Chapter 1017 Dark Curtain
On the other side of the flower garden…
Tsari was teasing a woman from the Fire Demon race.
He used an ice cube to deftly massage this woman. Lightning that was usually used to kill others nimbly leaped from the tips of his fingers, giving her a comfortable numbing feeling.
This was a service, and Tsari was a veteran. After all, he had once been surrounded by many women.
"Um…" She let out a long moan before turning around. Her bright eyes stared at Tsari's face. She was very satisfied.
Tsari smiled and looked at her too.
She had an exceptionally beautiful appearance. Her unique features presented a charm that was definitely unforgettable.
However, all this beauty was limited to her left face.
There was a terrifying wound from her right brow ridge to the right corner of her mouth that ripped all her beauty apart. A scab did not form over the wound, and there was still blood on her face. Furthermore, there was spiritual power on the wound that was so terrifying, it could not be driven away.
The woman turned her body, and Tsari's figure was reflected in her icy eyes as her hand explored downwards. An expected motion that was also beyond what she had imagined pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile that seemed to have seen through everything. "It looks like you will be able to live today."
"Not only will I live, I also want to live an exciting life." Tsarilorhuan threw down the ice cube in his hand.
Titans did not have a very in-depth concept of beauty and ugliness. Women from the powerful Violent Demon race were very attractive to him. As for the wound that spoiled one's appetite, it was another kind of sexiness to soldiers. Power and social class were the root of desire.
To sum it up, Tsari enjoyed himself very much.
There were two kinds of passion in the two different courtyards. The only similarity was that they did not stop the entire night.
The second day, the candle demon brought the two of them out.
When Aiolos saw Tsari, his body moved and swayed. Then, he spoke in a leisurely and carefree manner. "Next time, could you give me a hint?"
Tsari looked at Aiolos and observed him again and again. "You're not missing anything. Tsk. Looks like you survived well. It seems I looked down upon you."
Aiolos laughed out loud. No matter where, he was the valiant eagle of the Pampas. "Being too large doesn't represent anything."
"Hmph, we Titans are the synonyms for large and mighty," said Tsari proudly.
When they returned to their cell, to Aiolos and Tsari, it was as if nothing had happened at all.
They rested peacefully for a very long time, until Tsari suddenly spoke and broke the silence.
"We are now in a very dangerous situation, and our enemies are becoming stronger. Yesterday, I'd bet that the battle against Farnan was a battle that the crystal people wanted to use to kill us. He has been wanting Farnan to take over our top position, and getting him to kill us is the most direct and effective method."
"But we won," said Aiolos as if it was a matter of fact. He had become more and more familiar with this world. As long as humans held power, to be honest, they actually had a chance to seize a proper standing here. Simply speaking, the people here lived in comfort and ease.
"However, you also revealed your true strength. Next time, he will be even more well-prepared and will even consider your improved power in his calculations. He will not allow us to recover our status as free beings. The more famous we are, the more he will think of ways for us to die in the Arena. They will wring every single bit of profit they can from our bones."
The owner of the Arena did not like gladiators who were not obedient, but Aiolos and Tsari were not turtles who were only willing to do one thing for the rest of their lives. Most importantly, they were only sentenced for one year here. After one year, they would bring about a lot of trouble. There was no doubt that dead gladiators were the best gladiators.
"Do you have a way?"
Aiolos asked his question calmly. Although this place was suitable for his cultivation towards the God of Combat, he did not plan to die here.
"We have to find a way to make the aristocrats bail us out."
Aiolos stared at Tsari. Wasn't Tsari an aristocrat?
"Level-7 aristocrats don't have a chance. Only aristocrats who are from at least level-8 civilizations will be able to suppress those who don't agree with us and have the qualifications to bail people out of here. Of course, they have to be rich. Our price is not low."
"Then what should we do?"
"Have opportunities like what we had last night. Brother, remember, you have to perform well. Even though you are not as great as I am, as long as you are diligent, there might be someone who will take a liking to you." The silver Titan finally started to mock him after enduring for a very long time.
"I have more stamina than you, and I have better techniques than you. I am also fiercer than you. Meanwhile, someone's voice isn't as loud as a girl's." Aiolos laughed.
"What nonsense! The girls from the Fire Demon race are the fiercest. If someone else had been in my place, they would have surrendered." Tsari exploded with anger.
"Really? I remembered that not too long ago, someone said that the women from the Seductress race were the most difficult to deal with. However, I made her surrender!"
Tsarilorhuan stared straight at Aiolos. "Are you saying that you got a seductress aristocrat last night? Damn, this is not fair!"
"However, I feel that she was inexperienced. She looks good, but it's a pity that she doesn't have any combat powers." Aiolos was still reminiscing about last night. He had never encountered such a beauty on Earth. Not only did they interact with their bodies, there was also communication between their souls.
It was as if Tsari was on steroids. "Damn, it can't be. Did you have a cursed night with the Seductress race? Come, tell your older brother about it!"
"Go away!"
"No, I'm serious. I heard that the first night with the Seductress race will contain cursed powers. Brother, did you really encounter one?"
In the very beginning, the Seductress race was somewhat like a mantis. After all, the female mantis would eat the male mantis on their first night, while female Seductresses had enough power to take the lives of men. Of course, as civilizations evolved, this problem was resolved. However, this tradition still remained. Basically, everyone kept a respectful distance away from a Seductress's first night.
It was no wonder that Aiolos felt that the Seductress was rather strange. However, he did not care about this. After all, life and death were destined, while riches and wealth lay with the heavens.
...
As one of the Three Great Halls in the Heavenly Gates, the Combat Cultivation Hall naturally had their own place: Violence Field.
It sat at the southwest corner of the Heavenly Pond. It sat at the foot of a hill beside the pond, and the scenery was beautiful. There were various strange buildings and a flat fighting arena. It lacked the natural intelligence of the Pill Refinery Hall, and lacked the vastness and oddity in the Creation Hall. However, it was more intimate and made everyone feel grounded.
There were about 200 audit students at yesterday's weapon refinery class in the Creation Hall, and even the prodigy Celeste, the daughter of the Heavenly Shell Crown Prince, had personally attended the lesson. However, today's combat cultivation lesson at the Violence Field only had a few minor figures attending. There were about 20 to 30 audit students, and most of them did not actually come here to listen. Similar to Flying Pig Jhonas, they had friends they knew in the Combat Cultivation Hall. Thus, they were just interested in observing.
Although experts who focused on pursuing their path looked down upon combat cultivation, the youngest and top geniuses in the Land were gathered here. Since they had selected these 900 people, none of them were truly weak.
There were many people from large races such as the insect race and the goblin race. Furthermore, there were many celestialoids from low-leveled civilizations, such as Lao Wang the human.
Slender and independent celestialoid bodies with four limbs were generally accepted to be one of the most convenient physiques for combat. In particular, the powerful combat techniques passed down from the four races in the Heaven were all based on the figures of the humanoid celestial people. In the Combat Cultivation Hall, other than the insects with strange body shapes, a large majority of them belonged to this category.
Every single one of them made Wang Zhong feel as if they were people with powerful vitality. Although a small group of them had not accumulated their Void Core, all of them had reached the peak Foundational Stage. None of them were weaker than Wang Zhong, just based on their vitality. However, this was under the situation that Wang Zhong released his spiritual power. Under normal circumstances, he tried his best to conceal his power within his divine cells and seemed much weaker.
He was squeezed in this crowd of people, making others feel like he was a small mouse in a herd of elephants. It was as if someone could accidentally step on him and kill him with a casual step.
"Did this Earthling really get rid of Yin Jiao?" Pigolo was beside Shannali. He had the most impressive origin amidst all the audit students present. He was from the Pill Refinery Hall and was one of the better experts there.
In terms of appearances, Shannali was not the prettiest among the goblin race or the Blood Demon race; neither did she have the best physique. She was not among the highest in terms of qualities, background, identity, and so on, but she was equal in all aspects. More importantly, this woman had teased a group of good men. It had only been a few days since she had come to the Heavenly Gates, but she had naturally blended in with the social circles of the goblin race and the Blood Demon race. She kept Pigolo at arm's length and did not let him succeed but did not completely reject him either. As a result, he felt an itch for her and had been passionately pursuing her over the past few days.
It was said that she had taken a liking to some Earthling from the lower worlds. He was only from a level-4 civilization and had only spent less than two years in the Star Alliance, but had gotten rid of the half-flood dragon Yin Jiao, who was also from the goblin race. Thus, Pigolo was rather interested in him. He had also come today to peek at the crowd.
However, when he saw Wang Zhong, Pigolo wanted to laugh. Wasn't that the fool from the welcome ceremony?
"Don't underestimate him." Shannali smiled. "This fellow has some background."
"Background… Who's able to come here without any background?" Pigolo smiled and said, "Why don't we make a bet?"
"Oh?"
Pigolo smiled again. "The Combat Cultivation Hall is quite different from us. Blood will definitely be shed on the first round, and there will be a change in ranking. Let's bet this. If this human is able to rank in the top 100 in today's Combat Cultivation Hall, I will give you 100 Gold Star Coins. However, if he is not ranked in the top 100, let's learn from each other in bed."
"People like you are just anxious and have no taste. You took such a detour just to lay a trap." Shannali laughed cheerily. "This bet is rather interesting, but no one will agree to such an unfair bet. If I lose, I will give you 100 Gold Star Coins."
Pigolo laughed hollowly and nodded his head in agreement. However, he was rather depressed on the inside. His social circle was particular about using their "charm" to delight women and make them submit themselves. If not, it would be very embarrassing if this spread.
On the ground, it was noisy and filled with chatter. Suddenly, there was the earth-shattering sound of footsteps, and a lofty giant walked over from the distance in big strides, causing the ground to tremble and rumble.
It was the overall supervisor of the Combat Cultivation Hall, silver Titan Tsargesimon!
He had a height of six meters and was like a small moving mountain. Lightning revolved around his body. He was not a pure and simple master like Elder Yimo. When he spoke, his voice was imbued with a spirit that conquered mountains and rivers, causing everyone's ears to buzz.
"Ha ha ~~~~ Very good, very good! Welcome to the Combat Cultivation Hall." His words of welcome were very simple, but it was obvious that his laughter contained vile interest. Everyone who heard this felt fear and trepidation that they could not express. "The rules in the Combat Cultivation Hall are very simple —— don't be afraid, just do it!"
The 900 pupils of the Combat Cultivation Hall looked at one another helplessly. Why did this sound like they had entered a scoundrel's area in the bottom-dwelling levels of society?
"Pupils that cannot fight are no different from pigs!" Tsargesimon waved his large hand. He had no intention of explaining the basics and general principles of combat cultivation like Elder Yimo or the high-leveled supervisor. Instead, a massive black "flying cloth" appeared in the air.
Jhonas, who was about to fall asleep, could not help but roll his eyes. This pig was offended!
They heard Tsargesimon's voice that sounded like the rumble of thunder. "Today, let's get to know one another better. Come and warm-up. If you defeat 10 enemies, you will reach your target. The first 10 to reach the target will have extra prizes!"
Everyone started to whisper among themselves. Some were excited, some were worried, and some were calm. Of course, a majority would think that this supervisor was slightly crazy. Who would stir up trouble the moment they arrived?
Out of the 900 people in the Combat Cultivation Hall, there were 700 Void Cores, but there were also 200 Foundational Stage pupils who had not yet been able to accumulate their Void Core. Other than a small number of young prodigies from advanced civilization powers, most of them were like Wang Zhong and came from low-leveled powers. It was not that they had potential that was yet to be uncovered, but their bodies were about to reach their peak. Other than nurturing talents, the Heavenly Gates was a platform to balance the powers in the Land. If they only allowed advanced civilizations to monopolize the seats, the higher-ups would also be worried that the low-leveled civilizations would not see any hope at all and be unsatisfied with the Star Alliance. No matter what level of society one was at, balance was an art.
Thus, some quota would be used to recruit comparatively weaker pupils. This was not considered as special care for them, but a weak hope for the low-leveled civilizations. If you were able to seize the opportunity, then you were impressive. This was an opportunity for their low-leveled civilizations to free themselves. What if one could not seize the opportunity? Then one would be eliminated. They had been given a chance, but being eliminated was their own problem. The Heavenly Gates was rather fair in this aspect.
At this moment, about one person out of every 10 people would succeed. This obviously meant that at least 90% of people would not be able to pass the standard set. With the 700 Void Cores desperately moving forth, dealing with the 200 Foundational Stage pupils at the bottom and using them to warm up was an inevitable choice. Wang Zhong was simply one of those who had been targeted.
When he felt the unkind gazes around him, Lao Wang's face did not turn red, nor did his heart leap. He was as calm as water on the inside. Meanwhile, the black "flying cloth" overhead seemed extremely ordinary to the observers. It simply hovered in midair and radiated a strange energy.
However, to the Combat Cultivation Hall pupils who were shrouded by the cloth, just as the silver Titan supervisor finished speaking, the black cloth suddenly grew larger overhead and became infinitely boundless. The sky was blocked out, and darkness descended!
Whoosh. Then, everyone felt as if they had descended into a vast and boundless darkness. They could not see their fingers when they stretched out their hands.
This seemed to be a type of space trick that was similar to a fragment world, yet not completely the same. Wang Zhong did not feel as if his body was being "collected" and did not even feel any movement in the ground underneath his feet, as if he was still standing on the soil he had been standing on. However, this ground suddenly started to spread continuously. The distance between the people in the bustling crowd started to grow larger.
Heavenly Gates Artifact —— Dark Curtain.
Although it was more spacious, there were still many people. Everyone present had very strong senses. At this moment, everyone around them was an enemy. There was a dead silence in the darkness. Who would be the first to attack? Everyone's breathing became hurried. No one wanted to dig a hole for themselves, but everyone wanted to be the first to finish.
Finally, there was a roar, and someone revealed their true form. Closely after, spiritual influence exploded and engulfed the entire world, as if an armory from Mars had appeared. In an instant, there was a massive explosion. Meanwhile, Tsargesimon, who was outside, was overjoyed as he watched a group of people fight and struggle. It was obvious that this had greatly satisfied the vile interests of this supervisor. If this group of bastards wanted to show off to him, they first had to kill and show their drive!
Two people rapidly charged towards Wang Zhong at the same time in order to enjoy the benefits of a favorable position. While the scores were being tallied, they would first bully the weakest ones!
Their speeds were extremely quick, and they flew like a strong gust of wind. Then they moved, thunder rumbled, and they were full of might. They were no weaker than Yin Jiao.
"Heh heh. This little fellow is going to suffer." Outside, it was as if Pigolo was watching an interesting farce.
The darkness was only experienced by the people inside. However, to the people outside, the 900 pupils of the Combat Cultivation Hall and their actions were like clear projections that appeared on the black cloth.
He did not care about what he won or lost from his bet. Even if he won against Shannali, he would not actually ask for 100 Gold Star Stones from her. Celestialoids were usually pretty, and this fellow had a decent body that was the kind women liked. Even though this fellow was not a threat in his arena of love, he simply found this pretty boy offensive to the eyes.
"Not necessarily." Shannali laughed and said, "Watch."
The moment she finished speaking, when the two rapid figures rushed towards Wang Zhong, Wang Zhong suddenly "disappeared" from the black cloth.
Yes, he disappeared!
This was simply unthinkable.
Pigolo widened his eyes. This was the first time he was shocked by the performance of a lower-leveled civilization.
The artifact that the silver Titan supervisor had taken out was rather similar to a boundary weapon. It was obvious that it had powerful monitoring functions, but that human was actually able to trick the searching functions of an artifact of this grade? Needless to say, the others inside the artifact would not be able to see him.
"How did that fellow do it? Was he cheating?"
The two rushing figures abruptly stopped and suddenly lost their objective. They obviously felt that this was unbelievable.
A bear goblin with carnassial teeth and a massive insect with 100 legs that looked like a centipede had charged at him. One of them had revealed their true form early on. It was powerful, and the thick fat and bear skin made others feel that even a bomb would not be able to pierce through. Meanwhile, the other had a massive body and 100 slender legs. Every leg was filled with sharp pricks that looked like countless silver hooks as they dazzled.
When they could no longer sense the target that they wanted to take advantage of, the two of them were temporarily dumbfounded. Then, they immediately glared at each other. The rule in the darkness was to get rid of 10 opponents. Under such circumstances, when one met someone weaker than them, they would definitely kill them as quickly as possible. However, when one met someone stronger than them, they would quickly slip away. When they met someone on about the same level as them… They would fight. If they did not even dare to fight evenly matched opponents and simply wanted to attack those weaker than them, they would not be able to find many opponents once everyone was dead.
The bear goblin and the centipede from the insect race had evidently sensed that their strengths matched each other. After a moment of hesitation, they started to kill each other. The environment influenced the others, and the entire space was filled with killing intent.