Chapter 294: Are You Ready to Die?
All eyes turned to the VIP stand, where Hong Wu strode in holding Xu Yafei's hand, followed by Kou Hongmin.
Seeing this, a wave of fawning voices immediately rose from the arena.
"Lord Wu is mighty! This time, he'll surely slaughter that kid Zhao Dong!"
"It's been a long time since we've seen Master Kou, yet his aura has grown even fiercer! With Master Kou making a move, Zhao Dong is undoubtedly doomed!"
"Heh, what kind of trash is Zhao Dong? How can he possibly compare to Master Kou?"
Amid the sycophantic chorus, a few different voices emerged.
"Hmph! A bunch of bootlickers. What's so great about Hong Wu? For years, he's used his bit of power to act like a tyrant. I've long been sick of him!"
"Exactly! If you ask me, Zhao Dong is the one with guts. Knowing he's no match and still choosing to fight—that's a real man!"
"Zhao Dong! We support you!"
"Even if you can't beat Kou Hongmin, you have to knock him down a peg! Show him that East Sea has real fighters, and plenty of us are sick of Hong Wu's tyranny!"
Amid the crowd's heated discussion, the competition officially began.
Zhao Dong took one last look at the crowd, then broke into a smile and strode toward the center of the stadium. This competition didn't have a traditional ring; the entire stadium was the arena. After all, a duel between Great Grandmasters was incredibly destructive. An ordinary ring simply couldn't withstand such terrifying pressure.
"Kou Hongmin! Come down here and meet your death!" Zhao Dong yelled, pointing in Hong Wu's direction. His tone was incredibly domineering.
But before Hong Wu or his men could speak, a middle-aged man leaped from a corner of the stands and rushed onto the field.
A chilling voice rang out. "Boy! You aren't worthy of Master Kou's attention. I'm more than enough to kill you!"
The crowd looked toward the source of the voice. The man was dressed in black, and he made no effort to hide the powerful aura of a third-tier Great Grandmaster.
Zhao Dong looked at Kou Hongmin. "What? You don't dare to come up yourself? Sending some small fry to fight for you?"
Kou Hongmin's gaze was icy. "To kill you, this small fry is more than enough!"
"Then your small fry is about to die. Get ready to collect his corpse." Zhao Dong snorted with contempt, then turned his gaze to the middle-aged man.
This man had indeed been sent by Hong Wu. His purpose was to probe Zhao Dong's strength and, at the same time, deplete some of his energy to guarantee Kou Hongmin the killing blow. Although Hong Wu was arrogant, it had to be said that his schemes were cunning and left no room for error. This move naturally drew the dissatisfaction of many, but since Zhao Dong didn't refuse, the host from the Dragon-Binding Division ultimately said nothing to stop it. Besides, he had long been bribed by Hong Wu.
"State your name. I don't kill nameless nobodies!" Zhao Dong said, his tone icy.
The man snorted. "The name's Li Yonghua, number four on the East Sea Expert Rankings, a third-tier Great Grandmaster!"
Without another word, Li Yonghua clenched his fist and threw a punch, which whistled through the air as it shot straight for Zhao Dong's face.
To Zhao Dong, a mere third-tier Great Grandmaster was pathetically weak.
But I know this man is just here to probe my strength. If I kill him instantly, Kou Hongmin probably won't come down at all.
Therefore, Zhao Dong deliberately hid his true power, putting on a panicked expression as he parried the blow. The two then engaged in a fierce battle. The crowd below was utterly astonished, their eyes glued to the fight.
Someone sneered, "Zhao Dong is struggling so much against a third-tier Great Grandmaster. How can he possibly be a match for Master Kou?"
"Exactly! I bet Master Kou could crush him with a single finger!"
As the crowd jeered, Zhao Dong sneered inwardly. A bunch of fools. Just you wait.
His opponent, Li Yonghua, grew more disdainful with every move, convinced Zhao Dong was no match for him. But after dozens of exchanges, the moment Li Yonghua exposed a glaring opening, Zhao Dong struck. He landed a kick squarely on Li Yonghua's chest, fracturing his sternum and knocking him unconscious from the severe injury.
A dead silence fell over the arena.
"Damn! This Zhao Dong has some real skill! He actually defeated Li Yonghua?"
"No wonder he dared to accept the challenge; he's got some talent!"
"But if that's all he's got, he's still no match for Kou Hongmin!"
Amidst the crowd's chatter, Hong Wu turned his head and asked, "Are you confident?"
Kou Hongmin sneered. "I would only need three moves to kill Li Yonghua. This Zhao Dong is simply too weak."
"Master Kou, it's all on you this time! Shred that Zhao Dong into a thousand pieces for me!" Hong Wu ordered, his voice chilling.
At his side, Xu Yafei's expression changed, and she involuntarily clenched her hands. Looking at the panting Zhao Dong on the field, she broke out in a cold sweat for him.
Zhao Dong, you have to survive! You must!
A fierce glint flashed in Kou Hongmin's eyes. He leaped high into the air like a ferocious tiger and lunged onto the field.
BOOM! He landed, sending dust flying as the surrounding crowd gasped in astonishment.
Kou Hongmin looked at Zhao Dong with a cold, menacing stare. "Zhao Dong, are you ready to die?"
Zhao Dong smiled faintly. "You're the one who's going to die."
"Still talking tough, are you? Fine. I'll soon show you what real strength is!"
A murderous aura surged from Kou Hongmin.
Just then, however, Tang Yuntian shot to his feet. "Wait!" he roared.