Disbelief. Unwillingness.
In their eyes, this was supposed to be a feast of carnage prepared for them. The Evernight forces were unfamiliar with the King's Battle Chess and, in terms of strength, might not even surpass them. With strategic planning, they could have orchestrated a beautiful crushing victory—seizing the fate of the Eternal natives, while bolstering their own. A win-win situation. Practically perfect.
So why, at the critical moment, did everything change so bizarrely?
It was a result they couldn't accept.
This was not the outcome they wanted.
"We actually won? Who was it? Who destroyed the enemy's base crystal? We only just finished taking down the first defense tower, and it cost us quite a bit. By all logic, the other two lanes shouldn't have progressed faster than us. What the hell happened?"
The Stone Emperor's face froze in bewilderment before it turned grim.
This was completely outside his expectations.
Sure, destroying the enemy's crystal was a good thing—it meant victory, reclaimed fate, and even robbed fate from the Evernight prodigies. No matter how you looked at it, it was an enormous gain. But what he truly wanted... was to be the one to personally destroy the enemy's crystal, to make a name for himself across the Eternal Continent.
"We won... We actually won. What's going on? We were still pushing under their tower—how did the crystal get destroyed? This is too strange. Who did it? It's unbelievable. The war ended too quickly."
"Impossible! We split into three lanes, and our strength in each lane was about equal. No one should've been able to spare hands to go directly for the crystal. You'd have to cross the defense towers—no easy feat. Unless... unless they went through the jungle. But there's a Heaven-Piercing River between the lanes—who could've crossed that?"
"Wait—there were still people behind. The human prodigies never advanced with us. They didn't attack any towers. Could it have been them, sneaking through the wild zone?"
Even the Eternal prodigies looked dazed in disbelief.
They began to recall how, during the team split, they had more or less ignored the human clan. Now, in hindsight, aside from the human prodigies, no one else had the means or flexibility to pull something like this off. No other explanation fit.
Humans!!
At that moment, the Eternal prodigies felt something indescribable stir within them toward the human clan.
Five seconds passed in a blink—just a few breaths—and the King's Canyon abruptly expelled all remaining combatants through an irresistible force.
"We're back! So dying in the King's Battle Chess doesn't mean true death. All we lost was a sliver of our spiritual consciousness. The main body isn't harmed. Just slightly mentally fatigued. Incredible!"
"I didn't die! Amazing! This King's Battle Chess is truly mysterious. If it's available in the Battlefield of Gods and Demons, I need to find a way to exchange for one. This board is perfect for cultivator duels. After this battle, it's bound to sweep across the world as a top leisure activity!"
Back on Spirit Mountain, prodigies from all races awoke one after another. Their first instinct was to check themselves for injuries. Upon confirming that they were physically unharmed, their interest in the King's Battle Chess spiked dramatically.
"What's this? A Fortune Crystal? Is this the essence of fate condensed from the Evernight prodigies? I can feel it—it holds massive amounts of unclaimed fate. If I will it, I can absorb and merge it directly into my own fate without any risks. Astounding!"
A flash of light revealed a white crystal in a prodigy's hand—pure and untainted, yet brimming with mysterious energy: fate.
"I have one too!"
One after another, prodigies retrieved their Fortune Crystals. Almost everyone who participated received one—no one was left out.
However, the types of crystals varied: some were gray, some white, and a few red.
These represented different grades of fate.
Gray Fortune Crystal = Low-grade fate.
White Fortune Crystal = Mid-grade fate.
Red Fortune Crystal = High-grade fate.
The King's Battle Chess had clearly calculated each participant's contributions and performance to distribute the crystals accordingly—absolutely fair and just. One's output in the battle could be seen clearly from the type and number of crystals received.
"Heh, I got a red one! Looks like killing those Evernight prodigies was counted. That's my merit, plain and simple!"
Ye Zhiqiu beamed at the red crystal in his hand—a token of precious, high-grade fate. Normally, it would take untold effort and years to accumulate such fortune, but now they had directly seized it. After refining, his fate would soar, making cultivation and treasure-seeking vastly easier.
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Other human prodigies also wore expressions of joy.
Having snuck through the jungle and taken down a slew of Evernight prodigies, each had performed exceptionally. Their rewards were accordingly generous: more crystals, and of higher quality. For many, it was a massive windfall—refining these would make their future cultivation paths much smoother.
If they reaped so much, then Yi Tianxing and the elite human warriors must've earned even greater rewards. Though they didn't show it outwardly, the smiles on their faces said enough.
Of course, revealing wealth is a foolish move—none were ignorant of this. Especially while surrounded by alien prodigies and watched by lurking Evernight forces. Flaunting fortune now would be suicidal, inviting enmity from those who had just been robbed.
Indeed, some Evernight prodigies were already eying ways to reclaim the stolen fate. If they could snatch back the Fortune Crystals and refine them, their own fate would swiftly recover, letting them escape the low-fate zone faster.
"Clearly, the ultimate victors of this battle were our Eternal side! Let us congratulate these brave prodigies! Even under ambush, they dared fight and won! Every Fortune Crystal earned belongs to them, fair and square! Let's celebrate these heroes!"
From the sky-platform, the host Xiaosa ge shouted excitedly, his voice full of vigor.
"Indeed! This battle wiped out a batch of Evernight prodigies and gained us immense fate. The Eternal prodigies will benefit greatly, even rise because of this! Let us honor our champions!" shouted Hei.
Anyone watching the battlefield could tell who had won just by looking at the expressions—Evernight prodigies were black-faced, ashen with defeat. Only a fool would miss the outcome.
"We won! At last, Eternal emerges victorious! Look at those arrogant Evernight bastards now—not even daring to speak!"
"Amazing! So satisfying! Did they really think Eternal was some pushover? This time they learned—we're not weaker. In fact, we might be even stronger!"
On the Battlefield of Gods and Demons, countless cultivators of all races let out joyous cheers.
This battle touched upon not only personal honor but the collective pride of the Eternal Continent. With this win, morale surged. The psychological fear of Evernight began to vanish. No longer were they seen as invincible monsters—they were now rivals on equal footing, or perhaps even inferior.
It marked a critical shift in mindset—a leap forward for the entire world.
"Everyone, does anyone still question why the human race stands atop the rankings? Do we still lack qualification to attend the Fruit Banquet? Are we not worthy of a seat at the table?"
On his throne, Yi Tianxing spoke calmly, with Yao Yue and Lian Xing beside him. His gaze swept over the many alien prodigies.
Eternal is not weaker than Evernight. Humans are not weaker than other races. Humans have their prodigies.
Faced with Yi Tianxing's challenge, no one could offer a rebuttal. The victory was too clear. Had it not been for the human clan, Eternal might have fallen to Evernight's ambush. No one could deny it—they owed the humans a great debt.
This wasn't about crystals anymore. It was about fate itself.
"It would be this emperor's honor for the human race to attend. Send word—add seats. However many human prodigies there are, that many seats shall be added."
The Stone Emperor took a deep breath and gazed seriously at Yi Tianxing and the group of human prodigies before him. There were too many to ignore. In the end, he gave the command.
Adding seats meant increasing the amount of precious spiritual fruits harvested—an immense strain on their resources.
"Bastards! Hand over the Fortune Crystals, or else—on this Spirit Mountain, every single prodigy dies today!"
From above, on the black clouds, the faces of the Evernight prodigies had turned pitch-black with rage.