With a light flick of Lin Kong's wrist, a stalk of Dark Blue Silver Grass broke through the earth. Its vines grew vigorously like spirit serpents, their leaves curving sharply as they wound toward Meng Yiran.
Swish!
Meng Yiran reacted extremely quickly. The Serpent Cane in her hand swept around, and its venom-laced Snake Blade flashed coldly, severing the stalk of Dark Blue Silver Grass right at its root. The fallen leaves were soon corroded by the poison, turning black and withering.
Lin Kong's expression remained unchanged. With another wave of his hand, a second stalk of Dark Blue Silver Grass sprang forth and attacked Meng Yiran, only to meet exactly the same fate as the first, severed with a single strike of her Snake Blade.
The battle that followed gradually settled into a monotonous cycle.
Meng Yiran was trapped deep within a patch of palm-high Dark Blue Silver Grass. New vines broke through the earth from every direction at irregular intervals, winding or lashing at her in an unending assault. She had to remain utterly focused, wielding her Serpent Cane in a defense so tight that not even the wind could pass through. Every strike precisely cut down the incoming Dark Blue Silver Grass.
It was a silent war of attrition.
In his previous battles, Lin Kong had never feared a battle of attrition. Thanks to Dark Blue Silver Grass's ability to recover Soul Power, he could always grind his opponents down through sheer endurance. This time, however, he had met a true formidable opponent-Meng Yiran's Snake Blade cut through the leaves extremely quickly, and its poison made him reluctant to reclaim the fragments. The two had actually fallen into a strange balance of attrition.
To the onlookers, however, the situation looked entirely different-Lin Kong was clearly toying with Meng Yiran!
Wasn't he just? Lin Kong sat leisurely on a thick branch, propping his head on one hand while casually waving the other from time to time, prompting the Dark Blue Silver Grass to attack automatically. He even had the leisure to glance at the distant Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent, looking as relaxed as though he were watching a spectacle.
Meng Yiran, on the other hand, was surrounded by Dark Blue Silver Grass, her nerves stretched taut at every moment. Not only did she have to watch the attacks in front of her, but she also had to guard against sneak attacks from behind, afraid that the slightest carelessness would let the vines entangle her and put her at a disadvantage. Fine beads of sweat seeped from her temples, the hand gripping her Serpent Cane was beginning to ache, and her expression grew increasingly grim.
One was utterly at ease, while the other was run ragged. Anyone watching would have thought Lin Kong held the overwhelming advantage.
"Brother Lin! Toy with that chick some more!" Ma Hongjun suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice full of mockery. He was plainly trying to provoke Meng Yiran.
Dai Mubai immediately played along, pretending to admonish him. "Fatty, stop calling her chick all the time. She has a name, you know."
"Huh? She has a name?" Ma Hongjun scratched his head, feigning surprise.
"Yes, I think it's... it's..." Dai Mubai frowned as though he could not remember, dragging it out for ages without coming up with anything.
The two played off each other in seamless harmony, plainly trying to disrupt Meng Yiran's concentration so Lin Kong could win the match sooner and help Oscar secure that Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent.
"Ah! Enough!" Meng Yiran could no longer bear it. She even ignored Lin Kong's incoming vines as she abruptly raised her head and glared at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, her pretty face flushed scarlet. "You two bastards! I'll kill you!" she roared.
Standing off to the side, Chao Tianxiang's face was livid. She gave a heavy, cold snort, its anger seeming to make even the surrounding air congeal a little.
Zhao Wuji immediately looked embarrassed. Since the other party had already expressed her displeasure with her gaze, he could hardly keep pretending to be deaf and mute. He cleared his throat, deliberately put on a stern face, and gave Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun an "angry roar." "You two little brats, shut your mouths!"
Ma Hongjun immediately covered his mouth to suppress his laughter and answered listlessly, "Oh..."
Dai Mubai spread his hands as well, looking helpless. "Well, all right, then."
They were utterly shameless!
What a pair of scumbags!
Gritting her teeth, Meng Yiran looked up and shot a vicious glare at Lin Kong, who was lounging on the branch. Her cherry lips pressed tightly together, and a ruthless gleam flashed through her eyes. She had clearly resolved to smash the cauldrons and sink the boats.
She abruptly lowered her center of gravity and gripped her Serpent Cane with both hands. Drawing power from her waist, she swept the cane around herself in a fierce, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree arc that cut through the wind. In an instant, all the palm-high Dark Blue Silver Grass around her was severed, its ink-dark leaves scattering to the ground.
Having swiftly cleared the obstacles around her, Meng Yiran's gaze suddenly sharpened. She drew a deep breath, exerted both arms, and actually hurled her Serpent Cane straight at Lin Kong on the branch with all her strength!
Whoosh-
The Serpent Cane became a streak of dark light, tearing through the air with a piercing whistle as it hurtled straight toward Lin Kong's face!
Lin Kong's pupils contracted slightly. He instinctively leaned backward, barely avoiding the Serpent Cane's edge. It skimmed past the tip of his nose and buried itself heavily in the trunk behind him, shaking loose countless dead leaves. That deep backward lean threw him off balance, and he fell straight from the branch!
"Hah!"
At the sight, Meng Yiran's eyes suddenly lit up. With a crisp, low cry, she broke into a run without hesitation, charging toward the falling Lin Kong-she actually intended to take him down barehanded!
In the nick of time, several thick vines of Dark Blue Silver Grass burst from the ground and caught Lin Kong securely. With their cushioning support, he landed lightly on his feet, then immediately retreated, maintaining a safe distance from the charging Meng Yiran.
As one pursued and the other fled, Meng Yiran's pretty face flushed red with anger. Chasing him, she shouted sharply, "Coward! Get back here-"
"Here I come!"
Lin Kong suddenly gave a low shout and stepped backward with his right foot, landing squarely on a mass of Dark Blue Silver Grass that had long been poised to spring. The mass compressed to its limit, then abruptly burst forth. A powerful thrust surged up beneath his foot, and Lin Kong's speed soared. One moment he had been retreating in disarray; the next, he reversed direction and charged fiercely toward Meng Yiran!
At the sight, Meng Yiran's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "You fell for it!"
The two Yellow Soul Rings circling her suddenly flashed and vanished-she had actually withdrawn her Martial Soul into her body. In the blink of an eye, the two yellow rings lit up again, and the Serpent Cane Martial Soul reappeared in her hand.
This was a little trick exclusive to Tool Martial Soul Masters. By swiftly withdrawing and releasing her Martial Soul, Meng Yiran forcibly recalled the thrown Serpent Cane to her hand. With a twist of her wrist, the Snake Blade sprang out with a swish. Gleaming with a faint blue light and trailing a fierce gust, the sharp blade stabbed viciously toward Lin Kong as he charged straight at her!
"Oh no!" Oscar's heart clenched and turned ice-cold, and he could not help crying out.
Everyone from Shrek paled as well, their faces full of worry. This is bad.
Zhao Wuji even clenched his fists instinctively, Soul Power surging ceaselessly around him as he prepared to intervene at any moment.
On the other side, Chao Tianxiang also stepped forward, swiftly moving closer to Meng Yiran. Her vigilant gaze remained fixed on Zhao Wuji, afraid he would break his word and suddenly interfere.
So, faced with this lethal strike, how would the battle unfold?