Boom!
An earthshaking boom rang out, and the entire raised platform shook violently!
A terrifying golden claw shadow slammed down, kicking up clouds of dust and sending shattered stone flying as it completely swallowed Dai Weisi's figure.
A savage wave of Soul Power swept out in every direction, forcing the nobles in the front rows of the viewing stands to raise their sleeves over their faces instinctively.
After that strike, an eerie silence fell over the entire Great Soul Arena.
Everyone stared fixedly at the area shrouded in dust.
Was it over?!
That was the thought shared by almost everyone.
Such a terrifying strike would probably have leveled a house, let alone a Soul King who wasn't using his Soul Rings.
"Alas, why put himself through that?"
"In the end, he paid the price for his arrogance."
"Even if he isn't dead, I'm afraid he'll be crippled. The first prince's era has truly come to an end."
The murmurs rose again, but this time they were filled with sighs over the settled outcome and pity for the loser.
Dai Mubai stood on the platform, his chest heaving and his face slightly pale from having expended a little too much Soul Power.
He gasped for breath, but his eyes sparkled with barely restrained excitement and delight.
He did it!
That strike had drained nearly thirty percent of his Soul Power. It was the strongest blow he had ever delivered!
He didn't believe Dai Weisi could still get up!
But he had to see the act through.
Dai Mubai forcibly suppressed the wild joy in his heart and once again squeezed a look of grief onto his face as he staggered toward the dust.
"Imperial brother! Imperial brother, how are you?"
As he called out "anxiously," he secretly gathered what little Soul Power he had left.
If Dai Weisi was still breathing, he wouldn't mind "accidentally" breaking his four limbs-no, five limbs-underfoot while "helping" him, or shattering his heart meridians.
However, just as his foot was about to enter the cloud of dust, a calm voice came from its center, ringing clearly in everyone's ears.
"Dai Mubai, is your performance over?"
The voice was calm and strong, without the slightest trace of weakness.
Dai Mubai's steps abruptly halted, and the expression on his face froze.
The murmurs in the viewing stands cut off abruptly. Everyone's eyes widened like ducks being strangled.
A light breeze swept past, carrying away the hanging dust.
The scene at the center of the platform slowly came into view.
A terrifying claw mark several feet deep covered the ground, its surface riddled with cracks, a testament to the astonishing power of the blow.
At the very center of the claw mark, a tall figure stood with his hands behind his back.
It was Dai Weisi.
He remained in the same position as before; he hadn't even moved from where he stood.
His magnificent princely attire was untouched by dust, without even a single crease.
The whole arena fell deathly silent.
If Dai Weisi's offer to take the blow without using his Soul Rings had seemed arrogant before, then the incredible sight before them now was a miracle!
"No... impossible!"
Dai Mubai shrieked, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. "That's absolutely impossible!"
Dai Weisi ignored his roar and merely lowered his head to look at his chest. There, a faint tortoiseshell pattern, seemingly cast from golden glazed crystal, was slowly fading away.
He raised his head and looked at Dai Mubai, the corners of his mouth curving into a mocking smile.
"God-Slaying Claw? That's it?"
He gently patted his chest, as if brushing away dust that wasn't even there.
"You dare call a mere thousand-year Soul Skill 'God-Slaying'? Mubai, who gave you the courage?"
The entire arena erupted at his words!
Dai Mubai's already pale face instantly turned the color of pig liver. Humiliation-this was naked humiliation! It hurt him more than any attack!
The people in the viewing stands finally recovered from their shock.
"A Soul Bone! It's a Soul Bone!"
"I saw it! There was golden light on the first prince's chest just now! It was shaped like a tortoise shell!"
"No wonder! No wonder the first prince dared to be so overconfident! He actually has a Soul Bone too!"
"And from the look of it, it's a Soul Bone with astonishing defensive power!"
"He took a Soul King's strongest blow after being enhanced, using only a Soul Skill, and came away unscathed. The quality of that Soul Bone is simply unheard of!"
The crowd's comments stabbed into Dai Mubai's heart like sharp knives.
So he was the clown all along! His opponent's confidence hadn't come from arrogance at all, but from a powerful Soul Bone the likes of which he had never heard of!
On the throne, a brilliant light burst forth for the first time in the Star Luo Emperor's deep eyes.
Beside him, the head of the Zhu Family, Marshal Who Stabilizes the Nation Zhu Xiaotian, shot to his feet and cried out:
"A Torso Bone! That's definitely a Torso Bone, the rarest of the six Soul Bone types! Judging by its defensive might, I'm afraid... I'm afraid it's at least fifty thousand years old!"
Everyone present was shocked by his words!
A Torso Bone over fifty thousand years old!
What did that mean?
It meant that this Soul Bone was extraordinarily valuable. Even the Seven Great Sects, with their long histories, or Spirit Hall itself would find it no easy matter to produce a Torso Bone of this quality!
The smug smile on Prince Cheng Dai Tianfeng's face had long since frozen. Now he looked as if he'd seen a ghost, his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.
A fifty-thousand-year Torso Bone?
Was this a joke?!
He had only managed to obtain a Soul Bone less than thirty thousand years old for Dai Mubai. He had thought it an enormous advantage, enough to secure victory. But compared with Dai Weisi's...
Where on earth had Dai Weisi obtained such a heaven-defying treasure?
In an instant, the way everyone looked at Dai Weisi changed.
From mockery, to shock, and now to awe and wariness.
On the platform, Dai Mubai's face alternated between green and white, his lips trembling. He couldn't utter a single word.
The trump card he had been so proud of had been crushed to pieces before his opponent.
Seeing him like that, Dai Weisi let out a hearty laugh, filled with the bold spirit of one who looked down on all under heaven.
"All right, my turn is over."
He took a step forward, and the entire platform seemed to tremble with it.
"Now, isn't it your turn to take a blow from me?"
Jolted by his laughter, Dai Mubai abruptly came to his senses, and resentment and unwillingness filled his eyes once more.
Bring it on!
He roared inwardly.
So your confidence came from a defensive Soul Bone!
I admit it, I underestimated you!
But now it's your turn to attack and mine to defend!
You promised not to use any Soul Rings either!
I refuse to believe you can hurt me with physical strength alone!
Unless... unless you have a second, offensive Soul Bone!
No!
Absolutely impossible!
The odds of one person having two Soul Bones are vanishingly small!
Even Spirit Hall's geniuses, even its holy maiden, don't have two. What right does Dai Weisi have to them?!
Even taking ten thousand steps back, so what if you really do have another offensive Soul Bone?
I'm a level fifty-one Soul King!
I can use Soul Skills! With my White Tiger Vajra Transformation and White Tiger Protection Barrier both active, why would I fear a punch from you?
At that thought, Dai Mubai felt somewhat reassured. He forcibly suppressed the churning of his Qi and blood and gave a cold snort.
"Fine! I'll take it!"
His Soul Power circulated once more, and his First Soul Ring flashed with light.
"First Soul Skill, White Tiger Protection Barrier!"
A solid white shield of light instantly enveloped his entire body.
Only then did he stare fixedly at Dai Weisi and force out a few words through clenched teeth.
"Imperial brother, please teach me!"