Even Zi Ying was a bit astonished. Ye Xuan wasn’t the type to say such things, let alone to flatter Chi Yi. It was quite unexpected.
Her first thought was whether Ye Xuan had pulled some trick somewhere.
"The competition between the warriors of both clans now begins."
With the announcement of an elder, the contest between the two sides had officially begun.
The Demon Clan was inherently combative; it was their tradition and a test of strength between the two clans.
Chi Yi’s opponent was a strong member of the Flame Demon Clan named Yan Kui, whose cultivation was also at the level of a Seventh Grade Demon Lord. He was supposed to be the top fighter of the young generation of the Flame Demon Clan, second only to Fei Lian.
Judging by the situation in the arena, Chi Yi didn’t seem to take his opponent too seriously, since the latter had been defeated by him before and was far from his equal in strength.
"Yan Kui, I hope you don’t lose too embarrassingly."
Chi Yi had the look of someone who had already won.
Seeing Chi Yi’s expression, Yan Kui’s face darkened. He indeed had lost to Chi Yi before, but the latter was being overly arrogant.
Chi Yi extended his palm in a provocative gesture.
"This is going to be an interesting fight."
Ye Xuan said with a smirk.
"There’s not much to look forward to if, as expected, Chi Yi has a great chance of winning," Zi Ying said, unfazed by the outcome.
Ye Xuan didn’t reply, as the duel in the arena had already begun.
Both of them were incredibly burly and strength-based characters. Their clashes were mostly physical, and every strike sounded like thunder, deafening to the ears.
Shortly after the fight began, Chi Yi seemed to have the upper hand, but within less than five minutes, his advantage was rapidly lost, becoming more and more pronounced.
Chi Yi’s shoulder took a punch, and he was sent flying backward. In the next moment, he was punched again and flew out, barely managing to stop himself in front of Zi Ying.
"Chi Yi, what’s wrong with you? Are you going backwards in your training? You’re about to lose all face for our Shadow Demon clan."
Zi Ying’s gaze was ice-cold, and from her eyes, one could see a hint of anger.
Chi Yi was tongue-tied, as if he had a grievance he couldn’t express. He didn’t know what was going on with himself; it was as if his strength had been hollowed out, very strange.
"Miss, please don’t say that. Brother Chi Yi is still very strong."
Ye Xuan said with a grin, "If it weren’t for Brother Chi Yi overexerting himself yesterday, I don’t think he’d be in such poor shape. It is said that around three or four o’clock this morning, one could still hear a woman’s cries from Brother Chi Yi’s room. His vigor is truly admirable."
A look of disdain appeared in Zi Ying’s eyes, as if she had completely lost the small amount of regard she had for Chi Yi.
"What a load of crap!"
Chi Yi became enraged. He was initially puzzled as to why Ye Xuan would suddenly speak up for him, only to realize that it was premeditated and that Ye Xuan had fabricated such a disgusting story to frame him. It was utterly shameless.
"Why are you so weak today, with every move lacking strength? Don’t look for excuses, Chi Yi. You’ve really disappointed me," Zi Ying said, waving her hand dismissively, as if she couldn’t bear to look at him any longer.
"Brother Chi Yi, victory and defeat are common for soldiers; why take it to heart? Just take better care of yourself next time," Ye Xuan seemingly kindly reminded him.
"Kid, I’m going to slaughter you!"
Chi Yi was about to burst with rage, feeling more wronged than Doue in her most unjust tale, his innocence twisted into guilt by Ye Xuan’s convincing lies, and worst of all, Zi Ying actually believed it.
Yet before he could strike, his chest had been met with a palm, and once again his body was sent flying through the air, with Zi Ying being the one who had made the move.
"Enough," Zi Ying spoke coldly. "Becoming angry out of embarrassment after being exposed, leave my sight immediately. I don’t wish to see you right now."
With a belly full of grievances and no place to vent, Chi Yi took a deep breath, then fixed his gaze steadily on Ye Xuan. "Kid, you just wait."
His eyes were brimming with killing intent to the extreme, and then Chi Yi turned and left.
As for that threat, Ye Xuan acted as if he hadn’t heard. Chi Yi had already sent someone to assassinate him, so what was there to be cautious about? Let him wait, he wanted to see what they could do to him.
"Little Shadow, it seems that this sparring has given our clan a slight edge."
The defeat of Chi Yi had Fei Lian in a very good mood. He looked at Zi Ying, his face revealing a smug expression.
"It’s a bit too early to be making such assertions," replied Zi Ying, brows slightly knitted. Then her gaze suddenly fell on Ye Xuan, a flash of light seeming to pass through her eyes.
"Why are you looking at me?"
Ye Xuan had a foreboding feeling.
"You will take Chi Yi’s place."
"I am not of the Shadow Demon clan, how can I replace him?"
"Well, now you are. I say you are, so you are. Get down there!"
Without allowing Ye Xuan to argue, Zi Ying pushed him into the dueling ground.
Before Ye Xuan, towering figures of Flame Demons stood. In comparison, his physique seemed frail and out of place.
"What, we’re supposed to compete with this slave? Isn’t that an insult to us?"
"That’s right, what qualifications does a human have to stand here? Get lost!"
"We won’t duel with a lowly slave!"
Before Ye Xuan could utter a word, he was nearly drowned by a deluge of complaints.
Zi Ying’s eyes darkened, her voice sharp, instantly quieting the clamorous voices. Then she directed her gaze toward the strong members of the Flame Demon Clan, her words echoing through the arena. "Do not incessantly boast about your nobility. No matter how noble your blood, this is a world that respects strength. If you find him disagreeable, if you look down on him, feel free to kill him right now. That is, if you have the ability."
"The lady speaks the truth. You can all come at me together. I don’t mind."
Ye Xuan smiled noncommittally.
These words even made Zi Ying pause. After all, there were more than ten strong Flame Demons there, each with greater Cultivation than Ye Xuan. Could his confidence be considered underestimating the enemy?
Her intention had only been for Ye Xuan to make a move to save some face, but she had not expected him to be so bold.
"Very well, since this Brother Ye of the human race is so confident, it would be cowardly for our warriors not to accept the challenge."
It was then that Fei Lian, who had been silent until now, spoke up. A sinister gleam crossed his eyes, but his face was filled with smiles. He had long wanted to get rid of Ye Xuan, and without a doubt, this seemed like an excellent opportunity. With so many attacking, could they not take down this single person?
He had been worried about not finding an opportunity, but since Ye Xuan was courting death himself, he wouldn’t be blamed for being inhospitable. Killing Ye Xuan was nothing more than killing a slave, with no consequences to follow.