Although the Spirit Serpent's voice wasn't loud, it carried a sharp and unquestionable tone.
Bai Qingxue's delicate brows furrowed slightly as a cold glint flashed through her eyes.
Cao Chenghua was actually scheming against Zhao Yueru.
Then again, it made sense. Zhao Yueru had enormous potential and formidable strength. She'd never been interested in virtual games before—it was only because Bai Qingxue had dragged her along that she'd started playing in the first place. She'd never trained seriously either. But Zhao Yueru's talent was extraordinary, and even so, her strength was already astonishing.
If Zhao Yueru put in even a little effort, there probably wouldn't be more than a handful of people in the entire Snake of the Body who could stand against her.
At that moment, a powerfully built and imposing middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd. Everyone respectfully parted to make way for him. This man was none other than Cao Chenghua, the acting president of the Snake of the Body. Even from a distance, the oppressive weight in his gaze was unmistakable—like a ferocious wild beast.
Cao Chenghua was currently level 24, clad in a complete level-20 Mythril-rank Berserker set called Wind Roar. Strapped across his back was a full-length war saber named Iron Slasher, a dark-gold-grade weapon that was exceedingly rare across the entire Star Moon Kingdom.
"That's enough, Spirit Serpent. You talk too much!" Cao Chenghua glanced at the Spirit Serpent and rebuked him.
"Yes, President." The Spirit Serpent obediently retreated behind Cao Chenghua and fell silent, his eyes filled with reverence as he looked at the man.
"Yueru, I hope you'll give this some serious thought. You have no future with Bai Qingxue. Only by joining me can you shine brightly in the Divine Realm and fulfill your true ambitions." Cao Chenghua turned to Zhao Yueru with a smile.
"You can forget about it. There's no way I'm going," Zhao Yueru said, her face twisted with disgust at the sight of Cao Chenghua. "Besides, the battle hasn't even started yet. Who wins and who loses isn't decided. Even if we lose this time, I'll leave the virtual game world together with Qingxue."
"Yueru." Bai Qingxue felt a wave of warmth wash through her heart.
"Hmph, refusing to face reality until the bitter end. With just two level-22 outsiders as your support, I almost feel sorry for you." The Spirit Serpent let out a cold snort and laughed with disdain.
Zhao Yueru was about to fire back, but then she looked at Cao Chenghua's team, and then at her own side.
It really was quite pathetic.
Cao Chenghua's team had four members at level 24. Besides himself and the Spirit Serpent, one was the Snake of the Body's third branch president, Blackheart Arrow, and the first among the Twelve Apostles, Tengshe. There was also a level-25 Shield Warrior shrouded in a black cloak, their face completely hidden from view.
Originally Zhao Yueru had held on to a sliver of hope, but after seeing these people, she figured she had maybe a forty percent chance of winning against the third branch president Blackheart Arrow alone. Against the rest, her odds dropped below thirty percent.
And there was Tengshe on Cao Chenghua's team. Even if Bai Qingxue herself stepped up to fight, her chances of winning were barely above fifty-fifty.
"Since everyone is present, it will now fall to us elders to preside over this contest."
"Five battles total. Best of five. The winning side will become the president of the Snake of the Body. The losing side will be permanently banned from the Divine Realm. This condition has been accepted by the Main God System. Furthermore, the arena combat mode is set to Death Mode. Both sides fight until one side dies—that is how victory and defeat are decided. Before entering the arena, either side may choose to forfeit. In that case, even though you lose, you will not suffer the penalty of Death Mode."
"If there are no objections, the two of you please confirm your agreement. All of this is witnessed by the Main God System, so you can rest assured. Once confirmed, we can proceed to the drawing for the matchup bracket."
Bai Qingxue and Cao Chenghua both nodded and confirmed their agreement.
Neither side had any objections to Death Mode.