Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 464: Golden Mammoth

Tang San had once possessed the War Stomp ability of the elephant race and was quite familiar with them, but the one before him was clearly not an ordinary elephant demon.

Ordinary elephant demons only had a third-tier bloodline, with weaker ones even having a fourth-tier one. Also, their grayish hide was easy to recognize. This one, on the other hand, had three tusks protruding from each side of its lips; moreover, it had brown skin, and dark golden hair.

A mammoth demon! This was a powerhouse from the Mammoth Demon clan!

Among the Demon Emperors, the seventh-ranked was the leader of this clan, the Golden Radiance Mammoth Demon Emperor. Therefore, the demon before Tang San undoubtedly had a first-tier bloodline.

This Mammoth Demon exuded a calm demeanor; its massive trunk was gently swaying, its eyes were half-closed as if it was meditating, and it was not even glancing at the other contestants who might be its opponents.

The other two contestants near it, although not as tall as the Mammoth Demon, were still around three meters and over two meters tall, respectively. At this moment, they hadn't even noticed Tang San entering behind them, as their focus was entirely on the Mammoth Demon. Clearly, they hoped this Mammoth Demon wouldn't be their opponent in the upcoming match.

What was the Mammoth Demon's number? This was what they were constantly calculating in their minds. But regardless, as long as they were in the same group and they kept moving ahead, they would have to face it sooner or later. Their gloomy expressions showed that they had no confidence against this Mammoth Demon.

Tang San quietly walked near them, waiting for his turn. It was better to be ignored by potential opponents. He believed that with his luck, his upcoming match shouldn't be against this Mammoth Demon. Even if it was, it didn't matter; he still had empty slots for bloodline imprints. If it turned out to be this one, its bloodline might suit him well. After all, this clan was known for their immense physical strength, which would greatly benefit his own physique. As for facing it sooner rather than later, that didn't make much of a difference.

"Group 3, Number 3 and Group 3, Number 4, please enter the arena," came the voice of the staff.

The Mammoth Demon instantly opened its eyes, dark golden light faintly flashing within them. The other two contestants immediately looked at their number plates to confirm their numbers.

"I'm Number 3," said one of the contestants. The other one, without hesitation, replied, "I'm Number 4."

The two contestants exchanged glances, and they both saw the joy deep in each other's eyes. Yes, their opponents were each other, not the powerful Mammoth Demon.

Not far away, Tang San's face showed a look of surprise. What happened to my luck? How is my opponent this Mammoth Demon? I should be blessed with good fortune!

No, that’s not right. I used the Polar Domain, and that one can have both good and bad outcomes. I already got the good luck of not drawing my companions as opponents. Could this be the inevitable misfortune from the domain?

It seems that while the Polar Domain allows me to control fortune more precisely, it also comes with potential drawbacks. And since this isn't an actual bloody battlefield, the bad luck has no place to dissipate.

Tang San's mouth twitched. He had indeed gained a deeper understanding of his domain abilities, but at what cost? In this first match, he had to face a first-tier bloodline, and moreover, the descendant of a current Demon Emperor. This was a bit of a pain.

Even among first-tier bloodlines, there were distinctions. A first-tier bloodline descended from a reigning emperor was definitely stronger than those without one. With the support of a Demon or Nymph Emperor, they received better resources and had stronger bloodlines.

At this moment, Tang San felt a scorching gaze directed at him. Looking up, he saw the towering Mammoth Demon intently staring at him.

"Are you Number 6?" Its voice was deep and muffled.

Tang San's mouth twitched slightly. "Yes, that would be me."

"Alright, I'm Number 5. What race are you?" This Mammoth Demon didn't seem as domineering as its appearance suggested. Instead, it looked somewhat simple-minded.

"Human."

Since the match was about to begin, there was no point in hiding it.

"Human?" Upon hearing Tang San's response, the Mammoth Demon didn't show any disdain or contempt. Instead, it looked at him with great interest and said, "You're a human? That’s new. If you can compete here, then you must be very strong among your kind. Please go easy on me later!"

This time, it was Tang San's turn to be surprised. Looking at the Mammoth Demon before him, his first thought was that this demon was definitely not just a simple-minded brute after all; otherwise, it wouldn't have said such things.

"You're too kind," Tang San replied calmly, not intending to converse much more.

"Group 3, Number 5 and Group 3, Number 6, please enter the arena," the staff's announcement came again at that moment.

The Mammoth Demon gave a simple-minded smile, swung its large trunk, and said, "Well, it's our turn. Let's go."

As it spoke, it gestured for Tang San to go first.

Tang San nodded to it and, without hesitation, walked into the competition area first.

Under the guidance of the staff, they were led directly to Stage 3. They entered from opposite sides, however, meaning they would start the battle two hundred meters apart.

As they took the stage, Tang San still wore his hood, so the audience couldn't tell his race based on his appearance. But when the Mammoth Demon stepped onto the stage, the tens of thousands of spectators erupted into cheers. Of course, the cheers from the elephant clans were like a landslide, overwhelming and deafening.

The Mammoth Demon clan, also known as the Golden Mammoths, were the only golden bloodline among all the emperors. The Golden Radiance Mammoth Demon Emperor was known as the top defensive powerhouse among his peers. The strength of this clan needed no explanation.

Compared to the Mammoth Demon in front of him, Tang San's figure appeared much smaller.

At this moment, Mei Gongzi was in another waiting area, her mind wandering around the process of passing the trial of inheritance not long ago. But when she heard "Group 3, Number 6," she subconsciously looked up and saw the two opponents. The waiting area she was in happened to have a view of Stage 3.

A Mammoth Demon? Asura has to face such an opponent? Wow... His luck is really bad.

On the first day of the competition, there wasn't even a host to introduce the opponents. The Ancestral Court Elite Competition was that rough. In the eyes of the Ancestral Court, there was no need to introduce people who might not even be there for half a minute. As for the audience, the most direct way to get to know the contestants was through their performance in the matches.

But when this Mammoth Demon stepped onto the stage, it immediately became the favorite to advance from Group 3 in the minds of many spectators. And how could it not?

The Ancestral Court had betting pools for the competition, but on the first day, the bets were mainly on the duration of the matches. The bets were placed on the total match time, in ten-minute intervals, starting from four hours and going up to eight hours. Those who guessed correctly would receive ten times their bet.

In this way, the Ancestral Court naturally raked in a huge profit, but there were still countless people willing to participate in the betting. Many of the great nobles did that as well. This time prediction was obviously absolutely fair, because no one could possibly bribe all the contestants at the same time, and even if they did, there was no guarantee that things would work out the way they wanted. The fairness of this attracted many to participate in the betting pools.

Tang San lifted his hood and took off his cloak, revealing the tight and agile outfit underneath. His mask remained on his face, and he stared intently at the Mammoth Demon across from him.