Chapter 871: Battle
"You've finally come out, Li Feiyu. Are you ready to face your death?" Scarface chortled as he pointed a finger directly at Han Li's nose.
Han Li paid no heed to Scarface, slowly making his way out of his room to arrive before Toxic Dragon.
Scarface was furious at being ignored, and he continued, "You're lucky to have survived to this point because Boss Toxic Dragon suffered some injuries in a prior battle. Now that he's fully healed, you better kneel down and kowtow to him right now! Perhaps if he's in a good mood, he'll let you off the hook after you hand over all of your profound points!"
A cold gleam flashed through Han Li's eyes as he took a glance at Scarface, then turned his gaze back to Toxic Dragon, and all of the laughter from the surrounding bystanders abruptly subsided at the sight of his calm display.
Scarface was even more infuriated upon seeing this, and he was just about to say something further when Toxic Dragon gave him a stern glare, and he immediately stepped down in a sheepish manner.
"It's been a very long time since someone's dared to stand up to me. You know what I like to do with tough guys like you? I like to snap all of the bones in your body one after another!" Toxic Dragon harrumphed coldly as he cracked his knuckles in a menacing fashion.
"If you're trying to intimidate me, then don't bother. Do you want to do this here, or go somewhere else?" Han Li asked in a calm manner.
"You're a brave little bastard, huh? Let's go to the arena," Toxic Dragon declared before turning to depart, and Han Li also set off to walk silently beside him.
All of the bystanders were quite surprised to see this, clearly not anticipating Han Li's reaction, and everyone eagerly followed along.
It didn't take long before Han Li and Toxic Dragon arrived in the exchange hall. Many gladiators from other areas seemed to have been somehow tipped off to their imminent battle, and at this moment, the exchange hall was almost completely filled with eager spectators.The crowd was led by three figures who were giving off auras that weren't inferior to Toxic Dragon's, and they were observing Toxic Dragon and Han Li with intrigued expressions.
"What brings you three here today?" Toxic Dragon asked as he stopped in his tracks, and Han Li took this opportunity to take a glance at the trio.
At the center of the trio was a woman in yellow with skin that was as fair as jade, and she was giving off an innate aura of unflappable composure that immediately made her stand out from the crowd.
The woman was none other than Gu Qianxun, and just like last time, she was accompanied by the woman in purple.
To Gu Qianxun's left was a black-robed man with dark, glowing skin, and he was a lot shorter than Toxic Dragon, even a little shorter than Han Li, but his limbs were incredibly thick, and his arms were as thick as Han Li's legs, while his legs were as thick as his waist.
His short stature and enormous limbs gave him a very disproportionate appearance, but it was clear that he possessed immense explosive power.
To Gu Qianxun's right was a blue-skinned young man who was quite handsome, but his entire body was riddled with squiggly worm-like patterns that were giving off a glacial aura.
"That's Gu Qianxun from the first area!"
"And those two are the leaders of the fourth and sixth areas, Baleful God Tu Gang and Ice Emperor Fist Sun Binghe!"
The gladiators of the ninth area immediately erupted into spirited discussion at the sight of the trio.
Han Li took a glance at the two men, then turned his gaze back to Gu Qianxun.
Gu Qianxun looked back at him as well, and as soon as their eyes met, Han Li sensed a burst of peculiar power being transmitted through her gaze.
His Spirit Refinement Technique immediately began working on its own, and the peculiar sensation was instantly erased by his tremendous spiritual sense.
Gu Qianxun turned her gaze to Toxic Dragon as she complained, "You're an area leader, Toxic Dragon, is there really a need for you to go after a newbie?"
"Would you be saying the same thing if the newbie displayed extreme insolence and challenged your authority?" Toxic Dragon countered in a cold voice.
Gu Qianxun merely smiled and offered no response.
"Please pardon me, fellow daoists. I'll come back for a chat after I've snapped this bastard's head off his shoulders," Toxic Dragon said, clearly not regarding Han Li as a serious threat at all.
As soon as his voice trailed off, he began making his way toward the arena below.
Han Li remained as composed as ever, seemingly completely unfazed by Toxic Dragon's threat, and as he passed by Gu Qianxun, he gave her a slight nod of gratitude for her offer to help mediate his conflict with Toxic Dragon.
"Hold on a second," Gu Qianxun suddenly called out, and Han Li stopped in his tracks before turning to her with an inquisitive gaze.
Gu Qianxun took a glance at the woman in purple beside her, and a reluctant look appeared on the latter's face, but she still strode over to Han Li, before flipping a hand over to produce a white jade vial.
"Inside that vial is a Hyper Dragon Pill. It can drastically enhance your physical prowess to somewhat close the gap between you and Toxic Dragon. Of course, it also had some side effects, but you'll be fine after a month or two of rest," Gu Qianxun explained.
"How generous of you, Fellow Daoist Gu," Tu Gang remarked, while Sun Binghe remained silent, but a surprised look flashed through his eyes.
It was clear from their reactions that this Hyper Dragon Pill was quite a precious pill, and he couldn't help but wonder how this pill matched up against the Blood Tide Pill given to him by Shi Pokong.
"I don't know what you see in him, Big Sister!" the woman in purple harrumphed coldly, then turned back to Han Li as she snapped, "Hurry up and take the pill!"
A cold look flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he turned to Gu Qianxun as he said, "Thank you for looking out for me, but I plan to face Toxic Dragon in a fair and square battle, and it would be unfair if I were to accept assistance from others."
After that, he turned to depart, paying no heed to the rude woman in purple.
An infuriated look appeared on the face of the woman in purple as she yelled after him, "You ungrateful cur! Without this Hyper Dragon Pill, you won't even be able to withstand a single attack from Toxic Dragon!"
Han Li continued to ignore the woman in purple, and before long, he had vanished into the passageway leading into the arena.
The woman in purple was even more infuriated upon seeing this, and she stomped her foot in frustration before turning back to Gu Qianxun.
"He seems like an interesting man, I wonder if he'll be able to live past today," Tu Gang mused with a smile as he took a glance at Gu Qianxun.
……
Han Li made his way down the passageway into the resting hall, and Toxic Dragon was already there, discussing something with the horned man.
The horned man raised his head at the sight of Han Li's arrival, then said, "Toxic Dragon has just told me about what's happening between the two of you. At the moment, all three platforms are in use, so you'll have to wait a little."
Han Li nodded in response, then strode over to a corner of the hall before sitting down with her eyes closed, stoically ignoring Toxic Dragon this entire time.
Toxic Dragon's brows furrowed slightly at the sight of Han Li's calm demeanor, but he merely brushed it off as false composure and bravado.
Close to an hour passed by before one of the three battles finally concluded, and before long, it was Han Li and Toxic Dragon's turn to take the stage.
While announcing the battle, the horned man made no secret of the personal vendetta between Han Li and Toxic Dragon.
Both Toxic Dragon and Han Li were very renowned figures of the arena. Toxic Dragon was the leader of the ninth area, while Han Li was one of the brightest new talents, and he was at the height of his popularity.
A personal grudge match between the two naturally drew a great deal of excitement from the crowd, and many of the spectators were chanting the names of the two combatants as the atmosphere erupted into a frenzy.
The odds were announced at 2:1, and Toxic Dragon turned to Han Li as he sneered, "It looks like you're quite popular. Bask in the cheers while you still can, you won't be able to see them soon."
Han Li remained silent as he stood with his head lowered, seemingly lost in his own thoughts.
He wasn't doing this to put on a facade of composure. Instead, it was because Toxic Dragon had been releasing tremendous waves of killing intent this entire time, and it felt as if there were mountains of bones and rivers of blood behind him.
Han Li had killed countless people in the past, but his killing intent couldn't even begin to compare with Toxic Dragon's, and it was clear that Toxic Dragon's rise to the top of the ninth area was one that was built upon countless bodies.
Han Li was having to focus with all his might in order to avoid being affected by Toxic Dragon's killing intent, and Toxic Dragon was rather taken aback by Han Li's composure.
At the entrance of the exchange hall, Gu Qianxun, Tu Gang, and Sun Binghe were watching the battle from above, while most of the other gladiators had gone away to place their bets.
"The fact that this Li Feiyu doesn't appear to be affected by Toxic Dragons Asura Killing Domain indicates that he possesses tremendous mental fortitude," Tu Gang remarked.
Gu Qianxun and Sun Binghe offered no response to this, while the woman in purple gave a disdainful harrumph.