Chapter 326 - Ling, Long Meet
Chapter 326: Ling, Long Meet
Interesting.
Tang Long’s smile disappeared while his eyes were cold and fierce.
Tang Ling? He once let Tang Ling slip past his grasp, so he then sent an army after him, trying to locate or even capture him. However, his men either failed to locate Tang Ling or let him escape again.
Before Tang Ling escaped, he even killed Draconic Seven as a gift for Tang Long.
Tang Long did not want to see Tang Ling even for a second, yet the moment he stepped out of the cabin area, that person was right in front of his eyes.
Was it fate’s arrangement for him to meet the thorn in his flesh?
Tang Long did not show any expression on his face since he was the perfect gentleman at all times, but…
Slightly turning to Higan, he believed she must have noticed Tang Ling.
Indeed, Higan had seen Tang Ling. She paused her gaze on him for less than two seconds before she averted it and looked further away.
“Young Master?” Tang Long’s bodyguards seemed to be aware of things, and one of them was looking at Tang Long nervously. They could cause trouble in Darkness Port, but they had been warned. They were not allowed to lay a finger on Tang Ling under any circumstances. Even Tang Long was only allowed to fight Tang Ling honorably.
It was obvious that Tang Ling had someone behind him, but the particular someone had a rather strange attitude. That person could not accept Tang Ling being bullied or killed by oppression but could accept him dying in the open or being killed in a fair and square fight.
The bodyguards were rather confused by the warning, and they started to lose track of the rules of the world. On the contrary, Tang Long gave a smile and said softly, “Let’s go,”
The meeting did not matter. As long as Higan stayed away from Tang Ling from now on, everything else could be settled.
Tang Ling would never be a match, even if he had won once out of luck.
“Bro, let’s go.” Han Xing felt that the meeting was nothing but bullsh*t. In order to save them the trouble, it would be best for him to drag Tang Ling away to avoid conflict.
Boss Huang was not a simple John Doe either. As long as they could get back to Dvesha Moha, Tang Long could not do anything.
“There’s no need to avoid them,” said Tang Ling to Han Xing. Even though he strongly believed in her, when he identified her cold gaze, it still stung Tang Ling’s heart a little.
Even if they were just friends, it was a little too…Was the lively Higan he met yesterday a fake?
They had been right there on Coastal Road yesterday. Did she not ask him to buy her food? In the end, because he had no money, all he could afford was the cheap icicles. He could buy her a lot more to eat today, but would she accept them now?
Probably not. She only spared a glance at Tang Ling and was not concerned about him after that, as if she was looking at a stranger.
They were not that far apart either, only a hundred meters or more away.
Tang Long soon brought Higan and everyone else closer to Tang Ling. The duo was less than 10 meters apart, just like their first meeting back in the grasslands, looking into each other’s eyes at such a close distance.
That night, Tang Long had been standing in the wagon, looking all superior and powerful whereas Tang Ling had been in disguise, pretending to be a nervous Drifter.
Today, Tang Long was in a white suit, still looking superior and powerful.
Tang Ling, on the other hand, had a ridiculous face cloth hanging over his neck. His hair was wet and his clothes were a little messed up by the drizzle while his hand was holding something black.
Rainwater danced between the two of them as the neverending sea breeze blew, causing the drizzle to dance in curves.
Tang Long was handsome, tall and shining while Tang Ling was also tall, decent-looking, but slightly shabbier.
At that very moment, Tang Long seemed to be the stronger one, but at a second glance, one would notice that the two teenagers were equally charming.
Tang Ling’s eyes were clear and deep, peaceful and influential. Coupled with his decent-looking face, it granted him an unusual appeal.
Some would think Tang Ling was not all that bad in terms of looks when compared to Tang Long. He was even filled with an unusual charm. Furthermore, he did not seem weak in front of Tang Long.
“It’s been a while,” Tang Long greeted Tang Ling as if it was nothing. He fished out a white handkerchief and started to wipe his hand. Having gone through three matches in the Desperado Ring, how could his hand be clean of blood?
The white handkerchief that was tainted with blood was tossed on the ground thereafter, and the drizzle wet it quickly enough.
It was a tiny act, but it was full of insult to Tang Ling.
Tang Ling did not care about it though. He looked at Higan and raised the item in his hand. “Present.”
No one understood what he meant or why he did it. They did not even know who he was talking to, but Higan did not answer.
The fire of anger burned in Tang Long’s heart, almost burning away the rein he had on his emotions. He stepped up and moved Higan behind him as he glared at Tang Ling’s eyes and said, “Have you heard of the Life Or Death Ring? If things go smoothly, I’ll make the necessary applications to start it within three days.”
“What does it have to do with me?” Tang Ling finally answered him. He could just ignore Tang Long because he never took Tang Long seriously, but he would never run away from a challenge. He was no idiot, so he knew that the Life Or Death Ring that was mentioned was a letter of challenge.
“Of course. The application process for the Life Or Death Ring is a complicated and tedious one. If you aren’t willing to go up with me, I’ll have to go through a lot and spend a fortune to start it from my side alone.
“But if you are willing to accept my challenge and sign a Life or Death pact, things will be a lot easier.” Tang Long was patient enough to explain what the Life Or Death Ring had to do with Tang Ling.
Meanwhile, Higan’s expression was hidden behind Tang Long’s tall figure.
“I don’t know why you are clinging onto me so tightly like a crazy dog, but I won’t run from any challenge,” said Tang Ling straightforwardly. He was not fond of Tang Long at all, so there was no need for courtesy. If he thought Tang Long clung on to him like a crazy dog, he would just say it out loud.
Nonetheless, Tang Long did not care about Tang Ling’s jeer, and he felt caring about it was not necessary. He looked at the drizzle descending from the sky before he looked into Tang Ling’s eyes, “Have you heard of the opportunity? Since we are putting our lives on the line, why not raise the stakes higher? Do you dare join me?”
“Spill it.” Tang Ling did not know what Tang Long was trying to do, but he would never back down.
“I suppose, as Tang Feng’s son, you won’t want to rely on other factions’ power to sail, so you must be sailing on your own with your own followers, am I right?”
Tang Long did not give Tang Ling a chance to speak as he continued, “How should I say this? Your father is the well-known leader of the Dragon Army, so how could his son not have any influence and power at all?”
It was then that the crowd gasped in surprise.
What kind of battle would this be? Were the sons of the storm standing face-to-face and initiating a battle?
Tang Long was the most outstanding God’s favored child of the era!
From the moment Tang Ling showed up in the public eyes, how many astonishing and unbelievable feats had he accomplished? Wiping out the Agnes family of Safety Sector No. 17 besides escaping the pursuit of the Stardust Council along the way and killing Draconic Seven, one of the Stardust Sixteen, with his own hands, some believed the world would change because of him!
The two of them were standing by the coastal line, talking about the Life Or Death Ring like it was an after-meal talk. Now, it seemed like they wanted to raise the stakes? How exciting could it be?
“Sh*t! I know him! Tang Ling is Mad Tiger from yesterday!” someone in the crowd cried in shock.
Never doubt the number of extraordinary people hiding in Darkness Port. Tang Ling did not have his face cloth or any disguise on, thus finding similarities between him and the ring defender from yesterday was not difficult.
The statement ignited the crowd like explosives and the volcanic reaction attracted more people to gather, causing Coastal Road to be jam-packed.
What a scene! What a rare and grand scene!
How dramatic could this become? It was Tang Ling versus Tang Long, and both of them had cleared the Desperado Ring one after another.
Even though Tang Long perfectly defended the ring in three matches, Tang Ling’s performance yesterday was also awe-inspiring despite welcoming an unexpected end. However, Tang Ling’s second match with Han Xing was so amazing that it surpassed all of Tang Long’s three matches.
Tang Ling was the first to ring the bell in the Desperado Ring.
Fairly speaking, Tang Long’s reputation was probably the reason why worthy opponents stayed away from him.
The other elite geniuses in the crowd would never have been satisfied to increase his fame and glory by stepping into the ring one by one. Even if the other geniuses wanted to fight, they would ring the bell by themselves and not step in as a challenger.
Other than these exhilarating, juicy facts that excited the crowd, the battle between the two of them involved some major gossip. For instance, what was the duo’s relationship with the queen, who was as beautiful as a deity?
Once Tang Ling was identified, the crowd immediately reacted to the situation. It was so much fun for them to gossip. Yesterday, it had been Tang Ling and today it was Tang Long…
However, the crowd’s response was nothing to both of them.
When Tang Long brought Tang Feng into this, Tang Ling felt a little frustrated. He stopped Tang Long and said, “I am who I am. Don’t involve unrelated people in this. Skip to the point.”
“Fine. After the Life Or Death Ring, one of us won’t be able to sail anymore. I suppose I don’t have to elaborate. You should understand that either you or I will be left standing in the ring, and a dead man cannot sail.
“However, it won’t stop us from playing a little simulation game. How about we start recruiting our crew for the voyage when the ring starts? The freedom to set the rules is high.
“So, I want to compete something else with you—the power of appeal. I want to see which one of us can rally an army with a single call when we step into battle. What do you think?” Tang Long finally got to the point.
Tang Ling chuckled. “The young master of the Stardust Council playing a game of appeal? Isn’t that a little too simple?”
“No, no, no, normal people aren’t counted. Didn’t you notice? Things are brewing in the dark in Darkness Port. Geniuses of our age have gathered. Only geniuses with a certain standard are qualified to join us in our little game.” A tinge of excitement flashed in Tang Long’s eyes.
Sparks of excitement were revealed in Tang Ling’s gaze as well. He emphasized word for word, “Are you saying to bring everyone else into our little game of Life Or Death?”
The Life Or Death Ring was not actually a battle ring or an arena. It was just a metaphor, and the freedom to set the rules determined that it could be played in many different ways, as long as life and death were determined at the end.
Tang Long wanted to crush Tang Ling entirely, not just strength-wise. He also wanted to prove that he was stronger than Tang Ling in other aspects. What else held more glory than winning the trust of the geniuses and rallying them to his cause?
He could also recruit the geniuses as his crew for the voyage, thus killing two birds with one stone. Since he wanted to go big and raise the stakes, he ought to reign over everything with absolute power.
On the other hand, Tang Ling was never afraid of a challenge, and that was it.
The crowd exploded. It was too damned exhilarating to them! Recruiting the young geniuses to their fight? What kind of rules would be set then?
The rules were not something that could be set overnight, but that did not stop Tang Long from answering, “Yes, let’s bring every genius into our little game.”
“Then, it’s settled,” Tang Ling accepted the challenge boldly.
The crowd exploded in cheers and excitement.
Amidst the commotion, no one noticed and could not notice Higan’s palm already bleeding under her sleeve.