Little Sorcerer, Divine Doctor

Chapter 690 - 182: Brutal Battlefield

Out of the twenty-four contestants, more than half expressed strong dissatisfaction.

They entered the competition either for fame or for profit, but to risk their lives for it was never their intention.

"Sorry, gentlemen, when you joined the Arena, you had signed a life-and-death agreement, stating clearly that as long as you’re within the Sky Wings Arena for a day, you must unconditionally comply with the Arena’s arrangements," Tianyidong had anticipated the contestants’ disagreement.

The contestants frowned one by one, cursing internally, considering this to be a tyrannical decree.

But they had indeed signed that agreement, and if they violated the Arena’s rules, they would face exorbitant claims for damages.

The Sky Wings Arena would also hunt them down across the continent.

"A shrink back is a slash, a stretch forward is also a slash, let’s fight!" The four members of the First Team who drew the Ice River Mad Elephant stepped forward.

"The first match is about to begin, please have the remaining contestants from Teams Two to Six proceed to the resting room to rest."

Members from Teams Two to Six returned to the resting room with indescribable emotions.

No one wanted to stay and watch the match; everyone was thinking about how to deal with the upcoming contests.

Not long after entering the resting room, they heard a rumble like that of an earthquake.

Someone asked, "Who knows how the results turned out."

"No matter what, we still need to compete. We are already meat on the chopping block, ready to be swallowed no matter what," said Chen Yong’an, a contestant from the Sixth Team.

The Sixth Team, that is the team who had previously drawn the Unicorn.

By now, all four of them had already studied the information about the Bright Unicorns.

Chen Yong’an was a typical Martial Artist, with a face full of beard and casual clothing, appearing somewhat unkempt.

The two peafowl-like men and women from Lion Heart frowned the moment they saw him, as if they had seen something filthy.

Everyone remained silent, listening to the commotion in the direction of the competition area.

"Waiting is waiting anyway, why not have a few drinks to bolster some courage?" Chen Yong’an pulled out a water bag filled with high-concentration sorghum liquor.

For Martial Artists, liquor is like a second weapon.

It can embolden, invigorate the blood, and sometimes even treat common wounds.

Having said that, he took a drink himself before casually passing it to Yan, who was closest to him.

Yan and the Flame Emperor both had a good impression of this rough man.

Without hesitation, Yan took over the liquor, didn’t even wipe off the spout of the water bag, and took a gulp.

It was the roughest sort of sorghum liquor, the taste was nothing but fiery as soon as it hit the mouth, lacking any real flavour of alcohol. By comparison, Yan already missed immensely the Elf Fruit Wine stored in her Beast Language ring.

The texture was exquisite, and the liquor was strong – it’s a pity the ring was confiscated by Elder Helian.

Seeing this, Emperor felt it would be rude to refuse, and so, following Yan’s example, took a gulp.

"Hey, you must be Flame Emperor, I’m rooting for you! Women can actually be this spirited!" Seeing Flame Emperor’s uninhibited manner, the rough man Chen Yong’an smiled with a face full of creases.

Rivals in the Arena, friends outside of it.

That’s the mark of a true Competitor.

The liquor bag was passed along, and everyone felt a sense of brotherhood in adversity.

However, when it reached Li Xinyue, she abruptly threw the liquor bag away, "Disgusting. What is this time to be drinking, are you all eager to have a departure drink?"

Li Xinyue’s words, laden with a suggestion of death, were tremendously offensive at a critical time like this.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yong’an’s face flushed red with anger.

"You crazy woman, what’s wrong with your brain? That’s my liquor, if you’re insane go roll somewhere else!" He rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue with Li Xinyue.

"Chen Yong’an, dare to lay a finger on her and see what happens!" Huang Fushi gave Chen Yong’an a side glance.

The other’s cultivation was inferior to his.

"Brother Chen, let it go; it’s just a bag of wine. After the competition is over, if there’s a chance, I’ll treat you to the finest Elf Fruit Wine," Yan gestured and stepped forward to mediate, grabbing hold of Chen Yong’an.

Chen Yong’an was not ready to let things slide but found that the hand Yan was pressing down on could not budge at all.

Only then did Li Yong realize that the little girl, though frail-looking, was far from simple.

The earlier rumors that the Flame Emperor was merely a name without substance seemed to be just that—rumors.

None of the participants in the annual competition were weak. Li Yong might look rough but was actually discerning and had a keen eye for people.

"Elf Fruit Wine? For your sake, let’s call it even. I’ll be waiting for that drink of yours," Li Yong chuckled, giving face to Yan.

"Let’s see if you live to have that drink," Li Xinyue interjected from the side.

"Woman, say that one more time, I dare you!" Chen Yong’an’s anger was rekindled.

Fortunately, at that moment, the first match had ended.

"The first contest has concluded. The second contest shall commence, with the Second Team taking the stage," announced a staff member who walked into the Arena.

No sooner had the person come in than the other competitors immediately gathered around.

"Who won?" Huang Fushi asked eagerly.

"The Ice River Mad Elephant was killed. However, among the four from the First Team, one died, one was injured, and two survived. The one injured at the last moment was trampled by the berserk Ice Elephant, crushing his spine. I’m afraid he’ll have to spend the rest of his life in bed," the staff member announced mechanically.

Such a brutal outcome of the contest took everyone present by surprise.

This news made the earlier conflict seem suddenly trivial.

"The Second Team, hurry up and take the stage. The Third Team’s competitors, prepare yourselves."

The annual competition will last the entire day, its duration varying depending on the strength of the Demon Beasts and the competitors.

The first contest lasted but an hour.

Given this timeframe, it wouldn’t be long before it was time for the third contest.

The third contest would pit the Third Team against the Hell Bird.

However, there was an additional piece of news before the end of the second contest.

The first contest had a direct impact.

Once the news of several members of the First Team being killed or injured spread, the betting odds manipulated by the Dark Night Pavilion soared.

The odds, which were originally overwhelmingly in favor of the annual competition’s competitors, were turned on their head.

By the start of the second round of contests, the odds had shifted from an initial one-to-one to three-to-one.

This round, several teams couldn’t contain themselves, and Li Yong and others went out to watch the competition.

Persuaded by Huang Zaiyan, they were meditating in the rest area.

The second contest lasted longer than the first.

It was about an hour and a half later when a result was declared.

"The Second Team lost. The Molten Lizard’s attack power was astonishing," Chen Yong’an announced the result as soon as he walked in.

He no longer had the mood to joke about drinking as he did earlier; his expression was grave.

The skin and flesh of the second Demon Beast, the Molten Lizard, were tough and thick. The competitors needed a long time to defeat it, consuming a large amount of their strength.

In the final moments, the Molten Lizard suddenly unleashed a High-level Magic—Molten Lava Volcano; the scene was extremely dire.

Of the four competitors, two died and two were injured.

The Molten Lizard emerged victorious.

Such an outcome further added to the already tense atmosphere in the competitors’ resting area.