Defeated by the Nine Meng Beast

After Golden Horn left the duel arena, the host reported the day's events to his superior, a Universe level ninth order powerhouse.

This powerhouse was named Cang Jin. He was a Silverwing Hunter of the Monster Hunting Hall and was currently responsible for discovering and recruiting promising geniuses on Myriad Monster Star. Every promising prospect he found earned him Merit Points, which he could use to exchange for natural treasures or rare weapons.

Cang Jin flipped through yesterday's battle records, his gaze lingering briefly on Golden Horn's name.

"A Gray-Horn Beast? Never heard of that race." After pondering for a moment, he picked up his communicator and posted a mission to the Monster Hunting Hall: three Copper Skull Hunters were needed to head to the duel arena and spar with a newcomer. The mission description specifically stated that losing earned 5 Merit Points, while winning earned 10.

At the same time, he sent an invitation to the Bear Demon who had comprehended a domain, intending to recruit him into the Monster Hunting Hall.

"With a little training, becoming a Sector Lord won't be a problem." Cang Jin muttered to himself, then shook his head. "As for that Bull Demon... he's too old. He only touched the threshold of a domain after countless life-and-death battles. His potential is limited, so forget it."

The next day, Golden Horn brought Mouse Nine-Nine to the duel arena right on time.

The stakes were still ten thousand Demon Coins. Thanks to yesterday's record, there were noticeably more spectators today.

In the first match, his opponent was a Leopard Demon, Stellar level ninth order, with exceptionally agile movements.

Although Golden Horn had cultivated "Absolute Space," his comprehension of it was not particularly deep. Fortunately, he had a Void Beast clone. His understanding of spatial fluctuations far surpassed that of ordinary people, and he knew how to deal with such agile enemies.

The moment the battle began, the Leopard Demon turned into an afterimage and launched a frenzied assault around Golden Horn. Golden Horn could only defend passively, blocking with his claws, tail, and horn in turn as several shallow claw marks appeared on his scales.

The same old routine. Golden Horn was not anxious. Just like yesterday's Bear Demon, as long as he could endure it, an opportunity would come later.

But he soon discovered that this Leopard Demon's attacks were unusually relentless. Every strike carried fierce wind-element energy, far beyond what an ordinary Stellar level fighter could match.

Golden Horn stopped holding back.

Golden light surged from beneath his scales, forming a heavy halo that enveloped his body—Metal Domain, second layer.

This was one of the results of his three years of secluded cultivation. He had already touched the threshold of a domain in the secret realm, and after three years of bitter training, he had finally stabilized it at the second layer.

The stands immediately erupted.

"Another one with a domain!" "That's the fourth one in two days! Are geniuses so worthless now?"

Seeing this, a sharp light flashed in the Leopard Demon's eyes as he likewise unfolded his own domain—Wind Domain, second layer.

The azure and golden halos collided in midair, sending waves of air rolling outward.

Golden Horn's heart sank. This was troublesome.

The Metal Domain greatly increased his attack power, wrapping every claw strike in sharp law energy. But the Wind Domain made the Leopard Demon even faster and more unpredictable. Golden Horn simply could not catch him.

The two fell into a bitter battle.

Golden Horn unleashed Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending repeatedly, his claw lights tearing deep ravines into the ground, yet he was always half a beat too slow. The Leopard Demon moved like the wind, slipping through the gaps between his claws while leaving wound after wound across his body.

This can't go on. Golden Horn gritted his teeth.

He began adjusting his strategy. Rather than chasing the Leopard Demon's movements, he drew in his defense, compressing his domain to within three meters of himself and waiting for the other party to attack.

Sure enough, the Leopard Demon could not restrain himself and darted into Golden Horn's domain range.

Golden Horn suddenly sprang up and swung a claw!

Boom!

The Leopard Demon was blasted back several steps, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. But he also took the chance to leave a shallow wound on Golden Horn's abdomen.

After fighting fiercely for a while longer, the Leopard Demon's injuries only grew more numerous.

Finally, after another head-on clash, both of them retreated and exchanged a glance.

"I concede." The Leopard Demon withdrew his domain and decisively leaped off the arena. He still had fighting strength left, but he had already tested Golden Horn's capabilities. If they continued, he would certainly lose. There was no need to waste time.

The host announced Golden Horn's victory.

Cheers rang out from the stands. Though the battle had been brief, a clash between two domain geniuses had been well worth the price of admission.

Golden Horn was not pleased with himself. He lowered his head to look at the wound on his abdomen, his brows slightly furrowed.

My movement technique is still too poor, and my attacks aren't strong enough either. He reflected inwardly. If not for the Golden Horned Beast's physical body and the boost from his domain, he might not have won this battle.

"My lord, would you like to rest for a while?" the host asked.

Golden Horn nodded, sat down beside the arena, and closed his eyes to recover. This battle had drained him considerably, and the wounds on his body needed time to heal as well.

Half an hour later, he stood up and signaled to the host that they could continue.

For the second match, his opponent stepped onto the arena.

It was a massive beast over five meters tall, covered from head to toe in silvery-gray scales. Its muscles looked as though they had been carved with blades and axes, giving off a sense of explosive power. Its head resembled the legendary nine-headed hydra, with nine faint protrusions on its neck that radiated a terrifyingly ferocious aura.

Golden Horn's pupils suddenly contracted.

A Nine Meng Beast—one of the Demon Race's Twelve Imperial Clans!

He had seen information about this race among the intelligence Mouse Nine-Nine had gathered. They became Sector Lords upon reaching adulthood, and their clan had countless geniuses. They were one of the bloodlines standing at the peak of the Demon Race's pyramid.

The stands instantly boiled over.

"A Nine Meng Beast! It's a Nine Meng Beast!"

"Why would an imperial clan come to the duel arena? Isn't this just bullying?"

"It's over, it's over. That Gray-Horn Beast is in for it now."

Golden Horn took a deep breath and suppressed the shock in his heart. He knew that the real test had arrived.

The battle began.

Golden Horn did not dare underestimate his opponent. He unleashed the second layer of his Metal Domain at full power, golden light enveloping his body. At the same time, he activated "Original Body Heaven and Earth," continuing to compress his ten-meter body inward until he reached his limit. He was now only eight meters tall, but every inch of his muscles contained explosive power.

The Nine Meng Beast did not rush to attack. Instead, it watched him with interest.

"A Gray-Horn Beast? Interesting." Its voice was low and heavy. "Your domain is decent, and your physical body is decent too, but you're still a little weak."

It suddenly released its own domain.

Golden light exploded outward, denser and heavier than Golden Horn's—Metal Domain, third layer!

Golden Horn's expression changed.

At the same instant, the Nine Meng Beast moved.

There was no flashy movement technique and no probing attack. It simply swung a claw at him.

Golden Horn gritted his teeth and met it with a claw of his own.

Boom!

The enormous force bore down on him like a mountain. Golden Horn was sent flying backward, his right claw numb as a thin crack appeared in his scales.

Before he could react, the Nine Meng Beast's second claw had already arrived.

Golden Horn unleashed Heaven-Splitting Earth-Rending with all his strength. His claw light collided with the opponent's sharp claw, erupting in a shower of sparks. This time, he barely blocked it, but the blow still drove him to one knee, the stone slabs beneath his knee shattering into a spiderweb of cracks.

"Not bad. You can still take two of my attacks." A trace of approval flashed in the Nine Meng Beast's eyes. "Again."

The third claw came down.

A savage glint flashed through Golden Horn's eyes. He pushed Original Body Heaven and Earth to the limit, gathering all the strength in his body into his single horn before charging forward.

Boom!

Golden Horn was blasted away and slammed heavily into the edge of the arena. A tiny crack appeared in his horn, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and scales across his body were damaged in many places.