Chapter 1042: Chapter 592: Zhou Yitang’s Inner Demons (2-in-1)

"What’s my chance of winning if I challenge the Blind Arrow?" After a long contemplation, Chen Yi asked.

Zhou Yitang held up one finger.

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow and said, "Just ten percent?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Less than ten." She spoke bluntly.

Chen Yi squinted his eyes. Even though these words weren’t surprising, they were still quite discouraging.

"Why... Is it because I’m not in Second Rank? To me, this Blind Arrow, ranked tenth on the Martial Arts List, is merely at the level of First Grade’s lower tier."

"I am only ranked ninth," Zhou Yitang replied.

"Is that the same?" Chen Yi asked with double standards.

The one-armed woman pondered without speaking.

Before she could respond, Chen Yi instead said, "What I’m trying to say is that he just happened to reach First Grade at seventy, barely squeezing into the top ten of the Martial Arts List. The gap between him and the top nine is likely larger than people imagine, so there’s a chance I could win..."

He spoke with disdain for the tenth rank, but Zhou Yitang knew the rebellious disciple could not avoid feeling pressure. He hadn’t shown any concern until now, but this moment, the blood-stained battle challenge in his palm was as heavy as a thousand pounds.

Precisely because of this, the habitually ruthless Chen Yi tightened his brow and murmured, "Why did he challenge me to a fight?"

"Your reputation is big."

"Me?" Chen Yi suddenly thought of something and was shocked, "Weigh good and measure evil?"

The eight-character prophecy made the Heavenly Official kneel. With the time passed, it had become a legend throughout Dragon and Tiger Mountain. If the Blind Arrow were nearby, it wouldn’t be surprising for him to have heard it. But as Chen Yi thought more about it, he felt it was too coincidental, too extreme.

He looked at Zhou Yitang, who also was in deep thought. After a long while, she said, "Perhaps... the Mother of Non-Birth knew first."

Chen Yi squinted his eyes, feeling a slight chill run through him.

The world is about to descend into chaos, with great changes on the horizon. This weighing good and measuring evil by the Heavenly Official might have been observed by other divine beings since its inception.

The Mother of Non-Birth was certainly one among them.

Donggong Ruoshu glanced left and right, realizing she didn’t understand what they were saying, feeling a bit lost. She simply said, "Well... Will you fight or not?"

Her words woke him up from his reverie. There was no point in worrying about the Mother of Non-Birth or the prophecy. The matter had already happened. The immediate task was to deal with the Blind Arrow, Chen Yi said:

"Blind Arrow is near Dragon and Tiger Mountain. You can dodge on the first day but not the fifteenth. He challenged me to a battle, but I don’t necessarily have to fight alone."

With that, he winked at Zhou Yitang.

After contemplating for a moment, the one-armed woman held up two fingers, "Twenty percent."

Chen Yi frowned and said, "Between the two of us, shouldn’t one plus one be greater than two?"

"You’re less than one."

Chen Yi was silenced for a moment. The words stung, but they were somewhat true. Since Zhou Yitang broke her sword, she had been greatly weakened, her strength not yet fully restored, at best a Second Rank. Meanwhile, he was only at the Third Grade Realm, and even as an elite amongst the Third Grade, a collaboration between Second and Third Rank couldn’t easily prevail against a genuine First Rank.

Unnoticed, twilight faded into darkness, Chen Yi sat in the pavilion, contemplating deeply and took a deep breath, with one steadfast intent,

"Only the tenth in the world, can’t compare to Wu Buxu."

Zhou Yitang silently watched the rebellious disciple, seemingly touched, but when Chen Yi turned to look at her, she deliberately averted her gaze.

"Wu Buxu once suppressed his cultivation to fight me on an even ground, yet his Sword Intent was still inferior to mine. The Blind Arrow’s Martial Intent naturally wouldn’t surpass this realm. If he’s walked deep on his path, then... I must walk even deeper..."

Chen Yi was immersed in thought, pondering the differences between himself and the Blind Arrow. The one-armed woman sat beside him, sharing all she knew. Though she wasn’t First Grade, her ninth rank on the Martial Arts List was no longer true; yet past memories and perspective remained. Chen Yi, based on her words and the Martial Arts rumors, dissected the Blind Arrow’s martial arts and techniques, then matched countermeasures appropriately, integrating them. He occasionally got stuck, and Zhou Yitang gave succinct guidance. Chen Yi quickly found answers.

Not far away, Miss Donggong still didn’t understand much of what they discussed. She only sensed they were deeply engaged, mostly with Chen Yi talking and Zhou Yitang listening, particularly resembling a married couple.

When all had been said, Chen Yi didn’t become overly excited, but his expression grew more serious. The strategies discussed were merely theories. No one knew how many final tricks the Blind Arrow might have. Most who had seen him didn’t survive, and even Zhou Yitang had only heard rumors. And even during the theoretical discussion, Chen Yi calculated that his highest chance of winning was just forty percent.

The mountain wind was unpredictably cold and warm. Chen Yi sunk into prolonged contemplation.

After a long while, he spoke to himself, "The Blind Arrow might not just be targeting me but may also be aiming for Dragon and Tiger Mountain.

The White Lotus Sect is ultimately an evil cult from the Demon Cave, preaching words like ’When the Red Sun fades, the White Sun shall rise.’ From the Mother of Non-Birth’s standpoint, she likely hopes for greater chaos, ideally... with the world collapsing in an instant...

Perhaps that’s why... the Blind Arrow specifically issued a challenge to me. He wants to kill me."

"So, I will help you," the one-armed woman said calmly.

Chen Yi chuckled in surprise, turning his head to say, "I know, but how can you help? You’re just at Second Rank now, unless..." A sudden insight came to him, and he squinted his eyes, "Unless... you return to First Grade, what about the Ruoque Sword?"

Fighting a Third Grade against a First Grade is as futile as a mayfly shaking a tree or a mantis blocking a cart. Although the Blind Arrow is the lowest on the Martial Arts List, he is among the ten elites at the peak. Instead of unrealistically trying to surpass his own grade, wouldn’t it be better for the master to return to First Grade?