Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 277: The Cruel Team Battle

For human vassals, entering the Ancestral Court was no easy task, let alone searching for fortunes within.

Tang San nodded. "I plan to look over there."

"Take me with you!" Du Bai didn't hesitate to wrap his arm around Tang San's, attempting to lean his head on his shoulder.

Tang San pushed his head away, "Step aside. What would you do there?"

Du Bai coughed and said, "If possible, could you talk to the mayor about taking me along?"

"Senior brother, you want to go too?" Tang San looked at him in surprise.

Du Bai said irritably, "Who wouldn't want to visit the Ancestral Court? It's a place we've all dreamed of since we were young. We've always heard stories about it, they say it’s filled with countless strong beings and treasures. I also heard that demon and nymph clans can elevate their bloodline tiers if they enter the Ancestral Court."

Tang San said, "Legends are just legends, after all. Besides, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor is likely to be there. Aren't you afraid of being discovered?"

Du Bai shrugged. "Why would someone like that notice a small fry like me? Don't worry, it'll be fine. You have to take me with you!"

Tang San helplessly said, "It's not something I can decide. Also, with just the status of a human vassal, it's not easy to enter the Ancestral Court."

"Then let's fight in the Great Beast Fighting Arena together!" Du Bai said excitedly.

"Get lost!" Tang San and Wu Bingji said in unison.

Du Bai's Celestial Fox Transformation absolutely couldn't be exposed. Fight in the Great Beast Fighting Arena? If it was discovered that he had the Celestial Fox bloodline, it would spell huge trouble.

Yet, Du Bai was tempted. "I could give it a try."

Tang San was beginning to regret bringing them along; he truly hadn't anticipated the Ancestral Court's attraction to be this immense. He could only try to pacify them for now.

"Let's first check out the rules at the Great Beast Fighting Arena. Even I am not entirely sure I can do it."

Kali City had already returned to its former prosperity, the traces of the battle from a year ago long since vanished.

When they passed Mei Gongzi's milk tea shop in the center of Kali City, Tang San saw that the shop was open, and Mei Gongzi's mother was at the counter.

"Wait for me," Tang San told Du Bai and rushed to the milk tea shop. There weren't many people in line, so it was quickly his turn.

"Auntie, I'd like three milk teas," Tang San said to Su Qin.

Su Qin saw him and was slightly stunned, "You are..."

Tang San smiled slightly. "It's me, Auntie. My name is Tang San. I'm a friend of Mei Gongzi."

"It's you! You've grown a lot taller!"

She was secretly astonished. In her memory, Tang San was still a child, but now, he appeared as a radiant young man, around seventeen years old, tall and straight, and handsome. Most striking was his mysterious yet solid aura that even she found impressive.

Tang San said, "Maybe I've just grown up. Auntie, Mei Gongzi hasn't been to school for a year now. When will she be back?"

Su Qin shook her head, "I don't know either. She went on a study tour."

"Oh, I see. Here, Auntie, let me pay."

Tang San was about to pay, but Su Qin stopped him.

"For a few cups of milk tea, no need for money. Take them and enjoy!"

Tang San hesitated for a moment but still accepted the milk tea. "Then, thank you."

There was no need to be polite with his future mother-in-law. However, he felt a bit regretful for not being able to get any news about Mei Gongzi.

With the milk tea in hand, Tang San rejoined Du Bai and Wu Bingji and continued toward the Great Beast Fighting Arena.

As she watched their departing figures, a flicker of light crossed Su Qin's eyes, "This child is growing up fast! He's the mayor's disciple, so he must be quite young, even younger than Mei. He's developing quite quickly."

Tang San shared the milk tea with his companions.

It wasn't their first time drinking milk tea from Mei Gongzi's shop. Enjoying the familiar taste, Du Bai exclaimed, "This is really good. It's a pity we can't come to the city often, or I'd want to drink this every day."

As Tang San silently drank his milk tea, savoring the mild taste mixed with the fragrance of milk, he couldn't help but think of a certain graceful figure. He truly missed her.

Please come back soon.

Upon approaching the Great Beast Fighting Arena, the distant, majestic structure sprawled through the city like a colossal beast. Even from afar, they felt an ominous aura, as if the air itself whispered bloody tales.

Too many creatures had ended here, their departing malevolence lingering long after their demise.

The trio neared the Great Beast Fighting Arena and quickly located the registration area, not within the arena itself but in an adjacent house. They found it bustling, with many waiting to register. However, humans were few, and the vast majority were of the demon clans.

In any case, three humans amidst the crowd hardly drew the attention of the demon folk.

Tang San asked Du Bai and Wu Bingji to wait for him while he queued up, simultaneously lending an ear to the demons' discussions and their exchanges with the arena staff. Just as he expected, everything here revolved around money.

The Great Beast Fighting Arena derived its income from ticket sales and gambling, so it naturally needed thrilling battles to make profit. Thus, participants weren't limited to slaves, vassals, and demonic beasts—anyone capable of combat could be arranged to fight, provided they offered some spectacle.

Even ordinary folk could come to watch the matches and engage in betting, making it a widely enjoyed entertainment. Nobles, in particular, relished the thrills found here.

Where did the participants in the beast battles come from? There were demonic beasts caught in the mountains and slaves, but there were even more demons and humans that registered voluntarily.

The demon clans were inherently combative, with strength being the most important criterion for status—that was one reason. The other and most crucial reason was money. The Great Beast Fighting Arena rules were simple: defeat your opponent to earn a monetary reward. The more consecutive victories you achieved, the more money you earned. Similarly, challenging opponents with many consecutive wins offered more money but also posed greater risks.

Therefore, many demons who believed in their strength saw the Great Beast Fighting Arena as a money-making gig. For the truly powerful, earning money here was not too difficult. However, the likelihood of encountering formidable opponents was also high. Achieving a noble title through continuous victories was exceedingly rare. Once you amassed enough consecutive wins, you were bound to face a powerful adversary—that was an unwritten rule of the Great Beast Fighting Arena.

Then, Tang San discovered that the Great Beast Fighting Arena offered one-on-one duels and team battles.

Compared to duels, team battles were far more brutal. If one side conceded in a duel, the match could end. This meant you had a chance to surrender before your opponent killed you or the arena staff could save you, allowing you to survive. However, team battles were extremely ruthless; a match wouldn't end until all members of one side were dead. Hence, team battles were more popular among spectators for their absolute bloodshed.

However, due to such rules, fewer demons registered for team battles, resulting in fewer battles than duels.

Then there were the spectacle fights, arranged officially by the Great Beast Fighting Arena. These typically pitted powerful beasts against slaves or vassals, using bloody scenes to stimulate the audience's senses. The vast majority of slaves and vassals had no chance of surviving. Slaves primarily participated in these battles. If a slave managed to survive three such fights, they were eligible to become vassals, and this was the most direct way for a slave to leave their status behind. Therefore, slaves thrown into these battles fought desperately. Unfortunately, in most cases, the beasts they were up against were just too formidable.