Chapter 3926 — The Spirit Beast Tournament
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Meng Zhou burst out laughing, gloating: "Who the hell needs evidence for something like this? All I have to do is put the word in Cousin Ninth's ear—then you tell me, will he believe me, or will he believe you?"
Li Zhengming was left speechless. Meng Zhou might not have much of a brain, but the talent for stirring up filth was practically bred into his bones, and even a man of Li Zhengming's exceptional patience and self-control felt an urge to slap the wretch to death.
"What? You little punk think you've got the guts to defy me?" Seeing Li Zhengming's face darken, the veins at his temples twitching, Meng Zhou was not the least bit afraid—he only grew bolder in his taunting.
Among the newcomers of Qingyun Pavilion, Li Zhengming had been the first to throw in his lot with Meng Jueming, after Meng Zhou himself, and he had always shown himself loyal and capable. By all rights he should have been highly favored—yet in truth he was the one whom Meng Zhou had squeezed and trampled most cruelly.
For no reason at all, Meng Zhou simply hated him. The mere sight of the man set his teeth on edge; he wanted to step on him, to bully him, even to destroy him.
Li Zhengming had sensed that malice long ago. Had it not been that Wei Zhao needed him to keep playing the inside man, he would have found an occasion to break with Meng Zhou outright, lest delay breed trouble.
After a long silence, Li Zhengming drew the spirit-beast talisman from his bosom and tossed it down before Meng Zhou. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away, vowing silently in his heart: one last time I endure this. Next time, I will kill you.
Even if it meant exposure, even if it meant Meng Jueming's revenge—he would not begrudge it.
"Hmph! At least the brat knows his place!" Watching Li Zhengming's retreating back, Meng Zhou sneered in triumph. Without a second thought he picked up the talisman and, gritting his teeth against the pain, hobbled toward the black-backed staff ape not far off.
The black-backed staff ape was, after all, no common beast to be found at every turn. Murong Zhen, that woman, had shown no interest at first glance—but what if she suddenly changed her mind? If she took it into her head to seize the ape, Meng Zhou would be utterly powerless to stop her.
Murong Zhen read the wary tension in his face and scoffed, "Rest easy. An ugly, graceless beast like that isn't fit to be this beauty's spirit pet. Only a waste of a man like you would think it a rare prize!"
Harsh and grating as the words were, Meng Zhou felt his heart loosen at the sound. So long as she did not come to snatch it now, all was well. Only creatures like women would be foolish enough to chase after so-called grace. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, strength alone was king.
Once the black-backed staff ape knocks your spirit pet flat, you'll be on your knees licking my boots, you cheap woman!
Time slipped by in a flash. A full month had now passed since the newcomers of the Welcome Pavilion had entered the back mountain. The vast majority had returned half a month earlier, while those of sturdier strength had lingered in the depths until only these last few days, when they too drifted back one by one.
The spirit-beast trial had finally reached its last stage: one-on-one, the spirit-pet elimination battles.
The newcomers gathered with their spirit pets around the arenas of their respective pavilions, following the same arrangement as the earlier newcomer challenge tournament. But across the whole of the Qingyun Pavilion newcomers, every eye was now fixed, without question, upon a single ape-type spirit beast—the black-backed staff ape that Meng Zhou had subdued.
Its strength alone had already reached the peak of the late Heaven rank, and after Meng Zhou's return he had enlisted Meng Jueming's help to fit it specially with a keen-edged dark-iron staff.