Boom!
The black dragon threw back its head and spewed a fierce pillar of energy, driving Zhuo Shi's Red Armored Dragon straight into the sky and through the clouds.
"Damn it, stop! Stop this instant!"
Zhuo Shi grunted and beat his wings furiously, trying to break free, but the violent energy struck him square in the chest, delivering its full damage.
The protective Soul Power around Zhuo Shi rapidly depleted, and both his body's interior and its surface immediately suffered considerable injuries!
The Red Armored Dragon shot thousands of meters into the sky, where those on the ground could barely make him out with the naked eye.
The entire venue suddenly fell silent.
"This..."
"Heavens! Senior Zhuo Shi isn't in trouble, is he?"
"He shouldn't be! Have faith in His Holiness Scarlet Dragon!"
While the students buzzed with discussion,
Long Yeyue's expression in the spectator seats was particularly grim.
"Elder Long, wh-what exactly is going on?"
Cai Yue'er asked in shock.
Shrek's ordinary students could not sense the power the black dragon had spewed out, but Cai Yue'er could. This power would strike fear into even a Super Douluo!
"How could... the Dark Holy Dragon actually have the ability to devour power, too? Is this his domain?!"
Long Yeyue muttered to herself.
Watching Long Yeyue like this, Cai Yue'er's mouth twitched.
Why did she feel that Elder Long was not very reliable?
Cai Yue'er looked toward Long Xiaoyao in the arena. The pillar of energy blasted out for a full minute before stopping.
Long Xiaoyao snorted coldly. Without hesitation, the black dragon took flight!
"Eighth Soul Skill, Dragon Emperor Shatters Evil!"
A red Soul Ring appeared beneath Long Xiaoyao's feet and flashed.
The black dragon shot straight upward, and a dense barrage of black lightning suddenly struck down from the pitch-black sky!
The black bolts, each as thick as a bucket, instantly hammered Zhuo Shi above the clouds!
"Aah!"
Zhuo Shi's screams rang out from the sky.
The black dragon plunged into the clouds in an instant, and the two dragons, one red and one black, became locked in battle.
On the ground,
the original arena had been completely shattered. Yu Guanzhi looked up at the sky and smiled.
"Brother Long's talent truly is rare. This Darkness Domain can actually devour an enemy's power and strike back with it. Hehe."
Yu Guanzhi did not even need to fly up to take a look to know
that Zhuo Shi had now fallen completely onto the back foot.
On the Soul Guidance screen on the ground,
images of the two fighting amid the clouds appeared, just as expected.
The Red Armored Dragon's chest was scorched black, with large swaths of his scales shattered.
The black dragon, meanwhile, was in perfect condition, chasing the Red Armored Dragon down and pummeling him.
"What?! Senior Zhuo Shi is going to lose?"
When Tang Wulin saw the screen, even the large steamed bun in his hand lost its appeal.
Zhuo Shi was the first Titled Douluo who had recognized his potential after he entered Shrek.
He was also a Sea God Pavilion Elder.
He normally taught Tang Wulin a great deal and held him to strict standards.
Tang Wulin had kept working hard precisely to become a powerhouse like Zhuo Shi. Yet now, seeing Zhuo Shi brutally beaten by someone of a lower level, he could not help beginning to doubt Shrek Academy.
Could this continent's number one academy's supposed invincibility at the same level just be hot air?!
Xie Xie was puzzled, too:
"Heavens, Senior Zhuo Shi looks like he's getting beaten terribly. How could this happen? Did that frenzied attack on the ground earlier really have no effect on that man from the War God Temple?"
Only Gu Yue looked somewhat calm as she watched the screen.
What an impressive human. He can actually bring out the Dark Holy Dragon's innate abilities. This Long Xiaoyao's understanding of Martial Souls far surpasses that Zhuo Shi's.
This man will definitely become a Limit Douluo someday.
Gu Yue's heart silently tightened.
In a mere twenty thousand years, humans had developed into the continent's foremost overlords.
Now, most Soul Beasts had already been locked inside the Spirit Pagoda, reduced to spiritual forms neither dead nor alive.
Only those in the core region of the Star Dou Great Forest remained. Soul Beasts had already reached a precarious state.
Now that another Soul Master with heaven-defying talent like Long Xiaoyao had appeared among humans, the burden on Gu Yue's heart grew heavier.
I need to leave Shrek as soon as possible.
Gu Yue sighed inwardly.
She decided to quicken her steps toward entering the Spirit Pagoda.
She would set Na'er aside for now. Only by gaining control of the Spirit Pagoda sooner would the Soul Beasts have a sliver of hope for survival.
Li Chen and Ye Zhaolu sat in their chairs, cheerfully eating snacks.
"Sister Ye, what do you think? Brother Long's badass, right?"
Ye Zhaolu smiled. "That fellow really does have some ability."
Ye Zhaolu had noticed it as well. Although Long Xiaoyao was one level lower, his understanding and use of his Martial Soul, as well as his actual combat strength, actually surpassed Zhuo Shi's.
The ability to understand one's own Martial Soul was extremely important, as it determined the limits of a Soul Master's growth.
For example, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang from ten thousand years ago clearly had the Golden Sacred Dragon bloodline in his Martial Soul, Luo Sanpao. Yet he did not know how to use it and ended up turning it into a farting Luo Sanpao.
Li Chen nodded. "You're right, Sister Ye. But Brother Long told me it was all thanks to meeting you that he gained a much clearer understanding last night."
"So Brother Long asked me to tell you that if he wins, he hopes you'll do him the honor of having dinner together tonight."
Ye Zhaolu chuckled. "What does that have to do with me? That's the result of his own hard cultivation. If he wants to have dinner with me, he can just say so."
"Then are you going, Sister Ye?"
"Hehe, would a humble little researcher like me dare turn down War God Long's invitation?"
While the two were talking,
a red-haired old man plummeted straight out of the sky, smashing headfirst into the arena in front of Ye Zhaolu.
Then,
Long Xiaoyao appeared as well, planting one foot on Zhuo Shi.
Zhuo Shi was covered in injuries, the clothing on his upper body completely shredded. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and he had even sustained internal injuries from the beating.
Long Xiaoyao was in much better shape. Though his face was somewhat bruised and swollen, he was extremely fired up overall.
"You sneaky old bastard! Do you yield?!"
Long Xiaoyao roared furiously.
Fucking hell.
This old fellow had ambushed him right at the start, making him take a beating for nothing.
If he had not been strong enough, this old bastard would have crushed him at the very beginning.
"You! You!"
Zhuo Shi gritted his teeth, struggling to get up.
Long Xiaoyao planted a foot on Zhuo Shi's back, pressing him down again.
"Surrender! I don't have the time or the mood to play with you anymore!"
Zhuo Shi stiffened his neck. "Brat, don't get too arrogant! I'm a Shrek man! I'm a Sea God Pavilion Elder! If you offend me beyond all reconciliation, you'll have more consequences than you can stomach!"
"Stomach my ass!"
Long Xiaoyao's right hand underwent Dragon Transformation, and sharp dragon claws thrust toward the vital point at Zhuo Shi's neck.
"You Shrek bastards play dirty! I'm never coming back! Surrender now, or I'll slaughter you!"
An uproar erupted!
All the Shrek students were dumbfounded at the sight.
They had never expected
His Holiness Scarlet Dragon, Zhuo Shi, to lose so quickly and so miserably!
For a moment, the entire venue fell silent.
"Insolence!"
Long Yeyue rose into the air and hurtled over.
"You junior! To strike so viciously in a sparring match! I'll teach you a proper lesson!"
Long Yeyue could not help shouting angrily.
Seeing Zhuo Shi beaten into such a state, she finally could not hold back anymore and found an excuse to intervene.
Zhuo Shi's defeat had not only disgraced Shrek, but had also stripped Long Yeyue of all her dignity.
If word got out, Zhuo Shi would think her understanding of Martial Souls could not even compare to a twenty-nine-year-old young man's.
If she did not teach Long Xiaoyao a harsh lesson, how could she maintain her standing in the Sea God Pavilion in the future?
Long Yeyue unleashed the full presence of a Limit Douluo, revealing her Light Sacred Dragon Martial Soul.
She clearly intended to bully the younger man with her seniority and instantly knock Long Xiaoyao flat through an attribute advantage.
Long Xiaoyao froze. By the time he turned his head, Long Yeyue was already upon him.
The phantom of a Radiant Sacred Dragon viciously rammed toward the vital areas of Long Xiaoyao's chest and abdomen.
Yu Guanzhi hurried to his feet:
"Pavilion Master Long, stop!"
Long Yeyue snorted coldly, refusing to listen at all.
At that critical moment,
a phoenix's cry suddenly resounded throughout the venue. Her hair golden, Ye Zhaolu shielded Long Xiaoyao with a single-handed burst of blazing light-flame.