Chapter 613 - 609: Lifting the Curse

Chapter 613: Chapter 609: Lifting the Curse

After Hong Yu finished off Morris, he had already won ten consecutive victories in a single day.

He had made history!

He became the fastest person to ever achieve the title of Ten-Time Champion since the War God Arena’s founding. This was a record that likely no one would be able to break anytime soon!

In an instant, the name "Beichen" became one of the hottest topics in the War God Arena.

「In the private room...」

Xishang Ling was practically in tears. "Waaaah, he’s not dead! He’s not dead! This is great!"

Zhao Feng’Er and her brother also pursed their lips and nodded, their eyes red.

In another private room.

Ma Lie, however, was furious, smashing cups and flipping tables. "That useless piece of trash Morris, how could he die? How could he lose? And he even let that Beichen get the title of Ten-Time Champion?"

"Hmph, Ten-Time Champion? Does he think that title is so easy to get?"

Ma Xiao was even more enraged.

A chilling fury surged in his eyes.

The Ten-Time Champion title was Ma Xiao’s proudest achievement and honor.

To earn this title, he had fought more than a hundred life-and-death battles in the War God Arena. He had truly waded through blood and fought through hell to obtain it.

He considered it the greatest honor of his life.

But what about Hong Yu?

Hong Yu had only registered today, and he already had the title of Ten-Time Champion. How could Ma Xiao possibly accept that?

On top of that, Hong Yu had caused him to miss out on the Exquisite Ice Crystals and lose over a hundred thousand Soul Stones. Naturally, his resentment for Hong Yu burned even hotter, to the point where he wanted to flay him alive.

He said coldly, "But this is fine too. He became a Ten-Time Champion in the Basic-Level Battlefield. I’m sure it won’t be long before he advances to the Middle-Level Battlefield. When that time comes, I’ll tear him apart with my own hands!"

「On the top floor...」

The Young Master’s eyes gleamed with surprise as he murmured, "Tsk tsk, he actually managed to make a comeback from the brink. Impressive!" After a pause, he instructed the figure in the darkness behind him, "From now on, arrange the weakest opponents for him. Get him into the Middle-Level Battlefield as quickly as possible. And use all our connections to build up the illusion that Beichen is invincible!"

"Young Master, are you planning to make a huge killing?" the dark figure asked.

The Young Master chuckled. "It’s rare for such an interesting person to appear. If I don’t make good use of him, wouldn’t I be letting all those shiny Soul Stones go to waste?"

"I understand!"

The dark figure retreated.

The Young Master thought smugly about how he would build Hong Yu up, then arrange for an unknown opponent to face him. After tricking the audience into placing massive bets, he would have Hong Yu lose, raking in an enormous profit.

As for how to make Hong Yu lose...

The Young Master wasn’t worried in the slightest...

The War God Arena had been around for so long and had become the most profitable establishment in Nanshan Collection. Of course, he had his own set of tricks for manipulating things behind the scenes.

Of course, Hong Yu was unaware of these matters. He was currently collecting his Ten-Time Champion reward: one million Soul Stones.

The Steward smiled. "Congratulations, Ten-Time Champion. I was wondering if you will continue to challenge today?"

Hong Yu shook his head. He had only just grasped a portion of the Life Rune Seal and needed to go back to study and master it properly.

Besides, his goal was to become the Hundred Victory War God.

There was no need to rush!

When Hong Yu reappeared in the rest area, every expert there stopped what they were doing, and all of them automatically stood up, their gazes filled with reverence and admiration as they looked at him.

Recalling how everyone had looked at him like a predator sizing up its prey when he first arrived, Hong Yu couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’Compared to how they’re all looking up to me now, strength is truly a wonderful thing.’

"Boss, you’re finally out!" The moment Hong Yu left the rest area, Xishang Ling rushed over.

Zhao Hu and his sister also looked at Hong Yu with excitement.

Hong Yu rubbed his nose and smiled. "Sorry to make you worry!"

Zhao Feng’Er shook her head.

Xishang Ling poured out his grievances. "That scared me to death just now! I thought you... Ah, it wouldn’t have been a big deal if you’d lost. We could have just found another way to look for the Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit. I was just so afraid you’d be accidentally..."

Xishang Ling had truly been holding it all in.

He had been on edge from the beginning to the end of that fight, terrified that something might happen to Hong Yu. If it had, he would have become a traitor to the Xishang Tribe.

"Don’t worry, I’m not that easy to kill!" Hong Yu laughed.

Just as Xishang Ling was about to speak, Hong Yu’s gaze suddenly sharpened, and he looked behind him.

Ma Lie and Ma Xiao were approaching, their horse hooves clopping on the ground.

Looking down at them, Ma Xiao, with a Heavy Sword strapped to his back, shot a cold glance at Hong Yu. "You’re Beichen, right?"

"I am. What do you want?"

Hong Yu said, his eyes narrowing.

Since the man was with Ma Lie and approaching so aggressively, he clearly wasn’t a friend. There was no need to be polite.

Ma Xiao gave a sinister chuckle. "Nothing much. I just came to let you know that you should enjoy your last few fights in the Basic-Level Battlefield! My Heavy Sword is getting thirsty. It can’t wait to chop off your head!"

"Heh, and here I am, in need of a new mount," Hong Yu said with a shrug.

"You..."

Ma Xiao’s expression darkened, and a powerful aura pressed down on Hong Yu.

Hong Yu met it head-on without any sign of weakness.

The two auras collided in mid-air, creating an explosion as waves of energy blasted outward.

"Hmph, you’re courting death!"

A flash of surprise crossed Ma Xiao’s eyes, clearly not expecting Hong Yu’s aura to be so strong. With a cold snort, he began to gather his Momentum for an attack.

However, just as he was about to unleash the Momentum he had been building, Hong Yu suddenly took a step back, withdrawing his own aura from the confrontation.

"Urk!"

This left Ma Xiao with the frustrating feeling of punching a wad of cotton. The Momentum he had forcefully gathered lost its target and rampaged through his body, causing a sweet taste to rise in his throat. He nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He could only grit his teeth and swallow it back down.

Ma Xiao’s face was hideous. Humiliated by this silent loss, he had no face to remain. He shot Hong Yu a vicious glare. "You just wait! Sooner or later, I will chop off your head!"

"Idiot. Go on back to your stable,"

Hong Yu replied flatly.

Then he turned and left.

「By the time they returned to the Xishang Tribe, the sky was already dark and the moon was rising over the treetops.」

Madam Xishang was busy collecting the items on the list Hong Yu had provided. As for Hong Yu, he ate his fill and returned to his room to continue studying the Life Rune Seal.

But even after studying late into the night, he made no progress.

Feeling a bit helpless, he switched to studying the Awakening Rune for the Death Rune Seal and, surprisingly, managed to grasp the basics.

’So to awaken the Death Rune Seal, I first have to complete this set of Awakening Runes!’ Hong Yu’s eyes lit up, and he began to practice forming the Runes for the Death Rune Seal.

Over the next two days, Hong Yu spent his days competing in the War God Arena. Under the mysterious Young Master’s arrangements, his opponents were ridiculously weak, and he won every single match in an instant.

He easily achieved fifty wins by the second day.

He was now a sensation. Any match that Hong Yu participated in was a full house, and the betting stakes were incredibly high.

Countless people made a fortune because of him.

Some were so certain of Hong Yu’s victory that they sold their family property to bet on him, earning back enormous profits.

Some people quit while they were ahead, but others fell deeper and deeper into the gambling.

But none of this had anything to do with Hong Yu. After winning fifty matches, he was automatically promoted to the Middle-Level Battlefield.

His opponents in the Middle-Level Battlefield were also quite ordinary, and he never ended up facing Ma Xiao, which left Ma Xiao incredibly frustrated.

On the third day, Hong Yu continued his rampage through the War God Arena, advancing triumphantly until he reached a ninety-match winning streak.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

The news sent shockwaves through the entire Nanshan Collection.

As he steadily approached the title of Hundred Victory War God, Hong Yu became a near-mythical figure. The clamor for him to achieve the title and win the final prize pool grew louder and louder.

At the end of the day, the Steward found Hong Yu and told him that his opponent for the next match would be one of the top ten experts in the Middle-Level Battlefield—Ma Xiao!

Hong Yu nodded and accepted the match.

Thanks to the War God Arena’s promotion, the total betting pool for the match between Hong Yu and Ma Xiao exceeded fifty million Soul Stones in just two hours.

As for what the final number would be, that would all depend on tomorrow.

But tonight, Hong Yu had something even more important to do.

「In the underground secret chamber of the Xishang Tribe.」

Madam Xishang looked at Hong Yu. "Everything is ready. What are you going to do?"

"You two will act as my Guardians outside. Do not let anyone disturb me, no matter what!" Hong Yu said.

"Understood!"

Madam Xishang and Xishang Ling stood guard outside the dungeon.

Hong Yu, meanwhile, entered the dungeon. The Xishang King was still in a daze, oblivious to everything, with only his frenzied instincts remaining.

As soon as he saw Hong Yu enter, his eyes glowed red, and he let out a series of low, bestial roars.

Hong Yu took a deep breath. ’Whether this succeeds or fails all depends on tonight!’

With a gentle wave of his arm,

all the materials from his Storage Ring flew out, hovering in the air.

"Come out!"

With a single thought from Hong Yu, the materials began to circulate according to the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. However, their trajectories were the exact opposite of the normal five-element alignment. This was the very essence of the Five Elements Inversion Array.

CLANG!

The Nine Dragon Celestial Cauldron appeared, suspended in the air.

Hong Yu tossed the materials into the cauldron and began to refine them. About half an hour later, five Array Banners flew out of the cauldron.

The Array Banners floated in mid-air.

Hong Yu pointed to a spot, and one of the Array Banners shot out.

When all five Array Banners were in position, Hong Yu rapidly formed an Array Technique with his hands and shouted, "Array—activate!"

BUZZ!

The Array Banners connected with each other, and amidst a shroud of brilliant light, a Five Elements Yin Yang Wheel materialized out of thin air.

It hovered above the Xishang King’s head.

"ROAR!"

The Xishang King seemed to sense it and let out a series of low roars.

"Suppress him!"

Hong Yu roared.

The Five Elements Inversion Array instantly transformed into a great net that fell and completely enveloped the Xishang King.

"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!"

The Xishang King’s furious roars shook the heavens and the earth.

The entire underground chamber trembled and shook as if it were a Heaven-Shattering, Earth-Splitting apocalypse.

His roars were filled with immense pain.

Hong Yu endured the feeling of his eardrums about to burst, grit his teeth fiercely, and a determined, ferocious glint flashed in his eyes...

’Life or death, it all comes down to this!’

His Seal Techniques changed continuously. Hong Yu suddenly thrust out a hand like a claw and roared, "Invert the five elements, throw the starry sky into chaos, Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow, heed my command... Dao Heart Demon Curse, extract!"

Outside the dungeon, Xishang Ling and his mother both shuddered when they heard this. Their eyes, filled with anxiety and hope, were fixed on the dungeon.

Whether or not the Dao Heart Demon Curse afflicting the Xishang King could be removed would all be decided in this very moment...