I Am Overlord c1-962

by Translator: Pokka; Author: 我本纯洁 (I Am Pure); Licensed From: Migu

  "Ok. I will set off tomorrow. Please take care, young master," said Du Xuanhao unhesitatingly.

  "Don't worry. I know what to do," said Xiang Shaoyun.

  Then, Du Xuanhao left the Skeleton Gang to prepare for his journey into the Devil Domain.

  Time to formally meet the Skeleton Gang members, thought Xiang Shaoyun. He now had Celestial Skeleton, Earth Skeleton, and Human Skeleton under his control. With their support, nobody would dare disobey him in the Skeleton Gang.

  Under Xiang Shaoyun’s command, Celestial Skeleton summoned everyone to a meeting. The Skeleton Gang members had no idea what was happening, but they all still rushed to the meeting.

  "Today, I am introducing the noble Young Master Xiang to everyone. From now on, he will be the most esteemed guest of our gang. Treat him like you would me. Let us welcome Young Master Xiang," said Celestial Skeleton.

  The Skeleton Gang members were all shocked as they had never expected such an announcement, especially the "treat him like you would me" phrase. They started getting nervous, wondering what was going on.

  Finally, Xiang Shaoyun walked out from the back of the hall. Everyone's gaze focused on him. The people here were all murderous criminals, and when they saw a graceful young master like Xiang Shaoyun walking out, a sense of disgust started welling in their hearts. However, none of them dared to let their distaste show. In truth, they were merely envious of Xiang Shaoyun's age. How could a kid like this receive such treatment from their leader?

  "Welcome, Young Master Xiang," Earth Skeleton and Human Skeleton saluted Xiang Shaoyun.

  That woke the others up from their thoughts as they quickly saluted as well, "Welcome, Young Master Xiang."

  All of them feared the three leaders, and with all the leaders saluting the young man, they wouldn't dare to show any disrespect.

  "This is Young Master Xiang. From now on, obey his every command. Otherwise, don't blame us when we punish you in accordance with the gang rules," Celestial Skeleton emphasized solemnly, an incorporeal murderous intent roiling out of him.

  "Yes, leader," everyone answered despite their unwillingness.

  After all, Celestial Skeleton held absolute power in the gang. Nobody dared to disobey him. Everyone started wondering who the young man was for him to receive such respect from their leader.

  "Today, I am only here to greet everyone. I hope everyone will watch over me in the future. I will definitely repay everyone for the help. Of course, feel free to ignore me if you want, but don't blame me if anything bad happens as a result," said Xiang Shaoyun with a cold smile.

  Abruptly, three ghostrune emperors appeared out of thin air around him. The dreadful appearances of the ghostrunes greatly shocked the Skeleton Gang members. Their eyes shrank when they noticed that the three were ghostrune emperors. Fear covered their faces.

  The ghostrunes were a race with exceptional innate talent. Everyone here were Emperors and were clear on what would happen if one's soul was harmed. Slowly, fear and respect started showing in their eyes. They all concluded that a young man with ghostrune emperors serving as guards would definitely not be someone with a simple background.

  Xiang Shaoyun observed everyone's reactions and mused to himself, Looks like using the ghostrune emperors to threaten them is quite effective.

  After showing his face, Xiang Shaoyun left and let Celestial Skeleton continue the meeting. In the meeting, Celestial Skeleton announced that the Skeleton Gang would no longer commit banditry and other crimes. They would no longer pick fights for no reason, no longer provoke other organizations, and would maintain a low profile and reorganize their gang's rules.

  Although Celestial Skeleton was the one making the announcements, these changes had all come from Xiang Shaoyun. He wanted to use what the Skeleton Gang had to build a foundation for his personal army. Since he had that in mind, change was necessary, and he could no longer let them run around creating trouble and risk ruining his plans.

  And if these people refused to obey, he would be left with no choice but to put all of them under his mind control.

  "Well, I'll first see if this Skeleton Gang is worth developing," mused Xiang Shaoyun. His eyes lit up as he added, "Time to temper myself at a Bloodsin Arena."

  Chapter 408: Bloodsin Arena

  There were a total of 18 Bloodsin Arenas in the city, corresponding to the nine stages of Skysoar Realm and the nine stages of the Dragon Ascension Realm. Of the 18 arenas, the Skysoar Realm arenas enjoyed more traffic than the Dragon Ascension Realm arenas. After all, those at the Dragon Ascension Realm would mostly be training at the Devil Domain instead of the arenas.

  But of course, there were always exceptions such as Emperors settling grudges with an arena battle. The moment one stepped onto the arena, one would not be able to leave before a life was taken. This was the rule of the Bloodsin Arena.

  Devouring Ghost had suggested that Xiang Shaoyun partake in the Bloodsin Arena battles so he could temper himself by putting his life on the line. Through the arena battles, he would encounter numerous geniuses of the numerous cities and provinces, earning an unrivaled reputation through slaughter.

  In fact, the arena battles were only a warm up compared to what he was going to face upon entering the Devil Domain. If he couldn't even survive the Bloodsin Arenas, he shouldn't even bother thinking of fighting the devils in the Devil Domain.

  Currently, Xiang Shaoyun was heading toward the Bloodsin Arena area with Earth Skeleton following behind him. When they arrived, 18 arenas could be seen. Each arena was about 1,000 square meters in size and were surrounded by chains. Scarlet bloodstains were visible on the tough surface of the arenas, presenting a dreadful scene.

  The arenas were busy with the battles of Skysoar Realm experts. Sounds of explosion and cheers filled the air, and the atmosphere was filled with excitement. Most people in the city were ruthless and murderous individuals. The carnage unfolding on the arenas did not bother them one bit. Rather, they filled them with excitement and joy.

  "Master, you are a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator, so you will be using the third arena over there," said Earth Skeleton.

  "Ok. Are there any requirements for getting on the arena?" Xiang Shaoyun asked.

  "The only requirement is to sign a waiver and absolve anyone from the responsibility of your death," said Earth Skeleton.

  Xiang Shaoyun pointed at the side of the arena and asked, "What are those people doing?"

  A few people were seated before each arena. A large number of people were also rushing over, as if they were trying to purchase some items of limited stock.

  "Master, those are the betting counters. You can bet on the combatants and will be paid if you make the right bet. The bets are organized by the city hall. At times, they will even have some people watch over the arena battles. The watchers would always be super experts, and oftentimes, the people from the city hall are the ones making the most profit from the bets."

  A curious look covered Xiang Shaoyun's face as he walked toward the third arena. Currently, two third-stage Kings were battling on the arena. A formation formed a barrier surrounding it, preventing the battle's shockwaves from leaking out.

  The crowd of spectators cheered without stop, the air thick with excitement. When Xiang Shaoyun looked at the combatants on the arena, he found that one was as slim as a monkey while the other was as robust as a cow. One was nimble while the other was clumsy. The contrast between the two was clear.

  Many people were optimistic on the odds of the slim combatant winning the battle. He moved around like lightning, landing blows every now and then, and looked to be holding an obvious advantage.

  But after Xiang Shaoyun observed the battle for a bit, he had a feeling the robust combatant would be the final victor instead. He could see how easily the robust combatant was defending himself. The slim combatant couldn't damage him at all. He was only waiting for a perfect opportunity to strike and obtain victory.

  Sure enough, when the slim combatant had
just finished an attack and was in the midst of mustering more power, the robust combatant suddenly attacked.

  Bang!

  His punch struck the slim combatant's chest, caving it in and spurting out blood. The robust combatant followed with another punch, smashing the slim combatant's head. Blood sprayed everywhere, forming a fountain of blood. The sight drove the crowd mad with joy.

  Inwardly, Xiang Shaoyun mused, The people in this city are really something else. This robust guy is only a mid third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator, but he is able to release a combat prowess comparable to the fourth-stage Skysoar Realm. Also, he seems to still be holding back. He is really quite strong.

  "Master, if you want to participate in the arena battle, now would be the time to sign up," reminded Earth Skeleton.

  Xiang Shaoyun did not say anything. Instead, he walked toward the nearby fourth arena. A bloody battle was similarly happening here. However, the combatants were a demonic beast and a beastman. The demonic beast was a blood-winged canine, a powerful mutated demonic canine with dreadful combat prowess. He was currently fighting in human form.

  As for the beastman, he was of the lion breed. He had the head of a lion and the body of a human; his entire body was filled with an explosive strength. The battle raged on, and eventually, the blood-winged canine was forced to transform back into his original form before he could bite the beastman to death and obtain victory.

  After swallowing the beastman, the blood-winged canine's vitality soared, and his injuries started healing. On top of that, his strength seemed to have grown as well. Even Xiang Shaoyun was somewhat dumbstruck. "This works?"

  "You might not be aware of this, master. The blood-winged canine is a species that grows through swallowing flesh and blood. The more opponents he swallows, the faster he can grow. This blood-winged canine has slowly climbed to the fourth arena from the second arena and has taken less than a year. His growth has been incredibly fast," said Earth Skeleton.

  "Two stages in a year?" Xiang Shaoyun exclaimed in surprise.

  "That's right. Although the Demonic League is not one of the five strongest organizations, they are in fact not much weaker than the five. They have many ancient demons among their ranks, and this blood-winged canine is the child of one such ancient demon. Try to avoid facing such opponents, master. Otherwise, even if you win, the Demonic League won't spare you either," reminded Earth Skeleton solemnly.

  Xiang Shaoyun kept those words in mind. Although it was said that one was free to kill on a Bloodsin Arena, if he wasn't strong enough to face the possible backlash of a victory, there was no point in fighting.

  Right this moment, a bloody stench drifted over followed by a sneer, "Look, it's Earth Skeleton. Do you baby skeletons from the Skeleton Gang even have the courage to step on a Bloodsin Arena?"

  Xiang Shaoyun looked behind him and saw a middle-aged man with a cold and bloodthirsty look. The middle-aged man was looking at Earth Skeleton with contempt, and beside him was a handsome young man of about 30 years old.

  The young man seemed to have sensed Xiang Shaoyun's gaze and immediately glared back. His sharp gaze was akin to two bloody blades, capable of causing one to feel a chill up one's spine.

  A timid person would definitely be scared into retreat by his stare, but that was not the case for Xiang Shaoyun. He was completely unaffected. When the man saw Xiang Shaoyun show no fear, he released a thick murderous intent.

  "Oh look, it's the Scorching Blood Monarch. Sure, I might need to show a tiny bit of fear if it's the Noxious Blood Monarch here instead. As for you, heh, you are far from enough," said Earth Skeleton with a displeased expression. He then looked at the young man and said, "This must be your son. What, is he ballsy enough to get on the arena?"

  "If he has the guts to go, I'll go," replied the young man, his eyes still staring at Xiang Shaoyun. Scorching Blood Monarch wasn't even given a chance to say anything.

  Chapter 409: Ugly Gambler of the Seven Villains

  Like the Skeleton Gang, the Noxious Blood Gang was an organization based at the Bloodsin City. Both had similar strength, or to be precise, Noxious Blood Gang was slightly stronger. In truth, if it wasn't for the Skeleton Gang's ability to refine skeleton puppets, they would not be a match for the Noxious Blood Gang.

  The Scorching Blood Monarch was one of the three monarchs in the Noxious Blood Gang with similar strength to Earth Skeleton. As for the young man, he was Blood Candle, a peak fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator.

  He was here today to participate in the arena battles, looking for a way to break through into the fifth stage. He could see that Xiang Shaoyun was only a third-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator with one glance. Thus, he did not fear a battle with Xiang Shaoyun.

  More importantly, the Noxious Blood Gang had always been hostile with the Skeleton Gang. They had long planned to take over the Skeleton Gang to grow their own strength. Unfortunately, that would only be possible if they had a Sovereign.

  "My son is right. If that baby skeleton dares to enter the arena, my son will go as well. So? Do you have the guts?" said Scorching Blood Monarch with a sneer on his face.

  Earth Skeleton glanced at Xiang Shaoyun and received a voice transmission saying, "Say yes."

  Earth Skeleton then looked at Scorching Blood Monarch and said, "Ok. Young Master Xiang has agreed."

  "Haha. Excellent. Let us see who will be the one to leave the arena alive later," said Scorching Blood Monarch with a hearty laugh. Inwardly, he mused, This Earth Skeleton sure is dumb. That baby skeleton is a stage lower than my son. How is he a match?

  As for Blood Candle, he sneered at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "Kid, you're dead."

  Xiang Shaoyun ignored the provocation and thought inwardly, You better not disappoint me.

  Next, Earth Skeleton brought Xiang Shaoyun to the registration counter. The registration counter was in front of the betting counter, and it was the same place he would sign the waiver. There were employees posted there to handle everything.

  "After signing the waiver, your life and death will be decided by fate," said an employee at the counter while passing a form over.

  Xiang Shaoyun picked up a pen and signed the waiver without any hesitation.

  "Xiang Shaoyun? What an effeminate name. Later on the arena, I will make sure you get to enjoy the feeling of facing death," said Blood Candle with a sneer.

  He then signed the waiver as well.

  "The waiver has been signed. Xiang Shaoyun will be battling Blood Candle. Bets are now available. Odds of five-to-one for Xiang Shaoyun's victory and one-to-two for Blood Candle's victory," yelled a person at the counter.

  "Haha, lord, that is a very smart rate. I wager 10,000 mid-grade spirit crystals on my son. He will definitely win," said Scorching Blood Monarch with a hearty laugh.

  The employee posted at the counter served both as the referee and the bookmaker of the bets. The odds would be set according to the strength of the combatants in accordance to the bookmaker's judgment.

  If there was an obvious gap in the strength of the combatants, there would naturally be different payout rates for the combatants. Only when the combatants had similar cultivation level would the payout be the same.

  Evidently, this bookmaker was not optimistic on Xiang Shaoyun's chance of victory. After taking one look at Xiang Shaoyun and Blood Candle, the people there started placing their bets. A majority of them were betting on Blood Candle's victory.

  The smile on Scorching Blood Monarch and Blood Candle deepened when they saw that. And when they looked at Earth Skeleton and Xiang Shaoyun, their eyes filled with contempt.

  "A great monarch of the Noxious Blood Gang is only wagering 10,000 mid-grade spirit crystals? What an insult to your position. I wager 100,000 mid-grade spirit crystals on my Young Master Xiang's victory," said Earth Skeleton loudly.

  That was a large sum of money that not even Emperors could easily take out. It attracted the attention of many people who then started wondering if Xiang Shaoyun was only
pretending to be weak. At that thought, some of the people who were going to wager on Blood Candle held back on the bet. However, they still didn't bet on Xiang Shaoyun. Instead, they sat this round out.

  Scorching Blood Monarch hesitated slightly before saying, "The Skeleton Gang is really something else. Fine, I'll wager the same. An additional bet of 90,000 more mid-grade spirit crystals on my son's victory."

  A large number of spirit crystals were sent out, and pure spiritual energy rippled everywhere.

  The bookmaker quickly put the spirit crystals away and recorded the new bet. He then asked, "Anyone else betting?"

  Just as the bookmaker was about to announce the start of the battle, a lazy voice rang out, "Wait a moment. I'm betting too."

  The crowd turned to look at the newcomer. An odd look appeared on their faces when they saw who the newcomer was. Sounds of discussion spread across the crowd.

  "It's the Gambler. He's actually joining the bet as well. It is said that he never loses a bet. Let's see who he is betting on this time."

  "Yeah. This old gambler will always bet a random amount, but he is never wrong. Moreover, he has an odd habit. The lower the amount he is betting, the more likely it is for the person he is betting on to win. I wonder who he is going to bet on this time."

  "Although this guy is ugly, he is a godly gambler."

  "I will bet on whoever he bets on. He won't be wrong."

  ...

  Xiang Shaoyun had also noticed the newcomer. It was actually an extremely ugly middle-aged man. He had a massive forehead, a balding head, sunken eyes, tiny nose, massive lips, and sparse white hair. He looked more like a monster than a man and was dressed as sloppily as a beggar. A foul stench lingered about him, giving one the urge to step away from him.