Chapter 326: The Arena Master of the Great Beast Fighting Arena

The room was large, over five hundred square meters, with a seven-meter-high arched ceiling painted with various beast-fighting murals. The room's primary colors were gold, white, and red, giving it a magnificent and luxurious appearance.

Behind a large wooden table that emitted a faint fragrance stood a demon, with its back to them. It faced a window that overlooked the Great Beast Fighting Arena. Although the audience outside was still leaving, no sound could be heard inside, indicating excellent soundproofing.

From the back, they could see that this demon had antlers as white as jade, marking it as a deer demon. Its luxurious attire and the place it stood made it clear that it was the master of this place.

"Arena Master, I have brought them," the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape said with great respect.

"Yes, you may leave," a melodious voice responded.

"Yes." The Bloodthirsty Demon Ape bowed, then quickly walked out without looking at Tang San and the others again.

The deer demon slowly turned to look at Tang San and his team.

He had a handsome face and appeared to be middle-aged. His aura was restrained, but a faint divine light flowed in his eyes. There was a natural, special charm about him.

Tang San immediately recognized the man's clan because he had once absorbed the bloodline of this clan—the Aetherhorn Deer! Moreover, this was an Aetherhorn Deer with god-level cultivation!

The Aetherhorn Deers possessed mighty spiritual power, and their Discerning Heart’s Gaze could see through elements. They had encountered such opponents in a previous team battle, and Elemental Stripping had caused Wu Bingji considerable trouble. They hadn't expected the master of the Great Beast Fighting Arena to be an Aetherhorn Deer.

"Welcome, please have a seat," the Aetherhorn Deer said with a smile, gesturing for them to sit.

Tang San and his team sat down on the sofa. Apart from Tang San, the other four were wary, somewhat awkward, and unsure of what to do.

The Aetherhorn Deer smiled and said, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Ying Jie, and I am the patriarch of the Aetherhorn Deers. The Great Beast Fighting Arena in Kali City is not actually our clan's property; rather, we manage it on behalf of the city lord."

The Aetherhorn Deer Demon King!

The words instantly rose in Tang San's mind. So, the master of the Great Beast Fighting Arena was him.

Tang San had heard that the Aetherhorn Deer clan and the Golden Deer clan were the left and right arms of the Peacock Great Demon King. Despite Kali City's remote location, with the support of these two highly business-savvy deer demon clans, Kali City's economy flourished and the city was now very wealthy. Economically, Kali City had risen from the bottom to the middle ranks of the major cities, due in no small part to the efforts of the two Deer Demon Kings—especially the Aetherhorn Deer lineage, which was exceptionally gifted in management.

This clan produced the Rainbow Deer Demon Emperor, whose blood caused a bidding war at the recent grand auction.

Aetherhorn Deer King Ying Jie’s gaze fell on Tang San, smiling as he said, “You must be the real leader of this small team, right?”

With his keen observation, it was easy for him to discern who the true core of the Shrek Squad was. This could be easily seen from the team members' eyes. Furthermore, in the last match, Tang San showcased his prowess by defeating the Crested Crane Demon at the final moment.

Tang San replied without directly answering, "I wonder why you invited us here. Arena Master."

The Aetherhorn Deer King smiled and said, "Humans are always very clever, especially vassals who can cultivate to your level. You should know why I summoned you here."

Tang San had said "invite," but Ying Jie had changed it to "summon," which already carried a clear sense of pressure.

Tang San calmly said, "I only know that the Great Beast Fighting Arena is a very fair place, especially respectful to the warriors who participate. We just want to win, earn the prize money, and perhaps even gain noble status in the future. That's all we know."

The other party exerted pressure while he pushed back, implying,

"Aren't you known for fairness? Then be fair!"

Summoning them alone was hardly fair. Tang San and his teammates naturally guessed that this Aetherhorn Deer King had called them here for the array discs.

The Spirit Summoning Array was one thing, but the teleportation array was enough to arouse envy. The Spirit Fusion Array displayed today finally made it impossible for the Great Beast Fighting Arena to remain patient. The Aetherhorn Deer King himself had to step in.

The Aetherhorn Deer King smiled and said, "As the saying goes, a common man might be innocent, but having a treasure makes him guilty. You should understand this principle.

Moreover, the origins of some things are hard to explain. The authorities must investigate things of unknown origin. While the Great Beast Fighting Arena is fair, if the authorities in Kali City decide to investigate you, the arena won't be able to intervene."

Tang San also smiled and said, "So, if we hand over all the array discs to you, Arena Master, the Great Beast Fighting Arena will be able to protect us?"

The Aetherhorn Deer King gave a reserved smile and said, "The Great Beast Fighting Arena should have that capability."

"Alright," Tang San agreed without hesitation, then turned to Du Bai and said, "Senior brother, give them to me."

Du Bai gave him a look but still took out three array discs and handed them to Tang San.

Tang San placed the three array discs on the Aetherhorn Deer King's desk. "Can we leave now?"

The Aetherhorn Deer King's spiritual power was extremely strong. He immediately recognized the three array discs as genuine with just a glance. He couldn't help but look at Tang San in surprise. The other party had handed them over so quickly, which was completely unexpected.

"You're just giving them to me like that?" the Aetherhorn Deer King asked.

Tang San said, "There's a saying, 'A wise man adapts to the circumstances.[1] Since you mentioned the authorities might trouble us because of this, we naturally need to be smart. I assure you, these are the only three array discs. You can have your subordinates search us to confirm. So, after this, please don't bother us again. We just want to compete in peace."

The Aetherhorn Deer King smiled and nodded. "I will ensure they take care of you. It's always a pleasure to speak with clever humans. See them out!"

The door opened, and the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape was already waiting outside.

Tang San led his puzzled teammates out, collected their prize money under the guidance of the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape, and then quickly left the Great Beast Fighting Arena.

The Aetherhorn Deer King picked up the three array discs and placed them in front of him, examining them individually. Soon, his face showed a look of amazement.

Each array disc was only palm-sized and engraved with intricate patterns. The energy pathways depicted were unlike anything he had ever seen. Creating an array with such miraculous effects on a small disc was truly remarkable.

After examining the three array discs, he quickly realized he had made a mistake. He hadn't asked the Shrek Squad about their usage and origins.

He had been very confident in himself. The Aetherhorn Deers were reputed to be one of the smartest demon clans, and he had great confidence in his divine consciousness and knowledge, priding himself on being well-versed. He thought that once the array discs were in his hands, he could uncover their secrets with a bit of inspection.

However, he now realized that he had been overconfident. Not asking was a significant mistake. The intricacy of the arrays on the discs far exceeded anything he had ever seen. He couldn't even identify the material of the discs—it seemed to be a specially forged alloy, but he couldn't determine precisely what it was.

He tried to use his divine consciousness to activate the array discs, but there was no effect. They clearly weren’t something that could be deciphered quickly.

No wonder that boy handed them over so readily; he was waiting for this!

After leaving the Great Beast Fighting Arena, the Shrek Squad quickly blended into the crowd.

1. The saying 识时务者为俊杰 originates from the History of the Three Kingdoms. It highlights how flexibility and awareness of one's environment are crucial to success. This phrase is often used to praise someone perceptive and adaptable, recognizing these qualities as marks of true wisdom and heroism. ☜