The Canghai Great Emperor and the Zhankong Great Emperor, who had long been allied with the Asura Great Emperor, wore equally grave expressions. The Canghai Great Emperor in particular had been the Asura Great Emperor's staunchest ally, throwing himself into every effort to help seize power — scurrying about here and there, giving it his all.
Because of this, he absolutely could not accept a scenario in which the Asura Great Emperor suffered defeat. No matter what, he had to hold the line. His fate and the Asura Great Emperor's were now inextricably bound — when one prospered, both prospered; when one fell, both fell.
The moment Peacock Sacred Mountain secured its position as the ruler of the Glazed Glass Royal City, the Asura Great Emperor would be finished sooner or later. And if the Asura Great Emperor was finished, the Canghai Great Emperor would inevitably go down with him.
The Zhankong Great Emperor had also pledged himself to the Asura Great Emperor, but the bond between them was nowhere near as tight as the Canghai Great Emperor's.
"Brother Dao, these people have all been bewitched by that brat. As long as we win this decisively, the affairs of the Glazed Glass Royal City will still be ours to decide. At the end of the day, this world belongs to the strong. As long as we clinch victory in all four martial bouts, it won't matter how much noise they make."
Seven bouts had been completed so far — three wins, three losses, and one draw. The contest was perfectly deadlocked.
The Asura Great Emperor heard the thunderous roars from the crowd, and to say that not a single thought crossed his mind would be a lie.
But to claim that those voices could shake his resolve — that was equally false.
The state of affairs at this stage had indeed cost the Asura Great Emperor some face. Yet the more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that the Asura Arena's chances of victory were growing.
In the two talisman bouts, they could take at least one. As for the other, even if they lost, it wouldn't matter. A draw would be fine too.
The key lay in the four martial bouts. The Asura Great Emperor was confident that he himself would absolutely win his match. As for Li Jiancheng's bout, defeating that delicate little girl wouldn't be difficult either — or so he told himself.
As for Ce Danwang and Hui Danwang, facing the Peerless Great Emperor, one loss was all but guaranteed. But the remaining bout against Yunzhong Minghuang — even a draw would suffice.
That would give them six victories in hand! As long as Hui Danwang fought Yunzhong Minghuang to a draw, they would have six wins and two draws. No matter how well Peacock Sacred Mountain performed, they could win at most five bouts.
In this thirteen-bout wager, the Asura Arena would emerge victorious.
That was the conservative estimate. In the art of talismans, the Asura Great Emperor was confident they could sweep everything.
In the art of talismans, the Asura Great Emperor had supreme confidence.
On Peacock Sacred Mountain's side, it was decided that Jiang Chen would fight alongside Huang'er. Because in the art of talismans, even the Peerless Great Emperor did not have absolute certainty of victory.
Jiang Chen also did not wish for the Peerless Great Emperor to fight yet again.
"Brother Mo, your ultimate mission is to secure a victory for Peacock Sacred Mountain in the martial contests," Jiang Chen said, fearing the Peerless Great Emperor might take it the wrong way, and emphasizing the point deliberately.
The Peerless Great Emperor understood that Jiang Chen was being considerate of his pride. He nodded. "Rest assured. In the martial bout, if I cannot secure this victory, I will come to you and offer my head."
The Peerless Great Emperor was not making idle threats. He was representing the Glazed Glass Royal City in this contest. If he couldn't win a single bout, the shame would be unbearable.
In terms of martial prowess, even if the Asura Great Emperor faced him personally, victory was far from assured. The rules dictated that the kings must face each other, which meant the Asura Great Emperor would have to go up against Young Master Zhen. That left Mo Wushuang to face either Hui Danwang or Ce Danwang. If he still couldn't win under those circumstances, it truly would be disgraceful.
As for Huang'er, she had no particular specialization in the art of talismans. According to intelligence gathered by Peacock Sacred Mountain, the art of talismans appeared to be one of the Asura Arena's strongest disciplines.
Jiang Chen therefore had no intention of going all-in on the talisman bouts.
"Huang'er, the current score stands at three wins, three losses, and one draw. In the art of talismans, even if we lose both bouts, we still have a chance. If we manage one draw and one loss, the situation remains in our favor."
Huang'er smiled faintly and transmitted her voice: "Brother Chen, I know what you're thinking. Regardless, we'll give it our all. If we can achieve one win and one loss in the talisman bouts, then out of thirteen total contests, Peacock Sacred Mountain will certainly claim the final victory."
If they secured one win and one loss in the art of talismans, the overall record would become four wins, four losses, and one draw. The outcome would then hinge entirely on the martial bouts.
In the martial contests, the Peerless Great Emperor could certainly win one bout.
Huang'er versus Li Jiancheng. The Asura Great Emperor would likely consider this a guaranteed win for his side. But this particular bout was Jiang Chen's hidden card.
Jiang Chen would deliver a surprise to the Asura Arena with this match. Only he knew that while Li Jiancheng might be the top genius under the Asura Great Emperor's banner, compared to Huang'er — who hailed from Wuyuan Island, and especially compared to Huang'er when she was no longer tormented by the Hundred-Lifetimes Shared Heart Curse — Li Jiancheng was still a notch below.
"In the art of talismans, we aim for at least one win. Even if we can't secure a win, we should try our best for a draw. If we manage to earn two draws, that would be even better."
Jiang Chen calculated silently. He knew that in the art of talismans, even securing a single draw would not be a bad result.
If they earned two draws, the overall situation would be decidedly in Peacock Sacred Mountain's favor.
Two draws and one win-one loss carried exactly the same meaning.
The art of talismans — there were many different ways to compete.