Lena had also felt the unsettling aura Si Yao had unconsciously let off. She frowned. Though she was somewhat unwilling to admit it, after seeing Ge Xiaolun get thoroughly crushed, she had to concede that, in a one-on-one fight, her team probably couldn't beat Su Xiao Li right now.
"Fine!" Lena gritted her teeth. "Everyone, get ready for a team battle! Don't hold back! Show her what you've got! Don't let her look down on us!"
At Lena's direction, the Xiong Bing Lian Members quickly formed up.
It wasn't exactly honorable to gang up on one girl, but if they still lost, the Xiong Bing Lian—and Lena herself—would be utterly humiliated!
The team members exchanged glances. Though frustrated, they rallied and prepared to take their positions.
Just then, Si Yao spoke again. "Get your weapons. This isn't child's play."
Lena paused, hesitating. "Take our weapons? That... doesn't seem right."
The others were one thing, but the power of Ge Xiaolun's Anti-Void Greatsword and Liu Chuang's Nuoxing War God God Slaying Axe was no joke!
Especially Liu Chuang's God-Slaying Power. It could inflict fatal damage on a Third Generation God Body! What if he couldn't hold back...
"It doesn't matter." Si Yao's tone remained calm. "I don't think they can hurt her. If anything goes wrong, I'll step in."
Hearing that, Lena stopped hesitating. Si Yao had said as much, so continuing to object would only make her look fussy.
"Good! Full armament!" Lena ordered. "Qi Lin, provide long-range support! Qiangwei, maneuver and flank! Xiaolun and Liu Chuang, take the front! Zhao Xin, circle around the flank! Mengmeng and Yaowen, provide support! Move!"
The Xiong Bing Lian Members sprang into action. Ge Xiaolun summoned his Black Greatsword, Liu Chuang hoisted his fearsome God Slaying Axe, Qi Lin set up her sniper rifle, and a Dark Alloy Dagger appeared in Qiangwei's hand. Zhao Xin remained unarmed, while Rui Mengmeng and Cheng Yaowen took up fighting stances.
Facing the fully armed Xiong Bing Lian, who stood ready for battle, Su Xiao Li took a deep breath. Her gaze grew intensely focused.
The team battle began!
Seeing how outnumbered and out-equipped she was, Su Xiao Li decided to hold nothing back!
With a thought, the White Fox Tail Phantom behind her suddenly split and expanded!
In the blink of an eye, nine enormous, fluffy White Fox Tails, seemingly woven from moonlight and mist, unfurled behind her like vast barriers, filling nearly half the training ground!
At the same time, thick White Mist, carrying a strange, sweet fragrance, rapidly spread outward from her, engulfing the entire training ground!
A powerful Mental Interference Force Field permeated the mist, blurring and distorting everyone's sight, hearing, and sense of direction!
"Stay alert! Watch the formation!" Qiangwei immediately warned, trying to steady the team.
But before she'd finished speaking—
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two enormous fox tails pierced the thick mist like Phantoms, wrapping precisely around Qi Lin at the rear of the formation and Rui Mengmeng on the flank!
"Ah!"
"Ugh!"
Two brief cries and dull thuds rang out almost simultaneously!
Qi Lin and Rui Mengmeng had no time to react. The tremendous force in the tails and a Mental Impact that struck straight into their minds made their vision go black. They lost consciousness instantly, and the tails tossed them outside the battle zone.
Two members of the Xiong Bing Lian were down in the opening moments! Their long-range sniper and one of their close-combat guards had been taken out in a flash!
"What?!"
The others were aghast.
The thick mist badly interfered with their vision and senses. Relying on her keen Spatial Perception, Qiangwei barely managed to catch Su Xiao Li's next path of movement. "Left! Xiaolun, suppress her!"
At her words, Ge Xiaolun didn't hesitate. He let out a roar, swung his enormous Black Greatsword in both hands, and brought it down hard toward the direction Qiangwei had indicated!
But—
"Xiaolun, what are you doing?!" Cheng Yaowen shouted in alarm and anger.
Ge Xiaolun's powerful strike wasn't aimed at Su Xiao Li in the mist. He was swinging straight at Qiangwei beside him!
Qiangwei hadn't expected it at all. Her pupils contracted, and she had no time to dodge!
At the last second, Cheng Yaowen seized control of the ground. A stone wall shot up between her and the sword!
Boom!
The Black Greatsword slammed into the wall, scattering chunks of stone!
"Xiaolun! Have you lost your damn mind?!" Liu Chuang shouted, shocked and furious. He swung the back of his axe into the back of Ge Xiaolun's head, making him stagger.
Ge Xiaolun clutched his head, baffled and aggrieved. "I... I clearly saw Su Xiao Li right there! I swear! She was standing where Qiangwei was!"
Su Xiao Li's faint, elusive laughter drifted out of the mist.
A chill ran down everyone's backs!
Zhao Xin suddenly realized what was happening and cried out, "Holy crap! It's an illusion?! The mist can create hallucinations?!"
As everyone panicked, two more dull thuds sounded in the White Mist. Cheng Yaowen and Zhao Xin were struck by the fox tails, suffering the same fate as Qi Lin and Rui Mengmeng.
In the blink of an eye, only Ge Xiaolun, Liu Chuang, and Qiangwei remained, struggling to hold their ground.
Su Xiao Li's figure flickered in and out of sight through the White Mist. Her Nine Fox Tails moved through it as if they had minds of their own.
Each strike was precise and ruthless. Paired with the unpredictable Mental Interference and illusions, they completely shattered the Xiong Bing Lian's formation.
"How... how are we supposed to fight this?" Liu Chuang gripped his battle axe, sweat beading on his forehead. "We can't even tell where she is!"
Qiangwei gritted her teeth. Her time-space abilities were difficult to use under the interference of an illusion on this scale.
Worse still, she realized that some kind of force was distorting her Spatial Perception.
Ge Xiaolun was in even greater disarray. Under the influence of the illusions, his teammates kept changing into Su Xiao Li in his eyes, making him afraid to strike.
Time trickled by amid the thick mist and confusion.
Qiangwei fought through the dizziness caused by the Mental Interference and tried to organize an effective defense. She shouted toward where she remembered Liu Chuang had been standing. "Liu Chuang! Get over here! We—"
Her words cut off.
The spot where Liu Chuang should have been standing had turned into Su Xiao Li, who wore a sly smile.
The "Su Xiao Li" raised an Energy Bullet and was about to fire at her.
"Look out!" Qiangwei took no chances. She instinctively dodged sideways, then used Micro Wormhole Transport to appear behind "Su Xiao Li" and launch a fierce kick.
But she hadn't kicked Su Xiao Li at all!
Thump!
A dull impact rang out, followed by Liu Chuang's bewildered yelp. "Qiangwei?! Why'd you kick me?!"
At the moment Qiangwei's senses had been completely distorted, the "Su Xiao Li" she saw had actually been Liu Chuang!
Liu Chuang had seen Qiangwei suddenly attack him and was so confused that he hadn't reacted in time. He took the kick full-on.
Just as Liu Chuang staggered and lost focus—
"Silence!"
A furious, confused shout rang out!
It was Ge Xiaolun!
The mist and illusions had left him unable to tell friend from foe. He thought Su Xiao Li was everywhere.
Seeing "Su Xiao Li" apparently about to attack Qiangwei, he panicked and activated his Anti-Void Ability again. At the same time, he swung his greatsword with both hands, sweeping it hard toward Liu Chuang!
The massive Black Sword Blade cut through the air and struck Liu Chuang squarely in the back before he could react!
"Holy crap!!!"
Liu Chuang felt an irresistible force hit him from behind. As if he'd been struck by a speeding truck, his vision went black and he flew forward uncontrollably. He couldn't get back up for a while.
"Xiaolun! You..." Qiangwei was shocked and furious to see Ge Xiaolun hit Liu Chuang so hard.
But once again, her words were cut short.
In Ge Xiaolun's severely distorted perception, Qiangwei, who had just "sent Liu Chuang flying," blurred and became that hateful, grinning "Su Xiao Li" once more!
And that "Su Xiao Li" was charging at him!
"That's enough! Stop!" Ge Xiaolun's eyes were bloodshot. He had completely lost his reason. He raised his greatsword again and swung with all his strength at the "Su Xiao Li" charging toward him!
"Ge Xiaolun! Look at me!" Qiangwei shouted in alarm and anger, retreating quickly as she tried to snap him out of it.
But Ge Xiaolun, affected by both the illusions and his Anti-Void Ability, couldn't hear her!
The terrifyingly powerful sword was about to come down—
"That's enough."
Si Yao's calm voice rang out once again, carrying a strange power that pierced the mist and Mental Interference, reaching everyone clearly.
At the same time, the thick White Mist blanketing the field seemed to be seized by an invisible hand. It rapidly contracted and vanished.
The Nine Great Fox Tail Illusions also quietly disappeared behind Su Xiao Li, leaving just one tail swaying gently.
The training ground came back into view.
Su Xiao Li stood in the middle of the field, breathing slightly hard. Her face was pale, showing how much it had cost her to sustain such a vast Illusion Domain, but her eyes still shone brightly.
Around her, the Xiong Bing Lian Members lay sprawled across the ground.
When Ge Xiaolun saw the mist clear and the carnage on the field—especially Liu Chuang, whom he'd struck flying, and Qiangwei, whom he'd nearly hit—he froze. His greatsword clanged to the ground.
"What... what have I done?" he murmured, his face full of regret and disbelief.
The entire training ground fell silent.
In the viewing area, Lianfeng quietly lowered her Data Panel and rubbed her brow, at a loss for words.
Lena's face had gone dark as a thundercloud. Looking at her battered teammates, especially Ge Xiaolun, who had done little but "make things worse" throughout the fight, she felt a nameless fury surge through her, but had nowhere to vent it.
The team battle ended in a way no one could have predicted—almost comical, but not funny at all.
The Xiong Bing Lian had assembled some of Earth Super Seminary's finest Super Soldiers. Despite having overwhelming advantages in both numbers and equipment, they had been wiped out by Su Xiao Li alone—or, more accurately, by their own confusion and attacks on one another.
No one had suffered a truly life-threatening injury, but the blow to their morale was almost devastating.
They had trained and practiced together for so long, learning all kinds of tactics and strategies, only to perform so terribly when put to the test in a real fight.
In the Monitoring Room, Dukao watched the Xiong Bing Lian Members hang their heads on the screen and let out a deep sigh.
"The gap... is it really that big?"
He wasn't only concerned with Su Xiao Li's bizarre Illusion and Mental Control abilities. He was even more troubled by the Xiong Bing Lian's helplessness and confusion when faced with this kind of unconventional fighting style.
Si Yao paid no attention to the others' reactions. He simply gave Su Xiao Li a slight nod.
A radiant smile immediately bloomed on her face. She hurried over to him like a child waiting for praise.
[ Ding! ]
[Your demonstration has convinced Angel He Xi, Angel Yan, Angel Chase, Dukao, Lianfeng, Lena, Qiangwei, and others that the "Yuanshi Realm Divine Power" and "Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox" genetic abilities are real!]
["Yuanshi Realm Divine Power" manifestation progress: 100%]
["Su Xiao Li · Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox" Super Gene complete manifestation progress: 62%]
[True Points gained: 200,000]
[Current True Points: 708,560]
A hint of satisfaction flashed in Si Yao's eyes.
This "performance" had been well worth it.
It seemed the investment in Su Xiao Li would soon pay for itself.
Before you continue