"I have waited for this day for so, so long. I've thought countless times about how I could defeat you. It's true that, in terms of sheer power, I'm not your match. In terms of experience, I'm not your match either. I don't have enough years behind me, and the gap between us is enormous. But today, you've made a grave mistake. Did you really think that when I risked my life to strike at you with that sword, it was just to drag you down with me?" As he spoke, white-golden flames suddenly ignited in Big Cat's eyes. The aura of his entire body changed with it, and strange and twisted halos appeared around him, especially concentrated around his head. The God-Slaying Sword in his hand suddenly turned white, like a white torch that blazed with pure light! Big Cat slowly raised the God-Slaying Sword in his hand. "The God-Slaying Sword is the bane of divine consciousness! Even if you flee to the ends of the world, and even if you cross into another world, your divine consciousness will not be spared!" From the day he chose to join the Golden Lion clan, Big Cat had regarded the Savage Tiger King as his shadow opponent. All along, while training diligently, under the guidance of the Golden Lion King, he had studied everything about the Savage Tiger King in depth. Thus, while the Savage Tiger King did not know much about Big Cat, Big Cat had thoroughly researched everything about the Savage Tiger King. What abilities his domain possessed, the characteristics of his Demon King Swords, how great his true strength could be, and indeed, the invincible state of his Netherworld Reflection. All of this had been thoroughly studied. Today, when truly facing this great enemy of the Golden Lion clan, the pressure the opponent exerted on Big Cat was immense, but it was all within his expectations. He was far younger and less experienced than his opponent, but that was only in comparison. He was no greenhouse flower. After all those years in the Great Beast Arena of Kali City, how many life-or-death struggles had he survived? How could someone with a hundred deathmatch victories be ordinary? When facing the Savage Tiger King, Big Cat had set his expectations for the opponent even higher; this was a habit developed in the Great Beast Arena. He would rather overestimate an opponent than underestimate them. Tactics had to change at any moment according to the opponent's movements. To counter this Savage Tiger King, Big Cat had prepared no fewer than ten different plans before the match, ready to adapt to any situation. But at the core, it was all about finding a way to severely wound the opponent with the God-Slaying Sword. In the past, when the previous generation's Golden Lion King faced the Savage Tiger King, he had been suppressed by the opponent's Demon King Domain from start to finish, unable to bring out his full strength, and ultimately died with regret. Thus, what the Savage Tiger King sensed from the God-Slaying Sword was powerful killing intent, sharpness, and strength... but not its true power. The God-Slaying Sword, purely in terms of its quality as a divine item, was not at all inferior to the Demon King Twin Swords. It simply didn't reveal its effects as directly as the twin swords did. But precisely because of this, when it was properly activated, the power it could unleash was even more terrifying. The disadvantage of the God-Slaying Sword was that it needed to absorb a large amount of the opponent's blood essence before it could use its actual power. The advantage was that once this condition was fulfilled, its actual power could be exerted directly upon the opponent's divine consciousness, like a kind of curse. How did one truly slay a god, without any possibility of failure? By destroying their divine consciousness! And this was precisely this sword's ability! As Big Cat raised the God-Slaying Sword, the Savage Tiger King, still in his Netherworld Reflection state, suddenly felt an indescribable terror arise from the depths of his heart. At his level of cultivation, he naturally wouldn't think the opponent was just trying to scare him. The intuition of a peak Great Demon King with such a wealth of experience couldn't be wrong. Without a moment's hesitation, he ended his Netherworld Reflection. Even though his chest injury was nowhere near full recovery, he immediately chose to return. Netherworld Reflection isolated him from the opponent's attacks, but it also prevented his own attacks from reaching the opponent, leaving him with no way to deal with Big Cat. At that moment, as he returned, he prepared to unleash the power of his Demon King Swords at once. But when he looked at Big Cat, what he saw on Big Cat's face was neither surprise nor fear, but mockery. A blinding golden light burst forth from the God-Slaying Sword. Within that soaring golden light, a phantom figure struggled desperately—it was none other than the Savage Tiger King. The Savage Tiger King let out a miserable scream, and the Demon King Swords clattered to the ground. The Demon King Domain, which had just been reactivated half a second before, collapsed instantly. He clutched his head in pain and collapsed to the ground. Something that looked like golden smoke started wafting out of his head. Big Cat's eyes shone brightly. He shouted, "I offer my blood as a sacrifice to the God-Slaying Sword!" He then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood that radiated a distinct white-golden glow, spraying it directly onto the blade. It was clear this was his most precious blood essence, and the moment it touched the blade, the God-Slaying Sword turned a searing white-golden color. Behind the Savage Tiger King, a massive sword projection appeared, accompanied by overwhelming killing intent. "NOOOOOOO—" the Savage Tiger King roared, but in the next instant, his voice was abruptly cut off. The sword projection fell upon him, and his head simply... exploded. Forget about the Blue Gold Fruit; even with something like the Substitute Lotus Seed, there was no way he could revive. His sea of divine consciousness was completely and utterly annihilated. This was the true power of the God-Slaying Sword. Big Cat staggered, barely managing to prop himself up with his sword, but his eyes were filled with excitement and relief. His connection to the Golden Lion clan had started for this purpose, and the clan had poured all the resources it had into him without hesitation. And now, that debt had been repaid. The God-Slaying Sword purchased for one single coin now truly belonged to him. "Victory for Big Cat from the Golden Lion clan!" The Sunborne Nymph Emperor descended from the sky. He had not even made a move to stop Big Cat's final attack just now. This was partly because Big Cat acted too swiftly, and at the time, the Savage Tiger King seemed still capable of counterattacking. As for the other reason, he would obviously not admit to it, but it played at least as important a role. Although the Savage Tiger King wasn't the White Tiger City Lord, his status in the tiger race was second only to the White Tiger Demon Emperor. And after all... he was a demon. "Big Cat, your divine consciousness and blood essence are severely depleted. Will you continue into the semifinals?" The Sunborne Nymph Emperor released a light that enveloped Big Cat, slightly tending to his injuries. Big Cat grinned, spat out another mouthful of blood, then shook his head. "Thank you for the assistance, Your Majesty, but I will not. I withdraw." His true goal had been achieved, so what more was there to pursue? All his trump cards had been expended in this battle; he was far from being an Emperor candidate just now, and he held no stakes in the matchmaking tournament either. What point was there in continuing? With the Savage Tiger King dead and Big Cat withdrawing, only eight contestants would proceed into the semifinals, as things currently stood. And among the seeded contestants, there was now one less. The Savage Tiger King's downfall was mainly the result of underestimating Big Cat. In his eyes, Big Cat was, indeed, nothing more than a slightly larger cat. His cultivation was higher than Big Cat's, his experience greater, and his trump cards at least as good. If, at that time, he had not relied on the Blue Gold Fruit to take Big Cat's strike head-on but instead responded cautiously, the difference in their strength would have left Big Cat with no chance. If he had simply been patient, Big Cat's plans would all have come to nothing; the Savage Tiger King could've simply prolonged the fight until his superior cultivation and powerful domain wore Big Cat down. But due to his confidence in the effects of the Blue Gold Fruit and the protection of his Netherworld Reflection, he had decided to end it quickly—and fell right into Big Cat's trap. Life and death often hinge on a single decision. Standing at the entrance of the rest area, Tang San watched as Big Cat, unsteady on his feet, walked down from the arena, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He had succeeded. He had taken a tremendous responsibility, and he had fulfilled it perfectly. After this battle, Big Cat's prestige among the lion and tiger races would undoubtedly rise to a new level. In the future, under his leadership, the Lion-Tiger clan was sure to become a formidable force, and he himself was bound to become an Emperor in the future. Meanwhile, one less seeded competitor was certainly good news for the remaining contestants. In the first round robin, there would be plenty of room for tactical arrangements. At least losing one match wouldn't mean elimination. Moreover, one of the opponents who had advanced was from the Blue Gold Tree clan. As far as the other contestants were concerned, each one of them would only face six real threats, and there were only five seeds remaining in the male bracket.