237: He regretted it, he was afraid.

Lu Chen looked at the Phoenix True Fire that was about to completely dissipate in the air, and with a thought, the dragon fiend spear in his hand shot out with a roar, like a Vicious Beast that had smelled blood, emitting a low and greedy hum.

Don't waste it! Give it to me—suck!

The tip of the dragon fiend spear opened up, forming a rotating devouring vortex like a giant mouth, and a terrifying suction instantly swept the entire arena!

The still unextinguished Phoenix True Fire was forcibly pulled, transforming into a crimson-gold stream of fire, pouring entirely into the spear body.

Even the fragments of Phoenix will remaining in the Void Realm were peeled away inch by inch and forcibly restrained.

Not even the few tiny Golden Core fragments scattered after the Heaven Burning Lord's core shattered were spared; they were all sucked into the depths of the spear body and thoroughly refined!

The entire long spear trembled violently, its body glowing with a mixture of blood patterns and golden flames, emitting an excited Dragon roar as if it were alive.

Originally, the spear only contained nine Dragon Souls and pure Dragon intent, fierce and domineering, yet singular and pure.

But at this moment, with the integration of Phoenix True Fire and true intent, a completely different Aura subtly emerged within the spear—it was a supreme Yin rhythm of Nirvana and burning away all calamities!

The Dragon Soul and Phoenix intent slowly intertwined and merged within the spear body, forming a wondrous resonance, like the convergence of Yin and Yang, giving birth to an endless stream of new energy that cycled continuously, nourishing the spear body, causing its spirituality to surge and its power to double!

Lu Chen looked at the constantly trembling dragon fiend spear in his hand and couldn't help but smile bitterly, shaking his head: "Good fellow, I haven't even had Dual Cultivation yet, but you, a spear, have already started? Dragon and Phoenix intertwined, Yin and Yang complementing each other, and it can even produce Spiritual Qi on its own... This is truly infuriating!"

Just then, the cold, emotionless mechanical voice sounded again, echoing throughout the entire space:

"[First round, Lu Chen wins]"

"[Sacrifice – Blazing Heaven Lord]"

As the announcement fell, the originally gray and silent Vermilion Bird statue to the south erupted with dazzling blood-red light!

Blood flames surged like a tide, spreading wildly along the stone patterns. The entire statue seemed to come alive, its wings slightly fluttering, its eyes opening, revealing a fierce power that could burn the heavens and destroy the earth, lifelike, as if it would break out of the stone in the next instant!

Indeed, everything was pre-programmed.

Even though the Heaven Burning Lord's Divine Soul was annihilated, and even the residual energy was completely absorbed by Lu Chen, the System still judged the sacrifice complete—because as long as someone died in the arena, the ritual was considered finished, and activating the Divine Beast statue was just a predetermined step, no actual sacrifice was needed.

The blood-red light receded, and the Divine Beast returned to stillness.

Lu Chen's figure flickered, and he was teleported off the arena, reappearing at the edge of the Yao Race camp.

Flood Dragon Demon King Wan Yuan quickly stepped forward, a fawning smile plastered on his face, his tone striving to be sincere: "Fellow Daoist Lu Chen! The matter of voting just now was truly out of my control, forced by circumstances! I, Wan Yuan, have always respected heroes, and I admire you from the bottom of my heart! That vote... was purely for the greater good, absolutely no ill intent! I hope you, being a great person, will not take it to heart!"

Wan Zehu also hurried over, swallowing hard: "I... I too! Voting for you just now... that was a moment of confusion, really! You have to believe me!"

Lu Chen's expression was calm, his gaze sweeping over the two of them, without anger or mockery, his voice not loud, yet like ice falling to the ground: "No need to say more. From now on, I no longer belong to any camp—I am my own faction, acting alone."

Wan Zehu was stunned, then quickly said: "Then... then I'll join you! I'll be on your team! I'll listen to whatever you say!"

Lu Chen didn't even look at him, simply uttered one cold word: "Scram."

Wan Zehu stiffened, not daring to say anything more, and responded in a low voice: "Alright."

On the other side, Great Master Hui Ming no longer had his previous arrogance and killing intent; he was unusually quiet.

He lowered his head, hands clasped together, his Buddhist light dim, and even his breathing was extremely soft.

He no longer shouted, no longer provoked, and didn't even dare to look in Lu Chen's direction, fearing that a glance would meet those calm yet unfathomable eyes.

He knew in his heart—

That Foundation Establishment junior he considered an ant had now become an existence that could truly threaten his life.

He regretted it, he was afraid, and he... chickened out.

The next three battles!

Hui Ming and Wan Yuan had a tacit understanding; neither dared to fight. They knew that with their Late Stage strength, once they fought, it would likely be either a mutual defeat or a mutual destruction. Preserving their strength and observing the situation was the wisest choice at the moment.

The second battle: Bai Qi versus Shadow Demon.

Bai Qi, clad in black armor and wielding the demon dragon halberd, exuded an Aura like a thousand armies pressing down.

He said nothing, but his moves were ruthless and decisive. With the power of a Human Race battle soul, he forcibly tore through the Shadow Demon's Void Realm stealth technique, piercing its Sea of Consciousness with a "Breaking Army Through the Heart." The Shadow Demon didn't even have a chance to escape before being nailed to the center of the arena, its Divine Soul collapsing.

The third battle: Night Rakshasa of the Blood Yin Sect against the Blood Vine King.

Night Rakshasa was sinister and cunning, skilled at using blood curses to erode an opponent's spiritual platform. She began by setting up the "Nine Nether Blood Fiend Array," intending to wear down her opponent with sinister methods.

However, the Blood Vine King was originally a Mutated Species of the Southern Wilderness bloodline, with extremely strong resistance to blood Dao arts. Not only was he not eroded, but he instead used the blood array to devour in reverse. His vines coiled like giant pythons, crushing Night Rakshasa's protective Yin armor. His final strike even forcibly extracted her Golden Core from her body and refined and absorbed it in front of everyone!

After the battle, his body surged with blood Qi, and his Aura climbed steadily. To everyone's shock, he stepped halfway into the Golden Core Middle Stage, and his combat power surged!

The fourth battle: Old Monster Mo against the Fire Crow King.

Old Monster Mo appeared decrepit and frail, but in reality, he was deeply cunning and his methods were insidious.

He deliberately showed weakness, luring the Fire Crow King to go all out. When the Fire Crow King's Golden Core manifestation, the "Heaven Burning Crow," was fully unleashed, Old Monster Mo suddenly brought out a sinister Magical Artifact that had been sealed for many years—the "Spirit Devouring Bone Bell." With a chime of the bell, the Fire Crow King's spiritual platform was violently shaken, his Golden Core instantly became chaotic, and Old Monster Mo shattered his heart 脈 with a palm strike, causing him to perish on the spot.

Three battles concluded, and the Yao Race suffered the loss of two major generals—Shadow Demon and Fire Crow King both died in battle. Only the Blood Vine King became renowned in one battle, not only winning but also transforming by using the enemy's Golden Core, with his strength advancing by leaps and bounds.

Wan Yuan's face was ashen, filled with regret: he had severely underestimated the practical combat ability of a killing god like Bai Qi, and he had not expected Old Monster Mo to possess such insidious methods. A single misstep had put the Yao Race in a passive position.

Roar! Roar! Roar! Roar—!!!

Four earth-shattering beast roars successively exploded!

Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise—the four Divine Beast statues simultaneously erupted with monstrous blood-red light the moment the blood sacrifice was completed!

Stone shells crumbled inch by inch, debris splattered like rain, and the four colossal Divine Beast true forms, each a hundred zhang tall and covering the sky, slowly emerged. Their scales were sharp, their eyes like the sun and moon hanging in the sky, and with just their breathing, they caused the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to violently surge!

Terrifying pressure, like mountains and prisons, descended with a roar!

Everyone instantly felt as if they had fallen into an abyss, their knees weak, their breathing difficult, as if billions of pounds of pressure were on their chests. Even circulating Spiritual Qi became incredibly sluggish, and those with weaker cultivation directly knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down!

Great Master Hui Ming's face was pale, his clasped hands trembling uncontrollably, his voice filled with unconcealed fear: "No... impossible! These Divine Beasts... they're not illusions! Not phantoms! They... they are truly existing beings! They are alive!"