I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 53 - 51: Backed into a Corner

A radiant smile bloomed on Yang Ying’s stunning face. "You’ll have to go easy on them, Junior Brother."

Her smile immediately captivated the crowd of male cultivators, who were utterly enchanted. At the same time, they were dying of jealousy. ’What had that punk Li Tianyi done to deserve such good fortune?’

Zhang Liang had also made his way into the great hall. He certainly had connections in Hengshan Hall, but he had spent one hundred contribution points to get a closer look.

Every time he saw Yang Ying, she seemed more beautiful than the last. Zhang Liang was also completely smitten. He longed to be able to chat and laugh with Yang Ying the way Tang Wei and the others did. But alas, he had only ever had that one chance.

"It’s about time. Are the people from Thunderlight Hall coming or not?"

"Yeah, what’s the hold-up? We just came to watch the show."

The busybodies from the other Sub-Halls waiting outside had been there for ages. The arrival of Yang Ying, Mingren, and Li Tianyi made things much more exciting, but now Thunderlight Hall, the essential supporting cast, was acting all high and mighty.

「On the road to Hengshan Hall.」

Wang Meng, Zhang Xiaojiang, Hu Jing, Ma Tian’Er, and Zhou Qian were traveling on foot.

"Zhang Xiaopang, I told you to be practical, but you just had to go for all these gimmicks!"

"How was I supposed to know this Celestial Dragon Horse would be so pathetic? It flies for one ancient hour, then rests for two!"

Zhang Xiaojiang was speechless. Since they had no one to put in a good word for them, they had to make a grand entrance themselves. That’s why he rented a Celestial Dragon Carriage. The result... was a total sham. What bullshit Celestial Dragon Horse? It was just a regular horse with a Flying Talisman slapped on it. ’Damn it, I got totally ripped off.’

The five of them had no choice but to use Divine Movement Talismans to rush their way there. After hurrying as fast as they could, they finally reached Hengshan Hall. Though also a Sub-Hall, it was a world away from the quiet Thunderlight Hall. Hengshan Hall was visibly grander and pulsed with a powerful energy.

"Little Fatty, be more practical next time. Don’t wear yourself out before you even arrive."

Among them, Wang Meng had the weakest cultivation, so using this kind of consumable Talisman was a poor use of his resources.

Even if Wang Meng possessed heaven-shaking power, he couldn’t just ignore such a real and substantial drain on his energy.

The Hengshan Hall disciple at the gate saw the five’s uniforms and immediately chased after them. "Hurry up! What’s the deal? You’re late for the Hall Battle! Everyone is waiting for you!"

The Hengshan Hall disciples waiting outside were frantic. They had been repeatedly hurried along by those inside, and they’d heard their leader was furious. When the people at the top get antsy, the grunts at the bottom are the ones who get chewed out. But they were completely innocent! It wasn’t them who stopped Thunderlight Hall from coming. Their initial urge to cuss out the latecomers, or even beat them senseless, had now transformed into a desperate prayer for these ’ancestors’ to please, please just go inside.

The stage was set. Without the supporting cast, the leading man was bound to get pissed.

"Brothers, just let us catch our breath... We’re so... tired."

The Little Fatty was also gasping for air, though not from a lack of Elemental Power. It was because he was carrying too much weight.

The Hengshan Hall disciples were so anxious they could have coughed up blood. They wanted nothing more than to beat these losers to death, but at this critical moment, even losers were the stars of the show.

"You five, walk and talk. The Hall Battle has already begun. You’re nearly half an hour late! Technically, you should have forfeited. It’s only because we at Hengshan Hall are being magnanimous. Let’s go, let’s go!"

The Hengshan Hall disciples sandwiched them from the front and back, urging the five on as if afraid they would run away.

Zhang Xiaojiang stuck out his belly and grinned. "Well now, I always heard Hengshan Hall was full of scoundrels, but it seems the rumors were wrong. You brothers are so welcoming."

"Haha, that we are, that we are," the Hengshan Hall disciples replied with a hollow laugh. ’Yeah, right. Just wait, Little Fatty. Soon you’ll find out what our ’warm welcome’ really means.’

Inside Hengshan Hall, however, the atmosphere was lively with conversation and laughter. Tang Wei and his group almost wished the people from Thunderlight Hall would take even longer. It meant more time to chat with Yang Ying, an opportunity that was hard to come by—especially since several of his rivals were also present.

"Senior, the people from Thunderlight Hall have arrived."

Tang Wei’s expression turned serious. He nodded. "Junior Sister Yang, Brother Mingren, if you please."

Tang Wei didn’t address Li Tianyi. No matter how strong Li Tianyi was, his status wasn’t high enough to warrant a personal invitation from him.

Li Tianyi couldn’t care less about Tang Wei’s complicated thoughts; he was more anxious than anyone else present.

As soon as he stepped outside, Tang Wei was also stunned... Where did all these people pop out from?

Hengshan Hall had the most disciples among the Nine Halls, but there weren’t this many.

The moment Yang Ying came out, a wave of cheers erupted. Tang Wei paused, stunned for a moment. ’Damn it, these guys all came for the beauties from Flying Phoenix Hall.’

The few junior sisters who came with Yang Ying immediately surrounded her. It was obvious that everyone had completely forgotten about the Hall Battle. The main event was seeing Yang Ying.

Zhang Liang was also in the crowd, cheering enthusiastically.

The moment he saw Yang Ying, Zhang Xiaojiang nearly started drooling. ’Holy crap, there’s a woman in this world so beautiful... so gorgeous she practically sparkles!’

Then Zhang Xiaojiang whipped his head around and said very seriously, "Brother Meng, I think this girl might just be worthy of you!"

"Senior Brother wouldn’t like her type!" Before Wang Meng could speak, Ma Tian’Er, at his side, spoke up.

"Haha, no way. Every man likes a beauty like this, right, Brother Meng?"

The Little Fatty nudged him a few times. Wang Meng glanced at Yang Ying, completely unconcerned, and looked away. ’Beauty?’

In his eyes, such things were worthless.

Li Tianyi from Lingyin Hall stared daggers at Wang Meng, but Wang Meng just smiled and nodded.

"It’s him?" Mingren, who was standing to the side, frowned.

"That’s him!"

It wasn’t just Mingren; the Lingyin Four Tigers were also stunned. ’...This guy was able to break the Nine Heavens Separation Fire Sword? This punk?’

"Brother Mingren, since you’re here, how about you preside over this Hall Battle, and Junior Sister Yang can act as a witness?"

Tang Wei said with a smile. No matter what, Mingren and Yang Ying’s presence was a show of respect for him. When you’re making your way in the world, face is the most important thing.

"No problem."

"Alright." Yang Ying also nodded, her gaze sweeping over the five from Thunderlight Hall. Her eyes revealed obvious disappointment. In contrast, the five combatants from Hengshan Hall stood with their heads held high and chests puffed out.

Of course, Tang Wei wouldn’t be fighting. It would be too pathetic if he had to personally step up to deal with Thunderlight Hall. However, he couldn’t be careless either, so he had Shenn Tu lead the team, which was a foolproof plan.

Both sides handed over their Spirit Stones. Forty Middle-Grade Spirit Stones and four hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones were piled together, a sight so dazzling it could make one’s eyes swim.

Tang Wei never thought Thunderlight Hall could actually come up with the stakes. And when the Little Fatty put down the Spirit Stones, he looked so reluctant you’d think they were prying them from his cold, dead hands. True to his family’s tradition, even Master Zhang, who loved wealth more than life itself, had probably never made such a grand gesture.

"First, let’s introduce the combatants from both sides," Mingren said. "From Hengshan Hall: Shenn Tu, Zhang Heng, Huaa Wuxiong, Wu Dongjin, and Suo Ming."

With every name announced, the Hengshan Hall disciples would erupt in earth-shattering cheers. If nothing else, Thunderlight Hall couldn’t hold a candle to them in this respect. Hengshan Hall couldn’t compare to elite halls like Dao Guang Hall, but they had their own way of surviving.

"From Thunderlight Hall: Zhou Qian, Hu Jing, Zhang Xiaojiang, Ma Tian’Er, and Wang Meng."

Each name was met with a chorus of boos from the crowd, though the booing was rather senseless, since no one had ever heard of these people. A bunch of rookies.

Zhou Qian had the highest Life Mark Level among his group. Even now, he had no idea what had possessed him to tag along. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble? Looking at the surrounding Hengshan Hall disciples who were staring at them like tigers eyeing their prey, his scalp tingled with fear.