AUOF - 67

From above, the entire arena resembled a massive bird’s nest, bustling with people and fully packed with spectators.

To ensure those seated further back could see the events inside the arena clearly, floating mirrors were suspended around the perimeter, capturing every corner in detail.

The beast fights hadn’t started yet, but a waiter came to serve snacks and tea. Ji Hengyu casually tossed a few spirit stones as a tip. The window directly faced the center of the arena—an excellent viewing spot.

“Would you like to place a bet, sir?”

“Betting” was a common way for the arena to make profits, with generous gamblers wagering tens of thousands at a time.

Seeing Ji Hengyu’s distinguished demeanor, the waiter eagerly assumed he had found another big spender.

Unfortunately, Ji Hengyu remained silent for a long while, and the waiter had no choice but to awkwardly move on to another table.

As the sound of drums echoed, the first match officially began.

On both sides, heavy iron cages slowly rotated and opened.

Out of the left cage emerged a small, frail-looking man, surrounded by a faint aura of spiritual energy—likely a cultivator from some mountain who had been captured and enslaved. From the right cage emerged a shadowy figure—a lion beast captured from the barren mountains.

The lion was golden all over, with three tails, long wings, two heads, and compound eyes.

The moment it appeared, cheers erupted from the crowd below.

“Go—!”

“Bite him! Bite him to death!!!”

“Fight! Hurry up!”

Sang Li had never witnessed such a scene before.

The lion beast leapt into the air, pinning the man beneath its massive paw. The ferocious roar of the lion and the man’s screams mingled with the thunderous cheers of the crowd, like insignificant raindrops quickly swallowed by the rising tide of excitement.

A sea of blood flowed backward.

Faces lit up with excitement, tension, and exhilaration, making them appear grotesque and ugly.

Sang Li’s face instantly turned pale, and she turned her head away, unable to bear watching.

Noticing this, Ji Hengyu merely glanced at her indifferently. “If you’re not used to it, we can leave.”

Sang Li forced herself to endure the discomfort: “Let’s wait a little longer.”

She also wanted to find out what tricks the group behind the scenes was up to.

Someone came onto the field to clean up the man’s remains, leaving the lion in the arena.

After cleaning up, they released the second beast—

A huge rattlesnake.

The giant snake moved with lightning speed. Despite its earlier dominance, the lion beast stood no chance against the snake’s boneless, flexible body. After three exchanges, the snake’s sharp fangs bit through the lion’s neck, severing its vital pulse.

Sang Li understood the rules.

The winner would remain in the arena until death.

All the beasts appearing today were ancient creatures from the desolate wilderness—beasts that couldn’t possibly exist in the lower realms’ mountains.

Ji Hengyu tapped his fan thoughtfully.

By the end of the final match, some people were already losing interest.

“We paid a fortune to get in just to watch some tiger vs. dragon fights? Isn’t that too childish?!”

“Exactly! Don’t try to fool us with these commonplace things!”

Compared to battles between beasts,

they preferred to see the resistance of weak humans—their flesh torn apart, their screams of agony, their futile struggles—only then could their most primal desires be ignited.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please calm down,” the organizer suddenly stepped forward, smiling broadly. “What you’ve seen so far is only the appetizer. The real excitement is yet to come. Please wait a moment.”

“What’s there to wait for!” someone shouted angrily. “Stop beating around the bush! I’m not falling for this crap!”

“You’re right! No more beating around the bush! If you keep stalling, we’re all leaving!!”

Seeing that many had grown impatient, the organizer wasn’t flustered. He clapped his hands, and four or five people wheeled a cage to the center of the arena.

The cage was covered with black cloth, embroidered with arrow patterns at the corners.

Sang Li felt a vague sense of familiarity and couldn’t help but look over.

With a rustle,

the black cloth was pulled off, revealing a cage made of special material.

Everyone stared intently and froze.

It was an otherworldly creature, clearly not from the Heavenly Realm, but from some foreign domain.

Long-limbed and lizard-like.

Its entire body was covered in scales, bound by several bone chains on its limbs and spine.

It crouched quietly in the cage, its massive form eerily still.

Perhaps due to the light stimulation or the cacophony of voices, its vertical pupils dilated, and a layered, demonic roar spread outward.

The organizer was prepared, having already activated an array to shield everyone from the sound waves.

“Mirror… Mirror Demon!”

“It’s a malevolent spirit!!”

Some in the crowd were fearful, others excited, but most were astonished.

Since the opening of the Heavenly Gates, countless malevolent spirits had appeared.

But the Mirror Demon was unique, evoking an instinctive aversion.

Legend had it that if a Mirror Demon self-destructed, it would create a Heavenly Gate, pulling everything and everyone nearby into another realm.

—What a terrifying ability.

The Mirror Demon paced restlessly inside the cage, roaring fiercely, baring its teeth to show its menace.

Sang Li stared blankly at the Mirror Demon, her fingers trembling slightly, accidentally knocking over a cup of tea.

The now-cooled tea splashed everywhere, soaking her clothes. Sang Li hurriedly bent down to wipe it off, failing to notice the Mirror Demon raising its head directly toward her direction.

The organizer left the stage, and soon after, gates on all four sides opened simultaneously.

Various exotic beasts appeared one after another. They had been fed the water from the Heart Spring beforehand, which drove them into a frenzy, amplifying their savage instincts.

The cage containing the Mirror Demon was also opened.

Countless demon beasts charged toward it, and the Mirror Demon extended its sharp claws, engaging in a fierce melee with the horde.

The scene was brutal, stirring the emotions of everyone in the arena.

The chaotic free-for-all turned the venue into a bloodbath. Blood exploded everywhere, and roars from different beasts echoed throughout the arena.

The Mirror Demon fought against a hundred foes, holding its ground without faltering.

Wounds split open across its body. At this moment, a birdlike monster soared into the air, its sharp talons locking onto its target, tearing off a piece of soft flesh from the Mirror Demon’s neck.

The Mirror Demon grabbed the bird monster and ripped it in half.

The entire arena erupted.

“Kill—!!!”

“Go!!”

“Hurry up!!”

It seemed no one noticed anything amiss.

They were immersed in the slaughter, boiling with excitement, shouting and screaming, oblivious to the Mirror Demon’s gradually reddening eyes.

Sang Li stared unblinkingly at the Mirror Demon, feeling a sense of familiarity but unsure why.

Suddenly, its gaze shifted toward her.

Sang Li clearly saw it pause for a moment, even tilting its head slightly.

This small movement conveyed shock, confusion, and a deep sense of nostalgia, instantly stirring up memories she had long forgotten and cast aside.

“Ji Hengyu, do you feel like...”

Before Sang Li could finish her sentence, the Mirror Demon suddenly broke free from the bone chains binding it and flapped its wings, charging into the audience.

The sudden surprise caught everyone off guard, as they had been immersed in excitement. After biting through the heads of five people in quick succession, two guards finally stepped in and activated the Prison Bone Talisman to suppress its violent behavior.

The Prison Bone Talisman was a seal embedded within the body.

Bound by golden runes all over its body, the Mirror Demon collapsed pitifully to the ground. Its cries were filled with pain and reluctance. Even as it was dragged back into the cage, its eyes remained fixed on Sang Li’s direction.

Her hair stood on end.

The chill that crept from her fingertips wound its way deep into her heart.

With a start, she stood up, certain and nearly convinced: “I’ve seen it before.”

Ji Hengyu looked over at her.

Sang Li’s expression grew urgent: “Don’t you remember? Back in Wanshui Dujun, a little Mirror Demon saved us.”

Ji Hengyu also had a vague memory and raised an eyebrow: “You think it’s that one?”

Sang Li nodded.

Logically speaking, six months shouldn’t have been enough time for a baby Mirror Demon to grow this large. But Sang Li couldn’t shake the feeling—it was Da Yanjing.

The arena had already begun clearing out.

Sang Li, full of questions, became increasingly anxious: “If you don’t come with me to verify, I’ll go by myself...”

“Let’s go.”

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along.

His decisiveness left her momentarily stunned. “What if it’s not Da Yanjing? Then...”

“Then we kill it.”

The man didn’t turn his head, his words cold and final.

Malevolent spirits from beyond the Heavenly Gates were inherently dangerous, let alone a Mirror Demon. Even if it were enslaved in this arena, Ji Hengyu wouldn’t let it live.

That is—

Unless Sang Li wanted it to live.

The two concealed their presence and blended into the underground beast arena.

This was where the demon beasts and slaves were imprisoned.

Passing through narrow corridors, the sounds of whipping and cursing echoed continuously.

“You damn ugly thing, who gave you the guts to bite people!”

“I’ll beat you to death today!”

“Idiot—!”

The two entered.

The Mirror Demon was bound to a pillar, immobilized by the Prison Bone Talisman, forced to endure the whipping.

Ji Hengyu flicked out a streak of spiritual light, silently taking the life of the person behind.

At the same time, he withdrew his concealment and slowly approached.

The Mirror Demon couldn’t see them clearly at first and growled threateningly. When Sang Li gradually walked up to it, the fierce roar stuck in its throat, turning into a confused whimper.

It tilted its head, its vertical pupils contracting and dilating.

Sang Li stood before it, quietly observing the Mirror Demon.

It was fully grown, no different from what they had seen earlier.

Sang Li wasn’t entirely sure it was Da Yanjing, as it shouldn’t have grown this large in such a short time.

But...

Its gaze was too eager and too familiar.

Sang Li tentatively reached out her hand.

It tilted its head left, then right, and finally cautiously pressed its cheek against her palm.

The cool touch made her heart swell. She opened her mouth and called it—

“Da Yanjing?”

It gave a slight nod.

Sadness, grievance, and heartache—all these emotions welled up in its eyes, pouring out towards Sang Li.

Reunited, Ji Hengyu behind them temporarily reined in his killing intent, raising his hand to unlock the chains on its wrists but retained some suspicion, not completely removing the Prison Bone Talisman restraining it.

Suddenly, the Mirror Demon extended its hand toward Sang Li.

Ji Hengyu’s aura turned fierce, and without hesitation, he manipulated the talisman. The Prison Bone Talisman crushed down upon it.

It cried out in pain and fell to the ground, yet did not resist.

Enduring the pain, it struggled to rise and carefully opened its palm towards Sang Li.

Inside lay a tiny, well-preserved, nearly withered flower wreath.

—This was the gift Sang Li had given it when she left.

A symbol of friendship.

It had carefully nurtured it for years, wanting to prove upon meeting again that it had always remembered.

Sang Li picked up the wreath.

There was a flow of spiritual energy around it, kept alive and unbroken by the young Mirror Demon’s own abilities.

She held the wreath, her eyelashes quivering, and tears followed, falling down.

Sang Li never imagined.

Something she had given so casually could be remembered by it to this day.