https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-165-Pitfalls-Everywhere-in-the-Wandering-World-Second-Update-/12899772/
Chapter 166: Arena of Life and Death (Third Update)
Chapter 166: Arena of Life and Death (Third Update)
It was the first time Hu Ma had heard Er Guotou explain the rules of a duel between two Blood Food Gangs, and he was quite surprised.
This was completely different from what he had imagined a magical duel to be like. It seemed more like a brutal and violent showdown.
Each side would send out ten people, with a set time and a designated place. Then, they would draw lots to determine who would challenge the other first.
When it was their turn, one person from their side would step forward to challenge, speaking politely and inviting the opponent to come up. They would each perform a task, and the rounds would continue until one side could no longer keep up or hold on, at which point they would lose.
The Red Lantern Association lost in this round to an Age Keeper.
This person was the shopkeeper of Dog Mountain and had been a member of the Red Lantern Association for seven or eight years. He was already a well-known Age Keeper.
In terms of reputation, he was even stronger than Mr. Wu Hong of Qing Shi Town.
His skills were far superior to the opponent's, and since the Red Lantern Lady Association was to challenge first, he would be the one to set the difficulty for the other side. This round was supposed to be a sure win.
However, unexpectedly, he first brought a jar of blood wine onto the stage and invited the opponent: "It’s cold at night, I brought a jar of wine to warm up the gentlemen. I wonder if any of you are interested in coming up to have a drink and chat with us."
The wine in this jar was mixed with Black Ta Sui, the most toxic substance.
One person from the other side came up, and they both sat down. He took a big gulp first and offered it to the opponent.
The person from the Blue Robe Gang knew the danger and held the jar for a long time without moving. In the end, he gritted his teeth and drank it down, his face turning green, and he didn't speak for a long time.
Everyone on both sides watched tensely. If the person from the Blue Robe Gang fell, they would win. However, unexpectedly, the opponent managed to withstand the fierce toxicity, though he had clearly lost half his life.
The shopkeeper of Dog Mountain, though surprised, saw that the opponent was also an Age Keeper and remained calm.
He had already taken antidotes before drinking the toxic wine, so the backlash he suffered was much lighter than the opponent's, giving him a significant advantage.
The person from the other side, with a blackened face, still smiled and said, "There’s wine but no dishes, that’s not a proper feast!"
"Bring some oil, I’ll fry some meatballs for my brother to eat."
"..."
As he spoke, someone brought an oil pot, and another person brought a basin of dough.
He scooped out lumps of dough from the basin and dropped them into the oil pot, frying them until they were golden brown. Then, he rolled up his sleeves, fished them out, and placed them on a plate in front of the shopkeeper of Dog Mountain, inviting the opponent to eat them with the wine.
At this point, the shopkeeper of Dog Mountain still didn’t take him seriously.
To an Age Keeper, anyone who had entered the inner circle could easily handle the task of fetching money from an oil pot. It was a basic skill.
He only smiled and glanced at the opponent, saying, "Radish filling? I prefer meat."
As he spoke, he performed a unique skill, drawing a knife and chopping off his own arm, throwing it into the oil pot.
The people around, who were unaware of what was happening, were already frightened, their faces turning green.
However, this was his unique skill and his ultimate move.
Although he had not yet entered the mansion, he had stayed in the realm of Age Keeper for a long time, with deep and profound powers. He had learned the skill of limb removal.
If his own limbs were chopped off, he couldn’t regrow them, but he could remove a limb from someone else, or a recently deceased person, and attach it to himself, then refine it to make it as usable as his own.
So, he said that not only could he remove one arm, but even both legs, and he was confident that the opponent couldn’t match him.
But he didn’t expect that when the opponent saw this, he only frowned slightly, borrowed a knife, and said with a smile, "I’ll join in."
He gritted his teeth and chopped off one of his own arms, throwing it into the oil pot.
The shopkeeper of Dog Mountain immediately knew that this person hadn’t practiced the skill of limb removal, as his bone ends were fresh. This meant that although the opponent had refined his limbs, losing one arm now meant he would never regrow it.
More importantly, by adding this arm, he was just following the bet and had to raise it.
An Age Keeper, would you really give up both your arms?
Even if you don’t, I still have both my legs waiting, to see how long you can hold on.
But just as he was thinking this, the opponent already said with a smile, his face pale but calm, "I should have added another dish, but with just two arms, it’s not enough to share..."
"Since my brother has made a move, I have to provide the dish and can’t let my brother find fault with me. Let’s do this: fry two lanterns and each of us will eat one!"
As he spoke, he drew the knife and gouged out his own eyes, throwing them into the oil pot.
"Swish!"
Seeing the opponent’s bloodied and empty eye sockets, even the old shopkeeper of Dog Mountain’s face changed.
His skills had not yet reached the point of refining eyes, and even if they had, he had only learned to remove limbs, not replace eyes.
This move was not something he could easily match. On the surface, he remained calm, but inside, he was already under pressure.
At this moment, the person who had thrown his eyes into the oil pot was still smiling and said, "My brother, please..."
"I can’t see now, so I’ll rely on my brother to bring the dish to me."
“……”
Thus, the innkeeper of Dog Mountain, with a grim determination, laughed loudly and said, "Brother, you’re right, it’s my fault for not taking good care of you."
"Since you can’t see, let’s drink the soup and you’ll know where the vegetables are, right?"
"I’ll drink half the pot first!"
"……"
As he spoke, he extended a single hand, lifted the scalding oil pot that was boiling over the fierce flames, brought it to his mouth, and gulped it down with a gurgle.
The hot oil splattered onto a blood spot, sizzling loudly, indicating just how scorching it was. However, he, having fortified his internal organs, drank down half the pot and then placed the oil pot back on the fire, laughing, "I’ve left half the soup, so you won’t say I’m too greedy."
"Such a big pot, you can’t miss it. How about I help you bring it to your mouth?"
"So, please……"
"……"
Seeing this, everyone on the Red Lantern Association side cheered, knowing they had won this round.
The Age Keeper from the opposing side clearly had less Daoist Power than the innkeeper of Dog Mountain, relying solely on sheer determination. However, drinking down half a pot of scalding oil was not something that determination alone could handle. It was clear that the innkeeper of Dog Mountain could declare victory at any moment.
Unexpectedly, just as the opponent’s face turned grim and he was about to concede, the innkeeper of Dog Mountain, speaking slowly, suddenly fell off his chair before he could finish his last sentence.
The people around him cried out in alarm, only to find that he was already dead.
Even though he had fortified his organs, he had clearly pushed himself beyond his limits and couldn’t withstand the half pot of scalding oil.
"Just a little more……"
When Mr. Xu recounted this, he still shook his head in regret, "If he had just held on a little longer, the opponent would have conceded."
"Everyone could see that the person the other side sent out didn’t dare to drink."
"But just that moment of distraction was enough for the old innkeeper Yang to fall to the ground."
"One dead, one alive, and the surefire win we had turned into a loss."
"……"
"……"
"What kind of demons and monsters are these?"
Although Hu Ma had heard Second Pot Elder Brother mention this, the details were new to him, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
This wasn’t a magical duel; it was a fight to the death……
The innkeeper of Dog Mountain, Yang, lost the duel and his life. The offering from the Blue Robe Gang had also lost an arm and both eyes.
Moreover, that jar of Black Mandarins wine, he had forced himself to drink, and his body might have already suffered damage, with no guarantee of recovery. In the end, both men on the stage, one dead and one severely injured, had gained nothing……
…No wonder Second Pot Elder Brother had wanted him to hide from the beginning.
If he hadn’t hidden, upon hearing about such a duel, he might have run away as well.
"If it’s like this……"
Hu Ma, listening, hurriedly said, "Then why would it be our turn, as newcomers?"
"Wouldn’t it be better to find those with real skills and use their unique abilities?"
"……"
"If you think that, you still don’t understand the rules."
Mr. Xu waved his hand and sighed, "The difficulty in these duels lies in the challenge rules."
"Both sides take turns to issue challenges. Whoever issues the challenge sets the terms, and naturally, they will set terms that are advantageous to themselves. If the other side can’t keep up, they lose the first round."
"So, when we issue a challenge, we find someone reliable and with unique skills to try to knock the other side out or make them concede in one round."
"But when we’re on the defensive……it doesn’t matter who we send."
"Either send someone young and spirited to show some toughness and see if they can hold on."
"Or just concede."
"……"
"Haha, there’s no such thing as conceding."
At this point, Yang Gong picked up the conversation, "If you’re on the stage and the other side sets the terms, you can’t refuse to accept them."
"For example, if the other side brings a jar of poisonous wine, you can drink it and collapse if you can’t handle it, but if you don’t drink it and just concede……"
"……How would the Lady be satisfied? The brothers in the association would also look down on you!"
"……"
Hu Ma, hearing this, understood.
In these duels, winning or losing was one thing, but being a coward was the ultimate disgrace.
This was why all the chosen innkeepers faced the challenge as if it were a life-or-death battle, prepared to lose their lives.
After all, going up there and coming back crippled was the best-case scenario.
"No wonder Second Pot Elder Brother was so happy when he heard the Diguashao was coming……"
But amidst this bizarre and terrifying story, Hu Ma, combining what he knew, suddenly realized a key point in these duels: "Issuing challenges is the most important. If you know the challenge in advance, you can win."
"Chief Zheng is here……"
As he was thinking about this, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out from outside the door.
(End of Chapter)
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