Even a donkey has to eat grass when working, so how much more does Fox Fairy Nannan as a Great Demon?
Moreover, Fox Fairy Nannan is his skill; giving Fox Fairy Nannan a little reward seems only fair.
Seeing Zhang Chen nod in agreement, Fox Fairy Nannan left joyfully, pricking her ears to find out about Chen Sanliang, leaving Zhang Chen standing in the room with a deep sigh: "A storm is brewing; the great crisis is approaching!"
Zhang Chen knew that the current series of matches was just an appetizer, and the real challenge had yet to begin.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the debate arrived. By then, Jinling City was covered in mourning attire, with cries echoing throughout the city.
"Chen Sanliang has been debating for seven days now. These people are really ruthless, not giving Chen Sanliang any time to rest. If it weren’t for my Li Spring Water, I’m afraid Chen Sanliang would have truly fallen!" Zhang Chen stood under the banana tree, listening to the cries outside, his heart unmoved.
Although he was dissatisfied with Chen Sanliang for siding with the Demon Race, he absolutely couldn’t allow Chen Sanliang to die at the hands of petty men.
Chen Sanliang can certainly die, but he must die honorably, and lose honorably. If he dies at the hands of some insidious crooks, Zhang Chen would not accept it.
"Although Chen Sanliang is only loyal to small causes, his rage for his beloved shows that he is truly a hero, a true tough guy!" Zhang Chen praised.
Since Chen Sanliang comprehended the Great Way and his Spirit Realm sublimated, he no longer differentiated between the powerful and ordinary people, embracing the idea of equality among all beings, Zhang Chen had already regarded him as a friend.
Most importantly, Chen Sanliang was indeed kind to him.
"Today is the day of debate between Chen Sanliang and Zhou Qiucheng." Fox Fairy Nannan said, twisting a small flower as she walked in from outside the house, evidently in a good mood.
"What is Chen Sanliang’s mental state?" Zhang Chen asked.
"Thanks to your bottle of water, otherwise Chen Sanliang facing the endless matches would be exhausted of Essence, Qi, and Spirit." Fox Fairy Nannan’s voice was filled with lingering fears.
Zhang Chen nodded upon hearing this, the progression of things was as he expected, so he withdrew his gaze and picked up the document on the table: "Where is the debate location set?"
"Zhou Qiucheng is already heading towards Chen Sanliang’s courtyard." Fox Fairy Nannan said.
Zhang Chen was stunned for a moment, then after a pause said reluctantly: "They really don’t leave Chen Sanliang any room to breathe."
"The debate is about to start, I must go and see." Zhang Chen stepped into the house, carefully put away the Soul-Forming Lamp using the Power of Space, then used the Escape Technique to head towards Chen Sanliang’s courtyard.
At this time, within ten miles of Chen Sanliang’s courtyard, it was already a sea of people, packed tightly, with countless heads moving around.
Fortunately, Zhang Chen was no ordinary person; with a few flashes of his Escape Technique, he had already entered the courtyard, seeing Chen Sanliang still debating with an unknown Great Scholar.
But when Zhang Chen saw Chen Sanliang’s face, he couldn’t help but freeze. Chen Sanliang’s face was haggard, his lips were peeling, his complexion pale as if he could faint and fall to the ground at any moment.
"How is it possible? Chen Sanliang has the nourishment of Li Spring Water, how could he be in this state?" Zhang Chen’s eyes were filled with disbelief. That was Li Spring Water, as long as a person wasn’t dead, it could save them; how could this be happening?
As Zhang Chen’s mind whirled with thoughts, suddenly he had a flash of insight, subtly using the Blood Control Technique, then slightly curved his lips, a hint of an inexplicable expression in his eyes: "He really is a cunning fox! Chen Sanliang’s Qi Blood inside is strong, not at all like his outer appearance. He’s probably putting on an act in front of everyone, playing them."
"These old fellows are certainly not easy to deal with." Zhang Chen sighed internally with a sense of unknown flavor in his words.
As time ticked by, suddenly, a commotion sounded from afar. Someone shouted: "Dean Zhou is here!"
"We greet Dean Zhou!"
"Dean Zhou, you must subdue this demon today, avenge my brother!"
"Dean Zhou, my elder brother died at the hands of this demon, you must seek justice for me!"
"Dean Zhou, I implore you to vanquish the demon and restore justice to the countless innocent people of our human race!"
...
Zhou Qiucheng was ushered in by a group from afar, countless scholars bowing in reverence, continuously voicing their grievances.
Zhou Qiucheng, with a blank expression, swept his gaze over the courtyard, taking in the small mountain of corpses and the blood-soaked ground. He glanced at the haggard Chen Sanliang in front of him, motioned for silence among the crowd, and then quietly observed Chen Sanliang and the Great Scholar engage in their debate.
The arrival of Chen Sanliang didn’t interrupt the debate between the two. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, suddenly the Great Scholar’s face turned pale, and he closed his mouth, his body beginning to tremble, sweat soaking through his blue robe.
"You lost!" Chen Sanliang gazed at the Great Scholar in front of him and softly uttered the three words, which hit the Great Scholar like mountains, causing him to stumble and collapse directly to the ground.
"I lost!" The Great Scholar’s voice was dry.
"Please, pass away." Chen Sanliang’s voice was cold and merciless.
The Great Scholar’s lips moved, his eyes helplessly looking at Chen Sanliang before turning to Zhou Qiucheng with a pleading look.
"Chen Sanliang, you go too far! You should know that one should always leave room for maneuver, so you can meet again later. Acting so extreme, aren’t you afraid of inciting public rage?" Zhou Qiucheng stepped forward to question Chen Sanliang.
Chen Sanliang ignored Zhou Qiucheng and instead looked at the Great Scholar sitting on the ground. He had seen the desire to live in the latter’s eyes. With Chen Sanliang’s arrival, the opponent’s task was completed. Although he lost the debate and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit were scattered, should he survive, he might have a chance to start anew.
Perhaps even achieving a breakthrough like Chen Sanliang did.
If one could live, who would choose to die?
Now that the seven-day period was over, the task was complete, and Zhou Qiucheng had arrived, he certainly wanted to continue living.
Chen Sanliang, however, didn’t even look at Zhou Qiucheng, instead, his eyes bore a cold gleam as he directed his gaze straight at the Great Scholar: "With tens of thousands of Confucian scholars gathered today, do you intend to renege on your word in broad daylight? If word gets out, you will certainly become a laughingstock to your descendants, and your offspring will undoubtedly be shamed. It would be better for you to die now, to complete the heroic deeds of those who went before, and turn your tale into a legend revered by scholars across the lands. If, due to your fear of death, you disgrace the sacrifices of those righteous souls who came before, how can you face the families, relatives, and friends of those deceased heroes?"
"Even your descendants would be condemned to eternal shame and would never be able to hold their heads high among the scholars. If your death can preserve the noble name of those righteous, bringing glory and wealth to your descendants, isn’t that better than you cowardly clinging to life here?" Chen Sanliang struck at the heart: "You, who fear for your life, are unworthy to debate me. Truly, it is my disgrace! You are not worthy of being called a scholar, nor do you deserve to stand before me."
After Chen Sanliang’s words fell, the Great Scholar’s heart was filled with unbearable shame, unable to withstand the mockery any longer. With a scream, he suddenly grabbed the long knife at his waist and drew it across his throat.
"No!" Zhou Qiucheng witnessed this and wanted to step in to stop it, but unexpectedly, Chen Sanliang’s Qi mechanism turned, blocking Zhou Qiucheng, causing him to be a step too slow, and he could only watch as the Great Scholar fell into a pool of blood.
"Chen Sanliang!!! You have gone too far!!! You are unworthy of being called human!!!" Zhou Qiucheng pointed at Chen Sanliang, his voice full of fury.
"Unworthy of being human? The moment I allied with the Demon Race, I had ceased to be human." Chen Sanliang chuckled lightly, his tone full of mockery: "What’s so good about being human? Humans are hypocritical and treacherously cruel. Should I, like this person, become a disloyal and ignoble coward clinging to survival?"
"Chen Sanliang!!! They too had brothers, sisters, parents, wives, and children. Have you considered how heartbroken their families would be with their deaths?" Zhou Qiucheng rebuked Chen Sanliang in anger: "Because of you, the world is thrown into chaos, tens of millions of lives lost and wounded. Do you not feel any remorse whatsoever?"
"Heh, you are good at blame-shifting, placing the crime of the Demon Race’s invasion on my head?" Chen Sanliang sneered disdainfully at these words: "The Demon Race’s invasion was destined, with or without me, King Pingtian has already colluded with the Demon Race, and they would have invaded regardless. Clearly, it’s King Pingtian’s responsibility, yet you throw it onto me. It’s evident you cannot discern right from wrong; truly laughable."
At this point, Chen Sanliang sneered coldly: "I care not for those supposed ’truths’ you speak of; I only know that blood debts must be paid in blood. Your Confucianism oppressed me first. Since there is a grudge between us, it must be resolved, like ’a strong easterly wind overpowering a weaker west wind or vice versa.’ One of us must fall. Either the Academy is wiped out by me, root and all, or I, Chen Sanliang, perish in flames, with no other possibility."
Chen Sanliang’s voice rang with strength, his gaze flickered with chilling light: "Zhou Qiucheng, observing your words and actions today, I am truly disappointed. You clearly cannot distinguish right from wrong, relying on martial-world flattery to maintain your reputation, totally unworthy of standing alongside me. If you have any self-awareness, you should burn your knowledge and retire from the martial world, instead of continuing to disgrace yourself here. You despicable, shameless scoundrel, only capable of petty tricks like attrition warfare. What other skills do you have? Truly laughable, you are destined to be ridiculed globally."
Zhang Chen, observing from the crowd below, eyes gleamed: "Chen Sanliang strikes at both body and soul; the debate had begun the moment they laid eyes on each other."
Debate isn’t something that begins when everyone sits down; it had already started with their verbal clashes upon meeting.