Chapter 66: Tempting Prizes
"To be honest, the organizers of this Void Arena have shown great sincerity, which is the main reason the Void Arena has remained prosperous to this day.
I announce that the first-place prize for this arena competition is... the Essence of the Rebirth Dragon!"
Huck held up the Rebirth Dragon Essence and raised it toward the audience.
"Roar!"
The audience erupted instantly. If anyone hadn't recognized this item before, now everyone knew its origin.
The so-called Rebirth Dragon Essence was not something like a dragon crystal. Most dragon races didn't have dragon crystals; only a very few possessed them.
As for what a dragon crystal was, in simple terms, it was the dragon's energy storage organ. Most dragons stored energy within their bodies and never evolved useless dragon crystals.
Dragon crystals weren't as miraculous as legends claimed either. After a dragon died, the energy within its body dissipated quickly, and the energy inside the dragon crystal did the same, leaving only an empty shell. Only mages had a particular fondness for dragon crystals, using them to store elemental energy for convenient use in battle.
As for dragon essence, it wasn't something naturally occurring but was artificially created. Shortly after killing a dragon, the energy and soul within the dragon's body were extracted, compressed, and stored together. The resulting substance was the dragon's essence.
Dragons possessed immense energy within their bodies, and with the forced addition of the dragon's soul, the essence could be obtained through subsequent catalysis. This item was precious, but its uses weren't particularly widespread—at least in most cases.
However, the Rebirth Dragon was different. The energy within this type of dragon was a high-purity life force. Once refined into an essence, the life energy within could be directly absorbed. Most energies didn't conflict with life energy. Absorbing high-purity life energy brought many benefits, such as healing injuries, extending lifespan, and if one's own energy had a high compatibility with life energy, it could even rapidly enhance strength.
Now, the Void Arena had produced a Rebirth Dragon Essence. That emerald-like gem of an essence stirred greed in everyone's hearts.
Gulp. The insectoid Benk swallowed hard. It felt that if it consumed this thing, its life rank would rise significantly.
Not far away, the Stone Man clenched his fists, also tempted by the Rebirth Dragon Essence.
Su Xiao lit a cigarette, his gaze fixed on the essence. The Azure Steel Shadow energy within him stirred restlessly.
The moment he saw the essence, Su Xiao couldn't look away. He was certain that the energy within that essence was a high-grade biological energy, exactly what the Devouring Core needed.
If he could devour this dragon essence, Su Xiao's Azure Steel Shadow ability would skyrocket like a rocket, reaching unimaginable levels.
If possible, he had to obtain this thing. Su Xiao made a silent decision.
"Ten contestants have entered the arena. The top three prizes are displayed right here. Fight for them! For these treasures within reach! If you want to become renowned powerhouses in the future, defeat your opponents and trample them into the sand. The free-for-all... begins now!"
Huck dragged out his announcement, declaring the start of the match. All ten contestants stepped forward simultaneously.
Su Xiao scanned his surroundings, observing his opponents. In a free-for-all, the other nine were all his enemies.
Fatty Pi needed no further introduction. The previous four Demon Castle games had given Su Xiao insight into his fighting style.
Wind Prince was a formidable rival. His combination of wind and water elements was versatile—both violent and ferocious, yet also subtle and eerie.
Insectoid Benk was pure strength and speed. Its natural arm blades were incredibly sharp, and combat seemed to be its instinct.
The Stone Man was as steady as a rock. When still, he was immovable; when moving, he was like an avalanche. His appearance alone showed his incredible durability.
Iron Man was the Void's version of Iron Man—no, a retro version. His seemingly ancient knight armor was actually a lightweight combat suit. The retro look was meant to deceive enemies, a classic old fox.
The drunken woman's abilities were unknown. The scorpion tattoo on her face had turned crimson due to her intoxication. Her nickname, Red Scorpion, likely came from this.
Aside from these six, the remaining three bore minor injuries. They immediately moved closer together at the start, showing some mutual sympathy. Their advancement to the top ten was somewhat forced. In previous arena competitions, they would have been seed players, but in this one, they were relegated to the "underdog" category. Their main reason for participating was to secure a ranking.
"It seems I won't get a chance to duel you one-on-one."
Fatty Pi stuffed a large mouthful of spicy beef jerky into his mouth, staring directly at Su Xiao.
Su Xiao didn't respond. The situation on the field was unfavorable, at least for him.
"Don't worry, I won't gang up on you for now. I plan to take out those three extras first."
Fatty Pi walked toward the three underdogs. This might seem like a waste of stamina, but it was actually a clever move. Once Fatty Pi engaged them, the others were unlikely to bother him, preserving his energy and potentially making him the final victor.
Wind Prince, Stone Man, Iron Man, and Red Scorpion showed signs of forming a temporary alliance. Their target was none other than Su Xiao.
Insectoid Benk hesitated for a moment before also heading toward the three underdogs. This was unfortunate for them—they had only come to secure a ranking but were now being attacked by both Fatty Pi and Benk.
"Three of you, the situation is clear now. Though I hate to admit it, the strongest combatant here is this Law Destroyer."
Wind Prince smiled at Su Xiao.
"I was thinking the same. How about we form a temporary alliance? We'll eliminate the others first, then settle things among ourselves. With just the four of us, securing the top four spots shouldn't be a problem."
Red Scorpion agreed with Wind Prince's proposal.
"Agreed. Forming an alliance now is the best choice."
Iron Man extended two electric whips from his arms, arcs of electricity jumping and stretching along them.
"Yeah, let's take out the salesmen first. Salesmen are all liars."
The Stone Man spoke in a deep, rumbling voice, rubbing the few slightly yellowed blades of grass on his head.
After reaching a preliminary consensus, the four began to encircle Su Xiao.
Su Xiao took a deep drag from the cigarette between his fingers, exhaling a large cloud of smoke.
Clang~
Dragon-Slaying Flash was drawn, letting out a crisp blade hum. He remained silent. If anyone else were in this situation, they might feel despair or at least unease.
But Su Xiao was smiling, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.
Azure Steel Shadow energy clung to Dragon-Slaying Flash, making it look like a blade of lightning. His Instinct ability was fully activated, and a faint red aura surged from Su Xiao's body. The four nearby caught a faint scent of blood.
Su Xiao dropped the cigarette from his fingers and lowered his stance.
Boom!
Sand splashed like water in all directions. Su Xiao vanished instantly. Facing a four-person siege, he charged forward instead. His first target was Iron Man. The guy seemed to use electric whips, but his ranged firepower was even stronger than Wind Prince's.
Due to his high-speed charge, Su Xiao's black hair was blown back, and the hem of his coat flapped loudly.
Iron Man's heart raced as he realized Su Xiao was targeting him. At that moment, he felt as if the figure rushing toward him wasn't a human but an enraged beast.