The teacup in Platinum Bishop Salas's hand clattered to the floor. For the first time, his perpetually indifferent and arrogant face showed a drastic change. Shock, gloom, and even a hint of concealed apprehension flashed across his features as he stared intently at Ye Yin, Ning Rongrong, and their spirit ring configurations that defied all common sense.
Down on the Spirit Arena, the dead silence was broken. Fear and disbelief spread like wildfire through the ranks of Shenfeng Academy. The spiky-haired and sharp-faced students, who had been mocking Shrek so fiercely just moments ago, were now pale, their lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Ma Hongjun planted his hands on his hips and let out a triumphant scoff. "Hey! You trash over there! Did you see that?! You were all so loud just now, why are you so quiet all of a sudden? Scared speechless? I bet you're about to wet yourselves!"
Feng Xiaotian's expression turned incredibly ugly, his eyes darkening. He felt as if an invisible hand had just slapped him across the face. "Hmph! So what if he's a Spirit King? He's still dressed like a joke!"
At that moment, the referee's voice rang out! "Match—start!"
Feng Xiaotian forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and commanded his team, his voice stern. "Brothers, show them that under the sky, our Shenfeng is invincible! Let them know that trash is trash, no matter what it wears! Attack!"
The Wind Demon Twin Wings on his back flapped violently. With a sharp tearing sound, Feng Xiaotian shot forward like a cyan lightning bolt, his terrifying speed ripping through the air as he charged directly at the Shrek formation. His six flying teammates followed closely behind, quickly gaining altitude. His target was none other than Ye Yin, who stood at the very front with his five spirit rings shining ominously. So what if he's a Spirit King? Let's see what kind of strength you really have!
"Nine Treasures, turn out with Glazed Tile Pagoda!" Ning Rongrong called out. The nine-and-a-half-story pagoda in her palm burst forth with a dazzling brilliance, and several solidified, colorful beams of light shot out, accurately landing on Xiao Wu, Zhu Zhuqing, and Ma Hongjun, amplifying their power, speed, and defense.
The aura of the three instantly surged!
Ma Hongjun roared, his stout body moving with exceptional agility under the amplification. His massive fiery wings flapped as his first three spirit rings flickered simultaneously. "Phoenix Fire Wire! Phoenix of Lust! Scarlet Flame Phoenix!"
The Phoenix of Lust ability caused flames to surge all over his body, greatly increasing his defense. At the same time, two powerful lines of fire—the Phoenix Fire Wire and the Scarlet Flame Phoenix—stacked together and spewed from his mouth. Several of Shenfeng's agility-attack system Spirit Masters were diving at high speed, trying to flank their opponents. They ran head-on into this terrifying, precisely aimed stream of fire.
"Get out of the way!" one of them yelled. The Spirit Masters frantically flapped their wings, dodging awkwardly. Although they narrowly avoided a direct hit, the scorching heat still singed their wings and robes, causing them to cry out in pain and alarm. Their assault formation was instantly broken.
At the same time, Feng Xiaotian's attack was about to land. A giant cyan claw, condensed from sharp wind blades, tore through the air with an ear-piercing shriek, aimed directly at Ye Yin's head.
"Get lost!" a delicate shout rang out.
A pink figure appeared in front of Ye Yin as if she had teleported. Xiao Wu's spirited eyes were locked on Feng Xiaotian. Facing his incredibly fierce attack, she tightly gripped her large, white jade pestle. Twisting her slender waist, she swung the heavy weapon in a wide arc, like a baseball player hitting a home run, and smashed it directly into Feng Xiaotian's wind blade claw.
A head-on collision!
Bang!
A visible shockwave erupted at the point of impact, and the violent roar made the entire Spirit Arena seem to shake. Turbulent air currents swept out, causing the clothes of everyone on stage to flutter wildly. Feng Xiaotian felt a terrifying, irresistible force slam into him from the jade pestle, far exceeding his estimations. The power amplification from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, combined with Xiao Wu's own terrifying raw strength—refined by Immortal Herbs—and the inherent weight of her Jade Pestle spirit, created a blow of unimaginable force.
Feng Xiaotian grunted as his body was sent flying backward. His arms were numb from the shock, and the blood churned in his chest. His eyes were wide with disbelief. His full-power strike, as a Level 45 attack-system Spirit Ancestor, had been forcefully repelled!
Just as Feng Xiaotian was sent flying, a black shadow, silent as a ghost, had already circled to the rear of the Shenfeng Academy formation.
It was Zhu Zhuqing. Under Ning Rongrong's speed amplification, her velocity had reached an extreme level.
"Third Spirit Ability: Netherworld Clone!" Two shadows emerged from her sides. One clone remained in place as a tactical anchor, while the other followed her closely as she charged forward. Her cold eyes locked onto the support system Spirit Master at the rear of the enemy team, who was busy applying wind-attribute buffs to his teammates.
"Fourth Spirit Ability: Netherworld Shadow!"
The clone and her main body simultaneously activated the ability. Two black lines streaked across the sky, passing through several of the flying Shenfeng members and causing them to momentarily falter from an unseen force. In the next instant, both Zhu Zhuqing and her clone appeared beside the unsuspecting support Spirit Master.
Although Zhu Zhuqing couldn't fly, she was moving so fast it didn't matter. Her sharp claw blades gleamed with a chilling light as she aimed for his vital points. Her attack was fast, precise, and ruthless.
The support Spirit Master was concentrating on applying buffs to his teammates. He never could have anticipated that an enemy would break through their lines so swiftly. "Ah!" He managed to let out only a short, terrified shriek.
Puff! Puff! The faint sound of claws tearing through flesh echoed for a split second. The combined attack of Zhu Zhuqing and her clone was completed instantly. Two lines of blood appeared on the support Spirit Master's body as he was kicked off the stage.
Shenfeng Academy's only support had been instantly eliminated.
"Wang Ming!" the other members of Shenfeng Academy screamed, their eyes turning bloodshot. They never expected that just a few seconds into the battle, their support would be taken out by the opponent's agility-attack Spirit Ancestor.
"Attack her immediately!" Feng Xiaotian ordered, hoping to take out Zhu Zhuqing to even the numbers. In his mind, trading their Spirit Elder for Shrek's Spirit Ancestor would even be a win.
But Zhu Zhuqing just smiled faintly as her third spirit ring flickered again. Using the Netherworld Displacement ability, she instantly swapped positions with the clone she had left behind earlier. In a flash, her figure vanished and reappeared back in her original position, safe and sound. She then deactivated the ability to conserve spirit power.
The members of Shenfeng Academy were stunned once again. "Where did she go?!"
Just moments into the match, Shenfeng Academy had lost its core support, while Shrek's momentum surged forward, sharp and unstoppable.
----------------
You can read advanced chapters here: patreon.com/GregariousLion