Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San
Chapter 1005: Big Cat Victorious

Chapter 1005: Big Cat Victorious

The rest of the spirit only be fully devoured by the artifact upon the Golden Tiger's death, allowing the strange divine item to reappear elsewhere. Thus, the price he paid really was limited to losing that part of his lifespan, and in exchange, his divine consciousness had grown tremendously. That was how he had gained the ability to attack directly with his divine consciousness. He was fully confident that once he launched his divine consciousness attack, even seeded contestants would be hard-pressed to resist, unless they had that Illusion God Mask purchased by Mei Gongzi. Barring that, he believed few could withstand it.

And everything did indeed unfold just as he expected. From the start, his overwhelmingly powerful divine consciousness had managed to dominate Big Cat. The power he had gotten through the soul sacrifice was not limited to brute force; his attack also had strong hallucinatory effects that could momentarily sever an opponent's control over their body.

But what he had never anticipated... was that his attack would fail to breach Big Cat's defense. He could do nothing even while Big Cat was defenseless! Worse yet, even with his divine consciousness still suppressing his opponent, Big Cat had somehow launched a devastating counterattack.

This Golden Tiger Great Demon King specialized in divine consciousness attacks, but what he faced was a warrior of terrifying willpower.

Indeed, Big Cat's divine consciousness was suppressed. But his battle instincts never left him. When attacked, his armor's absolute defense triggered automatically, and the God-Killing Domain also activated in response. That surge of murderous intent reignited his battle instincts and provoked his counterattack. At the same time, the overwhelming bloodlust he felt was forcefully driving out the invasive divine consciousness.

Had it been any other opponent with even greater divine consciousness than Big Cat, they might already have fallen victim to the ambush. But Big Cat had spent his youth fighting for his life in the Great Beast Arena of Kali City; how many people here combined would it take to account for the number of life-and-death battles he'd had? Battle was all he knew. To him, there was no such thing as "fight-or-flight response"; in every situation, the response was to fight.

His retaliations were brutal and unrelenting. With the God-Slaying Sword's innate ability to sever divine consciousness, his three successive strikes not only tore through his opponent's guard but also shattered the lingering pressure. Clarity returned to his mind.

With his killer instinct reigning supreme, Big Cat's sword rose with crushing momentum. Platinum-hued sword light flowed like rivers and pounded relentlessly against the Golden Tiger, pushing him back blow by blow.

The Golden Tiger tried to retaliate again using divine consciousness, but it was too late. Under the effects of the God-Killing Domain, Big Cat's own divine consciousness had sealed itself off, allowing only his raw murderous aura to surface. Eyes blazing with killing intent, he advanced step by step, pressing closer with each terrifying swing. Every slash of his sword bore the weight of a mountain. Moreover, the Lion-Tiger Golden Force, being the ability of a first-tier bloodline, completely suppressed the Golden Tiger's mutated golden bloodline in this head-on clash.

When Big Cat finally knocked the Golden Tiger's saber flying, a towering sword aura descended between them, interrupting the battle.

"Victory to the Lion-Tiger clan," the Sword Saint Demon Emperor declared, using his sword intent to jolt Big Cat out of his bloodlust-driven trance.

The match was over. Big Cat had successfully cleared the first elimination round and moved on to the second.

A first-tier bloodline was, indeed, a first-tier bloodline. He'd also gotten lucky in the draw; he didn't have to face a seeded contestant.

The killing intent in Big Cat's eyes gradually faded. He bowed deeply to the Sword Saint Demon Emperor, then turned and left the stage without even glancing at the Golden Tiger Great Demon King, who was now left weakened and shaken. He was by no means weak, but his strength lay in divine consciousness suppression, and Big Cat's willpower just happened to be the perfect counter. He was thus able to fight and win.

In the Battle for the Throne, even a single win was a monumental honor for one's clan and race. Every contestant was their race's representative, after all. And Big Cat hadn't just won; he'd beaten the Golden Tiger representative. For the lion race, defeating a tiger was the ultimate pride.

From the spectator stands, the lion race erupted in deafening cheers.

Big Cat raised his God-Slaying Sword high. Then his gaze turned slightly, and he looked intently in a certain direction. His eyes narrowed, and for a brief instant, a violent storm seemed to stir inside them.

Big Cat didn't harbor any illusions of becoming a contender for the throne. That was impossible; too many top-tier competitors were in this tournament, far better-prepared than him in both resources and cultivation. Maybe in ten years, he could stand among them, but not now. This time, the tournament had truly come too soon.

His goal was never the throne. His aim was to help the Golden Lion clan win their destined battle.

The previous generation's Golden Lion clan leader had died at the hands of a certain opponent, and the God-Slaying Sword in his hand had once belonged to that fallen leader.

The Golden Tiger Great Demon King he had just beaten was not his true target. No, the one he wanted to challenge sat high above, inside a VIP room. If he could defeat that individual, he would have fulfilled his promise to the Golden Lion clan.

Though in truth, Big Cat harbored deep resentment toward both the lion and tiger races. Without their years of oppression, the Lion-Tiger clan would never have teetered on the edge of extinction. If not for Tang San's arrival, the clan might already have vanished; his wife, at the very least, would have most certainly perished.

But over the past year, he couldn't deny the sincerity of the Golden Lion clan. They had poured every resource into him without reservation. Even the Golden Lion King personally served as his sparring partner day after day. The clan went as far as to collect powerful Golden Tiger blood essence and even offer up their own blood essence to help raise his bloodline power.

He had a heart, and so did everyone in the Lion-Tiger clan. They all felt the Golden Lion clan's sincerity deeply; these lions were most certainly not just putting on a show. And the results were visible: A major clan going all-in had allowed Big Cat to become a Great Demon King in such a short time, and a first-tier bloodline Great Demon King at that. He had truly elevated the Lion-Tiger clan's status.

He was someone who knew gratitude. No matter what, he would fulfill his promise to the Golden Lion clan, and today's match was nothing but an early payment. Now, he waited for the day when he could face that person. And that wouldn't be a match for a marriage partner or an Emperor's position. It would be a fight to the death.

Back in the resting area, seeing Big Cat secure victory, a knowing smile appeared on Tang San's face. There was no need to watch the rest; the matches were nearly done anyway. While the other spectators remained, he quietly led the Blue Gold Tree elders out and headed back to the White Tiger Hotel.

As night fell, the first round of the male group in the Battle for the Throne came to a close after more than forty matches. In the end, only thirty-eight contestants advanced to the second round. A few matches had ended in mutual defeat, resulting in double eliminations, testament to the brutality of the competition.

Some were even predicting that only two more rounds would be needed to determine the top eight, with no need for a third. After all, from here on out, the clashes would only grow more intense.

Back at the White Tiger Hotel, Tang San returned to his room. He quickly changed his clothes, altered his appearance, and turned into an ordinary human. Then, he silently teleported away.