Word Count: 2,843 Words
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Group round-robin match. Angelic Sanctuary versus the Holy Spirit Cult.
Spectators had long awaited this moment, buzzing with speculation over whether the Holy Spirit Cult would surrender to their natural enemy, the Seraphim. As the hour of battle drew near, the atmosphere across the entire venue steadily intensified.
Both teams entered the arena. The Holy Spirit Cult arrived eight strong, with Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng at the head of the procession, appearing before countless eyes in his capacity as the team's supervising teacher.
Yan Feng, Tang Ya, and their teammates wore expressions of grim resolve. Success or death. There was no middle ground. With Death Abyss Douluo's backing, they would eradicate this great enemy for the Holy Cult today!
The clash of holy and evil drew every eye in the arena. All participating teams without exception came to watch, and the Tang Sect's seven members were present in full force, including the heavily injured Bei Bei. Worried for Tang Ya's safety, he had stubbornly insisted that Xu Sanshi carry him to the competition grounds on his back.
"Dong Er..."
Elsewhere, Huo Yuhao reached for Wang Dong Er's fair, delicate hand with seemingly casual nonchalance. She gently lifted her hand away, avoiding his touch as if by coincidence, and said coolly:
"Focus on the match."
Huo Yuhao scratched his head, worry etched across his face. Ever since Death Abyss Douluo had drained Skydream Iceworm dry, Wang Dong Er had seemed like a different person altogether.
Before, their relationship had been passionate, always hugging and cuddling, with the occasional sweet kiss as a reward. Now even holding hands proved difficult. They hadn't used Haodong Power to cultivate for several days running.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Wang Dong Er seemed to have started brushing him off with excuses.
Every night when meditation time came around, she was suddenly sleepy, tired, hadn't bathed, or simply 'didn't feel like cultivating'...
Ultimate Martial Spirits already cultivated agonizingly slowly between ranks thirty and seventy. Without Haodong Power to assist him, his cultivation speed had slowed to a crawl.
Wang Dong Er resisted firmly, and Huo Yuhao couldn't force the issue. He could only chalk it all up to his girlfriend being in a bad mood lately.
"Angelic Sanctuary is entering, and Ling Bai is with them!" Xiao Xiao exclaimed softly.
Ling Bai emerged from Angelic Sanctuary's entrance tunnel, a gentle smile spreading across his face. He only appeared when the team faced sufficiently powerful opponents, so catching a glimpse of him in person was no easy feat.
The strength-worshipping spectators sprang to their feet at once, chanting "Seraphim" in perfect unison. Their combined voices crashed through the arena like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.
Ling Bai's face was reflected in Wang Dong Er's pinkish-blue pupils. Half deliberately and half unconsciously, she let out a sigh:
"No wonder those girls are willing to follow him. His looks really are easy on the eyes, and his talent is exceptional, his background deep..."
Huo Yuhao's entire body went rigid, his backside clenching in alarm. His voice came out strained:
"Dong Er, didn't you hate him the most?
I remember you always cursing that there wasn't a single good thing about the Seraphim, that Ling Bai was the scum of the scum, just a pretty face deceiving girls' feelings, all gold and jade on the outside but rotten to the core!"
As her former roommate and current boyfriend, Huo Yuhao had witnessed at least eighty percent of Wang Dong Er's private rants about Ling Bai!
"I was prejudiced before. Now that I'm looking at him with an open mind, Ling Bai doesn't seem all that detestable.
From appearance to combat strength, he's outstanding in every way, and he's a man with a strong sense of justice. The Holy Spirit Cult even sent Dragon Emperor Douluo and Death Abyss Douluo to assassinate him. That proves he's shaken the Evil Spirit Masters to their very foundations.
Mm, I should find a chance to talk with him later, clear up the misunderstandings, and be friends in the future."
Wang Dong Er lightly brushed aside a lock of pinkish-blue hair. That peerlessly beautiful face was brimming with smiles. The more she looked at Ling Bai, the more pleasing he seemed, while Huo Yuhao, though unchanged on the surface, simply didn't attract her the way he once had.
Huo Yuhao watched her resolved expression and reached up to touch the top of his head. It felt as though a lush green forest had sprouted there.
Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan stepped onto the competition platform with a relaxed expression. The upcoming match would be the tournament's most challenging to referee, but he had received orders to loosen restrictions and let both teams display their abilities freely without intervention.
On the main platform, Sun Moon Regent Xu Tianran sat in his wheelchair, eyes cold as ice. Crown Princess Ju Zi stood beside him, attending with meticulous care.
The Holy Spirit Cult had leveraged their influence to brazenly stick their nose into the Sun Moon Empire's military affairs. Since the Empire couldn't launch its continental war without the Holy Cult's high-end combat strength, Xu Tianran had no choice but to swallow his anger.
One should never underestimate a hegemon's thirst for vengeance. From the moment the Holy Spirit Cult had grown domineering and overbearing, Xu Tianran had already sentenced them to death in his heart.
His order for Zheng Zhan not to protect either team's members was nothing but borrowing another's knife to kill. He hoped Ling Bai would slaughter these genius Evil Spirit Masters, venting his anger while making Zhongli Wu taste true pain.
"Contestants from both sides, please take the stage!"
Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng gave a subtle signal. A short, slight Holy Spirit Cult youth flashed onto the platform, his movements light as a falling leaf.
Angelic Sanctuary's vanguard was Ling Qiuxi. She advanced one step at a time, spiderweb-like cracks spreading across the ground beneath her feet with each footfall.
Ling Qiuxi regarded her opponent with cold indifference. The Evil Spirit Master's pupils were dark green and constantly shifting, like a venomous serpent locking onto its prey.
He stared back at her, then suddenly split his mouth into a grotesque grin that stretched all the way to his ears, revealing a mouthful of ghastly white teeth and blood-red gums. The sight was disgusting enough to turn one's stomach.
"Match, begin!"
Her eyes had grown accustomed to feasting on the mountain delicacies of Ling Bai's caliber. By comparison, this Evil Spirit Master was simply revolting.
Unlike her previous battles, Ling Qiuxi erupted with a thunderous shout. Her dragon's roar drowned out the tail end of Zheng Zhan's announcement as her graceful form lengthened, golden dragon scales rapidly spreading across her entire body.
The experienced Evil Spirit Master completed his Martial Spirit Manifestation in an instant. His upper body muscles bulged grotesquely beneath blue-gray scales, his head turning triangular, lips jutting forward to reveal a mouth crammed with fangs.
Two yellow, two purple, two black. Six spirit rings rose around him. He was an Evil Spirit Emperor. His fifth ring blazed as a surge of gray-blue energy poured outward, carrying a filthy, salty stench that condensed into a massive maw.
More than that, cruel light flashed in his eyes. His protruding fangs extended outward as a purple-black tongue shot toward Ling Qiuxi's brow like an arrow!
Evil Martial Spirit, Braineater!
Ling Qiuxi recognized it immediately. The Braineater was an evil spirit beast that specialized in devouring brain matter. She immediately felt an insult of the highest order!
"You think you're worthy of eating brains?!"
Miss Destiny Beast, whose dietary preferences weren't so different from evil spirit beasts, exploded with rage!
When the Emperor Destiny Beast ate brains, what was that?
The sovereign commands the subject to die, and the subject has no choice but to comply!
A mere Braineater eating brains?
Evil spirit beast, you've already walked the path of death!
The nature of humans... and beasts alike... was double standards!
This fierce, violent girl stepped forward. The ground released a deep boom and the entire platform shuddered. A tidal wave of battle intent erupted from her body.
Dragon roars rang out passionately. Intense golden light wrapped around her like a luminous membrane, directly deflecting the Braineater's prized tongue.
The Evil Spirit Emperor's heart jolted. Wind gathered beneath his feet as massive claws slashed toward Ling Qiuxi's head, while that sharp, thin tongue quietly shot out again, secretly targeting her brow. The Braineater's instincts screamed that this woman's brain would be delicious!
Ling Qiuxi moved. Her entire body radiated blinding golden light like a golden meteor streaking toward the Evil Spirit Emperor head-on. Her first and second spirit rings lit up.
Golden Dragon First Spirit Skill, Golden Dragon Body.
Second Spirit Skill, Dragon's Strength.
Her fists turned solid gold in a straightforward frontal assault, utterly without flourish!
BOOM—
Her left fist blasted the sneak-attacking tongue apart while her right slammed straight into his face. The Evil Spirit Emperor reflexively raised both claws to block, and then everyone watched his body shoot backward like a broken sack, slamming deep into the ground beyond the arena in a tangled, contorted posture.
Ling Qiuxi came to a steady halt. A gale seemed to swirl around her as her clothes and long hair billowed backward, the golden light slowly fading.
One strike. The Evil Spirit Emperor was instantly defeated!
The spectators stared, dumbfounded. In previous matches, the Braineater Spirit Emperor had harvested more than a few Spirit Masters' lives, yet against the Golden Dragon he couldn't even withstand a single exchange!
After a brief moment of stunned silence, frenzied shouts of "Golden Dragon Lady!" erupted from the stands. As expected of Angelic Sanctuary, crushing the Evil Spirit Masters' momentum right from the start!
The Braineater Spirit Emperor climbed shakily to his feet, his entire body racked with tearing pain. He had no idea that Ling Qiuxi had actually shown mercy.
Ling Qiuxi was a sensible girl. Evil Spirit Masters should all become nourishment for the Seraphim!
The Holy Spirit Cult's second Evil Spirit Master stepped onto the platform with heavy footsteps. Two sinister bone claws emerged from his sleeves, their finger bones flexing rhythmically and emitting the twisted, wailing cries of avenging spirits. Six spirit rings rose beneath his feet.
This Evil Spirit Emperor's abilities were even stranger than the Braineater's. His six spirit rings shone in alternating sequence, their brilliance surging and ebbing like waves, making it impossible to tell which spirit skill he was activating.
He made a pressing motion toward Ling Qiuxi. Ripples flared across his bone claws, and a ring of corpse-pale light appeared beneath her feet.
Evil Frost!
Evil Frost was not an ice element skill. It was evil qi refined from the essence of avenging spirits, its chill born from concentrated resentment.
The Braineater excelled at close quarters, while the Witch Demon specialized in long-range attacks. The Golden Dragon's Ultimate Strength was certainly brutal, but with distance opened up, the Witch Demon believed he could at least fight her to a standstill.
Ling Qiuxi neither dodged nor evaded. She lifted her right hand and the Golden Dragon Spear dropped into her grasp. Completely ignoring the avenging spirits' erosion, she let out a clear shout. The shadow of a colossal Golden Dragon flashed into existence and vanished as the Golden Dragon Spear transformed into a streak of golden lightning, hurled forward with deadly precision.
The Witch Demon instantly felt an indescribable terror descend upon him. When he looked at Ling Qiuxi again, her entire figure had already grown indistinct.
High above, the double-bladed spear blazed with dazzling golden light. The radiance condensed into surging flame, converging into a massive Golden Dragon head that unleashed a fearsome, resounding roar.
The Witch Demon panicked and unleashed every spirit skill he possessed. Avenging spirits with distorted faces flung themselves forward in a desperate bid to block the Golden Dragon Spear, but those spirits and the weapon were not lifeforms on the same level. The Golden Dragon head blasted through them one by one and continued its descent.
The avenging spirits still managed some effect. The Golden Dragon Spear's power was greatly diminished, and the Witch Demon relaxed slightly.
But the next second, his eyes widened in horror. Golden light flickered across the Golden Dragon Spear and a figure seemed to tear through empty space, appearing at its side in an instant. Ling Qiuxi grabbed the spear with one hand and brought it crashing down with enough force to split a mountain.
The Witch Demon's physical resilience was far inferior to the Braineater's. Taking the Golden Dragon Spear head-on, he shot away so fast the air shrieked in a sonic boom. Who knew how many bones shattered in the process.
The Holy Spirit Cult members' faces darkened to ink while every other team broke into cold sweats. What kind of terrifying monster was this? Evil Spirit Emperors in her hands were no different from toys!
"Angelic Sanctuary forfeits the individual rounds and proceeds directly to the team battle."
Ling Qiuxi left those cool words behind. Golden Dragon Spear in hand, she turned and walked off the platform. One-strike kills sounded simple, but each blow had consumed a considerable amount of her spirit power.
Better to quit while ahead and move straight into the team match before the Holy Spirit Cult could react and flee.
The individual rounds and team battle required the same seven combatants. Substitutions were forbidden, and only a single minute was allowed for adjustment.
Fourteen combatants from both sides filed onto the arena and faced each other across the platform.
Despite their consecutive defeats, the Holy Spirit Cult showed not the slightest discouragement. Even confronted with the Seraphim, the natural nemesis of all Evil Spirit Masters, they displayed no nervousness whatsoever.
Because they possessed Death Abyss Douluo's exclusive secret technique: Evil Bone Dragon Transformation! That man was the Holy Spirit Cult's Deputy Leader, the continent's one and only Ultimate Death Super Evil Douluo, and a strong contender for the title of number one expert below Limit Douluo!
With the Evil Bone Dragon Transformation channeling Death Abyss Douluo's power, how could they possibly lose!
After slaying the Holy Cult's gravest threat today, all seven were already eagerly anticipating that night's celebration feast!
Following Death Abyss Douluo's instructions, the Holy Spirit Cult members formed a circle. Yan Feng, the core of the Evil Bone Dragon Transformation, stood at the center while the others rapidly orbited him. Intense spirit power fluctuations filled the air, converging madly toward the center as all seven chanted in perfect unison:
"Evil God above, we seven offer our bodies as vessels and spirit power as the link. Holy Spirit as one, Evil Bone Dragon Transformation!"
The instant their voices fell, a column of eerie black light shot skyward. In the unreachable depths of the clouds, deafening thunder exploded!
The clear sky darkened in an instant. Black clouds rolled ceaselessly across the horizon, thunder rumbling as bolts of black lightning flashed within.
A vortex appeared in the thick cloud cover, a fathomless void of darkness hanging inverted against the sky like a demon opening its abyssal maw. A bone-chilling shriek drilled into every ear, perfectly clear no matter how tightly one pressed their hands over them.
Angelic Sanctuary, the spectators, teachers and contestants from every academy all raised their heads. Every gaze was fixed on that blackened sky.
A sky-blotting shadow pressed down upon the arena. The Sun Moon Empire's lavishly constructed metal platform buckled and sagged beneath its weight. As that colossal silhouette slowly descended, its full form was finally revealed.
It was a pitch-black bone dragon. Its body was woven from countless dark threads, as though it held the world's most concentrated hatred and curses, along with countless vile, filthy thoughts.
"An unconventional seven-in-one fusion skill, then."
Ning Tian hit the nail on the head.
Wu Feng patted her towering chest, setting off quite the upheaval. "Gave me a fright! I thought this lot of Evil Spirit Masters had some bizarre secret technique. A seven-in-one fusion skill? Fat lot of good that'll do!"
Tang Ya and the other five had exhausted every drop of spirit power. Yan Feng inherited it all and assumed the bone dragon form. The combined energy of two Spirit Saints and five Spirit Emperors through a seven-in-one fusion was by no means weak, faintly reaching Titled Douluo level, but how could that possibly match the Seraphim? Let alone when a Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda stood right beside him!
'Where is the Deputy Leader's power?'
Yan Feng blinked in bewilderment. In the very next instant, a blinding golden radiance erupted. The Angelic Domain descended at the most lethal possible moment!
Death Abyss Douluo's spirit power and Ultimate Death attribute were still nowhere to be found. All of Yan Feng's evil power was crushed firmly under the Angelic Domain's suppression. He spat out a mouthful of old blood and wailed inwardly:
'Death Abyss misled me! Death Abyss misled me!!!'