“Whose slave is that?? How dare they?!”
“Which bastard’s behind this? Get your ass out here!” Pandemonium overran the fighting ring as curses, insults, and exhortations heckled the Skyfall King’s master to show himself.
The young overseer was likewise taken aback. Granted, there were no concrete rules in the Colosseum that audience members had to adhere to when sending in their slaves. It was generally first come first serve and anyone had the right to throw down the gauntlet. The general selections that’d taken place before were just unspoken rules that the Multitude scions had come up with.
Despite this, someone flagrantly violating custom was also a slap at the overseer’s face. He had yet to stoke the atmosphere to its peak, and thus there were many not fully caught up in the general fervor.
If the fight took place in this kind of ambiance, it wouldn’t maximize the Colosseum’s profits.
Lu Yun bumped Dusksnow Morningstar’s shoulder with his. “Didn’t you just say you wanted to help me? Now’s your chance.”
Morningstar nodded with a rueful smile and stepped into public view.
“That’s mine.” His expression instantly changed into incredible aloofness.
“You’re… Dusksnow Morningstar who just defeated the Bloodclad Duke!” Overseer Xiao shuddered when he recognized the speaker. He didn’t care about Morningstar’s cultivation since the latter was just a half step king. Even his patron, fifth step king Starspace, would have to bow his head if he arrived at the Colosseum.
It was the half step king’s battle with the Bloodclad Duke earlier—the one that’d raked in an astonishing billion crystals for the Colosseum—that they valued.
Most importantly was that he had yet to become a titled king, so he might register for a second battle at the Colosseum! In light of that, Dusksnow Morningstar was a cornucopia for the organization.
As for the wealthy good-for-nothings and lazy socialites, they shrank in on themselves when they saw the speaker and didn’t dare make a peep. They were sheer clowns in front of Morningstar when even the Bloodclad Duke wasn’t a match.
Someone who triumphed over the Bloodclad Duke would be far from ordinary when he finally ascended to kinghood. He might start off at sixth step king!
“Ahem! Then let the fight begin since it’s Sir Morningstar’s slave. Everyone, you may place your bets now on whether Jin God loses or wins!”
“Dusksnow Morningstar’s fighter will certainly be no ordinary product. I bet that Jin God will lose everything and fail at fifty successive wins!”
“Uh huh uh huh! With Sir Morningstar making a move, that Jin God’s dead meat!”
……
As the betting commenced in earnest, the Skyfall King approached Jin Gushen.
“This servant is Sir Lu Yun’s Skyfall King. Greetings to Sir Jin Gushen,” he transmitted to the chaos denizen.
Jin Gushen’s eyes shot wide open.
“Please don’t take any reckless action. This old servant is in possession of a treasure that Sir Lu Yun wishes to lend to you. It will help you to a hundred successive wins and your freedom!”
With that, Jin Gushen felt an immense power trickle gently into his body.
This fighting ring was one for the lowliest of slaves; the best of its combatants were peak inferior realm with the occasional common realm. As a peak second step king, Skyfall only needed to slightly exert himself to perfectly bypass the ring’s rules.
After all, who would think that a second step king would lower himself to enter a fighting ring for an inferior realm slave?
Jin Gushen lifted his head blearily and failed to find a sign of Lu Yun in the audience stands. That was only natural, since his friend was choosing to send out Dusksnow Morningstar in his stead.
To be honest, Lu Yun could easily have used the simplest and roughest method of just purchasing Jin Gushen from the ring. However, he’d caught sight of someone familiar—the man in a white shirt they’d run into at the front doors to the Colosseum. It would seem that the third step king was one of the organization’s.
If he discovered Lu Yun and the little fox, unexpected troubles would likely develop. This was why Lu Yun was opting for this course of action.
Jin Gushen nodded slowly at the Skyfall King.
“You don’t need to hold back, Sir Jin. Just come at me with everything you have. Our fight is a true one to the death!” Skyfall continued.
Jin Gushen naturally understood Lu Yun’s intentions. This elder who could easily deliver a terrifying treasure into his body was certainly no ordinary individual. There was no fear of accidentally killing the old man.
“Let the fight begin!”
The two clashed together after a shout from Overseer Xiao. Jin Gushen pounced without reservation and fully displayed everything he had ever learned. He rained furious attacks down on the elder, who hit back with equal ferocity. Their colliding blows raised staggering explosions in the void.
“Yeah!”
“Jin God is really something, he’s got a ton of different methods. If he’s allowed to become a superior, there will be another formidable half step king in the world!”
“Morningstar’s old man isn’t bad either. The speed and bite behind his moves don’t seem like they belong to the inferior realm at all. It’s kind of crazy how a cultivator of his level is used as a fighter slave!”
The astounding display stunned many audience members. In their faction, inferior realm cultivators like Jin Gushen and the Skyfall King were carefully nurtured. They’d never be turned into a slave or sent into a fighting ring for entertainment.
As time went on, Lu Yun’s crystal mountain melded more thoroughly with Jin Gushen’s body and enhanced his strength. His moves grew ever more swift and forceful as a result.
While the Skyfall King’s every gesture seemed ruthless and out for Jin Gushen’s head, he was actually a sparring partner for the latter. All of his motions were carefully calculated to help Jin Gushen acclimate to his new level of strength and familiarize himself with the system of the Hongmeng.
He knew full well how important Jin Gushen was to his master.
Their battle lasted a full hour before the Skyfall King started faltering and his limbs grew sluggish. The light of his combat arts dimmed while—
Boom!
Jin Gushen suddenly flared with golden light that swept across Skyfall’s body, instantly fragmenting the old man into tiny pieces and sending him into a gruesome death.
Ringing silence reigned over the scene and even Dusksnow Morningstar was stunned. The old servant had been a second step king! He’d died just like that?
He and everyone present had clearly felt the death ripples moments ago. They were the unique energy pulses of something dying.
“…he’s really dead?” Jin Gushen also paused, but his heart and mind were well tempered after all of his experiences in the chaos and Hongmeng. While nothing appeared on his face, some dissatisfaction toward Lu Yun brewed in his heart. How could his friend have sacrificed a life in order to save him??
“Please don’t think wrongly of my young master’s intentions, Sir Jin. The old servant returns to his post.” Skyfall’s voice suddenly sounded in Jin Gushen’s mind, enabling the latter to breathe out more easily.
The king had indeed died, but he could easily come back to life as his name was written on the Tome of Life and Death. Skyfall had clearly felt strong dissatisfaction from Jin Gushen at the moment of his death, which was why he’d imparted that additional word after resurrecting.
At the same time, he was rather pleased with the outcome. The one that his master wanted to save wasn’t a selfish sort without any sort of conscience or gratitude!
……
He’d won!
Jin God had won!
The crowd remained shellshocked that Morningstar’s old servant had lost to the slave. Their fight had indeed been a vicious and brutal one. Every move was potentially fatal and there’d been no quarter given. There was nothing to criticize about it, so the only possible explanation was that Jin God was far stronger than all of them had anticipated.
If any of their slaves entered the ring, they’d probably die after a few feints.
“How much does this fighter cost?! I’m buying him!” suddenly yelled a short, rotund man. He was a superior realm cultivator and glittered with jewels and gold. Precious stones covered every inch of him—plainly a nouveau riche.
Anyone who counted as new money in Multitude City was someone to contend with.
“My apologies, Jin God has just made Colosseum history with fifty wins in a row. We will not be selling a fighter of his caliber!” Overseer Xiao took a deep breath. “He has won the privilege to attempt a hundred wins. If he wins a hundred bouts in a row, our Colosseum will grant him freedom!
“Jin God’s next fights will take place in the sparring rings and not the slave rings!”
Jin Gushen’s fight with the Skyfall King had elicited attention from Colosseum executives. They’d just made the decision that he had the right to try for a hundred wins and fight the geniuses in the sparring rings!
