Calamity of Tomorrow
Chapter 568 568: Targeting 567

Zhou Bai looked at the situation unfolding before him and tried to guess the other party's intentions.

"Is it because they recognize my strength as not to be underestimated, so they simply choose not to deal with me right now and not give me a chance to perform, instead opting to cut down my companions first?"

Christina agreed with Zhou Bai's judgment and added, "They probably plan to let you advance to the next round and become one of the top ten.

But among those top ten rankings, apart from you, the rest may all be their people."

Christina excitedly said, "When the time comes, if you want to get first place, you might end up facing nine against one!"

"Nine against one?" Zhou Bai chuckled, "It couldn't be that blatant. How would that win over the public? How would it gather human fortunes? 'One string and nine fish' is a bit more likely."

"If I'm the only one from our side in the top ten rankings, then it doesn't matter what happens after that, I would need to defeat many of their geniuses to take first place."

"They just need to defeat me, and whoever gets first place afterward, in the end, it would still be one of their people."

Christina expressed her concern and said, "What should we do then? They must have tried everything to make us lose, heaven knows what kind of cheats they'll give those geniuses, and it's not just about defeating one."

Zhou Bai calmly assured, "Don't worry, our true strength is still unknown to anyone. Most of our ultimate moves and abilities, under my careful control, have not been exposed. In their eyes, we are still able to be defeated by those geniuses."

"Next, as long as we control the rhythm well and gradually show our strength, without revealing all our ultimate moves and abilities, we'll give them no time to prepare in advance. Then defeating these pawns will not be a problem. But if we were to contend with the chess players..."

He glanced at the immortals and gods, thinking to himself, 'I still need much more powerful strength.'

"Are you saying they're targeting you?" Qian Wangsun, who was on the other side, caught on to what Zhou Bai was saying and reacted, "You mean they want to eliminate all of us and then deal with you slowly?"

"That's right." Zhou Bai nodded and called over the remaining companions, "We might be targeted..."

Zhou Bai shared his suspicions, and then seriously added, "In the upcoming fights, if any of you draw opponents of higher realm than yourselves, do not hesitate to surrender immediately."

"I'll say it again, I'm not joking. If you encounter opponents you feel are dangerous, do not hesitate, just surrender immediately."

"Trust me, I will absolutely win this Daluo Heaven discourse. You don't need to sacrifice yourselves."

In Zhou Bai's view, he was confident enough to defeat all the geniuses in this Daluo Heaven discourse, so he did not wish for any of his companions to be wasted on the platform or even sacrifice their future cultivation.

The remaining five people were now Zhou Bai, Qian Wangsun, Zheng Wentian, Kong Chan, and another disciple from Jijian Pavilion, Zhu Lingwei.

Although Zhou Bai had his own confidence, he couldn't yet show his true strength prematurely, which would only alert the immortals and gods and allow them to prepare in advance.

So when Qian Wangsun and the others heard what Zhou Bai had said, they all froze for a moment, expressions varying across their faces.

Zheng Wentian said with some embarrassment, "Won't this put too much pressure on you?" However, inside he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Participating in this Daluo Heaven discourse had indeed put a lot of pressure on him; being able to give up early seemed like the best option.

But Kong Chan, on the other hand, looked down and said, "No need, for this Daluo Heaven discourse, I will participate to the end."

Zhou Bai frowned, "Kong Chan, there's no need for that. I can defeat them on my own. You should preserve your useful selves..."

Before Zhou Bai could finish, Kong Chan raised his head, opened his eyes, and within them, it seemed as if countless souls were roaring, screaming, praying.

In just an instant, Zhou Bai seemed to see the lives of countless people spinning within Kong Chan's eyes.

But the feeling came and went quickly, and when Zhou Bai looked at Kong Chan again, he had already closed his eyes and with bowed head said, "Zhou Bai, this battle of Daluo Heaven is not just yours to fight. If we lose, the consequences are not something you can bear alone."

"It's not just your individual competition; it's a war concerning the entire future of humanity. Even if you are certain of victory, you have no right to ask any of us to give up."

He spoke with a pause between each word, his voice grave and earnest, "For this battle, all of us have put in all our efforts. I know we are not as strong as you, but even if we can add just one percent, one-tenth of a percent to the likelihood of victory, I will persevere to the end."

"Because this battle is not about possibly winning; it's about increasing our chances of victory without counting the cost or the expense."

Zhou Bai responded with a wry smile, thinking to himself, 'Without counting the cost, huh...' Suddenly he was reminded of a phrase, 'like a saturation rescue, huh... Troublesome, can't persuade them now.'

Kong Chan said, "For this battle, I've given up everything as a person, no matter what, I will not surrender."

In the last few words, Kong Chan's voice seemed to overlap, sounding as though hundreds or thousands of people were speaking at once, startling Zhou Bai.

Zhou Bai exclaimed in surprise, "How much willpower have you absorbed?"

Kong Chan simply smiled without answering, and Zhou Bai sighed, not pursuing the question further.

Beside them, Qian Wangsun said cheerfully, "Don't worry, Zhou Bai, I don't need to surrender in advance. You understand my abilities; I'll retreat if it's really dangerous."

The Jijian Pavilion's Zhu Lingwei said somberly, "Disciples of Jijian Pavilion are always ready to sacrifice. Asking me to surrender without a fight is the greatest insult to me."

Seeing the three with their fearless demeanor, Zheng Wentian felt weak and powerless, finding himself unable to utter a word about wanting to surrender.

At that moment, drawing on his experience of living in Donghua City for over a year, he felt even more keenly the difference between the godly seed and these cultivators from the four great sects.

Godly seed cultivators were almost like those raised in a greenhouse; their average strength may be stronger than that of the four great sects' disciples, but when it comes to adaptability to the environment, willpower, stress resistance, they are far from the level of these cultivators who have struggled and cultivated step by step.

Seemingly seeing through Zheng Wentian's vulnerability at that moment, Zhou Bai looked him in the eye and said, "Zheng Wentian, if you face a strong opponent next, then get ready to surrender. Don't push yourself; I can handle it."

Zheng Wentian almost immediately wanted to shout out that he too could fight on the stage, could also face death fearlessly, but the words just wouldn't come out when he reached his lips.