Chapter 1077: The Harsh Reality

Martial Arts Arena.

Fu Haotian's face was twisted with rage, still venting his anger.

No one dared to respond, and all eyes turned to the stage. Nanli Qingming sat steadily on his grand chair, a clear light already shining in his eyes.

It seemed the results were about to be announced.

Suddenly!

A streak of light shot out from the distant sea of clouds, and a graceful maid appeared in the arena.

Once a direct disciple of the Heavenly Palace, and now a servant of the Supreme Elder!

As soon as she appeared, Nanli Qingming and the high-ranking officials of the Heavenly Palace looked solemn.

Tens of thousands of disciples were filled with awe.

Only Fu Haotian's eyes lit up with joy!

The maid ignored everyone else and walked straight to him, bowing respectfully.

"Young Master, the Supreme Elder has ordered this servant to deliver the Heavenly Ring."

Her soft voice rang out as she presented an ancient ring with both hands.

In her slender, jade-like hands lay a simple, ancient ring. Though it appeared ordinary, it radiated an extraordinary light, with countless terrifying Dao rhythms swirling around it.

Instantly, all eyes were drawn to it!

Fu Haotian's eyes gleamed with delight as he steadily took the ring, quietly using his divine sense to inspect it.

Then, he threw his head back and laughed, confidence overflowing from his expression.

"Hahaha!"

"You all might have celebrated too early. This young master still has ten thousand demon corpses!"

As his words fell, the entire arena was struck with shock.

As he spoke, the ring's light intensified.

A mountain of demon corpses, towering hundreds of feet high, piled up like a peak. The terrifying number and scale horrified everyone. The three small hills of demon corpses from before were nothing but pebbles at the foot of this mountain in comparison.

Nearly half of the arena was filled with the mountain of corpses, and the disciples looked on in silent awe.

The presiding elder was so shocked that his eyes widened, and he couldn't even speak!

"This!"

Outside the arena, whispers spread like wildfire, filled with awe and shock!

"My heavens!"

"This mountain of corpses must number ten thousand!"

"Today, I've truly seen something extraordinary. Such a feat, truly worthy of Senior Brother Fu!"

"I've always said that Senior Brother Fu is the only rightful candidate for the chief disciple position!"

"Senior Brother Fu is mighty!"

"What Senior Brother Fu? From now on, we should address him as Chief Senior Brother Fu!"

"Ah, yes, yes!"

The entire arena's opinion shifted abruptly.

Fu Haotian had finally become the center of attention, his eyes flashing with confidence!

His sidelong glance was filled with arrogance as he sneered.

"Hmph."

"How dare you mere specks of light compete with the bright moon? Are you even worthy?"

"Old fool, after a lifetime of cultivation, is this all you've achieved? You've made the foolish mistake of mistaking a pearl for a pebble. Do you really think you can fathom this young master's trump card?"

"Later, this chief disciple will make sure to give you two a proper send-off!"

Whether it was the high-ranking officials on the stage or his fellow disciples outside, none were in Fu Haotian's eyes. He continued to mock Wei Zhenfang and Zhongli Meng with disdain.

At this moment, Haotian was filled with the confidence of certain victory, as if he was born to stand above the clouds. For everyone to witness this was already a great honor!

Seeing his expression, Zhongli Meng trembled with anger.

She believed that her talent and learning surpassed Fu Haotian's.

The outcome had already been decided just moments ago, and the situation seemed settled.

Yet, Fu Haotian, with the Supreme Elder's intervention, had turned the tables in front of everyone. All the hardships she and her brothers had endured, risking their lives to hunt demons, were instantly erased by so-called family background.

If this was the case, what was the point of this competition?

The ten thousand demon corpses only served as a glaring mockery to her.

If Fu Haotian were to win like this, where was the fairness?

Looking at Fu Haotian again, his face was filled with cruel triumph.

Such a person, who would not show mercy even when victorious, would surely bring disaster to her, Elder Wei, and even the fellow disciples who had once helped them if he were to become the chief disciple, let alone take control of the Cangyun Heavenly Palace.

If the Cangyun Heavenly Palace fell into his hands, it would be a disaster.

Zhongli Meng unwillingly raised her head and spoke loudly to the stage, bowing respectfully.

"Disciple dares to speak!"

"I beg the Palace Master to make a decision and uphold justice!"

Though her voice was soft, her presence was no less than that of a thousand troops.

In such a situation, Zhongli Meng still dared to speak up. Her courage was enough to put ninety percent of men to shame.

Such unyielding and resolute character promised a limitless future.

Half of the disciples quietly raised their heads, their eyes filled with hidden anticipation.

On the high jade steps, the few elders standing silently had complex expressions, but they remained silent, not making any move or statement.

Above the elders.

The master of the Heavenly Palace, Nanli Qingming, sat steadily on his grand chair, his face calm and unreadable.

Only in his eyes was a trace of helplessness.

Not just him, but the high-ranking officials of the seven great sects seated with him were much the same.

Everything was clearly seen by these eight powerful figures.

The winner of this competition should have been Zhongli Meng.

However, the Supreme Elder had forcibly intervened, disregarding his status to support Fu Haotian. The cheating was blatant, completely overriding the rules of hunting demons!

The Supreme Elder's cultivation was profound, and he was the number one figure in the sect. Moreover, his lifespan was still long, so no matter what he did, everyone had always tolerated it.

At this moment, no one could speak out.

Even though the cheating was blatant, and the assistance was undignified, it was undeniable that such background was also part of one's strength!

The selection of the chief disciple was not only based on talent and character but also heavily relied on background and connections. Unless one had heaven-defying luck and immortal fate, no matter how outstanding Zhongli Meng was, she would never carry much weight.

Nanli Qingming could only remain silent under the circumstances.

Justice?

In the face of absolute background and strength, it was nothing but fragile words.

Reality was always this cruel.

On the high stage, including Palace Master Nanli Qingming, the eight powerful figures remained silent.

Witnessing this silence, the entire arena was struck dumb!

Many disciples felt as if their beliefs had collapsed, looking around in disbelief, only to see their fellow disciples equally stunned and shocked. The entire arena fell into silence.

Seeing the silent approval on the stage.

Zhongli Meng's face turned pale, and blood vessels appeared in her clear eyes!

She never expected.

That after all her efforts, she would still lose to so-called background.

Faced with such despicable means, not a single person was willing to speak up for justice!

Zhongli Meng unwillingly looked around, but the elders remained silent.

The senior brothers behind her also bowed their heads in shame, no longer daring to meet her gaze, clearly intimidated by Fu Haotian's power.

Even with thousands of fellow disciples, not a single one dared to speak up.

Standing alone in place, Zhongli Meng did not blame others for their cowardice. She could only clench her fists in her sleeves, her eyes finally showing despair.

That look was clearly seen by everyone in the arena.

It was as if all the sorrow in the world was contained in her quiet demeanor, like walking alone in a desert, her body and soul parched.

"Ai..."

The presiding elder sighed helplessly, about to announce the results.

Suddenly.

A burst of laughter broke the silence!

"Hahaha..."

Tens of thousands of people looked up in surprise. The one laughing was none other than Wei Zhenfang!

This guest elder, who had been silent for so long, was now laughing heartily. Standing close to the ten thousand demon corpses, he showed no fear, his laughter wild and carefree to the extreme.

Even though the outcome was already decided, and he himself was about to face trouble, he still dared to laugh like this.

Could it be that he had gone mad from fear?

Everyone looked at him in shock, only to see Wei Zhenfang with his hands behind his back, glancing sideways at Fu Haotian with a light smile.

"Is this all you've got as your trump card?"

Sss...

Such arrogant words caused many to gasp in shock!

Before them was a mountain of ten thousand demon corpses!

Such a feat would be impossible to achieve even if half the Heavenly Palace's forces were mobilized to hunt them down in a few days.

Could Wei Zhenfang really be so arrogant, or had he truly gone mad?

Tens of thousands of people looked on in shock.

Fu Haotian directly laughed out loud, his confidence overflowing.

"You really make me laugh!"

"Faced with ten thousand demon corpses, what waves could you possibly stir!"

Little did he know, Wei Zhenfang gave him a disdainful glance, as if looking at a fool.

He then turned and approached Zhongli Meng, bowing respectfully.

"Miss Zhongli, do you remember the ring I gave you earlier?"