"The Soul Fight begins!"
As soon as the words fell, the two fighters in the arena completed their Martial Soul Possession in an instant.
Ink-blackness stained Xia Ran's white clothes. As his Soul Power surged, his short hair moved without a breeze, making his golden eyes look even more enchanting.
The crowd in the stands erupted into cheers. Watching Xia Ran activate his Martial Soul was a visual treat every time. He was simply perfect!
[First Soul Skill: Shadow Armor]
[Fourth Soul Skill: Clone]
Before his opponent could make a move, Xia Ran drew his long blade. Three figures rushed forward, attacking from different directions.
Huyan Shun's Martial Soul was the Diamond Mammoth, which was particularly effective against an agility-type Soul Master like Xia Ran.
The moment he completed his Martial Soul Possession, all the fat on his body hardened, forming a natural defensive barrier.
[First Soul Skill: Copper Wall and Iron Bastion]
Huyan Shun raised a shield of Soul Power in his hand. Xia Ran knew this move could only defend against attacks from one direction, which was why he had summoned two more clones right from the start.
Even so, Xia Ran didn't dare let his guard down. As a Soul King from one of the Seven Great Sects, Huyan Shun wouldn't simply leave his weakness exposed.
"Slash!"
Sure enough, just as the two strikes from behind were about to land, Huyan Shun's eyes turned fierce, and his aura suddenly erupted.
"Hmph! You think a nobody like you can challenge someone above your level?"
[Third Soul Skill: Pressure Kill]
A powerful force instantly spread outward from Huyan Shun, somewhat like Zhao Wuji's Gravity Domain. But clearly, Pressure Kill was more offensive.
The two clones were instantly obliterated. Xia Ran hurriedly used his Second Soul Skill to evade the attack.
[Second Soul Skill: Shadow Escape]
With no target left, Pressure Kill gradually spread to the edge of the Soul Fighting Arena.
There was no denying that disciples from the Seven Great Sects had exceptionally rich combat experience.
Huyan Shun had even lured his opponent in, using his own weakness to set a trap.
"Bro, do you think Xia Ran can win?"
Xiao Wu had been stunned by what she'd just witnessed. She hadn't expected a battle between Soul Kings to be so intense from the very first move.
If she were in the arena instead of Xia Ran, that Pressure Kill would definitely have hit her.
"Of course he can't. Teacher once said that the higher a Soul Master's level, the greater the gap with each additional level."
Tang San had become more and more devoted to Yu Xiaogang's theories in recent days. He practically wanted to preface every sentence with "Teacher once said."
Although Xia Ran's fighting skills had impressed him, "Teacher once said" that a difference in Soul Power Level could overcome anything.
"Xia Ran is just a Soul Ancestor, yet he actually thinks he can beat a Level 54 Soul King. He's far too arrogant."
"Hmph, 'just a Soul Ancestor'? Take a look at yourself before you talk."
Ning Rongrong had been eating Xia Ran's cooking every morning lately. Now that someone was deliberately bad-mouthing him, she couldn't help but fire back.
"You..."
"Heh, you drag Zhu Zhuqing over to Xia Ran's place every morning, and now you won't let anyone say a word against him? You two haven't already..."
"Yeah! So what if we have? I don't care!"
Ning Rongrong had once wanted to bring Xiao Wu along to mooch a meal, but Tang San had refused.
His reason was that Xia Ran didn't look like a good person. He always dressed like a gentleman, but the moment he activated his Martial Soul, his true nature showed.
In the arena, the two had already exchanged dozens of moves in less than five minutes.
Ordinarily, an agility-type Soul Master like Xia Ran should have been suppressed by Huyan Shun's Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul.
But no one knew what the Black Blade was made of. In Xia Ran's hands, it could actually pierce a Soul King's defenses, and Huyan Shun already had several gruesome wounds.
Xia Ran had taken a solid punch during the fight, though. It had landed right on his lower leg, costing him his advantage in speed.
"Kid, let's see you dodge this!"
[Fifth Soul Skill: Madness Annihilation]
The black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring pulsed, and Huyan Shun's already nearly two-and-a-half-meter-tall frame swelled again, reaching around three meters.
"It's over!"
Ten Thousand Year Fifth Soul Skill
Having lost his advantage in speed, Xia Ran could only use Void to neutralize the fierce attacks. But the Soul Skill couldn't possibly last much longer.
Huyan Shun swung his fists furiously, kicking up clouds of dust. He looked like a moving hill.
His Fifth Soul Ring came from a Berserk Rhinoceros. The Soul Skill increased his Strength and Defense by 100% for one minute, after which he would enter a weakened state.
"Damn it! Void is about to end!"
As a thousand-year Soul Skill, Void was already astonishingly powerful, but its drawback was that it couldn't be maintained for long.
Once an agility-type Soul Master's speed was restricted, defeat was all but certain.
In desperation, Xia Ran summoned his clones again, hoping to distract his opponent.
[Clone]
"Hahaha! You think you can use clones to buy time? No use!"
[Pressure Kill]
Drawing on his previous combat experience, Huyan Shun crushed the two clones with his immense strength as soon as they appeared, before they could even scatter.
Seeing that his prey had nowhere left to run, he pressed forward step by step, his face twisted with madness.
"Hmph! You don't know your place! A mere Soul Ancestor thinks he can challenge me?"
Huyan Shun looked at the figure backed up against the edge of the arena, with nowhere left to retreat. He gathered all his Soul Power and slammed down with a punch.
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu couldn't bear to watch what happened next. She covered her eyes with both hands.
Tang San smirked beside her, letting out a contemptuous laugh.
"What an arrogant fool. Teacher once said that Defense Soul Masters completely counter agility-type Soul Masters."
"And yet Xia Ran still dared to challenge someone above his level. He was practically asking to die."
Zhu Zhuqing was extremely nervous, too. Would the seemingly invincible figure in her heart really be defeated here?
Ning Rongrong, meanwhile, said nothing. She stared fixedly at Huyan Shun's feet.
Everyone in the stands had their eyes wide open. They loved seeing this kind of bloody spectacle.
"So thrilling! So thrilling!"
"This is what a Soul Fight should be! It's even more satisfying to watch than those death matches!"
They could already imagine the sound of bones shattering beneath that heavy punch, followed by the sight of a body smashed to a bloody pulp.
The basin-sized fist came down. As expected, the black figure was driven straight into the arena floor. Cracks spread across the ground around the two of them.
Huyan Shun had used up 90% of his remaining Soul Power in that blow. It was a desperate gamble.
After a hit like that, even a healing-type Soul Douluo wouldn't be able to save him.
"Die!"
The tremendous force sent a vast cloud of dust billowing up from the arena. The spectacle was so overwhelming that even the host in the air couldn't see what was happening below.
Once the dust settled, everyone looked eagerly toward the arena. But only Huyan Shun stood there.
His Fifth Soul Skill had worn off. He had just enough Soul Power left to maintain his Martial Soul Possession, with none to spare for another Soul Skill.
Huyan Shun was panting like an ox, the wild grin on his face slowly fading.
For some reason, he could no longer sense Xia Ran anywhere in the Soul Fighting Arena.
"Where is he?"
Just as everyone was wondering, Huyan Shun's shadow began to twist strangely.
The youth in black burst into action, gripping his blade in both hands and slashing upward.
"Whoosh—"
Blood sprayed from Huyan Shun's artery, drenching the black figure.
The youth with the blade looked like a demon god. Black and red intertwined, creating a feast of carnage. Only his golden eyes still shone brilliantly through the filth.
"You... why?"
Huyan Shun felt his body grow suddenly light, and he began to lose his balance. Then he saw his arm lying on the ground.
He stared wide-eyed at Xia Ran, disbelief and terror written across his face.
Zhu Zhuqing could no longer keep her composure. She cried out in shock.
"How did he do that?"
Those fists had clearly hit Xia Ran. Why had he suddenly disappeared?
Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes were filled with shock, along with a longing for such strength.
If only she could become that powerful, too...
"Huyan Shun hit a clone. The real Xia Ran was inside one of the two decoys. He must have used a Soul Skill to hide himself as the other clone disappeared."
A stranger's voice reached everyone's ears. The other members of Shrek all turned to look at the speaker.
The speaker was an old man with a full head of white hair and beard. He had sharp brows and bright eyes, and every movement revealed the keen intent of a sword. His bearing was extraordinary.
"Grandpa Sword?"
Ning Rongrong turned around first, her delicate face lighting up with excitement and delight.
She threw herself straight into the old man's arms.
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