Chapter 110: Hall of Life and Death

On the morning of January 18th, 9637 of the Longshan Calendar.

Chiqiu Bai, Pengshan, Cheng Lingshu, Dong Yu, Wu Kui, Ziche Gufeng, and many other extraordinary beings from Anyang Province had already arrived at the residence of Dongbo Xueying.

“Xueying, old brother, how can you remain so calm?” called out the burliest among them, Baming, in astonishment.

“Calm? I’m anything but calm—I’m nervous!” Dongbo Xueying laughed. “If I didn’t care at all, I probably would’ve slept until now!” Truth be told, for extraordinary beings, sleep was no longer a necessity. However, sleeping allowed for the maximum relaxation and recovery of one’s spirit, so many still chose to do so.

“Whether you’re nervous or not, the extraordinary life-or-death match is unavoidable. Come on, we’ll accompany you to the Hall of Life and Death in Xihuo Palace!” urged Chiqiu Bai.

Cheng Lingshu chimed in, “Dear Xueying, I only won two matches before losing my third. But I believe you’ll definitely win at least seven! Ha! You’ll be even more impressive than Brother Changfeng.”

Pengshan quickly added, “Xueying, Lingshu even placed a bet on you, betting you’d win six or more matches!”

“A bet?” Dongbo Xueying looked surprised at Cheng Lingshu. “Lingshu, you actually bet?”

Mages usually were very rational. Cheng Lingshu was an extraordinary female mage—how could she engage in gambling?

“Just for fun,” Cheng Lingshu replied coyly. “Occasionally gambling is quite exciting. I bet you’ll win six or more! You must win at least seven matches for me to win!”

“Seven matches? I can’t say I have that kind of confidence,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Well, I had no choice. The odds for fewer matches were too low, and betting on a single match was too risky. So I bet on six or more,” Cheng Lingshu gazed at Dongbo Xueying with anticipation. “Dear Xueying, I believe in you.”

The group continued chatting casually.

“Alright, it’s about time. Let’s head out,” Chiqiu Bai finally said.

“Right, let’s go to Xihuo Palace,” everyone agreed, rising and leaving the hall.

Dongbo Xueying turned to the female housekeeper outside, Xu Qin, and said, “Leave a few people to watch the estate today. The rest who wish to go and watch the match may do so.”

“Thank you, Master,” Xu Qin replied excitedly.

“Let’s go.”

The ten extraordinary beings, including Dongbo Xueying, left the estate and flew directly toward Xihuo Palace.

…

High in the sky, they could already see the increasing crowds as they neared Xihuo Palace. Countless people were rushing toward it.

“I’ve never seen the city of Xiadu this crowded before,” Dongbo Xueying marveled, looking down.

“Indeed,” Pengshan said. “Most of the commoners in Xiadu will come to watch this match at the Hall of Life and Death. For them, witnessing the life-or-death battles of extraordinary beings is worth it! Their masters, whether extraordinary or title-holders, usually allow many servants and attendants to go and watch the matches.”

Each of the extraordinary beings, including Ziche Gufeng, wore smiles.

It was indeed a rare festive occasion.

“The commoners living in Xiadu are quite fortunate. Countless commoners in the outside worlds may never even see an extraordinary being in their entire lives. Yet the people of Xiadu can frequently see extraordinary beings, and even often witness extraordinary life-or-death battles,” commented Zong Tu.

Dongbo Xueying nodded in agreement.

Even in ordinary times, extraordinary life-or-death matches occurred every few years—sometimes as frequently as every one or two years, and rarely did five years pass without one.

“But for you, Xueying, this time is different. After all, you’re the youngest extraordinary being in a thousand years. Therefore, the attraction is much greater. It’s said that many extraordinary beings have come from other worlds to the Xihuo World! Many have even temporarily stopped their adventures because so many extraordinary beings have arrived. Many who wanted to reunite with their extraordinary friends have returned as well,” Chiqiu Bai explained. “I estimate that at least seventy to eighty percent of the extraordinary beings will be here to watch!”

As they talked, Dongbo Xueying and his companions arrived at Xihuo Palace. Located at the heart of Xiadu, it was vast, with many halls and chambers.

Among them, the “Hall of Life and Death” was specially designated for extraordinary life-or-death matches!

“Hmph.”

As extraordinary beings, they entered directly through the main entrance of the Hall of Life and Death.

“What a massive battlefield,” Dongbo Xueying exclaimed upon entering, his eyes immediately drawn to the enormous central arena. It spanned about two to three miles, designed as a rugged mountainous terrain, with streams trickling around.

The central battlefield alone was that vast.

Even vaster was the surrounding spectator area. The eastern section was spacious, reserved exclusively for extraordinary beings. The western section was where commoners could sit and watch. The commoners filled the area densely. The viewing area, spanning several miles, could accommodate over a million people. At the very least, all the commoners of Xiadu could find seats.

“Xueying, follow me,” Chiqiu Bai led Dongbo Xueying. “I’ll introduce you to the Overseer.”

“The Overseer?” Dongbo Xueying immediately understood and followed closely.

Because the eastern viewing area was so vast yet only accessible to extraordinary beings, it was sparsely populated, with clusters of friends sitting together.

Dongbo Xueying soon saw two figures seated ahead.

“Greetings, Overseer, and Mountain Master He,” Chiqiu Bai slightly bowed, with Dongbo Xueying following suit behind.

“It’s Changfeng,” the Overseer glanced at Chiqiu Bai, then fixed his gaze on Dongbo Xueying, his eyes as calm as the sea.

Dongbo Xueying felt an invisible pressure.

Ranked fifth on the Half-God List: Sikong Yang, the Overseer of the Water Source Hermitage, who had refined the “Divine Heart of the Original Body.”

It was known that among humans, native extraordinary beings, and the beast clans, only four Half-Gods had successfully refined the Divine Heart of the Original Body. His Overseer, Sikong Yang, was one of them.

Sikong Yang seemed like a blazing sun, radiating light and heat, making him difficult to gaze at directly. Beside him, Mountain Master He was acknowledged as the strongest in the realm. He gave the impression of an endless mountain range—distant and profound, yet not imposing excessive pressure.

“Dongbo Xueying,” Overseer Sikong Yang spoke, “many Half-Gods have come to watch today, all eager to see how many matches the youngest extraordinary being in a thousand years can win. I’m curious too.”

“Dongbo Xueying will do my utmost,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Go then. Prepare well. You’ll be entering the arena soon,” Sikong Yang said. Beside him, Mountain Master He remained silent but smiled gently.

In truth, for these lofty Half-Gods, their attention toward prodigies was limited.

After all, the lifespan of a Half-God was only three thousand years.

In such a long time, there would be many prodigies. Yet, in the end, most Half-Gods were usually those who had appeared unremarkable at first. A prodigy’s early brilliance might promise a high chance of reaching the Saintly Rank, but becoming a Half-God was extremely difficult. For example, Chiqiu Bai, ranked first on the Saint List, had even defeated a human Half-God directly.

His status was extremely high. Logically, he didn’t need to be so close to Dongbo Xueying, yet Chiqiu Bai didn’t care and got along well with all the extraordinary beings from Anyang Province. This earned him great respect and admiration from the nine extraordinary beings of Anyang Province.

Though currently at the peak of the Saint Rank, Chiqiu Bai already possessed the power of a Half-God.

In the future, he was even considered a contender for the strongest in the world.

…

The commoners continued to enter and sit down in an orderly manner.

Yu Jingqiu also entered with some familiar Title-ranked friends and sat down. They were seated in the western section, unable to see the extraordinary beings in the eastern area due to an invisible barrier.

“Jingqiu, Dongbo Xueying is from our Anyang Province. You’re both from Qinghe Prefecture,” the Title-ranked companions beside her said.

“Mm,” Yu Jingqiu smiled gently, though she felt nervous inside.

She was waiting, waiting for Dongbo Xueying to step into the battlefield below.