The King's Arena was located in the deepest part of Wansui Villa. What was originally a spacious tea garden had been cleared out to become a massive fighting platform.
The arena was surrounded by a three-tiered seating area capable of holding a thousand spectators, resembling a coliseum.
Its placement was deliberate; it backed against a green mountain and was encircled by forests.
It was quiet, deserted, and designed to withstand immense destructive power.
Before this grand martial arts tournament, the elder of Wansui Villa, Old Man Liu, personally led his disciples in three consecutive days of testing.
The final result indicated that the area surrounding the arena could withstand the chaotic battles of over ten cultivators at the Refine Void and Harmonize Dao level.
However, if two or more Immortals at the Dao Refinement and Elemental Return level were to engage in a fierce battle, this region would be reduced to ruins.
No one knew that at this very moment, near the arena alone, there were at least four Immortals at the Elemental Return level.
The one with the highest theoretical strength was Zhu Tianqi, who appeared harmless.
Her five hundred years of cultivation, if fully unleashed, surpassed the Elemental Return stage, infinitely close to the realm of terrestrial ascension.
The second in theoretical strength was Emperor Long. After consuming the so-called Turtle Dragon's inner core, his power had grown terrifyingly, and he considered himself the foremost expert in the world. Su Dan Novels Network.
Ranked third was Su Bingyan. However, her actual combat experience was virtually nonexistent; she would be fortunate to unleash even half her power.
The fourth was Jun Mengyao, who also possessed hidden depths.
Jun Mengyao had absorbed the true essence of dragon blood. She had rich combat experience and was adept at mental control. While ranked fourth in theoretical strength, her practical combat prowess placed her in the top three.
The rankings below this held little significance.
However, the strongest individual below the four Elemental Return experts was undoubtedly Chen Baidi.
His body was covered in dark red markings, giving him an almost demonic appearance. Beside him, in addition to his loyal guards of many years, were more than a dozen alluring women.
Among these women was the demonized Shen Bingmei.
They were the elites of the Demonic Cult, the Palace Mistress of Luosha.
Shen Bingmei was urgently reporting the situation.
Chen Baidi sat behind a screen on the arena, his expression ferocious and terrifying. He seemed not to be listening to Shen Bingmei's report at all.
The dragon in his palm was no longer a pure white dragon but a dark red, two-headed dragon.
Of the twelve Luosha of the Demonic Cult, the demonized Su Xueqing had been captured, leaving only eleven. Finally, led by Shen Bingmei, they desperately tried to persuade him: "Lord Chen, please flee to the Eastern Islands with us immediately. We have completely taken control of the local forces there; it will be our domain. Our Cult Master has said that you will be the future protector of the Demonic Cult, and everyone will follow you then!"
"No need to say more!" Chen Baidi coldly interrupted the Demonic Cult's plea. "I only cooperated with you to deal with Qin Yexuan. Now that Qin Yexuan is trapped on a deserted island, he's as good as dead. And I will become the champion of this grand martial arts tournament. Afterwards, I will kick aside the Long family, march directly into the imperial capital, force the ruler of the capital to abdicate, and make me the Great General of the Four Realms!"
As he spoke, he was lost in a beautiful dream: "At that time, I will legitimize your Demonic Cult, making you the successor to the Elder Council. This is strategy. You want me to escape? And flee to the enemy nation of the Eastern Islands? Then my lifelong reputation will be ruined!"
Chen Baidi stood up abruptly, surveying his surroundings. "Don't forget, I am still the General of the Western Territory, the protector of Great Xia!"
Despite minor transgressions, Chen Baidi's mind was still clear when it came to major issues of right and wrong.
The Demonic Cult women sighed helplessly.
Outside the screen, in a pavilion, Emperor Long was drinking strong liquor and eating meat, his personality having changed drastically.
His former gloomy demeanor was gone. He directly grabbed a half-cooked ham hock, revealing a mouth full of terrifying sharp teeth, and in a short time, devoured the ham hock, even chewing the bones to bits.
The surrounding Long family disciples watched in horror.
They were afraid.
Yet, they also felt a craving for the half-cooked, blood-stained meat.
Long Jianye, who was once a refined and gentlemanly handsome man, now tore apart a live chicken with his bare hands, continuously swallowing its blood.
With a "plop," the live chicken was thrown at the feet of his subordinate disciples. "If you're hungry, eat. If you want to drink, get it yourself. Damn it, all those old rules are void. Life is for feasting and amusement."
As Long Jianye finished speaking, the area around the pavilion was instantly filled with beast-like roars.
The disciples they had brought surged forward, opening two large trucks and directly grabbing raw meat to gnaw on.
A flicker of green flashed in Long Jianye's eyes, which now bore markings.
Then, he suddenly bent over and vomited a stomach full of chicken blood.
His sanity seemed to have returned somewhat.
Long Jianye looked at the scene, resembling a wild animal's den, with horror and disgust.
The disciples of the Long family, once the proud descendants of hidden clans, were now eating raw meat and drinking blood, their eyes all carrying a strange hue.
Some, like himself, had dark red markings between their eyes. At first glance, they looked like the eyeballs of a lizard!
"Emperor... no, wait!" Long Jianye, with goosebumps all over his body, rushed towards Emperor Long. "We, we're all not right. We need to, need to investigate..."
Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Long leaped up and vanished from outside the pavilion.
Soon after, he returned, dragging an outer disciple of the Wanlong family, a newly recruited junior disciple responsible for the perimeter.
Emperor Long licked his lips. "Damn it, human blood is still more fragrant."
Long Jianye roared, "Brother! No! Wake up, we've been poisoned!"
Before his words were out, Emperor Long had already torn open the neck of the subordinate. As blood gushed out, Long Jianye's rationality also vanished. He, too, licked his lips and charged forward...
Jun Mengyao, standing on the mountaintop north of the arena, witnessed all of this.
Her face had turned somewhat pale.
Dark energy was visibly spreading from the area where the Long family was located, making it seem as if patches of black clouds had appeared above the pavilion.
Someone approached from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Stop looking. The blood and inner core of the venomous lizards have turned them into half-humans, half-demons."
Qin Yexuan stood beside her, his expression indifferent, as if he had foreseen this outcome.
"Sir, are they truly doomed?"
"Yes. But before they die, they will transform into true demons, losing the last shred of human reason. Therefore, this grand martial arts tournament will ultimately become a tomb for the hidden clans."
Qin Yexuan's lips curved into a cold smile as he watched the hidden families enter one by one.
These families had concealed their names and quietly entered to observe the proceedings.
There were a total of eight hidden clans!