Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San - Chapter 322: The Infernal Tiger Squad

Chapter 322: The Infernal Tiger Squad

The news that the Shrek Squad would fight again quickly spread throughout Kali City, especially among the human neighborhoods.

In the last battle, the Shrek Squad had surprisingly defeated the Sword Demon Squad, which was beyond everyone’s expectations. More importantly, the Shrek Squad displayed strength that exceeded the imaginations of many spectators. However, they also suffered heavy injuries in that battle. Had they recovered in just over half a month? Were they ready to fight again?

This was good news for humans. Regardless of how the fifth battle turned out, the fact that they scheduled it proved that the Shrek Squad was in fighting shape.

Thanks to the deliberate promotion on behalf of the arena, the hype for this team battle quickly turned it into a grand event. However, the arena chose to keep the identity of the Shrek Squad’s opponents strictly confidential.

The betting pool opened ahead of time for win-loss bets. Upon hearing this news, Wu Bingji wanted to participate in the betting, but Tang San stopped him. There was to be no gambling in the Shrek Squad.

Tang San had his reasons. He didn’t want his companions to get into the habit of making money through gambling. Such habits could lead to addiction. Moreover, if they placed bets, the amounts would be significant, quickly attracting the attention of the Great Beast Fighting Arena officials. Winning once would lead to a second time and larger bets. They might face the arena’s retaliation if they couldn’t control their desires to win more money. They aimed to obtain noble status, not seek wealth and adventure here.

Tang San successfully persuaded Wu Bingji. Before they left, he even left all his naturae coins in the Golden Valley, instructing the Crimson Fox girls to give the money to the mayor if they didn’t return.

Although everyone felt it was a bit ominous, they let him do it.

Returning to the Great Beast Fighting Arena, the Shrek Squad entered discreetly as usual. They had somewhat gotten used to this place filled with the stench of blood.

Wu Bingji, Cheng Zicheng, and Gu Li, who had been severely injured, still felt a bit apprehensive, especially when recalling the scenes from the last battle.

The previous night, Tang San had brought back news, informing them about the races of their opponents that day.

That fifth battle would not be easy.

Their opponents that day were from a powerful clan. The Bloodthirsty Demon Ape had given Tang San a single word regarding the race information: tigers!

All five opponents were tigers.

The tiger was the king of beasts, and among the demon clans, the tiger demons were naturally mighty. The White Tiger Demon Emperor had always been one of the top powerhouses among the demon clans, ruling over all tiger demons. There were also the formidable members of the Golden Tiger lineage.

In addition, the Tiger Clan had many branches, and all of them were strong. Even the weakest tiger demon clans had bloodlines no lower than the third tier.

Of course, even in a team composed of five tigers, the likelihood of there being a tiger demon with a golden bloodline was very low. Golden Tigers considered themselves high nobility and wouldn’t participate in such matches at the Great Beast Fighting Arena. They were nothing more than spectators.

But there was no doubt their opponents would be powerful, likely more powerful than the previous Sword Demon Squad. With this in mind, Tang San made some tactical arrangements.

When they arrived at the Great Beast Fighting Arena, it was not yet evening and it was still very bright outside, but the streets were already crowded… with humans, specifically.

Their fellow humans eagerly anticipated this match, and the discussions they overheard while passing by were almost all about the Shrek Squad. The Shrek Squad was now practically the pride of humanity.

This was both motivation and pressure.

“Senior brother Du Bai, you can use the third array disc today.” Tang San said to Du Bai.

Du Bai’s eyes lit up. Tang San had never let him use the third array disc before, and in the previous battle, it wouldn’t have been practical anyway. The Spirit Elevation Array would become unusable once the third array disc was used due to inevitable conflicts.

“No problem.”

The Great Beast Fighting Arena.

The host was already warming up the crowd.

“Today, it’s another full house. Many of our esteemed guests are here to see the Shrek Squad and whether they can continue their streak. This team has been creating miracles! Just when we think they can’t compete against stronger opponents, they always manage to crush their foes and move forward, often using explosive tactics. So, who will they be facing today? I can tell you that this team has won five battles already and hasn’t appeared in our arena for some time.

“Actually, they have been staying in the arena for the past three days, so they also don’t know who their opponents are today. But I believe this team will be a tough challenge for the Shrek Squad. In the face of absolute strength, all tactics are nothing more than paper tigers![1] Rêađ lat𝒆st ch𝒂/p/ters on n𝒐/v/𝒆/l(b)i𝒏(.)c/𝒐/m

“The betting is still open until the last moment before the match starts. Those who like to bet on battle duration can start now. Today’s duration bet is in three-minute units. I’ll share a little secret with you: I bet on the match ending within six minutes. Hehe

. So, dear guests, you might want to consider how to place your bets.”

The audience immediately burst into laughter upon hearing the host’s words. “Bet on the opposite, and you’ll get a villa by the sea.”[2]

The host scoffed. “What’s so great about the sea? Do you want to eat sea monsters every day? My choices are always solid.”

Laughter erupted again. Clearly, the host didn’t have a good reputation in this regard.

“Alright, alright, don’t say I didn’t warn you! The final countdown to the match starts now!”

The last ten minutes of betting time quickly passed, signaling that the team battle was about to begin.

Two massive gates slowly rose, and the five members of the Shrek Squad soon came into view again. Although they all wore masks, their figures and overall appearance still clearly showed that the Shrek Squad had not changed members; it was still the original five. Moreover, they seemed to have fully recovered from their injuries.

The Shrek Squad’s Headshot Captain, who had burned his bloodline, stood at the forefront. It seemed that the life force he had previously consumed had been restored.

Of course, some treasures and remedies could restore life force and strengthen the body, but their prices were extremely high. This was why Tang San’s claim to the Bloodthirsty Demon Ape that they had spent a lot of money on recovery was believable.

For the humans who came to watch, seeing the complete Shrek Squad excited them greatly. There were one-third more spectators compared to the previous match.

However, when the audience’s eyes focused on the other gate, they couldn’t help but gasp.

The Shrek Squad’s opponents were five males, each over two and a half meters tall, with solid builds and fierce auras.

Their most prominent feature was the large 王 [3] character on their foreheads.

Their hair was black, the 王 character on their foreheads was black, and their exposed arms had black fur with yellow-brown stripes.

They were Infernal Tigers! A branch of the tiger race with quasi-second-tier bloodlines!

These tigers, also known as Dark Infernal Tigers, were a somewhat solitary clan within the tiger race. They had violent temperaments, excelled in controlling the darkness element, and possessed formidable strength. They were the opposites of the Golden Tiger lineage, which excelled in light attributes, and even more so the White Tiger lineage. Of course, without a Demon Emperor in their clan, they could never compete with the latter.

However, this did not mean that Infernal Tigers were weak. On the contrary, they were truly formidable even compared to their tiger peers. Although their bloodline power was not as great as the Golden Tigers’, it was not far off. This was why it was classified as quasi-second-tier.

1. “Paper tigers” is a loan translation from the Chinese language from the term 纸老虎. The term refers to something or someone that claims or appears to be powerful or threatening but is ineffectual and unable to withstand challenge. ☜

2. This is a modern Chinese saying (足球反着买，别墅靠大海) originating from the consecutive losses of popular teams during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It refers to placing bets on the less popular option and winning in abundance. ☜

3. The Chinese character with three horizontal lines connected by a central vertical line 王 (wang), meaning “king.” The tiger is considered the king of animals in Chinese culture due to the stripes on its forehead that seemingly resemble the 王 character. ☜