"Come on in!"
A flash of cunning passed through the Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes. It grinned wickedly, looking at the Ice Empress who was about to be sucked into the black hole.
This was its greatest trump card: the Life-and-Death Arena!
Once it was activated, the opponent could only be pulled into the arena by the black hole, with no room for resistance.
"Whoosh!"
In an instant, the Ice Empress was pulled into it by an irresistible force.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's massive body also vanished abruptly, leaving no trace of either figure in this space.
"Young Master, this..."
Lang Ya and Yu Tao exchanged shocked glances and cautiously asked Jiang Jue.
At this moment, the Soul Refining Banner in Jiang Jue's hand vibrated continuously, conveying a sense of fury to his mind.
"No need to panic. You two stay here. I will be back shortly."
Jiang Jue's eyes were deep, and a sharp light flashed. He was waiting for this moment. Immediately, the second thousand-year soul ring on the Soul Refining Banner radiated purple light.
"Absolute Soul Replacement Spirit!"
Before Lang Ya and Yu Tao could react, Jiang Jue's figure instantly disappeared.
"Second Brother, this..."
Yu Tao scratched his head, feeling a little lost. What just happened was clearly beyond his comprehension.
"Guard this place until the Young Master returns."
Lang Ya's eyes flickered. He shook his head and said slowly.
"Alright!"
"Oh right, Second Brother, why did I see the Young Master holding two Soul Tools right before he disappeared..."
In the Life-and-Death Arena
Within this space, there was a massive, circular arena. It was gigantic.
There were no clouds, sun, or stars in the sky, only boundless darkness.
Two figures appeared on the arena.
One was a tiger resembling a black cat, similar to the Dark Devilgod Tiger, but without the scorpion tail and the double wings.
It was glaring intently at the other side, where a mass of ice-blue mist was located. The mist hadn't completely dispersed, seeming to be resisting something.
"Heh heh, Ice Empress, the tables have turned now!"
A smile flashed in the Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes. Its trump card, the Life-and-Death Arena, possessed the attributes of time and space, allowing it to bring its chosen enemy into this space for a duel to the death.
Moreover, both participants would revert to the age of six.
This move was always successful for it. After all, what Soul Beast or human could defeat it, which possessed the Devilgod bloodline, at the age of six?
It only needed to kill the Ice Empress now, then go out and deal with those three humans. Furthermore, the Ice Empress would be devoured by it.
Thinking of this, a look of greed couldn't help but surface in the Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes.
"Come on, Ice Empress. After devouring you, I can break through the hundred-thousand-year mark and return to the Star Dou Great Forest."
Time passed minute by minute. The ice mist did not dissipate as it had expected, but remained motionless.
"What's going on?"
The Dark Devilgod Tiger cautiously walked forward, its tiger eyes scrutinizing the mist. Such a thing had never happened before.
"Buzz!"
Just then, the ice mist rapidly dissipated, but it wasn't the Ice Empress the Dark Devilgod Tiger was anticipating. Instead, it was a handsome, six-year-old child.
"Huh? A human? This... this can't be right. Isn't the Ice Empress an Ice Jade Scorpion? How did she turn into a human?"
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's eyes widened, its mind a little stalled. Could it be that the Ice Empress had taken on a human form?
But it had only ever heard of Soul Beasts transforming and re-cultivating as humans; it had never heard of a human re-cultivating as a Soul Beast.
"So this is the Life-and-Death Arena..."
Jiang Jue stretched out his young hands, looked at his oversized clothes, glanced around, and whispered.
When the Ice Empress was involuntarily drawn into the Life-and-Death Arena, Jiang Jue's Soul Refining Banner had already sensed it.
The Ice Empress, strictly speaking, did not meet the Arena's requirements because she was currently sustained by Jiang Jue's Soul Refining Banner; Jiang Jue was the main body.
Therefore, the special rule power of the Life-and-Death Arena followed the Ice Empress and landed on Jiang Jue. However, this act seemed to have angered the Soul Refining Banner, and the power was immediately isolated and controlled by the banner.
The Ice Empress was already inside the Life-and-Death Arena, which essentially provided Jiang Jue with a coordinate. Furthermore, with the increase in Jiang Jue's cultivation, the limit of his second Soul Skill, Absolute Soul Replacement Spirit, was infinitely raised.
Relying on that controlled rule power and his second Soul Skill, Jiang Jue directly replaced the Ice Empress and came into the Life-and-Death Arena.
After all, it was genuinely hard to say who would be stronger between the six-year-old Ice Empress and the Dark Devilgod Tiger.
But he, Jiang Jue, had already made complete preparations.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Dark Devilgod Tiger kept growling at Jiang Jue, a hint of confusion in its eyes, but this was quickly replaced by ferocity. No matter who it was, once they entered the Life-and-Death Arena, only one of them could leave alive.
How could a six-year-old child, who hadn't even awakened their Martial Soul, be its opponent?
The Life-and-Death Arena was even more unfavorable to humans, as the time stipulated was six years old, before humans awakened their Martial Souls.
With that thought, the Dark Devilgod Tiger opened its jaws and lunged at Jiang Jue to bite him.
A mere six-year-old child? It could swallow one in a single mouthful.
The Dark Devilgod Tiger had not yet arrived, but the foul wind was already upon him.
Looking at the Dark Devilgod Tiger pouncing at him, Jiang Jue slowly shook his head and said softly,
"Look, you're rushing again."
Immediately, two Soul Tool Ray Guns appeared in Jiang Jue's hands. The dark-red aiming reticles locked onto the Dark Devilgod Tiger rushing toward him.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Two red rays shot out. Both of the Dark Devilgod Tiger's forelimbs were hit, causing it to flop and tumble to the ground.
It stared blankly at the two Soul Tools in Jiang Jue's hands, momentarily forgetting the pain.
It had seen human Soul Tools before, but didn't those things require Soul Power to activate?
"Hu Zi, times have changed. You should go out and see the world more often."
The corner of Jiang Jue's mouth curled up. The crimson reticles lit up again, aiming at the Dark Devilgod Tiger's head.
These were naturally not ordinary Soul Tools, but a new type of Soul Tool that did not require Soul Power to activate.
This was the only loophole in the Life-and-Death Arena: before being sucked in by the black hole, only the physical body's strength would change, reverting to the age of six, while the items carried on one's person would not change.
"No!"
"I can't die! I haven't broken through the hundred-thousand-year mark yet!"
"I haven't avenged myself against Xiong Jun! I can't fall!"
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's heart was filled with sorrow. It kept roaring and actually wriggled and climbed toward Jiang Jue.
"Die?"
"You won't die. How can things be that good? You'll just take a nap later."
Jiang Jue looked at the tenacious Dark Devilgod Tiger and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Whoosh!"
"Bang!"
The Dark Devilgod Tiger's flesh and blood scattered everywhere.
Everything around became distorted, all space shattered instantly, and the endless darkness swept in again.
Jiang Jue found that his original power was also gradually recovering.
"Oh!"
Jiang Jue discovered that the Dark Devilgod Tiger's soul had actually appeared within the mass of flesh and blood, glaring fiercely at him.
"Fine, I am kind-hearted. Come on in."
Jiang Jue sighed, a benevolent smile appearing on his face. With a wave of his hand, the Soul Refining Banner emerged.
A pitch-black chain pulled the bewildered Dark Devilgod Tiger into the Soul Refining Banner.
Following this, Jiang Jue disappeared, and this world also collapsed, everything dissolving into nothingness.
(End of Chapter)