Blood drenched the vast arena floor.
The fierce clash between the two great demon beasts pushed everyone's nerves to the peak of excitement.
After an unknown length of time, the fire qilin, trampling the mangled Chang Hu beneath its feet, lowered its head and spewed a blast of searing flames!
One of his wings brutally torn away, Chang Hu let out shrill shrieks and thrashed frantically.
Before long, all sound ceased!
"Arooo—!"
"Aaargh!"
"Thrilling! Hahaha, that was bloody thrilling to watch!"
Countless people cheered, and even many who had lost money no longer cared.
The fire qilin tore open Chang Hu's skull and swallowed his beast core in a single gulp.
Then it began devouring the creature's flesh and blood.
Primitive instinct, a gory feast.
Watching this, Li Guanqi wore an inscrutable expression. He saw the numbness and void in Shi Lin's eyes.
Though tearing into his opponent's corpse with his head lowered, Shi Lin's eyes were filled with profound sorrow.
Yet he had no choice.
Until his next death match, he would receive no replenishment or food.
The corpse before him was his only hope of survival...
Li Guanqi let out a long sigh, rose slowly, and walked toward the exit passage.
Under the force of the beast-taming collar, Shi Lin reverted to human form. Blood dripped from his mouth, and he slumped numbly on the ground, covered in wounds.
Clenching his fists, he stared at the massive carcass before him with grief and fury.
His heart burned with endless rage.
He had cultivated diligently for thousands of years, finally taking human form and ascending to the Immortal Realm.
Yet here he was, fighting for survival just as he once had.
Eating the flesh of his own kind simply to stay alive.
Li Guanqi looked back at the arena floor, his eyes deep and contemplative.
Draped in his black robe, Li Guanqi slowly made his way out of the cramped, dark passage...
His gaze was distant throughout the walk; no one knew what he was thinking.
The clamor rang on in his ears—perhaps another combatant had already stepped onto that blood-soaked floor.
The spectators still did not care who lived or who died.
Stepping out of the beast-fighting arena, he couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.
The foul stench and thick smell of blood inside had made him uneasy.
"Phew..."
Li Guanqi looked up at the sky and took a deep breath of the fresh outer air, feeling a bit better at last.
Just then, several powerful auras approached at high speed!
One figure sped ahead, surrounded by dense blood mist—clearly having activated some kind of blood escape technique.
Behind him, two figures pursued in hot pursuit, unleashing a frenzy of sword light at the fleeing man.
Li Guanqi frowned slightly. All of them were Heavenly Immortal cultivators, though he had no idea what feud had brought the chase this far.
The fleeing cultivator had evidently reached the end of his rope, dodging his pursuers' attacks in desperation.
The spectacle drew the eyes of many onlookers.
A burly man chuckled and remarked, "Hey, looks like the beast-fighting arena's getting a newcomer!"
Someone chimed in with a laugh:
"Amusing. Wonder how far he ran to get here."
Li Guanqi frowned, puzzled. But before he could piece it together, the fleeing man flashed directly to the beast-fighting arena's entrance!
Biting the tip of his tongue, the man spat a mouthful of blood essence and screamed in terror,
"I want to sign the contract! Quick! I want to sign the contract!"
The man was sharp-eared and monkey-jawed, with a distinctly sinister look.
The gatekeeper of the beast-fighting arena smiled, produced a crimson parchment, and with a flash of spiritual light, instantly sealed the man's blood essence onto it!
The attacks from the two pursuers were already crashing down in a torrential wave.
The gatekeeper stepped forward, raising his sword to slash repeatedly!
Clang! Clang! Boom, boom, boom!
Sword light burst apart. Li Guanqi stood motionless, the stray sword radiance shattering three feet before him.
The gatekeeper smiled at the two pursuers and waved the blood contract in his hand.
"Gentlemen, this fellow belongs to our beast-fighting arena now. Please take your leave."
The two cultivators breathed heavily, dressed in matching robes, their eyes smoldering with reluctance.
Yet they merely shot a deep glance at the fallen man, gave a resentful snort, and turned away.
This scene stirred Li Guanqi's thoughts.
These rules... were rather intriguing.
The tall gatekeeper turned to look at Li Guanqi, having noticed his formidable strength when the wild sword qi had dispersed harmlessly before him.
"Is Fellow Daoist interested in the beast-fighting arena?"
"Care to come inside and have some fun?"
Beneath his black robe, Li Guanqi said nothing, turning and soaring off toward the inner bay.
The gatekeeper chuckled, scooped up the man on the ground, and tossed him casually to a subordinate.
"Put the blood contract away and take him inside."
With that, the gatekeeper glanced in Li Guanqi's direction, his expression unreadable.
"Heading into the inner bay at a time like this?"
"Could he be the advisor by Xiahou Cang's side?"
Pondering this, the gatekeeper gave a few instructions regarding the entrance and departed.
A short while later, in a quiet study on the beast-fighting arena's first subterranean level.
The man was on one knee. Behind a desk sat an elderly man flicking the beads of an abacus.
"Heh, interesting..."
"A young man stirred up the storm in the inner bay, turning six cities into three. Quite capable."
"Still, no need to worry overmuch. We mind our own business and keep out of the inner bay's waters. He likely just came to look around."
The white-haired elder had a youthful complexion and a kindly countenance. When he smiled, his eyes narrowed into slits, crow's-feet crinkling at the corners.
A lavish brown brocade robe lent his demeanor an air of immense majesty.
Setting down the abacus, the elder picked up a teacup and sipped, his eyes flickering slightly.
Suddenly he put down the cup, a sharp glint darting across his gaze.
"It seems this fellow's ambition isn't limited to the inner bay's six cities!"
At this thought, the elder rose, clasped his hands behind his back, and paced slowly.
Raising a finger toward the kneeling cultivator below, he said slowly,
"Make a trip to Xialin City. Tell this young fellow that the outer bay will not meddle in their affairs."
"Say only that sentence, then leave."
The man nodded in acknowledgment and vanished from the study in a blur.
Candlelight flickered as wisps of blue-gray smoke curled from the censer.
Turning his back to the desk, the elder muttered to himself,
"What a meticulous mind... A yin-yang master, or a diviner skilled in deduction?"
"Is he truly just a nobody with no backing?"
When the elder's face was devoid of expression, he exuded an unfathomable aura of mystery—the unmistakable bearing of someone long accustomed to high standing.
Suddenly, he paused, took out an exceptionally high-grade jade slip, and channeled his immortal essence into it.
"Elder Qiu, the sect received word that members of the Ye family from the Zhongtian Lands may pass through Dixiu Bay. Keep an eye out."
Hearing this, Qiu Yanji frowned slightly.
"Very well, this old man understands."
"They are only passing through. There shouldn't be any interaction."
"By the way, I've already sent people to deliver this year's earnings back to the sect. Be sure to tally them."
Putting away the jade slip, the elder sat back down and murmured,
"The Ye family of the Zhongtian Lands... What are they coming to the Fuyu Lands for?"
Upon returning to the Castellan Manor of Xialin City, Li Guanqi went straight to his courtyard.
Xiahou Cang and Yu Su did not dare question him.
Yet just as Li Guanqi stepped inside, his movements suddenly froze!
Turning slowly toward the space behind him, he saw the man who had invited him earlier standing right inside the room.
"Elder Qiu said the beast-fighting arena won't meddle in anything regarding the inner bay."
With that, the man vanished from the room.
Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. That man was exceptionally strong!
"A truly shrewd man..."
"In that case, the third move in the game can begin."
The reason he had held off for so long was that he feared East City or Donglin City had ties to the beast-fighting arena.
Chapter 1752