271: Dust Arena

Su Lei raised the key in his hand, opening a stable spatial gate, distinctly different from the one in the Court of Time, emitting a soft white glow.

This was his true trump card.

He used the one-eyed pirate's Soul beacon to successfully pin the blame for the inevitable prisoner riot on the Gravekeeper, while he himself, utilizing this precious window of opportunity, calmly opened a safe back door that bypassed all traps, allowing him and the Federal Fleet to reach the interstellar demon's den without bloodshed.

The flagship, wuguang no. 2, was the first to enter the spatial gate, followed by the three massive expeditionary fleets, like steel Dragons swimming into an unknown deep sea, disappearing into the light without hesitation.

When the flagship wuguang no. 2 emerged from the subspace channel again, what appeared before everyone was a sight they would never forget.

They were in a dark space so immense it was beyond description; above, below, and all around them, billions of dimly glowing independent prison cells floated.

Each cell was like an imprisoned star, collectively forming a living prison of flesh and metal, a purgatory.

The moment they arrived, the entire purgatory was dead silent.

Because all the hungry prisoners had, minutes before, poured into their feast through another main entrance opened in the wrong location.

However, this silence did not last long.

A mechanically synthesized voice, devoid of emotional fluctuations, echoed through the bridge of every warship.

"Unknown fleet detected, 307 ships."

"Initiating Level One Alert Protocol.

Identity verification in progress... Verification failed."

"Identified as new-born intruders."

"According to the 'First Amendment of Purgatory,' all new-born intruders will be teleported to the Dust Arena in the First Detention Zone for qualification review."

No sooner had the voice faded than an irresistible spatial force enveloped the entire fleet, instantly teleporting it from high altitude to the outside of a breathtakingly magnificent, ancient Roman-style giant arena.

"Welcome to the Dust Arena."

The cold mechanical voice sounded again, this time echoing directly in everyone's minds: "I am the Warden of this prison, AI Arbiter."

"Congratulations, new-borns, you have successfully avoided your hungry neighbors and become the first lucky ones in nearly ten thousand years to have the opportunity to set foot on this land."

"However, your luck ends here."

"According to the rules here, you need to defeat ten champion-level prisoners personally selected by me."

"The victors will be granted a pass to the next level; as for the losers, you will become new nourishment for this land."

Accompanying the Arbiter's declaration, eight gigantic gates, constructed of pure energy, slowly rose around the arena, and from behind them came roars capable of making one's Soul tremble.

On the bridge of wuguang no. 2, Su Lei's calm voice spread throughout the wasteland via the amplification System: "Warden, we are not prisoners, nor do we intend to participate in your game."

"We are here only to find the Eternal Furnace."

The Warden Arbiter let out a series of electronic sneers: "Heh heh heh, the Eternal Furnace? New-born, your ignorance is as impressive as your arrogance."

"Here, I am the only Law."

"Either fight, or die; there is no third option."

The stern declaration completely severed the possibility of negotiation.

Su Lei turned around and looked at the core team behind him, his gaze calm: "A demonstration is needed."

"I'll go."

Li Xue凝's voice was the first to sound.

Since receiving the baptism of the Queen's life energy, her strength had reached the threshold of a half-step Venerable, and she now needed a life-and-death battle to Break through the final Bottleneck.

"Good."

Su Lei responded with a simple word.

The next moment, Li Xue凝's figure transformed into an ice-blue stream of light, leaping from the flagship and landing precisely in the center of the giant arena.

The instant she landed, ten terrifying figures of various forms slowly emerged from behind the eight energy gates.

Each had once been a hegemonic existence in a certain galaxy.

"A... woman?"

A Flame Demon Lord, whose entire body was engulfed in flames, let out a muffled, volcanic-eruption-like sneer: "Arbiter, are you looking down on us? To send such a snack."

He raised his giant battle-axe, burning with flames, high above his head, and with a world-splitting Aura, he brought it down fiercely towards the tiny figure in the arena.

"Die, insect!"

Facing an attack capable of splitting a small planet in two, Li Xue凝's face remained calm and unperturbed.

She didn't even draw her sword; she merely slowly raised her right hand, extended an index finger as clear as jade, and pointed it remotely at the giant axe descending with immense force.

"Absolute Zero!"

In an instant, the giant axe, burning with raging flames and capable of melting everything, stopped abruptly less than half a meter above her head.

The fierce fire on the axe blade was forcibly extinguished at a speed visible to the naked eye; it wasn't put out, but rather the very concept of "burning" itself was frozen.

Immediately after, a thin layer of ice-blue crystals rapidly spread from the axe blade, and in just one breath, it completely froze the giant axe along with the mountain-like Flame Demon Lord behind it, turning them into a lifelike giant ice sculpture.

The Flame Demon Lord's arrogant and ferocious expression was perfectly solidified at that moment.

After completing all this, Li Xue凝 slowly withdrew her finger.

She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly sweeping over the remaining nine champions, who were already stunned by the scene before them.

Then, she slowly beckoned to them with her finger.

The air within the arena, along with the Flame Demon Lord, was frozen.

Dead silence.

Nine figures standing before the gates, once nightmares in different corners of the Universe.

Nine wills, powerful enough to tear apart stars, for the first time, pointed to the same coordinate.

"Interesting..."

A creature formed of twisted shadows, its form shifting between solid and ethereal, its voice directly echoing in the mental dimension: "This purity of Law power has already touched the threshold of a Venerable."

"She is not a new-born," "Arbiter, you deceived us."

"So what?!"

A giant ten meters tall, with skin like dried magma, wielding two giant axes, let out a muffled roar: "She's prey, just kill her!"

As his voice fell, he moved!

His legs pushed off, cracking the ground beneath his feet, which was strong enough to withstand warship main cannons; his massive body transformed into a dark brown meteor, crashing towards the slender figure in the arena with an unstoppable Aura!

His charge was the signal!

The other eight champions attacked simultaneously!

Nine terrifying existences, powerful enough to dominate galaxies, at this moment cast aside all pride, choosing the most lethal encirclement.