On the other side.
As soon as Zhao Hao and the others stepped through the light gate, the scene before them changed.
Behind the gate was a circular hall, or rather...
A gladiatorial arena!
Where they stood was the circular fighting platform at the bottom!
Around it were tiered concentric stands, but there was no one on them at the moment.
And the gate they had entered through had also vanished behind them.
"Everyone be careful," Zhao Hao warned, trying to leave the arena.
The arena was surrounded by a ring of railings.
Zhao Hao didn't dare to get too close, instead releasing a spell to test it.
His vital energy silently seeped into the railings, as if it had been 'devoured'...
Some also tried to touch the railings with their hands, only to be flung back!
"Plop—!"
"Gurgle..."
He rolled several times on the ground before managing to stabilize himself.
"As expected, we can't get out..." Zhao Hao immediately activated his vital energy to protect himself, guarding against any imminent danger.
"Rumble—!"
The ground vibrated.
A large hole, three zhang in diameter, appeared in the center of the arena, and a demonic beast slowly rose from it.
Upon seeing the beast's appearance, someone immediately exclaimed in shock.
"Purple-Eyed Demonic Ape?"
The Purple-Eyed Demonic Ape was a demonic beast at the tenth level of the Nascent Soul stage!
As everyone knew, demonic beasts of the same level were far more powerful than human cultivators.
Even though a few of them were at the tenth level of the Nascent Soul stage, it didn't mean they could surely win this fight.
"No!" Zhao Hao seemed to have discovered something and exclaimed, "That's not a Purple-Eyed Demonic Ape!"
As if responding to him, the demonic beast slowly opened its eyes.
Its eyes emitted an eerie green light!
And from its back, a pair of wings with a span of ten zhang unfurled!
The azure feathers were like sharp blades, radiating a chilling gleam!
At the same time, a tail more than two zhang long extended from the demonic beast's rear.
Each segment of the tail was covered with a hard, dark green bony structure, and the tip was adorned with a barb the size of a human head!
The sweet, pungent smell emanating from the barb caused Zhao Hao and the others to momentarily daze!
"Those are the wings of a Qingyou..." Zhao Hao muttered in disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost, "And the tail of a Soul Devouring Scorpion..."
The Qingyou was a demonic beast at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage.
Although it was one minor realm lower than the Purple-Eyed Demonic Ape, its strength was comparable to the ape's!
And the Qingyou relied on these massive wings!
Each feather was a deadly weapon, capable of easily piercing the bodies of cultivators of the same level!
Even when facing a cultivator at the tenth level of the Nascent Soul stage, it could still cause significant trouble!
The Soul Devouring Scorpion was even more formidable.
Once its tail's venom entered the body, even gods would find it difficult to save the victim!
Originally, both of these demonic beasts shared a common trait: their extremely high offensive capabilities came at the cost of relatively weak bodies.
But when these two threats were combined with the tough and resilient nature of the Purple-Eyed Demonic Ape, it was almost equivalent to being invincible among peers...
What on earth was this creature?
How did these three demonic beasts combine into one?
Unfortunately, the demonic beast did not give them much time to react.
With a roar, it charged forward!
"Roar—!"
With a flap of its wings, it easily reached Zhao Hao and the others!
The demonic beast's enormous fist slammed down directly towards them!
Simultaneously, numerous feathers detached from its body and shot towards Zhao Hao and the others!
And that terrifying scorpion tail had already locked onto its target!
"Puff puff puff—!"
Several elders at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul stage didn't even have time to react before their bodies were pierced by the azure feathers!
The feathers carried their bodies far away, only stopping when they hit the railings at the edge of the arena!
However, they were relatively fortunate!
Despite being severely injured, they at least survived.
An elder at the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage was not so lucky.
The poisonous gas emanating from the scorpion tail caused him to lose the best opportunity to dodge.
By the time he recovered and wanted to escape, it was already too late!
"Puff—!"
The scorpion tail pierced through his chest!
Dark purple blood gushed out instantly!
The skin on his face and hands also turned dark purple in an instant!
In less than half a breath, this elder had perished!
Zhao Hao and the other high-level combatants rushed forward to engage the demonic beast in combat.
If they had harbored some reservations towards each other before, they had completely let them go at this moment!
Because this demonic beast was simply too powerful!
At this point, any slight reservation could result in them being permanently trapped here!
The cultivators below the eighth level of the Nascent Soul stage quickly retreated to the edge of the arena, watching with trembling fear.
Although they had not been attacked, just the smell emanating from the scorpion tail made them dizzy and disoriented...
If this continued, they might die from just inhaling it for a while longer, without the demonic beast even needing to attack them!
In comparison, Zhao Hao and the others were in even greater danger!
When the advantages of three powerful demonic beasts were combined, their strength was infinitely close to the Soul Splitting stage!
Every dodge felt like walking on the edge of life and death!
A sect leader at the ninth level of the Nascent Soul stage, due to a slight miscalculation, was immediately impaled by the scorpion tail!
"Puff—!"
Facing the toxicity of the Soul Devouring Scorpion, he fared no better than the elder at the eighth level.
He didn't even survive for half a breath longer than that elder...
In contrast, the attacks of Zhao Hao and the others seemed somewhat futile.
Ordinary spell attacks could hardly break through the beast's defenses!
Even their killing moves only inflicted minor superficial wounds.
Moreover, the beast's injuries healed quickly!
Zhao Hao and the others' hearts sank to the bottom!
Unless they used their ultimate killing moves, they couldn't inflict any damage on this monster.
However...
Even using minor killing moves was extremely dangerous, let alone those with longer casting times, their ultimate killing moves...
This was no different from gambling with their lives...
As time passed, the casualties among Zhao Hao's group increased...
On the other side.
As soon as they crossed the light gate, Ye Fan and the others were stunned.
Behind the gate was an empty hall, about a hundred zhang in area.
They had entered almost immediately after Zhao Hao and the others, but now they couldn't see any sign of Zhao Hao's group!
It was as if those people had vanished into thin air!
Furthermore, the hall appeared to have no exits, making it a completely sealed space!
"Could it be like the Evil Flame Ruins, where there was some teleportation formation?" the little demon girl muttered immediately.
"On the surface, there doesn't seem to be any formation," Ye Fan shook his head, "But we can't completely rule out that possibility..."
After all, he currently had no cultivation, and many things were beyond his sight.
The four walls and the ceiling looked clean and bare, not like they hid any secrets.
"Let's look around," Ye Fan said casually, "Hopefully, we'll find something."
Shan Ji and the others dispersed and began searching the surroundings.
They searched meticulously, almost inch by inch.
But after a long time, there was still no discovery.
The ceiling, floor, and four walls were all empty.
Moreover, the materials used in this building were no different from ordinary mortal dwellings, not even considered cultivation materials!
"This is really strange..." Shan Ji mumbled, then turned to look at Ye Fan, "Brother, I found nothing here..."
Halfway through his sentence, Shan Ji froze...
Because Ye Fan and the others had disappeared!
The hall was still the same hall, but now he was alone!