Gem Fruit

After all this fighting, Lin had realized that both opponents were a cut above her in strength. Yet inside the palace, they were constrained and couldn't fight at full strength.

She, on the other hand, had no such restrictions. From the start of the battle until now, she had fought at full power, without caring about the surroundings.

That was why she hadn't been completely overwhelmed after everyone who had signed the contract died. She still had some strength to fight back.

Whenever she suffered minor injuries, Lin chose to bear them herself. Only when her wounds became severe enough to affect her fighting did she pass some of the damage on to Chen Qiang, making him bear it for her.

After all, she knew that Chen Qiang's opponent was far stronger than the two facing her. One mistake could cost him the fight, so she tried to shoulder her injuries herself and avoid disrupting his battle.

After another ten-odd minutes of fighting, the palace floor could no longer withstand the battle. It collapsed, sending their battlefield down one level, into the basement.

Once they were down there, the two men seemed to stop holding back. They attacked much more viciously, and the amusement in their eyes as they looked at Lin turned to anger.

The sudden change in the pace of the battle nearly overwhelmed Lin. Her injuries began piling up quickly.

Bang!

Just as Lin let her guard down and was about to be struck by the enlarged fist, a black hand appeared in front of her, fingers curled like a claw, and blocked the punch.

Meanwhile, Chen Qiang's battle with Toby was also nearing its climax.

Their fight had turned the entire slave market plaza into a battlefield. After such a long battle, the whole plaza was riddled with craters, its once-smooth surface utterly ruined.

By then, Chen Qiang had once again been drenched in his own blood, looking utterly miserable.

His opponent, Toby, wasn't faring much better. His once-elegant suit of gems had been ruined by Chen Qiang's blade. He had torn it off and thrown it aside, and his muscular body was covered with cuts of various sizes.

"Heh! So much for the underground emperor. At this rate, you're going to die!"

As soon as Chen Qiang finished speaking, he transformed into a Blood Tiger and charged at his opponent again.

Poison Gem!

"Lose? Who says you're the only one who can heal your wounds?"

Hearing Chen Qiang's words, Toby produced another deep-green gem. As Chen Qiang approached, Toby detonated it, forcing Chen Qiang back. Then he spoke with disdain.

When he finished, another gem appeared in his hand. It was green, but unlike the dark-green gems he had used before, this one was much brighter and radiated a powerful vitality.

Without hesitation, he crushed it. A surge of life energy poured out, quickly enveloping him. As the energy flowed into his body, his wounds healed in the blink of an eye.

"Chen Qiang the Undying, I have to admit, you're strong. But have you forgotten something? This is my city. Fighting in my city means I've been invincible from the very beginning!"

Toby looked toward Chen Qiang, who was watching him with a grave expression, and smiled. Light appeared in his hand again, but this time the gem he held wasn't any color he had used before.

It was a black gem, a color that had never appeared before.

"Not good!"

The moment the black gem appeared, Chen Qiang felt a powerful sense of danger and immediately realized something was wrong. He swung his blade forward, unleashing a fierce gale that scattered the green poison around Toby. Then he charged in right behind it, bringing his blade straight down toward Toby's chest.

But before Chen Qiang's blade could reach him, Toby crushed the black gem.

Great Dark Night Descent!

As the gem shattered, the entire city plunged into darkness. All the yellow gems that had been shining on the cave ceiling dimmed at once, leaving the city so dark that no one could see a thing.

Taking advantage of Chen Qiang's eyes adjusting to the sudden darkness, a ring of black light enveloped him and Toby.

Gem Space!

After the black light swallowed them both, the city's lights returned. Chen Qiang and Toby, who had been in the plaza, had disappeared. Only a huge black gem remained in the middle of the plaza.

Everything happened too quickly for Chen Qiang to react. He had already been swallowed up. Inside the darkness, the whole world went black. Even with his hand right in front of his face, he couldn't see his fingers.

"Cut the flesh with the blade, cut the soul with the heart! Let blood be my eyes and pierce the mist!"

Though it was all very strange, Chen Qiang didn't panic. He couldn't see, but his other senses remained. He could clearly feel a powerful man ahead, watching him. Without hesitation, he wiped his bloodstained hand over his eyes, and a crimson glow spread across them.

A great deal of crimson light appeared in his eyes, and the space around him came into view again, though everything was now tinted the eerie color of blood.

Only after regaining his sight did Chen Qiang realize where he was.

He and Toby were inside a gem. All around Chen Qiang, gems of various sizes and colors revolved around him. Even the slightest movement would make him bump into one.

"So what if you can see? In my Gem Space, I'm a god. No one here can defy my will!"

Toby had been ready to enjoy Chen Qiang's panic. He hadn't expected Chen Qiang to be confused only briefly after entering the space, then quickly recover and regain his sight with that strange crimson light. But although Chen Qiang's ability surprised him, Toby still had faith in his own power.

Deprive!