The weather was against them that day.
Dark clouds hung low over the sea, pressing down overhead as if laden with lead.
Gale-force winds whipped up towering waves that pounded the reefs with a dull roar.
Zhang Family Courtyard.
Zhang Chen stood with his hands behind his back, letting the gale toss his robes until they snapped in the wind.
His gaze calmly swept the distance, toward the venue for this Arena Competition: Sunset Island, at the heart of the Archipelago.
It was a desolate island with a vast, naturally formed flatland shaped like an arena.
That was why it had been chosen as the site of the Life and Death Arena.
"Husband."
Lin Qingxue came up behind him. Today, she had changed out of her gentle, flowing dress and into a palace gown.
"Are Dao Yan and those two little ones settled in?"
Zhang Chen asked softly without turning around.
"They're all with Mother!"
Lin Qingxue nodded, her voice gentle.
"Good."
"Qingxue, let's go!"
With that, Zhang Chen turned around and saw that everyone in the courtyard had already gathered.
Even those long-established Golden Core families would have to think twice when faced with such a well-organized force.
"Let's set off."
When Zhang Yunshan and Zhang Yunhai saw Zhang Chen arrive, they didn't make any bold declarations.
They simply waved their hands.
By now, Sunset Island was already packed with people.
Though it was a Life and Death Arena, in the Cultivation World,
a massive clash between families like this was a rare spectacle.
Nearly every renowned force in the East Mountain Islands had come.
The five Foundation Establishment families, dozens of smaller cultivation Aristocratic Clans, and countless Rogue Cultivators who had gathered like sharks scenting blood.
They had moored their flying boats around the island or claimed high ground, craning their necks like spectators waiting for the feast to begin.
At the center of the island stood a massive Arena.
On the open ground below it,
countless makeshift betting stalls had already opened for business.
"Come on, come on! Place your bets! Wang Family to win, odds of one to 1.1! Zhang Family to win, odds of one to ten!"
"With odds like that, they're practically treating the Zhang Family as if they're already dead."
A Rogue Cultivator clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Can't be helped. The Zhang Family has no one to blame but themselves."
"I heard the Wang Family spared no expense this time. They've hired several ruthless Guest Officials at great cost. But the Zhang Family..." He clicked his tongue repeatedly.
Discussion rippled through the crowd, with nearly everyone betting against the Zhang Family.
Even the old-timers who still felt some loyalty to the Zhang Family could only sigh.
They silently pulled out a few Spirit Stones and placed their bets on the Wang Family's side. Sentiment was one thing, but Spirit Stones were their own.
"They're here! The Wang Family is here!"
Someone shouted, and the entire island fell silent.
A mass of black clouds swept in from the northern horizon.
They were dozens of Black Scale Eagles.
A dozen or so Wang Family cultivators stood on each eagle's back.
On the lead eagle sat Wang Lie, Family Head of the Wang Family, dressed in a black robe. Beside him stood several Golden Core Stage cultivators from the Wang Family, each looking spirited and arrogant.
Behind them came the ten Foundation Establishment cultivators who would compete, along with the Wang Family's Foundation Establishment elders and stewards.
Every one of them held their heads high.
Especially the two black-robed figures standing behind Wang Lie. Though they said nothing,
they gave off a chilling, snake-like aura.
The air around them seemed to drop several degrees.
"Good heavens... What a terrifying lineup."
"Who are those two? I've never seen them before. Their auras must be close to the False Core stage, right?"
Everyone drew in a sharp breath, their gazes toward the southern sea growing even more sympathetic.
The Wang Family members landed on one side of the Arena.
People immediately brought over chairs and tea.
Wang Teng sat down with his legs sprawled, sweeping the crowd with a contemptuous gaze before turning toward the empty sea to the south. He sneered, "Where are the Zhang Family people?"
"Did they get so scared they lost their nerve and don't dare show up?"
"Hahaha! If they really don't dare come, they can just admit defeat and hand over the Spiritual Vein. We might even leave them the rags on their backs!" A Wang Family elder shouted mockingly, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Just then...
Several blue Spirit Boats broke through the waves from the southern horizon, sailing toward the island at an unhurried pace.
The Spirit Boats reached the shore.
Zhang Yunshan led the group ashore.
Compared with the Wang Family's ostentatious display, practically screaming "We're strong" to the world,
the Zhang Family's arrival seemed almost too "plain."
Soon, the Zhang Family's blue Spirit Boats were securely moored by the shore.
Zhang Yunshan led the way down the gangplank, his steps steady.
Behind him, the Zhang Family's Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators filed out.
Their faces were stern. Though they made no effort to release their auras, the murderous air about them made the onlookers, who had been jeering moments earlier, fall silent without thinking.
Wang Lie stood on the opposite side of the Arena, his gaze sweeping over the Zhang Family members.
"Zhang Yunshan, I thought you'd reverted to your old cowardly ways and planned to forfeit to save your skin."
Wang Lie smiled without warmth and cupped his hands. His voice brimmed with condescending arrogance. "What, have you brought out every last bit of your coffin savings?"
Zhang Yunshan stopped. His expression remained calm, and his tone even. "Family Head Wang, you jest. The show has only just begun. How could the leading man be absent?"
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