Chapter 143: The Shame of Yan (2)

all of them have broken through to the Spirit Realm!" Liu Gang thought for a moment and said.
"Heh, with so many Spirit Realm experts, it seems the Emperor of Yan is going to have a headache!" the Third Senior Brother chuckled.
"Once Yan Tao is dead, the State of Yan is heading toward its doom. No matter how much they struggle, it will be in vain!" Liu Gang looked contemptuously at the Emperor of Yan seated upon the northern dragon throne.
The people of the State of Zheng looked on coldly.
Seated respectively at the lower eastern seat, the upper western seat, and the lower western seat were the crown princes and a retinue of experts from the States of Wei, Chu, and Han.
Everyone kept their eyes fixed on the duel in the center of the arena.
"Boom!"
With a deafening crash, the duel abruptly came to an end.
One figure stood proudly in the middle of the arena, while the other fell heavily to the ground, covered in blood and unable to fight any longer.
"Old Zhang!" The expression of the Emperor of Yan changed drastically.
Two attendants by his side quickly stepped forward to help the injured Old Zhang to his feet.
The injured man stood up and said with a look of shame, "Your Majesty, this subject is incompetent!"
"This is not your fault!" The Emperor of Yan let out a slight sigh.

"Help Minister Zhang back to rest!" the Emperor of Yan sighed.
"Yes!"
Minister Zhang had been defeated. The other victor returned to the upper western seat.
"Emperor of Yan, twenty cities! On behalf of my Imperial Father, I thank the Emperor of Yan, and on behalf of the Great Chu, I thank you!" the crown prince of Chu, who led the group, smiled and said.
The Emperor of Yan looked at the crown prince of Chu with a gloomy expression, his fists clenched tightly.
"Emperor of Yan, every twenty years, our five nations engage in a game of chess. Rather than resorting to arms and warfare, we merely wager our territories. This is a tradition handed down through generations. In the past, victories and defeats were shared, but this time, the luck of the State of Yan seems rather poor!" the crown prince of Chu said with a smile.
"Poor? Not necessarily; the luck should be considered exceptionally good instead," the crown prince seated at the lower western position chimed in with a smile.
"Oh? The Crown Prince of Han? What makes you say that?" the crown prince of Chu asked in confusion.
"The State of Yan originally possessed two hundred and twelve cities. Losing twenty cities to each of our dynasties amounts to a mere eighty cities in total. Yet the State of Yan still retains one hundred and thirty-two cities!" the Crown Prince of Han said with a smile.
"Hmm?" The crowd looked at the Crown Prince of Han in puzzlement.
The Crown Prince of Han stared fixedly at the Emperor of Yan and said, "Yan Tao is already dead, and the State of Yan has lost the protection of the Immortal Sects. How can it compare with our four dynasties? Losing only eighty cities this time is a great fortune for the State of Yan, is it not?"
"Indeed, to have lost only eighty cities—the Emperor of Yan should rejoice that our initial stakes were not set any higher!" the Crown Prince of Wei chimed in from the side.
"Hmph!" The Emperor of Yan turned ashen with rage.

Eighty cities—eighty entire cities! Nearly half of the State of Yan's territory had been lost over these past two days.
"Outrageous! The Crown Prince of our dynasty has already been accepted into an Immortal Sect! Who dares say the State of Yan lacks the protection of the immortals?" shouted a minister standing beside the Emperor of Yan.
"The Crown Prince of Yan? He has only just entered the Immortal Sect? Hahaha, Minister Wang, are you truly unaware? Those individuals in the cultivation world pursue immortality and care nothing for mortal affairs. Unless someone is a blood relative, they will never look after their descendants. The crown prince's master may be formidable, but so what? Will he come personally to anchor and protect the State of Yan? The only thing you can possibly wait for is the Crown Prince of Yan to grow up. But he is merely a mortal; do you honestly think it possible for him to become a powerful expert in a short period of time?" the Crown Prince of Han said disdainfully.
The Emperor of Yan glared at the gathered figures, his fists clenched so hard they turned white.
"The centuries-old rules of the five nations shall be upheld by me, Yan Qiu-yu. The eighty cities shall be delivered as promised. Once the five-nation summit concludes, you may all take your leave!" the Emperor of Yan said with an unsightly expression.
"Leave? Hahaha, Emperor of Yan, is it over just like that?" Liu Gang suddenly interjected.
"Hmm? Liu Gang? What do you mean by that?" the Emperor of Yan demanded in a deep voice.