Huo Yuhao had risen early to buy a batch of alloys when he ran into a girl with short golden hair beneath the shade of some trees. She had delicate features and an elegant bearing.
Huo Yuhao was quick to make friends. He waved and said, "Morning, miss."
Poised and at ease, the girl said softly, "You're Huo Yuhao, the one who defeated Shrek Academy yesterday, aren't you? You're quite something. Let me introduce myself. I'm Yu Mengdi, and we're from Zhengtian Academy."
Standing before Huo Yuhao, Yu Mengdi felt a warmth like a spring breeze brushing her face, so she spoke to him quite openly.
"I hope I can work a miracle today, just like you did yesterday."
So her match is today! Huo Yuhao picked out a crucial detail from Yu Mengdi's words: this girl would be facing Shrek's people in today's matches.
Huo Yuhao studied Yu Mengdi's delicate features, paused, and cautioned her, "Miss Mengdi, that was no miracle. I'm in quite a bit of trouble now. If you run into anyone from Shrek, try to avoid them! And one more thing-here, you should avoid revealing your martial soul in public."
Yu Mengdi smiled gently. "Let's not talk about that. You should be able to tell that I don't have the ability to do what you did, Yuhao. But I have to prove myself on this stage. There are too many things I have no say in."
Clearly unwilling to heed his warning, Yu Mengdi turned and went to the hotel to order food.
Over the past few years, the Yue Family, a noble house of the Star Luo Empire, had proposed a marriage alliance with the Angel Clan.
To free their clan from the shadow of being remnants of Spirit Hall, the clan elders had gladly accepted.
In the war ten thousand years ago, when the Sea God had represented peace and justice in eradicating the [Evil Angel God], an ancestor of the Yue Family had been a Star Luo Empire general who gave his life on the battlefield for the Tang Family-a staunch warrior for slavery.
Once the marriage alliance between the Angel Clan and the Yue Family was complete, the angels would naturally be freed from the stigma of their sinful blood.
But Yu Mengdi did not want to marry someone she did not love at all. To remain in her clan, she had to prove herself in this Soul Fighting Tournament.
As she turned away, she secretly wiped her tears.
Watching Yu Mengdi leave, Huo Yuhao swept his gaze over the bustling crowd, feeling somewhat melancholy. Morning light slanted through the treetops onto his face, dappling it with light and shadow.
Huo Yuhao did not linger, but hurried toward the auction house.
After breakfast, Yu Mengdi went to the Soul Fighting Arena. When she saw that Shrek had sent out a sword-wielding youth from whom she could sense no soul power fluctuations, alarm immediately rose in her heart.
"Yu Mengdi, Zhengtian Academy. State your name!"
"So you're a remnant of Spirit Hall. Listen well! I am Chen Zifeng, one of the current Shrek Seven Devils! Today is your last day as a soul master!" The youth's expression was dark.
"But the Sea God is merciful, after all. If you kowtow to me now and concede, I may consider sparing your life."
"Make your move!" Yu Mengdi clearly had no intention of playing along with Chen Zifeng's little drama.
Boom! It sounded like a thunderclap!
Chen Zifeng unleashed a streak of sword light. Fierce and domineering, his sword intent engulfed the entire arena like crashing thunder, shaking the soul! This was Chen Zifeng's martial soul, his path to enlightenment-the Soul Chasing Sword.
Yu Mengdi beat the white wings on her back, the resulting airflow propelling her aside like a shooting star. The sword light struck, leaving a fissure a thousand feet deep and ten paces long in the ground.
After dodging the strike, Yu Mengdi rushed toward the youth. At the same time, her first soul ring lit up, followed by her second.
"First soul skill, Divine Twin Swords!"
"Second soul skill, Holy Radiance Cross Slash!"
Two gleams of golden light interwove into a cross in the air before Yu Mengdi as the wings on her back unfurled gracefully. A brilliant halo immediately radiated from the cross.
But in the next instant, Chen Zifeng abruptly vanished from before her.
Hearing a sonic boom behind her, Yu Mengdi knew it came from his sword descending and immediately leaped to the side.
Pfft!
Chen Zifeng's swordsmanship was exceptionally refined. He immediately changed his attack as well, stabbing a bloody hole into Yu Mengdi.
This was one of the current Shrek Seven Devils, a Soul Emperor-level powerhouse!
Chen Zifeng's assault did not stop. His figure flickered and vanished once more. When he reappeared, his Soul Chasing Sword, gleaming with cold light, was already descending toward Yu Mengdi.
Yu Mengdi hastily retreated ten paces. Feeling the pain from the stab wound in her rear, her face turned ashen, and a sharp cry escaped her lips: "Angel, God-Sealing Slash!"
She uttered the five syllables in five different pitches. With each one, the twin swords in her hands gave a clear hum. The instant she cried out the final syllable, the two swords merged into one!
The fierce sword light formed an enormous blade of light more than ten meters long and three meters wide in the air, shielding Yu Mengdi.
Rumble...
That soul-shaking, thunderous sound rang out again as Chen Zifeng shattered the cross-shaped blade of light.
Yu Mengdi's arm was severed and flew away, blood gushing out!
In the next instant, Chen Zifeng seized the girl by the throat and lifted her, her disheveled hair fluttering in the air. Then he hurled Yu Mengdi off the Soul Fighting stage like a falling star.
Amid excruciating pain, dizziness, and nausea, Yu Mengdi lost consciousness.
With a burst of soul power, Chen Zifeng shook the blood and feces off his Soul Chasing Sword, then stood in the center of the Soul Fighting stage with his sword behind his back.
"Shrek Academy wins!" Jing Hongchen's voice rang out from the judges' seats.
Below the stage, several gazes watching the divine aura lingering on Yu Mengdi from within the shadows grew sharp.
Exhilarated by his overwhelming victory, Chen Zifeng looked toward Tang Wutong in the stands and thought, Did you see that, Goddess? However outsiders humiliated us divine descendants of Shrek yesterday, today I'll make these lowly beasts taste it tenfold, a hundredfold!
Those who dare not stir up trouble are mediocrities. Shrek's essence shines through me-surely I am the destined one awaiting your selection! Seeing a keen gleam light up in Tang Wutong's eyes from afar, Chen Zifeng grew ever more mentally ecstatic the longer he dwelled on it.
He awaited the match that would bring Huo Yuhao before him. The image of Huo Yuhao yesterday surfaced in his mind again. You vile beast who sullied Shrek's ten thousand years of glory, just wait. I shall finish you in a single move!
That morning, Huo Yuhao had arrived at the auction house to find that the item he was waiting for had not yet come up for auction, so he bought some ordinary alloys and brought them back to room 411 of the Mingyue Hotel.
When he saw that Snow Girl had returned, he immediately handed her a Milk Bottle.
"Snow Girl, how did your matches go this morning?" Huo Yuhao asked.
"Not bad. It's just that the members of the Holy Spirit Sect team were difficult to deal with," Snow Girl said softly.
A cold glint flashed in Huo Yuhao's eyes. "You don't need to hold back against the Holy Spirit Sect's people. Just kill them on the spot."
"Didn't you say the Holy Spirit Cult has considerable influence in the Sun Moon Empire...?" Snow Girl asked in confusion.
"That was then; this is now." Huo Yuhao smiled. "You'll understand later."
In this life, before carefully observing Xu Tianran, Huo Yuhao would certainly not have dared provoke the Holy Spirit Cult in the Sun Moon Empire in the slightest. But yesterday, throughout Long Xiaoyao's confrontation with Xuan Zi, he had never stopped observing Xu Tianran with his divine sense. Now he knew that the Holy Spirit Cult was not as untouchable as Shrek.
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