In the end, he still slackly released his tightly clenched fists.
Suddenly, his expression twisted into one of ferocity as he glared at Chu Ge and growled in a low voice,
"Chu Ge, this time I was careless. Don't get complacent—next time, I will wash away today's humiliation!"
Luo Lingtian ground his teeth, as if making a vow.
These words were spoken not only to Chu Ge, but also to himself—to the version of himself that had swallowed defeat today.
"Heh, you've misunderstood. Defeating a mere Luo Lingtian—what is there to be proud of?"
Chu Ge shook his head and let out a light, amused laugh.
That mocking smile and utterly indifferent expression pierced deeply into Luo Lingtian's heart, leaving an indelible scar in his mind.
"Also…"
Chu Ge withdrew his gaze from Luo Lingtian and swept it across the surroundings.
What met his eyes were looks of worship, fanaticism, envy, and hidden—almost imperceptible—jealous hatred, countless different emotions interwoven together.
At this moment, all of those gazes converged upon Chu Ge alone.
A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips. In his mind surfaced the words once spoken by a peerless existence from a classic he had once read—the one who reigned alone across the ages.
He slowly spoke, articulating each word clearly:
"Enemies defeated by my hand are never regarded as opponents. I will give you time to catch up—until you… can no longer even glimpse my back!"
Chu Ge's words resounded like a great bronze bell, echoing through everyone's hearts. The overwhelming aura of invincibility surged forth, shaking the souls of all present!
It was as if time itself had been pressed to pause. Everyone's expressions froze as they savored the peerless, world-dominating bearing within Chu Ge's words.
That single sentence churned through their minds like a raging tide, leaving their emotions unable to calm.
"Truly, a hero arises from youth!"
"Such bearing, such talent, such strength… years from now, another era-defining hero will surely appear beneath these heavens…"
An elder voiced his praise, lingering shock still in his eyes—he too had been shaken to the core by Chu Ge's words.
'I will give you time to catch up, until you can no longer even glimpse my back…'
Those words echoed like a nightmare in Luo Lingtian's mind, causing his eyes to lose their focus and his face to turn deathly pale.
Crack.
In a daze, it seemed as though he heard the sound of something shattering.
It was the sound of Luo Lingtian's Dao heart breaking.
Within the crowd, Ye Chen's face also turned ghastly pale.
When Chu Ge had just swept his gaze across the surroundings, Ye Chen clearly felt that Chu Ge's eyes had lingered on him for a brief instant.
Just that single instant made the hair all over his body stand on end, as though he had been locked onto by some unspeakable, terrifying existence!
Within a few breaths, cold sweat had already soaked his forehead.
'Chu Ge!!!'
Ye Chen clenched his fists. At this moment, Chu Ge—riding the momentum of victory—was truly sharp beyond measure!
It felt as though merely meeting his gaze could make Ye Chen's eyes sting with pain!
"Hand it over."
On the arena, Chu Ge spoke with an easy smile—the smile of a victor.
Luo Lingtian naturally understood what Chu Ge meant.
But he was unwilling!
Not only had he failed to obtain the Huanglong Seal, he even had to hand over a Supreme remnant weapon—how could he possibly accept this?
"What, thinking of reneging on your debt? A dignified descendant of a Supreme wouldn't have such a small mind, would he?"
"Surely not? Surely not?"
Chu Ge's taunting words made Luo Lingtian's blood surge violently, his face flushing bright red.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails nearly bit into his flesh.
"Take it!"
In the end, Luo Lingtian still chose to swallow the bitter fruit of defeat and handed the shattered chessboard over to Chu Ge.
Chu Ge put the chessboard away. As the system notification once again rang out in his mind, the smile on his lips only grew deeper.