Shang Qi's wager was truly ruthless, utterly so.
From Xu Du's perspective, this offered him no escape route, designed to force him to his death.
This spurred Xu Du's fighting spirit even further; he absolutely refused to lose.
Xu Du admitted Shang Qi was someone to be wary of, but he never believed he himself would lose. Thus, he directly accepted Shang Qi's terms: "Then let's see who loses, you or I."
Soon, Shang Qi's and Xu Du's retinues retreated, clearing the arena for the two combatants.
Shang Qi versus Xu Du was a contest of abilities, a test of mental fortitude, and a battle for dignity.
Victory and defeat were yet to be decided; the fight had only just begun.
Wen Shangcheng and Chu Jin retreated with Su Ling to a safe distance, then fixed their gaze forward.
After Shang Qi burned the meat Xu Du had used to threaten him, Xu Du believed he had fully understood Shang Qi's abilities. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
A mere fire ability, in the face of his lightning ability, was practically a novice.
Xu Du didn't take Shang Qi seriously, even feeling supremely confident that he had already won.
He thought Shang Qi and Su Ling were destined to become his playthings, to be toyed with until they lost the will to live and questioned their existence.
Once he won, after he grew tired of toying with Shang Qi and Su Ling, he would bestow them upon his brothers.
When his brothers grew tired of them, he would kill them both and make them into jerky for sustenance.
Xu Du, believing he was on a path to certain victory, looked at Shang Qi opposite him and kindly offered a reminder: "You can still regret this. As long as you yield and apologize to me, I might be benevolent enough to let you leave."
"But if you refuse and insist on confronting me head-on, then once I truly act, you will have no chance to turn back. At that time, even if you kneel and beg for mercy, and kneel to submit to me, I will not listen to a single word of your pleas. I will make you a defeated foe, strip you of everything, and erase your current glory!"
Shang Qi listened to Xu Du's words and wondered if he had become too gentle and kind from spending too much time with his A'Ling, to the point where anyone could threaten and intimidate him?
Shang Qi concluded that this was indeed the case.
In that case, he would take his frustrations out on the person before him.
Anyone could ignore him, disrespect him, but if they disrespected his A'Ling, they would be killed without mercy!
Seeing Shang Qi remain silent, like a mute, Xu Du found it extremely boring.
He had offered good terms first; since the other party didn't appreciate it, he couldn't be bothered to waste more words.
With that thought, Xu Du launched his offensive directly at Shang Qi. He transformed his lightning ability into a weapon.
To distract Shang Qi, he even threw several lightning balls at him.
Shang Qi, however, did not dodge the lightning balls thrown at him. He stood his ground, unmoved.
As the lightning balls neared him, he caught them with his bare hands, converting the lightning energy and absorbing it.
This scene stunned Xu Du; he was greatly alarmed.
It wasn't just Xu Du; his group of followers were equally shocked. This was the first time they had seen such an ability user, someone who could absorb another's ability and use it for themselves. This truly shattered their understanding.
As for Su Ling's group, Su Ling already knew Shang Qi's capabilities, so she remained very calm when Shang Qi made his move.
While Su Ling was calm, Wen Shangcheng and Chu Jin and the others were not. This was the first time they had seen Shang Qi in action.
Good heavens, it was utterly awe-inspiring!
They knew Shang Qi was powerful, but to catch lightning balls that ordinary ability users feared with bare hands was something they had never witnessed before.
Meanwhile, Shang Qi, having absorbed Xu Du's lightning balls, looked at him and said, "You've given me a great gift, so naturally, I must return the favor."