Golden Dragon Claw and Dark Eagle Dragon, God King's Surprise Attack, Deceptive Stratagem

"Boom, boom, boom—"

Within the Riot Period Spirit Ascension Platform, explosions rang out one after another. The Eastsea Academy group fled in disarray, a yin-yang vortex mixed with fire and ice relentlessly chasing them. No matter how they turned or dodged, the vortex seemed to have eyes, clinging tightly to their heels.

"Absorbs ranged attacks, doubles them, and rebounds with a lock-on effect. A ten-thousand-year soul skill this terrifying..."

Sweat trickled down his temples as Xu Xiaoyu panted heavily.

That freakish soul skill was a nightmare for ranged attackers. Unfortunately for them, Eastsea Academy's two main damage dealers were basically only good at ranged attacks. Shining Sun and Ice Staff were being turned against them, becoming the perfect tools to harvest their own people!

Watching her classmates exit the Spirit Ascension Platform one by one, Mu Xi bit deeply into her red lips, silently cursing: "How did a monster like this show up in Eastsea City? Isn't this supposed to be a specialty of Shrek City and Mingdu!"

At this moment, the young girl deeply regretted her greed, which had cost her classmates a rare opportunity in the Riot Period Spirit Ascension Platform. Little did she know, those who had been eliminated woke up grinning from ear to ear, celebrating that they had left a good impression on the Saint Craftsman's daughter, the genius blacksmith.

They were all Third Ring Soul Elders. Who among them hadn't died a few times in the Spirit Ascension Platform before? The first time was bitter and hard, but after a few rounds, you got used to it.

The metals used to craft Battle Armor and mechas relied on high-level blacksmiths. Dying once for Mu Xi in the Riot Period Spirit Ascension Platform today was like forging a bond. In the future, as long as Mu Xi put in a good word, Saint Craftsman Mu Chen would definitely prioritize forging for them!

"Mu Xi, let's give it one more push. That rebound soul skill must have a limit. Break through it, and we turn the tables!" Xu Xiaoyu urged urgently.

"Alright!"

Mu Xi nodded firmly. Her thousand-year soul ring blazed, and the Shining Sun above her head erupted with scorching brilliance. A blazing sun frantically absorbed the surrounding fire elements, like an extremely unstable high-explosive bomb!

Third Soul Skill, Shining Sun Meteor!

"Xiaoyan, get away from me!"

Xu Xiaoyu told his sister to run, in case the reversed soul skill hit Xu Xiaoyan if they failed to challenge the boss!

Xu Xiaoyan obediently turned and bolted, her two light blue ponytails bouncing with each step. Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyu silently breathed a sigh of relief, raised his ice staff, and a blue light burst from the crystal at its tip. A dense, pure ice attribute swept through the forest, forming a spear with faintly shimmering magic patterns.

Third Soul Skill, Ice Fury!

Thanks to the two ranged attack soul masters, Zhao Xuanzhen had easily taken care of most of the Eastsea Academy students. Only a few stragglers remained. It was time to kill the donkey after it had done its work!

His pitch-black second soul ring shone, and the yin-yang reversal that had driven the two to despair descended once more. A black-and-white vortex enveloped his body. There were no invincible soul skills in Douluo Continent—of course, Yin Yang Reversal had an absorption limit—but there was no way two mere Soul Elders' third soul skills could break through it!

Absorb, spin, reflect!

A four-colored mass of black, white, red, and blue locked onto the two. Mu Xi and Xu Xiaoyu stared in shock as their own twice-enhanced soul skills returned to them. A violent explosion later, their Spirit Ascension Platform journey ended.

"Sister Mu Xi! Brother Xiaoyu!"

Aside from Xu Xiaoyu's little tag-along Xu Xiaoyan, the last Eastsea Academy student was a Lightning Falcon Soul Elder. He had initially planned to use his flight advantage for air-to-ground combat, but he had never found an opening in Zhao Xuanzhen's defense. He was waiting for a chance to ambush, but before he knew it, his team had been wiped out!

"I can't let them get too cocky. I need to think of something..."

The Lightning Falcon Soul Elder gritted his teeth, his gaze slowly shifting to Na'er, who was lounging around leisurely. He had already lost the courage to fight Zhao Xuanzhen. After all, if a defense-type soul skill as thick as Rock Giant Shield could be broken by a single charged elbow strike, his Lightning Falcon's flimsy defense would be a joke.

"You're strong, but you can't protect her!"

With a loud roar, his third soul ring flared brightly. The Lightning Falcon Soul Elder's entire body was wrapped in blue-purple lightning, the crackling sound hinting at the terrifying power of this strike. With a flap of his wings, he dove like a bolt of lightning straight at Na'er!

Zhao Xuanzhen saw the Lightning Falcon's desperate attack and couldn't even be bothered to react. Did people really think the Silver Dragon King Half Body was some kind of decoration!

Na'er lifted her head slightly, her silver eyes gazing at the descending lightning, a faint, knowing smile on her face.

The next second, silver light erupted violently. A sharp spear covered in dragon scales materialized between Na'er and the Lightning Falcon Soul Elder, two thousand-year soul rings spinning around it. Their magnificent purple added a touch of nobility to the spear.

Na'er grabbed the Silver Dragon Spear, half-turned, and executed a perfect throwing motion. A clear, passionate dragon roar rang out, and intense silver light expanded outward. The Silver Dragon Spear shot through the air, obliterating the Lightning Falcon!

"Ah???"

Tang Wulin and the others broke out in a cold sweat. Na'er looked like a transcendent beauty, but she was also a freak of nature!

If these two monsters weren't nerfed, how were they supposed to play!?

The Eastsea Academy senior students were wiped out. Xu Xiaoyan hid behind a tree, trembling, her eyes tightly shut, silently chanting: You can't see me!

"Ahem!"

Na'er stood beside the girl who was trying to hide her ears and steal the bell, tapping the ground with her Silver Dragon Spear.

Xu Xiaoyan cracked an eye open a sliver. Seeing it was the second big bad, she immediately dropped into a crouch with her hands over her head, stammering: "You already beat up my brother, so you can't beat me!"

"It's just a quick thing."

Na'er said with a smile, twirling the Silver Dragon Spear into a beautiful silver flourish.

"Wait!"

Xu Xiaoyan shot up, her face a mask of tragic resolve: "I'm afraid of pain. Don't move—I'll do it myself!"

With no way out, Xu Xiaoyan stopped struggling. She reached out and slapped the rescue signal device, voluntarily leaving the beginner Spirit Ascension Platform!

"Clear the field. Time for the real business."

Zhao Xuanzhen and Na'er slowly walked toward the five members of Zero Class watching from a distance. Their four soul rings—black, black, purple, purple—shone in harmony, their aura as deep as an abyss and as heavy as a mountain, forcing the Zero Class students to involuntarily step back.

"Gulp..."

Zhang Yangzi swallowed hard. The soul spirit Black Eagle on his shoulder sensed its master's fear and let out sharp cries. The monsters had taken care of all those Eastsea seniors. Now it seemed it was their turn!

"Wulin, what do we do?" Wang Jinxi's pleading gaze fell on Tang Wulin.

"Prepare to fight. We can't outrun them..." Tang Wulin said in a low voice.

Xie Xie gripped his Light Shadow Dragon Dagger tightly, his expression the most relaxed of the group. "Don't be nervous. We've already finished Teacher Wu's final exam and stayed long enough in the Spirit Ascension Platform during the Riot Period. Besides, that Man Faced Demon Spider's venomous silk killed so many soul beasts. Each of us absorbed a ton of spiritual power, and our soul ring age limits increased by centuries. This trip to the Spirit Ascension Platform was a huge win. Getting eliminated now isn't a loss!"

At these words, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi shifted from tension to ease. Zero Class entered the Spirit Ascension Platform once a month, and their soul ring age limits were already nearing their physical limits. Losing today wouldn't be a loss!

Tang Wulin's expression sharpened. "They look the same age as us, yet they have Thousand-Year Soul Rings and Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Rings. They must be peerless monsters standing at the pinnacle of geniuses on the continent. Meeting them is our fortune—it lets our horizons break free from just Eastsea City and witness the top Monster Soul Masters of Douluo Continent! Everyone, give it your all. Treat this as the final trial of the final exam. I'll take the front. Yangzi and Jinxi, fuse. Xie Xie, pin down the silver-haired girl. Gu Yue... adapt to the situation."

When he mentioned the black-haired girl Gu Yue, Tang Wulin's speech paused for half a second. The reason was simple: Gu Yue had a cold and eccentric personality, deliberately keeping her distance from Zero Class classmates on normal days, and she never followed his commands. He could only let her fight freely.

"Charge!"

Striking first was the advantage. Tang Wulin let out a fierce shout and led his companions straight at Zhao Xuanzhen and Na'er.

The Bone Dragon King possessed him, and Wang Jinxi's body swelled several sizes, resembling an oversized skeleton frame. Zhang Yangzi released his Martial Soul, the Dark Phantom Eagle, and black wings tore through his back. They embraced each other, Wang Jinxi's body rapidly expanding. A massive skeletal dragon tail jutted from his tailbone, a pair of bone dragon claws like Death God Scythes, while Zhang Yangzi silently merged into Wang Jinxi's body, the eagle wings transforming into the Bone Dragon King's dragon wings.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dark Eagle Dragon!

Strands of Blue Silver Grass crept along the ground. As Tang Wulin sprinted, golden scales began covering his right arm from the fingers upward, the entire arm thickening a full size—this was the Golden Dragon Claw with its crushing effect!

The three of them unveiled their proudest trump cards. Tang Wulin wielded both the Golden Dragon Claw and Blue Silver Grass, charging at Zhao Xuanzhen from the left alongside Wang Jinxi in his Dark Eagle Dragon state from the right.

Zhao Xuanzhen chuckled lightly. The Golden Dragon King's mechanism was simple and brutal, boasting the most overwhelming stats on Douluo Continent. He had long wanted to fight Tang Wulin—Trisolarians versus Primal Celestial!

His hands traced a perfect yin-yang dividing line, encircling the Golden Dragon Claw that Tang Wulin had thrown. Tang Wulin's expression shifted dramatically in an instant. His ability to become a member of Zero Class with soul power at only the fifteenth or sixteenth level owed everything to the Golden Dragon Claw. Yet Zhao Xuanzhen's palms seemed to contain a peculiar force. The unstoppable power of the Golden Dragon Claw suddenly became uncontrollable. Under the other's guidance, Tang Wulin's body spun like a top, and the Golden Dragon Claw swung toward the Dark Eagle Dragon!

Taiji Yin Hand, borrowing force to strike!

Panic instantly flashed across Wang Jinxi's face. As if obeying an unbreakable caste system, the Golden Dragon Claw naturally suppressed the Bone Dragon King. Even the Dark Eagle Dragon, as a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, was restrained by the Golden Dragon Claw!

Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi strained with all their might to shift their trajectory. The Golden Dragon Claw barely avoided the Dark Eagle Dragon's vital points and struck the bone dragon claws crossed over its chest. Whether by luck or misfortune, the Golden Dragon Claw's crushing effect activated. The bone dragon claw let out a crisp snapping sound and broke off, hanging limp.

Strike my own teammate. The Dark Eagle Dragon was severely wounded and dissolved. Cries of pain rang out from both mouths.

Eastsea City, Spirit Pagoda, Observation Room.

White robes, blue sword, sky ice, snow cold—Wu Changkong watched the Zero Class students suffering a major loss through the Soul Guidance Screen, his expression grave. "Extreme technique, especially effective against brute-force-type Soul Masters. Wulin's overwhelming strength is actually his shackle..."

On the other side, the Silver Dragon Spear broke through the Light Shadow Dragon Dagger. The spear tip, sharp and exposed, pointed straight at Xie Xie's throat. A chill invaded his body, traveling through his limbs and bones, making Xie Xie shiver violently.

"Leave on your own, or should I help you?" Na'er said calmly.

"Sis, no need for you to trouble yourself!"

A wise man knows when to retreat. Xie Xie's Martial Soul, soul power, and soul skills were all comprehensively inferior to Na'er's. After just a few exchanges, the Silver Dragon Spear had found his opening. Sighing inwardly that monsters were indeed monsters, he obediently withdrew from the Spirit Ascension Platform.

After finishing off Xie Xie, Na'er gazed into the distance at Gu Yue, who had never made a move.

Their gazes clashed from afar. The shadows beneath their feet seemed to stretch endlessly toward each other—one silver-white, one pitch-black—like a scorching sun and a dark moon appearing in the same sky, or like the yin and yang poles of a taiji, opposing yet containing each other.

"You're bold, daring to appear before me," Gu Yue said silently.

"So what?"

Na'er replied with a mouth shape, a cold smile on her face.

The silver-haired girl looked utterly unafraid. In another timeline, if it hadn't been impossible to forcibly devour Na'er without leaving any aftereffects, the two Silver Dragon King Half Bodies wouldn't have made a bet. Gu Yue would have eaten Na'er long ago. After gaining humanity, Na'er had directly become an invincible presence—come bite me if you can!

On the other side, Xie Xie was eliminated. Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi had lost their combat ability. Zhao Xuanzhen and Tang Wulin began a one-on-one true man's duel!

Under intense emotional fluctuation, Tang Wulin's pupils transformed into golden vertical slits. He stomped his right foot hard and shot straight at Zhao Xuanzhen!

The moment the Golden Dragon Claw touched the tip of his nose, Zhao Xuanzhen suddenly twisted his body. Within the arc drawn by Cloud Hands, Tang Wulin's wrist was like a fish caught in a whirlpool. His entire right arm was entangled by the soft force of Taiji, like a moth falling into the Heavenly Net.

Tang Wulin roared and swung his left fist, simultaneously activating his First Soul Skill, Blue Silver Grass Entanglement. But the weak Blue Silver Grass couldn't even get close—it was crushed into a flurry of grass shards by the force. Just as his left fist was about to land, Zhao Xuanzhen reversed his elbow to block and neutralize it.

"Taiji Slanting Flying Style."

The world spun. Tang Wulin's last memory was his vision freezing as his body spiraled through the air and slammed heavily onto the ground. His muscles transmitted the full force of his own earlier punch back into him.

"I... I can still fight!"

Tang Wulin staggered to his feet, his blazing gaze locked onto Zhao Xuanzhen. The two of them launched their bodies almost simultaneously, the sound of clothes cutting through the wind like whipping silk.

This time, Zhao Xuanzhen didn't use any Taiji techniques. He clashed head-on with Tang Wulin, no tricks. The wind pressure exploded. The ground couldn't withstand the sudden impact of two immense forces, shattering into fine black cracks!

"Boom—"

Zhao Xuanzhen stood unmoving. Tang Wulin was sent flying backward!

Taiji borrows strength to showcase its outrageous mechanics!

A direct fist clash highlights the extreme stats!

"Hm?"

Zhao Xuanzhen's eyes narrowed slightly. In his expectations, this blow should have sent Tang Wulin straight out of the Spirit Ascension Platform, yet that figure stood back up stubbornly, like an unkillable cockroach.

At the same time, Tang Wulin's eyes were no longer pure black, but the blue-gold of the sea!

"Variable of Fate..."

Tang Wulin murmured softly, but the tone belonged to someone else!

A hazy golden light, invisible to others, tore through the air, heading straight for Zhao Xuanzhen's Sea of Consciousness. It was an illusory Golden Trident, and around it came the sound of waves crashing against rocks!

Poseidon Trident, Spiritual Imprint!

"The Variable belongs to the Tang family! This God King will end the Plane Spirit's delusions today!"

The voice burrowed into his eardrums like a venomous snake. Blue-gold veins of the ocean swam through Zhao Xuanzhen's Sea of Consciousness, followed immediately by a cold, hissing screech. The Giant Serpent awakened, opening its pair of scarlet beast pupils!

Eight Deceitful Gods, Soaring Serpent!

"Deceitful Soul!"

The power of the ocean surged into the deceitful soul woven by the Soaring Serpent. The will within Tang Wulin's body thought it had succeeded, that the Spiritual Imprint had taken effect, making the only Variable of Fate on the Douluo Continent an asset to the Tang family!

The blue-gold faded, and Tang Wulin scratched his head in confusion, completely unaware of what had just happened.

"Zhao Xuanzhen! Zhao Xuanzhen, are you alright?!"

Na'er felt something was off about Zhao Xuanzhen's expression. Forgetting to bicker with Gu Yue, she rushed anxiously to his side, kicking Tang Wulin out of the Spirit Ascension Platform along the way.

"I'm fine..."

Zhao Xuanzhen gently patted Na'er's Silver Long Hair, but there was not a trace of warmth in those Pitch-black Pupils—only a fury burning ever brighter.

"Honored Master, as per your command, the Spiritual Imprint is carried by the Deceitful Soul."

In the Sea of Consciousness, the Soaring Serpent spoke.

"Well done. Awakening you first was definitely the right call."

Among the Eight Deceitful Gods, Zhi Fu was the leader, and the Soaring Serpent's combat strength wasn't the highest. But Zhao Xuanzhen awakened the Soaring Serpent first because he valued its authority that was extremely effective against Mental strength!

Deceit!

To deal with a God King who liked to Play with souls, nothing but the Soaring Serpent would do!

Zhao Xuanzhen didn't hesitate to judge the God King by the lowest moral standards of humanity. On the surface, there were three chances, but in reality, there were far more. The God King had already made a move when Tang Wulin encountered the Evil Soul Master's Phosphorus Fire Refining Soul!

Just in case, Zhao Xuanzhen resolutely gave up on Zhi Fu and chose to Awaken the Soaring Serpent, which controlled the Deceptive Power!

"God King, courtesy demands reciprocity. We'll meet on the night of the shining stars..."