Heaven Dou vs. Shrek (Three)

The third purple Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly lit up.

"Third Soul Skill, Gravity Enhancement!"

Hum-

An invisible gravitational field suddenly spread out from him, covering a radius of ten zhang.

Wang Ze, who was moving at high speed, felt a weight bear down on him. His speed dropped severalfold in an instant, as though he had plunged into a mire, and even flapping his bat wings became a struggle. The countless trees closing in also slowed sharply, gravity stripping away most of the force behind their wood.

"Second Soul Skill, Great Strength Vajra Palm!"

Zhao Wuji raised his right hand high. The giant golden palm, twice as large as before, slammed viciously into the trees closing in on him with unmatched, ferocious force.

Boom!

A tremendous crash shook the heavens, sending broken stones flying.

Countless trunks snapped at the impact, smashed to pieces as easily as dry weeds. Wood chips filled the air, and even the main trunk of the Iron Wall Overlord Tree shook violently. Lin Wuyuan let out a muffled grunt, his face turning pale in an instant. Suppressed by the Gravity Domain, his control was greatly diminished.

Zhao Wuji pressed his advantage without mercy. Using his Fourth Soul Skill, Position Tracking, he pushed off and shot forward like a cannonball, heading straight for Lin Wuyuan. His fist, wrapped in golden Soul Power, drove straight at Lin Wuyuan's face.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Trees Pay Homage!"

Gritting his teeth, Lin Wuyuan activated his Fifth Soul Skill. Countless trunks intertwined before him, forming a thick wooden wall with seven or eight layers stacked atop one another.

Bang, bang, bang-

A succession of muffled impacts rang out. Zhao Wuji hammered the wooden wall with punch after punch, each blow sending wood chips flying as the layers shattered. In just a few breaths, he had smashed through more than half of the seven or eight iron walls.

The gap was simply too great.

On the students' side, freed from the pressure of the instructors, the Shrek group fought with greater ease.

Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone without pause, its boosts at full strength throughout. Dai Mubai kept Yu Tianheng on the defensive. Yu Tianheng could only dodge in disarray, several more wounds appearing on his body.

Tang San stood at the rear, his Blue Silver Grass constantly tangling around and harassing their opponents while he fired the occasional Sleeve Arrow at treacherous angles. Yu Feng took an arrow to the calf, greatly slowing him. Zhu Zhuqing seized the opening, clawed his shoulder, and sent him staggering back.

"Yanzi, how are you?" Yu Tianheng asked, looking toward Dugu Yan as he dodged.

Dugu Yan had been struck in the shoulder by a Bone-Piercing Needle. The anesthetic on Tang San's Hidden Weapon had neutralized most of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent's venom, her entire arm was numb, and her face was pale.

She gritted her teeth. "I'm fine... Don't worry about me!"

"Still putting on a brave face!" Ma Hongjun gave a strange laugh and spat a Phoenix Fire Line at her.

Yu Tianheng hurriedly moved in front of Dugu Yan. Lightning struck and extinguished the fire line, but the shock wave also sent his blood and Qi surging.

Ma Hongjun's gaze swept over the wounded Dugu Yan, and he did not forget to tease her. "Hey, little beauty, you're quite a looker. Why take a beating alongside this brat? Why not just submit to us and follow this young master? Wouldn't that be much better than suffering and getting hurt here?"

At his words, Dugu Yan was furious. Forcing herself to endure the numbness and ache in her arm, she spat back, "Dream on! You ugly fatty with a mouth full of filth, what gives you the right to spout nonsense at me? Stop indulging in wishful thinking!"

Osler tried to ambush Ning Rongrong from the side, but Tuo Mushuo stopped him as soon as he drew near. The Vajra Serpent's poisonous mist forced him back repeatedly. A little accidentally touched his arm, and waves of numbness spread through it at once.

The three senior students were faring no better. Ma Hongjun and Tuo Mushuo had joined forces to tie them down, leaving them in constant danger and all carrying wounds.

The Heaven Dou side had fallen completely on the defensive.

Lin Wuyuan's situation was even more dire.

Zhao Wuji smashed through the final iron wall and drove a fist straight at Lin Wuyuan's chest. Lin Wuyuan crossed his arms to block, but with a bang, he was sent flying backward. He crashed heavily into the Iron Wall Overlord Tree's main trunk, leaving fine cracks in it.

Blood welled up at the corner of his mouth, and his breath weakened at once.

"Teacher Lin!" the students cried out in alarm.

Zhao Wuji brushed the wood chips from his hands and grinned. "Well, Teacher Lin? Still want to fight? I think this serpent should go to our Shrek."

Wang Ze landed beside Lin Wuyuan and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression grim. Even together, they were no match for Zhao Wuji. There was no way they could continue this fight.

Yu Tianheng clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

He was unwilling to accept it, but he also knew that with even their teacher defeated, they stood even less of a chance.

Zhao Wuji laughed triumphantly and turned to tell Oscar to deliver the finishing blow.

Just then, a clear shout suddenly rang out from deep in the forest, shaking the woods:

"Stop!"

Everyone froze and turned to look.

Several figures came swiftly toward them. The young man in the lead wore an academy uniform embroidered with silver patterns. He stood tall, his expression as calm as a deep pool. His steps were unhurried, yet each seemed to tread upon the hearts of those watching.

Behind him was a lively, pretty girl in a pink dress, followed by a girl in white with an aloof, cool bearing. Farther back were Instructor Qin Ming, whose presence was composed, and the powerfully built brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo.

The group walked in step. Though there were only six of them, they carried the steady presence of an army of thousands.

It was Lin Chen and his companions. They had arrived.

The moment Lin Chen's group emerged from the dense forest, the air over the rocky shoal seemed to congeal.

Yu Xiaogang stood at the very back of the Shrek group. The instant he saw Lin Chen, his heart sank, and his fingers clenched tightly.

It's him!

The young man who publicly refuted my Ten Core Competencies at Nuoding Academy back then!

The humiliation of those days flooded back like a tide, and Yu Xiaogang's expression grew somewhat grim. He knew all too well how difficult this young man was to deal with: extraordinarily gifted and sharp-tongued, capable of poking his prized theories full of holes.

Tang San's nerves also tightened at once.

His Purple Demon Eye activated subconsciously, locking Lin Chen's figure firmly in his sight.

Scenes from Nuoding Academy flashed through his mind: the Dorm Seven dispute, their sparring matches, the Thousand-Year Soul Ring... He had actually run into this opponent who had gotten the better of him in the Star Dou Great Forest.

His breathing quickened slightly. His fingers quietly secured three Dragon Whisker Needles, and he focused his mental power.

At the sight of reinforcements arriving, the Heaven Dou students' spirits lifted.

"Teacher Lin! Senior Yu!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ye Lingling stepped lightly to the very front of the group.

She gently raised both hands, a pale pink glow shimmering in her palms. The enormous phantom of a begonia slowly rose into the air, with three Soul Rings hovering steadily around it.

"Nine Heart Begonia: Bloom."

Nine full, lustrous petals unfurled one after another, and tiny points of petal-shaped light drifted down like stardust.

Everywhere the halo reached, warmth spread.

The bruises on Yu Tianheng's chest faded at a visible rate, his turbulent blood and Qi settled in an instant, and the power of lightning surged through his meridians once more. The crossbow-bolt wound on Dugu Yan's shoulder healed rapidly, the poison and anesthetic were thoroughly dispelled, and strength returned to her arm;

The needle wound on Yu Feng's leg scabbed over, all numbness vanished, and he could move nimbly again. Even Lin Wuyuan and Wang Ze, who had been injured by Zhao Wuji earlier, felt warmth spread through their bodies. More than half of their injuries healed, and their breathing grew steady again.