Chapter 290: Victory

A terrifying roar made the entire Great Beast Fighting Arena tremble momentarily as a formidable shockwave, like a tidal wave, surged toward Tang San and his three companions.

But just then, with a flash of golden light, the seemingly lethal shockwave hit nothing but air as Tang San and his companions vanished.

When they reappeared, they were already behind the ninth-order elephant demon. Tang San and Wu Bingji leaped up simultaneously, pouncing at the elephant demon.

Carried by the wind, Tang San was the first to reach the elephant demon's back. The wind blade in his hand instantly stabbed down.

The ninth-order elephant demon had just unleashed a powerful attack, so its defense was naturally at its weakest. Tang San's target was the spot that Cheng Zicheng had repeatedly attacked with her Golden Wing Wind Splitting Slash.

Meanwhile, Wu Bingji also leaped up, launching two icicles directly at the elephant demon's eyes. Simultaneously, Gu Li deployed Time Freeze, causing the elephant demon's body to stiffen. It barely managed to close its eyes in time.

But how could its eyelids possibly withstand Wu Bingji's strike? The icicles penetrated and exploded, instantly shattering its eyeballs. Meanwhile, a tremendous suction force from behind began devouring its bloodline power.

The intense pain, combined with the loss of its bloodline power, caused its defenses to weaken instantly. The wind blade stabbed into the nerve center at the back of its neck, causing the powerful ninth-order elephant demon to collapse on the ground, clearly not long for this world.

Tang San did not hurry to stand up. What the spectators saw was that he was driving the wind blade deeper. What he was actually doing was absorbing as much as he could of the elephant demon’s bloodline power before it died.

The robust bloodline power surged into his body, causing his cultivation to increase dramatically, almost breaking through the peak of the seventh order. He managed to sustain it only through his powerful spiritual control, preventing himself from making a breakthrough right then and there.

After quite a while, the ninth-order elephant demon finally ceased to twitch and died!

By this time, just a bit over five minutes had passed. All participants who had placed bets on one, three, and five minutes had lost, and the Great Beast Fighting Arena had made good money.

Tang San and Wu Bingji stood on the back of the ninth-order elephant demon, and Cheng Zicheng appeared out of thin air beside them. By this time, the stands were already filled with curses. Nobody who lost a bet would be happy.

"A miracle! I can’t think of any other word to describe it! I don't even know how they did it, but a win is a win. Let's congratulate the Shrek Squad for their first victory in team combat. This is truly one of the most incredible victories I've ever seen achieved by human vassals! Let's look forward to their next team battle."

When the five members of the Shrek Squad finally exited the Great Beast Fighting Arena and returned to the blood-scented corridor, Tang San could hear his four companions' heavy breathing, even sensing the cold sweat breaking out on their backs.

They had won, and the victory had seemed relatively smooth at a glance. Yet, the fight had been quite intense for these youngsters.

Tang San removed the mask from his face. He didn't say anything or comfort them, as this was an essential part of their growth. If humanity wished to rise and secure its own space for survival, it needed to double its efforts. Humans could not afford to be sheltered flowers; in this world, humanity was still too weak and in dire need of strong and resolute individuals.

Returning to the room where they had awaited their battle, the other four removed their masks.

Their gazes unanimously fell on Tang San.

"We won! We actually won! To slay demons in broad daylight is just too thrilling!" Du Bai's voice, though somewhat shaky, couldn't hide his evident excitement.

Wu Bingji looked deeply at Tang San, "Little Tang, no, Tang San, thank you."

The thing he was thankful for, of course, was the icicles. Without Tang San's guidance, he knew he would never have been able to master the ice element to such an extent. The icicles were just one manifestation; his overall control of the ice element had far surpassed what a normal ice bloodline could achieve.

Tang San smiled and said, "This is the result of your efforts. But let's not relax. Remember, we essentially arranged today's opponent. Our next opponent will be someone who has also won in the Great Beast Fighting Arena. The teams that dare to participate in battles are all ferocious. We can't afford to be careless for a moment, or it could mean our end."

"Right, let's all do our best together." Wu Bingji nodded.

Gu Li said, "It's a pity I didn't get to use my hammer technique today. I really wanted to smash their elephant heads!"

Du Bai disdainfully retorted, "You're dreaming. If you faced them head-on, you'd be sent flying. Can your strength even compare to theirs?"

Gu Li huffed. Obviously, that remark had hit the bullseye. "If I am able to reach the eighteenth strike, then it's hard to say."

He was not yet at the seventh order, so in terms of strength, he really couldn't compare with an elephant demon. However, his role in today's fight was significant. The Chrono Croc Transformation, powered by his now-sufficient spiritual strength, worked wonders. Wu Bingji's icicles could not have been so effective without his control.

The door opened with a squeak, drawing the attention of all five.

It was the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape that entered. The look it gave them had noticeably changed.

"I didn't expect you to actually win this one. You indeed have some foundations. Golden Roc and Chrono Crocodile, huh? Even human vassals can possess such bloodline power now. It's quite admirable. Come with me. You cannot leave the Great Beast Fighting Arena until the next two matches are over."

Hearing this, Wu Bingji couldn't help but say, "Hello, it's like this: we've booked rooms in a hotel outside. Can we go back to cancel the reservation first?"

He didn't want to waste the money on the room! Wouldn't that be a waste if they weren't going to stay?

The Bloodthirsty Demon Ape said indifferently, "It's a rule that you cannot leave the Great Beast Fighting Arena until the three matches are concluded. Your ignorance of the rules is your own problem, not mine. Besides, what's a few days' rent? If you can win all three matches, the money you'll take away will be much more than that. And if you don’t, well, you won’t worry about rent again."

Wu Bingji wanted to say something, but Tang San stopped him. He had no choice but to let it go, silently calculating in his heart how much they would lose on the room rent for those days.

The Great Beast Fighting Arena was indeed vast. Under the guidance of the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape, they were allocated several rooms on the second floor of the arena. Each had their room; though not as nice as the hotels outside, the accommodations were still acceptable. Food was provided for free, but they were not allowed to leave the lodging area until the three matches were concluded, except to participate in their fights. There were powerful individuals tasked with guarding them. Of course, gathering and communicating with each other was no issue.

They had little to settle in with, as they hadn't brought anything along; their belongings were still in the inn. So, they simply gathered together to strategize.

Tang San could clearly sense his companions' excited mood.

They had won the first match, and it had taken them just over five minutes from start to finish. The formidable team of elephant demons, including a ninth-order one, had been defeated. This left them with a sense of disbelief even now.

But the undeniable truth lay before them, so they had no choice but to believe it. Unknowingly, they had become able to contend with demons at their own levels and even higher.