”
Ning Fan slightly cupped his fists and flew away from the scene. Bai Feiteng’s facial expression darkened right away.
There was no way that he couldn’t detect the sarcasm in Ning Fan’s words. Sarcastically, Ning Fan implied that Bai Feiteng was being disrespectful by badmouthing Ning Fan behind his back.
“Humph! You only have this time to show your arrogance. During the battle, this old man will make you understand the repercussion of offending me!” said Bai Feiteng with hate.
As Ning Fan emerged on the entrance, the indolent Lady Yun Hua who was conversing with someone else suddenly twitched her eyebrow and was slightly astonished.
This kid isn’t exactly as what husband had said. Despite that, I will still have to complete my task.
…
“The bet is on, the bet is on, place your bet now.”
On the Purple-Jade Sky Platform was a beggar-like youth announcing the starting of the bet openly.
On the boundary of the platform, plenty of cultivators had set up stalls as they had nothing to do, to exchange magical treasures and pills that they didn’t need for other cultivator’s items.
Therefore, this beggar’s gambling stall was the first to emerge.
The young beggar had a head of messy hair, like weeds. His clothes were ragged and dirty, but he had a good-looking face with untidy beard and good masculinity.
When the word ‘bet’ was heard, numerous bored cultivators gathered around, curious to find out what the beggar was offering.
“The bet is on, the bet is on. My fellow friends, quickly take out your immortal jade and place your bet, it might be able to bring you unimaginable fortune.” The beggar raised his voice as if he feared that some might not hear it. Immediately, a few old experts revealed a look of unpleasantness.
“What’s this kid’s cultivation base? How dare he gain his fame by shouting out exaggerated statements?” A late Harmonious Spirit old expert snapped.
“Early Harmonious Spirit expert? Should I finish him off straightaway?” Another intermediate Harmonious Spirit devil cultivator suggested.
“Forget it, this is the territory of Sinister Sparrow. There’s no need to stir up trouble.”
The young beggar didn’t seem to care and know how much trouble his loud voice had created.
Because of this, it had stirred up plenty of cultivators’ gambling appetite. This had also given them the chance to experience the entertainment that only existed in the Mortal World.
“Hehe, this fellow friend, since you have opened a stall for gambling, I wonder what the things we can bet on are and how do we do that?” Numerous old experts asked with a smile.
“Oh, haha! I have forgotten about that…today, I, ‘Shu Buyun’, have opened a gambling stall to gamble on the hottest incident. We’ll gamble on the battle between Revered…En…Revered Bai and Ning Fan, what do you say!”
*Hiss!*
Every old expert’s facial expression changed. They couldn’t believe how this early Harmonious Spirit beggar that came from nowhere got the nerve to gamble on the battle between Ning Fan and Revered Bai.
Putting aside the odds of the bets, gambling on either of these two would probably offend some experts.
Anyway, they would like to hear about the odds first.
Each and every old expert stretched their head to listen to what the beggar had to say, but after the last sentence he spoke, he kept his silence and started humming.
“*cough* *cough* *cough*, fellow friend, you haven’t told us about the odds and how we can place our bets yet.” One of the old experts reminded.
“Oh! I forgot again…my apologies. I don’t have a very good memory. By the way, what are we betting on? I can’t remember it…”
“Didn’t you say that we will gamble on the battle between Revered Bai and Elder Ning?” An old expert said with annoyance.”
“Ah! So that’s what it is. Apologize for that…how about this, I will write the gambling options and odds on a board so that I won’t forget it again.”
The beggar patted his storage pouch and took out an old wooden cardboard. On top of the cardboard was filled with various wagers, as though he had opened the gambling stall in other places as well.
With magical force, two of his fingers scraped away the words written on the surface like a blade. Then, he took out an ink brush, slightly drenched it with his saliva and started writing on the wooden cardboard.
“*Hiss!* This wooden cardboard, is…is the Ten-Thousand-Years-Heavenly Nan Wood!”
“What! It is the God Wielding Brush that can write even without dipping it in ink. Rumor has it that only those in the Rain Palace possess this kind of tool. Who is this beggar? Could he be one of the Divine Guards of Rain Palace?”
As the beggar moved the God Wielding Brush, a crooked handwriting started appearing on the board.
Ning Fan wins, odds of one to one,
Ning Fan draws, odds of one to a hundred,
Ning Fan loses, odds of one to a thousand.
After writing down a few lines of words, the beggar nodded, seemingly very satisfied with it, leaving the other old experts on their own.
So he forgot once more, forgetting that he was setting the gambling odds and instructions.
The old experts however sucked in a breath of cold air when they saw the betting odds.
*Hiss!*
If this stall owner wasn’t a madman, why would he set such betting odds?
If they bet on Ning Fan to win the match, they would only get one immortal jade if they bet a single immortal jade.
If they bet on Ning Fan to draw in the match, one immortal jade would give them a hundred immortal jade.
If they bet on Ning Fan to lose the battle, one immortal jade would reward them a thousand immortal jade.
Clearly, this wasn’t a gamble, this was giving away fortune to the public! After all, everyone was convinced that Ning Fan would be defeated and only a tiny possibility that Ning Fan would draw. In any case, Bai Feiteng was one of the old experts that could shake the entire Yue Country. There was no way that he would lose to a youth unless he had grown tired of living!
As such, if they bet on Ning Fan to lose on the match, they would only gain profits!
If they gambled on Ning Fan drawing in the match, even if the result didn’t turn out as expected, they would only lose one immortal jade at most. However, if Ning Fan’s abilities were overly heaven defying and was able to reach a draw, or if Revered Bai cared too much about his identity and was reluctant to win the match, allowing Ning Fan to reach a draw, they would still be able to earn a handsome amount of profit.
As for the last betting option – gambling on Ning Fan to win the match…none of the old experts thought that this was possible. Furthermore, even if this happened, one immortal jade could only be exchanged for one immortal jade. If the result wasn’t as what they gambled on, they would lose everything. This was the bet with the lowest chance of winning. Only brainless people would waste their fortune betting on Ning Fan to win.
“This old man will bet that Ning Fan would lose on this match – one thousand immortal jades! But this old man has a question…if this old man wins, this old man is going to get a million immortal jades, the question is do you have it?!”
The old expert sounded very plain, but his question had aroused every other experts’ notice.
Whether the bet would offend someone or not, the burden would be put on the owner of the gambling stall. Since there was a chance for them to gain more profits, they naturally wouldn’t let it slip away.
This was virtually a 100% return bet and they could gain a thousand times of their original capital. No old expert would ever miss such a good opportunity. Some of them who was unhappy with the beggar changed their mind and wanted to place their bets as well.
But the thing was that, the odds was a thousand times of the capital. How could this beggar possibly had this much immortal jades?
When the beggar heard the question, he stopped admiring his own handwriting and turned to them with an astonished look.
“Ai ya! I forgot that I was opening a gambling stall, my apologies…you asked me if I have enough fortune to repay you all? This must be a joke. Take a good look at my attire! Do I look like a person without fortune?!”
He raised his voice drastically, which made it somewhat unpleasant to hear, while each and every old expert revealed disdainful looks.
Judging from how the beggar was dressed up, he obviously didn’t have this much fortune.
If it wasn’t because of the beggar’s Ten-Thousand-Years-Heavenly Nan Wood and God Wielding Brush, neither of the old experts would waste time with this beggar.
The beggar seemed extremely discontented upon seeing everyone’s disdainful look. He frowned, patted his storage pouch and took out a shabby tile vase in which there were ten pieces of immortal jades.
“This is the fortune that I have. So, do you think it’s still not enough to open a gambling stall! I will use all these immortal jades to place my bets!”
“Ten immortal jades? Are you toying with us?!” Every old expert showed an unpleasant face. There was no way that he could gamble with only ten immortal jades.
“Are you all blind? These are ten pieces of immortal jades!” The beggar revealed a frustrated expression.
“Yes, there are only ten pieces of immortal jades, there is no more than ten pieces of them!”
“Bah! Bullshit! No matter how poor I am, I won’t have only ten pieces of immortal jades! Treasure Amassing Vase, pour them out!”
The beggar’s face changed to anger. With a touch of his finger on the vase, the vase was overturned. Within the ten immortal jades was another ten immortal jades…another ten and another ten…In an instant, the ground was piled up with immortal jades. There were now a thousand of them!
“Who said that I don’t have the fortune to open a gambling stall? I can crush you to death with just my fortune!” The beggar shouted, astounding every old expert on the scene.
“The Treasure Amassing Vase was an Immortal Treasure of Rain Palace! Who is this man? How did he get such an item?!”