The Asura Great Emperor's blade strike was lightning-fast, catching nearly everyone off guard.
No one had expected that the duel was already over, yet the Asura Great Emperor would still launch a sneak attack against Young Master Zhen.
"Watch out!"
"Young Master Zhen, be careful!"
"Despicable — this is beyond shameless!"
The scene erupted into chaos. Every spectator cried out in alarm, utterly stunned by this sudden turn of events.
On the Peacock Sacred Mountain side, the Peerless Great Emperor instantly transformed into a streak of light and shot forward. The Extinction Great Emperor and the Coiling Dragon Great Emperor both launched themselves from their seats at the same time, hurtling toward the arena.
Even the two judges — the Nian Great Emperor and the Zhenyue Great Emperor — flew toward the stage in tandem. All of them wanted to reach Jiang Chen in time to block this fatal blow.
But they were all simply too far away. Before any of them could reach the edge of the arena, the killing strike had already arrived before Jiang Chen.
This blow could no longer be stopped.
In that razor-thin instant, countless vines burst from the ground before Jiang Chen. They looked like dozens of massive arms, thrashing wildly as they lashed toward the Asura Great Emperor.
And Jiang Chen, as though he had long foreseen this very attack, flickered once — and suddenly, dozens upon dozens of identical figures appeared around him.
Every single one was indistinguishable from the original, impossible to tell apart.
Those vines, of course, were tendrils of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus. They could not truly block the Asura Great Emperor, but they did manage to impede his momentum.
By the time the Asura Great Emperor tore free of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus's entanglement, he found himself facing dozens — nearly a hundred — copies of Young Master Zhen standing before him.
The Asura Great Emperor's jaw dropped.
The very next moment, the remaining Great Emperors arrived at the arena.
"Friend Asura, restrain yourself!" the Nian Great Emperor called out in a long, measured tone.
But the Peerless Great Emperor stared at the Asura Great Emperor with frigid eyes, his sovereign pressure rolling outward without the slightest reservation, directly confronting the Asura Great Emperor head-on.
"Asura, Mo has always heard that there was a notable figure in the Glazed Royal City called the Asura Great Emperor. I never imagined it would be someone like you — truly a disappointment."
The Peerless Great Emperor's voice was ice-cold. "Young Master Zhen is not yet thirty years old. Fighting him was beneath you to begin with. Since you're so eager for a fight, how about Mo plays with you for a while instead?"
The Asura Great Emperor's face was dark as a thundercloud, but inside, his heart was bleeding. He could not accept this.
He had plotted and schemed for so long, only to fall short at the very last moment. Psychologically, he simply could not stomach it.
Yet facing five Great Emperors simultaneously, however formidable the Asura Great Emperor might be, he did not dare act rashly. At that moment, the Ocean Great Emperor also swept up to the arena and interceded:
"Everyone, Brother Asura must have momentarily lost his composure in the heat of things. Please be understanding."
The Ocean Great Emperor was a sly one. Seeing that things were not going their way, he immediately stepped in to smooth things over. He was clever — he had noticed that both the Nian Great Emperor and the Zhenyue Great Emperor had stepped forward to stop the Asura Great Emperor, which meant the scales in their minds had already tilted toward Peacock Sacred Mountain.
That left them with no advantage whatsoever in the Glazed Royal City. The Sky-Slashing Great Emperor had agreed to stand on their side before, but with the Asura Arena losing the wager through its own incompetence, the Sky-Slashing Great Emperor naturally would not continue to support them.
The fact that he was standing on the arena yet had not come up to intervene spoke volumes. Clearly, the Sky-Slashing Great Emperor had no intention of getting involved any further.
With only the Asura Great Emperor and the Ocean Great Emperor, they would be hopelessly outnumbered.
A wise man does not court unnecessary trouble. The Ocean Great Emperor was no fool.
But the Coiling Dragon Great Emperor was not about to let it go. "Hmph! To put it bluntly, the Asura Arena was attempting a coup. When the coup failed, they resorted to assassination. He dares do such a thing in broad daylight — who knows what even more outrageous acts he might commit behind closed doors?"
The Asura Great Emperor's gaze was sinister as he stared at the Coiling Dragon Great Emperor, sneering: "And what exactly do you intend to do about it?"
The Coiling Dragon Great Emperor was already furious. "You engage in treachery and still won't allow others to speak? From the sound of it, you're planning to play the scoundrel? Do you truly think that because Brother Peacock is not in the Glazed Royal City, no one here can put you in your place?"
The Asura Great Emperor threw his head back and laughed. "The winner takes all — what is there to discuss? Coiling Dragon, stop jumping around. In the end, you're just a dog raised by Peacock Sacred Mountain. If you're willing to be a dog, that's your business. I, Asura, endured for three thousand years and waited for three thousand years. And what did I get in return? That Peacock Great Emperor simply refuses to pass on the throne. Does the Glazed Royal City belong to Peacock Sacred Mountain alone, forever and always?"
The Ocean Great Emperor grew anxious and urged: "Brother, say no more, say no more. After all, we are on the same side — this is an internal dispute. There's no need to destroy all fellowship."
The Asura Great Emperor slapped the Ocean Great Emperor's arm away. "There is nothing left to preserve. Since I have lost today, I will no longer remain in the Glazed Royal City. I, Asura, hereby declare my withdrawal from the Glazed Royal City. From this day forward, the Glazed Royal City and I are enemies — not friends!"
The crowd gasped.