Beneath the beast colosseum, the first underground level was unusually quiet, stripped of the rank stench and deafening roars of the arena above.
The entire subterranean level had ceilings nearly ten zhang high, carved entirely from fine timber with intricate patterns and embedded with all manner of dazzling gemstones.
Rather than an arena's basement, it felt more like someone's tranquil private estate—yet sprawling over an area of nearly ten thousand zhang!
Li Guanqi cast only a couple of sweeping glances along the way, instantly sensing that this place was far from ordinary. He swallowed several pills in quick succession, beginning to suppress and refine the lingering flame energy inside him.
This, of course, did not escape the old man walking ahead of him.
Qiu Yanji kept his hands tucked into his sleeves. Along the corridor, numerous cultivators paused in their tracks and bowed respectfully at the sight of him.
With his back to Li Guanqi, the elder murmured, "You're quite a clever young friend. To borrow a tiger's skin when it isn't even yours—you certainly have nerve."
Saying this, the elder turned back to look at Li Guanqi with a faint smile.
Yet deep down, perplexity lingered in Qiu Yanji's mind.
He was burning with curiosity about what this young fellow's true identity was!
Why, when he had contacted the sect earlier, had the sect commanded him to confront Ye Lingyun head-on?
In all honesty, offending the Ye family of the Zhongtian Lands over an insignificant youngster was completely unwise.
If the entire beast colosseum answered solely to him, he would never have made an enemy of the Ye family.
Yet the directive handed down from the sect had been plain and simple:
Protect him at all costs!
Li Guanqi smiled faintly and replied softly, "Senior Qiu will likely find out before long. Junior was driven into a corner and had no other choice..."
Qiu Yanji raised a hand and patted Li Guanqi on the shoulder. In an instant, a power immense beyond compare extracted the lingering traces of Ye Lingyun's energy from Li Guanqi's body.
After crushing it to dust with a casual flick of his fingers, the old man looked at Li Guanqi with keen interest. "What is the situation inside the bay right now?"
Li Guanqi shrugged and rubbed his nose somewhat sheepishly. "The inner bay... cough... is gone. There is no inner bay anymore."
At those words, Qiu Yanji's pupils constricted slightly, a sharp glint flickering in his eyes as he stared at Li Guanqi.
After a long pause, the elder gave a thumbs-up and chuckled. "Impressive."
As they spoke, the two had already arrived at the entrance of the elder's study.
Pushing the doors open, the old man led Li Guanqi inside.
"Have a seat. No need to be so restrained."
With the foreign energy extracted from his body, Li Guanqi's Demon King Physique finally came into play, and his wounds began mending at a visible rate.
Qiu Yanji took a seat in a chair, leisurely adjusting his robes.
"Although I don't know what background you possess to make the faction behind me protect you..."
"However..."
The elder looked up at Li Guanqi with calm eyes.
"Here at the beast colosseum, my word is final, so your contract naturally stands."
"The colosseum has its rules, and you are no exception."
Hearing this, Li Guanqi's expression turned serious. "Of course. I never intended to go back on my word."
Qiu Yanji chuckled. "You're quite a straightforward little fellow."
Just as the elder was about to speak further, his brows suddenly furrowed.
With a wave of his sleeve, he opened the door, and a middle-aged man clad in black robes walked in.
Seeing Li Guanqi, the man gave a polite smile, then presented a jade slip with both hands, his voice grave.
"Elder Qiu, it is the family head of the Lin family from Qinzhou..."
The elder raised an eyebrow, cast a deep glance at Li Guanqi, and took the jade slip.
From within came Lin Jinting's gentle voice:
"Elder Qiu, I am Lin Jinting."
"Li Congxin is my nephew. Though I do not know the exact details of what occurred, I must ask Elder Qiu to be merciful. Whatever the price, I am willing to pay it."
Holding the jade slip, the elder looked at Li Guanqi with surprise in his eyes.
Nephew? A mere Lin family from Qinzhou isn't enough to make the sect change its mind.
Thoughts raced through Qiu Yanji's mind.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, this is not a matter of price. The colosseum has no rule permitting the release of prisoners!"
A mere Lin family of Qinzhou was truly not something Qiu Yanji held in high regard.
Still, the other party commanded a measure of respect.
In Qinzhou of the Fuyu Lands, the Lin family had four True Immortals within a single clan; they were indeed formidable.
Yet across the entirety of the Fuyu Lands, the presence of a Golden Immortal ancestor was what truly held decisive weight.
Relying on the Lin family alone... was not enough.
Setting aside the jade slip, Qiu Yanji gazed at the composed young man and said softly, "Is the Lin family the backing you rely on?"
Li Guanqi considered for a moment. Meng Wanshu's image rose in his mind, and the corners of his mouth curved up slightly.
With a flick of his wrist, he produced a jade pendant from his storage ring and set it on the table.
"Uncle Lin is merely a senior with whom I share a close bond; he must have been worried after hearing the news."
"As for coming to the beast colosseum, first, I believed its rules would hold firm."
"Second, I am confident I can fight my way out."
"If we speak of true backing... perhaps it is this."
The grey-haired elder frowned slightly and drew the jade pendant into his hand with a wave.
Upon closer inspection, the moment the pendant settled in his palm, the elder's expression stiffened.
The material of this jade pendant was something he had never even heard of, let alone seen!
"The material of this jade..."
The elder turned the pendant over. On the other side, several large characters were engraved in vigorous, flowing strokes:
Immortal Elder Yu!
As if striking upon a sudden realization, Qiu Yanji's breath caught in his throat, and the hand holding the pendant began to tremble faintly.
He did not know whether this 'Immortal Elder Yu' was the one he knew of.
Yet everything before him... perhaps only that legendary figure he had in mind could make this happen.
Perhaps only that Immortal Elder Yu from Dihuang Heaven could compel the Fuyu Immortal Sect to issue an absolute order to protect this youth at all costs!
Holding the jade pendant, the elder closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
With his left hand, he retrieved the contract scroll. After a long silence, he tossed the scroll back to Li Guanqi, his voice calm.
"Take it back."
"Elder Yu... is someone I cannot afford to cross."
Li Guanqi caught the contract scroll. He knew very well that he could simply crush it right now and walk away.
Yet he hesitated...
By now, Li Guanqi had barely recovered about twenty percent of his immortal primal energy. His body was still weak, his face somewhat pale.
Looking at the elder with utmost sincerity, he rose and cupped his hands in respect.
"Junior thanks Senior for your goodwill and understanding."
"Using authority to overpower others was never my wish."
"Moreover, I am deeply grateful that Senior stepped forward to protect me."
With that, Li Guanqi raised his hand and tossed over a storage ring.
The elder caught the ring and swept his divine sense through it. His left hand reflexively tightened around the armrest of his chair, a sharp light instantly flashing across his eyes!
"You brat really did empty out the six cities of the bay!"
Setting the ring gently aside, the elder looked down at it and murmured, "There must be the wealth of an entire city in here, wouldn't you say?"
He tucked his hands back into his sleeves and lifted his gaze toward Li Guanqi, asking softly, "Do you have anything else?"
Li Guanqi took a deep breath, looked at the elder, and unexpectedly tossed the scroll right back.
"If I leave now, no matter the reason, it would break the rules the beast colosseum has upheld for thousands of years!"
"I am willing to complete all one hundred battles here."
"However... I have one small request."
Chapter 1763