"I didn't expect you all to still show up instead of forfeiting."
Evil Moon's gaze toward the Shrek team was filled with contempt.
"Don't get too arrogant, Spirit Hall," Dai Mubai growled. "You're just a single Soul Emperor with six rings. We're not that easy to beat!"
As he spoke, four spirit rings rose around Dai Mubai's body, while Tang San's aura erupted beside him—his cultivation breaking through to the fiftieth rank.
Lin Fan, watching from the stands, frowned deeply. The aura of the Child of Destiny always made him uncomfortable.
Still, he quickly calmed himself. Even if Tang San had advanced to Soul King, there was no way he could single-handedly defeat six Soul Emperors.
"At that age, breaking through to the Soul King is impressive," Evil Moon said with a faint smirk, "but… you've picked the wrong opponents."
The moment he finished speaking, all members of Spirit Hall unleashed their martial spirits.
Six Soul Emperors. Twenty-four ten-thousand-year spirit rings illuminated the entire arena.
The crowd collectively froze. Such a configuration was something that no one on the continent would dare dream of. The clear sky dimmed under the oppressive might of their spirit power.
"S–Six Soul Emperors?!"
"I thought Spirit Hall's limit was having one or two prodigies, but this… I've underestimated them."
As Evil Moon and his team released their power, the entire arena erupted like boiling oil splashed with water.
From the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan, the same realization struck them all—these people must never be allowed to grow any further.
Even if they'd already suspected the Spirit Hall team was powerful, the sight of a full lineup of ten-thousand-year rings was overwhelming.
"That's impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could they have absorbed ten-thousand-year rings as mere Soul Elders?!"
Yu Xiaogang sat pale-faced in the audience, his fists trembling.
"Wait a second," someone in the crowd muttered loudly, "didn't some so-called 'Master' once claim that absorbing higher-year rings was impossible? Guess Spirit Hall doesn't care about his theories."
"'Master'? You mean that waste from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Clan?" another sneered.
"I heard all of Yu Xiaogang's 'theories' came from organizing Spirit Hall's data. Maybe Spirit Hall's the one that actually figured out how to extend spirit ring limits."
"Then why didn't they publish it?"
"Because they're not idiots. If you had a secret that powerful, would you share it? Yu Xiaogang's just a failure riding others' coattails."
The surrounding spectators kept glancing toward Yu Xiaogang, whispering and pointing, their laughter audible.
Yu Xiaogang's once-calm eyes were now bloodshot.
"Bibi Dong… Spirit Hall… so you really had a method to extend ring years all along. And you kept it hidden—just to humiliate me today…"
His fury burned hotter than ever. He now fully resented Spirit Hall.
Of course, Spirit Hall couldn't care less. Many people hated them already—and one more failure at rank 29 made no difference to them.
"Forty-rank Soul Sect, huh? Quite the show of power," Evil Moon taunted.
Dai Mubai said nothing. His face was pale and drenched in sweat.
He had thought that with Shrek's members advancing to Soul Sects and Tang San reaching the Soul King realm, victory was guaranteed. He never imagined Spirit Hall's team could be this terrifying.
"Enough talk."
Without warning, Tang San moved first—his target was Li Kai, whom he believed to be the weakest among Spirit Hall's lineup.
Evil Moon and the others hadn't revealed their full power yet, and Tang San didn't dare provoke them all at once. Taking out one member first would stabilize the situation.
"You really don't know your place."
Li Kai didn't even try to dodge Tang San's charge. His recent surge in strength had filled him with arrogance. In his mind, no mere Soul King—no matter how talented—could possibly defeat him.
He was already planning how he'd mock Tang San after effortlessly countering him.
But before he could even open his mouth, the world suddenly spun.
The next instant, his body was slammed into the ground outside the arena with bone-cracking force.
"You little coward! Attacking without warning! No honor at all!"
Li Kai coughed and screamed from the sidelines—but was promptly dragged away by his teammates.
It didn't matter, though. This wasn't a life-and-death duel; being knocked out of the ring meant elimination.
"Idiot," Evil Moon muttered. "He was useless anyway. But tell me—do you really think you can win?"
He sneered, then vanished in a blur.
The next heartbeat, he appeared before Ning Rongrong and kicked her out of the arena before she could even react. His speed was beyond what even most Soul Sages could handle.
Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's buffs, the battle immediately tilted in Spirit Hall's favor.
Within moments, only Tang San remained standing.
"Give up, boy," said Yan, gripping Dai Mubai by the throat before tossing him aside like a rag doll. "You've already lost."
Now, on the battlefield, only Tang San faced Evil Moon, Yan, Hu Liena, and one remaining Spirit Hall member.
"Impossible…"
Tang San's voice trembled as he slowly lifted his head. His eyes had turned blood-red, and black mist seeped from his pupils.
The eight spider-like limbs of his External Spirit Bone, the Eight Spider Lances, burst out violently, holding his body upright as he stood motionless at the arena's center.
Evil Moon and the others, having been enhanced by the Zerg Hive's genetic modifications, weren't foolish enough to stand still like villains in a story.
They immediately unleashed their strongest spirit abilities, hurling them all toward Tang San.
But to their shock, every attack struck him—and yet, Tang San didn't move. It was as if he had fused with the arena itself.
"Where… am I?"
Tang San looked around at the endless darkness surrounding him, confusion clouding his mind.
Before he could gather his thoughts, two enormous red lights appeared ahead.
They weren't lanterns—they were eyes.
The sheer size of them meant the creature was at least a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Tang San instinctively took several steps back, his heartbeat quickening.
Even as a newly advanced Soul King, facing a creature like this alone was unthinkable.
"Do not fear…"
A deep, rasping voice—like something echoing from the depths of hell—reverberated in his ears. "I am here to help you. Don't you wish to win—to prove your worth to your master?"
"Why would you help me?" Tang San asked warily, though he sensed no hostility.
"Because you and I are one and the same. Helping you… is helping myself. You could even say—I am a part of you."
As the voice faded, the crimson eyes disappeared, replaced by a shadow emerging from the darkness.
Another Tang San stepped forward—clad in a black robe, his aura cold and suffocating.
Though identical in face, his presence was utterly different—dark, domineering, and filled with a strange, alien resonance.
The Brood Ancestor within Tang San… had awakened.
****
If you want to support me or read advanced chapters (21+), consider checking out my pat.
patr*on.com/Salsita2k