Forced Into the Fray, the Might of a Domain

Qi Yuan's earlier concerns had proven not to be unfounded.

In less than half a day, he had found himself in the same situation as the slaves in the Arena before him.

Above the churning sea, Qi Yuan stood suspended in the air, gripping a black Tier 2 Force Battle Blade. He wore the Tier 2 Force Battle Suit Hugo had just bestowed upon him, with a layer of C2 Grade Alloy Battle Armor over it.

Opposite him stood a burly figure nearly six meters tall, wielding a Force Long Staff. He resembled a gorilla somewhat in appearance.

The thing he had feared most had still happened.

At a single command from Hugo, his "master," he had not even been given room to negotiate before being thrown onto this stretch of sea, which served as the Arena's "ring," becoming one side in a gladiatorial match for others to watch.

Hugo, who had always seemed quite lenient toward his subordinates, became utterly cold-hearted when his own interests were involved.

Qi Yuan had originally wanted to see whether this trip to Lanka Star would offer an opportunity to escape. Instead of finding one, he had been forcibly dragged into this pointless fight.

If I'm not strong enough, there's no use thinking so much. I need to get through this first!

Come to think of it, since arriving in this world, I've never truly fought someone to the death. I'd better not fall here.

Qi Yuan forcibly reined in his wandering thoughts and turned his gaze toward his opponent in the distance.

Just then, an unfamiliar voice transmission sounded in his mind.

"Kid, I'm Meng Shan of the Tie Gao Clan. I won't hold back in this battle, and I hope you won't either!"

"Hm?"

Qi Yuan looked at the gorilla-like warrior across from him with some surprise.

A moment later, he nodded slightly and sent back, "Qi Yuan of the Lei Yuan Clan. Let's fight without restraint!"

Before the two could continue their exchange, a commanding voice suddenly boomed from the Floating Fortress serving as the spectator stand—

"Battle, begin!"

Whoosh!

The instant the voice fell, Meng Shan, the Tie Gao Clan warrior who had just been transmitting to him, flashed forward and crossed several thousand meters in an instant, charging straight at Qi Yuan!

"Come on!"

Although this was Qi Yuan's first battle, he had inherited much of the original owner's experience. His combat instincts remained.

He gripped his blade in his right hand and surged forward as well!

At the same time, subtle hidden force emerged from every part of his body, converging in the arm holding the blade before erupting!

The seventh level of the Nine Radiance Sky Blade—a full twenty-onefold burst of force exploded forth!

He might loathe this kind of contest beyond measure, but in a battle of life and death, he would not hesitate in the slightest!

Whoosh!

The Force Battle Blade flashed as it swept upward from the side, its cold gleam slashing diagonally toward Meng Shan's relatively slender neck!

Yet to Qi Yuan's surprise, Meng Shan, who appeared extremely bulky, was unexpectedly agile.

"Whoosh!"

With a single forward flip, he easily evaded Qi Yuan's full-force strike. Then, the Force Long Staff in his hand surged forth like a dragon bursting from the water, smashing directly toward Qi Yuan's head.

Retreat first!

Facing that overwhelmingly powerful blow, Qi Yuan did not rashly take it head-on. Instead, he instantly shot backward.

Even as he retreated, a snow-white blade light flashed. With twenty-onefold power erupting, the Force Battle Blade struck the side of the Black Long Staff in rapid succession from an exceptionally ingenious angle.

Clang! Clang!

Two crisp collisions rang out in succession. The gorilla-like warrior's staff offensive paused slightly, while Qi Yuan instantly retreated over a thousand meters.

"This Meng Shan has incredible strength!"

Qi Yuan stared at his opponent with uncertainty, his eyes filled with deep wariness.

That single probing exchange had made him realize that his strength was not even on the same level as the gorilla-like warrior's!

Either his opponent had been born with immense strength, or his amplification of force was far above Qi Yuan's own!

"Is that all the strength you have?"

A cold snort rang out. Meng Shan looked somewhat surprised from afar. "If that's the case, then you can only wait to die."

As he spoke, he moved again and charged at Qi Yuan once more!

Buzz! Buzz!

As Meng Shan rushed forward, he violently swung the Force Long Staff in his hand. Layer upon layer of continuous staff shadows overlapped, making it seem as though they had turned into hundreds or thousands of long staffs!

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Qi Yuan did not dare slacken. The battle blade in his hand became an afterimage as well, continuously blocking the torrent of staff shadows crashing toward him.

However, Meng Shan's long staff possessed not only tremendous power but also extreme speed.

The endless staff shadows swept over him like waves, instantly leaving Qi Yuan hard-pressed on every side.

Bang!

With one moment of carelessness, he was struck by a staff shadow he had failed to block and plunged straight into the sea below!

Splash!

The next second, Qi Yuan burst back out of the water.

Looking at the gorilla-like Tie Gao Clan warrior, deep apprehension appeared on his face.

The original Qi Yuan had been a native of a planet and had barely cultivated any decent Combat Secret Techniques.

Qi Yuan himself had transmigrated here less than half a year ago. Even with the system's help, he could not completely make up for this weakness in such a short time.

Against this Tie Gao Clan warrior, he was like a poor student who had only just begun studying diligently, encountering an exceptional student ranked near the top of the class—

Whether it was strength, speed, combat experience, techniques, or anything else, he was being utterly crushed!

Looks like I can only expose my Domain. Otherwise, I probably won't last much longer. What a pity—I originally wanted to keep it as a trump card.

Inside the Floating Fortress above that served as the spectator stand—

Hugo, the Seventh Prince, and the others had been watching the battle below.

Seeing Meng Shan of the Tie Gao Clan continuously suppress Qi Yuan, the Sixth Brother who owned Meng Shan immediately became smug.

"Ha ha, Nineteenth Prince, this is that genius slave you've been bragging about lately? He doesn't seem like much to me!"

"Hmph!"

Hugo could not be bothered to respond to the taunt.

At that moment, he could not help regretting his impulsive decision earlier.

Only now did he remember that Qi Yuan had come into contact with cosmic civilization less than half a year ago.

In such a short period, no matter how outstanding a genius was, what kind of secret technique could he possibly cultivate?

He had agreed to the other party's wager in a moment of hotheadedness. It truly had been too impulsive.

Now, it seemed he would not only fail to achieve his goal, but might also lose a potentially valuable subordinate.

"Adona!"

He suddenly looked at his Sixth Brother, his expression solemn. "I concede this round. Tell your subordinate to spare my man's life!"

At this point, he no longer expected Qi Yuan to win. Naturally, he had to find a way to preserve this promising subordinate's life as much as possible.

"Heh, Nineteenth Prince, you value this subordinate that much?"

The Sixth Brother, Adona, grinned when he heard that. "Easy enough. Give me unrestricted mining rights on Lei Bao Star for ten years, and I'll call it off immediately!"

"You have quite an appetite!"

Hugo mocked coldly.

"Not at all, not at all." Adona smiled meaningfully. "Nineteenth Prince, I heard this subordinate of yours broke through from the second stage of Star Traveller to the Fourth Stage in just half a year?"

"Ha ha, then he really is a genius! Perhaps he might even break through to the Universe Level someday. Ten years of mining rights in exchange for a subordinate who has a chance to reach the Universe Level—this deal is guaranteed profit!"

"Do you take me for a fool?"

Hugo replied coldly, "Two years. If you don't agree, then forget it!"

"Nineteenth Prince, you—"

Adona was about to say more.

However, at that very moment, an abrupt change erupted on the one-sided battlefield below!

Screeeech—

Amid waves of ear-piercing buzzing, dazzling purple lightning twisted and spread.

Electric light surged, thunder serpents coiled—

In an instant, a terrifying Thunder Domain radiating endless destruction took shape with a thunderous roar!