Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Yang Jia Cannot Lose!

Ancient Civilization.

　　At this moment, a group of powerful figures from the Ancient Civilization had gathered together, and the expressions on everyone’s faces were rather unsightly.

　　Nan Tian Si and Nan Tian Qing were present, but Nan Tian Qi was not.

　　Inside the hall, one of the Ancient Civilization’s powerhouses suddenly said in a low voice, “This Ye Tianming… he hasn’t actually run away, has he?”

　　The moment those words left his mouth, the faces of everyone in the hall immediately grew even more grim.

　　The Ancient Civilization had poured everything it had into supporting Ye Tianming. If Ye Tianming were to flee at this critical moment, the Ancient Civilization would undoubtedly become the laughingstock of the entire universe.

　　Most importantly, the Ancient Civilization would be finished!

　　After Yang Jia of the Guanxuan Universe claimed first place in the Universe Tournament, he would certainly unleash a furious retaliation against the Ancient Civilization.

　　Nan Yuan, who stood at the head of the group, shook his head. “He is not that kind of person.”

　　One of the Ancient Civilization’s powerhouses said in a low voice, “But the Universe Tournament is tomorrow, and he still hasn’t sent any word…”

　　Nan Yuan’s brow furrowed. Truth be told, he was feeling a little panicked himself. If Ye Tianming failed to appear tomorrow, then the Ancient Civilization’s situation would be…

　　As if a thought had struck him, he looked toward Nan Tian Qing. “He really left with the Sovereign of the Hundred Clans from the Hundred Clans Era?”

　　Nan Tian Qing nodded. “Yes.”

　　Nan Yuan said, “Has anyone tried reaching Wei Qian of the Hundred Clans Era?”

　　Nan Tian Qing replied in a low voice, “Senior Wei Qian has also been unable to contact that Sovereign of the Hundred Clans…”

　　Nan Yuan’s expression darkened as well.

　　Nan Tian Si suddenly smiled and said, “Father, elders, please don’t worry. I’ve had dealings with Brother Ye, and he is absolutely not the kind of person who would shrink back at the last moment. When the Universe Tournament comes tomorrow, he will definitely be there.”

　　An elder asked, “And if he doesn’t show up?”

　　Nan Tian Si said calmly, “Then I’ll fight Yang Jia myself.”

　　Everyone was stunned.

　　Nan Tian Si smiled. “It’s not like it can’t be done.”

　　The elder said in a low voice, “Little Si, it’s not that we don’t believe in you. We all know what you’re capable of. It’s just that, as you also know, Yang Jia not only has an exceptionally high cultivation, he also possesses the Qingxuan Sword, the number one divine sword of the Guanxuan Universe, and our civilization has nothing that can stand against that Qingxuan Sword…”

　　Another elder also said, “That’s true. Yang Jia also has the Frenzied Demon bloodline… The reason Young Master Ye was able to defeat him back then was not only because of the Myriad Beings Law, but also because of that divine artifact capable of matching the Qingxuan Sword… Ah! And this Young Master Ye, at such a critical moment, how could he just suddenly vanish like this?”

　　Nan Yuan suddenly said, “There is no use talking about any of this now. Tomorrow, our Ancient Civilization will participate in the Universe Tournament as planned. As for Young Master Ye… we must trust in him.”

　　Inside the hall, everyone shook their heads and sighed.

　　After Nan Tian Qing left the great hall, she found Nan Tian Qi feeding fish in the garden. Nan Tian Qing smiled and said, “The elders inside are practically worried sick, yet here you are feeding fish. Are you really not the least bit concerned?”

　　Nan Tian Qi smiled. “Concerned about what?”

　　Nan Tian Qing said, “Concerned that he might run away at the last moment!”

　　Nan Tian Qi looked at Nan Tian Qing. “Do you think he would?”

　　Nan Tian Qing shook her head. “No.”

　　Nan Tian Qi gazed at the pond of fish before her. “Tomorrow, he will definitely appear.”

　　Nan Tian Qing smiled. “He always manages to surprise people. I wonder what kind of surprise he’ll bring us this time!”

　　Nan Tian Qi smiled. “I’m looking forward to it as well.”

　　The next day.

　　Today was the day of the Universe Tournament, and the battleground for the tournament was located at the “Universe Battlefield.”

　　This “Universe Battlefield” had been jointly constructed by the Guanxuan Universe and the major civilizations of the various eras. The space here had been specially reinforced, making it difficult to shatter even for those at the Circle-Breaking Realm. Beyond that, the entire battlefield was blanketed by formation after formation, which prevented the power of the various prodigies and geniuses from leaking out and spreading to other worlds across the universe.

　　As the largest merchant guild in the entire universe, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion naturally would not let this opportunity pass them by. Once the battlefield was established, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion moved in and opened hundreds of shops here, and moreover, they were the only merchant guild present!

　　A monopoly!

　　The Immortal Treasure Pavilion had already established a monopoly in the commercial sphere!

　　Half a month before the Universe Tournament, the Universe Battlefield was already packed with people, all of them from various civilizations across the universe. Among them were participants in the tournament, but far more had come simply to watch.

　　This Universe Tournament was unprecedentedly lively, drawing several times more people than usual, because this time both Ye Tianming and Yang Jia were competing.

　　Yang Jia!

　　The young lord of the Guanxuan Universe, the next headmaster of the Guanxuan Academy, a Circle-Breaking Realm cultivator at the age of sixteen.

　　Born with a halo of glory around him, he was the idol of countless young people.

　　Nine out of ten of those who had come this time were here to see him.

　　As for Ye Tianming, although he had defeated Yang Jia at the Ten Thousand Realms Tournament, in the eyes of many, that was only because Yang Jia had suppressed his own cultivation. If Yang Jia had not held himself back, ten thousand Ye Tianmings would not have been a match for him.

　　Two years had passed, and the current Yang Jia was surely even more terrifying than before. Just how powerful Yang Jia had become was undoubtedly something everyone was now eager to find out.

　　A grand tournament of this scale naturally could not go without gambling.

　　This time, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion broke from its usual practice and personally set up a betting pool, and only one at that, which was Yang Jia versus Ye Tianming.

　　The most shocking thing was the odds.

　　The odds between Yang Jia and Ye Tianming were one to ten thousand. Bet on Yang Jia and Yang Jia wins, and it pays one to one. Bet on Ye Tianming and Ye Tianming wins, and it pays one to ten thousand.

　　These outrageous odds left everyone stunned!

　　However, there was one stipulation: bets on Ye Tianming required a minimum of one million spirit crystals, while bets on Yang Jia had no minimum.

　　It was obvious that the Immortal Treasure Pavilion was using this method to back Yang Jia!

　　And they were doing so openly and brazenly, without the slightest attempt to conceal it.

　　Even with such outrageous odds, and even though Ye Tianming had once defeated Yang Jia, the number of people betting on Yang Jia still far exceeded those betting on Ye Tianming, and by a wide margin at that.

　　There was nothing to be done about it. Some people did want to put a little on Ye Tianming, given how extreme the odds were, but the Immortal Treasure Pavilion’s minimum bet was one million spirit crystals.

　　Throwing down a few thousand or tens of thousands for a bit of fun was one thing, but one million on Ye Tianming?

　　Who in their right mind would do something like that?

　　On top of that, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion had done something else: anyone who purchased a bet on Ye Tianming was required to provide proof of rank, identity, and background.

　　Who would dare bet on Ye Tianming after that?

　　Betting on Ye Tianming was essentially declaring yourself an enemy of the Guanxuan Academy and the Immortal Treasure Pavilion!

　　Who would dare offend the Immortal Treasure Pavilion?

　　If a civilization were to be blacklisted by the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, that civilization would be finished without a doubt, because it would mean that civilization could no longer conduct trade with other civilizations throughout the universe. Not only that, but every member of that civilization would also be unable to make purchases anywhere outside their own territory. Setting aside everything else, the teleportation arrays alone would be enough to drive them to despair.

　　By now, virtually all of the teleportation arrays across the entire universe had been built by the Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

　　As the betting pool opened, a number of larger factions and civilizations began to take sides one after another, making a very public show of coming to the betting pool to wager on Yang Jia.

　　And the Guanxuan Academy was making no effort to hide the fact that it was telling everyone: after the Universe Tournament, there would be a reckoning.

　　Beyond that, the elite forces of every major sect and noble house in the Guanxuan Universe had turned out in full, all converging on the Universe Battlefield to stand guard over Yang Jia.

　　Just then, a group of people arrived at the Immortal Treasure Pavilion’s betting pool. At their head was Nan Yuan, with Nan Tian Qing and Nan Tian Qi at his side.

　　The crowd clearly recognized Nan Yuan and parted to make way, for this was the Ancient Civilization, currently the most powerful civilization in the universe outside of the Guanxuan Universe.

　　Nan Yuan led his group to stand before the Immortal Treasure Pavilion elder, produced a storage ring, and said with a smile, “This contains one hundred million star core crystals, along with thirty-nine Civilization Ancestral Artifacts and nineteen super ancestral veins… Our Ancient Civilization bets on Ye Tianming to win.”

　　The moment those words were spoken, the crowd erupted into an uproar.

　　Over a hundred million star core crystals!

　　Had the Ancient Civilization staked its entire fortune?

　　The Immortal Treasure Pavilion elder was also taken aback at the sight of so many star core crystals. He rose to his feet. “Please wait a moment.”

　　With that, he turned to leave.

　　This was too large a sum. It was not his call to make.

　　But the moment he turned around, a voice came from behind him. “Accept it.”

　　The elder paused briefly, then turned back and walked up to Nan Yuan. He took the storage ring. “Our Immortal Treasure Pavilion accepts.”

　　Nan Yuan said nothing at all, and led his group away.

　　This time, the Ancient Civilization had undeniably staked the entire future of the Ancient Civilization itself!

　　At that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from within the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. “After today, the Ancient Civilization will cease to exist in this world.”

　　The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone present shifted.

　　This… was this not being a little too blunt?

　　This was an outright declaration of war!

　　Not far away, Nan Yuan burst into laughter. “If the Guanxuan Universe wants a fight, then bring it on!”

　　One hour later, the Universe Tournament began.

　　The combat stage was set within a stretch of void space and time, and outside that void, tens of millions of people had already gathered. Beyond that, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion had also used cloud recording devices to broadcast the scene here to the entire universe.

　　Everyone across the universe could watch, and even in the most remote and distant regions, the Immortal Treasure Pavilion would make arrangements to ensure coverage.

　　Anyone could see that the Guanxuan Academy intended to use this occasion to create a legend, elevating Yang Jia’s renown to the pinnacle of the entire universe.

　　Somewhere in the shadows.

　　Nalan Feng, the patriarch of the Nalan Clan, and others had gathered in one place. Nalan Feng, who stood at the head of the group, looked down at the Universe Battlefield below. “Everyone’s here?”

　　An elder said in a low voice, “With the exception of the Tianxing Civilization and the Guoqu Sect, all the other noble houses, sects, and civilizations have responded and come to offer their support.”

　　Nalan Feng let out a cold laugh. “The Guoqu Sect… the Tianxing Civilization. Hmph.”

　　The elder said in a low voice, “Brother Feng, the young lord cannot lose today.”

　　The entire universe was watching today. If Yang Jia were to lose again…

　　Nalan Feng gazed down at the scene below. “The young lord will not lose. He absolutely will not lose… If he does…”

　　At those words, a flash of ferocity crossed his eyes. “Then we flip the table, unify the entire universe, and rewrite history!”

　　Behind him, everyone fell silent.

　　Silence was consent!

　　Every noble house and sect throughout the entire Guanxuan Universe shared one conviction: Yang Jia could not lose!