At the center of the arena, the air seemed to solidify.
Qian Duoduo's chest heaved violently as he glared at Yan Shaozhe, his eyes practically spitting fire.
"Yan, Shao, zhe!"
He practically ground the three syllables out through clenched teeth, each one filled with boundless hatred.
Zhongli Wu, on the other hand, was in a completely different state.
He didn't roar or bellow. He simply stood there in silence, the black aura around him growing ever denser, like an evil spirit crawling out of the deepest pits of hell.
His blood-red eyes rested on Yan Shaozhe as calmly as if he were looking at a dead man. Beneath that calm lay a venomous hatred and murderous intent potent enough to burn everything to ash.
"Dear nephew—"
He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and low, sending chills down the spine.
"We've got a lot of catching up to do today!"
Yan Shaozhe shuddered all over. He had only just come around from the aftereffects of Still Heart Like Water and his fainting spell. Faced with the hellish scene before him, he was scared witless.
"N-no! That's not it! Let me explain!"
He instinctively backed away, stammering in his defense. "Feng Ling and I—I mean, Xian Lin'er and I—it was all a misunderstanding! The Sky Screen is framing me!"
"A misunderstanding?"
Zhongli Wu bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
The next second, he moved!
His figure became a ghostly black blur, appearing before Yan Shaozhe in an instant!
At the sight of Zhongli Wu's face, twisted like an evil spirit's, Yan Shaozhe finally snapped out of it.
He wanted to fight back, to summon his Martial Soul, but the moment he focused his thoughts, all he heard from behind him was a clear, "Cluck-cluck!"
A scruffy Grass Chicken appeared, flapping its wings. It tilted its head and looked innocently at the charging Zhongli Wu.
"Pfft—"
Yan Shaozhe was so furious that blood surged in his chest again.
In that brief moment of distraction, Zhongli Wu was already right in front of him!
He drove a powerful straight punch into Yan Shaozhe's face, wrapped in a dense surge of evil Soul Power!
"Bang!"
Yan Shaozhe flew through the air like a kite with its string cut, tracing a graceful arc as several bloodied teeth scattered from his mouth.
"Yes! Give it to him!"
Seeing this, Qian Duoduo cheered and summoned his Wulong Shield Martial Soul.
Before Yan Shaozhe could hit the ground, Qian Duoduo was already rushing over with the Wulong Shield in hand. He judged the landing point and slammed into him with the shield!
"Thud!"
The impact rang out like a struck bell, sending Yan Shaozhe flying back toward Zhongli Wu.
And so, the spectators across the continent got to enjoy a scene they'd all love to see.
The hapless Chicken Douluo Yan Shaozhe was like a ball, kicked back and forth across the center of the arena by two furious men—punched, kicked, and batted with a shield, without ever getting the chance to hit the ground.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Like an inexhaustible evil spirit, Zhongli Wu battered Yan Shaozhe with punches and kicks as soon as he struggled back to his feet.
His attacks weren't deadly, but every blow contained the most potent evil Soul Power, which ravaged Yan Shaozhe's meridians and caused him endless pain.
"Me too!"
Qian Duoduo rushed over, raised the Wulong Shield in his hands, and slammed it into the other side of Yan Shaozhe's face!
"Bang—"
The dull, bell-like impact left Yan Shaozhe's head ringing and his vision swimming before knocking him flat on the ground once more.
They had both tacitly avoided using powerful Soul Skills. That would let the wretched bastard die far too easily!
What they wanted was to torment him! To humiliate him!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A steady barrage of blows rang out, accompanied by Yan Shaozhe's desperate, agonized screams.
"Ah—! Stop! You'll regret this!"
"I'm Mu En's disciple! You can't—ah!"
"Help! Mu En, save me! Ah—!"
Beyond the Sky Screen, the spectators beamed with delight, thoroughly entertained.
[Douluo II Period]
Sun Moon Empire, Mingde Hall.
Xiao Hongchen was laughing so hard he had collapsed in his chair. He pounded the table and shouted, "I can't take it anymore—I'm going to laugh myself to death! This is ten thousand times more entertaining than the Soul Master Tournament!"
Meng Hongchen's pretty face was flushed too. Though she thought the scene was a little brutal, the smile she couldn't suppress gave away how she really felt.
At last, Yan Shaozhe was kicked to the ground. He curled up like a dead dog and couldn't get back up.
Zhongli Wu planted a foot on his back and looked down at him.
"Brother," he suddenly said to Qian Duoduo beside him, "give me a hand."
Qian Duoduo paused, but instinctively reached out to steady him.
Then he saw Zhongli Wu suddenly raise his other leg, drawing on all his strength.
He aimed at an extremely tricky and vicious angle, then stomped down hard!
"AAARGH!!!!!"
A heart-rending howl, no longer sounding human, rang throughout the arena!
Yan Shaozhe's body curled into the shape of a cooked prawn. His eyes rolled back, foam spilled from his mouth, and his whole body convulsed violently.
The place that had already been "Still Heart Like Water" was now subjected to devastating physical damage as well.
Every male spectator shuddered involuntarily at the sight.
That was brutal!
That was a kick to end the family line!
Seeing this, Qian Duoduo's eyes lit up. He hurried over and called excitedly, "My turn! My turn!"
Then he copied Zhongli Wu, found a suitable stance, raised his foot high, and brought it down hard!
Another scream of unimaginable agony rang out.
Just like that, the two men seemed to have discovered a new pastime. They took turns inflicting inhuman torment on Yan Shaozhe.
Shrek Academy.
Xuan Zi quietly closed his eyes, unable to bear watching any longer.
Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and the others watched the scene with immense satisfaction.
No one felt sorry for Yan Shaozhe.
After who knew how long, once the Sky Screen decided that the farce had sufficiently indulged the audience's taste for the wicked, its cold prompt finally rang out.
[Hypocrite Ranking No. 9, Yan Shaozhe: Judgment complete.] ["Comrades Reunited" segment: concluded.]
As the words faded, the magnificent arena turned hazy and slowly vanished like a reflection in water.
Three beams of light flashed, and three figures were transported back to where they had come from.
On the raised platform in Shrek Plaza, a human-shaped lump of sludge had appeared. It was Yan Shaozhe, barely breathing.
Inside the Sea God Pavilion, Qian Duoduo smacked his lips, still wanting more. He was still furious, but at least most of his pent-up anger had been let out.
At the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters, Zhongli Wu sat on his throne, the murderous intent in his eyes undiminished.
In a quiet room in the Tianshui Clan estate.
Ji Xuan lounged contentedly in his chair, watching the year's greatest show come to an end on the Sky Screen. He nodded in satisfaction.
As expected, the best works were the ones the people loved to see.
Just then, the system's pleasant notification sounded in his mind.
[Beep! Hypocrite Ranking No. 9—Yan Shaozhe: Exposure complete!] -- [This exposure caused a tremendous stir, dealt a heavy blow to Shrek Academy's reputation, and revealed the corruption and darkness within its ranks, having a far-reaching impact on the future of the Douluo Continent.] [Overall evaluation: Perfect!]
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