Chapter Fifty-One: The Final Gamble Begins

Yet, as he stood before Sikong Lang, Qin Xiaochuan was seized by an inexplicable chill. He couldn’t say whether it was fear, terror, or shock; all he knew was that his body instinctively sounded a warning when confronted with Sikong Lang. It seemed this man was extremely dangerous.

“You’ve come just in time. I don’t have much ability, so please go easy on me,” Sikong Lang said, his expression still unreadable as he looked at Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang.

“There’s no trace of demonic energy from this guy at all. He should be easy to handle, right, Xiaochuan? Huh? What’s wrong?” Noticing the frightened look on Qin Xiaochuan’s face, Zhang Yang grew puzzled. “You don’t look right, Xiaochuan. Why are you sweating so much?”

“No, something’s off. This guy is terrifying. I don’t know how strong he really is, but my whole body is trembling with fear…”

Speechless, Sikong Lang’s elder brother suddenly leapt from his shoulder to the ground. He stripped off his clothes, stretched his arms forward in a sword-like pose, and began to transform. In moments, his body morphed into a humanoid sword, which flew into Sikong Lang’s hand.

“Look, Zhang Yang! That guy riding on his shoulder—”

“He’s changing shape? What? He turned into a sword…”

Seeing the creature on Sikong Lang’s shoulder transform into a deadly blade, both Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang cried out in astonishment. They had never encountered such a demon before—a being whose body could become a weapon. It was beyond belief.

Grasping his brother-turned-sword, Sikong Lang introduced himself to his opponents. “My elder brother can transform his body into weapons. I call this the ‘Weapon Form.’ Its power depends on the one wielding it. As for me—” Sikong Lang tensed his body and, with a shout, his scrawny frame swelled with bulging muscles, tearing through his vest and revealing a physique as fearsome as a bodybuilder’s. “—I possess the strength to unleash my brother’s Weapon Form to the utmost.”

A surge of demonic energy swept through the arena, whipping the air into violent currents. The full might of the Sikong brothers was now on display. Stunned speechless, Qin Xiaochuan could only watch as Sikong Lang, sword in hand, swung a vicious blow at him and Zhang Yang. The two barely managed to leap aside, dodging a lethal strike. Clearly, Sikong Lang’s strength and speed had both increased drastically.

Though his sword missed, the blow gouged a deep crack into the concrete floor. Staring at the fissure beneath his feet, Qin Xiaochuan’s mind reeled. Damn, this guy is fast—if that hit landed on me, it would shatter my bones. His power is truly monstrous.

Missing his first attack, Sikong Lang immediately turned on Zhang Yang, slashing down with his sword. Zhang Yang had no time to dodge; he raised his spirit sword and managed to block the strike. The attack halted, Sikong Lang swung his right fist and drove it into Zhang Yang’s stomach, sending him flying into the wall.

“Not a bad reaction, kid.” Seeing Zhang Yang rise unsteadily to his feet, legs trembling, Sikong Lang couldn’t help but praise him. “To think you dodged my lethal punch by springing backward—you’re the first to evade my fist like that.”

Just as Sikong Lang was admiring Zhang Yang’s resilience, he sensed something amiss behind him. Spinning around, he saw Qin Xiaochuan leaping into attack position.

“Die—Spirit Bullet!” Without hesitation, Qin Xiaochuan launched his most powerful spiritual blast at Sikong Lang’s head from point-blank range. “At this distance, there’s no way you can dodge this.” Seeing the spirit bullet strike Sikong Lang’s upper body and send up a plume of white smoke, Qin Xiaochuan smugly raised his right hand, satisfied with the hit. If that had struck his head, it would have blown it clean off.

But before he could savor his triumph, Qin Xiaochuan exclaimed in shock, “His shield—when did his sword turn into a shield?” As the smoke cleared, Sikong Lang revealed his arm, a shield now in place of the sword, blocking his chest. The spirit bullet had been entirely absorbed by this shield. Qin Xiaochuan was left speechless. If even a direct hit at this range couldn’t harm him, how were they supposed to kill this demon?

While Qin Xiaochuan hesitated, Sikong Lang landed a punch that sent him flying. “I forgot to mention—my brother can become more than just one weapon…”

Crashing to the ground, Qin Xiaochuan skidded backward, the force of the blow dragging him across the floor. After tumbling over a few times, clutching his stomach and spitting blood, he struggled to his feet, clearly badly injured.

“Hahahahaha! Do you see that, Mr. Yujing?” Watching from behind the glass wall, Li Gang laughed in delight as Qin Xiaochuan and Zhang Yang were battered mercilessly by Sikong Lang. “In the end, I’m still the victor—hahaha!”

“Yes, that’s right! Beat them, kill them—” Still unsatisfied, Li Gang grabbed Snow Maiden’s chin, forcing her to watch the spectacle with him. Perhaps witnessing such cruelty would make her shed more precious tears, and Li Gang was ever eager for profits.

Watching the two boys battered in the arena, Snow Maiden recalled the day she was captured by Li Gang. To make her cry, he had used every cruel method—scalding her hands with spirit talismans, slashing her body with knives. One of Li Gang’s subordinates, a young man much like Qin Xiaochuan, had finally been unable to stomach his boss’s methods and, one dark night, had helped her escape while Li Gang was out. But it had all been a trap. Watching that young man shot to pieces, she had wept for a long time. Now, seeing these two young men being beaten for her sake, the kind-hearted Snow Maiden could not help but weep again.

“Yes, yes, exactly—hahahaha!” Seeing the tears fall to the ground, Li Gang excitedly scrambled to pick up the precious crystals. “My money, all my money—hahahaha!”

By now, the battle in the arena was nearing its end. After taking a crushing blow to the chest and smashing into the wall, Qin Xiaochuan spat out blood. The situation had become utterly one-sided.

“So fragile. I’m disappointed.” Sikong Lang strode slowly toward Qin Xiaochuan. “Looks like you won’t be able to entertain me any longer.”

“Cough…”

Just as Sikong Lang moved in to finish Qin Xiaochuan, a warning flashed in his mind. Behind him, Zhang Yang had risen again, gripping his spirit sword, his spiritual power even more formidable than before. “Unbelievable…” Sikong Lang exclaimed, surprised. “Astonishing, kid—your spiritual power has reached this level, and it’s still rising…”

“Could… could a human really do that?” At this moment, Zhang Yang’s eyes no longer even registered Sikong Lang. His gaze was fixed on Snow Maiden, whose chin was still held in Li Gang’s grip behind the glass screen. Rage at her torment unleashed a power within Zhang Yang that even Sikong Lang found chilling. “Out of my way… the one I wish to kill isn’t you, but that depraved, filthy, corrupt scoundrel behind you…”

“Hahaha, you mean me?” Li Gang, hearing Zhang Yang’s words from the arena, loosened his grip, his face twisted with excitement. He pointed at Zhang Yang. “If you want to come up here, then do it! Sikong Lang, send him to hell for me!”

“Did you hear that?” Sikong Lang folded his arms. “What a pity…”

“Get out of my way!”

Stoked by Sikong Lang’s words, Zhang Yang’s fury erupted. He charged and unleashed a flurry of attacks, but Sikong Lang raised his shield, blocking every blow. “I know your strength and speed all too well. Stop struggling—it’s pointless!” With that, he punched Zhang Yang again, sending him flying.

“Xiaochuan…” Landing beside Qin Xiaochuan, Zhang Yang struggled to his feet and spoke in a strained voice. “I need to ask you a favor…”

“Go on!” Seeing the determination in Zhang Yang’s eyes, Qin Xiaochuan immediately objected after hearing his plan. “Idiot, if you do that, you might die!”

Glancing up at Snow Maiden behind Li Gang, Zhang Yang’s gaze grew resolute. “If we lose like this, I’d rather die trying!” Clearly, he had resolved to put everything on the line.