That was a Star Beast. Although it was a lesser one, not from the most elite bloodline, it still grew to hundreds of kilometers in size by the time it reached the Domain Lord level.
If it managed to break through to immortality, the divine power it represented would be countless times greater.
He hadn't expected anyone to look down on it!
If Li Long hadn't been following the path of the Water Source Law, this "Cang" would have been his for the taking long ago.
Why else would the Nine Spirits Society have offered him as a prize?
"So, are you still going to fight me? After receiving guidance from the elders of my clan, my Domain has only just barely approached the third level, yet they already consider me a rare genius. But after seeing you, I've realized my talent really isn't much to speak of."
Pesili fixed her golden eyes on Li Long with keen interest and smiled. "But I won't give up easily. If you can beat me, I'll go with you to deal with Leo."
"Shouldn't you be looking for Leo? It's hard to judge how strong he is now, but he must be incredibly powerful." Li Long couldn't help giving a wry smile.
"Him? That's different. His natural advantages are obvious, so it's hard to tell how much of his strength comes from hard work." Pesili pouted, then continued, "But you're different. Neither of us was born with a Life Core. Fighting you would feel fair. Even if I lose, I'll be happy about it. I won't make excuses."
Seeing this, Li Long smiled. He hadn't spent much time with Pesili before, and he hadn't expected such a wild heart to be hidden beneath her quiet demeanor.
"Ha ha! The Central Domain will remain open for a whole year. Even if Leo gets the prize first, he can't expect to have the last laugh. So I'll trade a few moves with you and see how our strength compares."
"Ice, come!"
A surge of heroic spirit welled up in Li Long. He pointed his icy spear skyward, and under the control of his Ice Snow Domain, the snowflakes filling the sky gradually shrank into tiny ice crystals, radiating an endless chill.
"Sky Grade, fourth rank? A Fourfold Domain?"
Seeing Li Long's Ice Snow Domain disperse most of her Golden Domain, Pesili's golden eyes filled with disbelief.
"That little fellow from the Li Ling Clan is impressive too. At such a young age, he's already grasped the essence of the Fourth Layer of Domain. The higher a Domain rises, the harder it becomes to improve. If he keeps comprehending it at this pace, he might even touch the surface of the Water Source Law while still at the Sky Grade!"
The Four-Hoof Two-Tail Lizard Realm Lord looked toward a spot below, as if he could see exactly what was happening there.
"Too bad! His physical foundation is too weak. Even with such incredible comprehension, he'll become no more than a powerful Realm Lord at best."
"Becoming immortal? Difficult, difficult, difficult!"
The Four-Hoof Two-Tail Lizard Realm Lord sighed, then continued:
"We Prison Clan Members born in the Perilous Land may generally be more talented than those from the outside world, but not so talented that we can completely overwhelm everyone else. At most, we have an advantage in the fundamentals, such as Force Amplitude and Psychic Amplification."
"Very few ever truly reach the Realm Lord level. But if you can't break through to immortality, no matter how powerful you are, one day you'll die. In the end, it will all have been for nothing—a dream, and a laughingstock for others."
The Four-Hoof Two-Tail Lizard Realm Lord swished his tail and said ruefully, "I've already lived for more than five hundred eras. I still have nearly half that time left, but I've reached the end of my potential. I know I can't break through any further."
A trace of loneliness appeared in his eyes. In fewer than five hundred eras, he would die.
And throughout those five hundred eras, he would grow more anxious and more dispirited, while his chances of breaking through dwindled.
People treated him with respect to his face, but behind his back, they were probably all laughing at his incompetence!
"I hope this batch of Blood Trial participants includes a few promising talents. I also hope you make the most of the opportunities the Prison Clan's higher-ups have given you."
"Don't end up like us Realm Lords with no hope of breaking through, forced to watch our lives drain away bit by bit until we become a topic of conversation for others."
"If you're ambitious enough, go to the Prison Clan's Soul Oath Land and take your shot."
"Even if you die there, at least you'll have proved that you tried."
"Heh. If I'd known back then that I'd end up in this situation, I would've gone long ago. Now, I regret it. I wish I'd made a different choice!"
While the Four-Hoof Two-Tail Lizard Realm Lord lamented his past, all sorts of battles were unfolding below, in the Core Land.
Trial teams from the various factions clashed back and forth, while countless smaller groups of vicious beasts fought brutal battles alongside them.
More than five hundred participants from the four regions—nearly six hundred in all—had made it into the Core Land during the buffer period.
But as time passed, the last batch of Blood Trial participants dwindled rapidly.
During the first month, their numbers fell the fastest, with slightly more than a third dying.
By the second month, fewer than four hundred remained, and nearly another third had died.
In the third month, around two hundred and sixty remained, and only about forty died. The proportion began to shrink.
The fourth month...
It was clear that under this brutal selection process, those who survived either had some special ability of their own or possessed enough strength.
Until the tenth month.
"Leo, what are you doing?"
Pesili, dressed in golden armor, frowned as she looked at the Blue Armor Giant ahead of her, perplexed.
The human Elf was still bound from head to toe, but Leo had moved in front of him, with more than twenty Sky Grade trial participants from Thunder Star Mountain guarding them.
"I'm waiting for everyone to arrive so I can host an auction!"
Leo's words left all the trial participants speechless.
They'd agreed to fight each other, with the prize going to whoever proved most worthy. How had it become a case of whoever had the most money getting it?
"Don't worry. We still have to fight. It's just that nearly all the trial participants from each faction are now Special Elites at the Sky Grade, and there are barely a hundred of us altogether. If we keep killing each other, widespread casualties could end up being bad for all of us."
"Right now, our major factions have only five Special Elites in total. So we'll use bids to determine the order. The first person gets a bye. The second can choose someone from among the third, fourth, and fifth to fight. The two left over won't get to choose; they'll have to fight each other. The winner moves on to the next round of competition for the prize, while the loser gives up automatically."
"Whoever keeps winning until the end gets all the Cosmic Crystals we put up for auction, as well as the prize."
"What does everyone think of this suggestion?"
Leo smiled. "That way, even if we lose, we can still give our respective factions an explanation."
"Of course, if you think that won't work, we can always just fight it out."
"Then how many of the more than one hundred participants will survive will be up to everyone's luck and strength."