Below the stage, Tuoba Xi's expression darkened. Dugu Shuo was troublesome enough, but now even his son Dugu Feng proved equally formidable.
Hei Tian was dead.
Hei Tian had been the most promising candidate to dominate his realm, yet he had been killed so swiftly and decisively.
Tuoba Xi was somewhat taken aback by the ruthlessness of the Dugu Family.
They knew full well that the Black Tiger Sect was backed by the Spirit Hall, and allowing them to join the ranks of the Great Soul Arena's overseers was the Spirit Hall's intention.
Yet they showed no mercy in their actions.
Was this the Dugu Family acting alone, or had they reached a consensus with the other families?
"Sect Leader, bad news! Heiling was killed by the Dai Family during a Soul Duel!"
A sudden shout echoed near the Soul Duel Stage.
However, the messenger paled instantly upon spotting Hei Tian's corpse beside Hei Mo.
Dugu Feng smirked.
Did they really think the profits of the Great Soul Arena would be so easily claimed?
The five great families—excluding the Sacred Dragon Sect—had reached an agreement to ruthlessly suppress any members of the Black Tiger Sect they encountered, killing them if possible.
Heiling had been a Soul King-level duelist.
This loss would surely sting the Black Tiger Sect.
Hei Mo's expression shifted unpredictably. "I refuse to believe you can keep winning forever!"
Without another glance, he stepped down from the stage.
The Black Tiger Sect had sent five participants, and on the very first day, they had already lost two.
But at least three remained.
As long as they could defeat the six great families in one realm and secure the right to oversee the Great Soul Arena, it would still count as victory.
As the duel concluded, the audience gradually dispersed, buzzing with excitement.
No one had expected the lower-tier Soul Master battles to be so thrilling, and many exclaimed that it had been well worth it.
Dugu Feng's gaze drifted to a particular spot in the spectator stands. Zhu Zhuqing had arrived at some point and was now leaving with the crowd.
Here to gather intelligence?
When it came time for their duel, he would make sure she mewed like a cat.
Dugu Feng sneered coldly.
A short while later, he followed his father, Dugu Shuo, back to the highest level of the Great Soul Arena.
Results from the other Soul Duel Stages had also come in.
Those battles had been far less bloody, mostly consisting of friendly sparring.
The six great families were well-acquainted with each other.
Just by observing the Soul Masters each family sent, it was easy to deduce which realm they aimed to dominate.
For instance, Little Snake was currently at the 23rd rank, so other families could tell at a glance that his participation wasn't about dominating his realm—there was no need for a fight to the death.
On the other hand, someone like Zhu Zhuyun, with a Soul Power level of 37, was clearly aiming to defeat all opponents in the Soul Expert realm. If there was no conflict of interest, the battles would remain friendly.
After today's duels, Dugu Feng suddenly found this style of Soul Duel quite intriguing.
At first, he had thought the rules were too lax.
But now he saw that dominating a realm signified an invincible presence.
Only then could true powerhouses emerge.
If a family failed to produce a Soul Master capable of defeating all others in the same realm, that family was destined to decline.
Fascinating.
Time flew by, and three more days passed in the blink of an eye. Dugu Feng fought three more matches—against the Ge Family, Thunder Academy, and the Dai Family.
The Soul Masters from the Ge Family and Thunder Academy surrendered immediately after unleashing their Soul Skills in the arena.
As for the Dai Family's Soul Master, they didn't even step onto the stage, forfeiting outright.
Perhaps they had witnessed Dugu Feng's first battle and feared being poisoned to death.
By the fifth day, he faced an opponent from the Sacred Dragon Sect.
He had originally thought he could indulge in a bloodbath.
Once again, the Sacred Dragon Sect conceded in advance, not even daring to step onto the stage.
As for the Black Tiger Sect, which had been targeted by the five great families, only one Soul Emperor remained, having won four consecutive matches. Today's fifth match was the most critical, because their sixth opponent would be the Sacred Dragon Sect, who would undoubtedly go easy on them.
Thus, this fifth match would determine whether the Black Tiger Sect could become the ruler of the Great Soul Arena.
The fact that their opponent had won four matches in a row was proof enough of their formidable strength.
This time, the decision once again fell into the hands of the Dugu Family. Their opponent was Old Scorpion.
Truly, enemies were bound to meet—though it couldn't really be called coincidence, since this encounter was inevitable.
This Soul Duel wasn't open to spectators but was held in a more secluded main Soul Duel Arena, with only members of the six great families present.
The stakes of this duel were too high, and everyone was cautious.
The Soul Duel Stage had a diameter of over seventy meters, typically reserved for team battles.
This time, however, it was assigned to Old Scorpion and this Soul Emperor from the Black Tiger Sect named Heiyan.
Dugu Shuo, Old Snake, and Dugu Feng sat at the very front of the spectator stands, their eyes fixed intently on the stage.
Dugu Feng also studied Heiyan, the Soul Emperor.
He was like a larger version of Hei Tian, his sinister aura practically overflowing, transforming into a gray mist that spread across the stage.
Opposite him, Old Scorpion was equally exaggerated, exuding a bone-chilling cold.
This cold was no different from that of an ice-attribute Soul Master.
Old Scorpion had once said that the reason he hadn't been killed by poison was mainly due to absorbing two ice-attribute Spirit Beast Spirit Rings. The ice-attribute energy suppressed the toxins in his body, allowing him to cultivate all the way to the Soul Emperor rank.
This was also one of the Dugu Family's experimental methods for counteracting poison—most Soul Masters would attach at least one ice-attribute Spirit Ring.
After releasing his chilling aura, Old Scorpion unleashed a fierce fighting spirit.
First, he activated his Martial Soul Avatar, followed by a storm of venomous needles that shrouded the entire stage in a poisonous mist.
Then, Old Scorpion went berserk.
He didn't fight like a Poison Spirit Master at all.
Instead, he resembled a Tool Soul Master.
After his Martial Soul Avatar manifested, his arms and hands elongated like a scorpion's exoskeleton, becoming his weapons.
He charged straight at Heiyan.
From within the poisonous mist came deep shouts and the sound of heavy impacts.
Dugu Feng silently counted the time—the longer this dragged on, the more advantageous it was for Old Scorpion.
Three minutes passed.
The two still hadn't determined a winner.
Dugu Feng began to feel optimistic. Old Scorpion's Jade Phosphorous Scorpion Poison wasn't as potent as the Overlord Venom, but after this much time,
Heiyan was surely doomed.
Several more minutes passed, and Dugu Feng grew slightly puzzled—but after a moment's thought, he realized Heiyan must have taken an Antidote Pill before stepping onto the stage.
But even Antidote Pills had their limits.
If Heiyan hadn't defeated Old Scorpion by now, the poison would only have seeped deeper.
His defeat was inevitable.
With a loud bang,
Old Scorpion and Heiyan collided before separating.
In that brief moment, Dugu Feng saw both of their bodies covered in wounds.
He grew even more confident.
In such a brutal fight, the poison had to be taking effect.
A few more breaths passed, and the battle gradually quieted. The poisonous mist on the stage also began to dissipate.
Only one figure remained standing—none other than Old Scorpion!
His opponent, Heiyan, was dead beyond any doubt.
Dugu Feng glanced toward the distance, where Hei Mo's face had turned deathly pale. With Heiyan's death, any hope of the Black Tiger Sect joining the Great Soul Arena was completely lost.
Standing beside Hei Mo was a shadowy figure, none other than Gui Mei. With a cold glance toward the direction of the Dugu Family, Gui Mei's figure vanished without a trace.
This time, both of the Spirit Hall's arrangements—the Elephant Armor Sect and the Black Tiger Sect—had failed completely, leaving Gui Mei seething with anger.
However, Yu Yuanzhen was also present in this place, leaving even him powerless to act.
He needed to return to Spirit City immediately and report this matter to the Pope.
(End of Chapter)