Unlike the Arena Master, who remained completely unharmed, the challenger on Arena No. 2 was accumulating injuries despite appearing to hold the advantage.

Every exchange seemed favorable to him. His attacks forced the Arena Master backward, his Divine Abilities filled the arena with violent light, and the watching crowd repeatedly thought victory was only one strike away.

Yet shallow wounds continued appearing across the challenger’s body. His breathing grew heavier, his divine power became increasingly unstable, and his Life Origin was being consumed far faster than he realized.

John recalled the second Arena Master’s timid expression when the battle began. The man was clearly pretending to be weak in order to lure others into attacking him.

The only question was why he had chosen such a troublesome method.

John soon understood.

Several minutes had passed since he had taken control of Arena No. 1, but not a single challenger had stepped forward to face him. His earlier display had been too overwhelming. After comparing their strength with his, the remaining participants had concluded that their chances of victory were almost nonexistent.

Soren presented an even clearer threat. He was the only publicly recognized supreme powerhouse in Group One, so no one dared challenge him unless they had no other choice.

That left Arena No. 2.

Almost every challenger had joined the line there, waiting for what they believed would be an easy opportunity.

The second Arena Master wanted exactly that. By making each victory appear narrow and exhausting, he could keep attracting challengers and harvest their identity badges one after another.

John could not help laughing inwardly.

"Should I pretend to struggle as well?"

Before he could decide, a powerhouse stepped out from the crowd and complained loudly.

"Why is everyone waiting to challenge the same arena? At this rate, how long will the rest of us have to stand here?"

Another participant immediately agreed.

"He is right. Avoiding Arena No. 3 is understandable because Soren is there. But no one has ever heard of the man on Arena No. 1. Why is nobody challenging him?"

"We should not all squeeze into one line," someone suggested. "A few of us could test Arena No. 1."

A nearby High God sneered.

"You say that so easily. Why don’t you go yourself? Do you truly believe Arena Master No. 1 is weak? He used the Space-Time Law and a power resembling heavenly tribulation. Anyone eager to die can challenge him."

"What? Arena No. 1 is that dangerous too?"

"Then I would rather continue waiting for Arena No. 2."

A rough laugh came from the rear of the crowd.

"A gathering of cowards. If none of you dares to go, I will."

"Oh? We finally have someone with courage. Good luck, then. If you defeat the master of Arena No. 1, I promise I will not challenge you afterward."

The moment those words ended, a figure rose from the long line and landed on John’s arena.

Only then did the waiting participants turn their full attention toward Arena No. 1. They wanted to determine whether John’s earlier victory reflected his true strength or merely a moment of exceptional performance.

Of course, many secretly hoped that the two fighters would injure each other severely. If both sides were exhausted, a third party might seize the position at little cost.

John studied the newcomer.

She was a female High God with sharp eyes and an expression of complete seriousness.

"I am Evelyn of the Tower of Myriad Treasures," she declared. "I have come to challenge you."

The moment she finished introducing herself, Law power erupted from her body. She had clearly prepared the technique before stepping onto the arena.

John sensed the flowing laws and immediately recognized that part of her power overlapped with concepts he had already comprehended.

The primary force was the Law of Karma, accompanied by a distinct aura of the Yin-Yang Law.

Her mastery seemed to be at the first stage. Both were acquired laws formed through interactions between the Law of Destiny and the Law of Creation.

John nodded slightly.

"This arena is a poor choice for you. My abilities directly suppress your Yin-Yang Law. You selected the wrong opponent."

Evelyn showed no fear.

"Every High God who has cultivated to this stage has already defied heaven countless times," she replied. "Even after reaching Peak Sovereign, one must still contend against the Great Dao. Life and death are ordinary matters to people like us."

Her voice grew firmer.

"I prepared myself to die long ago. I would rather fall in battle on this arena than survive by abandoning my path."

As her final word fell, her Law power exploded.

The air around her body twisted. Beneath her feet appeared two spheres of light, one black and one white, containing the opposing forces of life and death.

The two energies did not repel each other. They intertwined, circulated, and merged into a single complete system.

Streams of black and white light transformed into enormous pythons that coiled toward John from every direction.

All things contained Yin and Yang. Their union produced balance, but balance inevitably gave birth to opposition. Extreme Yang generated Yin, while extreme Yin generated Yang. The cycle repeated without end, allowing the two powers to sustain and strengthen one another.

As the Yin-Yang energy spread across the arena, the entire world seemed to lose every color except black and white. Both fighters vanished within the swirling haze.

The challengers below held their breath.

Evelyn’s technique was not ordinary. A weaker High God trapped within it would lose the ability to distinguish life from death, attack from defense, or reality from illusion.

John remained perfectly calm.

A faint smile touched his lips.

"The Yin-Yang Law is indeed impressive among acquired laws. Her cultivation is solid enough to crush most ordinary participants. Unfortunately, it is meaningless before me."

Golden radiance spread across his body.

He entered an invincible state.

As the master of the Space-Time Law, John could continuously return his condition to its peak. Damage, consumption, and instability could all be reversed through the flow of space-time.

In the next moment, the black and white power filling the arena surged toward him.

The Yin force attempted to freeze his life and drag his consciousness into death. The Yang force burned like a divine sun, trying to erase his body through overwhelming vitality and heat. The two powers alternated endlessly, attacking every weakness that should have existed.

Yet John did not suffer even the slightest injury.

Evelyn’s eyes widened.

"How can this be? My Yin-Yang Law cannot harm him at all!"

Before she could understand, spatial cracks appeared around her.

There were so many that the sight made the scalp tingle. They overlapped in layers, leaving no safe direction.

John raised his hand.

"Space-Time Law: Infinite Void Rifts."

Countless Void Rifts tore through the arena. The black and white domain was ripped apart, revealing endless darkness beneath the surface of space.

The majestic Yin-Yang energy tried to repair itself, but the void swallowed it faster than it could regenerate. In a few breaths, the entire law domain collapsed.

Then the power of nothingness surrounded Evelyn.

Invisible edges cut through her flesh. Her divine body was divided into millions, then billions, of tiny particles. Every attempt at reconstruction was interrupted by another Void Rift.

"Great Sound Art!"

John connected with the Origin power of the universe once more.

Waves of sound spread outward. They passed through the cloud of particles and struck the hidden Life Imprint concealed within Evelyn’s Origin.

Her consciousness resisted fiercely. The Law of Karma attempted to establish a connection with a future in which she survived, while the Yin-Yang Law tried to reverse death into life.

However, John’s Space-Time Law severed those possibilities.

The Great Sound Art washed over her again and again until the final Life Imprint disappeared.

Evelyn of the Tower of Myriad Treasures had fallen.

An identity badge transformed into a streak of light and landed in John’s palm.

System notifications followed.

[Ding! Congratulations on killing a ninth-stage High God-level powerhouse!]

[Experience gained: +12,435,487,876.]

[Gold Coins gained: +313,468,787.]

[Fame gained: +1,646,845,767.]

[High God Sources plundered: +800,000,000,000.]

[High God-level items obtained: +8.]

"The seventh identity badge," John murmured with a slight smile. "Only three remain."

He looked down at the gathered challengers.

The instant his gaze swept across them, several High Gods felt the hair on their bodies rise. Their hearts began beating violently, and an instinctive fear spread through them.

It was the terror of prey being noticed by a natural predator.

No one spoke for several breaths.

The participants who had hoped to take advantage of an exhausting battle now understood that there had never been an opportunity to exploit. Evelyn had entered the arena with determination, powerful laws, and no fear of death.

John had erased her without moving from his original position.

The balance among the three arenas had changed once again. Soren was publicly feared. The second Arena Master was quietly harvesting challengers through deception. And John had just revealed a level of strength no less terrifying than either of them.

For the remaining participants, there was no longer an easy choice.