Chapter 998: The First Battle—A Clash of Wolf and Leopard

He descended from the sky like a sword, landing with perfect precision at the very center of the platform. Not one centimeter left, not one right.

How many people could brag about having an Emperor-level referee to their fight?

From the waiting area, two figures simultaneously shot forward and landed on the platform as well, each taking a position on one side.

The atmosphere among the audience instantly reached a fever pitch. The long-awaited Battle for the Throne was finally about to begin.

As soon as they landed, both competitors began ramping up their auras at full force.

The towering pillars surrounding the arena lit up as the arrays activated, casting translucent light barriers to shield the outside from the inevitable shockwaves. Meanwhile, the Sword Saint Demon Emperor simply stood there, apparently not doing anything, yet the contestants' auras remained confined to their own halves of the field. So long as the Emperor did not allow it, they could not touch each other.

These two contestants came from different races. On the left was a male who appeared to be in his forties, with short golden hair and amber-brown eyes that flared with golden light as his aura surged. Behind him, an enormous illusionary beast materialized. Its fur was tawny with golden spots. It was a Golden Coin Leopard.

He was the leopard race's leader, the strongest of his kind. Although he wasn't perfectly human in appearance, his high degree of human likeness indicated a very high cultivation level and a decent bloodline.

The leopard race, naturally, had never produced an Emperor, but this contestant had come hoping to break that history and seize the throne.

His opponent? Coincidentally—or perhaps fatefully—came from a rival race with generations of blood feud against the leopards: the wolf demons.

This Golden Wolf was massively built; he was over four meters tall and had a wolf's head atop a human body. He was covered in gleaming gold fur, and his body radiated pure explosive strength.

Watching this matchup, Tang San couldn't help but think back to when he'd first reincarnated on the Daemon Continent. It had been his subtle manipulation that reignited the temporarily settled conflict between the wolf and leopard races, a fire from the ashes of which he had drawn plenty of benefits. Moreover, the earliest bloodline imprints he had acquired had been the Wind Wolf and Flash Leopard.

And now, standing before him were clearly the two strongest individuals of the two races.

"Begin!" The Sword Saint Demon Emperor's icy voice echoed across the arena as he himself transformed into a beam of sword light and soared into the sky. The barrier that had separated the two combatants vanished, and their auras collided like thunder.

Both were golden bloodlines and both were at the peak of the eleventh order. The moment their energies clashed, the air itself warped violently. The pillars surrounding the arena shimmered under the strain, their energy fields rippling from the impact. Without a sufficiently strong spirit, spectators couldn't even see what was happening inside.

The two opponents immediately unleashed devastating pressure as their divine consciousnesses clashed. The illusory phantoms behind them, manifestations of their bloodline power, burst forth and charged at each other.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

In the blink of an eye, the Golden Coin Leopard King and the Golden Wolf King were at each other's throat.

Both races specialized in close-quarters combat. Though they certainly had ranged abilities at this level, in a fight where they were this evenly matched, close-quarters combat was still their preferred choice.

The Golden Coin Leopard King obviously moved faster, closing the distance in an instant. He shimmered with golden light as he slashed at his opponent's throat and chest with his claws.

The Wolf King roared, and golden light erupted from his body. A sharp wolf howl echoed out, causing the sky above him to dim; behind him, a full moon shimmered in the darkness.

Boom!

The Golden Coin Leopard King was smashed back mid-attack. The Wolf King now wore a radiant golden armor that gleamed brightly. As his figure flickered, a perfect duplicate split from his body, and both the real one and the duplicate lunged toward the leopard.

The Golden Coin Leopard King responded with dazzling speed. His golden spots began to pulse, and his form blurred. Numerous illusionary projections flashed through the air, less solid than the Wolf King's clone but impossibly fast. The phantoms surged toward the enemy.

There was no hesitation. Both fighters launched into full power assault from the very beginning.

Sharp, grating noises filled the air—the sound of the leopard's claws scraping against the wolf's armor.

The match instantly reached a fever pitch.

Bloodline power burned, and every spectator could feel it. Golden light bathed the entire kilometer-wide platform.

Though neither of them was ranked among the tournament favorites, the explosive force of these two close-combat specialists was awe-inspiring.

The Golden Wolf King's battle style was straightforward and vicious.

So what if you're faster? I won't defend. I'll let you attack; hit me wherever you want. But you better be sure that when you hit me, I'll hit you back.

Though he couldn't always land a counterblow, when he did, the impact was brutal; at the very least, he could dispel one of the leopard's illusions.

Both fighters were titans in melee, and before long, blood was drawn.

The Golden Wolf King's armor was scarred by claw marks, but the Golden Coin Leopard King had it worse. A powerful burst attack had slashed two deep, bone-revealing wounds along the right side of his body.

The ancient animosity between the two races left no room for restraint. This was a battle to the death.

Tang San noticed that during the fight, both contestants were taking elixirs that stimulated bloodline power, not healing potions. Before long, armor fragments were flying, and blood splattered the arena.

Even though these two were relatively lower-tier among the tournament's elite, their raw ferocity made them absolutely terrifying.

The intense clash raged for fifteen full minutes. By that time, although both had strong regenerative powers, their movements began to slow.

BOOM!

Another massive collision sent them tumbling to opposite ends of the field. Their energy was clearly diminished, but their killing intent had only grown sharper.

The Golden Coin Leopard King's left arm hung limply, clearly unusable. The Wolf King's armor was half-destroyed, and his body bore dozens of claw marks.

The stage was a wreck, scarred by their rampage.

Their breathing was heavy, their eyes feral.

"Awooooo—!"

The Golden Wolf King let out a long howl. The moon behind him blazed brighter, and his aura surged wildly. His wounds began healing at visible speed. His body swelled with muscle, and a pale white radiance enveloped him, dyeing his golden fur a platinum sheen.