I Am Overlord c1-962
Page 175
At this time, an unremarkable man walked toward the bookmaker and said, "I will fight him."
This man was a late fourth-stage Skysoar Realm cultivator. His name was Yin Lihua. After signing the waiver, he leaped onto the arena. However, he could not start fighting immediately as he had to give the people below some time to place their bets.
"The payout rate is one-to-one for both of them. Place your bets," announced the bookmaker.
The crowd started cursing, "The previous payout was five-to-one! Why is it suddenly one-to-one now?"
"There's no helping it. This Xiang Shaoyun is too strong. Although he has been somewhat exhausted from the previous battle, this is still a fair payout rate," said someone.
The people discussed among themselves, but very few of them actually placed a bet. Most of them were still waiting for Ugly Gambler to place his bet.
Before Ugly Gambler could do anything, Earth Skeleton declared, "I am betting 600,000 mid-grade spirit crystals on Young Master Xiang."
Earlier, he had done as instructed by Xiang Shaoyun and had placed a bet of 100,000 spirit crystals to win five times the amount. He was now placing all his winnings from the initial bet on Xiang Shaoyun again. It was quite a large bet.
"One mid-grade spirit crystal on the same kid," said Ugly Gambler as he tossed a mid-grade spirit crystal onto Xiang Shaoyun's name on the counter.
Earlier, he had placed a bet of one low-grade spirit crystal. Now, he was placing a bet of one mid-grade spirit crystal. The people couldn't figure out what he had on his mind. However, some of them knew that the smaller the bet Ugly Gambler placed, the higher the chance it was for the bet to win.
In other words, Ugly Gambler was still very optimistic of Xiang Shaoyun's chance of winning. But since this was the second battle in a row, the probability of him winning would be slightly lower, hence the larger bet instead of the same one low-grade spirit crystal.
After Ugly Gambler placed his bet, a large number of people started betting on Xiang Shaoyun as well. The bookmaker paled.
Inwardly, he cursed, Looks like I will lose everything I have won this month. Damn that Ugly Gambler!
Finally, the bet was closed, and the bookmaker announced the start of the match. Yin Lihua cupped his hands and greeted Xiang Shaoyun before he directly transformed into a tiger and attacked without saying anything.
Tiger Pouncing for Food!
It was clear Yin Lihua cultivated a tiger-related battle technique. In fact, he had a decent mastery over this technique as he had reached a level he could take the form of a tiger.
Yin Lihua's tiger fist instantly arrived before Xiang Shaoyun's face in his attempt to smash it apart with a single hit.
An ordinary person's legs would go weak upon sensing the oppressive tiger king's aura, but Xiang Shaoyun had the inheritance of the white tiger within him. Although he had not transformed into a white tiger like Little White, he had still been enhanced by a tiger aura that made him akin to a king among tiger kings.
Xiang Shaoyun stared at the incoming fist with a pair of bright eyes. It did not seem like he was going to do anything at all. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and roared.
"Roar!"
The Tiger's Roar was released, shaking the world. Xiang Shaoyun possessed the might of the white tiger, which granted him the might similar to that of a true tiger king. Yin Lihua's tiger, which only had the form but not the essence, was far too lacking in comparison.
Yin Lihua bore the brunt of the roar; his eardrums nearly shattered. His blood started stirring, putting him in extreme discomfort while his entire attack crumbled apart. Still with the same pair of bright eyes, Xiang Shaoyun attacked. The white tiger energy surged out of him, turning him into a true white tiger king as he pounced on Yin Lihua.
White Tiger Manifestation!
This was one of the three white tiger abilities he had obtained after refining the white tiger bone long ago. The first was the Tiger's Roar, the second was the White Tiger Wings, and the third was this White Tiger Manifestation.
He had not been able to use this ability before. But since he was now a King, he could start using it. It was an ability powered by white tiger energy that could form a tiger capable of destroying everything with vicious gold energy.
Instantly, the white tiger ripped apart Yin Lihua, a fourth-stage Skysoar Realm expert. Blood splattered the arena. Even in his death, Yin Lihua still couldn't believe that he would fail to receive even one of this opponent's attacks.
Xiang Shaoyun himself was also dumbstruck. This was his first time using this ability, so he was also unaware of how powerful it was. The white tiger energy was no weaker than the innate purple lightning, allowing him to instantly tear Yin Lihua's armor to shreds and kill him.
The crowd was also stunned, all of them blanking out in silence. Over the years, many powerful Kings had emerged in the Bloodsin City. But one as powerful as Xiang Shaoyun was extremely rare.
Killing an opponent one stage higher with one attack. How powerful is his combat prowess?
He is probably not a mere King of Kings. Rather, he is a Super King.
A look of admiration appeared on the bookmaker's face. However, he still sighed as he announced, "Xiang Shaoyun is the victor."
He admired Xiang Shaoyun's combat prowess, yet he dreaded losing money. It was quite a depressing feeling to have.
"Young Master Xiang is mighty!" Earth Skeleton praised.
He originally couldn't accept the fact that he had fallen under Xiang Shaoyun's control, but what he saw changed his mind. He had a feeling a Super King like this could only come from one of those insanely powerful organizations.
Suddenly, Ugly Gambler narrowed his eyes and looked at Xiang Shaoyun with an amused expression. As for the others in the crowd, they were all shouting in surprise. They had no choice but to feel admiration for Ugly Gambler's vision.
The White Tiger Manifestation is indeed powerful, Xiang Shaoyun praised inwardly. He then said, "Who else dares to battle me?"
Although he was strong enough to utterly defeat fourth-stage Kings, he had a feeling there were definitely some hidden talents present.
Chapter 413: Nothing Special
"Who else dares to battle me?"
The words were sonorous and forceful, loud and clear.
A demon king stepped forth and yelled, "This old bear shall slap you to death!"
He was a bear king who had transformed into a human form. He had a tall and sturdy body akin to an iron tower. Even in human form, he still had hair all over his body, which made him look more like a beastman. He made it quite obvious he was not a human. After signing the waiver, the bear king leaped onto the arena, his weight rocking it as he landed. He was obviously someone with a terrifying brute strength.
"This is a strongbear king! He once ripped five Kings apart on the fourth-stage arena with his dreadful combat prowess. Looks like Xiang Shaoyun has finally met his match."
"This Xiang Shaoyun is quite strong, but I think he will only be evenly matched with this strongbear king. Looks like this will be an intense battle."
"This strongbear king is the son of a top strongbear emperor from the Demonic League. I think he has a greater chance of winning. After all, Xiang Shaoyun is only a third-stage King."
"I still think it's better to bet after Gambler makes his bet."
...
Ugly Gambler had never been wrong when placing a bet. Thus, everyone was waiting for him to place another one. After the bookmaker announced the payout for Xiang Shaoyun to be two-to-one, Ugly Gambler placed a bet of one high-grade spirit crystal on him.
From the changing amount of his bet, it was obvious Ugly Gambler was no longer as confident in Xiang Shaoyun. As for Earth Skeleton, he had won 1.2 million mid-grade spirit crystals so far. Without hesitation, he placed everything on Xiang Shaoyun's victory. Everyone else did the same.
The bookmaker was filled with regret, I should have set the payout as ten-to-one instead.
He had judg
ed that Xiang Shaoyun would be evenly matched with the bear king. But to be safe, he had still reduced the payout for Xiang Shaoyun. In any case, that was understandable due to Xiang Shaoyun's recent repeated victories. However, he had a feeling the payout was still too high after Ugly Gambler made his bet.
The third battle began, and unlike the previous two opponents, the bear king did not take the initiative to attack. Rather, he provoked Xiang Shaoyun, "Come on, little monkey. This king will kill you with one slap."
Xiang Shaoyun smiled. "Strongbear king? Apart from strength, you are probably quite good in defense as well. Very well, show me how many of my punches you can take."
Without hesitation, he shot forward like a bolt of lighting. Sure enough, a brown radiance appeared around the bear king's body, erecting a defensive barrier as tough as a mountain. Xiang Shaoyun arrived before the bear king in the blink of an eye. He threw a Gold Helix Fist out; the spinning golden fist powered by vicious gold energy was no weaker than a Lightning Bolt Fist.
Bang! Bang!
He punched 18 times in a row, forcing the bear king to step back repeatedly. However, the bear king still remained standing and was still unharmed. Even so, he could sense how overbearing Xiang Shaoyun's punches were. The spinning fists were extremely penetrative in nature, causing his flesh to start aching.
He grew even more cautious as he raked his two hands forward, sending a powerful attack capable of turning an entire mountain into dust. The might of his attack proved him worthy of being a strongbear king. Not even a fifth-stage King would have an easy time surviving if struck by such an attack.
But with Xiang Shaoyun's nimbleness, how would he be hit so easily? He danced left and right as he avoided all the incoming attacks without stopping his own barrage of attacks. Each of Xiang Shaoyun's attacks forced the bear king to retreat again and again, and the bear king couldn't land a hit of his own. If this continued, it was only a matter of time before the bear king was defeated.
"You really think I'm that weak?" The bear king was furious when he noticed that his defensive barrier was on the brink of collapse. With a roar, his aura surged.
Gravity Manipulation!
Instantly, the gravity on the arena grew by over 100 times. The sudden change caught Xiang Shaoyun by surprise, causing his movements to slow down considerably.
"Shit!" Xiang Shaoyun's face fell.
A bear paw could be seen heading toward his face.
Bang!
The paw sent him crashing heavily into the defensive barrier around the arena. The bear king transformed into a massive bear with a height of about four or five meters. He pressed on and stamped his heavy foot down toward Xiang Shaoyun.
Xiang Shaoyun quickly bounced away from the ground and avoided the attack. Blood was dripping down his lips, but a smile hung on his face.
This is what I have been waiting for to test my Six Goldplate Manual! thought Xiang Shaoyun as he quickly circulated his gold energy.
Two golden walls appeared around him. This was the late first stage of the Six Goldplate Manual.
Xiang Shaoyun had already reached this stage during Money's breakthrough. On his way to the Bloodsin City, he had continued to train the technique to further perfect it. He believed that he could now withstand the attack of a mid-stage King without much trouble.
Bang! Bang!
The bear king missed his stomp, so he followed up by slamming his paw at Xiang Shaoyun. This time, Xiang Shaoyun stood his ground. It was unknown if he couldn't dodge due to the gravity or if he was simply intentionally staying there.
The bear king struck him several times in a row, causing Xiang Shaoyun's body to sway and look as if he wouldn't be able to last any longer. After landing a few attacks in a row, the bear king stopped and started patting his own chest. He roared, "How can a tiny monkey be a match for this bear king?"
In his opinion, Xiang Shaoyun was already dead. After all, he had landed several blows on the tiny human. Not even fifth-stage Kings could survive after he struck them. The crowd around the arena shared the same thought. Sounds of discussion rang out.
"The bear king is indeed powerful. Xiang Shaoyun is probably dead."
"The bear king's gravity technique is no joke. He had increased the gravity by about 100 times. Anyone failing to react in time will suffer. This is the same technique the bear king had relied on to slaughter many Kings."
"Xiang Shaoyun is too inexperienced. Although he is strong, he had underestimated his opponent. If he had been more cautious, he wouldn't have been defeated so quickly."
"Will this be the first time the Gambler's Law is wrong? I don't think things are so simple."
...
When everyone thought that Xiang Shaoyun was dead, he suddenly stood up. He appeared completely fine. After slightly stretching his neck, he gave the bear king his middle finger and said, "Strongbear king? Nothing special."
"Roar! You dare insult this king? Watch as I blow you apart!" roared the furious bear king as he charged Xiang Shaoyun again.
"That gravity technique is decent, but not enough to stop me," said Xiang Shaoyun as he no longer held back and used his Overlord's Nine Nether Steps.
Chapter 414: This Kid Is a Super King
Xiang Shaoyun was unable to move as fast as he usually did due to the gravity field, but he was still charging at the bear king at a speed that made it seem like the higher gravity didn't affect him at all. He joined both his fists together, and with a thick vicious gold energy spiraling around his two fists, he met the bear king's paw.
The paw and the Gold Helix Fist collided.
Bang!
This time, Xiang Shaoyun was not sent flying. He was able to stabilize his footing after taking only a few steps backward. As for the bear king, his paw had actually been pierced through by the spiraling attack, causing him to wail in pain. The attack had just about half-crippled his paw.
The bear king might have a powerful defense, but it was useless before absolute strength. He ignored his injury and lifted his other paw and slammed it at Xiang Shaoyun again. This was an attack he had released in fury, and it was about 30 percent stronger than the previous attack. As he waved his paw, a massive amount of brown energy crashed down at Xiang Shaoyun like a mountain.
Xiang Shaoyun did the same thing and joined his fists, drew gold energy from his second star, and charged forward.
So he really is a simple-minded fool. He doesn't understand that his physical strength is useless against me, thought Xiang Shaoyun with contempt.
However, just as the bear paw was about to arrive, he found that the paw had been withdrawn. Instead, the bear's entire body crashed down at him.
Furious Bear Slam!
The bear king had gathered all his power to enhance his body with layers of thick brown energy and to increase the weight of his fall with the power of gravity. He slammed himself down at Xiang Shaoyun. The attack caught Xiang Shaoyun by surprise, and it hit successfully.
Bang!
Xiang Shaoyun was sent flying. Blood sprayed everywhere, making it clear he had been injured in the collision. The bear king's slam attack had surpassed the might of a fifth-stage Demon King and had reached the sixth stage. Not even Xiang Shaoyun could easily withstand an attack of that level.
The bear king pressed on without wasting any time. He slammed his paw forward, sending a massive mountain formed of energy toward Xiang Shaoyun to finish him off.
Although Xiang Shaoyun had been caught by surprise, his defense and flesh were comparable in toughness to a demonic beast's. After all, he was one who had been tempered by natural lightning bolts.
The moment the body slam struck him, he realized his mistake of underestimating his opponent. Although his current injuries were not exactly light, they weren't that serious either. Just as the paw was about to arrive, he moved like a fish in water and slipped to the side with a wondrous footwork.
First step of the Overlord's Nine Nether Steps!
He roared furiously, and a boundl
ess lightning energy converged around him. He raised his leg and stepped down, sending an indescribable power rippling over the arena. The bear king had the sensation a massive mountain was collapsing on him. Instantly, all his defenses crumbled apart, and his massive body was forced to bow down under the weight of the step. Blood sprayed out of his mouth.
Even so, he was still alive, and he struggled to straighten his body so he could continue the fight. Suddenly, Xiang Shaoyun's aura grew, and even more lightning energy converged around him. Slowly, he raised his foot and stepped down a second time.
When the second step was completed, an astonishing might was unleashed, making him look like a god that had descended to the mortal world. Thundering lightning bolts rumbled everywhere, and even space itself was torn apart.
"Roar!"
With a miserable howl, the bear king collapsed heavily onto the ground. He bled from his eyes, nose, and mouth, presenting a dreadful scene. Finally, Xiang Shaoyun withdrew his aura. More than half his astral energy had been drained. The battle had exhausted more energy than the previous two battles combined.
One really can't afford to be careless in the Bloodsin Arena, thought Xiang Shaoyun.
He had assumed that the bear was a simple-minded opponent with only brute strength, but he had been completely mistaken. Not one demonic beast capable of living in human territory was one without intelligence. In fact, some of them could be extremely crafty. A regular fifth-stage King would have been killed by that slam attack. He had only survived due to his tough body and defense.
The people around the arena were all stunned. Xiang Shaoyun had been hit by two massive attacks from the bear king, and it seemed so obvious that he wasn't going to survive. Yet he was able to reverse the situation. With two stomps, he stomped the bear known for his strong defenses to death. They found it hard to believe.
After a long while, someone finally woke up from the shock and cried out in alarm, "The bear king is dead! This brings an end to his winning streak! This Xiang Shaoyun is too strong!"