The Black Tortoise's True Form, Huo Yuhao Cheats

The Black Tortoise's enormous figure and the Golden Sacred Dragon's golden lightning exerted an overwhelming pressure over the arena. The watching students held their breath, feeling the tension in the air reach its peak.

Tian Chen drew a deep breath and said quietly, "Looks like I can't keep holding back either." As soon as he spoke, a layer of blood-red lightning surged over his body, and something about his bearing seemed to change. His already piercing gaze grew sharper still, as though it could see through everything. Dense blood-red arcs coiled around him, giving off a low rumble.

Through his Spiritual Detection Sharing, Huo Yuhao also sensed an unprecedented pressure. He frowned. "This power... seems even stronger than before."

At the same time, the Black Tortoise phantom and the Golden Sacred Dragon let out deafening roars, and the ground throughout the Soul Fighting Zone began to tremble faintly.

Tian Chen spoke slowly, a hint of chill in his voice. "Since you're both going all out, I won't show you any mercy either. The real battle starts now."

Before his words had faded, dazzling Bloodflash erupted beneath Tian Chen's feet. He vanished on the spot, leaving only an afterimage behind. In the next instant, he appeared behind the Black Tortoise phantom and drove a punch toward its core.

The Black Tortoise shuddered violently under the blow, but it did not collapse. Xu Sanshi roared and directed the phantom to turn and counterattack, trying to trap Tian Chen. Yet Tian Chen was simply too fast. Every attack seemed to strike empty air.

On the other side, Bei Bei kept sending the Golden Sacred Dragon's lightning at Tian Chen, but he likewise struggled to pinpoint his true position. Their combined assault seemed flawless, yet against Tian Chen's Three Thousand Thunder Movement: Thunder Flash, it fell short.

Seeing this, Xu Sanshi shouted decisively, "If we can't catch you, we'll cover the whole arena in Black Water!"

As soon as he spoke, his hands rapidly formed seals, and Black Tortoise Power surged wildly within him.

The next instant, vast quantities of Black Water gushed from all around the Black Tortoise, spreading outward like a waterfall and covering the entire arena in a flash.

Sensing the changes in the arena through Spiritual Detection Sharing, Huo Yuhao could not help frowning. "This Black Water doesn't just strengthen his defenses. Its water pressure can also keep restricting his opponent's speed. It looks like Senior Sanshi plans to suppress Tian Chen this way."

Bei Bei seized the opportunity and channeled the Golden Sacred Dragon's lightning into the Black Water. Dazzling electric light immediately enveloped the arena, accompanied by a ceaseless, piercing crackle. The lightning raced through the water, forming a thunderous net that covered the entire field and could detect even the slightest movement.

Tian Chen remained calm amid the interwoven Black Water and lightning. He said softly, "I see. You're trying to force me to reveal myself this way?"

Blood-red light surged beneath his feet again, and he vanished once more.

This time, however, the lightning net relayed his movements. Bei Bei immediately noticed the disturbance and called out, "He's on the left! Stop him!"

At Bei Bei's warning, Xu Sanshi swiftly directed the Black Water toward Tian Chen's position. Vast quantities of water gathered into an enormous sphere in an instant, completely enclosing Tian Chen. Faint electric light flickered across its surface. Clearly, the interaction between the Black Water and the lightning net had further strengthened its restraining effect.

Bei Bei immediately seized the opening and growled, "Overlord Thunder Domain!"

At his command, the Golden Sacred Dragon's lightning erupted, forming an enormous lightning domain that covered the entire field.

Dazzling golden lightning engulfed the arena. The piercing crackle grew denser, and the lightning domain's power pushed the pressure in the air to its peak.

Trapped inside the sphere of Black Water, Tian Chen showed no panic as the lightning domain outside continued to intensify.

He looked around and said quietly, "Their combined burst of power can actually restrain me for a moment." Even so, there was little concern in his tone.

He slowly brought his palms together before his chest. Blood-red thunder began leaping wildly between them, gradually condensing into a lightning sphere the size of a fist.

Dazzling red light flickered across the sphere's surface, accompanied by a low hum, as though it held boundless power. Tian Chen's gaze grew ever more resolute. He stared coldly at the water enclosing him and said, "Since you're so determined, let's see whether my blood lightning can break through this double blockade of Black Water and lightning."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian Chen thrust both hands forward. The lightning sphere expanded and slammed into the water sphere's inner wall.

The instant they touched, the lightning sphere burst into dazzling light. Blood-red arcs spread rapidly like a spiderweb, filling the entire water sphere with blazing red.

Powerful as the Black Water was, it hissed the moment it touched the blood lightning, evaporating rapidly as though being corroded. The faint electric light on the water sphere's surface could not halt the process either. Instead, the blood lightning's savage power tore it apart.

Xu Sanshi was stunned to see Tian Chen's Blood Lightning so easily dispel his Black Water. He realized that if he continued holding back, he would have no chance of winning. Drawing a deep breath, he unleashed his Soul Power. His four Soul Rings slowly began to merge, finally becoming a single Soul Ring that radiated a deep black glow.

The innate skill of a divine beast bloodline: Ring Fusion.

The transformation shocked everyone present.

With a low roar, the Black Tortoise spewed vast quantities of Black Water from all around its body. This time, there was not only more water, but it also carried a deep black glow, clearly marking a qualitative change from before.

As Xu Sanshi's Black Water surged forth with that deep black glow, Bei Bei reacted swiftly. He leaped onto the Black Tortoise's back.

Then fierce thunder wrapped around his hands, and he growled, "Golden Sacred Dragon!"

He plunged both hands, blazing with dazzling golden light and wrapped in savage thunder, into the Black Water.

This brought the fusion of Black Water and lightning to an unprecedented level. The water's surface instantly became extremely unstable. Dark blue electric light intertwined with golden thunder, forming an enormous electric net that covered the entire field.

At the same time, a shocking transformation occurred—the Black Tortoise's head began growing dragon horns and whiskers, and its color changed to gold. Its imposing aura surged as well.

"A bloodline fusion skill?" Tian Chen exclaimed.

He clearly had not expected Xu Sanshi's early awakening of his Black Tortoise Bloodline, combined with Bei Bei's Radiant Sacred Dragon Bloodline, to trigger such a rare bloodline fusion effect.

It was just like when the beast tide arrived in the original story: Mu En had used his own Radiant Sacred Dragon to help Xuan Zi awaken his Taotie bloodline, allowing Xuan Zi to hold Di Tian off alone.

Now, Bei Bei had clearly further strengthened Xu Sanshi's Black Tortoise Bloodline, allowing the Black Tortoise form to evolve and become more complete.

With his Black Tortoise form further evolved, Xu Sanshi growled, "Black Tortoise Roar!"

As he unleashed Black Tortoise Roar, the very air above the arena seemed to tear apart. A powerful sonic shock wave swept across the field.

Seeing this, Tian Chen swiftly raised his right hand toward the sky. Even fiercer Blood Lightning surged in his palm, as though it could tear through every obstacle.

He barked, "Beneath Blood Demon Heart-devouring Thunder, no life survives!" As his words fell, the savage Blood Lightning crashed down.

At the same time, the forces of Black Tortoise Roar and Blood Demon Heart-devouring Thunder collided in the arena, erupting in dazzling light and a deafening boom.

Little by little, the Black Tortoise phantom's enormous body forcibly stopped the crashing Blood Demon Heart-devouring Thunder. Not only that, its vast mouth opened like a black hole, swallowing a portion of the Blood Lightning.

Tian Chen sneered and said quietly, "You defend yourself and drain your opponent's Soul Power by devouring attacks? Then let's see whether your stomach is big enough."

His gaze grew colder still. He slowly raised his right hand, and an even more savage surge of blood-red lightning flared in his palm.

Xu Sanshi said quietly to Bei Bei, "Bei Bei, the Black Tortoise's devouring ability has reached its limit. If this keeps up, it might backlash on us. Transfer a little more of your Radiant Sacred Dragon Bloodline to me. I'll get through this soon."

Bei Bei nodded and quickly replied, "I understand, but my Soul Power is almost exhausted too. Still, I'll buy as much time as I can so we can win. Focus on controlling the Black Tortoise. Don't let it run wild."

After Bei Bei transferred more of his Radiant Sacred Dragon Bloodline, the Black Tortoise form changed markedly. The shell on either side broke open, and two golden dragons emerged to coil around it, making its overall presence even more majestic.

Xu Sanshi growled, "Black Tortoise Descent!" With a deep roar, the Black Tortoise charged at Tian Chen, its momentum surging like a rainbow.

An even more savage surge of blood-red lightning flared in Tian Chen's palm once more, and he hurled it at the Black Tortoise.

At that tense moment, Huo Yuhao whispered from the spectator stands, "It's time, Brother Sky Dream."

The Sky Dream Ice Silkworm replied, "Understood. Soul Shock."

Then the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm separated out a tiny portion of his spiritual origin to help Huo Yuhao unleash the move.

That tiny portion of the Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's spiritual origin significantly boosted Huo Yuhao's spiritual power. He quickly focused and unleashed a powerful Soul Shock directly against Tian Chen's mind.

The blow left Tian Chen momentarily dazed. He gritted his teeth. "Damn it! That Huo Yuhao actually dared to cheat!"

With his mind affected, Blood Demon Heart-devouring Thunder briefly stalled as well.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi swiftly seized the opportunity to adjust their tactics. "Now!" Bei Bei said quietly, transferring another portion of his Radiant Sacred Dragon Bloodline to Xu Sanshi to strengthen the Black Tortoise.

Xu Sanshi focused all his attention on controlling the Black Tortoise. Its explosive burst of power broke straight through Blood Demon Heart-devouring Thunder.

Tian Chen swiftly recovered and braced his hands firmly against the Black Tortoise's charge, his voice filled with astonishment and anger. "Xu Sanshi's bloodline has fully awakened, and with the Radiant Sacred Dragon acting as a catalyst, he's actually this much stronger than in the original story."

"Aah!" Xu Sanshi roared again, and the Black Tortoise suddenly erupted with power comparable to a Soul Emperor's.

Faced with that Soul Emperor-level force, even Tian Chen could not hold it back for a moment and was forcibly launched into the air.

Bang! A tremendous blast of air swept outward, and thick smoke engulfed the arena.

The battle's intensity had exceeded all expectations. Everyone in the spectator stands held their breath, their eyes fixed on the center of the arena.

Jiang Nannan clenched both hands into fists until her knuckles turned white. Her eyes were full of worry and tension. She murmured, "Tian Chen, you have to hold on..."

Tang Ya lightly bit her lip, a trace of anxiety in her eyes. She said quietly to Jiang Nannan, "Don't worry. I believe he'll be all right."

As the thick smoke gradually dispersed, Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei were the first to retreat out of it. They looked somewhat bedraggled, but their gazes remained resolute.

Both panted heavily, staring into the smoke. Their bloodline fusion skill had almost drained their Soul Power dry. Without Huo Yuhao's secret assistance just now, it would still have been hard to say who would win this duel.

Xu Sanshi looked into the smoke and asked uncertainly, "Did we beat him?"

Bei Bei nodded. "That last strike combined your defense with my offense, and Yuhao assisted us too. I'm certain even a Soul Emperor would struggle to withstand it."

As soon as he finished speaking, a scraping sound came from the smoke, as though some sharp weapon were being dragged along the ground. Bei Bei's and Xu Sanshi's expressions instantly froze.

Tian Chen's figure slowly emerged from the smoke. An icy chill shone in his mismatched gold and red eyes, and the Emperor-Slaying Ghost Blood Blade in his hand dragged across the ground with a piercing scrape.

"That last strike of yours was indeed quite powerful, with a few underhanded tricks thrown in. It barely managed to make me use my Martial Soul," Tian Chen said evenly.

The terror on Xu Sanshi's and Bei Bei's faces grew even more apparent. Was this a joke? An attack comparable to a Soul Emperor's had merely forced him to reveal his Martial Soul. Did that not mean his full strength rivaled a Soul Emperor's?

"But so what if you used a few tricks to force out my Martial Soul? Dealing with you will only take one extra slash." Tian Chen gently brushed his hand across the Emperor-Slaying Ghost Blood Blade as he spoke.

Tian Chen slowly raised the Emperor-Slaying Ghost Blood Blade. The bloody light along its blade began flickering wildly. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a hint of cruelty entered his voice. "Since you've already seen my Martial Soul, let me show you the true power of my self-created soul skill, the Blood Demon Saber Technique!"

"First form: Blood Sacrifice Unveiled!" Tian Chen spread his feet and lowered his body slightly, gripping the Emperor-Slaying Ghost Blood Blade with both hands. The blade pointed diagonally toward the ground, its tip trembling faintly. Then he suddenly swept out a blood-red arc of light, like a blood sacrifice newly begun.

Xu Sanshi still tried to summon a Black Tortoise Shield phantom to defend himself, but the shield split in two like paper. The cut was clean, without a trace, without a single trace of dragging or hesitation.

The moment the Black Tortoise Shield was cleaved apart, Xu Sanshi spat out a mouthful of blood. A Martial Soul and its Soul Master were intimately linked.

With his Martial Soul damaged, Xu Sanshi immediately suffered a severe injury as well.

Just then, a Bright Phoenix suddenly appeared before the two of them. Yan Shaozhe stepped out of it, caught the slash with his bare hand, and crushed it outright.

Looking at the shallow cut on his arm, Yan Shaozhe gave a satisfied smile.

"Good. Very good. I declare Tian Chen the winner of this soul fighting match," Yan Shaozhe said calmly.

The crowd immediately erupted. Who could have imagined that the long-renowned Outer Court Twin Stars would be defeated by a new student? Moreover, that new student had not used any soul skills during the fight, and his opponents had only forced out his Martial Soul by putting their lives on the line.

Just then, a voice rang out. "Wait, Dean Yan. May I raise a few questions about this match?"