On the Soul Fighting Arena, the two stood facing each other.
Qin Ming, standing to one side, was still explaining the rules of the match. Then he called out in a solemn voice:
"The Soul Fighting match—begins!"
Before his voice had even faded, two low growls, both held in check until then, erupted at once.
"Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, possess me!"
A dazzling blue light suddenly flared at Yu Tianheng's brow. In the next instant, it spread and surged from his forehead throughout his body,
Streaks of blue-violet lightning burst out like little snakes, darting around him with sharp crackles.
Aside from a blue lightning-shaped mark appearing on his forehead, the right sleeve of his outfit burst apart and crumbled to ash as his right arm swelled,
His arm grew more than half a foot longer and became immensely thick, covered in hard blue-violet scales. His hand transformed into a set of razor-sharp dragon claws,
Every joint in his hand grew far larger, while the blue-violet serpent-like lightning coiling around him gathered and surged along his arm, crackling as it went.
Unlike the Soul Rings of other Soul Masters, his two yellow rings and one purple ring did not circle his body. Instead, they revolved around this specially dragon-transformed arm, trembling faintly with the flow of his Soul Power,
This was the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon's unique trait—
Its Soul Rings circled the dragon arm, not the whole body,
Concentrating its power like this made its bursts of strength even more terrifying.
On the other side, Chen Jieqi's aura changed abruptly.
There was no ferocious roar or grotesque transformation, only a pure, warm, sacred force imbued with light,
The mark between his brows slowly awakened, and a golden radiance flowed over his body like water,
A seven-piece shape, like an assembly of crystals, gradually appeared, glowing with soft golden light as it hovered before his head,
Then he raised his hand. A pale golden light shone in his right palm, gathering until an unusual longsword took shape: Ashbringer,
The faint light along its blade had fully elementalized, its radiant flames surging with a sacred force that could purify all things, an overwhelming sight.
"Yu Tianheng, Martial Soul: Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, Level 39 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. Please guide me!"
Yu Tianheng said solemnly. This was the etiquette observed in Soul Fighting matches between Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent.
Chen Jieqi's voice was calm and steady:
"Chen Jieqi, Martial Soul: Heart of the Naaru, Level 43 Power Attack System Battle Soul Ancestor. Please guide me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Tianheng struck first. He knew that neither his Soul Skill's power nor his Soul Power reserves could match his opponent's, so he had to seize the initiative.
His third Soul Ring, the purple one, blazed, trembling violently on his dragon-transformed arm.
[Third Soul Skill: Thunder Fury]
A self-enhancement skill. For a set time after activation, the user enters a berserk state, increasing lightning power by 100% and Soul Power by 50%. Unless canceled manually, it lasts until the user's Soul Power is exhausted.
Blue lightning surged around Yu Tianheng once more. The dragon blood in his body boiled, and a low growl rumbled from his throat, like an ancient thunder dragon awakening,
The scales on his dragon-transformed right arm stood on end, and the electric arcs steadily climbed to their peak. Blue-violet serpent lightning raced wildly around him, even making the floor of the Soul Fighting room crackle.
Watching from the sidelines, Yu Feng clenched his fist without thinking. "Boss Yu's going all out right from the start!"
At the same time, his first yellow Soul Ring lit up,
[First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw]
This was Thunder Dragon Claw, amplified by the enhancement. Yu Tianheng swung his right arm through the air with all his might!
A gigantic phantom dragon claw of lightning tore free from his arm. It was made entirely of concentrated blue-violet thunder, and the five blade-like talons gleamed with a chilling light,
With a piercing whistle that seemed to split the sky, it came crashing down like a bolt of lightning, swiping viciously toward Chen Jieqi!
"Take this!"
As he watched the enormous claw come roaring toward him, Chen Jieqi didn't move at all. His golden eyes remained calm,
His first yellow Soul Ring suddenly flared.
[First Soul Skill: Holy Blessing of Light]
Consumes 10% of the user's base Soul Power to enhance their strength, defense, and holy attribute by 80%. Lasts for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
At once, the mark of the Heart of the Naaru shone with golden light. Warm holy light flowed over Chen Jieqi, and his aura instantly grew more majestic and sacred.
"Still not enough. I'm facing the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the strongest Beast Martial Soul. He's enhanced by his third Soul Skill and Dragon Transformation!"
Chen Jieqi thought,
Then his second purple Soul Ring blazed, and the holy light surged once more.
[Second Soul Skill: Holy Light Praise]
Consumes 20% of the user's base Soul Power to increase all attributes by 50% and the holy attribute by 100%. Resistance to abnormal effects such as darkness and corrosion increases by 100%. Lasts for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn.
His sacred aura instantly climbed to a new peak. Golden light blazed fiercely around Chen Jieqi, even tinting the walls of the Soul Fighting room pale gold.
"Two enhancements..."
Dugu Yan narrowed her eyes slightly,
"He's as cautious as ever."
Ashbringer in his hand traced a brilliant arc through the air. He put his strength into a horizontal slash, and a golden blade of light broke free of the sword,
Then he twisted his wrist and brought Ashbringer straight down,
A second blade of light fell vertically, crossing the first in midair to form a huge golden cross. Flames along its edges even seared the air.
"Cross Light Blade Slash!"
Chen Jieqi called out in a low voice,
The cross of light suddenly expanded. Its sacred energy condensed to the utmost, like a golden sun, and hurtled toward the enormous dragon claw coming at him.
This was Chen Jieqi's Self-Created Soul Skill: an attack that condensed his holy attribute into the blade and compressed it. It was an elemental attack,
Its power increased with the refinement of its attribute. Now, with both enhancements, it was as powerful as an ordinary Soul Ancestor's fourth Soul Skill.
The next instant—
Holy light and thunder collided with a deafening boom!
"BOOM—!!"
Golden-white and blue-violet light exploded at the center of the Soul Fighting Arena, and a blinding flash swallowed the entire arena. Even the team members watching had to squint.
The piercing roar of thunder mingled with the soft hymn of holy light. Blue-violet lightning tore furiously at the golden blade,
While the blazing holy light continued to purify and dissolve the violent thunder. The two forces clashed fiercely in midair.
The enormous lightning dragon claw twisted slightly, its surface arcs breaking apart under the holy light's erosion. The Cross Light Blade remained razor-sharp, its golden edge growing even brighter in the collision.
Where claw and blade met, a storm of energy swept wildly around them, and shock waves surged in every direction. The spectators could all feel the astonishing impact.
After a brief standoff,
"Crack!"
A loud, brittle snap rang out like shattering glass, clear for everyone to hear.
The holy patterns on the Cross Light Blade suddenly shone at their brightest, forcibly piercing the thunderous aura and ripping a straight, X-shaped fissure through the center of the dragon claw's phantom!
The Thunder Dragon Claw's light dimmed sharply, then it burst apart, scattering into countless blue-violet sparks that the holy light completely purified.
Ye Lingling's grip tightened sharply around the Nine-Heart Begonia, shock flashing in her eyes.
After piercing through the dragon claw, the Cross Light Blade had lost much of its power, but it continued forward.
Yu Tianheng instinctively retreated, then raised his dragon-transformed right arm in front of himself to block with all his strength,
He immediately felt a force rebound through his dragon arm, filled with the power to dissolve and purify. It rushed along the pathways of his Soul Power, relentlessly eroding them,
Gritting his teeth, he kept pouring in more Soul Power until he slowly managed to disperse the force.
Yu Tianheng steadied himself, his dragon-transformed right arm trembling faintly.
He looked up at Chen Jieqi, a complicated expression in his eyes,
Shock and unwillingness—but, more than anything, a fighting spirit ignited within him.
"Even after my third Soul Skill's enhancement, I still couldn't match your first two Soul Skills..."
He took a deep breath, but a smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
Chen Jieqi didn't pursue him. He only watched quietly.
He knew that Yu Tianheng's third Soul Skill, Thunder Fury, would keep draining his Soul Power unless he canceled it.
He couldn't win a battle of attrition. He could only stake everything on a burst of power, and Chen Jieqi had already completely neutralized that first assault.