Next came the second round of the arena matches.
Only twenty-four contestants remained, and the drawing of lots proceeded quickly! They were divided into twelve groups!
Oh, I'm in group one.
An Yi cupped his large hand, looking at the extremely slender lot drawn in his palm.
What a coincidence, so am I!
Via of the Ghost Hand clan passed by, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth: Minotaur, you'd better pray for good fortune.
My opponent is that guy named Hu Fei.
Tu Langlang whispered: I heard him call out that he was in group seven just now.
Langlang, fight if you can, surrender if you can't. An Yi patted his shoulder and said.
Tu Langlang nodded solemnly: Okay.
After a short rest, the second round of arena matches in the afternoon began.
Arena, Group One.
An Yi stepped onto the platform. Via was already there, flexing his thick arms in wait.
Heh, interesting. I never thought a scene fit for the finals would have us meeting ahead of time.
Via said quietly.
He could tell that this ugly minotaur was undoubtedly the strongest among the many martial artists present!
Only this minotaur barely qualified as his opponent.
An Yi raised an eyebrow.
To be honest, this guy with the big rough hands did have some skill.
The scene from before, where he crushed a Level 4 demon beast with one hand, was still vivid in An Yi's mind.
Want to make a bet! Via grinned.
An Yi raised an eyebrow: Bet what?
If I win, you become my subordinate and return to the Ghost Hand clan with me!
Via said seriously.
Hearing this, An Yi broke out in a cold sweat!
No way, even looking like this, someone still covets his good looks, and it's a man!
An Yi asked curiously: And if you lose?
Via, brimming with confidence, said arrogantly: I can't possibly lose!
An Yi: ...
Ding! Triggered mission [Recruit the Ghost Hand Clan]! Mission reward: Evil Power Value +20! [Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
The system's voice sounded.
An Yi chuckled lightly: In that case, if you lose, become my subordinate.
An absurd wager, but I'm willing to try.
Via said, then waved his hand and clenched his fist. His entire pitch-black arm swelled to an enormous size, his fist reaching half a meter in diameter!
Seeing this, Murong Qinghong's breathing became rapid.
This is the Ghost Hand clan, born with the innate ability to control dark spiritual power! They are natural-born warriors!
Facing an unarmed opponent, An Yi naturally wouldn't take advantage.
So, he took out a handful of steel needles and scattered them.
Streaks of steel needles shot forth, dense as a curtain of rain!
Despicable!
Via's eyes turned icy. He opened his large hand, forming it like a shield.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The dense needles struck the large hand.
A flicker of coldness passed through Via's eyes.
No one would expect such a large, bulky guy to use hidden weapons, such underhanded and sneaky tricks.
Just then, Via's hair stood on end.
Without thinking, he turned and threw a punch!
Thud!
The dagger clashed with the fist. Via's body was forced back, sliding over ten meters before he slowly came to a stop.
A miscalculation. An Yi sighed slightly.
A sneak attack from behind undoubtedly maximized damage, but martial artists generally knew that exposing your back to an opponent was akin to suicide.
An opponent of Via's caliber didn't give An Yi that chance.
Via's expression darkened. He clenched his fist and struck the ground!
Threads of coiling dark spiritual power, like long snakes, swept towards An Yi.
The sharp dark spiritual power was quite intimidating!
Whoa!
An Yi let out a shout. Bound by the dark spiritual power, he was completely immobilized.
Good!
Murong Qinghong's eyes lit up, a smile appearing.
Via laughed proudly: Minotaur Chen! It's not too late to surrender!
Comfortable!
The corners of An Yi's mouth turned up in a smile as he murmured softly: Devour!
Wisps of dark spiritual power flowed along his arm, slowly surging into him, black light swirling around his body.
In that instant, Via's expression changed dramatically.
Because he discovered that the dark spiritual power he had released had vanished!
You... what did you do! Via's face looked strange as he demanded.
He never expected that An Yi could somehow erase his spiritual power without a trace!
An Yi grinned, revealing a wicked smile.
Unfortunately, in his current minotaur form, it looked indescribably terrifying.
Devour was a unique skill of the Night Gate!
For dark spiritual power of the same attribute, devouring it was almost too easy, especially when the opponent's strength was lower than his own!
Via felt a vague sense of unease. With a loud roar, he charged forward.
Then, a chill ran down his neck.
A crimson dagger was pressed against his throat.
Take one more step, and you die. An Yi said calmly.
The Soul-Severing Dagger wasn't exactly short, but in his large hand, it looked like he was holding a toothpick, creating an indescribably comical scene.
Via's expression calmed. He said in a low voice: I've lost.
Outside the arena, a Heavenly Palace martial artist announced loudly: Group One! Victor decided, winner: Minotaur Chen!
Seeing this, Murong Qinghong stood up angrily and left the arena.
Xu Kang noticed this and sighed slightly.
Barring any surprises, this minotaur had a high chance of winning the championship outright!
Tsk tsk, now that would be interesting.
Ding! Mission [Recruit the Ghost Hand Clan] completed!
Ding! Evil Power Value +20! Obtained [Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
The sound of the mission completion left An Yi momentarily confused.
Didn't it say recruit the Ghost Hand clan!
May I ask, how many people are left in your Ghost Hand clan? An Yi asked curiously.
Via's eyes dimmed. He said somberly: They all died in battle. I'm the only one left!
An Yi: ...
This system reward was actually pretty good.
[Primary Dark Spirit Arts Proficiency]!
An Yi clicked to view it, and his smile froze.
It was all stuff he had learned as a kid!
The system rewarded him with nothing new!
On another side.
Gu Changfeng remained dashing as ever.
Although his strength wasn't particularly impressive, he was fortunate that the opponents he encountered weren't too strong.
Hua Fengyu had a somewhat tough fight but ultimately defeated a talented disciple from the Plum Blossom Manor at the cost of minor injuries.
Only Tu Langlang's fight was difficult, and it still hadn't ended.
His opponent was Hu Fei!
The young master of the Evil Dragon Gang, a Void Realm peak martial artist, whose strength completely overpowered Tu Langlang's.
Relying on his outstanding speed, Hu Fei attacked Tu Langlang relentlessly with his twin blades.
Tu Langlang's hands were wreathed in black light. He actually used his bare hands to block the attacks!
Little guy, why don't you fight back?
Hu Fei grinned, his blades striking faster and faster. But Tu Langlang still chose passive defense, steady and terrifyingly calm.
In contrast, Hu Fei, unable to break through after prolonged attacks, grew anxious, his blade technique becoming disordered!
Tu Langlang seized the opportunity, dark spiritual power coalescing into a sphere in his hands.
Shadow Sphere!
Tu Langlang blocked Hu Fei's blades with his hands, dark spiritual power gathering in his fist.
Weakening Force!
Tu Langlang's eyes focused with black light.
Hu Fei instantly felt his body grow weak, unable to muster any strength.
Shadow Slash!
Tu Langlang's eyes flashed sharply. The sphere in his hand transformed into two black, blade-like streaks that shot out swiftly!
Sslash!
Blood spurted from Hu Fei's chest as he fell heavily wounded!
Noticing this, An Yi was stunned.
He only now realized that this little demon brother of his seemed... not so simple!
In Huangcheng, within the Heavenly Palace dungeon.
Click!
Murong Qinghong unlocked a cell door.
Inside, a lean young man about two meters tall was imprisoned.
At the moment, the young man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, meditating with his eyes closed. Beside him lay a massive black axe.
The chains on his arms made it clear he was imprisoned.
Big guy, it's your turn to act. I'll grant you your freedom.
Murong Qinghong said leisurely.
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
