Chapter 173: The Wildly Growing Arena

"Letting you into the Blood Dream Arena is, on one hand, to spread the news and bring more people in."

"Secondly, during this period, the Blood Dream Arena also needs a certain number of people to manage it."

"I will grant you certain permissions to manage the entire Blood Dream Arena. Of course, the income I give you will also be substantial. We can work out the details later."

When Gune said this, everyone laughed.

After all, since they had followed Gune, he had never treated them poorly.

"For now, we'll distribute according to the management hierarchy of the Demon Whale."

"Any problems?" Gune looked at everyone.

"None!"

Everyone replied in unison.

"Good. Next, I'll take you through the various levels and teach you the spells so you can get familiar with managing the entire Blood Dream Arena."

Then Gune led everyone in familiarizing themselves with the Blood Dream Arena and taught them the catalyst spells.

The Blood Dream Elves would not emerge for some time yet.

Although the powerful nature of the Divine Crown would grant the Blood Dream Elves some intelligence upon emergence,

they would still need continuous learning to manage the Blood Dream Arena.

The former crew of the Demon Whale would be their teachers.

Next, Gune considered whether to develop the Blood Dream Arena with his own people or in cooperation with the Transcendent Association.

After careful thought, he ultimately decided to do it himself.

Though it would be a bit troublesome,

he would not be constrained by the Transcendent Association.

Nor would he have to worry about factional struggles within the Association spilling into the Blood Dream Arena.

At the same time, by not approaching the Association, he could naturally reject their unreasonable requests.

Even if the Association wanted to enter, they would have to follow the rules Gune set, and none of the required sacrifices could be avoided.

At worst, Gune could just shrug and say, 'I am merely a vassal of that existence; all rules are set by the great one. I can help you sacrifice and give you some discounts.'

A few hours later,

everyone used the spells Gune had taught them to leave the Blood Dream Arena.

As they left, each vaguely sensed that the continent of Oya was about to undergo a transformation.

But they did not know the specific impact.

What they did know was what they had to do: spread the news of the Blood Dream Arena.

Let more people sacrifice to the great existence and enter the Blood Dream Arena.

…

In a secret chamber,

Bastet Johnson opened his eyes.

He lowered his head in contemplation.

First, he considered what benefits he could gain from these permissions.

After careful thought, the shrewd Bastet Johnson quickly realized that if he could truly control the permissions Gune had given him, and if enough people entered the Blood Dream Arena, he could use his authority to amass a fortune in gold pounds.

And this profit, as Gune Lawrence had clearly stated, would belong entirely to them.

"Fortunately, I'm on 'Dragon Island.' The Blood Dream Arena, a place of combat, timely information exchange, and potentially a trading hub for the continent's elite—I think the pirate kings will love this place."

"I need to tell them quickly."

With that, Bastet Johnson ended his seclusion, opened the chamber's barrier, and prepared to visit the pirate captain he was currently serving, who was close to becoming a minor pirate king.

…

On a tourist island, night had fallen. The sky was hazy, deep and oppressive.

Old Sea Chart urgently woke several sailors who had already retired for the night.

This place was not far from Harutov Harbor.

And Old Sea Chart's connections were exceptionally broad; he knew many wealthy sea merchants.

He believed such a place of information exchange would be irresistible to those merchants.

…

As these people acted,

other transcendents with relevant information channels also began their own moves.

Some through friends,

others through close acquaintances,

quickly spreading the word about the Blood Dream Arena.

…

In a dim, small secret chamber, Gune slowly opened his eyes.

"The seeds have been sown. How they bloom will be left to time."

He mused inwardly.

"Next, I'll cultivate in seclusion, focusing on comprehending the three great mysteries of World, Darkness, and Destruction to steadily improve my strength. I hope to advance directly to Transcendent Master by the end of this cultivation."

"By then, I will truly have the ability to protect myself."

"Whether it's my soul transforming into a star soul scattered across the world, or my mystery tome 'Demon Annihilation Erosion Blade' leveling up, along with other tomes—these will ensure that even as a newly promoted Transcendent Master, I possess considerable strength."

Gune was also aware that after obtaining the Divine Crown, many in the transcendent world had set their sights on him, and he indeed needed sufficient power.

While Gune himself cultivated in seclusion in the Star Observation Tower, comprehending mysteries,

his demonic sub-soul simultaneously comprehended the mystery of Destruction and managed the Blood Dream World, accepting various sacrifices.

As Gune had anticipated,

the day after the news of the Blood Dream Arena spread,

people began reciting the true name of the Nightmare Sovereign and making sacrifices using small altars.

Naturally, Gune did not refuse these sacrifices.

He accepted the offerings and cast the blood crystals into the Blood Dream Arena, his movements practiced.

Later, when the Blood Dream Elves were born, they would handle these tasks.

In the following days,

sacrifices seemed to explode in number.

From the interior of Oya Continent to the seas and remote areas, many people used altars to sacrifice to the great Nightmare Sovereign.

At this stage, Gune accepted all sacrifices without exception.

Whether it was a large altar, a medium one, a small one, or even a makeshift altar, Gune responded to all.

In just four days, the number of blood crystals reached 100, meaning a hundred people could enter the Blood Dream Arena.

Once the blood crystal count reached one hundred,

Gune raised the quantity and quality of sacrifices required.

Originally, one sixth-tier corpse allowed a sixth-tier human to enter.

With the threshold of 100 people reached,

the sacrifice requirement became two sixth-tier corpses for one sixth-tier transcendent to enter.

At the same time, Gune stopped responding to makeshift altars.

The entry threshold had risen.

This was exactly the information Gune had clearly given to the Demon Whale crew.

Early entrants get discounts; the later you enter, the higher the price.

As Gune stopped responding and raised the sacrifice price,

many transcendents grumbled in secret,

but they clearly accelerated their collection of sacrificial items.

Powerful transcendent corpses and supernatural creature remains—things they had previously ignored—suddenly became hot commodities.

After the many transcendents who entered the Blood Dream Arena realized its wonders,

they spread the word, naturally making more transcendents eager to enter.

Moreover, in the future, the sacrifice price might rise further.

This naturally urged those wealthy and powerful transcendents to enter the Blood Dream World more urgently.

The Blood Dream Arena grew wildly across the entire Oya Continent at a frantic pace.

And as it grew wildly, it in turn attracted more people to enter.

Amidst this scramble for sacrifices, the blood pool began to expand frantically.