When the Asura Great Emperor saw the Peerless Great Emperor, he had originally intended to play the villain's card and lodge a complaint first. However, the Peerless Great Emperor had actually gone ahead and pledged allegiance to the Peacock Sacred Mountain for real.
Worse still, the Peerless Great Emperor turned the tables and questioned him about the origins of his two retainers, directly linking them to the "Unextinguishable Heavenly Capital" and "Pill Fire City."
Both the Unextinguishable Heavenly Capital and Pill Fire City had been factions that once vied with the Violet Kingdom for the Eternal Life Pill. In particular, Pill Fire City had long been the Violet Kingdom's most persistent rival.
For anyone from the Violet Kingdom, these two forces were the most unacceptable — and the most detested.
If the Asura Great Emperor truly had murky ties to either of them, he would inevitably be cast aside by the Violet Kingdom's people.
However, the Asura Great Emperor had clearly come prepared by selecting these two. He had no doubt anticipated that the Peacock Sacred Mountain would challenge him on this matter.
Without missing a beat, he spoke coldly: "These two are both death warriors raised by my Asura Arena. They simply never appeared in public before."
"Oh? That's merely your word — how is anyone supposed to believe it?" Jiang Chen had no intention of letting the matter drop.
The Asura Great Emperor certainly could have his own death warriors in private, but ones capable of fighting in a confrontation like this — cultivators whose strength surpassed that of the Sun, Moon, and Star Emperors? Jiang Chen refused to believe the Asura Arena could produce such fighters.
In his view, these two were most likely borrowed from Pill Fire City.
Jiang Chen cupped his fists toward Grand Emperor Nian. "Grand Emperor Nian, it isn't that I'm trying to stir up trouble. The contest between the Peacock Sacred Mountain and the Asura Arena becomes entirely meaningless if the identities of the participants remain murky and unaccounted for."
With that, Jiang Chen glanced down at the assembled lords and added, "I'm sure these eight hundred lords wouldn't want to watch an incomprehensible contest either."
The Asura Great Emperor was furious: "Young Master Zhen, your own house isn't even in order, yet you dare point the finger — what exactly are you after?"
Jiang Chen smiled coolly. "My Peacock Sacred Mountain is spotless and transparent. What house isn't in order?"
"Hmph, setting aside the Peerless Great Emperor joining your side at the last moment — what about this so-called personal disciple of yours? I've never heard anything about you taking on such a disciple."
The Asura Great Emperor shifted his aim toward Huan'er.
He had always assumed Jiang Chen would send Lin Yanyu to fight. After all, Lin Yanyu was widely known as the personal disciple Jiang Chen had taken in.
But the one stepping into the arena was a strikingly beautiful yet entirely unfamiliar young woman.
It was no wonder the Asura Great Emperor didn't recognize her — Huan'er almost never appeared in public in the Violet Kingdom, and on the rare occasions she did, she wore a mask or used a disguise.
Now, with her true face revealed, she left people awestruck — but also deeply curious about her background.
Jiang Chen laughed. "I knew you'd say that. Huan'er is my dao companion. Everyone on the Peacock Sacred Mountain knows this. What more is there to question?"
"Dao companion?" The Asura Great Emperor let out a cold snort. "Even if she is, she isn't a personal disciple. Tell me — what right does she have to compete?"
Huan'er smiled faintly and spoke in a clear, melodious voice: "When I first met Young Master Zhen, I was already admiring his talent in the Dao of Alchemy. I had a teacher-student relationship with him in that regard. Why shouldn't I be allowed to fight?"
Since it was purely an internal matter of the Peacock Sacred Mountain, there was truly nothing anyone could do to scrutinize how Huan'er chose to describe her status. At the end of the day, she was unquestionably a member of the Peacock Sacred Mountain — her identity was beyond reproach.
"Asura Great Emperor, why don't you start by proving who your two retainers actually are?" Jiang Chen's tone was indifferent, making it absolutely clear he would not yield an inch.
One of the two men behind the Asura Great Emperor — a silver-robed figure — stepped forward and said flatly, "We are death warriors raised by the Asura Great Emperor, and we pledge our loyalty to him. If the Peerless Great Emperor can join your Peacock Sacred Mountain, surely our loyalty to the Asura Great Emperor isn't out of place?"
The Peerless Great Emperor's gaze deepened as he stared intently at the two. He then spoke abruptly, his voice cold: "When I, Mo, joined the Peacock Sacred Mountain, I swore a binding oath that for the rest of my life, I would never betray it. Would you two dare swear a similar oath?"
With the Peerless Great Emperor's discerning eye, he could naturally tell these two had extraordinary backgrounds.
The pair exchanged a glance. After a brief pause, they both nodded: "We swear that for as long as the Asura Arena still stands, we will forever remain loyal to it and never leave its side. Should we break this oath, let the five thunders strike us down."
The two were remarkably decisive, issuing their oath without hesitation.
The Asura Great Emperor was secretly surprised by this, but after they swore, he fixed Jiang Chen with a dark, penetrating stare. "Young Master Zhen, now what do you have to say?"
Jiang Chen laughed heartily. "If you'd said so from the start, everything would have been settled already."
He paused, then gave the Asura Great Emperor a look that was half-smile, half-mockery. "Don't say I didn't warn you — there's a hidden catch in their oath. They swore that as long as the Asura Arena still stands, they'll forever remain loyal and never leave. But if one day they decide to depart… well, that might just be the day the Asura Arena ceases to exist."
Though Jiang Chen had no way of knowing whether the two had deliberately planted that loophole in their oath, his instincts told him something was off. Since that was the case, he saw no reason not to point it out — if only to disgust the Asura Great Emperor and drive a wedge between him and Pill Fire City.
Jiang Chen still firmly believed these two were not the Asura Great Emperor's people.