Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
There came a moment when the noises outside the private room died down as Pei Bu Wan was heard saying, “It’s your turn.”
Yang Kai opened his eyes and slowly got to his feet.
The door was pushed open from the outside. A man was standing at the door as he cupped his fists, “Shopkeeper Pei, I’m here to bring your challenger to the arena.”
Pei Bu Wan nodded and waved his hand, “Bring him with you.”
The man scanned the private room and stared fixedly at Yang Kai; then, he stepped aside and extended his hand, “Please.”
“Sir Yang, you must be careful,” Luo Hai Yi said from behind him.
Without turning his head, Yang Kai waved his hand and followed the man out of the room.
After he was gone, Pei Bu Wan hinted at a shop hand beside him with his gaze. The shop hand gulped and asked, “Sir Shopkeeper, how much would you like to bet?”
“Everything!” Pei Bu Wan said firmly.
Upon hearing that, the shop hand turned pale in an instant, “Sir Shopkeeper, please don’t act on a whim! You’ve tried very hard to borrow the money to balance the accounts already. If you lose, you won’t be able to explain yourself to the headquarters.”
“If you dare to keep spouting nonsense, I’ll rip your mouth off!” Pei Bu Wan bellowed.
The shop hand immediately covered his mouth.
“Cut the crap and make the bet now!”
The shop hand looked through the gap between his fingers and asked apprehensively, “Do you want to bet it all on that Yang Kai?”
“Are you going to bet on Yu Luo Sha, then?” An infuriated Pei Bu Wan directly kicked the shop hand out of the room and turned around to look at the arena. With a hideous expression, he suddenly grinned and turned to gaze at Luo Hai Yi, “Whether this King makes a fortune or falls into the gutter depends on this brat now. He must win this.”
Although he was the shopkeeper of Hundred Refining’s Hall, he was inept at running a business. Furthermore, he was addicted to gambling. While he was in charge of the shop in this city, he lost a lot of money instead of making any profit.
Soon, those from the headquarters would come over to check the accounts, so if he couldn’t come up with a way to fill the discrepancy, he would be punished. Although he had borrowed money from everyone and even put up his own artifacts as collateral for some loans, there was still a huge discrepancy.
With not much time left, he decided to attempt making a fortune in the Asura Arena.
Although the winner of a fight in the arena could get a reward, it was nothing compared to the bets outside of the arena. Otherwise, Pei Bu Wan wouldn’t have looked for competent people to fight in the arena. Some time ago, he had found a suitable candidate, but that candidate was defeated by Yang Kai with ease, which made Pei Bu Wan realise there was a way he could make some quick money.
As long as Yang Kai could win the battle, not only could Pei Bu Wan fill the discrepancy in the account books, but he could also clear his debts. He wouldn’t become wealthy, but at the very least, he wouldn’t be sleeping on pins and needles anymore.
However, if Yang Kai lost, that would mean the end of the world for Pei Bu Wan. He had made a bet with his future and fate on the line. Earlier, he didn’t tell Yang Kai about it because it wasn’t necessary, and he was worried that Yang Kai might feel pressured.
Upon seeing his hideous smile, Luo Hai Yi turned pale as she didn’t know how to reply.
On the other hand, Yang Kai followed the man to pass through a passageway and reach the end where there was a closed door that blocked his way.
Yang Kai turned to look at the man, who flashed a smile at him, “Just wait here.”
At the same time, he could hear thunderous cheering coming from the other side of the door. It was apparent that the spectators in the arena were fervent.
The arena must be on the other end of the door. Presently, someone was introducing Yu Luo Sha in an enticing manner. Despite the noises, Yang Kai could still clearly hear the introduction. Yu Luo Sha had a record of one hundred and seventy-two wins, eight draws, and one loss. This kind of record could be said to be horrifying, and she could be considered a top cultivator in the same realm.
Furthermore, sixty percent of Yu Luo Sha’s opponents were killed in the arena and thirty percent of them became crippled, leaving just ten percent of them alive and healthy.
Following that announcer’s enthusiastic introduction, the cheers in the arena became increasingly louder.
The next instant, the announcer introduced the other participant in a loud voice, “The challenger today is a rookie, Yang Kai!”
Right after he finished speaking, the door in front of Yang Kai slowly lifted, which allowed the light to shine in. Following the thunderous cheering, the arena came into sight.
The announcer went on to rile up the crowd, “Is he fearless because he knows nothing? Or is he a powerful challenger? We shall see!”
“Let’s go,” The man, who was standing beside Yang Kai, smiled.
“Many thanks,” Yang Kai cupped his fists and shuffled forward.
The man behind him said, “Kid, you can admit defeat if you can’t win the battle. It won’t be fun anymore if you lose your life.”
Upon entering the arena, Yang Kai realised that he was standing on a platform. A thousand metres away there was another platform where another figure stood.
Apparently, this was Yang Kai’s opponent, Yu Luo Sha. Yang Kai raised his head and realised that, just like what he had expected, his opponent was a woman.
When he saw the name Yu Luo Sha earlier, he had a feeling that the person was a woman; after all, no man would use such a name. Now, he was proven right.
Yu Luo Sha was a tall woman with fair skin and a rich figure. Her clothes were simple as her tight-fitting outfit perfectly outlined her curves. Her arms, which were as fair as white jade, were exposed as they dazzled the beholder. Although she was just standing there in silence, Yang Kai could feel a murderous intent wafting from her.
Apparently, this woman had killed many people.
As their eyes met, Yang Kai nodded gently at her, while she sported a dispassionate expression. There didn’t seem to be any emotion behind her alluring gaze.
Just then, the view around them started changing. The stands around them disappeared as they were blocked by a barrier, and in the next instant, the terrain weltered as a scorching aura permeated the air.
In just a short moment, the entire arena had turned into a desert.
Yang Kai lifted his head and saw a bright sun hanging in the sky. The heat was so blistering that the air seemed to warp. At that instant, he was astonished. He had heard Pei Bu Wan mention that the terrain in the arena could be changed, but he hadn’t expected that they could even make a sun appear.
Apparently, the desert was the battlefield that had been selected randomly. Things were now easier for him as there was basically nothing in the desert, not even a place to hide. No one could use any dirty tricks in this kind of environment, making a head-on clash the only option.
Next, Yang Kai caught a glimpse of a figure flashing across his eyes, and the next instant, a gale was swept towards him, causing him to burst into laughter and mutter, “Why do all of you love to launch attacks without even saying hello?”
This was a repeat of what he had experienced in Hundred Refining’s Hall just yesterday; however, Yang Kai soon came to the realisation that extreme methods were permitted in this arena, so Yu Luo Sha’s actions couldn’t be considered a sneak attack. On the contrary, it was his fault for reacting too slowly.
Still, as Yang Kai said his first word, he immediately flew backwards, and when he was done saying the last word, he already pushed out a fist.
Yu Luo Sha could be seen parrying the attack with a palm, but just before their two attacks came into contact, her arm started twisting like it was a boneless viper as it wrapped around Yang Kai’s fist and struck for his chest.
Although Yang Kai was surprised by the move, he wasn’t really caught off guard by it. With a grin, he didn’t even try to dodge her attack as the energy around his fist surged.
The next moment, both of them were struck as they were sent flying backwards. Yang Kai grunted as he felt the vitality in his chest roiling. At the same time, a kind of malevolent Qi penetrated his meridians and physique through the point of impact.
With a frown, Yang Kai hurriedly circulated his strength to resolve this Qi as he gritted his teeth. It might have looked like a draw just now, but he knew he was the one who suffered a loss in reality. The fist he landed on his opponent’s shoulder didn’t harm her one bit. As soon as his fist came into contact with her body, she subtly withdrew her shoulder and used a mysterious power that made him feel like he had punched a pile of cotton.
Realising that he had come across a tough opponent, Yang Kai finally became serious. His biggest advantages were his intrepid physique and immense strength. No cultivator in the same realm could be sturdier than he was; however, when faced with an opponent like Yu Luo Sha, it was difficult to make use of his advantages.
On the other hand, Yu Luo Sha did a backflip in mid-air and lifted her hand, upon which a blood-coloured bow appeared. Then, she drew her other hand backwards, whereupon a blood-coloured arrow took shape. The next instant, the arrow left the bow and broke through the air.
Both the bow and the arrow were not artifacts. Instead, they had been materialised from her own power, so she hadn’t broken the rules of the arena.
The sound of something cutting through the air was heard as her blood-coloured arrows blocked all the ways Yang Kai could flee and closed in on him.
[Her arrows are quite quick!] Yang Kai turned solemn as he flicked his fingers, whereupon his dark Moon Blades greeted her blood-coloured arrows, collapsing them on impact. When the last arrow broke apart, Yu Luo Sha suddenly appeared in front of him as though she had ignored the barrier of space and used Instantaneous Movement.
Her slender hand lightly reached for Yang Kai’s eyes, like she was about to pick some flowers or peaches.
Yang Kai was taken aback when he saw her trying to dig out his eyes and instinctively, all his energy surged to protect himself while at the same time, he faced upwards.
Her slender hand was slightly hindered, but she soon turned her claw into a blade and slashed at his neck.
Although it was just a fair hand, it was just as sharp as any sword. Despite the fact that Yang Kai had a Dragon physique, his head would be severed from his body if he was struck by this blade hand.
With no other way to dodge the attack, Yang Kai clenched his teeth and quickly used Nihility, merging his figure with the Void.
Yu Luo Sha’s hand penetrated his figure, but she realised that she hadn’t struck a real body. A tinge of surprise flashed across her eyes, which were usually as calm as an ancient well. The next instant, she exerted more force with her hand and shattered the surrounding space.
Yang Kai grunted again as his figure materialised. Following that, he stomped his feet on the ground to widen his gap with this aggressive woman.
Instead of immediately launching another attack though, Yu Luo Sha just watched him in silence. When he managed to stabilize himself, she gently nodded and said, “Not bad.”
Her tone was calm and without a hint of mockery. She seemed to be sincerely complimenting him, but one could hardly tell whether that was true from her tone.
Yang Kai looked away and spat out a mouthful of blood. Although he had used Nihility to dodge the attack at the critical moment, he was still harmed as he felt all his organs shift slightly. Then, he said with a grin, “You’re not bad either.”
The woman indeed had a lot of combat experience. She did live up to her status as a disciple from Asura Cave Heaven. He didn’t even have the time to take a breather since the battle began, which had never happened in the past.
