Gu Lan sat dazed on the ground, not even bothering to pick up its Eye of the Thunder God. Its expression was a mixture of emotions. This battle had not only cost it the chance to advance into the finals, but also shattered its fighting spirit. Yet looking at its blood-soaked opponent, it felt an overwhelming fear that eclipsed even the massive sense of humiliation. It was pure, unadulterated fear.
Big Cat had won, securing this crucial victory and becoming the first contestant in the top sixteen to advance to the quarter-finals. Of course, to achieve this, he had paid a huge price.
He had been quite badly beaten during the group stage, yet when everyone thought he would be the weaker one, he displayed even greater strength and defeated the opponent in the round of sixteen. Who was to say he wouldn't do the same in the quarter-finals and fight with even greater strength than before?
Roar—
Big Cat roared toward the VIP seats where the lion and tiger demons were seated. Although the roar caused more blood to gush from his wounds, he didn't care. At this moment, the pent-up frustration from many years seemed to be completely released, leaving him with a sense of exhilaration and clarity. To him, his injuries were insignificant compared to this newfound sense of enlightenment, which clearly marked the fact that he had reached an entirely new level.
The first match of the round of sixteen was exceptionally brutal, with both sides sustaining heavy injuries. The winner, against all expectations, was the Lion-Tiger clan contestant—not the rich and powerful one, but the one without any backing. This was undoubtedly an unexpected upset, but it was also unquestionable that Big Cat had now firmly placed the Lion-Tiger clan on the historical stage of the demon and nymph races. This was a match witnessed by Emperors, after all!
The arena was cleared, and both contestants left the stage.
As Big Cat walked off the stage, the effects of the God-Killing Domain began to fade, and intense weakness accompanied by severe pain started to set in.
Tang San was already waiting for him at the exit, but he wasn't alone. There was also a burly male with long golden hair standing there.
As Big Cat walked down the stage with the help of the staff, Tang San turned to the burly man with golden hair beside him and asked, "Clan Leader, are you satisfied with my choice for your clan?"The man beside him was none other than the leader of the Golden Lion clan, the Golden Lion King.
The Golden Lion King had arrived toward the end of the match, accompanied by the same Golden Lion who had conducted the auction for the God-Slaying Sword at the Ancestral Court's grand auction.
When the latter saw Asura, he knew why the latter was waiting there. The human had fulfilled his promise.
During the auction, Asura had promised to bring a capable successor for the God-Slaying Sword to the Golden Lion clan within seven days. But when they met afterward, he told the Golden Lion that his partner, the one who would wield the God-Slaying Sword, would participate in the Ancestral Court Elite Tournament. What better way to prove his worthiness than through the tournament?
Naturally, the Golden Lion clan had been watching, observing each of Big Cat's matches. As they saw Big Cat defeat strong opponents and advance step by step, they became genuinely interested. After all, despite Big Cat being a Lion-Tiger, he carried the blood of the Golden Lion clan. Their initial rejection of Big Cat's Lion-Tiger heritage gradually turned into recognition with each of his victories.
When Big Cat successfully advanced to the top sixteen, the Golden Lion King had no doubts that he was qualified to inherit the God-Slaying Sword.
However, Big Cat's identity as a member of the Lion-Tiger clan still made the Golden Lion clan wary. After all, this involved the tiger demons as well. Fully supporting Big Cat would mean acknowledging and even aiding the Lion-Tiger clan, allowing them to join.
The lion and tiger races were different. The tiger race had the towering presence of the White Tiger Demon Emperor to hold the fort. Meanwhile, the lion demons couldn't afford another failure, or they would truly fall into decline.
But after witnessing today's battle and seeing Big Cat defeat Gu Lan with his immense strength and battle experience, the Golden Lion King had no more hesitation.
He was a straightforward person. Now that he had made an official decision, he didn’t wait a single minute longer than necessary.
The Golden Lion King nodded to Tang San and said, "Our clan will reward you generously. Big Cat, I am Gong Wudi, the leader of the Golden Lion clan."
The latter part was directed at Big Cat, and the clan leader's expression was solemn yet tinged with complexity as he looked at the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint.
Big Cat was filled with mixed emotions as well.
He had personally experienced the indifference of the lion and tiger races toward the Lion-Tiger clan; he had seen them ignore his clan's descent into near-extinction, treating them as cursed without a hint of sympathy or compassion. How could he not be angry? How could he not be in pain?
Yet at this moment, he also felt immense pride. Through his own strength, he had made the foremost figure of the lion race acknowledge him and his legacy.
Overwhelmed by these feelings, Big Cat was momentarily speechless.
Tang San stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Big Cat is seriously injured. Let's treat him first to avoid delaying the subsequent matches."
"Right." Gong Wudi nodded, signaling to the Golden Lion beside him.
The Golden Lion who had conducted the auction handed a porcelain bottle to Big Cat, saying, "This is our clan's sacred healing medicine, the Golden Pill. That should."
Big Cat looked at it but did not reach out to take it. His gaze was defiant, and despite his lower cultivation level, his blood-soaked presence made even the stronger Demon King feel a shiver of fear.
Tang San stepped forward, took the medicine, and said apologetically to Gong Wudi, "Clan Leader, I will take him back to the rest area to begin treatment immediately to prevent his injuries from worsening."
His match was the third one today, so there was still time. The round of sixteen was bound to take a while to conclude.
"Yes," Gong Wudi nodded.
Tang San then supported Big Cat, helping him toward the rest area. He had his own match later, so he couldn't take Big Cat back to the hotel, but Big Cat's injuries needed immediate attention. Fighting someone so powerful and well-equipped could not be done with no consequences.
Back in the rest area, Tang San helped the nearly unconscious Big Cat sit down. He first used his internal energy to seal off the blood vessels around the more severe wounds to prevent excessive blood loss, then took out the medicine bottle.
There was only one pill inside, which to Tang San only confirmed that it was extremely valuable. It looked like a piece of gold and felt quite remarkable to the senses.
He took it out and placed it in Big Cat's mouth.
Big Cat did not refuse the pill. Despite his deep-seated hostility toward the lion and tiger races, he knew that for the Lion-Tiger clan to truly grow, it was necessary to mend that relationship.
"Thank you," he said.
The moment he swallowed the pill, his bloodline power instantly felt thicker, and his aura recovered somewhat.
"Why thank me?" Tang San smiled. "Rest well. In the next match, you probably won't have to go on stage bare-handed."
With the Golden Lion King personally recognizing Big Cat's abilities today, it meant Big Cat would be allowed to wield the God-Slaying Sword. Having that divine weapon in hand would undoubtedly make Big Cat even more formidable.
Big Cat weakly raised his left hand and lightly pounded his chest, expressing that words were unnecessary; everything was understood. Then he closed his eyes and used his bloodline power to activate the pill's healing properties.
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