“Reconcile?” The Xingwu Emperor was taken aback.
Clearly, he hadn’t expected Lin Yun to come for this purpose.
Then, the Xingwu Emperor turned to face Lin Yun.
“I never thought I’d see the day when you, Lin Yun, would lower yourself to seek peace. How rare. But how do I know you’re sincere?” the Xingwu Emperor said with a laugh.
“Your Majesty, my strength now surpasses yours, yet I’ve come to seek reconciliation. Isn’t that sincere enough?” Lin Yun countered.
He continued, “Your Majesty, to show my sincerity, I’ll forgo the thousand Holy Spirit weapons from our past bet.”
Lin Yun knew that mere words wouldn’t easily resolve their conflict.
“I’m not someone who can’t handle a loss. The thousand Holy Spirit weapons are yours by right. If I bowed my head over them, I’d be a laughingstock,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
As he spoke, a figure in armor entered.
“Your Majesty, here are the items as ordered.”
The armored soldier handed a storage ring to the Xingwu Emperor.
“Good. Give this storage ring to Lin Yun, then leave,” the Xingwu Emperor commanded.
“Yes, sir.”
The soldier handed the storage ring to Lin Yun and exited the hall.
“Lin Yun, inside are exactly one thousand Holy Spirit weapons. With this, our bet is settled,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
Lin Yun briefly inspected the ring, confirming it contained the thousand Holy Spirit weapons.
“Good.”
Lin Yun nodded with a smile, tucking the ring away.
For Lin Yun, these weapons were a massive gain.
“Lin Yun, you said you came to reconcile. Well, I’ll name my condition for peace,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
Since he was open to terms, reconciliation seemed possible.
“What’s your condition, Your Majesty? Name it,” Lin Yun said.
Lin Yun was curious about what the Xingwu Emperor would propose.
“Simple. Fight me again. If you win, I’ll agree to reconcile,” the Xingwu Emperor said.
“Another fight?” Lin Yun was surprised, not expecting this condition.
But he quickly recalled their previous battle at the Heavenly God Palace. Toward the end, the Xingwu Emperor had insisted he hadn’t lost and wanted to continue, only stopping when Vice Palace Master Yao declared Lin Yun the victor.
It seemed the Xingwu Emperor wasn’t convinced by his defeat.
The Xingwu Emperor continued, “Yes, another fight. Not an arena match, but a real-world battle, no rules, like true combat. If you win, all past grievances between us are wiped clean. So, do you dare accept?”
A real-world battle differed greatly from an arena challenge.
“Your Majesty, why wouldn’t I dare?” Lin Yun said with a smile.
If another fight could lead to reconciliation, it wasn’t a bad deal.
Besides, Lin Yun enjoyed a challenging fight.
“Good! Then we’ll set a time and place!” the Xingwu Emperor said.
It was clear he was bitter about his loss and didn’t believe he was truly defeated. He wanted this fight to reclaim his pride and dignity.
“Name the time and place, Your Majesty,” Lin Yun said, sounding agreeable.
“Tomorrow at noon, five thousand miles west of the city, by the Nu King River. I’ll be waiting,” the Xingwu Emperor declared.
“Got it!” Lin Yun noted the time and place, then left the palace.
After leaving, Lin Yun found an inn in the city to stay at, awaiting the next day’s duel.
At the inn.
“Master, after the Heavenly God Palace battle, the Xingwu Emperor knows your strength. If he’s challenging you again, he must have some strategy or confidence in winning. He wouldn’t do this without a plan,” the artifact spirit said.
“I know. I’m curious to see what tricks he has up his sleeve in an unrestricted real-world fight,” Lin Yun said, nodding.
For Lin Yun, this made the challenge more exciting.
“Also, during the Moon Platform battle with the Xingwu Emperor, you used the Heaven-Slaying Seal. Its effects have worn off, but the side effects linger. You need to recover quickly,” Lin Yun murmured.
The Heaven-Slaying Seal came with severe side effects.
If Lin Yun fought now, he wouldn’t be in peak condition.
“But with one day, it shouldn’t be an issue,” Lin Yun murmured.
In the past, such side effects would have left him weak for a long time.
But now, with his Source Body, the impact was less severe, and its recovery ability was remarkable, allowing him to heal quickly from such weaknesses.
One day, if spent in the Purple Cloud Tower given by the Fire Cloud Emperor, equaled eight days of recovery—more than enough.
Lin Yun summoned the Purple Cloud Tower and entered it.
…
The next day arrived.
Lin Yun headed to the Nu King River as agreed.
The river roared and churned like an angry beast.
Upon arrival, Lin Yun spotted the Xingwu Emperor hovering thousands of meters above the river.
“Not a bad spot,” Lin Yun said, scanning the surroundings.
By the riverbank stood Cao Jun, Little Sword Immortal Zhuang Song, and other eternal beings from the Xingwu Empire.
Seeing them, Lin Yun realized the Xingwu Emperor had brought them to witness his attempt to redeem his previous defeat at the Moon Platform.
“Lin Yun’s here!” Zhuang Song, an eternal being by the river, said.
“His Majesty must have some confidence to challenge again. This isn’t an arena fight—there are no restrictions. It won’t be easy for Lin Yun to win!” Cao Jun said.
They were eager for the battle.
As they spoke, Lin Yun soared into the sky above the Nu King River, facing the Xingwu Emperor.
Above the Nu King River.
Lin Yun and the Xingwu Emperor stood opposite each other.
“Lin Yun, this fight has no rules. It’s pure combat, each relying on their skills. This time, I’ll show you there’s still a gap between us!” the Xingwu Emperor said coldly.
