Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 18 - Slapping Faces

Wan Butong bet 500,000 gold coins, no more, no less. This was no different from declaring that Wan Butong wanted to con Liu Wuxie.

But to everyone’s surprise, Liu Wuxie tossed the card out and bet on the Rhinobeast winning. He said, “Sure. Let’s determine the outcome with one game, then.”

“Lunatic! He’s a madman!”

“He’s just a piece of trash. Well, the gold coins don’t belong to him anyways. But the odds of the Rhinobeast winning is less than 10%!”

“Let’s just watch the show. 500,000 gold coins. Let me see how the Xu Clan pays for it when he loses it all.”

“......”

No one was optimistic about Liu Wuxie, and they looked at him like they were looking at a clown, waiting for him to make a fool of himself. Xu Lingxue sighed helplessly by the side, and it was already too late for her to stop him.

The Polarwind Leopard emitted a fierce roar as the battle commenced. It sprang forward like a gust of wind, appearing behind the Rhinobeast and sinking its teeth into its flesh. Blood spurted as the leopard tore off a chunk of meat, creating a gruesome spectacle.

The Rhinobeast was slow, and it couldn’t dodge in time. In just one exchange, the Rhinobeast had already suffered several wounds on its body, with the arena dyed in blood.

Many women turned their heads away because they couldn’t bear to watch this bloody scene. But training in the mountain range was more than tenfold crueler than what was happening in the arena.

A smile tugged at the corner of Liu Wuxie’s mouth as he subtly moved his lips. He used his true essence to encase his voice and compress it into a thin stream. This was akin to a gaseous substance shuttling out, which required profound soul techniques.

The Rhinobeast was on the verge of falling under the ferocious attacks of the Polarwind Beast. But just when it was staggering, a voice came into its mind, making it daze briefly.

On the other hand, the Polarwind Leopard’s attacks became even more ferocious after being stimulated by the blood stench as its demonic energy permeated the entire arena. At least ten thousand people were in the four stands and 90% bet on the Polarwind Leopard. Then again, some took the risk because the odds of 1:10 was still pretty tempting.

“Young Master Liu, I’m sorry, but I’ll be taking the 500,000 gold coins.”

It was just a matter of time before the Rhinobeast was killed, and it would die in another round at most.

Liu Wuxie picked up his cup of tea and took a leisurely sip. “The battle isn’t over yet, Young Master Wan,” he said calmly. “Isn’t it a bit premature to declare a winner?” He appeared completely at ease, unconcerned about the outcome of the battle, and even engaged in a casual conversation with Song Ling.

“It appears you won’t give up without seeing the result. I’ll make you fully convinced then!” Wan Butong’s face became sinister. After all, he had his anger pent up from the slap by Lei Tao previously, and he wanted to take this opportunity to trample on Liu Wuxie.

A series of loud boomings came from the arena as the Rhinobeast rubbed its hooves on the ground. It licked the wounds on its right leg and let out a mournful cry before it charged at the Polarwind Leopard. This was no different from courting death. The Rhinobeast might be able to last for a little longer with its strong defense, but it would only die faster as it charged forth.

The Polarwind Leopard leaped to the sky, drawing a beautiful arc in midair as it bared its fangs at the Rhinobeast’s neck. If the Polarwind Leopard’s jaws bit on the Rhinobeast’s neck, it would definitely die without a doubt.

As the distance between the two demonic beasts got closer, the Rhinobeast suddenly squatted down, allowing the Polarwind Leopard to fly past its head. But that wasn’t all, as the Rhinobeast’s rear legs bounced from the ground, giving a back kick at the Polarwind Leopard’s chest when it lost its center of gravity. The kick caused the Polarwind Leopard to scream out in pain, and the sheer force of the kick was close to six thousand joules.

This scene made Wan Butong tremble as he bounced up from his seat in disbelief.

The Polarwind Leopard fell hard to the ground and howled in pain. But the Rhinobeast didn’t give the Polarwind Leopard a chance to catch its breath as it made a sharp turn and pounced forth, causing the arena to tremble. The beast tamer wanted to stop the Rhinobeast’s charge, but it was already too late as the Rhinobeast descended on the Polarwind Leopard, leaving behind a pile of minced meat. The Polarwind Leopard was dead before it could even cry out.

Hissing voices came from the surroundings as the spectators took a deep breath. This outcome was too unbelievable, and they couldn’t fathom how the Rhinobeast, who wasn’t proficient in offense, actually won. This had never happened in the past century.

“This is too weird. The Polarwind Leopard’s reflexes are clearly faster than the Rhinobeast. So how did the Rhinobeast manage to win?” An uproar exploded in the crowd because the Rhinobeast’s retaliation had far exceeded the scope of first-graded demonic beasts. Could it be that the Rhinobeast was possessed?

Wan Butong collapsed on his chair powerlessly. Since the Polarwind Leopard lost, this meant he had lost 500,000 gold coins.

“I’m grateful for Brother Wan’s generosity, and I’ll accept the 500,000 gold coins.” Someone quickly delivered a card containing 500,000 gold coins. The Wan Clan naturally wouldn’t dare to deny the bet in public unless they wanted to ruin their business and lose their foothold in Azure Billow City.

“Brother Liu is fortunate, and I’m impressed by your luck. Do you dare to bet with me again?” Wan Butong’s eyes turned red like a gambler who lost his rationale and was desperate to win it back. After all, the 500,000 gold coins came from the Wan Clan, and he couldn’t afford to lose them.

The faces of those who mocked Liu Wuxie earlier became ugly, and they even wanted to slap their faces. They mocked Liu Wuxie for being a wastrel, but it turned out that they were the trash themselves.

“It’ll be my honor!” Liu Wuxie said without a trace of emotions in his tone. Gold coins were nothing more than resources in his eyes to purchase spirit stones and use the spirit stones to set up a Spiritual Convergence Array, thus accelerating his breakthrough.

Xu Lingxue, sitting beside Liu Wuxie, looked at him with a hint of shock in her eyes. Could it really be just a stroke of luck?

The second round soon began, and two demonic beasts were driven to the arena by the beast tamer, the Horned Python and Flame Eagle. They were both highly aggressive demonic beasts, and the Wan Clan utilized a lot of manpower to capture the Flame Eagle.

“Brother Rongzhe, this brat doesn’t seem to be simple!” the Tian Clan’s patriarch whispered. The previous round was too unusual, and even experts in the Spirit Cleansing Realm like them couldn’t figure out how the Polarwind Leopard lost.

“He’s just lucky.” Wan Rongzhe wasn’t too bothered. So what if Liu Wuxie managed to win one round? There were ten rounds, and he was confident the Wan Clan would be the biggest winner.

As the betting corner was opened again, martial cultivators came from the surroundings to place their bet. The odds of this round were the same because both sides had chances of winning.

“Young Master Liu, you can place the bet first this time,” Wan Butong said, gesturing to Liu Wuxie to make a bet first. At the same time, the beast tamer in the arena made an unusual sign, and no one knew about this sign besides the Wan Clan’s higher hierarchy. But the beast tamer’s movements naturally couldn’t avoid Liu Wuxie’s eyes.

“I don’t have a habit of going first. Brother Wan can take the first pick.”

As soon as Liu Wuxie said that, countless people couldn’t help feeling the urge to strangle him to death. He had the advantage of taking the pick first, so why did he give it away to Wan Butong? They couldn’t understand where he got his confidence from.

“Big brother, I’ll treat you as my eldest brother if you can win another round.” Song Ling leaned over with admiration in his eyes. But this caused the faces of the Song Clan’s disciples to darken. Liu Wuxie was infamous for his reckless spending and was widely avoided by the residents of Azure Billow City.

“I won’t be polite then. I’ll bet 1,000,000 gold coins on the Horned Python!” This was a colossal bet, as 1,000,000 gold coins were equivalent to three months’ profit from Xu Clan’s five weapon workshops.

The battle between the beasts soon began. The Horned Python was over ten meters in length. A foul stench spread when it swept its tail out, and Xu Lingxue was forced to take out a handkerchief to cover her nose.

The Flame Eagle descended from the sky, its beak aimed at the Horned Python’s head. Its massive wingspan created a powerful gust of wind that swept up the gravel on the ground and sent it flying towards the surrounding walls. The sound of rocks colliding with the walls echoed throughout the arena.

“Judging from the look of this, the Flame Eagle has a high odds of winning. But why did Wan Butong not pick the Flame Eagle and pick the Horned Python instead?” Everyone was baffled. Although the Flame Eagle’s wings were restricted and couldn’t fly high, it could maintain a low altitude with its ability. So the Flame Eagle still had high odds of winning, and everyone was surprised that Wan Butong would give up on the Flame Eagle and pick the Horned Python instead.

In their first exchange, the two demonic beasts clashed with blood and flesh scattering around. When they finally separated, a large pool of blood could be seen on the ground, originating from the Horned Python. The Flame Eagle didn’t let up, swooping down at low altitude with its sharp beak aimed at its opponent.

“Brother Wan, why didn’t you pick the Flame Eagle?” Tian Yequan finally asked the question. After all, the Flame Eagle was much stronger than the Horned Python in terms of fighting prowess, and the Horned Python would definitely lose in three exchanges.

“Just wait and watch!” Wan Butong smiled deeply because everything was going according to his plan. He planned on making Liu Wuxie lose everything today and make him leave the colosseum naked.

As a roar echoed from the arena, lightning rumbled as a lightning bolt flew out from the Horned Python’s horn. This was a demonic beast with its attributes awakened, and an awakened demonic beast was tenfold stronger than ordinary demonic beasts.

“T-T-This is an awakened demonic beast!” The crowd broke into an uproar because awakened demonic beasts were extremely rare. They wondered if the Wan Clan had gone insane to send an awakened demonic beast onstage.

“No wonder Wan Butong let Liu Wuxie take the first pick. Anyone with the right mind would pick the Flame Eagle, and he probably knew that the Horned Python was an awakened beast.” This bet was too unfair for Liu Wuxie. The Wan Clan must have a detailed record of their demonic beasts, and Wan Butong must have read them and understood the fighting prowess of every demonic beast.

The bolt of lightning struck the Flame Eagle, leaving a scorched patch on its body and causing its feathers to emit a burnt odor. The attack caused the eagle to falter, and it plummeted to the ground, teetering on the brink of death.

After unleashing its lightning attack, the Horned Python’s eyes turned crimson, and a surge of demonic energy emanated from its body. It advanced towards the fallen Flame Eagle, its jaws open wide, ready to devour its prey.

“Get up! Get up quickly!” Those who had bet on the Flame Eagle shouted in desperation, urging it to rise and continue the fight. In contrast, those who had bet on the Horned Python laughed with excitement, creating a stark contrast between the two groups.

“Don’t bet again if you lose this round,” Xu Lingxue said. She wanted Liu Wuxie to stop betting because the Xu Clan could still afford to lose 500,000 gold coins.

“Are you that certain that I’ll be the one losing?” Liu Wuxie looked harmless as he examined Xu Lingxue. His gaze made Xu Lingxue’s cheeks blush with a hint of shyness as she turned away.

As the Horned Python continued to approach the Flame Eagle, the battle between the two beasts was coming to an end soon.

“Congratulations, Brother Wan, for winning the bet.” Tian Yequan raised his wine glass as the three laughed, celebrating in advance.

“Quick, look at the Flame Eagle!” An exclamation suddenly disrupted everyone’s trail of thoughts. The Flame Eagle suddenly stood up with flames blazing on its body. It had awakened its attribute in the last moment.

Wan Butong was stunned, and the glass in his hand fell to the ground while he stared at the arena.