233: Hurry up and kneel down to express your gratitude.

Rumble—!!!

Heaven and Earth trembled violently, as if the primordial wilderness had awakened!

The originally empty, pure white space suddenly shattered, the ground cracked, and spiritual light shot to the sky!

A colossal and ancient bronze arena slowly ascended from the Void Realm, its entire body carved with ancient battle markings, its edges mottled with ten-thousand-year-old bloodstains, as if forged from the bones of countless heroic spirits.

At the four corners of the arena, four gigantic Divine Beast statues stood majestically, carved entirely from unknown ancient stone, their surfaces covered with cracks and erosion marks of time.

To the east, the Azure Dragon coiled around a stone pillar, its Dragon head held high, its scales sharp and distinct; though its eyes were not open, it seemed as if wind and thunder surged within the stone patterns;

To the west, the White Tiger lay prostrate, growling lowly, its sharp claws deeply embedded in the bronze foundation, its fangs bared, Evil Qi congealed and unscattered;

To the south, the Vermilion Bird spread its wings as if to incinerate, its feathers solidified like flames, a faint wisp of ash smoke lingering around its body;

To the north, the Black Tortoise stood bearing a stele, its tortoise shell as heavy as a mountain, a serpent's head coiled above it, cold Qi subtly seeping from the stone cracks.

All four statues were gray-white, devoid of life, as if they had slept for ten thousand years.

However, the faint Spiritual Pressure and the glimmer flowing between the stone patterns indicated that—

They were not inanimate objects, but rather in a semi-sealed, semi-activated dormant state,

Awaiting only a blood sacrifice to open their eyes and awaken as primordial fierce spirits capable of tearing Heaven and Earth apart.

A mechanical voice sounded again, cold and vast, as if from an ancient Heavenly Punishment:

"Nine Tribulations! Second Tribulation—Sacrificial Arena!"

"Rules are as follows:"

"Firstly: Two races stand opposed; each will vote internally to decide who will fight."

"The minority obeys the majority; those selected must not refuse!"

"Secondly: The battle is a 1V1 bloodbath, until one side perishes."

"For each person who falls, one Divine Beast will be activated."

"Thirdly: Each person may only participate once."

"Interference from below the arena is strictly forbidden."

"Violators—will be instantly obliterated!"

"When all Four Great Divine Beasts have awakened, this tribulation will be broken."

Great Master Hui Ming's eyes burned brightly, his voice like a great bell: "Finally, it's not some damned number game! Lu Chen, do you dare to step onto the stage! And fight me!"

Killing Intent surged forward like a tide!

Before his words finished, Flood Dragon Demon King Wan Yuan stepped out with a roar, a phantom of Dragon scales Entangled his body, nine streaks of purple lightning exploding at the tips of his horns, forcefully pushing back Hui Ming's Buddhist might!

"Hui Ming! You only know how to bully juniors and pick on the weak! If you have the guts, fight this King! Let this arena be stained with your Buddhist blood!"

Hui Ming sneered, his Buddhist light slightly receding, his tone suddenly turning cold: "Wan Yuan, do you truly wish to fight to the death with me for a Human Race junior you don't even know? Is it worth it? Hand over Lu Chen, let him go to the stage to die—then you will lose one less person! My Buddha is merciful; this is a win-win situation, why not?"

His words seemed calm, but in reality, each word was like a poisonous needle.

Fox King Qian Huan quietly approached Wan Yuan, her voice extremely low, yet every word clear: "Big Brother... he's right. If Lu Chen fights Hui Ming, Hui Ming will no longer be eligible to fight in subsequent battles, and with your cultivation, you are more than capable of slaying any one of the opponents! This way, not only do we lose one less person, but we can also—gain absolute initiative in the subsequent battles!"

Wan Yuan's eyes flickered, and his gaze slowly swept towards Lu Chen in the corner.

That look was as if he were an expendable, killable chess piece.

Lu Chen said: "Wan Yuan! I just helped you win the first round, are you really going to push me out? Is this how your Yao Race operates?!"

Lu Chen's gaze was like lightning, directly meeting Wan Yuan's, every word like a nail: "Wan Yuan! If it weren't for me helping you expose their scheme in the first round, you would have lost at least one Demon King! I helped you survive, and now you want to send me to my death?! Is this what you call 'Yao Race integrity'? Or rather—are you just like the Human Race, only caring about profit, without any bottom line?!"

Wan Yuan's face stiffened, his Dragon horns trembled slightly, and a hint of struggle flashed in his eyes: "This... Lu Chen, it's not that this King is heartless... but with the great tribulation upon us, someone must be sacrificed for the sake of the entire race..."

On the Human Race side, Bai Qi was furious, taking a step forward, his Battle Intent soaring to the sky: "Hui Ming! Are you mad?! You are our Human Race's only Late Golden Core Stage cultivator! You actually want to personally deal with a Foundation Establishment cultivator?! Open your eyes and look at the rules! Each person can only fight once! If you kill Lu Chen, who will hold the line in the subsequent bloody battles?! You are destroying the Human Race's path to survival!"

Madam Shuang advised: "Great Master Hui Ming, please prioritize the big picture!"

Hui Ming, however, threw his head back and laughed wildly, his Buddhist light surging, no trace of compassion left in his eyes, only naked greed and killing Intent: "Shut up!! This Master allowed you to live until today out of old sentiment for Great Emperor Tianwu! You, a junior in the Early Golden Core Stage, dare to point fingers at this Master?! This child must die!! He has the aura of the 'heart of the blood god' within him! By seizing his essence blood and refining his soul, this Master is very likely to Breakthrough the Late Golden Core Stage and step into Golden Core Peak!! At that time, this Master alone can break through the subsequent Seven Tribulations!!"

Bai Qi clenched his fists, but ultimately dared not speak further. He was afraid, not of death, but of the Human Race camp falling apart if they completely turned on each other.

The entire scene was dead silent, only the blood-mist-shrouded arena silently beckoned the first sacrifice.

It was in this suffocating silence—

"Om—"

The mechanical voice sounded again, cold and merciless, like a decree of fate: "The first round of the sacrificial arena competition is about to begin. Since the Yao Race camp has a numerical advantage, you will choose first. Please vote to select your fighter for the first round!"

Lu Chen was naturally not afraid to step onto the arena, but he wanted to enjoy the fun of the game.

On the surface, this game looked like a simple battle; in reality, it was also a game of psychological maneuvering.

Wan Yuan looked at Lu Chen with a complex expression, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness and hypocrisy: "Little Brother Lu Chen, I'm sorry, but you can only blame yourself for coming here. With your Foundation Establishment cultivation, even if you miraculously survive this round, there's no way you'll come out alive from the truly deadly trials later. Why not sacrifice yourself now to benefit the greater good? Don't worry, once we leave this instance alive, I, Wan Yuan, swear by the name of the Flood Dragon Royal Family, that I will use all the resources of the Yao Race to build a new city in the Southern Barbarian Lands for your Lu Family members, making the Lu Family the fourth great power after the Three Great Families, ensuring your Lu clan's prosperity for a thousand years and an unbroken line of succession."

Pfft—Lu Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud, shaking his head and saying: "Alright, Senior Wan Yuan, stop drawing grand pictures. You can say all sorts of flowery words, but who will remember them once we're out? I can give you one last chance—if you fully protect me in this round and don't push me out, I promise you that in the upcoming stages, I can lead you all to victory without a scratch, all the way to the end! But if you repay kindness with enmity and offer my life as the first sacrifice, then don't blame me for standing by and doing nothing in the subsequent tribulations, or even... letting you all die without a burial place!"

When Wolf King Xiao Tian heard this, he immediately exploded in rage: "You little brat, spouting such arrogant words here?! We Seven Great Demon Kings have roamed the Southern Wilderness for hundreds of years, killing people like cutting grass. When did it become your turn, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, to point fingers?! To die as a sacrifice for us is your supreme honor! Big Brother has already promised to protect your Family for a thousand years, so why aren't you kneeling down to show gratitude, what's with all this nonsense!"