Each Showing Their Edge

Though the Sky Azure Cage had been battered and scarred by the raging lightning, its vines snapped and scorch marks spread everywhere, the defensive core within remained as solid as bedrock.

Just as the lingering force of the lightning net and surging waves had yet to fully dissipate, and the air was still filled with the acrid stench of burning and leaping arcs of electricity, three powerful figures shot out like arrows loosed from the string, bursting through the cage's now-sparser gaps in the vines and charging straight at Thunder Academy's line.

The moment the battle truly began, several heart-stopping clashes erupted at the same time.

At the center of the front.

Yu Zhijun activated "Third Soul Skill: Dragon's Fury." Serpent Thunder Surge erupted around his entire body, pushing him into an explosive state and increasing his attack power by 100%.

Bathed in the radiance of Xiao Yi's "Life Force Awakening" and strengthened by Gu Wuyan's Buff Aura, He Qiang's aura was as deep as an abyss and as towering as a mountain.

Not only did he show no fear toward the violent lightning aura rushing at him, a surging battle intent instead rose in his eyes.

He let out a low shout, and it was as if a sleeping giant dragon had awakened within him—"Dragon Soul Awakening."

An even deeper, more domineering power of bloodline erupted from his body, sharply increasing both his offense and defense at the same time (50% increase to each).

Immediately after, the war halberd wrapped in dragon-shaped lightning patterns and radiating an unruly yellow glow all over—Thunder Mad Dragon Halberd—transformed in his hands into a savage yellow lightning demon dragon. His Second Soul Ring lit up. "Dragon Shadow Combo!"

In an instant, layer upon layer of halberd shadows carrying the might of a dragon soul tore through the remaining arcs of electricity and slammed head-on, without the slightest flourish, into Thunder Academy's chief—Yu Zhijun, who had just completed his skill enhancement and was charging in with even brighter lightning around him, carrying an invincible momentum.

Blue-purple lightning burst from Yu Zhijun's eyes. Facing the halberd shadows thrusting toward him with tremendous power, he curled his five fingers into a claw, which was covered in dense, almost tangible layers of dragon scales. Blue-purple Destruction Thunder roared and compressed at his fingertips.

"First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw."

A low roar filled with Dragon Might rang out.

Pure lightning power, violent to the extreme, condensed upon the dragon claw. With a shrill whistle that seemed to tear space apart, it met the layered, tide-like halberd shadows head-on.

Boom! Sizzle—!

The purple lightning dragon halberd clashed with the Thunder Dragon Claw, and a violent collision of pure lightning energy and raw strength erupted instantly.

Blinding lightning exploded like shattered stars, and force swept outward in a ring, tearing scorched black marks into even the solid ground of the Soul Duel Stage.

He Qiang's body swayed slightly, yet he did not retreat an inch. Shock appeared in Yu Zhijun's eyes; clearly, he had not expected the other party to be so tenacious in a contest of pure lightning power.

The two domineering powerhouses met head-on, needle against awn, and instantly fell into the heart of the most primitive and most violent storm of power.

At the same time, the battles on the left and right wings also erupted fiercely in a flash.

On the left wing, Lian Shouzhong, clad in Diamond Crystal Armor, had light flowing all over his body.

This Diamond Crystal Armor did not rely solely on hardness. It possessed gem-like toughness and energy resistance, while also controlling three attributes: extreme cold frost, and illusion refraction that interfered with perception.

And the one he faced now was Ao Lie, the Crimson Flame Tyrant Dragon Soul King, whose whole body burned with scarlet flames while electric currents hissed within the fire.

The cold air radiating from the crystal armor collided with the other party's violent scarlet heat waves, constantly producing hissing sounds of evaporation, actually forming a brief deadlock.

Ao Lie's temperament was as violent as fire. He had no intention of probing, wanting to end it quickly the moment they met.

"Fourth Soul Skill: Flame Dragon Sky Shatter Strike!"

With a furious roar, his fists, wrapped in scorching flames hot enough to melt metal and savage purple lightning coiling within, condensed into a destructive dragon-shaped beam of intertwined scarlet and purple lightning. Carrying terrifying power that could shatter space, it blasted straight toward Lian Shouzhong's chest.

Lian Shouzhong's eyes focused, steady and grave.

Purple light flashed around him, and his Third Soul Ring lit up—"Third Soul Skill: Ice Shield Crystal Wall!"

The dazzling Diamond Crystal Armor on his body instantly extended outward and took shape, condensing in front of him in the blink of an eye into a massive arc-shaped ice crystal shield that radiated a chilling cold (the very same move he had combined with Luo Qianxue).

The crystal-clear ice wall was covered in profound lattice patterns, and the cold it emitted even caused fine ice crystals to form in the surrounding air. A layer of white frost instantly spread across the ground.

Boom—!!!

The destructive beam of Flame Dragon Sky Shatter Strike slammed squarely into the Ice Shield Crystal Wall.

Scorching heat and extreme cold, violence and resilience—two extreme forces clashed violently.

Fire scattered in all directions, ice shards flew, and an ear-piercing roar resounded through the entire venue.

However, just as that violent stream of flame broke through the ice wall's defense and was about to strike the deeper Diamond Crystal Armor covering Lian Shouzhong's body, the yellow soul ring within Lian Shouzhong flashed. "Second Soul Skill: Crystal Edge Counter Shock."

A layer of sharp, dense, pyramid-like ice crystal spikes instantly formed over the surface of his crystal armor (including the remnants of the ice shield).

Part of Ao Lie's heavy strike, powerful enough to shatter space, was offset and dispersed by the hardness of the ice crystal shield and the Diamond Crystal Armor itself. Yet the remaining massive impact, the instant it touched that layer of ice crystal spikes, was drawn and transformed by a strange force.

An invisible shockwave, mixed with an ice-cold chill that seemed capable of freezing the soul, suddenly rolled back and slammed fiercely into Ao Lie's chest, just as his old force had been spent and his new force had yet to rise.

"Pfft—"

Ao Lie felt an unstoppable icy shock force pierce into his body, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer.

He let out a muffled groan, and his towering body was forcibly shaken back several staggering steps by the reflected force.

Each step left a deep print in the scorched ground.

Piercing cold rapidly spread from the point of impact, and a discordant layer of deathly pale frost instantly covered his scarlet body. His qi and blood churned violently inside him, with a faint stabbing pain; he had clearly suffered some internal shock.

Lian Shouzhong, meanwhile, stood steadily amid the fragments of the ice crystal shield and the swirling cold air, his crystal armor refracting a cold, hard sheen under the firelight.

In this exchange, though the ice wall had shattered, its toughness and countering power had made the mighty Crimson Flame Tyrant Dragon suffer a hidden loss.

On the right wing, Zhu Wuneng's battle had likewise entered a white-hot stage...

In the area where strength clashed in its purest form, he had entered Tian Peng Martial Soul Possession. The Nine-Toothed Rake in his hand, flashing with cold light and carrying a force that could split mountains and sever rivers, smashed down fiercely onto Long Qi's dragon turtle shell, which was covered in hard plates and lightning patterns.

Clang—!!!

A deep, massive sound that made hearts clench shook the Soul Duel Stage.

Long Qi's enormous body, as steady as a mountain, was actually forced by this savage, pure power to stumble two steps backward against his will.

Each step that landed made the solid ground of the Soul Duel Stage groan under the strain, leaving web-like cracks behind.

A trace of unconcealable astonishment flashed across Long Qi's resolute, scale-covered face.

Ever since his martial soul had awakened, defense had been his glory, and strength had also been his reliance. How could he ever have imagined that he would be forcibly shaken back in a frontal contest of power?

And by a pig-type martial soul?!

He did not know that Zhu Wuneng's physique had once been nourished by the Primordial Immortal Herb, and the divine strength hidden within him had long since accumulated day by day until it climbed to a new peak.

If one spoke only of the domineering and boundless nature of strength, the current Zhu Wuneng truly had the confidence to look down on his opponent.

Brilliant light burst from Zhu Wuneng's eyes, and he shouted in a low voice, "Third Soul Skill: Tian Peng Battle Armor!"

Dense earthen-yellow light instantly covered his body, condensing into a thick golden armor covered in profound patterns.

Light flowed over the golden armor, and a vast sense of strength, solid defensive power, and deep endurance aura (100% increase to all three) poured out through his body, causing his entire aura to surge once more.

The muscles of his arms knotted like granite. Without the slightest hesitation, he rooted his stance through his waist and legs as one, and the fearsome Nine-Toothed Rake was once again swung up by him with tremendous force.

The air was torn apart with a wail, and the rake turned into a dark shadow wrapped in the Power of Wind and Thunder, smashing down once more toward the massive arm shield Long Qi had hastily raised across himself.

Boom, boom, boom—!!!

Continuous heavy blows fell like siege hammers pounding war drums, accompanied by visible shockwaves, surging air, and shattered stone.

The cracks in the ground beneath Long Qi's feet grew even more obvious.

As he endured this savage assault, a fierce glint flashed in Long Qi's eyes.

The purple soul ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up, and with a deep roar, he shouted, "Fourth Soul Skill: Earth Vein Tremor!"

With him at the center, a dark earthen-yellow ripple suddenly spread outward.

Wherever it passed, the ground heaved violently like a raging sea, twisting and deforming. The powerful tremor force was enough to make the bones and tendons of anyone caught within go numb, completely disrupting the opponent's rhythm.

Yet Zhu Wuneng grinned. His feet planted steadily on the ground, golden armor flowing with light around him, he shouted as well, "Secret Art: Earthquake Wave!"

With his foothold as the center, another completely different, even more violent ring-shaped tremor force erupted fiercely, as if the wrath of the earth had been utterly ignited.

Two equally powerful shockwaves collided violently.

Rumble—!!

Amid the earth-shaking roar, shattered stones and clods of earth seemed to be hurled up by an invisible giant hand, blasting wildly in every direction, while dust and smoke rolled upward like raging dragons.

Huge gullies crisscrossed the stage between the two like scars.

Zhu Wuneng and Long Qi each occupied one side, like two primordial beasts wrestling amid the dust and smoke. Every collision of strength against strength carried the most primitive, most shocking visual impact, and the vast, wild spectacle towered above the entire field.

At the same time, high above, another duel of ultimate speed erupted.

Lei En, the Storm Thunder Dragon soul master, stirred roaring wind and thunder with every beat of his wings, streaks of lightning patterns wandering along the edges of his dragon wings.

His speed was so fast that he left interwoven purple afterimages in the air, intending to tear apart Chu Youwei's defense with storm-like speed.

Chu Youwei, possessed by the Nine Heavens Spirit Crane, spread a pair of crystal-clear snowy white crane wings, her figure nimble and elegant.

By now, she had long since activated her First Soul Skill, "Crane Soaring Nine Heavens," infusing her wings with the power of wind and light to greatly increase her flying speed and evasion ability.

Facing Lei En's fierce dive, wrapped in a storm of lightning, her expression remained as calm as water.

When Lei En swept close at high speed, purple soul ring light flowed over her wings. "Third Soul Skill: Crane Dance of Nine Heavens!"

Amid a clear crane cry, Chu Youwei's figure was Graceful as a Startled Swan, leaving behind a series of elegant yet deadly phantoms in the air.

With every flicker, countless feathers as sharp as ice crystals, their edges flashing with cold light, suddenly erupted and turned into blades like snow filling the sky, shooting densely forward.

These feathers, containing penetrating force and icy chill, sliced through the air and wove into a deadly net that precisely caught high-speed targets, descending head-on toward the onrushing Lei En.

Lei En's rapidly weaving figure suddenly stalled within the feather storm.

He let out a low whistle, and his cyan soul ring shone. A barrier formed from high-speed rotating air currents and compressed electric light instantly took shape before him. "Third Soul Skill: Thunderstorm Barrier!"

The sharp feathers shot into it, ringing out with clanging sounds like metal striking metal. Though they failed to break through the defense, they successfully slowed Lei En's charge.

Storm and lightning, speed and sharp blades, clashed fiercely high in the air.