Those shockingly outrageous double standards had the surrounding Soul Masters and spectators pointing and commenting.
"Oh my, Shrek's captain really is shameless."
"Tsk, tsk. He cheats, then demands his fiancée remain chaste. What an eye-opener."
Xiong Shaoqing, who had remained silent, suddenly stepped forward, his icy presence instantly locking onto Dai Mubai.
There was no warmth in his deep black eyes, only utter contempt.
"A stray dog that only knows how to bark at women thinks it deserves to talk about rightful status?" Xiong Shaoqing's voice was cold and commanding. "Dai Mubai, since you can't control your lower half, let me help you control your mouth."
"See you in the ring. The loser gets out of Suotuo City."
"Fine, I'll kill you!" Dai Mubai roared, his eyes bloodshot.
In the Soul Fighting arena, enormous spotlights shone on the center, stretching the two teams' shadows long.
Team Heaven-Shaking Phantom versus the Shrek Trio.
Qian Renxue sat in the front row of the VIP seats. At some point, she had closed her folding fan, and a fine sheen of cold sweat had formed on her palm.
Her golden eyes were fixed on the man standing as steadily as a solitary peak on the platform, and she silently repeated to herself, Brother Xiong, don't underestimate them. Be careful in everything.
"Let the match begin!" the referee commanded.
"Roar!" Dai Mubai let out a deafening tiger roar, unleashing the full might of his level-thirty-seven Soul Power.
He had no intention of testing the waters. His First Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring blazed simultaneously. "White Tiger Protection Barrier! White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
Chapter 64: Heaven-Shaking Phantom vs. the Shrek Trio
His already towering body swelled instantly, muscles knotting. With unmatched, savage killing intent, Dai Mubai lunged straight for Xiong Shaoqing's face like an ancient Ferocious Beast charging down a mountain.
"Phoenix Fire Line!" Ma Hongjun shrieked from the rear. His purple-red Evil Fire became a scorching pillar of flame, cutting off Xiong Shaoqing's retreat to the right.
But the most dangerous one was Tang San.
Using Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, Tang San moved as though his figure had melded into the arena's shadows.
His hands danced like butterflies weaving through flowers. Dozens of Bone-Piercing Nails coated in a numbing toxin mingled with the dark green Blue Silver Grass vines, silently spreading along the ground from beneath it, curling viciously toward Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing at the rear.
Xiao Wu, Sister-in-law Zhu Zhuqing, blades have no eyes. I'm only doing this to knock some sense into you.
Tang San sneered inwardly, his seemingly gentle face filled with the hypocrisy of someone enforcing justice on heaven's behalf.
As long as I cripple these two women's mobility first, let's see what Xiong Shaoqing can fight with.
With my level-thirty-eight Soul Power and Tang Sect Secret Arts, I can wear this pretty boy down into a puddle of sludge.
Facing this menacing, perfectly coordinated killing trap, Xiong Shaoqing's face remained as calm as a still lake, but his gaze turned utterly cold.
A level-thirty-eight control type with Hidden Weapons, a level-thirty-seven power attacker, and a fire-type power attacker with a top-tier Beast Martial Soul...
These three Shrek scumbags really aren't to be underestimated.
Xiong Shaoqing calculated rapidly. If he arrogantly tried to meet them head-on, his level-thirty-four body would definitely suffer badly. But hurting Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing? They could dream on.
"Archaic Heaven-Shaking, Possession!"
Xiong Shaoqing shouted coldly, and three Soul Rings-two yellow and one purple-surged into motion beneath his feet.
Dark golden light gathered around him into the phantom of a primordial giant bear. The sheer weightiness originating from his top-tier Martial Soul forcibly withstood Dai Mubai's savage presence.
"Zhu Zhuqing, left blind spot. Xiao Wu, teleport into the air!" Xiong Shaoqing issued his orders rapidly.
Before his words had faded, he stamped his right foot down, unleashing his First Soul Skill.
"Bang!" The bluestone platform cracked inch by inch. A violent earth-attribute shock wave swept back along the ground, precisely shattering the Blue Silver Grass Tang San had sent in for a sneak attack down to its roots. The Bone-Piercing Nails hidden among the blades were also scattered in all directions.
What?
Tang San's pupils contracted sharply, and towering waves surged through his heart.
How is this possible?
He was clearly only in his twenties a few days ago. Now, judging by how condensed his Soul Power is, he's clearly reached level thirty-four.
And the physical shock waves from this Martial Soul can actually counter Blue Silver Grass sneak attacks perfectly.
Tang San clenched his teeth, a vicious, cold gleam flashing through his eyes.
While Tang San was reeling in doubt, Dai Mubai's tiger claws reached Xiong Shaoqing's face with a piercing shriek that tore through the air.
"Die!" Dai Mubai's eyes were scarlet. All his jealousy and hatred were concentrated in this strike.
Xiong Shaoqing neither dodged nor evaded. The muscles in his right arm instantly swelled, dark golden Gang Qi winding around his fist as he slammed it straight into Dai Mubai's tiger claws.
"Boom!"
Fist and claws collided, unleashing a terrifying ring of air visible to the naked eye.
Dai Mubai felt a monstrous force that could topple mountains and overturn seas surge up his arm. The impact split the webbing of his hand, spraying blood. He grunted and stumbled back five or six steps before barely steadying himself, the blood in his chest churning.
Xiong Shaoqing was far from comfortable either.
The enhancement of a level-thirty-seven White Tiger Vajra Transformation was no small matter. He was likewise driven back three steps, his feet gouging two deep furrows through the bluestone slabs, his right arm aching faintly.
This lecherous tiger does have some strength.
Xiong Shaoqing shook out his numb arm, the fighting spirit in his deep black eyes burning even hotter.
By standing undefeated against a level-thirty-seven White Tiger Vajra Transformation at level thirty-four, the Archaic Heaven-Shaking Bear had fully demonstrated its ability to fight above its level.
"Fatty, burn him!" Seeing that he had failed to gain any advantage, Dai Mubai roared in humiliated fury.
Ma Hongjun's Evil Fire Phoenix clung like an ulcer to the bone, immediately changing direction and sweeping toward Xiong Shaoqing, who had just steadied himself.
"Hell Stab!" Just then, a slender black figure darted out like a ghost from the fire line's blind spot. Zhu Zhuqing's sharp cat claws carried a chilling cold as they went straight for Ma Hongjun's throat, forcing him to interrupt his Soul Skill to defend himself.
Meanwhile, in midair, Xiao Wu used teleportation to evade Tang San's second wave of Blue Silver Grass Entanglement. Activating Waist Bow, she brought her long leg chopping down toward Tang San's head like a battle-axe.
"Xiao Wu, you're really trying to kill me for his sake?" Tang San raised his head, his eyes full of anguished hypocrisy, while his hands had already quietly reached for the Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night at his waist.
"A despicable, shameless hypocrite like you doesn't deserve to say my name!" Xiao Wu snapped coldly, showing no mercy in her attack.
Since Xiao Wu refuses to see reason, she can't blame her Third Brother for being heavy-handed.
I'll cripple her mobility first, then pull her out of that mire.
Tang San reassured himself in his twisted way, his fingertips abruptly triggering the mechanism.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
Three concealed streaks of dark light shot toward Xiao Wu's ankles and shoulder in a triangular formation. They were Silent Sleeve Arrows coated with a powerful numbing toxin. At this distance and angle, Xiao Wu had no purchase in midair with which to evade them.
"Tang San, you're courting death!"
Xiong Shaoqing, who had been watching the battle closely, let out an icy roar.
He had been guarding against this dirty trick from Tang San all along.
Ignoring Dai Mubai, who was already pouncing again, Xiong Shaoqing exposed his back directly to Dai Mubai's tiger claws.
The deep purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly erupted with dazzling light.
Third Soul Skill, Gravity Mire.
This was the powerful skill he had obtained from the three-thousand-year-old Earthshaking Vajra Ape.
With Xiong Shaoqing at its center, gravity within a ten-meter radius instantly multiplied several times over.
Dai Mubai, who was about to ambush Xiong Shaoqing from behind, buckled at the knees under the sudden gravity. His originally lethal tiger claws were forcibly diverted from the vital areas, leaving only a few bloody scratches across Xiong Shaoqing's back.
The three Silent Sleeve Arrows aimed at Xiao Wu also lost their original speed and trajectories the moment they entered the gravity field. Xiong Shaoqing leaped up and forcibly blocked them with his arm, which was coated in dark golden Gang Qi.
"Clink, clink, clink!" The Sleeve Arrows bounced away, but one still grazed the skin of Xiong Shaoqing's arm. A trickle of black blood immediately flowed out.
"Big Brother!" Xiao Wu landed steadily. At the sight of the black blood on Xiong Shaoqing's arm, her eyes instantly reddened. She turned and stared fiercely at Tang San, killing intent boiling. "You actually used poison?"
Seeing Xiong Shaoqing take a blow from Dai Mubai and then block the poisoned arrows for Xiao Wu, Tang San felt jealousy threatening to burn him to ashes.
This pretty boy is actually willing to throw his life away for Xiao Wu.
Tang San gritted his teeth, the darkness within him growing wildly.
Why? Why should a brute like Xiong Shaoqing, who relies on raw strength, win Xiao Wu's heart?
Since Xiong Shaoqing wants to play the hero saving the beauty so badly, I'll grant his wish and make sure he dies in this arena today.
Chapter 65: Clever Coordination
Xiong Shaoqing landed. Feeling the faint numbness spreading from his wound, he immediately mobilized his pure Soul Power to seal the toxin around it.
He turned his head, his black eyes like ten-thousand-year-old profound ice staring coldly at the hypocritical Tang San. An arrogant, unrestrained sneer curled his lips.
"Tang San, is that all the force your Hidden Weapons have?" Xiong Shaoqing casually wiped the black blood from his arm. "Not even enough to scratch an itch."
Below the platform, Qian Renxue watched the man who, despite the fresh wounds on his back, still stood like an insurmountable mountain before the two women. Her grip had already cracked her folding fan.
He had known Tang San used poison, known Dai Mubai was behind him, yet he had still charged forward without hesitation.
Ripples shimmered in Qian Renxue's golden eyes. Her heart ached for him, yet she was also deeply won over by that proud backbone of his, which rose above life and death.
This is the man I, Qian Renxue, chose. Even surrounded by enemies, he would never let his women suffer the slightest grievance.
"Next, it's our turn."
Xiong Shaoqing shouted coldly, a fierce fighting spirit flashing through his deep black eyes.
He did not arrogantly act alone, instead calmly issuing tactical orders. "Zhu Zhuqing, cut off the fire line on the right flank. Xiao Wu, prepare to support from the side and break through their defense."
Before his words had faded, the bluestone platform beneath his feet abruptly cracked with a sound of unbearable strain.
Pouring his supremely pure level-thirty-four Soul Power into his legs without reservation, Xiong Shaoqing shot forward like a dark golden cannonball leaving its barrel, meeting them head-on.
"Hell Stab!" Upon receiving her orders, Zhu Zhuqing instantly became an afterimage, like a streak of black lightning.
She did not clash head-on with the main battlefield at all, instead approaching from a tricky angle and bearing straight down on Ma Hongjun, who was gathering Evil Fire at the rear.
"Trying to ambush me? No chance! Bathing Fire Phoenix!" Ma Hongjun reacted quickly too. His Second Soul Ring blazed, and scorching purple-red flames instantly formed a wall around him.
Yet Zhu Zhuqing's cat claws, carrying chilling netherworld Gang Qi, fearlessly tore through the edge of the firewall, leaving several wounds deep enough to expose bone on his fat arm.
"Ow!" Ma Hongjun cried in pain. The fire line he had gathered instantly dispersed, and he had no choice but to stagger backward.
At the very instant he lost his footing, a towering figure like a demon god broke through the scattered web of flames and appeared before him.
It was Xiong Shaoqing.
Ma Hongjun's eyes widened in terror. He had just tried to mobilize his Soul Power to defend himself when Xiong Shaoqing's iron fist, coated in dark golden light and carrying a wind that could smash rotten wood and withered branches, slammed into his crossed arms.
"Bang!" Accompanied by the teeth-grating sound of bones dislocating, Ma Hongjun's body, weighing over two hundred jin, was sent flying more than ten meters like a kite with its string cut. He crashed heavily onto the edge of the platform, his eyes rolling back as he passed out on the spot.
"Fatty!" Dai Mubai's eyes nearly split with rage. Looking at his brother, whose life or death was unknown, he abruptly turned and glared at Xiong Shaoqing, roaring, "Bastard, I'll slaughter you!"
"White Tiger Vajra Transformation!" Dai Mubai flew into an utter frenzy, driving his level-thirty-seven Soul Power to its limit. His tiger claws tore through the air with piercing sonic booms as he lunged madly at Xiong Shaoqing from the flank like a crazed Ferocious Beast.
"Just in time!" Rather than retreat, Xiong Shaoqing advanced, the phantom of the Archaic Heaven-Shaking Bear behind him throwing its head back and roaring at the sky.
The muscles in his right arm knotted as he drove his fist straight into Dai Mubai's tiger claws.
"Boom!"
Fist and claws collided, and the violent shock wave tore up a broad swath of bluestone slabs at the center of the platform.
The level-thirty-seven White Tiger Vajra Transformation was indeed powerful. Relying on that savage momentum, Dai Mubai actually managed to hold back Xiong Shaoqing's charged strike.
The two remained locked in a deadlock, the ground beneath their feet cracking continuously.
"Pretty boy, is that all the strength you have?" Dai Mubai's face twisted savagely. Blood seeped from the webbing of his hands, but he fought desperately without retreating.
"Have you forgotten? This is a team battle." Xiong Shaoqing looked at him coldly, a mocking curve lifting his lips.
Dai Mubai's heart lurched, and he inwardly cried that something was wrong.
"Teleportation! Waist Bow!" A slender pink figure appeared without warning above Dai Mubai's blind spot.
Xiao Wu's long, supple legs locked precisely around Dai Mubai's neck like iron pincers. Her First Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring shone simultaneously, and the terrifying explosive force of her waist erupted.
Dai Mubai was already straining to the limit in his deadlock with Xiong Shaoqing. How could he defend against a lethal strike from above?
"Aaargh!" Under Xiao Wu's savage Waist Bow stranglehold, Dai Mubai's massive body instantly lost its balance and was violently flipped backward.
The instant his guard lay wide open, a cold gleam flashed through Xiong Shaoqing's eyes. His right leg lashed out like a heavy steel whip, carrying a piercing whistle through the air as it struck Dai Mubai squarely in the chest.
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