Chapter 50: The Descent into the Dueling Arena

Why is the living room completely deserted?Night Jia’s voice was laced with trepidation.The closer we approach the basement, the more intensely the fire elemental fluctuations surge.Could something have happened to Sister Xiyue and my brother?I’m truly worried about him.Feeling the potent fire element thicken in the air around them, Night Jia instinctively cowered behind Ouyang Xiyue.

“Night Jia, my dear, there’s no need to fear,” Ouyang Xiyue reassured, puffing out his chest with a gentle pat to his not-so-ample bosom. “With your sister here, you can set your mind at ease. No matter what manner of monstrous fiend emerges from below, I will be there to protect you. I swear, even if it costs me my life, I won’t allow a single strand of harm to befall you, little Night Jia.”

“Mhm, Sister, Night Jia isn’t afraid anymore,” Night Jia affirmed, a playful glint in her eyes as her relief settled in. “But Sister, please stop patting! It’s not exactly large to begin with, and you’ll make it vanish entirely if you keep at it!”

“Oh, you!” Ouyang Xiyue huffed, his cheeks tinged with a playful blush of annoyance as he pouted. “Little Night Jia, don’t tease your sister so much, or I might actually get angry!”

“Hehe, not at all, not at all. Night Jia was merely indulging in a bit of innocent teasing, that’s all,” she chirped. “Ahem, ahem, it’s getting late. We should hurry down and investigate. I know the password to the hidden compartment.”

Night Jia slowly crouched to the floor, her fingers deftly probing beneath.She located and pressed a small, inconspicuous square embedded within a floor tile, which prompted a password lock, much like those guarding secure doors, to spring forth.With two swift taps, a series of ‘dips’ sounded from her fingers, followed by a distinct ‘click.’A large, concealed compartment then smoothly opened from the ground.

“Sister Xiyue, let’s go,” Night Jia called out, gesturing for Ouyang Xiyue to follow.

As Night Jia led the way, Ouyang Xiyue followed silently in her wake.He found himself observing her small, delicate figure, and despite the dim light, a thought flickered through his mind: ‘She’s quite adorable.’He quickly chastised himself. ‘Ahem, ahem, what am I thinking at a time like this?’

“No, wait, it’s intensely hot here!” Ouyang Xiyue exclaimed. “Little Night Jia, don’t advance any further. Come closer; I’ll cast a shield around you. The fire magic ahead is far too potent; you could easily be burned.” With a gentle sweep of his hand, a transparent shield, shimmering like polished ice and emanating a palpable chill, materialized and enveloped Night Jia. It encased her tightly, leaving not even the smallest crevice exposed.

“Rest assured, little Night Jia,” Ouyang Xiyue explained. “Inside this shield, the temperature remains normal, preventing any frostbite. On the contrary, it will safeguard you from the scorching heat outside.” Having said this, he confidently stepped ahead of Night Jia, assuming the lead.

Ouyang Xiyue navigated a labyrinth of intricately arranged metal objects and what appeared to be laboratory stations.Eventually, passing through a formidable gate, he emerged into a vast space that strikingly resembled a grand dueling arena.

Ouyang Xiyue distinctly sensed that this chamber pulsed with the most concentrated fire elemental energy.His gaze then fell upon eleven figures before him, a sight that brought him to a sudden halt.

Their bodies were undeniably frail, their magic seemingly utterly depleted.Logically, in such a weakened state, they should have been incapable of enduring the searing temperatures of such potent fire elements.It was evident these individuals were foolishly pitting their years of cultivated physical strength against the dense elemental flames, a truly reckless and ill-conceived endeavor.

Shaking his head in exasperation, Ouyang Xiyue simply waved his hand.Immediately, a dozen or so transparent, frost-laden shields materialized from thin air, each one encasing an individual among the eleven.

The eleven individuals, clearly bewildered by the sudden occurrence, paused in a state of obvious shock.It was only when they turned their heads that they noticed Ouyang Xiyue and Night Jia, standing just a few steps behind them.

‘To unleash such potent fire elemental energy without a single guard stationed outside, especially with everyone inside so utterly depleted of magic,’ Ouyang Xiyue mused to himself, ‘is utterly reckless. Should an adversary arrive, wouldn’t they all be annihilated? This level of oversight is truly astounding—a complete and utter display of negligence.’

“Brother Xuan, it’s been so long!” Night Jia suddenly cried out from behind Ouyang Xiyue, her eyes sparkling with recognition as if she had encountered a dear friend after a prolonged absence.

“Hm? That voice… Oh, my heavens, little Night Jia, what brings you here?” Xuan stammered, his gaze then falling upon Ouyang Xiyue. “And who is this absolutely… stunning lady? Ahem, ahem, this place is incredibly dangerous. You both must leave at once! Your brother is currently battling an elemental spirit within the energy shield.” As Xuan spoke, he moved to usher them out, but then…

Ouyang Xiyue silently unleashed his magic, a surge of power that sent shivers through everyone present.The sheer force of the magic fluctuation was overwhelming.To their astonishment, the magic domain emanating from this beautiful young woman was, in their perception, on par with that of Young Master Ye—whom they considered a monstrous talent.It was utterly incredible; their eyes widened, disbelieving what they were witnessing.

They then gazed upon the figure before them, whose angelic countenance was framed by silver hair pulled into a single ponytail—its hue seemingly proclaiming her a celestial being.Her blue eyes, vast as a stellar ocean and as enigmatic as the deepest seas, held a profound allure, captivating all who beheld them.’Is this truly an angel?’ they wondered in awe.

As the others succumbed to infatuation, their eyes starry with admiration, only Night Jia managed to retain a semblance of composure.Her brother had previously mentioned that Sister Ouyang Xiyue possessed considerable strength, yet this display far surpassed her wildest expectations.To be as formidable as her own brother, and yet so remarkably young—how many such prodigies could possibly exist in the entire world?

‘Along the way, Sister Xiyue had assured her that not a single hair on her head would be harmed. Night Jia had initially perceived this as a brave, if somewhat exaggerated, declaration. Yet, she never imagined Sister Ouyang Xiyue would prove to be so incredibly formidable. ‘It seems I absolutely must find a way to bring her and my brother together,’ Night Jia resolved. ‘Even if Sister Ouyang Xiyue is already betrothed, I will exhaust every possible avenue.’

‘Alas, who could possibly be worthy of such perfection as Sister Ouyang Xiyue?’ Night Jia thought with a wistful sigh. ‘What immense virtue did that individual possess, what profound blessings must they have accumulated in a past life, to secure a marital alliance with her? I find myself utterly envious—no, the entire world should envy them! Ah, truly an angel~’

“What? You’re telling me Night Xuehui is still inside?” Ouyang Xiyue’s voice suddenly sharpened with urgency. “Don’t be ridiculous! With such dense and potent fire elements, even if that man specializes in fire magic, he couldn’t possibly contend with an enemy in there! What on earth happened?” Despite his declared dislike for Night Xuehui, Ouyang Xiyue instinctively found himself deeply unwilling for any harm to befall him. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, perhaps believing he owed him too many favors. Perhaps…

“To put it simply, there’s an incredibly powerful fire elemental spirit inside. Young Master Ye had initially planned to bring a highly skilled ice mage to handle it, but that person stood him up! It’s absolutely infuriating; they should take a look in the mirror and see what kind of repulsive appearance they have!”

“Exactly, exactly! Our Young Master Ye represents the formidable power of a demon king from an entire continent, yet he’s been stood up repeatedly! It’s completely outrageous!”

“That’s right, that’s right! Don’t let me ever see that person, or I’ll tear them to shreds!” The crowd erupted in furious agreement.

At this moment, Ouyang Xiyue was far from composed. Firstly, he was deeply concerned about Night Xuehui’s current state. The energy shield, reinforced by earth magic, obscured his vision, allowing him only to sense the clash of two powerful presences from within.

“Ahem, ahem, that’s enough from all of you. Even if Young Master Ye was stood up, you shouldn’t speak ill of others. What if something truly urgent came up for them? Alright, for now, the most pressing matter is simply to await the outcome…” The golden-haired Xuan said, his voice weak with resignation.

“Ahem, ahem, actually… the one… who… stood… Night Xuehui up… was me… I… I truly had an urgent matter that entangled me, so… I apologize… I’m truly sorry…” Ouyang Xiyue stammered, bowing three times in earnest apology.

“Ah!?” The others cried out in unison.

“Ahem, did someone just say something?”

“No, of course not. We merely said we could only rely on Young Master Ye’s fate; we said nothing else.”

“Exactly, exactly! We accept no refutations, thank you.”

‘Ah, these guys!’ The golden-haired Xuan patted his head, observing his companions. ‘For a bit of beauty, they change too quickly! This attitude, a complete 360-degree turn! Even a quick-change artist couldn’t keep up with them. They’re truly exasperating, tsk tsk tsk.’

“Alright, we’ll discuss this later. I need to go inside. Help me create an opening.” Ouyang Xiyue said, gazing at the energy shield with concern. He could distinctly feel that one of the two opposing forces inside was completely suppressed, and it was clearly Night Xuehui. There was no need to even ponder it. While Night Xuehui excelled at fire magic, he was facing a fire elemental spirit that possessed absolute immunity to fire magic—a fact that was not to be underestimated.

“Understood. Old Zhang, prepare to input the password and create an opening. Be careful to control the energy of the protective shield.” The golden-haired Xuan, without a moment’s hesitation, responded to Ouyang Xiyue’s words.

Indeed, not just Xuan, but no one present objected to Ouyang Xiyue’s command. They had all just witnessed Ouyang Xiyue’s formidable strength, and in every continent, the strong were revered.Even if the opponent was much younger, this remained true. In a world where the strong preyed on the weak, they understood perfectly what should and should not be done, what should and should not be said. They were all clear-headed individuals; this was the essence of a wise person adapting to circumstances.

As soon as the opening appeared, Ouyang Xiyue dashed inside with incredible speed.With a swift wave of his hand, a bow-like ice magic construct materialized from thin air, obliterating a large hole in the earth-elemental defensive magic blocking his path, allowing him to successfully slip through.

Immediately after Ouyang Xiyue entered, the people outside quickly closed the energy shield. They then hurriedly crowded around a small gap, straining to observe the situation inside. Though their posture might have appeared somewhat undignified, it was of no consequence, for they were gravely worried about Night Xuehui, who had been trapped inside for a considerable time. If anything were to happen to him, every single one of them would face severe repercussions.