At the scene, everyone knew that Si Kong Zui was aiming to make Ling Xiao embarrass himself, which was why he had made such a request.
The Sacred Emperor looked at Ling Xiao, seemingly without the intention to stop him, and even appeared quite interested.
In his heart, Ling Xiao thought to himself that everyone present, except perhaps for Joshua Long, probably wanted to see him take action, after all, the finals would resume after tomorrow, and they surely wanted to know what other cards he still had up his sleeve.
Ling Xiao had always lacked interest in pointless battles.
He bowed to the Sacred Emperor and said, "Your Majesty the Sacred Emperor, this junior cannot hold his liquor well and is already feeling somewhat dizzy. Let’s forgo this contest."
Moreover, the path of martial arts was not for show, and he was certainly not in the mood.
Hearing this, many people in the audience showed a disdainful and contemptuous expression, thinking that Ling Xiao was afraid.
Although Ling Xiao had indeed defeated Jian Wuji in today’s martial arts competition finals, the fight had ended too quickly, and many people had not seen clearly what had happened, always feeling that there was something fishy about it.
Now it seemed that it was indeed the case, otherwise why would Ling Xiao refuse Jian Wuji’s challenge under the guise of being drunk?
Could it be that this fellow was merely bluffing?
Had he used up all his tricks in the previous fight?
Holy Son Victoria Mingkong also looked at Ling Xiao, revealing a mocking smile and said, "So this is the mettle of a Moon Hua Sect martial artist, I have truly seen it all now."
"Humph, scared like a mouse, truly laughable," Hua Yu also snorted coldly.
Ling Xiao looked indifferently at Hua Yu and said, "You’re so eager to see me make a move? Fine, if I ask you to come up and fight me now, how would you respond?"
Hua Yu was taken aback, not expecting at all that Ling Xiao would suddenly turn the tables on him.
The scene outside the Imperial Palace earlier had left him somewhat wary, was he really going to fight Ling Xiao?
"I..." Unable to stand Ling Xiao’s mocking gaze, Hua Yu stood up, ready to enter the fray.
But then Ling Xiao added, "I don’t hold back when I strike. Before we fight, we’d better sign a life and death agreement, to avoid any trouble if I were to kill you."
Upon hearing this, Hua Yu felt a chill run through his entire body.
If it was just a spar, losing would only be embarrassing. He had already thrown away his face, so it was not a big deal.
But now Ling Xiao’s meaning was clear; he was talking about a fight to the death. If he lost, he would die; how could he dare?
"How is it? Are you scared? Didn’t you say that I was scared like a mouse? With so many people here today, even if you die, you will have died for the Holy Son, for the Sacred Emperor, I think that would be very honorable."
A stronger sense of mockery and disdain shone in Ling Xiao’s eyes.
Hua Yu’s teeth itched with rage, his fists clenched tightly, his face flushed as if it were about to drip blood, but in the end, he was still afraid of death.
Ling Xiao disdainfully said, "If you’re afraid to die and unwilling to fight, then shut your filthy mouth. We don’t need anyone spouting nonsense here!"
"Ling Xiao, don’t try to deflect onto others, I am the one challenging you, stop beating around the bush," Jian Wuji said coldly, his words heavy with sarcasm and anger.
Seizing an opportunity for counterattack, Hua Yu also hurriedly said, "Exactly, you refuse Jian Wuji’s challenge but provoke me instead. It’s clear you’re just a coward, trying to confuse the issue, I almost fell for it. Sure, I’ll fight you, but only after you accept Jian Wuji’s challenge."
"Is that so? You mean if I defeat him, you’d be willing to fight me?"
Ling Xiao’s expression turned icy.
He felt he had been tolerant enough with Hua Yu today, but this person was simply courting death. He suspected that the person who had poisoned the wine could be him.
After all, the wine was from the royal reserves, and it wouldn’t be convenient for Si Kong Zui to poison it, but Hua Yu was different. Being someone close to the Sacred Emperor, poisoning the wine would have been a breeze for him.
At that thought, Ling Xiao’s intent to kill Hua Yu intensified even further.
Hua Yu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered he had poisoned the wine. As long as Ling Xiao and Jian Wuji dueled, no matter who won or lost, the poison would eventually take effect. By that time, even if he was no match for Ling Xiao, he would easily defeat him.
And would that not be a glorious moment?
Defeating a man whom even the Sixth Young Master of the Holy Dynasty failed to conquer would bring honor not often attainable.
With this in mind, Hua Yu nodded and said, "No problem. As long as you can defeat Jian Wuji, I will duel with you, and it will be a fight to the death. We must sign a life-and-death contract!"
He had already planned to kill Ling Xiao.
In fact, Ling Xiao hadn’t really offended him. The initial poisoning was merely because he was entrusted by others and received a large number of Spirit Stones from Si Kong Zui.
As the saying goes, take one’s money to dispel their disasters.
But now, he truly wanted Ling Xiao dead, with no other reason than a sheer dislike for him.
All eyes fell on Ling Xiao.
Most of the expressions were filled with jealousy and schadenfreude. How could they accept the Sacred Emperor’s declaration to marry the Holy Son to this youngster?
Joshua Long, however, was somewhat worried.
It was not that he was afraid Ling Xiao could not defeat Jian Wuji, but that killing someone within the walls of the Imperial Palace could lead to serious trouble.
Ling Xiao took a deep breath and looked at Jian Wuji and said, "Since you have regained your strength and now possess a perfect Half-Puppet Body, you should cherish it. Challenging me is seeking your own death!
Sacred Emperor Your Majesty, I request a life-and-death battle with Jian Wuji, to fate be ascribed!"
Previously at the Martial Arts Festival, he had spared Jian Wuji’s life because his hatred had faded somewhat.
Yet he never expected Jian Wuji to be so stubbornly defiant, challenging him again with the intention of killing him.
What point was there in sparing such a person?
Was he to be spared to continue provoking endlessly?
He did not wish to kill, but if someone insisted on courting death, then he would show no mercy.
The Sacred Emperor glanced at Jian Wuji as if gauging his intent.
Murderous intent gleamed intensely in Jian Wuji’s eyes.
If he chose to challenge Ling Xiao this time, it meant he was confident. Without such confidence, he would not act so rashly.
"Very well, then it shall be a fight to the death, witnessed by myself and all present."
The Sacred Emperor nodded his approval.
"Where shall we battle?"
Ling Xiao asked coolly.
His voice was icy and bore a strong intent to kill, like a bloodstained treasured sword.
Jian Wuji chuckled and said, "This place is protected by an Array Formation and is spacious enough; there’s no need to go anywhere else."
Ling Xiao nodded. Where the fight took place did not matter to him, for he was fearless.
However, Si Kong Zui, Hua Yu, and Holy Son Victoria Mingkong all displayed expressions of mockery and glee at another’s misfortune.
Jian Wuji’s choice to battle here was not to save effort, but because the Array Formation set up in this place resonated with his Half-Puppet Body, allowing him to draw continuous Spiritual Qi from the outside world, increasing his power by more than double.