Chapter 1267: A coward

The air in the fighting pits was thick with tension as Liam faced off against the first opponent. The crowd's excitement was palpable; some were eager to witness a fierce battle, while others yearned for Liam's downfall.

Standing across from his formidable opponent, Liam's expression remained serene, a stark contrast to the tempestuous atmosphere.

Liam instantly knew that the person in front of him was a rank above him because the person did not bother to restrain his aura, emitting a rich intense aura, rife with killing intent. His [Inspect] skill also did not work. The rules of the arena made sure that the combatant's identity and name were not revealed but it was still possible to gauge the other person's level. So if he was not able to scan the level of the opponent using his skill, it could only mean that he was at least a stage above his rank.

However, Liam was not worried. This was exactly why he was here. Within the safety of the fighting ring and the death protection by the system, he would be able to fight and gain experience against an opponent much stronger than him.

And of course, get some money while doing so.

As Liam was gauging his opponent, the towering figure with an air of confidence, smirked at him. "You're brave for stepping up against someone like me," he taunted, his voice echoing through the arena. "But your luck ends here."

'Luck? That same word again.' Liam laughed internally. Since when had he been lucky? The bell rang and the fight started. Immediately something completely unexpected happened.

Liam's field of vision blurred as several things started rapidly moving around him. Towering spikes started jutting out from the ground and in the blink of an eye, he found himself standing in the midst of what looked like a forest of spikes.

However, when he looked closely, each of these were not simple spikes, they were spears!

Hmmm. Liam frowned. He had never encountered anything like this before.

These were not ordinary spears. They were manifestations of his opponent's power, likely infused with some kind of energy or magic. He could feel intense power emanating from each of the spears. Each spear bristled with a dangerous aura, and he could tell that even the slightest touch would be catastrophic.

It only took him a second and Liam's eyes widened in realization. Was this the manifestation of the opponent's dao field? This was the obvious explanation as this was the main thing that separated an awakened from a transcendent.

Liam's brain whirred as he observed the scenery around him and many things clicked into place. Observing another person's skill was an opportunity and Liam was quick to seize it. He started moving, dodging the spears with fluidity and grace, quickly getting out of the area of their effect.

And then to the opponent's surprise, he disappeared into thin air, clearly activating a stealth-type skill. Instead, in his place, a small fox appeared.

Liam let out a sigh, his figure remaining hidden. He could sense the disappointment of the opponent. He too was disappointed.

In reality, Liam wanted to fight against the guy badly. This was the first time after a long while that he was facing an opponent without the threat of death looming on his neck. He wanted to fight freely and experience the thrill of the battle. Unfortunately, making a single move at this point or perhaps even taking his sword out would prove fatal to his long-term plans.

Liam could feel it. He was only an inch away from breaking through to the Transcendent rank, crossing the 1000 barrier. This was a risk he was not willing to take.

He came here well aware of the risk and his original plan was to simply forfeit if this kind of situation arose but Luna yelped mentally like a rabid little animal, wanting to fight on his behalf. The furball did not want to be left behind in the awakened rank when he crossed the threshold to the next stage. She was working extremely hard and Liam did not want to stand in her way.

As Liam's figure completely vanished, the little fox barred her teeth and sprang forward. The audience saw this incredulous sight and loudly booed Liam. He was going to send a tamed beast to fight in his stead? What a coward!

But things were finally clear to everyone now. The mysterious lucky Grandmaster wasn't anything to begin with. He was simply a figurehead with a bunch of powerful beasts. Sneers appeared on many faces as it was common knowledge what happened to men like this who did not have any personal strength. Their ending was already fixed.

Sooner or later, they would only be slaughtered and their prized possessions stripped from them.

Only Rey and Madan exchanged bitter glances as they knew how ridiculous these people sounded. If Liam was a person who relied on his beasts, then what were they?

Back in the arena, Luna nimbly moved as she evaded the pulsing power radiating from the numerous spears. Her teleportation skill wasn't working for some reason so she was physically speeding through the battlefield.

She also couldn't fly freely as the spears were a lot more congested at the top, making it more convenient for her to move on the ground than fly. However, the other party was not done yet.

Before Luna could reach him or even get in his vicinity, the spears started emitting disorienting vibrations. The next second, countless spear attacks started raining over Luna from all directions. They were both vertical and horizontal and soon they started appearing from random directions making it extremely hard to dodge.

Attacks were being emitted from the materialized dao spears and each one of them held significant power. This move was on a completely different level than all the previous opponents they had faced. Even Liam was worried if the little fox would be fine in such a state.

Though the arena provided him with a protection bubble in case his health bottomed out, the same did not apply to Luna. So Liam was prepared to call it any time now. He was also ready to step in and erect protection barriers in case things took a sudden turn.

Only Luna was adamant about her stance. She shouted mentally that she was not done yet and kept going. Numerous spears targeted her from all sides, each one a deadly threat. Luna's movements, while impressive, were pushed to their limits. She darted, ducked, and weaved through the storm of spears. But her small body was hit left and right as she was unable to evade all of them.

Or rather any of them. In a second, she was completely skewered by these spears in all directions. The opponent did not intend to show any mercy and was going all out.

But the next Instant, a powerful aura erupted from her small body making the forest of spears rattle and tremble.

Luna once again opened her little mouth and from within emerged a sea of flames. The raw power and intensity of the flames clashed against the incoming spears, grinding down their power.

The arena was engulfed in a whirlwind of energy, the flames and the spears clashing in a spectacular display. Each spear that tried to pierce through was either melted or deflected by the sheer force of Luna's fiery breath.

The audience, initially shocked by Luna's precarious situation, now watched in awe as the tiny fox held her own against the overwhelming onslaught. The flames she emitted weren't just any ordinary fire; they were imbued with a powerful energy that burnt the dao born spear images to a crisp.

In the midst of the chaos, the tall robed man, realizing that his attack was being neutralized, attempted to intensify the assault. The spears began to move faster, their vibrations growing more erratic and unpredictable. But Luna was undeterred. Her eyes gleamed with a determined light, and her movements became more fluid and adaptive. Though her energy reserves seemed to be getting depleted at a fast rate, she somehow held on, panting and heaving.

She was not even close to giving up.

However, her opponent this time was not a wolf whose enlightenment in the Dao was lesser than her. This man's spear mastery was high. The fox guessed that his mastery was probably several times higher than her master's sword mastery.

But she had other cards in her arsenal. Luna's eyes lit up as a purple gleam appeared within them along with the fiery red burning flames. She opened her mouth once again and another sea of flames erupted. This time, the flames had a purple tint to them.

The poisonous flames did little to nothing to the dao spears surrounding her but the swaths of poisonous smoke that emerged from the attack was enough to corrupt the air around them.

The man howled in pain, his concentration broken. The forest of spears dissipated as his control faltered. He staggered, trying to shake off the fox, but it was too late. The venom was swift, his movements slowing, his vision blurring.

With a final effort, he tried to launch a counterattack, but his strength was sapped, his movements sluggish. Luna easily evaded, her eyes gleaming triumphantly. The moment the dao field weakened, she immediately activated blur and teleported right behind the robed man. Even before the spear in his hand could speak, she tackled him and mauled him in a frenzy, feasting savagely on the blood of the high-ranked transcendent.

89a7274b02f1e8c805e978a21588ffe98b545546be3672ea739ecc1c6d17679af9807295597b26da7248480782a4caf7b3eb660252b242b30c9490e33e763216