Starting with helping Zhao Kai ascend the throne in the snow

Just as the situation reached a stalemate, a guard suddenly shouted from not far away, "His Highness the Prince of Yue has arrived."

The next second, Zhao Kai, accompanied by a golden-armored general and escorted by hundreds of guards, arrived at Shen Qing's location.

"Brother Shen, what's going on?" Zhao Kai asked in a low voice with a serious expression as he approached Shen Qing.

It turned out that after Zhao Kai sent Han Shengxuan out, he waited for a long time but Han Shengxuan did not return to report. So he immediately sent people to inquire about the news again. Before long, he learned that the leopard demon was surrounded and killed by a group of martial artists outside the city.

Upon learning that the leopard demon had been surrounded and killed by tens of thousands of martial artists, Zhao Kai felt relieved, thinking that the matter would soon be over and someone would come to report the news to him.

However, Zhao Kai waited and waited but received no news. Finally, he couldn't sit still any longer, so he personally led his men to the outside of the city to check the situation and see why tens of thousands of warriors had been unable to defeat even a single leopard demon for almost two hours.

The scene along the way was horrifying for Zhao Kai. Corpses littered the ground, and severed limbs and broken bones were everywhere, undoubtedly proving how brutal the battle had just taken place. Zhao Kai also saw Lu Qi, who was surrounded by a group of martial artists. His cheetah-like beastman form confirmed to Zhao Kai that the rumors about the leopard demon were true.

"Brother Zhao, let's talk about this when we get back. Right now, we need to figure out a way to solve this big problem first," Shen Qing whispered to Zhao Kai, then looked solemnly at Lu Qi, who stood calmly in the encirclement.

For Shen Qing, Lucci's arrival was a complete surprise. He panicked under Lucci's pursuit and mistakenly chose the reverse travel mode, which gave Lucci the opportunity to board the black ship and arrive in the snow world.

Just now, while Lucci was engaged in a fierce battle, Shen Qing also tried to activate the Black Ship to see if he could directly expel Lucci back to the pirate world, but he failed due to Lucci's mental resistance.

Shen Qing guessed that only with Lucci's cooperation could the Black Ship be activated to send him back. This was the reason why it was easy to invite a god but difficult to send him away. Or perhaps the Black Ship would only be forced to expel Lucci when his mental energy was exhausted.

Because Blackbeard was careless, Lucci discovered the Door-Door Fruit. Faced with the death of his former teammate Bruno, the hatred between Shen Qing and Lucci could not be resolved and could only end with the death of one of them.

Furthermore, Lucci has already arrived in the Snow World and discovered Shen Qing's biggest secret. Therefore, it is impossible for Shen Qing to wait until his mental energy is exhausted and the Black Ship automatically forces Lucci back to the pirate world. Once that time comes, Lucci will tell Shen Qing's secret to the World Government, which will not only implicate Doflamingo and Mihawk, but the pirate world will also issue a comprehensive manhunt for him. Once he reappears in the pirate world, he will inevitably be hunted down by the World Government.

Therefore, for Shen Qing, the secret of the Black Ship must not be exposed, and Lucci will only face death. Only the dead can keep the secret from being leaked.

"Young Shen, we can't wait any longer. That guy's strength is steadily recovering." While Shen Qing was still deep in thought, the old sword god looked at Lu Qi's figure and said with a solemn expression. He keenly sensed that as time went by, Lu Qi's breathing was gradually returning to normal, clearly indicating that he was continuously recovering his strength.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qing took a deep breath. He knew he couldn't wait any longer. These martial artists had been surrounding and killing Lu Qi for over an hour, which had certainly depleted Lu Qi's strength. If he were to recover, it would be a loss.

Moreover, from the time he traveled to the pirate world to the time he traveled back, and then to the great battle, a considerable amount of time has passed. Shen Qing's mental energy has been greatly depleted, and he is now yawning repeatedly. According to Shen Qing's estimate, if he cannot defeat Lucci in about three more hours, he will run out of mental energy. At that time, Lucci will be forcibly sent back to the pirate world by the Black Ship, which is definitely not what Shen Qing wants to see.

However, Shen Qing frowned slightly when he saw that there were still tens of thousands of martial artists surrounding them. The presence of so many martial artists was quite a problem.

If Lucci is defeated and escapes, these people will become a hindrance and a burden. There is also the possibility that when Lucci is about to die, these people will take advantage of the situation and swarm him. Therefore, we must get rid of these people first, and it would be best to make them speechless in a legitimate way.

Shen Qing's heart immediately stirred, and he pointed at Lu Qi, loudly proclaiming, "Listen everyone, on behalf of the Prince of Yue, I promise that whoever can kill the leopard demon will directly win first place in this martial arts examination. Not only that, but gold, silver, and martial arts manuals will also be offered. Moreover, after killing the leopard demon, the Prince of Yue's mansion will not keep the leopard demon's flesh and blood to itself, but will share it with the killer. Those who are willing to agree, please come to my side to register."

As Shen Qing finished speaking, there was a slight commotion in the room, but it quickly subsided. Shen Qing's offer was tempting, but the power of the leopard demon was evident to all the martial artists present. Thousands of martial artists had risked their lives to prove to them that the leopard demon was not so easy to deal with. Therefore, everyone chose to remain silent, not daring to make a rash response.

However, this was exactly the answer Shen Qing wanted. He wanted to use this fair and square method to leave these martial artists speechless.

Shen Qing repeated his offer three times. Just when he thought no one would agree, Wen Hua strode up to Shen Qing and said, "Lord Shen, I, Wen Hua, am willing to exorcise demons for Prince Yue."

"Wen Hua, are you out of your mind?" Wu Liuding and Wen Hua were good friends, and upon seeing Wen Hua's actions, Wu Liuding immediately asked in surprise. Cuihua was also shocked and opened her eyes.

They had clearly witnessed the leopard demon's strength from the sidelines, and it was far beyond their capabilities to deal with.

"Six cylinders are always a risky business. If you don't take a chance while you're young, you'll regret it when you're old," Wen Hua said with a chuckle.

What he didn't say was that before he came to Yuezhou, Li Baishi had promised him that if he could get the top score in the martial arts examination, Li Baishi would marry him.

From the moment Wen Hua first saw Li Baishi, her image filled his heart and mind. She was the woman he was willing to give his life to protect, and therefore, Wen Hua was willing to give everything for her, even his life. (Except for Xu Fengnian, of course.)

After Shen Qing explained the rules of the martial arts examination, Wen Hua thought he had no chance of winning first place. Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and he saw a difficult shortcut.

However, Wen Hua is not one to fear difficulties. As long as he is for the sake of his beloved, he will be fearless and will even kill the leopard demon with his sword.