Tang San had quickly made an initial assignment of roles and devised a battle plan.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, the two attackers, took the front. Tang San, the control-type fighter, stayed in the middle to coordinate and connect offense and defense, while Ning Rongrong, the support-type fighter, was carefully protected at the rear.
Their intentions were clear: make up for the enormous gap in individual strength through teamwork, and focus their power first on taking out their opponent, the "Beast Tamer."
The incense stick planted in the ground burned quietly, a small length of gray-white ash gathering at its tip. The instant the ash could no longer bear its own weight and quietly broke off—
"Attack!"
Tang San's crisp, low shout shattered the silence.
At almost the same moment, Ning Rongrong, at the very back, raised her hand as Soul Power surged within her.
"Seven Treasures turn, glazed light shines!"
A Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda appeared out of thin air in her palm, and two yellow Hundred-Year Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, First: Strength!"
"Seven Treasures Have Names, Second: Speed!"
Several streaks of light shot out and merged into Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. The moment they were bolstered, both girls felt their strength and speed increase significantly.
After completing the enhancement, Ning Rongrong quickly took another step back behind Tang San, placing herself fully within their protection.
At the same time, two yellow Soul Rings rose beneath Tang San's feet, and Blue Silver Grass surged from his palms.
He didn't use the Blue Silver Grass to bind Xiao Qing from afar. The distance and Xiao Qing's reaction speed meant that approach would be unlikely to succeed.
So Tang San chose a safer method—one that also required greater coordination.
"Go!"
Several unusually thick Blue Silver Grass vines deftly wrapped around Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing's waists.
Tang San put strength into his waist and thrust both arms outward, using the Tang Sect Secret Technique Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to transmit a deft force through the Blue Silver Grass.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing felt an enormous yet gentle throwing force at their waists.
Riding that force, both girls were instantly lifted off the ground and hurtled toward Xiao Qing from either side, moving far faster than they could manage on their own!
Faced with the sudden, coordinated assault, Xiao Qing moved.
He didn't look at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing as they sped toward him. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Tang San, who stood farther away, controlling the Blue Silver Grass and serving as the team's central strategist.
The Third Soul Ring beneath his feet glimmered faintly.
There was no earth-shaking commotion. Everyone only saw a blur.
A faint boom rang out where Xiao Qing had stood. A hazy afterimage remained in place, but his real body had vanished.
Third Soul Skill, Lightning Flash.
This skill allowed him to instantly close or widen the distance. It was a straight-line dash of up to a hundred meters, with speed approaching teleportation.
Before anyone could react, Xiao Qing's true form appeared out of thin air less than a meter in front of Tang San!
Xiao Qing's speed completely exceeded Tang San's expectations and his ability to react.
As he appeared, Xiao Qing thrust out his palm, striking toward Tang San's arm, which had come up in a hurried block.
A glimmer of purple surfaced in Tang San's eyes. He pushed the Purple-Gold Demon Eyes to their limits, trying to make out Xiao Qing's movements.
With the Purple-Gold Demon Eyes' aid, Tang San saw the path of Xiao Qing's moving arm. A layer of dense, solid energy armor instantly covered Xiao Qing's palm and forearm. It was his Second Soul Skill, Rock Armor.
"Thud!"
A muffled impact rang out.
Tang San felt a force like an iron hammer surge from the other man's palm, churning his blood and numbing his arm.
He grunted. His footing gave way, and the tremendous force sent him flying backward. Only after being hurled a full meter or two did he manage to right himself and land unsteadily, his face slightly pale.
Just one palm strike had completely robbed him of control over the Blue Silver Grass and shattered all his plans for what came next.
After knocking Tang San back with one blow, Xiao Qing didn't slow at all. He turned, his gaze already settling on Ning Rongrong behind him, who looked flustered by his sudden appearance.
The strategic value of a support-type Soul Master—especially one who wielded the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda—was unquestionable. Taking her out of the fight first was the obvious choice.
He strode toward Ning Rongrong. His pace wasn't fast, yet he carried an invisible pressure.
"Stop him!"
A cool, sharp shout rang out.
Zhu Zhuqing, who had rushed toward Xiao Qing's original position only to find him gone, was the first to react.
A cold gleam flashed in her eyes as her First Soul Ring lit up. Her graceful body twisted in midair.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's enhancement had already made her extremely fast. Now she pushed her speed to the limit, catching up from behind and blocking Xiao Qing's path before he could reach Ning Rongrong.
"First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"
Zhu Zhuqing's figure almost merged with her Martial Soul, the Hell Spirit Cat. Her sharp claws stabbed toward Xiao Qing's chest and abdomen, aiming to force him to defend or retreat and buy time for her teammates.
Almost as soon as Zhu Zhuqing attacked, Xiao Wu also used the flexibility and speed granted by Waist Bow to strike from the other side.
Rather than attack directly, she lowered her body, her long, powerful legs crossing like a pair of scissors as she precisely clamped around Xiao Qing's waist.
Jiu-Jitsu activated. Her core strength exploded in an instant as she tried to execute Waist Bow and throw Xiao Qing.
But as Xiao Wu exerted herself, her expression suddenly changed.
The waist she had clamped wasn't flesh and blood. It was like an iron pillar driven deep into the earth!
Xiao Qing's lower body was astonishingly steady. The force she felt from his waist was incredibly solid, and her throwing technique had no effect at all!
Just then, Xiao Qing moved.
The muscles in the waist held by Xiao Wu gave a slight twitch, sending out a deft force. At the same time, his left hand, covered in Rock Armor, reached down and seized one of Xiao Wu's lower legs with precision.
Xiao Qing's movements didn't pause for an instant. He swung his arm, hurling her sideways and backward.
"Ah!"
Xiao Wu cried out. An irresistible force swept over her, and she lost her balance. Xiao Qing flung her away like a piece of clothing, sending her straight toward the spot where Tang San had been thrown.
"Xiao Wu!"
Tang San had just regained his footing. He forced down the turmoil in his blood as Blue Silver Grass surged out once more, weaving a net in the air. It barely caught Xiao Wu and broke her fall.
By then, Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Stab had reached Xiao Qing.
Faced with her ghostly-fast thrust, Xiao Qing didn't care in the least. He didn't even move his feet.
Only as her claws were about to reach him did the gray-white Rock Armor covering his body shimmer.
"Scritch, scritch, scritch!"
Her sharp claws scraped across the Rock Armor, producing a string of teeth-grating sounds and scattering a few sparks.
Zhu Zhuqing felt as though her claws had struck the hardest granite!
The recoil numbed her wrists. Her full-force attack had left only a few faint white marks on the Rock Armor's surface, without penetrating it at all!
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted. Her heart was shaken; his defense far exceeded her expectations!
Her strike having failed, Zhu Zhuqing didn't linger. She pushed off and flipped backward, trying to put some distance between them.
But Xiao Qing's counterattack was already on its way. He held the fingers of his right hand together. Without using a Soul Skill, he simply brought his Rock Armor-covered hand down in a slanting chop, a heavy rush of air following it. He had calculated exactly where she would land.
Zhu Zhuqing was still in midair and couldn't change direction. She was about to be struck by the hand chop. If it landed, the force enhanced by Rock Armor would be enough to instantly take her out of the fight.
"Bind!"
Tang San's shout rang out again.
Several Blue Silver Grass vines shot out like venomous snakes from tricky angles, precisely wrapping around Zhu Zhuqing's waist and arms before yanking her sharply to the side and back.
Whoosh!
The Blue Silver Grass dragged Zhu Zhuqing off her original path. Xiao Qing's palm brushed past her clothes, its gusting force making her cheek sting.
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