Xiao Qing's True Strength, Useless Blue Silver Grass

Tang San completed the preliminary role distribution and tactical planning for his team in an incredibly short amount of time.

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were positioned at the front as the attackers, Tang San acted as the control-type in the center to coordinate and bridge the offense and defense, while Ning Rongrong, the support-type, was kept under tight protection at the rear.

Their intent was clear: they were attempting to compensate for the massive gap in individual strength through coordination, aiming to concentrate their power to take down the "Beast Controller" himself first.

The incense stick planted in the ground burned quietly, a small segment of grey-white ash accumulating at the tip. The moment that bit of ash could no longer support its own weight and silently snapped off!

"Move!"

Tang San's low shout rang out crisply, shattering the silent atmosphere.

At almost the same moment, Ning Rongrong, positioned at the very back, raised her hands as soul power surged within her.

"Seven Treasures turn out a Glazed Pagoda!"

A Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda appeared out of thin air in her palm, and two yellow century-level soul rings rose from beneath her feet.

"Seven Treasures has a name, the first: Power!"

"Seven Treasures has a name, the second: Speed!"

Several streams of light flew out and merged into Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. Having received the buffs, the two immediately felt their sense of power and speed significantly enhanced.

After completing the buffs, Ning Rongrong quickly retreated another step behind Tang San, placing herself completely within his protection.

At the same time, two yellow soul rings rose beneath Tang San's feet, and Blue Silver Grass swarmed out from his palms.

He did not use the Blue Silver Grass to directly Bind Xiao Qing in the distance; the distance and Xiao Qing's reaction speed both dictated that such an approach would be difficult to succeed.

Therefore, Tang San chose a safer method that required even greater tacit understanding.

"Go!"

Several exceptionally thick Blue Silver Grass vines nimbly wrapped around the waists of Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.

Tang San exerted force from his waist and shook his arms, utilizing the Tang Sect's unique skill, Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon, as his leverage was transmitted through the Blue Silver Grass.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing felt a massive yet gentle throwing force emanate from their waists.

Relying on this force, the two figures instantly left the ground, and with speed far exceeding their own explosive capabilities, they lunged left and right directly toward Xiao Qing's position!

Facing this sudden, well-coordinated joint assault, Xiao Qing moved.

He did not look at the rapidly approaching Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing; instead, he locked onto Tang San, who was controlling the Blue Silver Grass from slightly further away and serving as the team's command core.

The third soul ring at his feet glowed slightly.

There was no earth-shattering momentum; everyone only felt a blur before their eyes.

At the spot where Xiao Qing had originally stood, the air emitted a faint sonic boom. A blurred afterimage remained in place, while his actual body had already vanished.

Third soul skill, Lightning Flash.

This soul skill was a displacement technique for instantly closing or widening distance; a straight-line dash within a hundred meters, with speed nearly equivalent to teleportation.

Before anyone could react, Xiao Qing's true form had appeared out of thin air less than a meter in front of Tang San!

Xiao Qing's speed was so swift that it completely exceeded Tang San's expectations and the limits of his reaction.

As Xiao Qing appeared, he pushed his palm forward, striking toward the arm Tang San had raised in a hurried attempt to block.

A flash of purple light emerged in Tang San's eyes as he pushed his Purple Demon Eye to the limit, attempting to track Xiao Qing's trajectory.

Under the enhancement of the Purple Demon Eye, Tang San saw that a layer of thick, solid energy armor instantly covered Xiao Qing's palm and forearm along the path of his arm's movement—this was Xiao Qing's second soul skill, Rock Armor.

"Bang!"

A dull sound of impact echoed.

Tang San felt a force like an iron hammer surge from the opponent's palm, causing his blood to churn and his arm to go numb.

He let out a muffled groan, his footing faltered, and his entire body was pushed backward by this immense force. He flew back a full meter or two before barely adjusting his center of gravity and stumbling to the ground, his face turning slightly pale.

With just a single palm strike, he had completely lost control of his Blue Silver Grass, and all his subsequent tactical arrangements had been disrupted.

Having repelled Tang San with one strike, Xiao Qing did not pause for even a second. He turned, his gaze already fixed on Ning Rongrong, who was somewhat panicked by his abrupt appearance.

The strategic value of a support-type soul master, especially one with a Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, was beyond doubt; prioritizing their neutralization was the most correct choice possible.

He took a step and walked toward Ning Rongrong; his pace was not fast, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression.

"Stop him!"

A cold, low shout rang out.

Zhu Zhuqing, who had lunged at Xiao Qing's original position only to find it empty, was the quickest to react.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes, her first soul ring lit up, and she forcibly twisted her lithe body in mid-air.

Her speed was already extremely fast under the buff of the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, and at this moment, she pushed that speed to the limit. Arriving before she had even departed, she actually blocked 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 cat claws thrust directly at Xiao Qing's chest and abdomen, intending to force him to defend or retreat, thereby buying time for her teammates.

Almost at the same time Zhu Zhuqing attacked, Xiao Wu also utilized the flexibility and speed brought by her Waist Bow to strike from the other side.

She did not attack directly; instead, she lowered her body, her long, powerful legs crossing like scissors to precisely clamp around Xiao Qing's waist.

Activating Jiu-Jitsu, she unleashed the core strength of her waist and abdomen in an instant, attempting to execute a Waist Bow to throw Xiao Qing.

However, as Xiao Wu exerted her strength, her expression changed abruptly.

She felt as though she were not clamping onto a body of flesh and blood, but an iron pillar buried deep underground!

Xiao Qing's stance was unnervingly stable, and the feedback from his waist was incredibly heavy; her throwing technique was completely ineffective!

Just then, Xiao Qing moved.

The muscles at his waist, where Xiao Wu held him, gave a slight tremor, releasing a burst of subtle force. Simultaneously, his left hand, covered in Rock Armor, reached downward and precisely grabbed one of Xiao Wu's calves.

Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Qing exerted force with his arm and swung her toward his side and back.

"Ah!"

Xiao Wu let out a startled cry, feeling an irresistible force surge through her. She instantly lost her balance and was flung away by Xiao Qing as if she were a piece of clothing, heading directly toward the spot where Tang San had been sent flying.

"Xiao Wu!"

Tang San, having just steadied himself, saw this and suppressed his churning blood. Blue Silver Grass surged forth once more, weaving into a net in mid-air to narrowly catch the flying Xiao Wu and neutralize the impact of her fall.

At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's Hell Stab had already arrived.

Facing Zhu Zhuqing's ghost-like thrusts, Xiao Qing did not care in the slightest, not even moving his feet.

Only at the instant the cat claws were about to strike his body did the gray-white Rock Armor covering his skin shimmer with flowing light.

"Skree, skree, skree!"

The sharp cat claws raked across the Rock Armor, producing a series of teeth-grinding friction sounds and sparking a few tiny embers.

Zhu Zhuqing felt as if her claws had struck the hardest granite!

The recoil made her wrist go numb; her full-force strike had only left a few shallow white marks on the surface of the Rock Armor, failing to penetrate even a fraction!

Zhu Zhuqing's pupils constricted in shock; this defensive power far exceeded her estimates!

With her strike failing, Zhu Zhuqing did not linger, using the momentum to backflip and attempt to create distance.

However, Xiao Qing's counterattack had already arrived. He held his right fingers together; without using any soul skills, his hand—covered in Rock Armor—carried a heavy wind pressure as it slashed diagonally toward the path of Zhu Zhuqing's backflip, perfectly calculating her landing point.

With Zhu Zhuqing in mid-air, unable to change direction, it seemed she was about to be struck by this hand blade. If this blow landed, the strength augmented by the Rock Armor would be enough to instantly render her combat-incapable.

"Bind!"

Tang San's shout rang out once again.

Several strands of Blue Silver Grass, like venomous snakes, lunged from a tricky angle, precisely wrapping around Zhu Zhuqing's waist and arms and yanking her violently to the side and back.

Swish!

Zhu Zhuqing's figure was dragged away from her original trajectory, and Xiao Qing's palm grazed the edge of her clothes, the resulting gust of wind stinging her cheeks.