"A wager?" The three were simultaneously taken aback, utterly perplexed as to what game Ye Jingyu was playing. Had he gone to all this trouble, put up such a display, only to propose a bet with them?

"Correct. In our human terms, this would be a wager. But according to the rules of your Demon Realm, I will directly issue a challenge for a duel against the three of you. If I lose, I, and everyone standing behind me, will be yours to command. With this many Tagg warriors, your Blood Clan should be able to accomplish many things; they are far superior to those useless Beast races. Of course, if you lose, the three of you will obey my commands from this moment forward. How about it?" Ye Jingyu stated calmly.

In truth, he had long considered challenging the three directly. However, in that scenario, they might not have agreed, as it concerned the safety of the entire Blood Eye Clan. As the three most powerful leaders of the Blood Eye Clan, they certainly had to consider their kin and would never rashly accept his challenge. Furthermore, even if they did accept, he wasn't entirely certain of victory.

But things were different now. He had summoned the Twelve Heavenly Witch Annihilation Array, which had already stunned them, clearly conveying that he possessed the strength to wipe out the entire Blood Eye Clan. They were left with no other option. Moreover, the sheer might of the Twelve Heavenly Witch Annihilation Array was enough to shatter their confidence. At their level of cultivation, what mattered most was momentum (, shi); with sufficiently powerful momentum, one could often defeat an opponent stronger than themselves.

Ye Jingyu was capitalizing on this momentum—borrowing the overwhelming power of the Twelve Heavenly Witch Annihilation Array to plant a shadow in the minds of the three. Even if he chose not to deploy the array's power, once such a psychological shadow took root, it would be difficult to erase.

"Just you alone?" Hearing Ye Jingyu’s proposal, Wu Yuan spoke again.

"Indeed, just me, alone. And I will not employ the power of this array. Do the three of you dare?" A mocking expression crossed Ye Jingyu’s face, as if signaling that if they still didn't dare accept his challenge without the array, they might as well surrender immediately!

Seeing Ye Jingyu’s sneer, Wu Qing’s sword-gripping right hand twitched, ready to move, but Wu Yuan quickly restrained him, taking a step forward himself.

"Is what you say true?" Wu Yuan asked faintly, his eyes locked onto Ye Jingyu, scrutinizing whether his words held truth.

"It is absolutely true. I can swear upon the name of the Great Demon God!" Ye Jingyu nodded with firm resolve.

"Very well, we accept your challenge!" Wu Yuan immediately agreed without further hesitation.

"Big Brother, isn't he intentionally provoking us?" Wu Hui interjected upon hearing his elder brother accept the challenge.

"Yes, he is provoking us. But do we have a choice?" Wu Yuan replied calmly, a flicker of helplessness crossing his impassive face.

Ye Jingyu being able to directly challenge the three of them meant his personal strength was certainly not insignificant. If they added the terrifying power of the array, even if they managed to escape, what about their clansmen? How many would survive? Even if they fled the array, how many would remain standing against so many Tagg warriors?

They would not gamble with the continuation of their race unless absolutely forced. The Blood Eye Clan was noble; they would not bow to anyone, nor would they surrender to any adversary. But when facing the potential annihilation of their species, they would fight for even the slightest glimmer of hope.

Ultimately, this was precisely what Ye Jingyu had counted on, setting forth an open scheme (, yangmou) they could not afford to ignore. Even knowing it was a provocation, they had no recourse.

Hearing Wu Yuan's words, Wu Hui and Wu Qing fell silent. In truth, they had no choice left. The long swords in their hands trembled continuously, seeming to radiate fury toward Ye Jingyu.

Ye Jingyu said nothing more, directly retracting the Twelve Heavenly Witch Annihilation Array. He tightened his grip on the Heavenly Venerate Blade. Not far off, Liang Xiaoke glanced at him, a slight worry etched on her face. To face three Ninth Grade Demon Sovereigns simultaneously without the array—wasn't that far too dangerous?

Jiu Feng and the others also showed concern. One man against three Demon Sovereigns, without the array's support—the odds of winning were slim! However, they noticed the confident smile on Ye Jingyu's face and refrained from saying anything.

They should trust him, shouldn't they?

"Let us begin!" Ye Jingyu stated softly, his figure already soaring into the air...

The bodies of the three shot up almost simultaneously. Wu Yuan, Wu Hui, and Wu Qing formed a pincer formation, surrounding Ye Jingyu. The tips of their three blood-red longswords pointed directly at him.

Three sharp auras exploded forth, converging into a massive pressure that bore down fiercely upon Ye Jingyu—an aura that did not belong to a mere Venerable-level expert. Sensing this profound power, everyone’s expression shifted, even Liang Xiaoke felt a pang of alarm.

If the Twelve Heavenly Witch Annihilation Array were active, he might be able to contend with one Venerable expert. But without it, how could he possibly deal with one?

It was unbelievable that Wu Yuan, Wu Hui, and Wu Qing could unite their essence, spirit, and qi so completely. This was definitely not a power equal to one plus one plus one equaling three.

Yet, Ye Jingyu’s smile remained confident, seemingly unfazed by the combined aura emanating from the trio.

"Die, Blood Fiend Demonic Sword!" Wu Yuan, Wu Hui, and Wu Qing uttered these words almost in unison, their bodies transforming into streaks of light as they charged directly toward Ye Jingyu.

In an instant, Ye Jingyu felt three immense pressures rushing toward him. But what struck him even more profoundly was that these three auras were identical—or rather, they had merged completely, indistinguishable from one another.

Three streams, no, one stream—a sword qi of extreme power, steeped in killing intent, shot down directly toward him from above.

That was undeniably an attack capable of a Demon King-level master, at least in terms of sheer momentum, it rivaled any Demon King expert. Facing this terrifying strike, any Ninth Grade master would find it impossible to resist, perhaps unable even to muster the thought of resistance.

But Ye Jingyu’s smile grew wider. He didn't even spare a glance for the dazzling sword light, instead raising the Heavenly Venerate Blade and slashing forward directly toward Wu Yuan...

(When I woke up this morning and saw the comments in the review section, I was shaking with anger; my hands trembled for at least ten minutes before calming down. Some people said I was threatening readers, others said I was arrogant. I am truly baffled. I, Fallen Star (Yunluo Xingchen), have been writing for over a year; surely you all know what kind of person I am?

My readers are my greatest reliance, my strongest backing. Without readers, I am nothing. Why would I threaten my readers?

My mind isn't so warped, nor am I foolish enough to threaten the very people who support me.

The platform has changed its welfare system, and as an author, I am compelled to solicit votes, otherwise the compensation I ultimately receive might be less than that of a poorly read book. Canvassing for votes is a painful process; it annoys me to do it, and it annoys you to see it. So, I devised this method to motivate both myself and everyone else: every 2000 bricks, every 2000 votes, I will add an extra chapter. This is only for extra chapters, unrelated to my planned bursts of updates. I will still release the scheduled bursts every month!

Currently, War Soul has over 40,000 collections. There are still many brothers who haven't collected it. I estimate that there are at least seventy or eighty thousand people who read War Soul. I don't need everyone; I only need one-fortieth of those readers to throw one brick and cast one vote for me every day, and that would be enough for my grueling schedule. Some books have only tens of thousands of words, but they have many friends, and everyone throws bricks and votes for them daily, resulting in hundreds of bricks and votes in a single day, even though few people actually read the book. Yet, they might end up earning more compensation than those of us who slave over the keyboard daily. I ask you, if you were in my shoes, how would you feel?

I genuinely dislike asking for votes—the constant reminders in the group chats, at the end of chapters to throw bricks and votes—don't you all get tired of it?

In writing, the most exhausting part isn't constructing the plot or the pain of sitting in front of the computer; compared to being misunderstood, what is mere backache and soreness?

You are my greatest fortune, my biggest driving force. If even you do not understand me, how can I have the heart to continue writing?

Of course, perhaps I failed to explain things clearly enough, and it is my fault. Now, let me state it plainly: I promise a minimum of three updates (6,000 words) daily, and at least four bursts of updates per month, with each burst being no fewer than six chapters. This is a commitment. In other words, regardless of the number of gold bricks or votes, this will be fulfilled.

Following this, every 2000 gold bricks adds one bonus chapter, and every 2000 votes adds one bonus chapter. This is up to your generosity, brothers. Of course, if inspiration strikes Star (Xingchen), updating several chapters at once isn't impossible, but I dare not promise too much, lest I become too exhausted and fail to deliver? What Star promises, I will absolutely deliver!

Therefore, I hope everyone can be understanding!

Alright, today’s three updates are complete. We hit 2000 gold bricks, so I will continue writing and release another chapter. We have only had one burst this month, and there are at least three more to go; I remember!

I have said everything I needed to say, and I have explained it clearly. Surely you all understand now?

One last heartfelt word: If I hadn't promised everyone that I would write War Soul to a good and perfect conclusion, I would have stopped writing long ago. So, I sincerely ask my true supporters: please do not utter words like 'threatening readers' or 'treating readers as tools.' Hearing those things is deeply saddening and makes me feel incredibly wronged!

You are forever Star’s best friends, best brothers. No matter where I go, no matter what Star does in the future, this will never change! It will never change. I also hope my brothers will not be swayed by provocateurs and will judge a person with your own hearts! Use time to prove who a person truly is!)