219: They were all accomplices.

"Tough teeth?"

Su Lin let out a light chuckle. "I think the toughest thing in this world is the breath of air held in a person's heart."

The steward didn't catch the deep meaning in Su Lin's words, assuming this wealthy Young Master from the Central Continent was merely being sentimental, and quickly agreed.

"A brilliant insight, Young Master! But that kid's breath is about to run out. Today is going to be a one-sided slaughter, just you wait and see!"

With a piercing clang of the gong, the atmosphere in the colosseum was instantly ignited.

That Violent Demon Ape had clearly been fed some kind of stimulant; its eyes were blood-red, its nostrils flared with heavy breaths, and its massive feet stomped the ground, making the entire iron cage tremble.

It wasn't in a hurry to attack, instead circling the youth playfully, like a cat toying with a mouse.

As for the youth, although his Lute Bone was locked and his spiritual power was completely gone, he didn't tremble like the previous gladiators.

Dragging heavy shackles, he slowly adjusted his stance, always facing the Demon Ape head-on.

In those bloodshot eyes, there was no fear.

Like a lone wolf that, even with teeth pulled and claws broken, would still tear a chunk of flesh off its enemy before dying.

"Do it! You stupid monkey!"

"Tear him apart! Rip his guts out!"

The audience in the stands was flushed with excitement, waving their tickets as if the blood about to flow was the wine for their revelry.

"So noisy."

Mu Qingxue sat behind Su Lin, her brow slightly furrowed.

In her originally cold eyes, a blizzard was currently brewing.

The surrounding temperature plummeted, and even the spiritual fruits on the table were covered in a thin layer of white frost.

"Revered Master, these people... all deserve to die."

"No rush."

Su Lin pressed down on Mu Qingxue's hand, which was resting on her sword hilt, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"Since we're watching a play, we must be patient."

"Besides... the main character hasn't appeared yet."

His gaze didn't fall on the slaughter in the arena; instead, he tilted his head slightly to look at the "Mute Slave" Gu Qing, who had been hanging his head and trembling behind him.

"Look at that youth below."

Su Lin's voice rang directly within Gu Qing's Sea of Consciousness.

"Doesn't he look like you back then?"

Gu Qing jerked his head up, the eyes hidden behind his messy hair already a deep crimson.

The same despair, the same helplessness, the same being watched for amusement like a beast.

He could even feel the sharp pain from the youth's Lute Bone; it was a torture he had once endured day and night.

In the arena, the Violent Demon Ape finally lost its patience.

It let out a roar, its massive body pressing down like a black mountain, its palm like a cattail leaf fan whistling through the air as it slammed toward the youth's head.

If this palm strike landed, the youth's head would definitely burst like a watermelon.

"He's dead for sure!" The steward slapped his thigh in excitement.

However, at that critical moment.

The seemingly weak and broken youth suddenly moved.

He didn't dodge, for the shackles limited his speed.

He made a Move that no one expected.

He suddenly crouched down and rolled forward!

But this wasn't to escape.

At the moment of the roll, he used all his strength to wrap the thick iron chain connected to his Lute Bone around the Demon Ape's thick ankle!

"Roar?"

The Demon Ape's strike hit nothing; just as it was about to get angry, it felt a tightening around its foot.

"Go... down!!"

The youth let out a hoarse roar from the depths of his throat, his body jerking with the momentum of the roll.

That behemoth, nearly thirty feet tall, actually lost its balance and crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The entire audience was in an uproar.

"Good!" Su Hongling couldn't help but cheer. "This kid has guts! Knowing how to use the enemy's strength against them, he's a good candidate to be a Body Cultivator!"

But the advantage lasted only for a moment.

The Demon Ape was a Yao Beast after all, with thick skin and tough flesh.

Though the fall was embarrassing, it didn't cause any substantial damage; instead, it completely infuriated the beast.

It roared as it climbed up, ignoring the chain around its foot, and grabbed the youth's leg, swinging him violently like a rag doll!

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Once, twice, thrice.

The youth's body was slammed repeatedly against the hard ground; blood splattered, and the sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.

But he didn't scream.

Not even a single cry of pain.

He gritted his teeth tightly; even though his consciousness was fading and his body was broken, his hands still gripped the iron chain, trying to trip the Demon Ape again.

"Tsk tsk tsk, how tragic."

The steward shook his head, but a cruel smile hung on his face.

"This is the price of being disobedient.

Young Master Su, look, that kid's spine is likely broken. In a moment, he'll be eaten alive."

"Is that so?"

Su Lin picked up his teacup and took a light sip.

"I think the outcome is yet to be decided."

"Oh?" The steward was stunned. "Does the Young Master wish to place a bet? The odds are currently a hundred to one; that kid is a goner."

"Then let's have a gamble."

Su Lin set down his teacup and turned his head to look at Gu Qing, who was about to grind his teeth to dust.

"Mute Slave."

Su Lin called out calmly.

"Mas...ter..."

Gu Qing's voice was as hoarse as a malevolent ghost crawling out of Hell.

"Do you also think that kid will lose?"

Gu Qing didn't answer.

He stared fixedly at the youth in the arena, who was already a bloody mess but still trying to bite the Demon Ape's toe.

The hatred suppressed in his heart for a hundred years finally broke through the dam of rationality at this moment.

The Demon Seed within him was throbbing wildly.

That violent Devilish Qi belonging to the Late Nascent Soul Stage that Su Lin had bestowed upon him was surging and roaring through his Meridians, hungering for release, hungering for blood!

"No..."

Gu Qing raised his head, and a hideous smile, more painful to look at than weeping, appeared on his scarred face.

"He won't lose."

"Because... I will help him."

Su Lin smiled.

He reached out and gave Gu Qing's shoulder a light pat.

"Go."

With Su Lin's pat, the illusion used for Gu Qing's disguise instantly dissipated.

A surge of Devilish Qi, black as ink and filled with an aura of destruction and madness, exploded outward!

"Who's there?!"

The steward turned pale with fright; before he could react...

The sturdy, specially-made glass of the VIP booth was smashed by a black figure.

The "Mute Slave" who had been hunched over and appearing humble and cowardly was now like a black meteorite, carrying a towering killing intent as he leapt from the high platform and crashed straight into the center of the colosseum!

*Thoom!!!*

The earth cracked, and dust billowed.

The expanding shockwaves directly sent several nearby guards flying.

The dust cleared.

Gu Qing stood before the dying youth.

His tattered grey clothes fluttered in the violent Devilish Qi. His originally cloudy eyes were now pitch black, with two clumps of eerie green ghost fire burning at their centers.

The Violent Demon Ape, which was about to deliver the final blow to the youth, froze in its tracks.

Its instinct as a Yao Beast told it that the small figure that had suddenly appeared was dangerous!

Extremely dangerous!

"Roar?"

The Demon Ape let out a tentative roar and took half a step back.

"Who are you?! How dare you trespass into the colosseum!!"

The surrounding guards snapped out of it and drew their weapons, shouting in anger.

The audience in the stands was also stunned, and the once noisy venue instantly fell silent.

Gu Qing ignored everyone.

He looked down at the bloody youth at his feet.

The youth's eyes were so swollen he couldn't open them, leaving only a sliver of sight, but he was still struggling; his hand with broken finger bones still gripped the iron chain tightly.

"Let go."

Gu Qing's voice was soft, yet it carried a desolation of shared suffering.

"Leave the rest... to me."

The youth seemed to sense something; his tense body finally relaxed, and he fell unconscious.

Gu Qing slowly straightened his back.

He turned around to face the massive Demon Ape.

And... those thousands of faces in the stands, distorted by shock.

"My name is Gu Qing."

His voice wasn't loud, but bolstered by Devilish Qi, it swept through the venue like a sinister wind.

"In this place, my limbs were broken, and my Golden Core was shattered."

"I am a vengeful ghost returned to collect a debt!"

The moment his words fell.

Gu Qing moved.

No fancy Moves, no extra words.

He simply reached out a hand and made a grasping motion toward the roaring Demon Ape in the air.

A massive devil claw, formed entirely of black mist, appeared out of nowhere and grabbed the thirty-foot-tall Demon Ape.

The Demon Ape let out a scream; its body, as hard as iron, was like fragile clay before this devil claw.

*Crack!*

The sound of dense bone fractures clearly spread throughout the entire colosseum.

It wasn't just one or two bones breaking.

It was the sound of every bone in its body being crushed into powder in an instant!

*Pfft!*

Blood sprayed from the Demon Ape's seven orifices, and its massive body slumped like a boneless mollusk.

Instant kill!

An instant kill of a Violent Demon Ape comparable to the Golden Core Peak!

"Wha... what evil technique is this?!"

"Nascent Soul Stage?! This mute is a Great Devil Head of the Nascent Soul Stage?!"

"Quick! Go get the Enshrined Elders! Someone's crashing the place!!"

The steward fell onto his backside in terror, pointing at Su Lin with a pale face: "You... you all..."

"Don't be in such a hurry."

Su Lin remained seated steadily in his chair, even leisurely peeling a grape and popping it into his mouth.

"This is just the beginning."

"The main event has only just started."

He gave a meaningful look to Cold Moon beside him.

"Since this Jile Pavilion is your territory, then this Formation barrier..."

Cold Moon understood.

She slowly stood up; although her purple silk dress seemed ordinary, a majesty belonging to an Empress quietly spread out at this moment.

"Seal."

Her vermilion lips parted slightly.

*Buzz!*

A golden light screen instantly enveloped the entire colosseum.

This wasn't just a lockdown; it was total isolation.

At this moment, nothing happening inside the colosseum could be sensed by the outside world.

This meant... this place had become a truly enclosed hunting ground.

"Gu Qing."

Su Lin's voice rang out again, cold and cruel.

"Don't you want revenge?"

"Every person in these stands once cheered for your pain and took pleasure in your blood."

"They... are all accomplices."

"Kill."

This single word was like opening the gates of Hell.

In the arena, Gu Qing let out a long, inhuman howl toward the sky.

At this point, he was completely eroded by Devilish Qi, yet his consciousness was clearer than ever.

It was the clarity of vengeance.

"Kill!!!"

His figure flashed as he charged directly into the stands.

"Aaaaah!!"

"Help!!"

"Don't kill me! I have money! I'll give you money!"

The stands instantly fell into chaos.

Those usually high-and-mighty nobles and Cultivators were now like a flock of sheep being charged by a wolf pack, frantically pushing and fleeing.

But Gu Qing showed no mercy.

His palms turned into sharp blades; with every swing, a storm of blood and gore followed.

"You were laughing so loudly back then!"

"Laugh again! Why aren't you laughing?!"

He grabbed a fat man dressed in a magnificent brocade robe, a famous wealthy merchant in the Imperial City and a regular here.

"Mercy... mercy..." The fat man blubbered, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"When my limbs were being cut off, you seemed to be clapping?"

Gu Qing gave a hideous laugh and exerted force with his hand.

*Crack!*

The fat man's hands were snapped by brute force.

"Now, why don't you clap for me again?!"

This was a one-sided slaughter.

And a long-overdue reckoning.

Inside the booth.

Su Lin watched the scene quietly.

There was not a ripple of emotion on his face, as if what was happening before him wasn't a human tragedy but a boring farce.

"Revered Master... isn't this a bit too cruel?"

Chu Weiwei looked at the river of blood below; although she was a Poison Cultivator, this kind of pure, violent tearing still felt lacking in aesthetic to her.

"Cruel?"

Su Lin sneered.

"Since these people chose to treat others' pain as entertainment, they should be prepared for the day they become the entertainment themselves."

"Besides..."

Su Lin turned to look at the screen behind him.

There, a powerful aura was rapidly approaching.

"The real main character is finally willing to come out."

With a loud bang, the booth door was directly blown to pieces by a terrifying spiritual force.

Amidst the flying wood chips, a man dressed in a large red robe, fair-faced and whiskerless, with a feminine and handsome appearance, slowly walked in.

He held a folding fan in his hand, with a [Hundred Beauties Map] painted on it, every stroke exuding an evil aura.

The Pavilion Revered Master of Jile Pavilion, Hua Shenyou.

A great expert of the Middle Body Integration Stage.

He looked at the chaotic colosseum below, then at the group of uninvited guests occupying the VIP booth; his originally well-maintained face was now so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

"What audacity."

His voice was high-pitched and feminine, making those who heard it very uncomfortable.

"To dare cause trouble in my Jile Pavilion and kill so many of my guests..."

"Which path do you all belong to?"

His gaze swept over Su Lin, a flash of contempt in his eyes.

Void Refining Stage? Daring to crash the place with just a few women?

Courting death.

"You are Hua Shenyou?"

Su Lin didn't stand up, still sitting in his chair, toying with the empty teacup in his hand.