Forty millenniums of cul.., p.581
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 581
As more and more gladiators were gathered around Li Yao, the data that he needed to calculate and manipulate expanded exponentially. When the range of manipulation was further extended, he soon had the feeling that he was not able to do it any longer.
I can't increase any more. Right now, I can only manipulate the combat thirty-five meters around me at best!
I have never learned how to command and organize on a battlefield, and it is too much of a burden for me to calculate everything temporarily.
On second thought, the so-called 'battle formations' are perhaps examples that indicate the knowledge of accurate control over the battlefield. It seems that I will have to learn more about the battle formations when I have the chance!
The two amalgamations, namely Li Yao's and the Red Blood Bronze Bulls', were moving forward simultaneously. Like magnets drawing small nails incessantly, they attracted more and more gladiators into them on their way.
Although the demon beasts around them were still multiple times more than themselves, the two amalgamations were like two mills of flesh and blood whenever the demon beasts broke into the circle. They were ground until even their bones were shredded.
Watching their companions breaking apart in the circles of the gladiators, even the most brutal demon beasts hesitated to draw close now.
The two amalgamations of gladiators reached the only open bronze gate at the north almost at the same time.
The gate was more than three meters both in length and in width. It was not small for human beings. But for demons, who were almost exclusively more than three meters tall and had weird bones and forms, such a gate was simply too narrow.
Besides, there was a long pathway behind the gate. If a gladiator who was relatively larger in size blocked the pathway, those behind them would not be able to pass through at all.
It was the trickiest moment.
In the past, countless gladiators had broken through the furious tides of demon beasts successfully, only to attack each other before the bronze gate without giving in. In the end, they had all been mauled by the demon beasts, and none of them had actually been able to get away.
The two teams of gladiators were too occupied in killing to notice their surroundings. It was not until this moment that the gladiators except Li Yao noticed each other.
The two teams confronted each other silently. The static sparks in the quietness seemed to be even more dazzling than the electric arcs.
It was also the audience's favorite procedure.
The bronze-blood demons loved watching the black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons, who were even lowlier than them, attacking each other and bleeding while they cheered for them.
"Kill them! Kill them!"
"Your life will be saved after you pass through the gate. Run now!"
Perverted laughter echoed on the auditorium.
Li Yao saw clearly that the veins on the forehead of the leader of the bull-horned muscular demons were protruding like a viper waking after a prolonged hibernation. He shouted, waving his enormous iron hammer, "One member of each team will go into the gate in turn. Don't panic. We can all survive!"
Li Yao was dazed. Except for him, the fifteen bull-horned muscular demons were apparently the strongest warriors on the battlefield. Nobody had the ability to stop them if they were determined to escape, but they were abandoning the opportunity. Why?
"Don't you see?"
The leader of the bull-horned muscular demons bashed the ground with his hammer hard and yelled, "Those demon beasts are no match for us at all. As long as we remain united and do not attack each other, we can all make our way out!
"Don't panic. One from each side. Leave your weapon and pass through the bronze gate as quickly as possible!
"Don't worry about the demon beasts. The fifteen of us will cover the retreat. We will enter the gate last!"
While talking, the leader waved his hands and led his fourteen subordinates to the back of the team. They roared and constituted a solid wall, facing the simmering tide of demon beasts!
The intimidating aura of the fifteen bull-horned muscular demons suppressed the outrage of all the demon beasts in the blink of an eye.
Li Yao was truly dumbfounded. He could not believe his eyes.
Maybe because of the encouragement of the bull-horned muscular demons, or maybe because they realized that too many gladiators had passed through the demon beasts this time and the only outcome if everybody crammed into the bronze gate would be that the pathway would be blocked, many gladiators who were relatively larger in size turned around silently and stood next to the bull-horned muscular demons, filling the gaps between them!
The gladiators who were slimmer and smaller in size handed their weapons to the gladiators behind them cooperatively and passed through the bronze gate at their top speed.
One from each team, they entered the bronze gate orderly. All the gladiators were regrouped into two neat teams smoothly according to their body sizes!
It was something that had never happened on the Skeleton Island before!
The heated auditorium, which had been filled with laughter and screams a moment ago, was dead silent. Even the sound of a needle hitting the ground would have been heard.
The excited bronze-blood demons with twisted faces were all dumbfounded. Even the silver-blood demons were extending their heads out of their boxes, complaining in confusion and dissatisfaction.
Hiss! Hiss!
The demon beasts in the arena were not willing to let go of the prey that had been offered to them and launched a counterattack.
The bull-horned muscular demons were not defending blindly. Faced with the surging tide of demon beasts, they charged forward yet again. Like a burning sword, they raged inside the flock of demon beasts and paved roads of blood!
After a few unbelievable counter-counterattacks, all the demon beasts were wavering, not having the courage to move forward again.
However, the bull-horned muscular demons were not made of steel. After the multiple head-on clashes with the demon beasts, barely any part of their skin was intact, and they were all bleeding profusely. There was no telling what supported them to keep on standing.
Another slight touch or a gentle breeze would probably enough to push them over, but no demon beasts dared to try for a long time.
Under their watch, the gladiators near them were fewer and fewer. The majority of the gladiators had run away successfully.
Realizing that the last prey was going to slip away if they kept on waiting, the boldest Soul-Splitting Behemoths finally summoned their courage and crashed at the wall again!
The hands and legs of the bull-horned muscular demons were all trembling. Their weapons had all fallen to the ground, and they could not even pick them up now.
But the air currents spurting out of their noses became denser and denser like flooding magma!
Right then, a black shadow suddenly passed by them. The length of his left arm was suddenly doubled and slapped out like a supersonic whip!
In an earsplitting shriek, a spear refined out of the femur of an enormous demon beast was thrown out brutally. Before the sound spread out, it had already hit the center of the eyebrow of a Soul-Splitting Behemoth, pierced deep into the head, and penetrated out of its throat, pinning the gargantuan beast to the ground!
Although the head of the beast was pinned to the ground, its body was still moving forward because of the strong inertia. As a result, the body was split apart from the head, and its neck exploded into a pulp of meat.
While everybody was bewildered, Li Yao dragged all the fatigued bull-horned muscular demons into the bronze gate before he closed it heavily with all of his strength.
"Thank you, for what you did today and yesterday."
Inside the darkness, the sound of the leader of the bull-horned muscular demons turned warm and mild.
"Why did you do it?" Li Yao asked.
The leader panted for a long time. Inside the darkness, the pair of bull eyes were emitting comforting brilliance like two topazes the size of eggs.
"I just don't like the laughter of the scumbags in the auditorium," he replied. "That's all."
Chapter 874: First Appearance of Chaos |
BAM! BAM BAM! BAM BAM BAM BAM!
The sounds of iron fists colliding with sharp claws, mixed with heated cheers, were echoing on an empty field in the center of the forest. A group of gladiators were standing in a circle, watching the competition of two experts.
The one on the left was the leader of the bull-horned muscular demons.
The one that was resisting his attack unhurriedly was, naturally, Li Yao.
"Moo!"
The leader of the bull-horned muscular demons roared suddenly, and his arms bulged to twice their original size with veins binding them up in circles like the whorls on a screw. The punch was mixed with a weird helical force, and Li Yao's defense was crushed even though he had crossed his two arms to resist the attack. Meanwhile, the veins on his opponent's arms suddenly twisted in the opposite direction, like a spring that was released abruptly after being tightened. Another new force was blown out and pressed Li Yao's chest heavily.
Li Yao retreated almost ten steps before he hit a giant tree heavily, shaking the leaves of the tree hard. He shook his hand and smiled. "Let's stop fighting. Brother Mo has grasped seventy percent of the 'Boa Bondage Force'. I'm no match for you."
Li Yao had limited his strength and speed to 7%. Without resorting to the force of his core and spiritual energy, he was truly no match for the leader of the bull-horned muscular demons with only 7% of his capability.
It was the seventh day after Li Yao arrived at the Skeleton Island.
After passing through the first battle, they had turned from new blood into official gladiators, but they were not scheduled for a second game in a hurry. Instead, they were simply locked in the deepest part of the Skeleton Island for further training.
Although they were prisoners, the place was an out-and-out training camp in Li Yao's eyes.
Every day, they were able to drink strengthening drugs that were powerful and contained a lot of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
Li Yao did not know much about the strengthening drugs of the Blood Demon Sector, but according to the standard of the Heaven's Origin Sector, they were all invaluable treasures. Even the best students of the Nine Elite Colleges would not necessarily be able to obtain such strengthening drugs.
Other than that, the meat of demon beasts that stored abundant spiritual energy was supplied unlimitedly. The guards did not even frown when Li Yao ate seven whales in a row and simply offered more food to him.
Moreover, the information bugs that they received had been fully upgraded, too. The battle experience of many middle- and high-level demon generals, and sometimes even demon kings, was now stored inside them.
The normal gladiators might have found it difficult to understand the quick and mysterious fighting scenes. But for Li Yao, having access to such battle experience was like giving a fish an ocean to swim in.
In the special training camp, all the gladiators were mixed up. Other than the newcomers such as themselves, there were also a lot of veterans who had participated in multiple games and the real brutal warriors who had secured five victories and regained their freedom but still chose to stay on the Skeleton Island as tutors.
Under such circumstances, all the gladiators naturally started bonding with each other. The leader of the bull-horned muscular demons and Li Yao, who nailed a Soul-Splitting Behemoth at the crucial moment in the end, became the center of the newly-arrived gladiators.
Li Yao learned that the leader of the bull-horned muscular demons was named 'Mo Tiesheng'. He had lived with his companions around Cloud Mist Swamp, which was as an underdeveloped area as the Hundred Desolation Mountain and frequented by a lot of demon beasts. They had made their living by hunting down the demon beasts. After generations of evolution and elimination, their unparalleled physical strength had been built up.
Their village had been affected by the war between the coalition army of the demon race and the Blade of Chaos, too. Because of the savaging fires of war, they had to evacuate from their hometown, only to run into the slave-catching team of Void Turmoil City.
Magnificent as the naturally-endowed techniques of the Red Blood Bronze Bulls and Fire Kirins might have been, it was not enough for them to resist the barrage of the acid cannons and the bone sting guns. A lot of their clan members who dared to fight back had been slain, and the rest of them had been paralyzed by the narcotic drugs. When they woke up again, they had already been tied up and unable to move anymore.
Therefore, Mo Tiesheng hated the high and mighty nobles' guts.
The other gladiators were more or less the same. They had mostly been living in the far-flung areas where the environment was harsh with endless demon beasts. But because of the flames of war, they had been involved in a disaster that was unrelated to them and ended up in this place, turning from an innocent hunter in the wilderness into a finely-made slaughtering machine.
The Skeleton Island's mode of operation is indeed not right!
Li Yao was deep in thought.
Chaotic-blood demons were certainly not a synonym for the weak. In fact, their potential was much higher than those of many black-blood and bronze-blood demons.
Before, the well-despised chaotic-blood demons usually lived in the corners of the Blood Demon Sector. They were loose sand and could not stir much trouble.
However, through slave trading, the chaotic-blood demons who were infuriated and loathed the nobles had been gathered in Void Turmoil City, and the most defiant of them had been shipped to the Skeleton Island to receive such mysterious, rigorous, and effective training.
Naturally, a possible explanation would be that only through such refinement could the gladiators offer entertaining matches and even become the sharp claws and teeth for the nobles.
However, would the claws and teeth really never tear open the throats of their masters?
Other than that, all the gladiators had been locked up in the same place, but there was not any surveillance at all. Wasn't it very convenient for the gladiators to connect with each other?
In fact, that was exactly what had happened.
After only a few days, Mo Tiesheng had established his prestige among the gladiators and in effect became the big brother for them, and Li Yao and a few other gladiators were also respected for their marvelous capability. Many gladiators were willing to listen to their command.
During the casual chitchats at night, there was no telling who started it first, but everybody started sharing the reason and process of their capture. After they heard that everybody had such similar experiences, it was unmistakable that flames of empathy and comradery were burning deep down in their eyes.
If the chaotic-blood demons had been loose sand in the past, right now, they already had their basic organization.
If the gladiators were to rise up and fight their oppressors, the experts such as Mo Tiesheng and Li Yao would be the natural leaders!
This place is totally a boot camp for the rebels!
While he was pondering, he smelt a pungent smell, only to find that Mo Tiesheng had sat down next to him and was staring at the gladiators who were training hard far away.
"Another four victories, then we will be able to go back," Mo Tiesheng said slowly.
Despite his brutality and valiance in the games, Mo Tiesheng was rather friendly and easygoing. His greatest goal was nothing more than to bring his companions back to their hometown and live their poor but peaceful lives again.
Before Li Yao could reply, laughter resembling the cackles of a crow echoed behind the two of them. An old demon, whose skin was wrinkled with gray feathers and whose eyes were red, moved close.
The old demon was named Ba Mingsong. He had been a gladiator in the past, too, but his wings had been broken during a game, and although he had luckily survived, he was not able to fight any more games.
He was working in the training camp as a servant and a masseur. Sometimes, he was responsible for answering the questions of the newly-arrived gladiators, too. But in general, he was just an insignificant worker.
However, mysterious brilliance was beaming out of Ba Mingsong's eyes. He chuckled and craned his long neck toward them. "You think that you will be allowed to go home so easily? In your dream!"
Mo Tiesheng bulged his eyes. "Does the master of the Skeleton Island not honor his words?"
Ba Mingsong sneered, "Of course, the master of the Skeleton Island honors his words. However, you must bear in mind that you must secure five victories instead of one or two. There's a huge difference between one victory and five!
"Mad Bull, Bloody Claw, you are among the most distinguished gladiators of the newcomers over the past few years. You are going to be great money-makers for the arena. Will they let go of you easily?"
After they entered the Skeleton Island, their names were meaningless, and they had been nicknamed according to their own characteristics. Mo Tiesheng was called 'Mad Bull' while Li Yao was addressed as 'Bloody Claw'.
Ba Mingsong blinked and said in a low voice, "Tell you what, there are a lot of ways to keep you in this place. For example, after you win four games, somebody will declare that you've misunderstood the rule, and that you will have to secure five victories in a row—not separately—in order to be set free!
"Or rather, they will grant you strengthening drugs that are very powerful but have a limited time of effect. At the beginning, you are naturally free to take them. However, after you've tasted the gratification of strength, you will be charged if you want more of such drugs! You don't have any money? That's easy. The Skeleton Island will loan you money! After you borrow the first sum of money, you will never be able to walk out of the place anymore. Even if you've regained your freedom, you will still have to linger on the Skeleton Island or work for other nobles!"
Mo Tiesheng snorted. "So, in your opinion, we are never going to be free again, are we?"
