Clear Sky Hammer.
It was the Clear Sky Sect's most violently powerful trump card, the universally acknowledged pinnacle of strength among Soul Masters.
The instant this pitch-black heavy weapon slammed into the ground, the entire arena let out a mournful groan.
The nobles in the stands lost their composure. Some crushed the jade cups in their hands, utterly unaware as shards of porcelain pierced their palms.
At the referees' table, Bone Douluo's withered fingers suddenly clenched the armrest, a flicker of shock and suspicion crossing his eyes.
Su Chen still stood atop Iron Wall's broad back.
He tilted his head, as though appraising a work of art about to shatter. His eyes held a chilling calm.
"I thought you'd 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 his hand. His palm was empty, yet it seemed as though he held the lifeline of the entire arena in his grasp.
"The Clear Sky Hammer is a heavy weapon. Every swing drains your life force."
Su Chen raised four fingers, his voice even.
"Blue Silver Grass's sensory network 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 immense strain, but the light in his eyes was terrifyingly cold.
"If I win, you're getting off the stage."
Su Chen chuckled and gently shook his head.
"You miscalculated one thing."
"You're alone. I, on the other hand, have an army."
He pressed his right hand through the air.
"Close the net."
The instant the command fell, Shrek Academy's left flank collapsed first.
Chu Yao, who had been lurking in the shadows cast by the vines, rose to her feet.
A violet glimmer flashed through her bewitching eyes 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 steeped in her poisonous aura.
Dai Mubai's knee let out a dull crack, a sign that his bones could no longer support his body.
The golden glow 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 Phoenixfire had become a harmless orange-red flame.
Ling Shuang moved even faster.
The Heavenly Net Immortal Vine erupted wildly from the cracks between broken stones. Hundreds upon hundreds of vines completed an intricate weave within half a second.
It was an airtight spherical prison, every vine arranged according to the utmost principles of structural mechanics.
The flames Ma Hongjun spewed against the vine wall left behind only a few insignificant scorch marks.
Their Soul Power had already been corroded by the poison to the point that they could not even ignite a spark.
Dai Mubai hammered the vine wall frantically, each punch landing as though against thick rubber.
"Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun have lost their 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 flickered through the shadows eight times. Every ambush was casually deflected by Mo Qianye with a single finger.
It was absolute suppression through speed, a crushing blow against combat instinct itself.
Nether Phoenix Flame flowed silently along the ground.
This fire had no heat, yet it could ignite every shadow.
Zhu Zhuqing was forced out of stealth. Gritting her teeth, she poured her last reserves of Soul Power into Netherworld Hundred Claws.
It was the last of her dignity.
Mo Qianye did not even raise an eyelid.
His right hand drew a perfect semicircle at his side.
A shield of Netherfire condensed, thin as a cicada's wing. Yet the instant the claw tips touched it, it devoured all of Zhu Zhuqing's Soul Power like a black hole.
Her Martial Soul was forcibly dispelled.
Zhu Zhuqing fell to the ground like a kite with its string cut, her face white as paper.
"You're a good blade."
Mo Qianye withdrew his hand, and the cluster of black fire at his fingertips slowly died out.
"Unfortunately, the one wielding you is too weak."
"Zhu Zhuqing, eliminated."
The collapse in the rear was even stranger.
Ye Linglong had waited a long time for this moment.
For the past eleven minutes, she had done only one thing: countering every enhancement Ning Rongrong provided.
You added one point, and she took away one.
Under the gaze of the Annihilation Demon Eyes, the light of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tower seemed absurdly feeble.
"All Thoughts Turn to Ash."
Ye Linglong murmured softly.
An invisible wave of spiritual power swept across the field.
Ning Rongrong froze.
The light in her eyes rapidly scattered, turning into a bottomless void.
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.
Not because of pain, but because in that instant, every struggle and every shred of pride felt utterly meaningless.
Oscar tried to help her up, but the instant he touched the lingering aftermath of Ye Linglong's attack, 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 merely 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 equal standing. It was a meticulously planned slaughter.
Su Chen stood outside the encirclement and lowered his head to kick away Iron Wall, which had edged closer to him.
"Surrender."
His voice echoed through the empty arena.
"Your people are all down. Continuing will only waste my time."
Tang San said nothing.
He stood there silently. After a long while, the corner of his mouth actually curled upward.
The smile was clean, yet carried a desperate madness.
He suddenly planted the Clear Sky Hammer into the ground.
"Su Chen, you won the tactics. You won the bigger picture."
"But I'm still standing."
Tang San turned his head toward Xiao Wu, who was cowering behind him.
"Get behind me."
Xiao Wu clutched the corner of his clothes tightly. The swollen redness around her ankle was horrifying to see.
"We came together, so we leave together."
Tang San did not try to persuade her again.
Blue Silver Grass exploded wildly beneath his feet, turning an area five zhang wide into a deep-blue domain.
The Clear Sky Hammer was raised 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 the overwhelming tension.
Tang San charged.
Alone, he crashed into a steel barrier formed by six people.
The wind pressure from the Clear Sky Hammer tore apart Yan Wuji's ice wall.
A shield woven from Blue Silver Grass forcibly blocked Mo Qianye's Netherfire.
Holding his breath, he carved a bloody path through Chu Yao's poisonous mist.
Ling Shuang's vines wrapped around his ankles, so he leaped up with the vines still attached.
Ye Linglong's demon eyes locked tightly onto his consciousness.
Tang San's eyes turned bloodshot. The Purple Demon Eyes erupted beyond their limits, blasting a burst of clarity through his mind.
When he opened his eyes again, Jiang Tieyi's fivefold gravity field was already crushing down upon him.
Tang San's knees let out a bone-grating crack.
But he did not kneel.
Grand Sumeru Hammer, Mountain-Splitting.
He did not swing this hammer at anyone.
The hammerhead smashed heavily into the ground.
The stone tiles across the entire stage shattered into tens of thousands of fragments.
Tang San's fingers left afterimages in the air, every strand of Blue Silver Grass becoming a precise launch track.
He used the Clear Sky Hammer as power, shattered stones as bullets, and Blue Silver Grass as guidance.
One person unleashed a metal storm that covered the entire arena.
Su Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
He took a step back.
A fragment of stone empowered by Blue Silver Grass grazed past his cheek.
A faint streak of blood appeared on Su Chen's flawless face.
The entire arena fell deathly silent.
Su Chen was bleeding.
The monster who had not even had a corner of his clothes touched since the preliminaries was bleeding.
Su Chen raised his hand and wiped the crimson mark with his fingertips.
He stared at the blood on his fingertips for a long time.
By then, Tang San had completely exhausted himself. He knelt on one knee amid the ruins as the Clear Sky Hammer dissolved into specks of light.
Xiao Wu rushed over and hugged him, her sobs piercingly loud in the silent arena.
"You're very strong."
Su Chen raised his head. For the first time, something called recognition appeared in his eyes.
"But that's all."
He turned around, leading the Abyss Seven Generals toward the passageway.
"Sky Abyss Academy wins."
The referee's verdict finally fell.
After a brief silence, the stands erupted in applause like a tidal wave.
Yet this applause was for the defeated.
Because in that final moment, Tang San had proven with his blood that even gods were not untouchable.
And in the darkest corner of the viewing platform,
Bibi Dong slowly rose to her feet. Her hood concealed her expression, while the knuckles of the hand gripping her scepter had turned white.
"Hall Master, should we approach Su Chen?" her attendant asked softly.
Bibi Dong gave the calm figure at the center of the arena one final look.
"Whatever it takes, bring him to see me."
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