The Third Breath: Heat First Rose in His Back
As the Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo closed, Captain Holy Radiance held his shield horizontally in front of his chest.
He didn't retreat a single step. The two powerful attackers behind the shield simultaneously stepped into the light pattern, aiming at the left and right sides of the fused entity respectively. The Control System in the back row raised its hand, already pressing a shockwave into the ground.
"They know where we're going," Li Man's voice came from within the fusion.
Dong Jian stared at the narrow gap along the edge of the shield. "We have to leave even if we know. Tian Heng wants the right flank."
The Sealed Spine version only retains three external main roads. Li Man let the two bamboo joints closest to her waist and legs bear the changes in the road surface first, without leading the array net to the nine points on Dong Jian's back. In the first breath, the fused body took its only obvious adjustment step forward.
Shi Mo blocked a punch for them from the left rear. Yu Tianheng then took advantage of the shield turning towards Dong Jian and charged directly towards the opponent's right Control System. This action was his own choice, without waiting for the fusion body to give a signal.
Captain Holy Radiance raised his shield and charged forward.
Dong Jian's Black Stance sank into his waist and legs, while the Green Jade Bamboo in front of his shoulder simultaneously blocked the shield. The collision was heavy, and the momentum of the fused body immediately stopped. However, another light-attribute Soul Skill pressed down from behind the shield, and the white heat beam bypassed the upper edge of the shield, burning the edges of the bamboo leaves yellow.
"Discard one on the left," Li Man said.
She deliberately cut off the bamboo path that was generating heat. The heat was still there and could not be Circular Rotation by Dong Jian; cutting off one bamboo path would prevent it from intruding into other nodes along the backup path.
Second breath.
Holy Radiance launched a powerful attack from the right, using the heavy shield as cover. He didn't aim for Dong Jian's chest, but instead turned his fist to his waist. He wanted the fused body to deflect first, so the captain could then press down on it head-on. Dong Jian used the momentum from the first attack to dodge to the left, Green Jade Dragon Bamboo covered his side, causing the opponent's impact to deflect at a very small angle.
This attempt failed to shake the opponent off; their defense was extremely solid. Dong Jian's knee bore most of the remaining impact, and his breathing noticeably quickened for a moment.
"They're choosing what to carry," Li Man said.
"Okay. It will be stacked next time."
She didn't ask him how he knew. The Holy Radiance Control System had already unleashed a second wave of Soul Power towards the ground, and the captain simultaneously shifted his shield-holding position. Three attacks from different sources were preparing to collide at the same moment.
Third breath.
The heavy shield blocked the attack head-on. A beam of light burned in from the right. The ground trembled and exploded near their heels.
Dong Jian steadied his legs first, then tried to turn his shoulders to the side. But the shock from his feet disrupted his balance, causing his body to pause for a moment. Before he could finish supporting the weight on his chest, another person's fist had already pressed against the outer layer of bamboo on his body.
A sudden warmth spread deep within my lower back.
Nine familiar locations felt as if they had been struck simultaneously. The Dark Gold Spine Armor remained concealed, with no signs of exposed bone fragments, yet the Soul Power began instinctively searching for that support path.
Li Man noticed that Dong Jian's shoulders and back were tense, so she immediately cut off the outermost bamboo joint.
"Back?"
It's hot.
"Dismantle."
Dong Jian did not say he would hold on for another half a breath.
The pre-arranged password now only required one word. Li Man took the initiative to withdraw the external array, and Dong Jian pressed the incomplete turning in the fusion state back to his waist and legs as much as possible. The two Soul Power separated in the second half of the third breath.
The Sealed Spine sealing was lifted ahead of schedule.
Almost simultaneously, people stood up from several technical recording booths on the stage. The previous round of the Imperial Fighting Team lasted for more than six breaths, but this time it only lasted three. Captain Holy Radiance saw the black and white light and the cyan light separate and immediately gave chase.
"The gap after the pressure is released!"
When Dong Jian landed, his right leg felt heavy, and the heat in the nine spots on his back quickly subsided, but his waist felt like it had been hit by a heavy punch. Li Man's wrist was also numb from the recoil when the formation was interrupted. Neither of them could recover to their best condition in an instant after the dismantling.
Ye Lingling couldn't treat the internal wounds through the fusion. She stayed outside, and at this moment, she first let one beam of the Nine Heart Begonia's restorative light fall on Li Man's wrist and shoulder, and another beam on the outer layer of Dong Jian's lower back.
Treatment can relieve stress on tissues, but it won't completely eliminate fatigue.
The front row of Holy Radiance had already closed in again. Dong Jian took a small step back, not using the Yin-Yang Force Redirection to catch the shield. He could catch part of the impact from the impacting body, but not the continuous pressure of the heavy shield covered in scorching light. Seeing him retreat, Shi Mo first added half a piece of tortoise shell to cover him.
"You go first," Shi Mo said.
Dong Jian didn't stand on ceremony, taking a step back to give his back muscles time to regain their strength. The Shi Mo tortoise shell collided with the golden-white heavy shield, the bones rattling, and the Shi Mo was forced back two feet.
"He won't last long," Li Man said.
"I know." Dong Jian had already steadied himself. "Go and clear a way for Tian Heng."
Li Man paused for a moment, then turned around. Instead of rebuilding the array along the damaged fusion channel, she placed a new array eye directly at Dugu Yan's feet, connecting it to the location of the Shi Mo.
Just as Yu Tianheng forced the Holy Radiance Control System back to the right, the shield bearer returned to block his next punch. He quickly realized that Li Man had not provided a complete formation, but only two short paths where one could land and retreat.
That's enough.
"Yanzi, block their right flank."
Dugu Yan's poisonous mist clung to the ground. Holy Radiance- attribute attack immediately used its scorching light to force a portion of it away, but the poisonous zone wasn't intended to last long. As long as he was willing to waste this attack, Yu Tianheng could simply move to the other side.
Dong Jian saw Yu Tianheng starting to change direction from the side, but didn't rush over to join the fray. His biggest concern right now was dealing with the two strong attackers who were crowding towards Ye Lingling.
Shi Mo alone couldn't stop two wheels.
Dong Jian extended his leg in advance, using the first opponent's shoulder to move to the right. He continued to use the momentum he was generating in his turn for his second step, avoiding the other person's grab. The fist grazed past his clothes, making his side waist ache again.
"I only have one more complete reversal left," Dong Jian whispered.
No new moves appeared in the Divine Dragon Secret Realm, only the familiar force warning from previous records: the continuous bearing capacity of the lower back has decreased. Dong Jian glanced at it and then looked away.
Li Man wasn't beside him, but she heard Ye Lingling's brief reminder through a localized area of the array.
"Dong Jian, stop forwarding."
"Know."
Shi Mo Armor took over to block the second blow. The two advanced and retreated, finally preventing Ye Lingling from being caught in close combat by Holy Radiance.
Captain Holy Radiance observed from a distance and finally confirmed his guess: Mountain-Suppressing Dragon Bamboo could be dispersed in the third breath, and Dong Jian would indeed be temporarily slowed down after the dissipation.
He raised his hand, causing the two attackers to move away from the shield's side and converge towards the middle of the Imperial Fighting Team Grounds. Holy Radiance's ranged beams blocked their retreat, while Control System shockwaves continued to advance along the cracked brickwork in the middle.
"They want to take the center line in one go," Shi Mo said.
Yu Tianheng saw this but did not immediately rush to their aid. He remained on the right, keeping an eye on the Holy Radiance Control System, which had already shown signs of weakness. The captain knew that as long as he retreated with everyone else, the Holy Radiance's shield would once again fill the center of the arena.
Li Man also noticed the change.
She shifted the center of the formation from her feet towards Dugu Yan, leaving two very short passages. If Holy Radiance continued to press the middle section in one go, Yu Tianheng would have more space to attack on the right side.
"Defend the middle first," Yu Tianheng said. "I'll attack the right flank."
"You're too far away," the Shi Mo replied.
"I know."
Yu Tianheng's voice did not rise. He watched as Captain Holy Radiance's shield pressed down again, while the Control System in front of him began to retreat.
"So all you need to do is hold on for this round."
Dong Jian steadied his right leg and tried to bend his knee. The tingling and numbness were still there, but he could already move normally. Li Man glanced at him from a distance and didn't tell him to start the fusion again.
The recorder outside is writing "Merger has been broken".
Dong Jian had no time to heed the words on the paper. The Shi Mo tortoise shell rammed into him again, and the second wave of Holy Radiance's close-range pressure was pressing down on Ye Lingling along the side of the shield.
He stepped half a step behind Shi Mo.
This time, there were no black gold bone fragments, nor any fused beings blocking the way. To hold this midline, they could only rely on the seven players still on the court.
Holy Radiance launched a powerful attack, taking advantage of Dong Jian's unsteady steps, and tried to charge at him from the same side again. This time, he didn't touch the man's front, but only took half a step back, waiting for the Shi Mo tortoise shell to absorb the momentum before reaching out from the inside to push the opponent's elbow.
The movement was subtle, but the opponent's attack didn't disappear; the fist even grazed Dong Jian's sleeve. However, his attempt to continue pressing down on Ye Lingling's shoulder was deflected, and his foot stomped heavily into the edge of the narrow poison zone deliberately left by Dugu Yan.
The other party quickly withdrew his foot, fearing that he would have to take the poison, which gave Shi Mo another chance to catch his breath.
Dong Jian briefly regained his footing by leaning against the tortoise shell, his forehead already beaded with sweat. The audience couldn't see the extent of his exertion; they only saw him retreat and then return. Ye Lingling, however, saw it clearly. She didn't fill him with the healing light all at once, lest it disrupt his Soul Power circulation, but only provided localized relief.
"You can't disassemble it like that and then stand there to catch it next time," she said in a low voice.
Dong Jian nodded. The third retreat did indeed avoid higher pressure, but without Shi Mo's timely reinforcement, he might have been dragged into the next round. Keeping secrets never means that tactics are always worthwhile.
On the field, Yu Tianheng finally moved. Instead of returning to the center, he stepped deeper to the right of Holy Radiance. The Control System was startled and was about to call for help from the captain when the Thunder Dragon Body appeared in front of him.