In the distance, Zhao Wuji appeared to be dozing, but inwardly, he was already growing excited.
Well, well! A level-29 Blue Silver Grass, a level-29 little rabbit, and that Hell Cat girl, though a little weaker, looks strong-willed! But most importantly, this batch actually has a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda Soul Master, and even a Soul Elder! That old miser Flender is probably going to be beside himself with joy!
Zhao Wuji thought to himself, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously. He paid little mind to the upcoming test, however. After all, the gap in Soul Power was plain to see. With his strength, he would have nothing to fear even if ten Soul Emperors surrounded him!
Meanwhile, Tang San and the others quickly settled on their tactics. Xiao Wu and Shangguan Hong would lead the attack, Ning Rongrong would provide support, Zhu Zhuqing would assist with attacks, and he would control the battlefield. It was a very standard Soul Master squad formation.
"Ready? Then come at me!"
Zhao Wuji stood up and stretched his muscles and joints, smiling at the solemn-faced youngsters opposite him.
"Seven treasures turn forth, revealing glazed tile!"
"Seven Treasures Have Names: First: Strength! Second: Speed!"
The instant the battle began, Ning Rongrong unleashed both her Soul Skills without hesitation, applying strength boosts to Xiao Wu and Shangguan Hong and a speed boost to Zhu Zhuqing!
Shangguan Hong's face filled with surprise. This was his first time experiencing the benefits of a Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda support Soul Master. The boost was truly astonishing-a full thirty percent increase in strength!
Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing also looked astonished. The sudden surge in power thrilled them, but before they could attack, a thunderous sound rang out in the distance!
Boom-
The level-76 Soul Saint's Soul Power became a billowing blast, tearing the ground apart in an instant. A shock wave hurtled toward Ning Rongrong at tremendous speed. Zhao Wuji followed the tactic of taking out the support first in a team battle, but Tang San was ready. With a flick of his Blue Silver Grass, he pulled Ning Rongrong clear of danger.
"Attack!"
Xiao Wu leaped up from the front while Zhu Zhuqing charged from the flank. Both cleared Zhao Wuji's shock wave, and then, Soul Rings flashing beneath their feet, they launched a fierce assault on him!
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Xiao Wu unleashed her grappling techniques, but Zhao Wuji's body was far beyond her ability to budge. Zhu Zhuqing also tried to break through his defenses with rapid, agile attacks, but this Soul Saint's skin was as tough as a bear's hide. Their attacks failed to stir even the slightest ripple.
"Neither your strength nor your speed amounts to much!"
Zhao Wuji shook his entire body, releasing an exquisitely controlled burst of Soul Power that sent both girls flying! Their bodies bent like prawns in midair. Had Tang San not used his Blue Silver Grass to dissipate most of the force for them, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing would probably have been eliminated right then.
"What terrifying strength. Just what you'd expect from a Soul Saint!"
Tang San's expression was extremely grim. The Blue Silver Grass he had just used to assist them had nearly snapped, and Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were clearly injured already. Yet this was only their first exchange! The incense stick had barely burned down at all.
"You can't fight like that against a high-level Soul Master, youngsters. Ready to surrender without a fight?"
Zhao Wuji smiled, then turned his gaze toward Shangguan Hong, who had the highest Soul Power in the group.
"Boy, still not making a move? Don't you want to enroll?"
Shangguan Hong was the one who truly piqued Zhao Wuji's curiosity. His heart brimmed with eagerness as he waited for Shangguan Hong to bring him an unusual surprise. At present, however, Shangguan Hong clearly had no attention to spare for Zhao Wuji's call. All his attention was on his system panel!
[Mission: Enroll at Shrek and give a Soul Saint a taste of the Golden Spatula's shock and awe! Reward: Alternate Dimension Capture Cage!] [Alternate Dimension Capture Cage: Single-use item. Forcibly banishes an enemy whose Soul Power Level does not exceed your own into an alternate dimension. Can hold them for up to 7 days!]
Alternate Dimension Capture Cage? Interesting. Does the system know my Void is ravenously hungry and want to find it some food? Seven days is a little short, but it's better than nothing!
Shangguan Hong was surprised by the suddenly triggered system mission, but on second thought, the item the system was offering this time was also highly significant. It could easily capture a Soul Master weaker than him without leaving any trace of foul play.
At Shrek Academy, no one could possibly detect anything unusual caused by a system item. It was rather like a Poké Ball and could prove unexpectedly useful at certain moments.
Accepted!
The corners of Shangguan Hong's mouth curled up slightly, but during this brief lapse in his attention, Zhao Wuji had already run out of patience. His expression turned displeased. A mere Soul Elder dared ignore him?
"You won't make a move? Fine, then I'll come to you!"
Zhao Wuji was indeed no good at speed, but that was only compared with Soul Masters of his own level! Against lower-level Soul Masters, he truly could be called flawless.
In the blink of an eye, the distance between Zhao Wuji and Shangguan Hong had shrunk to less than five meters!
"Brother Shangguan!"
Tang San hastily summoned Blue Silver Grass to coil around Shangguan Hong's waist. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, having caught their breath a little, also prepared to strike again. Yet under everyone's gaze, Shangguan Hong suddenly raised the spatula in his hand.
"A battle should be taken slowly. Haste spoils the fun! But since you're in the mood, Teacher Zhao, I, Shangguan Hong, will naturally oblige!"
One yellow and two purple Soul Rings pulsed beneath Shangguan Hong's feet. Before everyone's eyes, the deepest purple ring suddenly lit up!
"For ten thousand miles, the realm of death knows no living soul; one gate opens upon the cycle of life and death!"
"Third Soul Skill-"
Shangguan Hong chanted his soul incantation and unleashed his third Soul Skill! Yet before he finished speaking, a deathly gate a full five meters tall, predominantly iron-blue in color, suddenly appeared in the space before him!
An urgent, savage voice came from within the gate!
He said-
"Through the dark portal!!!"
A heavy hammer resembling a spiked club blocked Zhao Wuji's attack. A strange creature strode out, nearly five meters tall and powerfully built, his entire body covered in thick armor and held aloft by eerie netherflames! The flames around his head burned fiercely, casting a heart-palpitating spectral green light. His presence was savage beyond measure, as though he would slaughter every living creature in sight!
At that moment, Shangguan Hong's unfinished words finally fell:
"Third Soul Skill-Domination: Noxus's Conquest!"
The monarch who embodied death had arrived in a world he had never set foot in before. The bone-piercing chill of death made the pupils of Zhao Wuji, a level-76 Soul Saint, contract.
The being summoned by Shangguan Hong's third Soul Skill-Mordekaiser!
"This is Brother Shangguan's third Soul Skill?"
"What a terrifying creature!"
"It feels... it feels like my soul is about to be ground to pieces!"
Behind Shangguan Hong, Tang San, Xiao Wu, and the others were dumbstruck. In the distance, Dai Mubai's mouth hung open wide enough to fit two eggs. Zhao Wuji also halted his attack, looking up and down at the enormous Iron Revenant blocking his path.
Zhao Wuji had never seen a Soul Skill like this. He paused his attack for the moment, but Mordekaiser could wait no longer!
"All shall submit to the king of life and death!"
The heavy hammer fell!