"Lord Red Lion."
No sooner had the Ghost King Red Lion finished speaking than Wutu Ba strode into the center of the Ruined Temple's main hall amid the refugees' cries of alarm.
"According to your rules, as the defender in this contest, I, Wutu Ba, am entitled to set one rule for the matches."
Wutu Ba grinned at Xu Taiping.
His gaze made Xu Taiping's scalp prickle.
"Young master, the Red Lion Ghost King is one of the ten great evil ghosts in Guifang's legends. Wutu Ba must be hoping to borrow his power to strip you of your Black Scale Armor."
Gu Qingcheng, who had already come to stand beside Xu Taiping, quietly warned him.
Xu Taiping nodded silently.
"Granted."
The Ghost King Red Lion's voice rang out coldly above the blood-red cage once more.
Hearing this, Wutu Ba immediately folded his arms across his chest, looked Xu Taiping straight in the eye, and said:
"I ask Lord Red Lion to decree that, in this Beast Cage Battle, no son or daughter of Guifang may use the Ghost Gods' Power, and no refugee from the Ningyuan Kingdom may use treasures or weapons."
"We must fight with these bodies of flesh and blood!"
At these words, the already frightened refugees erupted into an uproar.
"That's unfair!"
"Yes, unfair!"
Several refugees summoned their courage and shouted.
To Xu Taiping's surprise, the Ghost King Red Lion actually responded to the refugees' appeal-
"You, Wutu Ba, shall likewise be forbidden from using the Ghost Gods' Power, treasures, or weapons. Otherwise, this rule is void."
Wutu Ba did not argue. He merely curled his lips into a smile, clasped his hands, and bowed.
"Wutu Ba obeys."
Judging from his expression, Wutu Ba did not seem surprised by the Ghost King Red Lion's decision.
When