The underground space was far larger than Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had imagined. A huge arena was surrounded by tiered spectator seats that rose from low to high.
However, at this moment, no one was sitting properly in their seats. Instead, everyone leaned forward, resting on the railings in front of them, as if trying to see every detail in the arena more clearly.
Scantily clad women walked through the aisles delivering various snacks, freely displaying the unique charm that belonged only to them as they moved.
On the arena itself, two soul masters were fiercely battling each other. Soul rings flashed, soul skills clashed, and every move showed no trace of sparring, only killing techniques intended to put the opponent to death.
The ground around the arena was covered in mottled dark-brown stains. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that there were layers upon layers of dried blood. Though it clashed with the clean spectator seats around it, no one found it repulsive; it was as if these were the arena's medals of honor.
Cheers and applause rose one after another. When excited, some people would even throw handfuls of gold soul coins onto the arena. The "clinking" sounds, accompanied by the heavy breathing of the soul masters fighting on stage, further ignited the enthusiasm of everyone around.
Bloodshed, violence, desire… all of these filled the entire underground arena, constantly stimulating the most primal impulses of every spectator.
"Little Junior…" He Caitou stared at the scene before him and, for a moment, even forgot the arrangements Huo Yuhao had just made. "The Sun Moon Empire of the past was definitely not like this."
Huo Yuhao also snapped back to his senses and lightly tugged at He Caitou. "Fourth Senior, let's head further inside first."
"How is it, Old Eighth? This should be your first time here, right?"
On the second-tier spectator seats, the decor here was far more luxurious than on the lower level. There were even private boxes thoughtfully set up to conceal the identities of the viewers inside.
In one of those boxes, Nangong Wan and Lin Xiao sat facing each other. Nangong Wan raised his hand and pointed toward the arena below, proudly introducing his business to Lin Xiao.
"People can never escape their own nature. Whether it's this kind of violence, the urge toward the opposite sex, or even negative emotions like fear and dread, these are our most primal, most inescapable things."
"Especially in a place like Mingdu. As the capital of the Sun Moon Empire, it has all kinds of rules, and precisely because of that, more and more people come here to vent unrestrainedly."
"That's also why my place has an endless stream of customers. Don't underestimate this little arena. I spent a long time figuring out this line of business."
Lin Xiao followed Nangong Wan's hand and looked at the arena below, then swept his gaze across the spectators on the first tier.
Among them were ordinary people, soul masters, and soul engineers. Some did not attempt to hide their faces, while others wore masks, but that didn't stop Lin Xiao from guessing what kind of expressions lay beneath those masks.
"Second Brother is showing off his business again."
The Third Elder suddenly pushed open the door and walked in from outside the box.
"Third Elder." Lin Xiao turned his head.
"Hey—" The Third Elder waved his hand. "You're now the Eighth Elder of our church. There's no need to be so formal between us, just call me Third Brother."
"That's right. Previously, the Leader gave you other tasks, so we didn't keep you around. This time we called you here partly to talk about that matter. Since we're all elders managing the church's major affairs, let's treat each other as brothers."
"Alright, Second Brother, Third Brother." Lin Xiao didn't dwell too much on the address—it was just a form of address. Back then, he had called the Nightmare Douluo "Teacher" for several years, and in the end…
"Hahaha." Nangong Wan laughed loudly. "That's the spirit. Since you're here today, Old Eighth, I specially arranged a pretty good match."
As Nangong Wan spoke, he slightly raised his head. Seeing this, the Third Elder smiled and said, "I've already made the arrangements just now."
"Mm." Nangong Wan relaxed, leaned back against his chair, and lightly raised his hand. Immediately, a soft body slipped into his embrace.
"Before we talk about the Soul Engineer Competition, let Old Eighth enjoy a match first." Nangong Wan's hands roamed continuously while his gaze shifted toward the arena.
As a spray of fresh blood splashed onto the surroundings of the arena, the match finally concluded. Amid the crowd's shouts, a limping figure stepped onto the stage.
"It's him…"
Lin Xiao's brows furrowed slightly beneath his mask.
"Hahaha, looks like Old Eighth still remembers him." Nangong Wan withdrew his gaze. "I wonder if Old Eighth still remembers the matter of welcoming the Saintess back then; it was exactly this guy who provided the information."
Lin Xiao quickly recalled: it was the Death God Messenger who had managed to escape from the hands of a Transcendent Douluo.
But why was he appearing in the arena?
Seeing Lin Xiao's confusion, the Third Elder beside them took the initiative to explain, "Hmph, he lost his usefulness long ago. The church kept him until today only out of consideration for the information he brought about the Saintess."
As the Third Elder spoke, he seemed to recall something, and his eyes turned cold. "Who would've thought he'd really think himself somebody."
"A greedy, insatiable person. Since he couldn't recognize his own position, let him make one final contribution to the Holy Church."
"Alright, alright." Nangong Wan waved his hand. "I know you're doing this to vent for your disciple, but at this point, there's no need to let someone like him spoil our mood."
"Hahaha, my bad. Fine, let's not mention it."
Hearing the Third Elder's words, Lin Xiao wasn't particularly affected. In the Holy Spirit Church, things like this were all too normal.
In the eyes of outsiders, a dignified Soul King here was no different from those scantily clad women, nothing more than a plaything for amusement.
Regardless of whether the Death God Messenger could win the upcoming match or not, after amusing Nangong Wan and the Third Elder, his broken body and his soul would similarly not be wasted.
Just as the Death God Messenger stepped onto the arena, two other figures were also intently staring at the person on stage.
"Why is it him?"
Both Huo Yuhao and He Caitou had the same question rise in their hearts at the same time.
Huo Yuhao was even more puzzled. That morning, the Death God Messenger had looked like he was here to watch the matches, but how had he suddenly ended up in the arena himself in the blink of an eye?
This seemingly ordinary underground arena gave him an unusual feeling, as if there was a layer of mist concealing an even greater secret within.
Before he could think it through, the Death God Messenger's opponent also stepped onto the stage.
It was a youth who appeared somewhat timid and thin, with visible tension on his face. Amid the surrounding shouts, even his movements seemed to tremble slightly.
The Death God finally threw off his cloak, revealing a body that only had half remaining, along with half a frame of exquisite mechanical structure.
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