Chapter 473

Chapter 473: Arena Battle

Having accepted the task, Fang Lie immediately set to work. He left two blood clones and materials for a Nirvana Fire Pool in a heavily guarded treasure vault of the Mo family.

Fang Lie then delegated the work to his clones. Blood clones proved incredibly handy for tasks—diligent and tireless, matching his own skills perfectly. This freed Fang Lie to focus on cultivation without distractions.

After completing these arrangements, Fang Lie rushed home to deliver two more clones and another set of Nirvana Fire Pool materials to the Ancient Heroic Souls Temple near his residence.

Beneath the temple’s altar lay a small secret chamber where he intended to place the Nirvana Fire Seed. The area’s defenses had grown formidable since the Ancient Heroic Souls’ revival, guarded by both the spirits themselves and thousands of Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers from the sect.

The Great Unity Spell’s importance elevated this site to a Forbidden Area. No conflicts were permitted within three thousand miles, and the sect’s protective array guarded it as zealously as the Ancestral Hall and Treasure Vault. Even Semi-Immortals would perish instantly if attempting intrusion.

This made it Mo Sect’s safest location—crucial for housing the Nirvana Fire Pool that safeguarded revival chances for Fang Lie’s siblings and allies. Destruction here would doom them permanently.

After installation, Fang Lie gathered his adopted siblings for a meal and inspected their cultivation progress. The forty-odd former street urchins now possessed low-grade water-element spiritual roots, having opened their Qi Seas and begun proper training.

Fang Lie ensured their success by providing unlimited spirit pills and hiring Golden Pool/Purple Palace-level water cultivators as tutors. The children, grateful for this noble clan-level treatment, trained relentlessly without complaint.

Leaving three more clones behind—one crafting Nirvana Fire Seeds for his siblings, another for Iron-Walled Jin City’s Seven Dragon True Immortals and Mr. Suan Mei, the last assisting Fang Huo with alchemy—Fang Lie found himself down seven clones. With minimal combat needs, two guard clones sufficed.

His priority became refining the Zhou Tian Star Flags into his life-bound treasure altar. Success would boost his combat strength enough to challenge weaker Thunder Tribulation Immortals.

This peaceful routine shattered when three furious brothers greeted his exit from seclusion.

"Big Brother! Mi Qing’s been captured!" Longxing Tianxia thrust forward a gilded challenge letter. "Demonic Path scum forced her father’s hand!"

The document bore over twenty signatures. Fang Lie’s breath caught—every signatory was a Core Inner Gate Disciple from major sects, all boasting Three-thousand-mile Qi Seas or greater. Having only breached three thousand miles himself a month prior, Fang Lie ranked last among them.

Arena battles represented the cultivation world’s most sacred conflict resolution method. Conducted before witnesses, outcomes were binding—even the top ten demonic sects honored results to avoid universal condemnation. Strict rules enforced equal-level matches, forbidding higher-realm interference.

Among all arena battles, the most renowned were the Seven Arena Duels!

These included duels of Dao magic, treasures, combat, and the Four Great Outer Paths—contests of gu insects, demon beasts, battle banners, and Dao soldiers!

In Dao magic duels, no treasures could be used. Only personal Dao magic and divine skills were permitted until one party surrendered or perished.

Treasure duels allowed only one treasure to clash against another, with no Dao magic or divine skills involved.

Combat duels were simpler—any method could be used except powerful disposable treasures.

The Four Great Outer Paths contests were further divided into civil and martial duels.

Civil duels were straightforward: fighters could only use divine sense to control poison Gu insects, demon beasts, and Dao soldiers. Spells, divine skills, or treasures were forbidden.

Martial duels turned brutal. Dao magic and divine skills could enhance one’s poison Gu insects, demon beasts, or Dao soldiers. Even life-consuming secret methods were permitted, provided no direct attacks were made on opponents.

The duel challenge Fang Lie received was a Dao magic duel—no external aids allowed, only spells and divine skills.

Puzzled by this unexpected challenge, Fang Lie demanded an explanation.

Ice Second Brother and the others pieced together the story through overlapping accounts.

The root cause turned out to be Fang Lie’s own doing—his theft of the Ghost Realm Sect’s treasured item had made him infamous.

The punitive campaign against the Ghost Realm Sect lasted barely six months yet nearly destroyed them. Their outer forces were eradicated, one Semi-Immortal and six Thunder Tribulation Immortals fell, leaving the sect crippled.

Compounded by Fang Lie’s theft of numerous eighth-rank treasures, the Ghost Realm Sect’s strength had halved.

As one of the Ten Demonic Sects, this humiliating defeat shocked the entire Demonic Path alliance. A major demonic sect being broken by righteous forces was a collective slap to their prestige.

The ruthless Demonic Path alliance naturally plotted revenge. Yet the Righteous Cultivators proved shrewd—after their strike, they retreated to fortified positions, leaving no openings for counterattack.

Then came the leaked secret of the White Jade Divine Fish.

Though Mo Qianxun had imposed silence about this Mo Sect secret, too many knew—Fang Lie’s siblings and over a dozen family clan members who’d gained spiritual roots.

A dozen mortals suddenly becoming cultivators couldn’t be hidden. News spread through Mo Sect, eventually reaching Demonic Path ears.

Investigations traced back to Fang Lie’s activities, leading to Qingyu Island in Wanxing Sea. Fang Lie’s recent high-profile behavior made his movements easy to track.

The discovery of Qingyu Island’s terrifying protective array and Mo Sect’s Thunder Tribulation Immortal guardians confirmed suspicions—only the White Jade Divine Fish warranted such protection.

Demonic Path cultivators faced a dilemma. Direct assault was futile—Token Lord Huo Wufang’s Ninth-Rank Treasures and defensive array could repel Semi-Immortals. Mo Sect’s defensive prowess lived up to its reputation.

While the Ten Demonic Sects could theoretically overwhelm the defenses with numbers, Semi-Immortal battles risked destroying the White Jade Divine Fish’s habitat. Massive losses for no gain were unacceptable.

Thus, formal arena challenges became their solution.

Analysis showed Fang Lei relied entirely on external power—the Man-Eating Demon Monk’s Semi-Immortal divine skills, Divine Lightning, Earth’s Magnetic Force Warship. Without these, he was merely a low-level cultivator with inflated Qi Sea.

His rapid cultivation growth suggested neglected combat training. In essence—high cultivation, low actual combat strength. A paper tiger.