Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 19 - High-Stakes Gamble

The Flame Eagle awakened in the critical moment as blazing flames enveloped the arena, but there was nothing the beast tamer could do about it because he couldn’t get close.

Meanwhile, the Horned Python had released its attributes and was weakened, unable to resist as the flames consumed it. A sizzling sound and the smell of cooked meat soon spread throughout the arena, and the fire lasted for ten minutes before the Flame Eagle collapsed on the ground weakly. It managed to survive with great difficulty.

Not far from the Flame Eagle, the Horned Python was burnt to death, and only its shell remained.

“This is impossible!” Wan Butong uttered a sharp cry and couldn’t believe this was real. After all, victory was already in his hands, but the Flame Eagle awakened its attributes at the critical moment. According to the data gathered by the Wan Clan, the odds of the Flame Eagle awakening were less than one in ten thousand.

Xue Yu was also dumbstruck. Losing once might be a coincidence, but losing twice in a row wasn't normal. Not to mention the demonic beast that Liu Wuxie bet on made a last-minute comeback, and this was too weird.

Wan Rongzhe stood up and glared furiously at the beast tamer. However, the beast tamer could only respond with a helpless expression, as he had no idea why the Flame Eagle had suddenly awakened. It seemed like too much of a coincidence. As everyone’s gaze shifted to Liu Wuxie, their eyes showed a mixture of respect and doubt.

“Big Brother, you’re my big brother starting today. Tell me what to bet on the next round, and I’ll follow suit. The Wan Clan is filthy rich. This time, I want to make a fortune out of them.” Song Ling leaned over and hugged Liu Wuxie’s arm as if they were brothers, making Xu Lingxue roll her eyes at him. But everyone knew that the Wan Clan was wealthy, earning a fortune daily relying on the colosseum.

The Song Clan’s patriarch spat out the tea he had just drank. He began to wonder how he managed to raise a clown like Song Ling, to say those words in front of the Wan Clan’s patriarch.

“Brother Rongzhe, please don’t take it to heart. My son is just joking.” The Song Clan’s patriarch immediately tried to smooth things out. He might not be afraid of the Wan Clan, but they did not need to rip the facade between them.

“Don’t worry about it. Since our Wan Clan has opened our doors for business, we’re naturally not afraid of losing.” Wan Rongzhe said with a fake smile. In just a stick of incense time, the Wan Clan had lost 1,500,000 gold coins, and even he couldn’t help feeling his heart ache.

When Liu Wuxie received the 1,000,000 gold coins, they came in the form of a stack of cards with their value recorded on them.

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Wan Butong had lost his composure. “Liu Wuxie, do you dare to bet with me again?!” he shouted, his appearance wild and a little frightening. His hair was unkempt, and his robe billowed around him. From the way he looked, it seemed as though he might cough up blood and die if he lost another round.

“What if I say no?” Liu Wuxie said with an eye-squinting smile. Although he had accepted Wan Butong’s previous invitation to bet, this time, he refused. He wanted to see Wan Butong throwing up blood.

“You...” Wan Butong fell to the ground, unconscious. He had just lost 1,500,000 gold coins, and Liu Wuxie’s words had pushed him over the edge. In his fury, his blood pressure had risen to dangerous levels, and he had passed out.

“Brother Wan! Brother Wan!” cried Tian Yequan as he rushed forward to support Wan Butong. But it was too late; Wan Butong had already passed out. When he finally regained consciousness about a minute later, a wave of murderous intent washed over him.

“Take him away!” commanded a young man as he stepped forward. He was handsome, dressed in white, and holding a fan. He approached Wan Butong with light steps and stood before him.

“I-I-It’s Young Master Wan Zhuoran. He’s actually here as well?!” An exclamation came from the surroundings, causing Song Ling to shudder. Wan Zhuoran was someone he was unwilling to meet.

“Who is he?” Liu Wuxie asked. The fact that Wan Zhuoran could make someone like Song Ling afraid meant that he was not a simple person. However, Liu Wuxie didn’t know much about the talented youths in Azure Billow City.

Xu Lingxue furrowed her brows when she saw Wan Zhuoran, concern evident in her eyes. However, she wasn’t worried for herself; but for Liu Wuxie.

“Big Brother, you don’t know who he is?” asked Song Ling, rolling his eyes. “He’s Wan Rongzhe’s eldest son and was admitted to the Imperial Academy last year. It’s not surprising that you haven’t heard of him since he hasn’t been around Azure Billow City. I never expected him to come back. You need to be careful; he won’t let you get away with winning 1,500,000 gold coins from the Wan Clan so easily.”

The fact that Wan Zhuoran had been admitted to the Imperial Academy meant that his status had become extraordinary. Even Xue Yu had to show respect to Xu Lingxue before she officially entered the academy. This demonstrated the high status of the students at the Imperial Academy.

Wan Zhuoran’s gaze was sharp and piercing as he looked at Liu Wuxie, and his sheer pressure made the table creak. His cultivation was in the late phase of the Xiantian Realm, causing Song Ling to shrink back and Xu Lingxue to release her Xiantian Spirit to resist.

Everyone expected Liu Wuxie, who was known for being a prodigal, to crumble under this pressure. After all, even Xu Lingxue could barely resist the pressure Wan Zhuoran was giving off, not to mention Liu Wuxie.

But to their surprise, a smirk appeared on Liu Wuxie’s lips, and Wan Zhuoran’s aura dissipated as it approached him. Liu Wuxie was an Immortal Emperor, and cultivation wasn’t everything. He used his soul to negate Wan Zhuoran’s pressure.

While others couldn’t perceive it, Wan Zhuoran could sense it clearly.

“I didn’t expect you to have hidden your abilities so well, Brother Liu,” said Wan Zhuoran as he sat down. “You’ve given me a huge surprise today. Since the beast battle is still ongoing, why don’t we have a bet between us? We’ll determine the winner in one round, but I suggest we increase the stakes.” He nodded at Xue Yu; the two were not strangers, and Wan Zhuoran had served as a bridge between the Wan Clan and Xue Yu.

All eyes turned to Liu Wuxie. If he refused Wan Zhuoran’s challenge, he would appear cowardly. But if he accepted, he would face Wan Zhuoran’s wrath. Wan Zhuoran was a formidable opponent; he was in the late phase of the Xiantian Realm, a student at the Imperial Academy and the future successor of the Wan Clan. He had many advantages, and it was rumored that he had inherited the art of beast-taming. Using this skill, he had tamed demonic beasts for the descendants of noble and wealthy families at the Imperial Academy, forming connections with many influential people.

Despite Liu Wuxie’s previous victories, no one was optimistic about his chances against Wan Zhuoran.

“Oh? Let’s hear about the stakes first,” said Liu Wuxie, crossing his arms and looking at Wan Zhuoran with curiosity. He wanted to know what was at stake and whether it was worth his while to play against Wan Zhuoran.

Song Ling was frantically trying to signal to Liu Wuxie not to play against Wan Zhuoran. Wan Zhuoran was known for being vicious and difficult to deal with. The odds were high that Liu Wuxie would lose if he played against him, and luck couldn’t always be on his side.

“I’ll bet 10,000,000 gold coins on the next round. They’ll all be yours if you win,” Wan Zhuoran said. Only the Wan Clan was capable of taking out 10,000,000 gold coins. The Xu Clan definitely couldn’t take it out, even if they sold everything.

Liu Wuxie didn’t disrupt him because he knew Wan Zhuoran wasn’t finished yet. So he was waiting to hear what Wan Zhuoran would say next.

“I know that your Xu Clan can’t afford 10,000,000 gold coins, and I don’t need you to pay me a single coin. You just have to agree to a condition of mine. How is it? Isn’t it fair?” That was Wan Zhuoran’s suggested stake. Liu Wuxie would receive 10,000,000 gold coins if he won, but he would have to accept a condition if he lost.

Everyone in the surroundings gasped their breath. After all, it was 10,000,000 gold coins they were talking about. Many small clans couldn’t even make that much money in a decade and couldn’t believe the Wan Clan was so wealthy.

This proved Wan Zhuoran’s confidence in suggesting such a high stake. So no one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie since Wan Zhuoran was so confident.

“It doesn’t sound like a loss to me. So let’s hear your condition.” Liu Wuxie was calm throughout the process, from being mocked by Wan Butong to Xue Yu’s threats.

Everyone turned to look at Wan Zhuoran, curious about what condition he had in mind. They wondered if it would be something extreme, like asking Liu Wuxie to commit suicide if he lost. That would be too low.

“If I win, you must release Lady Xu from her marriage and leave Azure Billow City. I’ll give you a sum of gold coins as compensation,” said Wan Zhuoran. His words caused a commotion among the onlookers. No one had expected his condition to be the release of Xu Lingxue from her marriage to Liu Wuxie.

It was common knowledge in Azure Billow City that although Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue were married, they had not consummated their marriage. On their wedding night, Liu Wuxie was thrown out of the bridal chamber by Xu Lingxue. Even the servants of the Xu Clan referred to him as a piece of garbage.

Liu Wuxie smiled upon hearing Wan Zhuoran’s condition. His smile was devilish, with murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

But Xu Lingxue was furious when she heard the condition. This was her private matter, and how could it be used as a stake for betting? She spoke out, “Wan Zhuoran, show some respect.”

“Lady Xu, you are destined for greatness in the Great Yan Dynasty. How can you let an irrelevant person affect your future? I’m doing this out of justice for you, and I have no ulterior motives. I simply want to give your freedom back to you.” Wan Zhuoran said righteously, causing a series of applause from the onlookers. Although those words were hurtful to Liu Wuxie, no one found anything wrong with it.

“I heard the Wan Clan proposed marriage with the Xu Clan last year, only to be rejected by Xu Yilin. Only someone like Young Master Wan is worthy of Lady Xu.” Many people followed suit and agreed with Wan Zhuoran, wanting to force Liu Wuxie to release Lady Xu from her marriage and get lost from Azure Billow City.

“A garbage like him should get out of Azure Billow City. He’s not worthy to be seated here.” Many people were on Wan Clan’s side, and the voices grew louder. If Liu Wuxie disagreed with the bet, he would’ve fallen for Wan Zhuoran’s scheme and made others think he was afraid to take on the bet.

Xu Lingxue turned to look at Liu Wuxie, and their eyes met. In his gaze, she saw composure and a hint of disdain. In her gaze, he saw a trace of pain. Part of it was for him, for not living up to her expectations, and part of it was for Wan Zhuoran.

“Don’t agree to it!” said Xu Lingxue, biting her lip. She wanted to let Liu Wuxie give up on the bet. After all, life was more important than dignity.

“Are you afraid of losing me?” A mischievous smile appeared on Liu Wuxie’s lips as he asked in a teasing tone.

Xu Lingxue stomped on his foot, making him grimace from the pain. She was angry that he was still in the mood to joke around.

“Don’t worry about it. He’s just a clown and poses no threat to me.” Liu Wuxie gave Xu Lingxue a reassuring look. If he lost, he would be too ashamed to stay in the Xu Clan. This was a high-stakes gamble, and he had no reason to refuse. Besides, he couldn’t refuse even if he wanted to; Wan Zhuoran would do everything in his power to make him agree to the bet.

“Young Master Liu, what do you think? Do you dare to take on the bet?” Wan Zhuoran smiled with his eyes narrowed. The beast tamer had already brought the two demonic beasts for the next round to the arena, and everyone was waiting for Liu Wuxie’s reply.

Liu Wuxie suddenly taunted, “Won’t it be humiliating for you if I refuse to participate in the bet despite your attempts to coerce me?” This caused Wan Zhuoran’s face to turn pale with fury. He wasn’t afraid of losing; he was afraid that Liu Wuxie wouldn’t agree to the bet.

“You don’t dare to take on the bet?” Wan Zhuoran challenged with a sneer.