When Ma Hongjun was carried back to the Prison Cell, he was still coughing up blood from time to time.
At the sight, Yu Xiaogang jolted upright from the floor.
The escorting Jailer put Ma Hongjun down, locked the door, and left.
Yu Xiaogang hurriedly asked, "What happened to you? Weren't you going to see the Supreme Pontiff? How did you end up like this?"
Ma Hongjun coughed twice. Red flames flowed over his entire body, and soon his injuries were mostly healed.
"It's nothing. Wasn't it all for your sake? I was getting along perfectly well with the Supreme Pontiff, but the moment I mentioned your name, she was so furious she slapped me. Luckily, she reined in her strength in time, or you wouldn't be seeing me again."
"But how is that possible? Dong'er must still have feelings for me. How could she hit you after hearing my name?" Yu Xiaogang was beside himself with panic.
Bibi Dong was practically his last remaining support. If even Bibi Dong refused to help, he would have almost no hope left for the rest of his life.
Could I really be doomed to become a beggar and spend my remaining years living on alms?
No, I refuse to live such a miserable life.
He wanted to make a name for himself, to have his fame spread across the world. He wanted to become someone people looked up to.
He wanted those elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan to know that he, Yu Xiaogang, was no useless fool.
But clearly, he could not rely on Ma Hongjun. He would have to find a way to break out of prison.
As long as I can meet Dong'er again, she will definitely understand me and support me. She absolutely will.
While he was thinking, he heard Ma Hongjun speak again. "Grandmaster, although she was still very angry when she heard your name this time, I feel that she still has a place for you in her heart. There were simply too many Spirit Hall elders around, and her embarrassment turned to anger. That's why she acted that way. The next time she summons me, I'll ask again and put in a good word for you. Perhaps Her Holiness will soften and let you out."
The moment he heard there might be a way out without going through the trouble of escaping himself, all the drive Yu Xiaogang had just mustered vanished.
"Nothing could be better than that. I'm counting on you for everything, Hongjun. I know you've always been the finest, most dependable student in our Shrek Academy."
"Don't say that, Grandmaster. To save you, there is no sacrifice I would refuse to make."
Hearing this, Grandmaster nodded, suddenly filled with guilt.
Dong'er might have been a little angry that he had left without saying goodbye back then. Luckily, Hongjun had taken the slap for him. Otherwise, if that slap had landed on him, it might have smashed him to pieces outright.
But since Dong'er still cared about him, perhaps she was merely throwing a little tantrum. All he needed to do was coax her.
Yu Xiaogang thought Ma Hongjun was very well suited to acting as an intermediary. He was certainly a cheerful, dependable young man.
"Then put in a few good words for me."
Ma Hongjun nodded solemnly. "Don't worry, Grandmaster. I'll make sure to coax the Supreme Pontiff into a good mood for you."
Ma Hongjun grinned, while inwardly calculating that, as long as he used Yu Xiaogang well, he would surely be able to quickly break through Bibi Dong's emotional defenses.
And once he had Bibi Dong in his grasp, wouldn't he have the final say over the whole of Spirit Hall?
At that thought, a thoroughly pleased smile spread across Ma Hongjun's face.
The next morning, the sun rose.
Zhu Zhuqing had never imagined she would encounter someone she knew in this tournament, much less in the round that whittled twenty thousand contestants down to ten thousand. She spoke with hatred. "It really has been a long time, Tang San."
Tang San was also very surprised. "Weren't you dead?"
Tang San was somewhat astonished, because Tang Hao had told him in no uncertain terms that Zhu Zhuqing was indeed dead, thoroughly and completely.
Although Tang Hao's serious strike back then had not hit Zhu Zhuqing head-on, even its aftershocks should have been more than she could withstand.
Zhu Zhuqing spoke bitterly from the other side as well. "You and Tang Hao aren't dead yet. How could I possibly die?"
Tang San forced himself to steady his mind.
This was inside the Dragon-Tiger Ranking. No one but Soul Masters could enter. Even his father, Tang Hao, had said that this Sky Ranking might be a wondrous object created by an existence more powerful than the gods, something no power beneath the gods could possibly destroy.
That made Zhu Zhuqing's current identity clear. She was definitely human. Perhaps she had merely deceived his father by feigning death.
At that thought, Tang San's gaze grew resolute again.
"In that case, I'll just have to kill you again."
Before his words had even faded, Tang San flicked his arm. With a series of whooshes, several crossbow bolts shot straight toward Zhu Zhuqing.
But with Zhu Zhuqing's incredible speed, those bolts could not even come close.
Under Martial Soul Possession, Zhu Zhuqing was already swift and agile. With the Nine Lives Profound Art of Penetrating the Netherworld added on top, she was now at least thirty percent faster than Tang San.
Being thirty percent faster was even more terrifying than being three times as strong.
She curled a finger at Tang San contemptuously, her meaning plain.
Tang San was not angry, however. He had long known that Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul specialized in agility. These were only a few crossbow bolts; it was perfectly normal for them to miss.
But now that the warm-up was over, it was time to end this match.
Tang San assumed a strange stance. Then his hands instantly blurred into afterimages, and countless Willow-Leaf Knives, Flying Locust Stones, and Bone-Piercing Nails rained down on Zhu Zhuqing.
Yet Zhu Zhuqing was like a light, graceful butterfly, weaving and darting freely through the rain of hidden weapons. Not a single one could get anywhere near her.
Tang San's expression grew very grave. "How is this possible? These are hidden weapons I launched using the special methods of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon. With so many hidden weapons covering such a wide area, they should already have completely sealed off his paths of movement. So why can she still move effortlessly between them without suffering even the slightest injury? This is impossible."
Fortunately, he still had enough hidden weapons in reserve. Tang San quietly shifted the Twenty-Four Bridges on a Moonlit Night at his waist.
"Oh, you've changed its position. Are you planning to use another move?"
"You definitely won't be able to block this next move." Tang San brimmed with confidence.
Tang San's hands once again blurred into countless afterimages.
"Heavenly Maiden Scattering Blossoms!"
Within just a few seconds, hundreds of hidden weapons of different designs shot out. They seemed to have been thrown at random, but in reality, they had already formed an invisible net, enclosing Zhu Zhuqing tightly from every direction.
Moreover, each kind of hidden weapon moved differently. With this method, their trajectories were impossible to predict, especially since neither of them had any Soul Power right now.
He absolutely refused to believe that Zhu Zhuqing could dodge this move too.
Panting heavily, Tang San wiped the sweat from his forehead. Without Soul Power, a method on the level of Heavenly Maiden Scattering Blossoms was the most he could manage. Even so, it had exhausted him terribly.
The hidden weapons had already been launched, yet Zhu Zhuqing remained motionless where she stood.
"Have you decided to wait for death? That's fine too. It saves you a pointless struggle."
The hidden weapons whistled through the air and were about to pierce Zhu Zhuqing's body. A victorious smile had already appeared on Tang San's face.
But the hidden weapons passed straight through Zhu Zhuqing's body. They had not pierced holes through her; rather, they passed through as though she were a shadow.
"How is that possible? How did you do that? This is impossible." Tang San's Purple Demon Eye saw it clearly. Those hidden weapons had indeed passed straight through Zhu Zhuqing's body.
"You cheated! You definitely cheated! Dragon-Tiger Ranking, I want to report someone! Someone here is cheating! He has no Soul Power, yet he used a Soul Skill!"
Watching the man shouting and yelling off to the side, Zhu Zhuqing had no intention of paying him any attention.
The ranking would judge for itself whether she had cheated.
[No cheating has occurred. The match will proceed as normal.]
"No cheating? How could there possibly be no cheating? These are my Tang Sect Secret Arts! My opponent is an ordinary person without Soul Power. How could she possibly dodge my Heavenly Maiden Scattering Blossoms?"
With light steps, Zhu Zhuqing walked straight out between the hidden weapons embedded in the ground. "With martial arts like yours, you have the nerve to call them secret arts? I'll be merciful and let you see what true secret arts look like."
Tang San stared at Zhu Zhuqing before him, his guard fully raised.
What he did not know was that the shadow behind him had quietly risen to its feet. Then it plunged a blade into Tang San's chest.
"Hmph. Killing isn't possible in this Dragon-Tiger Ranking, so I can only collect a little interest. The next time we meet, I'll be taking your life."
The shadow crawled back beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet. Even after losing the match, Tang San still had not seen exactly when that shadow had moved from beneath Zhu Zhuqing's feet to behind him.
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