Dragon and Lion Clash, Evenly Matched

The two faced each other in the Soul Fighting Arena. For a moment, two waves of pressure centered on them began to clash, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

This surprised Su He somewhat. As the owner of a lion-type martial soul, his command over pressure far surpassed that of other soul masters. He had even mastered an AoE skill like Awe-Inspiring Mountains and Rivers, similar to Conqueror's Haki. Yet although his pressure held the advantage, he had no way to quickly suppress his opponent. It was clear that Crimson Dragon was a truly capable elite soul master.

Crimson Dragon has some skill, Su He thought. But Xue'er is watching. I can't lose.

"You're no match for me, kid."

Crimson Dragon looked at Su He and shook his head.

"I came from the Heaven Dou Empire's military, rising step by step from an ordinary soldier. I can tell that you haven't been tempered by much battlefield experience." He looked at Su He as he spoke slowly.

"Your pressure is strong, but it lacks killing intent. You're still young, aren't you?"

"So what?" Su He would not let his opponent lead him by the nose. "It's still better than becoming a lackey of the powerful. At least I live freely."

"The prince showed me the grace of remaking my life. I swore to be loyal to him." Crimson Dragon smiled. "We have nothing more to say. Let's begin!"

"May both soul masters salute!" The host's voice rang out at just the right moment, accompanied by fireworks, lights, and the cheers of the audience.

Su He was not as arrogant as before. Crimson Dragon was a soldier and an upright man. Earlier, he had genuinely urged Su He to leave out of concern for his safety, not to mock him. He was worthy of respect.

"Golden Lion, martial soul: Abyssal Golden Lion. Level thirty-eight assault-type Battle Soul Master! Please enlighten me!"

Su He completed his Martial Soul Possession. Lion ears grew from his head, golden mane-like fur appeared across his face, and the claws on his hands gleamed with chilling light. Behind him, the majestic phantom of a golden lion roared toward the sky as Awe-Inspiring Mountains and Rivers activated!

Beneath Su He's feet, three soul rings—yellow, purple, purple—appeared in sequence, instantly setting the entire arena ablaze with excitement!

"My heavens, what are we seeing? Golden Lion's second soul ring is actually at the Thousand-Year level!" the host cried out in shock.

"Crimson Dragon, martial soul: Blaze Earth Dragon. Level forty-eight assault-type Battle Soul Sect! Please enlighten me!"

Crimson Dragon also completed his Martial Soul Possession. His martial soul looked almost exactly like the White Armored Earth Dragon recorded in ancient texts. Clearly, it was a mutated martial soul of the White Armored Earth Dragon.

Four soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose one after another beneath Crimson Dragon's feet. The two sides stood at swords' points, and the tension in the arena instantly reached its peak!

"Begin!"

At the command, both figures vanished in an instant. When they reappeared, they were already in midair!

Su He immediately used Explosive Step, combining it with the elusive footwork of Three Thousand Lightning Movements as he engaged Crimson Dragon in close-quarters combat! They traded blow for blow, every punch landing solidly! Crimson Dragon's close-combat ability was the strongest Su He had seen among soul masters of the same level so far, placing considerable pressure on him. But in terms of physique, Su He's body had been tempered and strengthened by two Immortal Herbs and a Spirit Pill, making him far stronger than Crimson Dragon! This left the two locked in an intense, evenly matched battle.

One possessed a powerful physique, while the other wielded extraordinary techniques honed in the military. This was an evenly matched clash between dragon and lion!

"Since you came from the military, then please teach me a thing or two!" Su He threw a full-power heavy punch. Crimson Dragon crossed his arms to block it, but the tremendous force still sent him staggering back onto the platform.

What terrifying brute strength, Crimson Dragon thought in shock, though his expression remained unchanged.

In an instant, two yellow soul rings lit up in succession.

"First Spirit Skill, Blazing Dragon Body! Second Spirit Skill, Fierce Flame Frenzy!"

The enhancement and attack flowed together seamlessly as Crimson Dragon charged toward Su He, engulfed in flames!

"Hmph! First Spirit Skill, Golden Lion Battle Physique! Second Spirit Skill, Golden Lion Blazing Light Bullet!" Seeing this, Su He immediately strengthened himself as well, then released his Second Spirit Skill to harass Crimson Dragon's advance from afar.

The Blazing Light Bullet struck the charging Crimson Dragon without surprise. He immediately felt dizzy, and realizing something was wrong, he instantly retreated and lit up his third Thousand-Year Soul Ring. "Third Spirit Skill, Blazing Dragon Armor!" The White Armored Earth Dragon's back armor suddenly burst into brilliant flames. Like the tortoise shells of the Black Tortoise brothers in the Original Work, Crimson Dragon removed it and held it in his hand!

Using his Spiritual Power to determine the direction of Su He's attack, the shield armor in Crimson Dragon's hand erupted with intense red light. "Guard!"

Seeing that Crimson Dragon had fallen into a dizzy state, Su He naturally did not let such a good opportunity to attack pass him by. Activating Explosive Step, he threw a punch—only for the quick-reacting Crimson Dragon to activate his Third Spirit Skill. The instant Su He's fist touched Crimson Dragon's shield armor, he was sent flying backward! Crimson Dragon's Third Spirit Skill unexpectedly had a second effect: as long as the damage received did not exceed its limit, it would be completely reflected back onto the opponent!

After flying back more than ten meters, Su He wiped the corner of his mouth.

He had not expected Crimson Dragon to possess such a powerful defensive soul skill. He immediately lit up his First Soul Ring again and rushed forward to continue fighting Crimson Dragon.

After taking up the shield, Crimson Dragon's close-combat ability declined noticeably. Helpless, he could only cancel his Third Spirit Skill. He continued fighting Su He with his First and Second Spirit Skills, which was exactly what Su He wanted. He already possessed extremely powerful fire immunity, but Crimson Dragon did not know that. He still charged in to fight at close range, hoping to burn him.

The two fought fiercely, while every spectator in the arena stared at them without blinking.

How could Su He fail to see through Crimson Dragon's intentions? He could only think, You're still too naive.

Finding an opening, Su He used a heavy punch to create distance, then activated his Second Spirit Skill again. Crimson Dragon immediately shut his eyes to prevent the dazzling effect.

He realized that if this continued, he would be the only one being worn down. Although the Soul Master before him had ten levels less Soul Power, his cheat-like physical qualities and the sharp claws granted by his martial soul forced Crimson Dragon to use his Third Spirit Skill just to barely withstand him.

And that strange movement technique made many of his effective attacks almost impossible to land!

This young man was simply an unfathomable monster!

Feeling the little Soul Power he had left, Crimson Dragon stopped holding back. "First Spirit Skill, Blazing Dragon Body! Fourth Spirit Skill, Explosive Flame Meteor!" After enhancing himself, Crimson Dragon instantly lit up the Fourth Spirit Skill he had yet to use. His entire body was wrapped in scorching red flames as he firmly locked onto Su He! No matter how Su He tried to evade with Three Thousand Lightning Movements, it was useless. Su He immediately understood that this Fourth Spirit Skill possessed a locking effect like Zhao Wuji's ability and could not be evaded through ordinary means. Su He activated his Second Spirit Skill to attack the incoming Crimson Dragon, only to find that he could not halt his opponent's advance.

With that in mind, Su He immediately decided to take the attack head-on!

"First Spirit Skill, Golden Lion Battle Physique!" Su He lit up his First Soul Ring to raise his defense. Facing the charging Crimson Dragon, he roared, "Indestructible Golden Body!"

In that instant, Su He felt the scorching flames crashing into him. An immense force struck him, sending him flying backward across the ground. He retreated dozens of meters before barely stopping at the edge of the arena!

Su He's feet had gouged a black trench into the ground, showing just how powerful Crimson Dragon's Fourth Spirit Skill was!

Seeing that Su He had not yet been blasted out of the arena, Crimson Dragon panted heavily as a bad feeling rose within him.