Seeing this, Ian Song's expression darkened slightly as he looked at the God who had snatched away the mission crystal.
The other man had a head of silver hair and strikingly handsome features with a hint of wickedness. His cultivation was already at late-stage Mid-Rank God.
Ian glanced at him, then turned and walked toward another mission wall.
"You're Ian Song, right?"
The silver-haired Mid-Rank God suddenly spoke.
"That's right! What can I do for you?"
Ian asked coolly.
The other man continued, "I hear you're pretty arrogant. Do you have the guts to face me on the God-Demon Arena?"
The God-Demon Arena is a dueling platform for God-Demons to settle grudges.
Because the God-Demon Corps has strict rules forbidding private fights between members, violators face severe punishment.
On the God-Demon Arena, you can seriously injure your opponent but killing is strictly forbidden.
"You're not worthy!"
A faint look of scorn curled at Ian's lips. Since the other party was coming straight for him, he wasn't about to stay silent.
"Heh, that kid's got guts—he actually dared to say that to Shane Tate!"
"He just got promoted to Two-Star God-Demon, that's why he's so cocky. If he knew Shane Tate's real strength, he wouldn't dare talk like that!"
"Yeah, Shane Tate may only be late-stage Mid-Rank God, but he once killed a beast with early Upper-Rank God strength—and only suffered minor injuries himself!"
"Heh, this is going to be good!"
"By the way, why is Shane Tate picking on a newcomer?"
"Shane Tate's younger brother once did a mission with Ian Song, but in the end, Kyle Tate quit while Ian made over eight thousand god-crystals!"
"So that's what happened!"
Shane Tate frowned slightly. "Ian Song, you don't have a choice. Whether you agree or not, you'll have to fight—otherwise, I'll make sure you can't complete a single mission!"
"If you want to die so badly, I'll be happy to oblige!"
Ian's face turned cold.
"Fine, see you on the God-Demon Arena at noon tomorrow. Watch me crush you!"
Shane Tate shot Ian a mocking look, tossed him the mission crystal, and turned to leave.
Soon enough,
News that Shane Tate and Ian Song would face off on the God-Demon Arena quickly spread through the God-Demon Corps.
Shane Tate was a veteran Two-Star God-Demon with formidable combat power, so apart from a few, almost no one thought Ian could win.
Only Jade Shaw and Leon Liao, who knew Ian's true strength, privately scoffed at Shane Tate's overconfidence.
Even mid-stage Upper-Rank gods like Trevor Owens had lost to Ian before, so what was a late-stage Mid-Rank God like Shane Tate?
Meanwhile, the fight drew attention from plenty of Three-Star God-Demons. By noon the next day, hundreds of God-Demons had gathered near the Arena to watch.
The duel was overseen by a Four-Star God-Demon with mid-stage Upper-Rank God strength.
A quarter hour before noon,
Ian Song and Shane Tate both arrived at the scene.
"Big bro, you have to teach that punk a lesson!"
Kyle Tate, still a One-Star God-Demon, shot Ian a hateful glare. During the Nether Bloom mission, they'd run into the Owens Family, so he and nine others had quit.
It wouldn't have mattered, but then he heard Ian and his two teammates not only completed the mission but also harvested five Nether Blooms—and Ian himself pocketed 8,800 god-crystals. Instantly, he couldn't accept it, his heart filling with regret and wild jealousy toward Ian.
Shane Tate nodded confidently. "Relax, I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!"
"Go Ian! Beat that guy up good!"
Jade Shaw pumped her fist at Ian Song.
Taber Hawk, who'd arrived with Jade Shaw, said, "I heard Shane Tate once beat a beast at the Upper-Rank God level. Cousin, are you sure you want to bet against him?"
Ian shot Taber Hawk a playful look. "How about we place a little wager, Young Master Hawk?"
"What do you want to bet on?"
Taber Hawk looked wary.
Ian said, "If I win, I get the prize. If I lose, you win. Let's put up ten thousand god-crystals as the stake—how about it?"
Having suffered losses at Ian's hands before, Taber Hawk was instinctively guarded. Hearing Ian's proposal, he blurted, "No bet!"
"So you do have some confidence in me, Young Master Hawk!" Ian said with a grin.
"Like hell I do!"
"If you don't have any confidence, why not bet?"
"Because I feel like it!" he thought to himself, "No way I'm falling for that!"
Jade Shaw giggled, "Cousin, you finally made a smart move. If you bet against Ian, you'd definitely lose!"
Taber Hawk's face darkened. He snapped, "I don't believe in luck—fine, I'll bet!"
Ian was surprised. He hadn't expected Jade Shaw to help out so much, so he smiled, "Miss Jade, if I win the god-crystals, I'll split half with you!"
"Hehe, is that really okay?"
"It's fine—it's winnings anyway!"
Seeing Ian discussing how to split the loot before the fight even started, Taber Hawk's face grew even darker. He couldn't help but sneer, "Don't talk so big—careful you don't embarrass yourself!"
"Heh, just watch, Young Master Hawk!"
Ian chuckled.
Soon, noon arrived.
The Four-Star God-Demon overseeing the match called out loudly, "Will the two challengers please take the stage!"
Ian Song and Shane Tate each walked up onto the God-Demon Arena from opposite sides.
"Kid, if you kneel and beg for mercy now, maybe I'll let you off!"
Shane Tate said with a sinister grin.
"Cut the crap and just get started already!"
Ian Song urged impatiently.
"Courting death!"
A flash of anger crossed Shane Tate's eyes as he suddenly lunged forward, throwing a rapid barrage of punches. Weapons weren't allowed on the God-Demon Arena.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each of Shane Tate's punches landed squarely on Ian Song's chest. Shane was thrilled, thinking, 'This guy's way too weak—he can't even block my probing attacks.'
"Heh, with power like yours, you can't hurt me at all!"
Ian Song chuckled lightly, then raised his fist and threw a punch.
"Crap!"
Shane Tate cursed inwardly and threw up his arms to block.
Crack! Boom!
But Ian Song's fist carried an overwhelming force that shattered Shane Tate's arms and then slammed into his chest.
Shane Tate was sent flying, coughing up blood in mid-air, and crashed to the ground completely unconscious.
The watching God-Demons on the platform were all dumbfounded.
"How is this possible? Didn't Shane Tate kill an Upper-Rank God-level beast before? How did Ian Song beat him with one punch?"
"What a terrifying physique!"
The Four-Star God-Demon referee saw the truth and looked deeply shocked. Then he declared Ian Song the winner.
Ian Song stepped down from the arena and held out his hand to Taber Hawk. "Young Master Taber, hand over the ten thousand god-crystals."
"Hmph! Take it!"
He tossed Ian a storage God-ring and walked away without another word.
"Miss Jade, these five thousand god-crystals are yours!"
Ian took five thousand god-crystals and handed the storage ring to Jade Shaw.
"No need, I was just joking earlier!"
"No way! If you hadn't said that, your cousin never would've agreed to the bet!"
"Don't remind me. Now my cousin's definitely going to have it out for me!" But as she said this, Jade Shaw couldn't help but laugh.