Zhao Wuji Retreats!

The next moment.

The Golden Giant's enormous hands slapped down at Zhao Wuji.

At the same time, several golden dragons coiled around the giant's fingers, closing in on Zhao Wuji from every direction and sealing off his escape routes.

At this moment.

Zhao Wuji was still entangled with countless vines.

He had only just broken free of the vines when he saw the gigantic Golden Giant, over twenty meters tall.

Massive golden palms blotted out the sky as they descended toward his head!

All around him, golden dragons came crashing toward him one after another. There was nowhere for him to hide!

"What kind of soul skill is this?"

"This young man is a complete monster!"

By the time Zhao Wuji sensed the danger, it was already too late.

The golden dragons had sealed him in, followed immediately by a giant hand descending from above.

"Damn it!"

"I refuse to accept this!"

"Kill!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Faced with this life-or-death moment, Zhao Wuji completely went berserk. His iron fists swung wildly, smashing apart all the golden dragons in one direction before he darted out of the Golden Earth Dragon Array.

There was no way he could win.

He could only run first.

Though running away was somewhat disgraceful, at least it would save his life.

As for what others might say afterward, he could worry about that later.

Seeing this, Zhou Tao did not forcefully stop him.

Although he was confident he could defeat Zhao Wuji.

Actually killing him would still be very difficult.

After all.

The gap between their levels was simply too great.

The difference in Soul Power created a difference in martial souls.

With the strength of a Soul Elder, the Golden Ancient Tree's toughness was still insufficient to truly keep Zhao Wuji here.

Though he could greatly reinforce the shields around himself, enough to withstand Zhao Wuji's attacks.

He could not set up shields of that strength in every direction, so he could not stop Zhao Wuji from escaping.

In the end.

His martial soul simply was not powerful enough yet.

After all.

He was only a Soul Ancestor.

No matter how strong his martial soul was.

This was the limit of what it could achieve.

Once he became a Soul Emperor or Soul King, and the quality of his martial soul rose another level, he would definitely be able to ensure that Zhao Wuji had nowhere to run!

"It seems the Golden Ancient Tree's vitality and toughness still need to be increased!"

"Greatly increased!"

"Until my enemies are driven to despair!"

Zhou Tao thought to himself.

This challenge against Zhao Wuji across such a vast level gap had given him rare practical combat experience.

As he reviewed this battle, he had already formed his own plans for how to upgrade his martial soul in the future.

As long as he continued down the path of ultimate vitality, he would be invincible!

Moreover, his martial soul was practically the natural bane of reckless brutes!

Meanwhile.

The people nearby had witnessed the entire battle.

At that cry, the entire area fell into dead silence.

Dai Mubai and the others seemed to have been hit by a paralysis spell, frozen where they stood. Their pupils trembled, their faces filled with disbelief.

What had they just seen?

In their eyes.

The incomparably powerful vice dean!

A Soul Sage-level expert!

Zhao Wuji, the Immovable Bright King!

Yet at this moment, he was like a human-shaped punching bag, pinned inside the Golden Earth Dragon Array by this kid whose Soul Power Level was only in the thirties...

And brutally beaten!

Aside from Zhou Tao being at a slight disadvantage and suffering a small loss at the beginning;

The rest of the battle had been entirely Zhou Tao's time to display his strength.

There were no flashy clashes of soul skills.

Only Zhou Tao's repeated, miraculous displays of soul skills, Suppressing Zhao Wuji ruthlessly time and again.

Zhao Wuji.

Was like a gorilla imprisoned by Zhou Tao.

Beaten up by Zhou Tao again and again.

Like a father beating his son.

Effortless!

Easy!

"Gulp~"

Ma Hongjun struggled to climb up from the ground and swallowed hard. The fat on his face trembled, and he seemed to have forgotten the pain of being crippled by Zhou Tao earlier.

All that remained was boundless shock.

"Boss Dai, I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"Teacher Zhao was actually beaten by this kid..."

Dai Mubai's face was ashen, his mismatched eyes filled with shock and a trace of barely perceptible humiliation.

The strength he had always been proud of was utterly worthless before Zhou Tao.

And the academy backer he relied on, Vice Dean Zhao Wuji, was now being publicly crushed by Zhou Tao as well, completely unable to fight back.

The stark contrast left him both furious and aggrieved.

"How could this guy be so fierce?"

"That Golden Ancient Tree is way, way, way too powerful, isn't it?"

"Could this be no ordinary martial soul? Could it be a god-tier martial soul?"

"If it's a god-tier martial soul, then that would explain it."

Oscar said in astonishment. The sausage in his hand was about to fall to the ground, and his mouth was wide enough to fit an egg.

The other onlookers all stared dumbfoundedly at Zhou Tao.

As though they were looking at a peerless monster.

It was simply too terrifying.

A Soul Ancestor in his thirties had actually defeated a Soul Sage in his seventies!

If word got out, it would definitely become explosive headline news that shook the entire continent!

Everyone began discussing it heatedly.

At the same time.

Zhao Wuji scrambled out of the Golden Earth Dragon Array in a wretched state, his heart still filled with lingering fear.

He no longer had the strength to move even a finger. His internal organs churned violently, and every bone in his body felt as though it had fallen apart.

He laboriously raised his head and looked at Zhou Tao standing high above him, his eyes filled with fear. He had no doubt that if the other man wanted to kill him, he might not necessarily die, but he certainly would not escape easily.

"Young friend, I surrender!"

Zhao Wuji's voice was hoarse, carrying a pleading note.

"I failed to discipline my disciples properly. I admit my mistake."

"Please spare us, young friend."

Circumstances were stronger than he was, so he had no choice but to lower his head.

Zhao Wuji had spent many years in the world of soul masters and knew well that capable people appeared everywhere.

When facing an opponent one could not defeat, lowering one's head at the right time was a way to preserve one's life.

"Immovable Bright King, you can really take a beating."

Zhou Tao stood atop the giant's head, looking down at Zhao Wuji from above.

"Fine, I'm a kind-hearted person."

"Since you admitted defeat and have suffered enough."

"I'll spare you."

"Don't do it again, understand?"

At that, Zhao Wuji nodded repeatedly. "I won't, absolutely won't!"

Only after seeing that Zhao Wuji was no longer a threat did Zhou Tao withdraw from his Martial Soul state.

The instant the Martial Soul vanished, Zhou Tao's figure appeared once more.

Zhao Wuji examined him carefully.

His short, jet-black hair was neat and stylish; his features were handsome, his nose high-bridged, and his eyes bright and profound.

He looked very young, yet he carried a composure and dominance that belied his age.

Earlier, Zhao Wuji had not looked closely at Zhou Tao. After just one glance, he had assumed Zhou Tao was young and easily defeated.

But now that he looked more carefully.

Despite his young age, this boy possessed such an outstanding bearing. He was definitely no ordinary person.

Zhao Wuji asked curiously:

"Little friend, who exactly are you?"

Having narrowly escaped death, Zhao Wuji stood off to the side in a sorry state, keeping a very low profile for fear of angering Zhou Tao.

"Zhou Tao, a student of Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

"Ever heard of it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji was immediately startled. "So you're from the finest Soul Master Academy in the Heaven Dou Empire."

"No wonder you're so talented, little friend."

"We're from Shrek Academy. I'm the vice dean, Zhao Wuji, and these two are my students."

Zhao Wuji hurriedly introduced himself.

"Shrek Academy? What kind of fly-by-night academy is that?"

Zhou Tao raised a brow and said coldly.

Those words were like a sharp thorn, viciously piercing Zhao Wuji's heart.