Still an Overwhelming Victory

"Contestants on both sides, prepare."

Long Hengxu's voice came from the referee's stand. "Rules of the match: it ends when one side has completely lost the ability to fight or admits defeat. Deliberate killing and the use of prohibited Soul Tools are forbidden. Understood?"

"Understood." Both sides answered at once.

Long Hengxu brought his hand down sharply—

"Match begin!"

The instant his words fell.

Zhong Shenxiu moved.

Exactly as he had yesterday.

No shout, no warning, not even the slightest windup—he went from complete stillness to explosive motion without warning, like a golden bolt of lightning tearing through the air.

A deep dragon's roar rose from within him.

Pale golden dragon scales surged forth like a tide, covering the vital parts of his body.

His figure grew slightly taller, brilliant gold dragon horns sprouting from either side of his forehead as his fingers extended into pale golden dragon claws.

Two yellow soul rings rose beneath his feet.

The Sky Light Dragon Spear condensed in his hand.

From activation to Martial Soul Possession, from the emergence of his soul rings to the formation of the Dragon Spear—

The entire process took less than a second.

Lu Feng's pupils abruptly contracted.

Fast.

Too fast.

But he had prepared for this.

"Take flight!" he shouted sharply.

Before his words had even faded, he was already soaring into the air.

Azure Soul Power gathered behind him into a pair of illusory eagle wings, carrying him skyward.

At the same time, the triplets released their Martial Souls.

Three pairs of eagle wings unfurled behind them, their azure feathers glinting faintly in the sunlight.

The three of them lifted off the ground and rose into the air, instantly reaching a height of five meters.

They had done it.

Lu Feng felt slightly relieved.

As long as they took to the air, that monster's spear would—

A dazzling pillar of golden light descended from the heavens.

It came without warning, so fast that it seemed as though it had always been there, only revealing itself at that moment.

Golden radiance fell from above, instantly enveloping Zhong Shenxiu.

But not only him.

The pillar's range covered the entire arena.

Lu Feng's pupils contracted to pinpoints.

He saw it.

He saw the instant the golden pillar descended. He saw the figure within it, burning with golden flames. He saw those molten-gold vertical pupils looking up at the sky.

There was no anger in those eyes, no urgency, not even the slightest emotion.

Only calmness.

A calmness that made one's scalp prickle.

Then, the pillar exploded.

Countless hair-thin needles of light shot out from it.

Those light needles were so tiny they were nearly invisible, yet they gleamed with deadly golden light beneath the sun.

Centered on Zhong Shenxiu, they spread madly in every direction like a blooming golden flower, breathtakingly beautiful.

Second soul skill: Holy Light Judgment!

Lu Feng's mind went blank.

He only had time to do one thing—

He raised both hands to shield his head and face while desperately urging his Soul Power to form an azure barrier before him.

Then, the light needles arrived.

Ssssss—

A dense sound like torrential rain battering a window rang out beside his ears.

The light needles struck the azure barrier. Some were deflected, while others pierced directly through it.

Each needle that penetrated the barrier left behind a tiny hole before continuing onward toward his body.

Lu Feng felt countless fine stings across his body.

The pain was slight, so faint it could almost be ignored.

But there were too many of them, enough to cover his entire body in pain in a single instant.

He lowered his head and saw countless tiny holes in his clothes.

He saw countless tiny red marks on his arms, legs, and chest.

Blood was seeping from those red marks.

The droplets were tiny, the stains faint, but they were indeed bleeding.

Lu Feng's heart sank to the bottom.

He raised his head and looked toward the triplets.

The three identical faces bore the same look of horror.

Their bodies were likewise covered in dense red marks.

Their eagle wings were likewise riddled with tiny holes.

Those light needles had pierced through the defenses they had hurriedly formed, through their clothes, through their skin, through their—

No, they had not penetrated through.

They had only pierced the surface of their skin.

But that was enough.

Because the light needles brought more than just stinging pain.

They also carried a scorching heat.

That heat seeped into their bodies from every spot that had been struck, flowing along their blood and spreading through their meridians.

It was not strong or violent. It could even be called gentle.

But it was everywhere, reaching every corner of their bodies, making them burn and grow weak.

Lu Feng felt his Soul Power falling into disorder.

He felt his eagle wings trembling.

He felt his body dropping.

He desperately urged his Soul Power, trying to stabilize himself. But the moment he mobilized it, that scorching heat shattered it into chaos.

The Light Power contained within those needles was raging through his body. It was not enough to cause substantial damage, but it was enough to make him temporarily lose precise control over his Soul Power.

That was enough.

Because in those few short seconds, he had fallen from five meters in the air to three.

He lowered his head and saw that golden figure closing in.

Those molten-gold vertical pupils were looking up at him.

Calm.

Focused.

Without any emotion.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Feng's mind.

They had lost.

Lost utterly and completely.

That monster had never intended to let them take flight.

Or rather, he had already anticipated that they would fly.

That was why he had prepared this move.

Holy Light Judgment.

Its range covered the entire arena.

As long as they remained within that range, as long as they were in the air, they could not avoid it.

Those countless needles of light had not been meant to injure them, but to—

Interrupt.

Interrupt their flight.

Interrupt their rhythm.

Interrupt everything.

Lu Feng suddenly understood something.

From the moment the match began, they had already lost.

Not because of a gap in strength, nor because of Soul Power Level.

But because that monster had seen through every one of their thoughts from the start.

He had seen through their plan to take flight.

He had seen through their intention to exploit their aerial advantage.

He had seen through everything.

Then, in the simplest and most direct way, he had turned their advantage into a disadvantage.

Lu Feng slammed heavily onto the arena.

Bang!

The metal platform shuddered violently.

He struggled to get up, only to discover that his body no longer obeyed him.

The scorching sensation brought by the light needles was still raging inside him, making every muscle go weak and every nerve tremble.

He turned his head and saw the triplets falling onto the platform one after another.

The three of them were likewise struggling to rise, likewise weak all over, likewise filled with terror.

The same expression was written across their three identical faces—disbelief.

Their flight advantage, which they had been so proud of, had not even lasted three seconds before that monster.

Lu Feng struggled to raise his head and look at the golden figure.

Zhong Shenxiu stood not far away, spear in hand.

The Sky Light Dragon Spear hummed softly in his grasp, golden light flowing endlessly over it.

Those molten-gold vertical pupils swept over the four of them, confirming that they had lost their ability to fight.

Then he turned and walked off the platform.