Battle Yu Tianheng

Battle Yu Tianheng

"Kid."

A hoarse voice suddenly rang out beside the three of them, and Feng Yao's fingertips jerked instinctively. Dugu Bo had appeared beneath the shade of a locust tree at some unknown moment, the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor flickering behind him.

"Senior Dugu?" Feng Yao quickly rose and bowed to him.

Yu Feng, however, stiffened all over. His folding fan fell to the ground with a clatter as he hastily bowed. "G-Greetings, Poison Douluo!" Even his voice had changed pitch.

Dugu Yan let out a cold snort and deliberately turned her face away, refusing to look at her grandfather.

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Old Poison's face as he gave Yu Feng a meaningful look. Yu Feng looked as though he had been granted a pardon. He did not even stop to pick up his fan before vanishing in a flash, leaving behind only an afterimage like a wisp of green smoke.

Once Yu Feng had completely disappeared, Dugu Bo's imposing Title Douluo demeanor instantly collapsed. Rubbing his hands together, he sidled up to Dugu Yan like an old servant who had done wrong. "Yan Yan, what is it? Are you still angry with Grandpa?" His voice was so soft it could have dripped water.

Dugu Yan tossed her purple hair and deliberately twisted her body toward the other side.

"Oh, my Little Ancestor!" Dugu Bo grew so anxious that his beard stood on end. "Back then, Spirit Hall hunted Grandpa until I only had half my life left. If Xue Xing hadn't brought the Royal Knight Order..." As he spoke, he began frantically signaling Feng Yao with his eyes, looking exactly like an Old Fox.

Suppressing a laugh, Feng Yao stroked the zither and chimed in, "That's right, Sister Yan. Even without Senior Dugu this time, Xue Beng and his group would have found trouble sooner or later. With Shrek's abilities, once they leave this gilded cage, they might even soar to great heights."

"Exactly, exactly!" Dugu Bo hurriedly agreed, nodding like a pecking chick. "Those little brats would be welcomed anywhere. Why stay in this..." He suddenly trailed off when he noticed his granddaughter's shoulders trembling suspiciously. At once, he beat his chest and stamped his feet. "Well, well! You little girl, you were deliberately messing with Grandpa!"

Dugu Yan finally could not hold back her laughter. By then, Dugu Bo had also realized that his own granddaughter had played him.

"Enough, Grandpa. We expected this all along." Dugu Yan covered her mouth as she laughed, her shifting eyes filled with mischief.

Only then did Dugu Bo catch on. Turning around, he glared at Feng Yao. "You little bastard! You two joined forces to make a fool of me?"

Feng Yao spread his hands innocently, and the zither strings gave a clear ring on their own. "This junior didn't say anything."

"Hmph!" Dugu Bo flung his sleeve and snorted. "You'd better be more careful lately. Don't get too close to that brat Xue Qinghe. If it weren't for me, you'd have ended up just like Shrek's people."

Feng Yao's expression tightened, and he bowed slightly. "Thank you, Senior, for mediating on my behalf."

Dugu Bo's expression eased somewhat. A drop of emerald-like venom condensed at his fingertip, while the phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor flickered behind him. "A genius is still only a genius." The venom refracted an eerie light beneath the sun. "Like those little brats today, before a true powerhouse..."

"This junior has learned from your words." Feng Yao bowed again.

Dugu Bo suddenly grinned, baring his pale teeth. "But you, kid..." He patted Feng Yao's shoulder. "You understand better than those Shrek blockheads how to survive in this gilded cage."

"Grandpa, it would be best if you showed yourself less often lately." A sly gleam flashed in Dugu Yan's eyes. "There's a little girl from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in Shrek."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is no... Wait, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?" Dugu Bo choked midway through his sentence, and even his beard bristled.

Seeing her grandfather at a loss, Dugu Yan could not help laughing.

"Cough. She's merely a branch-line disciple." Dugu Bo forced himself to save face as he stroked his beard. "Those two old geezers wouldn't possibly..."

"She's the greatest genius the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has produced in a hundred years," Dugu Yan added lightly.

"Hmph! Even if those two old geezers came..." The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor flickered behind Dugu Bo, though his voice unconsciously lowered a few degrees. "If I can't beat them, can't I just poison their sect?" After saying that, he guiltily glanced at his granddaughter.

Feng Yao gently played the zither and smiled. "Senior, you worry too much. With the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's wisdom, they would never make things difficult for you over this matter."

"Mmm, that makes sense." Dugu Bo readily took the way out. His figure had already begun to fade. "Kid, take good care of Yan Yan." Before his words had even faded, he had turned into a wisp of jade light and vanished, leaving only several leaves corroded by poison mist drifting slowly to the ground.

Feng Yao brushed his fingers over the strings and smiled. "Time to go back and train, Sister Yan." He turned and walked toward the academy, morning light flowing across his moon-white robes as Fuxi glimmered with a clear radiance in his arms.

A bright curve lifted Dugu Yan's lips. "Mm." She followed lightly, but when her gaze fell upon Feng Yao's upright back, the smile in her purple eyes gradually faded. The sunlight scattered across the youth's shoulders was too dazzling, making his solitary figure playing the zither seem all the more lonely and desolate. She unconsciously clenched her fist, and a trace of melancholy rippled through her eyes.

Though the figure before her was within reach, it somehow felt incomparably distant. To her eyes, Feng Yao seemed veiled in a layer of mist.

A suffocating silence filled the training ground. The Imperial Dou Team members stood or sat with varying expressions, while news of Qin Ming's departure weighed on every heart like a massive stone.

When Feng Yao and Dugu Yan entered the grounds, Yu Tianheng abruptly stood. Violent Soul Power fluctuations from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon swirled around him as he strode toward them. Feng Yao's brows furrowed slightly, and with a flash, he stepped in front of Dugu Yan. Powerful Soul Power fluctuations faintly radiated from Fuxi.

"Move." Yu Tianheng's voice was low, lightning flashing in his eyes.

"Xiao Feng." Dugu Yan gently pressed Feng Yao's shoulder and said softly, "Don't worry. He doesn't have the nerve."

Feng Yao moved to the side, but his fingertips still rested lightly on the strings.

"Why?" Yu Tianheng stared fixedly at Dugu Yan and demanded, "Why, Yan Zi? Why did you drive away Teacher Qin and Uncle?"

Yu Feng flashed over at that moment and grabbed Yu Tianheng from behind. "Captain, you can't blame Yan Zi for this..."

Yu Tianheng's Soul Power surged, directly shoving Yu Feng away. His eyes remained locked on Dugu Yan. "Answer me!"

"Teacher Qin chose to leave on his own." Dugu Yan sneered, her face full of impatience. "As for your dear uncle, why don't you first ask what his students did yesterday? They beat up Xue Beng."

"He's just a spoiled prince!" Yu Tianheng's fists clenched until they cracked.

"Heh." Jade light flared in Dugu Yan's eyes. "Do you really think the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect can run wild across Heaven Dou? Don't forget that your uncle was expelled from the sect long ago. Even you—" She enunciated every word. "If you lay a hand on the Fourth Prince of the royal family, Heaven Dou Royal Academy will not tolerate you either!"

At the mention of Yu Xiaogang's expulsion, Yu Tianheng's face instantly darkened like ink. "Yan Zi, you've crossed the line."

"Who crossed the line?" Dugu Yan refused to yield an inch. "Yu Tianheng, this is not your Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. I know what you mean. Grandpa did indeed act on Prince Xue Xing's behalf and drove away your uncle and his group. That was the price for crossing the line. If you like your uncle that much, you can leave this place and go with them."

Blinding lightning suddenly erupted from Yu Tianheng's eyes. The phantom of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon fully manifested behind him, while four Spirit Rings slowly rose around his body. Violent lightning power carved charred marks across the training ground.

"Enough!" he roared. His right arm completely transformed into a dragon's limb as it shot toward Dugu Yan's face, crackling with lightning and accompanied by a thunderous dragon roar.

Feng Yao's pupils contracted, and cold light surged in his eyes. Fuxi instantly rose before him. His first Spirit Ring lit up, and all seven strings trembled at once, unleashing barriers of ice-blue soundwaves visible to the naked eye.

Boom—

Lightning collided with soundwaves, erupting in a deafening blast. The powerful shockwave instantly whipped up the robes of several nearby team members, forcing Yu Feng to spread his wings to stabilize himself.

"Yu Tianheng! Are you insane?" Feng Yao's voice had never been so cold. "Attacking a fellow student—is this the upbringing of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect?"

Fuxi's body instantly lit up, refracting rainbow light beneath the sun. Two yellow and one purple Spirit Rings appeared beneath Feng Yao's feet.

"I've wanted to test myself against you for a long time." Yu Tianheng paid no heed and continued speaking. Then his second Spirit Ring lit up. "Thunderous Might!" Countless electric serpents shot out from his body, weaving into a huge net of lightning in midair.

Dugu Yan was about to step forward, but Feng Yao stopped her with a look. His slender fingers swept across the strings, and an intense Killing Sound suddenly rang out. The manifested soundwaves sliced the lightning net into fragments.

"Third Soul Skill, Thunder Fury!" Yu Tianheng completely lost his reason. Blue dragon scales covered his entire body, and his aura surged to the level of a high-rank Soul Ancestor. This was his trump card, something he never used in ordinary training.

Watching from the sidelines, Ye Lingling hurriedly summoned the Nine Heart Begonia. The Shi Mo brothers also summoned their Martial Souls and turtle shells, preparing to make a move at any moment. Oslo stopped the two of them and said slowly, "The captain won't listen to reason right now. Let's not interfere for the moment. Xiao Feng may not lose."

"Strength gained by sacrificing reason? Then let's see whose force is greater!" Feng Yao sneered and suddenly changed his fingering. The intense Killing Sound instantly vanished. As Feng Yao's three Spirit Rings lit up, Yu Tianheng's dragon claw came within three inches of Feng Yao's throat. Then a sudden change occurred—Feng Yao's hand slashed fiercely across the strings, and a powerful Bass Note blasted straight at Yu Tianheng. Within the intense shockwave, Yu Tianheng's movements visibly slowed.

"You!" Yu Tianheng was both shocked and enraged. He discovered that no matter how much strength he used, he seemed unable to break through the shockwave created by those powerful soundwaves. The circulation of his Soul Power was being disturbed by some peculiar rhythmic pattern, and the lightning around his body was melting away like ice and snow.

"Within this powerful Bass Note, I can even use the Zither Sound to interfere with your Soul Power circulation. Go!" The next second, Yu Tianheng could no longer resist the shockwave produced by the powerful soundwaves and was instantly hurled away.

This move was Feng Yao's original combat technique, created over the past two months by combining the Mysterious Heaven Skill with his zither arts. While studying the Mysterious Heaven Skill, Feng Yao had gained a deep understanding of many critical points in Soul Power circulation. By using the Zither Sound to affect those key points, he could often effectively interrupt an opponent's Soul Power flow. Of course, it also depended on the difference in their Soul Power. If the opponent's Soul Power were like a great river, how could he possibly shake it?

"Admit defeat." Feng Yao slowly walked over to Yu Tianheng. "As you are now, you have no chance of breaking through my Zither Sound."

Yu Tianheng's eyes were bloodshot as he desperately drove his Soul Power in an attempt to break free. Yet whenever his fourth Spirit Ring lit up, Feng Yao merely raised his hand slightly, and a single note dispersed the Soul Power he had gathered. This feeling of being completely seen through was even harder for him to accept than a simple defeat.

Bang!

In the end, Yu Tianheng dropped to one knee, his dragon transformation forcibly undone. He panted heavily and looked up at Feng Yao with utter disbelief in his eyes. "When did you..."

Feng Yao stood with his zither put away and did not answer. He spent every day cultivating and thinking. How could Yu Tianheng, their captain, possibly care whether he had made a breakthrough?

Dugu Yan walked forward. Jade Phosphor Snake Poison condensed in her palm before dispersing into nothingness. Her expression was somewhat complicated as she asked, "Calmed down now?"

Yu Tianheng remained silent for a long while. Then he suddenly tore off the Heaven Dou Royal Academy badge on his chest and flung it forcefully away. "An academy like this isn't worth staying in!" As he turned, his gaze swept over every team member. "You can keep being noble playthings in this gilded cage!"

"Captain!" Yu Feng wanted to chase after him, but Shi Mo stopped him. Everyone understood that with Yu Tianheng's pride, once he left, there would be no turning back.

Yu Tianheng paused. His clenched fist loosened and tightened again. In the end, without looking back, he vanished at the far end of the training ground.

"Not bad, kid." A familiar voice reached Feng Yao's ears.

Feng Yao could not help showing a helpless expression. This old man is truly awful. He was clearly watching from the shadows, yet he still insisted on making me act.

Dugu Yan also looked toward Feng Yao at that moment, her cherry lips parting slightly. "Thank you, Xiao Feng."

Feng Yao shook his head lightly. "It was what I should have done. Sister Yan, until a new lead teacher arrives, you can take the teacher's place and arrange the training."

Dugu Yan nodded. Then she turned toward the Imperial Fighting Team and said with utmost seriousness, "Training will continue as usual."

"Yes." The Imperial Fighting Team members all responded in turn.

That evening, Feng Yao awoke from the world of zither music. The setting sun cast his shadow long, while Fuxi gave a low mournful hum in the wind.

"Was it worth it?" Dugu Yan had appeared behind him at some unknown moment. "You offended the heir of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect just to help me."

Feng Yao did not turn around. He merely plucked the strings gently and smiled. "Sister Yan and Senior have helped me a great deal too. Besides, I believe Senior will definitely handle this matter."

After a stretch of silence, Dugu Yan suddenly said, "I just received news. Yu Tianheng has applied to withdraw from the academy."

"As expected. Heaven Dou Royal Academy no longer has a place for him. Going to Shrek can be considered fulfilling his wish." Feng Yao finally turned around, a faint smile at the corner of his lips. "But I believe we will meet again at the Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament."

"Mm."