Sky Abyss Academy vs. Shrek Academy (Part 2)

Haotian Hammer.

It was the Haotian Sect's most violent trump card, the universally acknowledged pinnacle of strength in the Soul Master world.

The instant that pitch-black heavy weapon smashed into the ground, the entire arena seemed to wail.

The nobles in the stands lost their composure. Some crushed the jade cups in their hands, oblivious as porcelain shards pierced their palms.

At the judges' stand, Bone Douluo's withered fingers suddenly clenched the armrest, a flicker of shock and suspicion passing through his eyes.

Su Chen still stood atop Iron Wall's broad back.

He tilted his head as though appraising a piece of art about to shatter, his gaze holding a chilling calm.

"I thought you would save that trump card for the finals."

Su Chen leaped down. The moment his toes touched the ground, a ring of frost spread outward in a perfect circle.

He spread open his hand. His palm was empty, yet it seemed as if he held the lifeline of the entire arena in his grasp.

"The Haotian Hammer is a heavy weapon. Every swing drains your life force."

Su Chen raised four fingers, speaking evenly.

"Blue Silver Grass's sensory web has been cut in half, and your soul power consumption has quadrupled."

"Tang San, you're gambling with your life."

Tang San's arms trembled slightly under the excessive burden, but the light in his eyes was frighteningly cold.

"If I win, you'll leave the stage."

Su Chen laughed softly and shook his head.

"You miscalculated one thing."

"You only have one person. I have an army."

He pressed his right hand down through the air.

"Close the net."

The moment the command fell, Shrek Academy's left flank collapsed first.

Chu Yao, who had been lurking in the shadows of the vines, rose to her feet.

Purple light flashed through her bewitching pupils as the poison mist she had deliberately suppressed transformed into a roaring tidal wave.

After twelve full minutes of concealment, every corner of the arena had been saturated with her poisonous breath.

A muffled crack came from Dai Mubai's knee. It was the sound of bones no longer able to support his body.

The golden light of the White Tiger Vajra Transformation seemed to have been splashed with tainted blood, dimming bit by bit.

Ma Hongjun could not even condense a complete feather. His phoenix fire had turned into a harmless orange-red glow.

Ling Shuang moved even faster.

The Heavenly Net Immortal Vine burst wildly from the cracks between the rubble. Hundreds upon hundreds of vines completed an intricate weave in half a second.

It was an airtight spherical cage, the path of every vine conforming to the ultimate principles of mechanical structure.

The flames Ma Hongjun spat out struck the vine walls, leaving behind only a few insignificant black marks.

Their soul power had already been corroded by the poison to the point that they could not even ignite a spark.

Dai Mubai pounded the vine wall madly, every punch landing as if against thick rubber.

"Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun have lost the ability to fight."

The referee's voice was as cold as a scalpel, cutting off Shrek Academy's hope.

On the right flank, Mo Qianye had finally grown tired of playing cat and mouse.

Zhu Zhuqing's figure flashed through the shadows eight times. Every ambush was casually deflected by Mo Qianye with a single finger.

It was absolute suppression in speed, and an overwhelming blow to combat instinct itself.

Nether Phoenix Flame flowed soundlessly along the ground.

This flame had no temperature, yet it could ignite every shadow.

Zhu Zhuqing was forced out of her stealth state. Gritting her teeth, she poured her last reserves of soul power into Netherworld Hundred Claws.

That was the last of her pride.

Mo Qianye did not even raise his eyelids.

With his right hand, he traced a perfect semicircle at his side.

The shield formed from Netherfire was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet the instant the claws touched it, it devoured all of Zhu Zhuqing's soul power like a black hole.

Her martial soul was forcibly dismissed.

Zhu Zhuqing fell to the ground like a severed kite, her face as pale as paper.

"You are a fine blade."

Mo Qianye withdrew his hand, and the cluster of black fire at his fingertips slowly went out.

"But the one holding the blade is too weak."

"Zhu Zhuqing, eliminated."

The collapse in the rear came even more strangely.

Ye Linglong had waited a long time for this moment.

Over the past eleven minutes, she had done only one thing: countering every enhancement Ning Rongrong cast.

For every point you gained, she took one away.

Under the gaze of the Annihilation Demon Eyes, the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower looked absurd and powerless.

"All Thoughts Turn to Ash."

Ye Linglong murmured softly.

An invisible wave of mental energy swept across the field.

Ning Rongrong froze.

The light in her eyes rapidly scattered, turning into a bottomless emptiness.

The light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower went out completely.

She weakly dropped to her knees amid the ruins, tears sliding down her face without conscious thought.

It was not because of pain, but because, in that instant, she felt that every struggle and every shred of pride had become meaningless.

Oscar tried to support her, but the instant he touched the lingering aftershock from Ye Linglong, his mind went blank for a full thirty seconds.

The recovery sausage in his hand rolled into the dirt, covered in dust.

"Ning Rongrong and Oscar, eliminated."

In just a few dozen seconds.

Only two of the Shrek Seven Monsters remained, barely hanging on.

The Abyss Seven Generals stood shoulder to shoulder, not even their breathing rhythm disturbed.

The stands were terrifyingly silent.

This was not a contest between opponents of the same level. It was a meticulously planned slaughter.

Su Chen stood outside the encirclement and lowered his head to kick away Iron Wall, who had edged closer.

"Surrender."

His voice echoed across the empty arena.

"Your people have all fallen. Continuing this fight will only waste my time."

Tang San said nothing.

He stood there in silence. After a long while, the corner of his mouth unexpectedly curved upward.

The smile was clean, yet it carried a frenzied resolve.

He suddenly planted the Haotian Hammer into the ground.

"Su Chen, you won in tactics. You won the overall battle."

"But I haven't fallen yet."

Tang San turned his head to look at Xiao Wu, who was shrinking back behind him.

Xiao Wu clutched tightly at the hem of his clothes, the red swelling around her ankle glaringly obvious.

"We came together, so we leave together."

Tang San did not try to persuade her again.

Blue Silver Grass erupted wildly beneath his feet, turning everything within five zhang into a dark-blue domain.

The Haotian Hammer rose high once more.

Twin martial souls, activated at full power.

The master abruptly rose from his seat in the stands, his teeth chattering violently from excessive tension.

Tang San charged.

Alone, he crashed into a steel barricade formed by six people.

The wind pressure from the Haotian Hammer tore apart Yan Wuji's ice wall.

The shield woven from Blue Silver Grass forcibly blocked Mo Qianye's Netherfire.

Holding his breath, he tore a bloody path through Chu Yao's poisonous mist.

Ling Shuang's vines wrapped around his ankle, so he leaped with the vines still attached.

Ye Linglong's demon eyes locked tightly onto his consciousness.

Tang San's eyes were bloodshot as the Purple Demon Eyes erupted at the cost of his reserves, blasting a moment of clarity into his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Tieyi's fivefold gravity field was already crashing down upon him.

Tang San's knee let out a teeth-grinding crack.

But he did not kneel.

Grand Sumeru Hammer, Mountain-Splitting.

This hammer strike was not aimed at anyone.

The hammerhead slammed heavily into the ground.

The stone tiles across the entire platform shattered into tens of thousands of fragments.

Tang San's fingers left afterimages through the air. Every strand of Blue Silver Grass became a precise launch track.

He used the Haotian Hammer as power, shattered stone as bullets, and Blue Silver Grass as guidance.

One man unleashed a metal storm that covered the entire field.

Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

He took a step back.

A fragment of stone enhanced by Blue Silver Grass grazed past his cheek.

A thin streak of blood appeared on Su Chen's flawless face.

The entire arena fell silent.

Su Chen was bleeding.

That monster, whose clothes had not even been touched since the preliminaries, was bleeding.

Su Chen raised his hand and wiped that crimson streak from his fingertip.

He stared at the blood on his fingers for a long time.

By then, Tang San had completely exhausted himself. He knelt on one knee amid the ruins as the Haotian Hammer dissolved into motes of light.

Xiao Wu rushed over and embraced him, her sobs especially piercing in the silent arena.

"You are strong."

Su Chen looked up. For the first time, something called recognition appeared in his eyes.

"But that is all."

He turned around and led the Abyss Seven Generals toward the passageway.

"Sky Abyss Academy wins."

The referee's verdict finally fell.

After a brief silence, the stands erupted into applause like a tidal wave.

And that applause was for the defeated.

Because in that final moment, Tang San had proven with his own blood that even gods were not untouchable.

And in the darkest corner of the stands.

Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet. Her hood concealed her expression, but the knuckles gripping her scepter had turned white.

"Hall Master, should we approach Su Chen?" her attendant asked quietly.

Bibi Dong gave one final look at the calm figure standing at the center of the arena.

"At any cost, bring him to see me."