Crack. The crisp sound of several ribs breaking rang out.
Dai Mubai spat out a mouthful of blood, traced a parabola through the air, and crashed down beside Ma Hongjun.
He struggled to get up, but the intense pain in his chest and the shock to his organs made his vision go black. Finally, he slumped down unwillingly, unable to fight.
In the blink of an eye, two Power Attack System Battle Soul Elders had suffered crushing defeats under the Heaven-Shaking Phantom trio's seamless, flawless coordination.
Only Tang San remained onstage, his face filled with horror.
"This is impossible..." Tang San looked at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, who lay unable to rise. Towering waves surged in his heart, and extreme jealousy filled his eyes.
Not only was Xiong Shaoqing physically powerful, but his tactical command was actually this seasoned, too.
How could Xiao Wu work so perfectly with Xiong Shaoqing?
She had clearly always stayed by his side before. He, Tang San, was the one who understood her best.
And that Zhu Zhuqing was actually willing to provide flanking cover for this pretty boy.
Tang San stared fixedly at the three standing shoulder to shoulder, especially Xiao Wu, who stood beside Xiong Shaoqing with eyes full of trust, unwilling to spare him even another glance.
The hatred inside him almost turned into tangible, poisonous flames, burning him to ashes.
"Xiong Shaoqing, I want you dead!"
Jealousy made Tang San tear away his refined, gentlemanly facade completely.
He roared, his level-thirty-eight Soul Power erupting like a volcano without restraint. Since his teammates had fallen, he would use the Tang Sect Secret Arts to wash away this humiliation with his own hands.
Facing Tang San, who had descended completely into madness, a dangerous, icy glint flashed through Xiong Shaoqing's deep black eyes.
He raised his arm slightly, shielding Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing behind him, his voice brooking no argument. "Step back. From here on, this is a fight between him and me."
With that, Xiong Shaoqing gave a cold shout. His second soul ring suddenly lit up-Archaic Gang Qi.
A tangible, dark-gold shield instantly covered his entire body.
Like a raging heavy war chariot, he charged straight into the storm of hidden weapons Tang San hurled at him, crushing all the Blue Silver Grass that tried to entangle him along the way, and barreled directly toward Tang San.
Chapter 66: The ultimate showdown
"Want to settle this in one blow? Dream on!"
The light of Purple Demon Eye blazed in Tang San's eyes. Facing Xiong Shaoqing's punch, which bore down like Mount Tai, he traced strange arcs with his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track.
His body folded backward in a way that almost defied human biomechanics, narrowly avoiding that deadly strike.
The wind from the punch whistled past Tang San's cheek, cutting a bloody line across it.
"Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon."
Tang San used force against force. His hands, wrapped in a lustrous jade-like glow, abruptly caught Xiong Shaoqing's arm, attempting to dissipate that violent impact.
At the same time, the Twenty-Four Bridges Bright Moon Night at his waist flashed faintly, and several tiny Shadowless Needles coated in deadly poison shot viciously toward Xiong Shaoqing's unguarded ribs.
Bang!
Hiss!
The two sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Although Xiong Shaoqing broke free of Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon's restraint through the Archaic Heaven-Shaking Bear's absolute strength, he swung an elbow back and slammed it heavily into Tang San's shoulder.
With a dull crunch of shattering bone, he smashed Tang San down onto one knee, making him spit out a mouthful of blood.
At the same time, however, Tang San's Shadowless Needles pierced Xiong Shaoqing's protective Gang Qi, which had weakened slightly in the gap between his spent force and his next surge, and sank deep into his left ribs.
"Big brother!" Watching from behind, Xiao Wu was scared out of her wits.
"Stay back!" Xiong Shaoqing gritted his teeth and growled.
He felt half his body instantly go utterly numb. The Tang Sect's poison truly lived up to its reputation.
He immediately mobilized the pure Soul Power inside him, tightly sealing the acupoints around his heart meridians and forcibly suppressing the poison's spread.
Tang San was hardly better off. His left shoulder blade had suffered a comminuted fracture, and his internal organs had been shaken until his Qi and blood churned. Without Mysterious Heaven Skill protecting him, that strike would have left him unable to fight.
The two faced each other fiercely from five paces apart, both panting, their Soul Power severely depleted.
Tang San's eyes were filled with intense jealousy and crazed killing intent.
In Xiong Shaoqing's black eyes, like ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, burned the flames of a wild, unbridled fighting spirit.
Just as the two prepared for one final fight to the death-
"Enough. This match is over."
The referee's voice rang throughout the arena.
The referee swiftly leaped onto the stage, glanced at the unconscious Ma Hongjun and the blood-spitting Dai Mubai, then raised his right hand and announced:
"Two members of the Shrek Team have lost the ability to fight and cannot continue the match. Based on the overall assessment, the winner of this Soul Fighting match is the Heaven-Shaking Phantom Team!"
The entire arena fell silent for an instant, then erupted into feverish cheers like a tsunami.
"Heaven-Shaking Phantom! Heaven-Shaking Phantom!"
"That was hardcore! Now that's a real clash between powerhouses!"
"That Tang San is impressive, but Shrek's other two are nothing but useless dead weight!"
Listening to the tidal wave of cheers and the disparagement of Shrek Academy, Tang San clutched his shattered shoulder, his gaze as venomous as a snake's.
He stared fixedly at Xiong Shaoqing, then glanced at Xiao Wu behind him. The twisted hatred inside him almost tore him apart.
But he also knew very well that he was seriously injured now. If he insisted on fighting, putting aside whether he could defeat Xiong Shaoqing, who likewise had yet to reveal his trump cards, Dai Mubai's and Ma Hongjun's injuries alone could not wait.
Xiong Shaoqing, I'll remember this debt.
There's plenty of time ahead. Just you wait.
Tang San swore vicious, deranged oaths inwardly as he struggled to call over the medical staff. Like a homeless dog, he slunk out of the Soul Fighting Arena with Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Watching Tang San and the others leave in disgrace, Xiong Shaoqing's expression remained as still as water, but a system notification quietly sounded in his Sea of Consciousness:
[Ding! Detected that Child of Fortune Tang San's hatred toward the host and sense of humiliation have exceeded their limits. Killing intent has reached its peak.] [Fortune-stripping feedback mechanism activated.] [Congratulations, host. You have received an enormous amount of pure Soul Power feedback.] [Host's Soul Power has increased by one level.] [Current Soul Power: level thirty-five.]
This hard fight was worth it.
Xiong Shaoqing inwardly let out a quiet breath of stale air.
Tang San really was a tough bone to gnaw through. His level-thirty-eight Mysterious Heaven Skill and hidden weapons had forced Xiong Shaoqing to use every last ounce of strength.
Still, squeezing Tang San's value dry in this life-and-death battle and gaining a whole level made claiming this experience pack thoroughly satisfying.
As he stepped off the stage, Qian Renxue immediately came forward.
She snapped her folding fan shut and hurried over, her gaze fixed on the wound beneath Xiong Shaoqing's ribs that was seeping black blood. She lowered her voice. "Brother Xiong, that wound... That boy's hidden weapons are vicious. Have you managed to suppress the poison?"
Xiong Shaoqing glanced at her, his voice cool and his words sparse. "A little trouble. Nothing serious. Back to the inn first."
With that, he said nothing more and strode toward the exit on his long legs.
The night breeze was slightly chilly. As Xiong Shaoqing walked, he summoned the Destiny Diary in his Sea of Consciousness and began today's work.
[Tonight's hard battle really was a bit strenuous.]
[That brat Tang San's level-thirty-eight Soul Power, combined with those hidden weapons that are impossible to fully guard against, really makes him an extremely dangerous problem. If my body weren't tough enough, I probably would have suffered badly on that stage. Even though I won in the end, it was a costly victory.]
[Although I forcibly suppressed the poison beneath my ribs, I'm still getting waves of chills now.]
[I clearly could have fought more conservatively and taken my time maneuvering. But whenever I thought of Xue'er returning to that great quagmire of Heaven Dou City tomorrow morning, I just couldn't suppress this nameless anger, and my attacks became a little more reckless and vicious.]
[Ultimately, I suppose I'm still unwilling to accept it.]
[As I am now, I don't even have the confidence to forcibly keep her here. I can only vent my ferocity in the arena and treat it as a contest against myself.]
[The muddy waters of this Douluo Continent run deeper than I imagined. I still have to cultivate with my life on the line. Level thirty-five is nowhere near enough. Otherwise, what will I use to protect those beside me in the future? What will I use to go to Heaven Dou City and bring her back?]
The golden words, carrying his post-battle exhaustion, his reflections on his own strength, and that unadorned concern buried deep in his heart, slowly appeared in the three goddesses' minds.
Walking beside him, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing felt both a pang of sorrow and warmth as they read those words.
Although their big brother had won, he was blaming himself inwardly for not being strong enough.
He always shouldered all the pressure alone.
Meanwhile, walking at his side, Qian Renxue abruptly caught her breath as she read the line, "I can only vent my ferocity in the arena and treat it as a contest against myself."
She finally understood why this man, who was always as steady as a mountain, had acted so unusually tonight, confronting Tang San's hidden weapons head-on.
It turned out that all his viciousness and recklessness came from his unwillingness to accept her departure tomorrow.
Qian Renxue looked at that straight yet wounded back, and her eyes reddened completely.
This clumsy concern, burning fiercely to the bone, shook her heart more than any oath sworn by mountains and seas.
Chapter 67: Saying one thing, meaning another
Suotuo City's night wind, carrying tiny flecks of ice and snow, beat coldly against the bluestone road outside the Listening Snow Inn.
The four stopped at the inn's entrance.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were just about to help Xiong Shaoqing inside to treat the poisoned wound beneath his ribs when Qian Renxue, walking at the rear, stopped below the steps.
She still wore Xue Qinghe's guise. Although inwardly she wished she could follow him into his room immediately and personally apply medicine and bandage his wounds, reason held her firmly back.
She would be setting out early tomorrow morning.
"Brother Xiong." Standing amid the wind and snow, Qian Renxue had put away her folding fan at some point. She drew a deep breath of biting cold air and forcibly suppressed the tremor in her voice. "Even if you escort a friend a thousand miles, you must part in the end."
"My carriage leaves early tomorrow morning, so I won't go inside and disturb your recovery, Brother Xiong. Let us... say our farewells here."
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing abruptly turned back, their eyes filled with reluctance to part.
During these few short days together, they had already learned from the diary what shackles this "Young Master Xue" bore, and had witnessed firsthand her stubborn willingness to brave danger for their big brother.
In their hearts, they had long since regarded her as "Sister Xue'er," someone they could confide in.
"Young Master Xue, it's windy outside..." Xiao Wu bit her lip, her eyes reddening, and stepped forward to tug gently at Qian Renxue's sleeve. "Once you're back in Heaven Dou City, you must take good care of yourself. Don't always shoulder everything alone."
Zhu Zhuqing also stepped forward, a trace of warmth flashing through her cool eyes. "The mountains are high and the road is long. Have a safe journey. If you face difficulties, Shaoqing and we will all be here."
Hearing the two girls' heartfelt concern, Qian Renxue nodded firmly. Holding back her emotions, she turned her gaze toward the tall figure standing at the top of the steps.
Xiong Shaoqing stood quietly in the shadow beneath the eaves, his eternally frozen iceberg of a face showing no emotional fluctuation.
But the lecherous soul inside him was dancing with delight.
Holy shit, how did the atmosphere of this farewell suddenly get cranked all the way up?
Looking at Xue'er's watery golden eyes, so reluctant to part yet trying so hard to appear carefree, even my heart of straight-man steel is about to be crushed.
I really want to charge down there, consequences be damned, and crush her into my arms. But no, I have to maintain the iceberg God King persona. The more restrained I am now, the harder it'll hit afterward.
Xiong Shaoqing drew a deep breath and pressed all his churning emotions firmly into his heart, his face remaining as cold and stern as ever.
He nodded slightly, his deep black eyes like an ancient well as he calmly watched Qian Renxue amid the wind and snow, offering only a brief, icy farewell. "Have a smooth journey."
There were no further attempts to make her stay, no lingering words of affection.
With that, he turned resolutely and led Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing through the inn's entrance, leaving Qian Renxue with the sight of his aloof, upright back.
Qian Renxue stood dazed in the snow, watching the wooden door slowly close. At last, a warm tear slipped from the corner of her eye, instantly dissolving in the winter night's cold wind.
Inside the inn's top-class room, the underfloor heating burned hot.
Xiong Shaoqing removed his shirt, revealing his strong, lean chest.
Around the wound beneath his ribs where the Shadowless Needles had pierced him, his blood vessels had turned a horrifying purplish black.
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing stood on either side of him, tears falling from their distress.
Xiao Wu carefully used her Soul Power to help him force out the remaining poisoned blood, while Zhu Zhuqing wiped him clean little by little with a warm towel, her movements exceedingly gentle.
"Big brother, does it still hurt?" Xiao Wu's eyes were red, her voice choked with tears.
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