Heaven Dou vs. Shrek (VIII)

Without Ning Rongrong's Soul Power amplification or Oscar's detoxifying sausages, his Vajra Serpent Poison was already a notch below Dugu Yan's Jade Phosphorous Serpent Poison.

Dugu Yan seized the opening and flicked her fingertips. Three Jade Phosphorous poison needles shot out soundlessly, striking his shoulder, waist, and leg with unerring precision.

"Jade Phosphorous nerve poison. Down you go." Dugu Yan folded her arms and gave a cold laugh.

Tuo Mushuo's whole body stiffened, and his dark-gold serpent scales instantly lost their luster.

He felt numb all over as the Soul Power in his meridians completely congealed. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, paralyzed from head to toe and unable to move.

On the other side, Zhu Zhuqing moved like a phantom, trying to circle around for a sneak attack, but Xiao Wu had already anticipated her movements.

Xiao Wu used her grappling technique, her nimble figure suddenly closing in. She twisted at the waist and slammed Zhu Zhuqing into the ground with a shoulder throw.

Zhu Zhuqing let out a muffled groan, the Soul Power throughout her body churning violently. Her limbs were weak and limp, and though she tried several times to struggle to her feet, her Soul Power was exhausted. She could only lie heavily on the ground, unable to rise again.

In just a few breaths, five of the seven Shrek members were down and one was crippled. Only Dai Mubai was still struggling to hold on, but Yu Tianheng was driving him back step by step, leaving him no strength to retaliate.

The situation had completely collapsed.

On the viewing platform, Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Veins bulged on his forehead, his chest heaved, and he breathed as rapidly as a bellows.

How could this happen... How was this possible?

The Shrek Seven Devils he had painstakingly honed-the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's amplification, a Food System for endurance, a Control System to control the field, and a Power Attack System to break enemy formations-were a near-perfect combination. Yet they had been beaten into a total rout in such a short time?

The core problem lay with Lin Chen.

That young man had used only two Teleportations to take out Oscar and Ning Rongrong, the two core supports, then teamed up with Xiao Wu to take down Tang San, the core controller, in an instant.

Precise, ruthless, and aimed straight at the vital points.

Yu Xiaogang's face burned as though someone had slapped him a dozen times in public.

The tactical lineup he took such pride in was as fragile as paper before overwhelming strength and a bizarre spatial Soul Skill.

Zhao Wuji also sat up straight. The amusement vanished from his face, replaced by profound shock.

"Good grief... This kid's ruthless. He goes straight for the supports and controllers. The way he fights, he's practically the ancestor of group brawls."

He had thought Shrek had an excellent chance of winning, but Lin Chen had played by no conventional rules. Rather than clash head-on with Dai Mubai, he had used Teleportation to go straight for the back line.

With tactical judgment and execution like that, how was he anything like a child of twelve or thirteen?

Tang San braced himself against the ground and slowly climbed up.

Dull pain throbbed through his chest, as though several ribs had cracked. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, raised his head, and swept his gaze across the battlefield.

Dai Mubai was pinned down by Yu Tianheng's lightning, struggling to defend himself on all sides, with several new wounds on his body; Ma Hongjun lay crooked in a pile of rubble, groaning and unable to get up; Tuo Mushuo lay sprawled on the ground, his whole body blue-green, clearly suffering from a potent poison; Oscar was still lying in the distance, his Soul Power not yet recovered; Ning Rongrong stood to one side, her Soul Power suppressed and her eyes red, too afraid to move; Zhu Zhuqing had been injured by Xiao Wu, her Soul Power scattered and her strength failing.

A rout on every front.

If they kept fighting, everyone would only be hurt worse.

Tang San took a deep breath, suppressed the churning in his chest, and slowly raised his right hand.

"We concede."

His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the entire rocky shoal.

Everyone still fighting stopped at once.

Yu Tianheng withdrew his lightning, gave a cold snort, and stepped aside.

Dai Mubai panted heavily, staring fixedly at Lin Chen, his eyes full of unwillingness, but he said nothing more.

Xiao Wu bounced back to Lin Chen's side and blinked at him as though asking for praise.

The Shi Mo brothers helped Ma Hongjun up, while Dugu Yan glanced at Tuo Mushuo on the ground and withdrew the poison mist.

Lin Chen also withdrew Chaos Suppression and looked calmly at Tang San across from him.

Leaning on the Godly Zhuge Crossbow, Tang San slowly straightened up. His face was pale, and blood still marked the corner of his mouth, but his gaze remained sharp as he stared at Lin Chen. "We lost this time. But next time, I won't lose again."

"Anytime." Lin Chen nodded mildly.

There was no needless mockery, nor any victor's arrogance. He was merely stating a fact calmly.

But the more he acted that way, the more Tang San felt a pent-up force inside him, like a fire burning.

Zhao Wuji jumped down from the rock and strode into the field. He surveyed both sides and laughed, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "All right! A bet's a bet! Since Shrek has conceded, this Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent belongs to Heaven Dou Royal Academy."

As he spoke, he prodded the limp serpent on the ground with his foot. Its body twitched; it was indeed still alive.

Yu Xiaogang also walked over, his face so dark it could have dripped water.

He first glanced at Tang San and, seeing that his injuries were not serious, let out a small breath of relief. Then he turned to Lin Chen, a complicated look in his eyes.

There was shock, unwillingness, curiosity, and a measure of frustration he could neither name nor explain.

Back at Nuoding Academy, he had regarded Lin Chen as nothing more than an arrogant boy with a little talent. Now the young man had grown to this point, far beyond the scope of the Martial Soul Theory he had spent his life studying.

"You did well." After holding it in for a long time, those were the only words Yu Xiaogang managed, his voice dry.

"You flatter me, Grandmaster Yu." Lin Chen inclined his head slightly, neither servile nor overbearing.

Yu Xiaogang said nothing more. He turned and called to the others, "Let's go."

Oscar had recovered some of his strength and got up to support Tuo Mushuo; Ma Hongjun brushed the dust off himself, his head hanging low; Ning Rongrong walked over to Tang San, her eyes red, and apologized quietly. "I'm sorry, Tang San. I... I couldn't hold out."

"It's not your fault." Tang San shook his head. "I wasn't strong enough. I didn't expect his spatial Soul Skill to be so bizarre."

Dai Mubai brought up the rear. He looked back and glared fiercely at Lin Chen, his eyes full of defiance.

The group left the rocky shoal in a sorry state and headed toward the forest's outskirts. Their departing figures looked indescribably forlorn, yet carried a tenacity that refused to admit defeat.

Watching them leave, Dugu Yan curled her lip. "What was that? I thought they'd be so impressive, but they lost that quickly."

Yu Tianheng, however, shook his head, his expression grave. "Don't underestimate them. Tang San's ability to control the field is formidable, and Dai Mubai's strength is nothing to scoff at either. It's just that Lin Chen's spatial Soul Skill counters them too well. He went straight for the back line. Any other team wouldn't have been able to withstand their combination."

He knew full well that they had won today mainly because Lin Chen's individual strength had overwhelmed the opposition.

When it came to teamwork, the seven Shrek members' lineup was actually extremely ingenious. Control, amplification, endurance, power attack, and agility attack each had their own roles. If both sides had deployed fully and fought head-on, Heaven Dou might not have gained the upper hand.