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What’s going on here?

At this moment, not only was Zhang Zhiyun stunned, but most of the spectators had also failed to react.

Just a moment ago, Shen Yuan had seemingly reached a dead end.

His body was forcibly pulled into the unfolding space after its collapse, unprotected, and anyone could almost visibly predict his grim fate.

So why... in the next instant, not only was Shen Yuan unharmed, but the previously invincible Zhang Zhiyun was suddenly decapitated?

"You, student... not bad..."

The speaker, to Chen Qing’s surprise, was none other than Emperor Siao.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Chen Qing turned and bowed slightly, somewhat intrigued.

He could see that the Emperor truly appreciated Shen Yuan’s performance, his eyes showing pure admiration and even a hint of satisfaction.

Chen Qing and Mister Tianji had discussed this enigmatic Emperor many times; his character appeared quite complex.

Masquerading under the banner of the future of the Human Race, yet his actions persecuted them.

However, various signs indicated that he might actually be struggling for the future of the Human Race.

Perhaps his appreciation for Shen Yuan was genuine.

If deep down he truly wished for the Human Race to break free from the Demon’s control, then he would naturally feel satisfaction every time an excellent successor of the Human Race appeared.

Such expressions shouldn’t be surprising.

Thinking this, Chen Qing felt a surge of mixed emotions.

As a modern person, he disliked those who professed grand ideals but in reality pursued personal ambitions unscrupulously.

Such individuals were often just fulfilling their own ambitions, yet it seemed that this Emperor was not such a shallow person.

Turning back to look at Shen Yuan, who was gasping for breath, Chen Qing also breathed a sigh of relief.

This guy... really has guts!

In fact, when the Skywind Thread didn’t trap the opponent at first, he could have already surrendered. This move... was too risky.

The principle behind it was clear to Chen Qing.

He had intentionally let the opponent shatter the spatial fold, starting from closing the distance, calculating that an entity like Zhang Zhiyun would surely break the spatial defensive fold he set up, as Zhang Zhiyun had demonstrated high-level spatial technique skills from the start. That was the first calculation!

After the spatial fold was shattered, the unfolding space would create a black hole-like suction. Since both were close enough, both would be sucked in. Zhang Zhiyun, being the one who actively shattered the spatial fold, would naturally have protections in place, but what about Shen Yuan?

He didn’t defend himself, instead lowering the opponent’s guard by pretending to be unexpectedly sucked in.

This move was extremely risky. If anything went wrong, the distortion from the space-suction could have torn him apart. Yet, he chose this path.

The only way to survive without defending was... to have precisely calculated the position of the spatial suction beforehand, standing exactly at a point where his mass and weight would be stably displaced to the central position without significant harm.

This required extremely precise calculations. A slight miscalculation could spell a gruesome death.

It had to be said, this guy’s style in battle was very similar to his own, both preferring advance planning yet willing to take risks. Chen Qing even wondered if Shen Yuan might also be a Reincarnator because such a style of battle appealed to advanced players.

Only top-tier players enjoyed playing such limits.

This kid....

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"Did you... calculate this in advance?"

Zhang Zhiyun, struggling to raise his head, looked at the one fully guarded and even reluctant to come close.

With only a head left, facing such cautious defense from the other party, he didn’t know whether to be annoyed for being taken too seriously or pleased, being annoyed that the other gave no quarter, yet happy... that this youngster didn’t belittle him even though he had calculated his moves.

"Yes," Shen Yuan nodded. "To win against a senior, I had to resort to trickery. This was my only chance, and I had to play it fully, as the senior wouldn’t be careless otherwise."

"So that’s it..." Zhang Zhiyun communicated through a wry smile, his voice a transmission of thought as he had no throat to speak with, allowing him to only express his queries through his mind.

This fellow did not use any protection and deliberately got sucked in, pretending to be accidental, causing me to lower my guard completely. Not only that, his plans were interconnected, ensuring I would lower my guard while also getting distracted by the deadly Skywind Thread behind me.

That is to say, from the moment I underestimated him and got pulled into close range, I had actually already lost...

It wasn’t an unjust loss...

Zhang Zhiyun chuckled again, this time it was not a bitter smile, but a kind of relieved one, "I lost..."

The body he parasitized was also a Reincarnator, and there was such a memory in this Reincarnator’s mind.

It was that no matter how big the advantage was while playing games, he would never take unnecessary risks.

As a Magician, he knew how fragile he inherently was, and regardless of suppressing others with his realm, there was always a possibility of things turning around.

When facing a formidable opponent, as long as the plan was meticulous and clever, there was also a possibility of overcoming the strong by being weak.

I learned many methods of overcoming the strong by being weak, but I failed to learn his mindset of never underestimating any weaker one...

At that moment, he suddenly felt that the plan of his race was not as foolproof as he thought.

Did those forces truly not perceive anything?

Did they not have any backup plans?

Maybe... did we, his people, underestimate everyone in the world?

"Senior, your graciousness is appreciated." Shen Yuan saluted respectfully. At this moment, his back was covered in cold sweat, and even his feet were somewhat wobbly!

He didn’t even know how he dared to use such a risky plan. It really should have just been better to surrender from the start, when had he become so competitive?

But fortunately, he had won. This way, he hadn’t let down Chen Qing, right?

And no one would question anymore why he took such massive resources to train the Skywind Thread, right?

Hmm... After returning, I should apply for more funds to research bigger projects; no one should oppose that now, right?

Hmm... First, I’ll take a half-year leave and visit the West Sea with my mother, who has always wanted to enjoy the maritime scenery.

As for my father and brother, who visit daily, I’ll reluctantly give them a little sweetness—if they aren’t persuaded, they probably wouldn’t put so much effort into pleasing my mother.

Even if their affection is feigned, as long as my mother likes it, what does it matter?

While pondering all this, he didn’t notice his energy had drained, and with a clang, he unexpectedly fainted.

The people watching gasped in unison, even Zhang Zhiyun was taken aback: at this last moment, this guy actually fainted first?

My life is nearing its end but I haven’t quite died yet!

Watching Shen Yuan approaching, a hint of bloody red flashed in Zhang Zhiyun’s eyes as he wondered whether to bite Shen Yuan before dying.

Chen Qing’s expression changed, inwardly cursing, "Damn, I forgot to account for Shen Yuan’s energy, pushing himself like this, he’s obviously overloaded."

Watching Zhang Zhiyun move his head closer to Shen Yuan, his eyes bloody red, just as Chen Qing was about to intervene, countless Four Holy Guards around him suddenly turned their gaze, spreading a chilling murderous aura throughout the hall.

Chen Qing’s face darkened, and a strong hand held him back by the shoulder; it was the Emperor. The Emperor shook his head at him, his eyes clearly mixed with complexity.

"You see..."

In the hall, Elder Nie couldn’t help but shout, drawing everyone’s eyes once again, only to see that Zhang Zhiyun, who had gotten close to the body of Shen Yuan, ultimately did not bite.

"For my fellow beings, let’s keep a good vessel..." Zhang Zhiyun said with a small smile, ultimately not biting—not knowing whether this was sincere or a lie to himself.

He also didn’t know, only feeling that. It was a pity that such a person would just die...

This thought had just arisen when he began questioning why he’d have such a thought.

Before he could react, a giant black hand descended from the sky, heading straight for his head!