But the next instant...
A Black Giant Hand, even larger than before, surged out beside Zhang Zhenpeng and collided with the nine giant swords.
"Boom! Boom, boom!!"
An even more terrifying roar rang out.
It seemed as though the entire arena, along with everything around it, was about to be destroyed!
Dust billowed, and shockwaves surged.
A moment later, the dust began to settle.
Wang Zhi, who had saved Zhang Zhenpeng, had a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
Just now, he had forcibly combined the strength of the Thirty Ghost Shadow Soldiers. In that instant...
He had pushed the Black Giant Hand's power to the peak of the Six Rings Soul Emperor level, stopping Wu Changkong's furious attack.
The backlash had now injured him.
Zhang Zhenpeng hurriedly shielded Wang Zhi and the other two behind him, then roared at Wu Changkong.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"Killing someone during the Tianhai Competition?!"
Wu Changkong's expression remained cold.
"My disciple's life or death is unknown. I have no desire to argue over right and wrong!"
As he spoke, he raised the Heavenly Frost Sword in his hand again, preparing to strike once more.
But just then...
A piercing alarm rang throughout Tianhai Stadium.
"Woooo—woooo—woooo—"
The shrill alarm echoed above the stadium.
The Tianhai Competition had been held many times, and few had ever dared to cause trouble during it.
After all, that was tantamount to opposing the entire Skysea Alliance.
Soon, a series of whooshes sounded in the sky.
More than twenty enormous Mechas appeared above Tianhai Stadium, their Soul Guide Cannons all trained on Wu Changkong.
They were the Skysea Alliance's Mecha Force.
Every one of them was a Standard Mecha, each with combat power no weaker than a Five Ring Soul King. The purple Mecha at their head was even comparable to a Six Rings Soul Emperor.
And now, more than twenty Mechas were all aiming at one person.
Wu Changkong was surrounded.
Yet even as he found himself surrounded, his expression did not change.
He lowered his gaze to the Heavenly Frost Sword in his hand.
Then, slowly, he spoke two words.
"Heaven—Ice—"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wu Changkong's body suddenly began to glow.
White points of light appeared across his body. They quickly gathered and joined together, forming a suit of White Battle Armor that covered him from head to toe.
The armor was pure white, its lines smooth, and every plate was engraved with intricate patterns.
The moment the armor was complete, Wu Changkong seemed to become one with heaven and earth.
"Battle Armor!" Zhang Zhenpeng cried out in shock.
All the Mechas that had been preparing to act froze in midair.
Even...
They slowly lowered their Soul Guide Cannons.
A Battle Armor Master.
He was actually a Battle Armor Master!
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Wu Changkong held the Heavenly Frost Sword angled toward the ground, and his aura surged wildly, multiplying several times over.
Tian Bing.
He could not remember how long it had been since those two words had passed his lips.
Deep in his eyes, now turned a clear blue, there was mostly pain.
Just as Mechas were divided into ranks, Battle Armor also came in different ranks.
But the system for ranking Battle Armor was quite unusual.
Battle Armor was a kind of super-Mecha resembling armor, the creation of which a Soul Master personally took part in...
It was an extension of a Soul Master's power and an important part of their strength.
Any Battle Armor Master was more than twenty levels stronger than a Soul Master of the same rank.
For example, a One-Word Battle Armor Master who was already at the Five Ring level would be equivalent to a Seven Ring Soul Master after putting on their Battle Armor.
A Two-Word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to an Eight Ring Soul Master.
A Three-Word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to a Nine Ring Soul Master.
A Four-Word Battle Armor Master was equivalent to a Limit Douluo.
Battle Armor had four ranks, with an additional word added to its name with each increase in rank.
One-Word Battle Armor: every component had to be made through Thousand Refinement, and the wearer had to be at least Five Ring.
Two-Word Battle Armor: every component had to be made through Spirit Forging, and the wearer had to be at least Six Ring.
Three-Word Battle Armor: every component had to be made through Soul Forging, and the wearer had to be at least Seven Ring.
Four-Word Battle Armor: every component had to be made through Divine Forging, and the wearer had to be at least Nine Ring.
When Wu Changkong's Battle Armor was One-Word, he had named it Ice.
Usually, the name of one's Battle Armor was combined with one's own name.
So back then, in the world of Battle Armor Masters, he would have been known as Ice Wuchangkong.
Later, his Battle Armor evolved. After great effort, it reached Two-Word, and he added another word: Tian, from Heavenly Frost.
His Battle Armor's name had thus become Tian Bing.
So now, he was called Tian Bing Wuchangkong.
Tian was from the Heavenly Frost Sword; Bing was his beloved's name.
He had been unwilling to use his Battle Armor lightly because he feared that his longing would become too strong, making him unable to resist following her and leaving the promise he had made to her unfulfilled.
Battle Armor Masters also held an extraordinarily prestigious position across the continent.
Whenever an official power came into conflict with a Battle Armor Master, it had to withdraw first. The dispute would then be settled by an official Battle Armor Master.
Because...
Only a Battle Armor Master could judge another Battle Armor Master.
And so...
They held the most exalted profession on the Douluo Continent.
Why did Shrek Academy hold such an extraordinary position?
Because it was the power with the most Battle Armor Masters!
With Tian Bing equipped, Wu Changkong's overall strength was now equivalent to that of an Eight Ring Soul Douluo.
That pressure, almost tangible, enveloped the entire arena.
The more than twenty Mechas hovered in midair, unable to advance or retreat.
The Mecha Masters looked at one another, unsure what to do.
Wu Changkong slowly raised the Heavenly Frost Sword in his hand, its tip pointed directly at Zhang Zhenpeng.
And, at Wang Zhi behind him.
Along with it came...
Pressure comparable to that of an Eight Ring Soul Douluo.
The tangible pressure descended like a vast, crushing wave.
Zhang Zhenpeng's expression changed drastically. He clenched his teeth and struggled to hold his ground, firmly shielding Wang Zhi and the other two behind him.
His Martial Soul's Twin Wings trembled violently, as though they might collapse at any moment.
Faced with that overwhelming pressure, all he could do was stand firm, refusing to take a single step back.
Wang Zhi felt his chest tighten, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth once more.
Forcibly combining the power of the Thirty Ghost Shadow Soldiers had already inflicted severe backlash on him.
Now, under the crushing pressure, his injuries worsened at once.
But what weighed more heavily on his mind was his anger.
That boundless fury scorched his heart.
He didn't understand.
He had clearly done his best to avoid conflicts with the protagonists.
That was why he had chosen to face his enemies alone: to prevent Zhou Tian'er and Hanyou from using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill and seriously injuring Tang Wulin.
But in the end, the Wind Fire Twin Tornadoes had gone out of control.
To protect himself, he had chosen to give it everything he had and protect everyone.
Yet it had still ended the same way as in the Original Work.
Even Gu Yue had been seriously injured.
But no matter how he looked at it, Gu Yue and Tang Wulin had brought their serious injuries upon themselves.
Why should he bear the consequences?
If they couldn't take losing, they shouldn't have entered the competition!
Why should he have to endure the wrath of an Eight Ring Soul Douluo just because they were outmatched?!
Why?!
Wang Zhi raised his head and looked at the figure in white with the blue sword. For the first time, intense killing intent welled up in his eyes.
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