Chapter 83: Forced to Swallow the Demon Core

The other Demon Beasts could only watch helplessly as Zhang Yi's family gorged themselves, their drool practically forming a river.

With the crisis resolved, Zhang Yi finally turned around, ready to properly enjoy his spoils of war.

However, the scene before his eyes left him dumbfounded.

The mountain of roasted meat was now reduced to a pile of white bones, as clean as if they had been licked by dogs.

Mother Jubiao, Nudi, the Pterosaur, Xiao Pu, and even the little Earth Dragon were all patting their bellies, looking completely satisfied.

Zhang Yi pointed at the pile of skeletons, his voice displeased, "You... couldn't you have left some for me? I was the one who took down this lion, after all!"

Mother Jubiao elegantly picked her teeth and patted Zhang Yi's shoulder with her wing, "Son, you have the strength; I believe you can still hunt more food. I didn't eat these; I saved them for our family, just in case of an emergency."

Zhang Yi's mouth twitched, "If you weren't going to eat it, give it to me! I'm still starving!"

He had worked himself to the bone to defeat Shizhentian, only to not get a single bite of meat—this was too much of a loss!

He looked toward Nudi, but as soon as the little girl noticed his gaze, she immediately bared her teeth at him, guarding her food.

A low warning sound emanated from her throat, as if saying: "Try snatching my meat and see what happens!"

Even the usually well-behaved Pterosaur waved a piece of meat at him.

It said pitifully, "Brother Yi, I only got this little bit, and it was all snatched away by your sister! Hurry up and get back in the Arena to compete; hurry and get some more meat for me to eat!"

Looking at these heartless creatures, Zhang Yi was rendered completely speechless.

What kind of family is this!

With the food all divided up and gone, the only thing left to replenish his strength was Shizhentian's Third-tier Demon Core.

However, that guy's Demon Core was at the level of a Third-rank Great Divine Beast! If he swallowed it in one gulp, he definitely wouldn't be able to handle it.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yi decided to consume it bit by bit, so he could digest it slowly.

He carefully took the Demon Core out of his Storage Bag; the Demon Core emitted a faint golden light and contained powerful energy.

As a result, the moment he took out the Demon Core, Nudi's greedy eyes scanned over, flashing with intensity.

Zhang Yi felt a jolt, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed it in one gulp!

"Gulp!"

As the Demon Core entered his belly, a scorching heat instantly spread throughout his entire body, as if he had swallowed a ball of fire!

Zhang Yi felt his internal organs burning, his meridians throbbing, his blood vessels bulging, and his body felt like it was about to explode!

"Damn it! This thing is way too potent!"

Zhang Yi inwardly cried out in alarm, hurriedly sitting cross-legged to circulate his cultivation technique, attempting to refine this violent energy.

Seeing this, Mother Jubiao hurried forward and asked with concern, "Son, how could you swallow a whole Demon Core just like that!?"

Zhang Yi gritted his teeth, beads of sweat the size of beans seeping from his forehead, "It's fine, Mother, I can refine it..."

When Nudi saw Zhang Yi swallow the Demon Core, her little face immediately fell, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, looking utterly heartbroken.

"Fine, you brat! I knew that was what you were planning! Hogging it all for yourself! Aren't you afraid of bursting yourself to death!

Serves you right! It really serves you right! Sooner or later, you'll pay the price for your selfishness!"

Zhang Yi had no time to deal with her right now; he only felt as if he had a furnace in his stomach, and his internal organs were burning painfully.

A surge of violent energy rampaged through his body, causing him to grimace in pain as cold sweat poured down.

He inwardly cursed himself for his impulsive hands, truly blinded by greed; to avoid these starving ghosts, he had actually done something so stupid.

Wouldn't it have been better to find a secluded corner and digest it slowly?

Well, now that he'd done it, if he really did explode, wouldn't he become the laughingstock of the Demon Beast world?

The surrounding Demon Beasts were also stunned, each of them widening their eyes, looking at Zhang Yi as if he were a monster.

"Is this kid crazy? He dares to swallow a Third-tier Demon Core directly?"

"Exactly, he's only a First-tier Great Divine Beast; that's a gap of two major realms! Is he tired of living?"

"Tsk tsk, there's a good show to watch; maybe he'll explode and die in a moment!"

The discussions rose and fell like buzzing flies, making Zhang Yi feel annoyed and distracted.

He endured the excruciating pain, sat cross-legged, and circulated his cultivation technique, trying to guide this violent energy.

But this energy was simply too overbearing and refused to obey.

It rampaged through his body as if it wanted to tear him apart.

Zhang Yi felt his blood vessels about to burst, and his skin began to turn red, like a boiled shrimp.

He gritted his teeth and desperately suppressed this energy, but he felt increasingly powerless.

"I'm going to die! I'm going to die! This time I'm really going to die!"

Zhang Yi wailed in his heart; he could even feel the scent of death approaching him.

At this critical moment, Zhang Yi remembered he still had a trump card—the Taotie Feast!

This thing was usually incredibly fast at digesting food, but digesting a Demon Core...

He had never actually tried it.

Whatever, might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive!

The buzzing discussions around him sounded to Zhang Yi like a swarm of flies darting around his ears, annoying him to death.

He simply closed his eyes, steeled his heart, blocked out all the noise, and focused all his attention on his stomach.

"Taotie Feast, activate!"

Zhang Yi silently chanted in his heart, mobilizing this miraculous power.

Strangely enough, the energy that had been rampaging through his body and refusing to be controlled...

The moment the Taotie Feast was activated, it miraculously became docile.

It began to flow in an orderly fashion.

Zhang Yi could clearly feel streams of pure energy being absorbed into every part of his body.

The original burning pain gradually subsided, replaced by a warm, comfortable sensation.

"Heh, it really works!"

Zhang Yi was secretly delighted; it seemed this Taotie Feast could not only digest food but also digest Demon Beast cores!

This was truly an unexpected joy.

As the energy was continuously absorbed, Zhang Yi felt his strength also constantly increasing.

His damaged meridians and blood vessels gradually returned to normal.

The fear of being on the verge of exploding and dying also vanished without a trace.

"Hoo..."

Zhang Yi let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes.

As Zhang Yi slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that came into view were the expressions on the faces of the surrounding Demon Beasts, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Damn! He actually refined it!"

"This kid really has some skills!"

"I thought he was going to kick the bucket, but who would have thought..."

"This kid digested such a large Demon Beast core, he must be about to break through, right?"

The buzzing sound of discussion darted around his ears like flies, and Zhang Yi frowned in annoyance.

He had no interest in paying attention to these onlookers; he just wanted to find a quiet place to properly digest this surging energy.

As for the competition?

To hell with the competition! Whoever wants to watch it can watch it!

Zhang Yi stood up and brushed the dust off his backside.

Ignoring the gazes around him—whether shocked, envious, or hateful—he walked straight out of the Arena.