Unfair Assessment (II)

Zhao Wuji struck backhanded, his broad palm whipping up a fierce wind as it shot toward Zhu Zhuqing's shoulder like lightning, its force unmatched in its ferocity.

"Watch out!" Tang San's pupils contracted sharply. Several Flying Locust Stones shot from his fingertips at lightning speed, aimed precisely at the acupoints along Zhao Wuji's wrist meridians in an attempt to force back his attack.

Clink, clink, clink! Several crisp sounds rang out as the Flying Locust Stones struck Zhao Wuji's Soul Power-filled arm, producing only a few sparks and failing to injure him in the slightest. But the sudden interference had, in the end, slowed his palm strike.

Seizing that fleeting chance, Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth against the suppressive gravity and darted backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. When she landed, her breathing was slightly uneven, and she was already drenched in cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong had steadied herself. Light bloomed in her palm as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated in midair, its body translucent and luminous white, shimmering light flowing over it. Two Yellow Soul Rings lit up in succession, and sacred, magnificent auxiliary Soul Power spread outward.

"Seven treasures turn, glazed tile appears! First Soul Skill, Strength Amplification! Second Soul Skill, Speed Amplification!"

Two brilliant streams of multicolored light descended with precision, enveloping Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, and Tuo Mushuo.

In an instant, the Soul Power within all three surged, their strength and speed rising by thirty percent each. The sluggishness they had felt under the pressure vanished.

Zhao Wuji's gaze sharpened as he stared at the unmistakable Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, a trace of surprise flashing in his eyes. "So that's the inherited Martial Soul of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. No wonder you're so confident. But auxiliary amplification alone is nowhere near enough!"

To catch the bandits, first catch their king; the auxiliary Soul Master was the key to the battle.

Zhao Wuji stomped heavily on the ground and charged straight at Ning Rongrong, his body like a towering mountain. He intended to defeat the support first and break the group's fighting strength.

"Don't even think about it!" Tang San leaped forward and immediately planted himself in front of Ning Rongrong. His palms took on a warm, jade-like sheen as he pushed Mysterious Jade Hand to its fullest and drove his physical defenses to their limit.

He neither dodged nor retreated, taking Zhao Wuji's full-force blow head-on.

A muffled boom exploded, and a blast of air swept in every direction. Tang San was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the yellow mud. A metallic sweetness surged in his throat, and fine threads of blood instantly seeped from the corners of his mouth.

Mysterious Jade Hand had already dispersed most of the fierce force, but the terrifying power of a Soul Saint still far exceeded what his current body and Soul Power could withstand.

"Tang San!" Ning Rongrong cried, her heart tightening.

"Don't get distracted. Keep the amplifications going! Everyone, hold formation!" Tang San braced one hand against the ground and slowly got up, forcing himself to endure the searing pain. He raised a hand to wipe the blood from his mouth. Far from showing fear, his eyes grew sharper and more resolute.

He knew that he had no chance of winning in a head-on clash. Only by overcoming force with finesse and wearing down the attack through harassment could they have a sliver of hope.

The next instant, Tang San pushed Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track to its peak. His figure produced layer upon layer of afterimages as he circled Zhao Wuji at high speed, weaving around him and drawing him out.

Blue Silver Grass burst ceaselessly from the earth, winding around Zhao Wuji in wave after wave. It sought not to injure him, but only to keep him tied down and interfere with his movements.

At the same time, Hidden Weapons flew in turn from his fingertips. Flying Locust Stones and Sleeve Arrows harassed vital points all over Zhao Wuji's body, including his eyes, ears, nose, and face, continually disrupting his rhythm.

With Speed Amplification, Zhu Zhuqing flitted unpredictably from side to side, mixing feints with real attacks. She launched one Netherworld sneak attack after another, striking precisely at openings all over Zhao Wuji's body.

Tuo Mushuo kept his guard up, two Yellow Soul Rings revolving around him. The dark light of his Vajra Serpent Martial Soul covered his body, while a thick layer of earth-brown defensive Soul Power firmly protected him and Ning Rongrong behind him, guarding the rear of the formation.

Whenever the residual force of Zhao Wuji's Soul Power swept toward them, he stepped forward to block it, taking several impacts head-on. At the same time, he found an opening and quietly released a faint snake venom mist that spread along the flank of the battlefield. He tried to slightly disrupt the circulation of Zhao Wuji's Soul Power. Though it could not seriously injure a Soul Saint, it could still hamper him somewhat.

For a time, the four youths actually managed to tangle up Zhao Wuji and restrict his fierce attacks, leaving him thoroughly irritated.

His strength was immense and his pressure overwhelming, but his opponents either had mysterious movement techniques and were as slippery as eels, or had solid defenses and waited for chances to interfere. His heavy blows missed again and again. Every attack was like punching cotton, leaving him with strength he could not put to use.

"You little brats are troublesome, I'll give you that." Zhao Wuji's face darkened slightly. At last, he stopped holding back, and yellow light suddenly flashed in his eyes.

Fourth Soul Skill-Position Tracking!

The locking force took shape in an instant, firmly locking onto the path of Tang San's movements. No matter how mysterious Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was or how swiftly Tang San moved, he could not shake the lock. His every move was predicted with precision.

Immediately afterward, his Fifth Soul Skill erupted!

"Gravity Squeeze!"

A heavy, ring-shaped gravitational shock wave burst outward with Zhao Wuji at its center. Vast Soul Power swept across the entire training ground, sending dust flying into the sky and making the whole little courtyard tremble.

Tang San bore the brunt of it, struck head-on by the violent shock wave. His body shook violently, his blood and Qi churned, and unbearable pain tore through him as he was sent flying backward. Zhu Zhuqing, who was very close, was likewise blasted away and fell to the ground. She let out a muffled groan, blood spilling from her mouth; her injuries were not light.

Tuo Mushuo faced the shock wave head-on, driving his Vajra Serpent's defensive Soul Power to its fullest. Layer upon layer of shield-shaped Soul Power resisted the blow around him. His body trembled violently, his legs sank deep into the yellow mud, and a sweetness rose in his throat. He forced down a mouthful of blood and barely managed to protect Ning Rongrong behind him, but his blood and Qi were badly depleted, and his fighting strength fell sharply.

Even though Ning Rongrong stood farther back, the residual shock still shook her face deathly pale. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda trembled violently, nearly slipping from her grasp.

The group looked up. The incense burning on the altar nearby had only just burned past halfway; more than half of the one-incense-stick time limit remained.

All four were injured, their fighting strength greatly reduced. They were on the brink of a desperate situation.

"If you admit defeat now, you can still preserve some dignity. Forcing yourselves to hold on will only make your injuries worse." Zhao Wuji stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the battered youths who refused to surrender, his tone carrying a hint of condescension.

Tang San braced one hand on the ground and slowly stood with the help of the Blue Silver Grass pulling him up. His face was pale as paper, and his body trembled slightly, but his eyes were clear and resolute, without the slightest trace of retreat.

He knew that ordinary methods could no longer keep Zhao Wuji in check. Only his Hidden Weapons, his trump cards, offered a chance to turn things around and stabilize the situation.

Tuo Mushuo saw what Tang San intended and immediately gritted his teeth, activating his Second Soul Skill to support him with all his strength!

"Second Soul Skill-Snake Venom Diffusion!"

A faint gray-brown poisonous mist spread from Tuo Mushuo's body, quietly covering the entire battlefield on the night wind. The mist was fine and invisible, without taste or smell, and extremely difficult to detect.

The snake venom was not particularly potent and could not seriously injure a Soul Saint, but it could subtly erode the pathways through which Soul Power flowed, interfering with Zhao Wuji's circulation of Soul Power and his sensory judgment.

At the center of the poisonous mist, Zhao Wuji felt only a slight sluggishness in the Soul Power throughout his body and a faint numbness in his meridians. The pressure around him and the rhythm of his attacks quietly fell into disarray. He also felt a little more inexplicably irritated, and his precise judgment declined slightly.