The Shadow Ninjas surrounded everyone, their red eyes flashing.
"Humph! My name isn't Dai Mubai, you old bastard!" Dai Xieyue spat coldly, then ordered the Shadow Ninjas to attack again.
"Smack! Smack!"
Two sharp slaps rang out as Flender sent a Shadow Ninja flying with each hand.
"Boom—"
The Shadow Ninjas flew out of the room, startling the spectators and staff at the Soul Fighting Arena.
"What was that?" The spectators looked in alarm toward the second-floor box, where cold flashes filled the room and a fierce battle raged.
"Someone's causing trouble at the Soul Fighting Arena? Are they trying to get themselves killed?"
People eagerly turned to look. For a moment, they were no longer interested in watching the Soul Fighting matches below.
Troublemaking was strictly forbidden at the Soul Fighting Arena. Anyone who caused a disturbance there had always met a bad end, so today's chaos was a rare sight.
"One ticket got me two fights. What a bargain!" Someone peered into the room through a large hole in the wall, thrilled.
"Keep fighting! Smash all the windows!"
Some people stamped their feet and beat their chests, wishing their seats weren't so far away, where they couldn't see the whole scene.
In the control room, the young manager of the Soul Fighting Arena saw what was happening and shouted furiously, "Bastards! Go bring them here!"
Inside the room, Shadow Ninjas kept appearing one after another. Flender and Zhao Wuji shielded the others behind them.
The Shadow Ninjas were numerous, but each one was only as strong as an ordinary Soul Elder. Still, their strange hidden weapons and ghostlike speed made Flender stay on guard.
Whoosh—
A Shadow Ninja bent low and fired a dart. Flender easily dodged aside, and the dart embedded itself in the pillar behind him, its edge glinting coldly.
Hidden weapons again!
Flender grew wary. Why were these people like Tang San, with such a knack for using hidden weapons?
A diamond-shaped dart! Could this world have a hidden-weapon tradition too?
Tang San looked surprised when he saw the dart in the pillar, but there was no time to think on the battlefield.
"Let's see you use Heavenly Maiden Scattering Flowers! How long can your turtle shell hold out?" Dai Xieyue said with a cold laugh.
The Shadow Ninjas quickly retreated to the wall, then pulled hidden weapons from their clothes and flung them forward like a deck of cards.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
In an instant, hidden weapons filled the entire room. There was nowhere for anyone to dodge.
This is bad! There are too many—I won't make it in time!
Flender's eyes widened. Gritting his teeth, he spread his arms and activated Martial Soul Possession.
"Roar—"
Zhao Wuji transformed into a gigantic Vajra Bear and stood in front of everyone. The black Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up.
Fifth Soul Skill: Gravity Squeeze!
The weightless air in front of him suddenly grew incredibly heavy, as if squeezed by some force. The incoming darts were drawn together, crushed into a ball of iron, and dropped to the floor.
Yet even so, there were still too many darts to stop.
"Third Brother!" Xiao Wu clung to Tang San in terror, frightened and full of regret.
I haven't avenged Mom yet. Am I really going to die here? I should never have come out.
Zhu Zhuqing braced herself and stared stubbornly at the oncoming darts. Even in the face of danger, she gritted her teeth and refused to give up.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Darts streaked past Flender and were about to hit Tang San behind him.
"Watch out!" Flender turned back in a panic.
A hidden weapon slid from Tang San's sleeve. He narrowed his eyes, just about to fire it—
Bang!
A giant hammer came crashing down between them, knocking every dart in the air aside. Tang San and the others were left completely unharmed.
"What was that?" Flender looked utterly bewildered.
It had happened so fast that no one had seen who had saved them, or even what the hammer looked like.
But Dai Xieyue recognized it.
He would never forget that presence—the presence that had brought him such utter humiliation!
"Hahaha, good! You finally showed yourself!" He threw back his head and laughed, his face darkening as he looked around.
"Stop hiding like a coward! Come out if you've got the guts!"
"Why are you yelling? Shut your damn mouth!" A richly dressed man entered the room, his voice full of anger. "Don't you know that causing trouble is forbidden at the Soul Fighting Arena? All of you are coming with me to see the manager!"
"Fuck off!" Dai Xieyue angrily sprang up and kicked him away.
"Ah!" The richly dressed man fell to the floor, staring at Dai Xieyue in disbelief. "You—you—you dare cause trouble at the Soul Fighting Arena? Seize him!"
"Yes!"
Three Soul Kings lit their Soul Rings, rolled up their sleeves, and strode into the room.
"Come out!" Dai Xieyue paid no attention to the three behind him. He raised his hand and fired a beam of light.
The Yellow Soul Ring beneath his feet flashed violently, sending streaks of black light toward every corner of the room.
After he used the Soul Ring, his Soul Skill changed as well. His White Tiger Intense Light Wave had become the White Tiger Evil Light Wave!
It was only one changed word, but the new skill carried a corrosive property.
"Dai Xieyue, don't get cocky!" Dai Shengyang stepped in front of Zhu Zhuqing and fired a blazing beam from his hand, completely purifying the black light.
His Soul Skill had changed into the White Tiger Holy Light Wave, which carried a purifying property.
So this is the power of the Talismans? Yu Xiaogang watched excitedly, no longer able to suppress his growing desire.
If he obtained this power, perhaps he could fully awaken and finally shed his reputation as a useless man.
Tang San thought carefully as he scanned the room. The power from earlier had felt somewhat familiar. Could he know the person who had just saved them?
"Boom!"
The glowing sphere shot forward, and a figure emerged from the darkness.
Dai Xieyue was overjoyed. Found you! But in the next instant—
Bang!
"Cough—" Dai Xieyue was blasted away by a hammer and spat out a mouthful of blood.
The entire thing happened as fast as lightning. No one present saw who the figure was. Even the three Soul Kings saw only a shadow flash past before the troublemaker vanished from in front of them.
"Dad?"
Tang San looked at the figure's back and called out before he could stop himself.
But he quickly dismissed the thought. His father was just an ordinary blacksmith. How could he possibly be such a powerful Soul Master?
At the doorway, the three men looked at one another, scratching their heads, unsure what to do.
The richly dressed man staggered to his feet in the hallway and pointed at Flender and the others, shouting furiously, "Seize them!"
"Yes!"
The three Soul Kings threateningly advanced toward Flender and the others, only to see—
"Hey, isn't that a Martial Soul Avatar?" one of them asked nervously, swallowing hard.
"It—it looks like it," the other two said, stopping in their tracks. They wouldn't take another step forward for anything.
"Everyone, follow me. We're leaving."
Flender paid the three no mind and led the Shrek group out through the doorway. The three Soul Kings didn't dare stop them.
The richly dressed man cursed and shouted after them, but they had already escaped.
The Soul Fighting Arena's power ran deep; it wasn't a place Shrek could afford to provoke. Staying there might have caused trouble, so Flender had made the wise choice to leave before any powerful figures arrived.
Meanwhile, in a secret chamber of the Spirit Hall.
Beneath the dim light, Dai Xieyue shakily held out his hand. Half of the Tiger Talisman lay plainly in his palm.
Even if a hammer beat him to death, he wouldn't dare forget Shendu's mission.
"Excellent!"
Shendu was overjoyed. With the complete Talisman, he could finally receive his divine seat reward!
Let's see what the divine seat has in store for me!
He could hardly wait!
Before you continue