Chapter 395: Tang Sect Defeated, Demanding a Rematch
"The match begins." The referee gave the order.
As soon as he spoke, both the Holy Spirit Church team and the Tang Sect team sprang into action. Being at a numerical disadvantage, the Holy Spirit Church team did not hold back. They immediately brought out the Holy Spirit Banner, personally crafted by Ye Xishui, and began waving it. One by one, vengeful spirits exuding evil energy flew out from the banner.
These malicious spirits launched an assault on the Tang Sect team, closing in on them at high speed.
Knowing they were outnumbered, the Holy Spirit Church team took no chances. While activating their invincibility shields, they commanded the vengeful spirits to self destruct.
Refining vengeful spirits was no easy task, especially those worthy of being sealed within the Holy Spirit Banner. Their quality was exceptional, making their self destruction a significant loss. However, the Holy Spirit Church team members were all young prodigies within the sect.
Any talented individual would inevitably receive the favor and training of powerful figures, so even if they lost some vengeful spirits, they could replenish them later.
If they lost this match and failed to enter the finals missing their chance to become the empire's state protected sect everyone except the Holy Maiden would face punishment from the sect leader. Even the Grand Elder Ye Xishui might hold them accountable.
After all, Zhongli Wu had asked Ye Xishui to craft soul tools for the Holy Spirit Church team specifically to secure the championship. If they couldn't even make it to the finals, it would be a disgrace to both the sect leader and the grand elder.
The Tang Sect team was stunned. They never expected the Holy Spirit Church to start the match by detonating a large number of vengeful spirits, practically throwing their lives away from the get go.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions erupted in rapid succession.
Truth be told, the techniques taught in the Tang Sect weren't particularly useful for avoiding large scale vengeful spirit explosions. The blast radius was simply too large. Even Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track was difficult to execute fully within the confined space of the arena.
Left with no other option, the Tang Sect team immediately activated their soul tool defense shields.
However, their shields were primarily provided by Shrek Academy, and the academy's soul tools were of lower quality than those from the Mingde Hall. Their defensive strength was inferior as well. If not for Shrek Academy's policy of prioritizing domestic soul tool development, Bei Bei could have easily afforded Mingde Hall's superior defensive soul tools for everyone.
As a result, when the vengeful spirits detonated unexpectedly, the entire arena was engulfed in a blinding black light.
The soul tool shields of every Tang Sect team member were instantly shattered. They resorted to using their martial souls to defend themselves, but even those crumbled under the impact of the explosions. Blood splattered everywhere. Even the reinforced arena floor cracked and crumbled under the force.
Rather than a purely spiritual attack, the vengeful spirit explosions were more akin to energy based assaults. Controlled by Evil Soul Masters and imbued with soul power from the Holy Spirit Banner, these spirits could attack both the body and the soul upon detonation.
As the black light faded, the gruesome scene on the battlefield was revealed. Nearly every member of the Tang Sect team lay on the ground, too injured to stand.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, and pools of crimson covered the arena floor.
The referee descended from the air, his expression grim as he examined the fallen Tang Sect members. After confirming that they were only injured and unconscious rather than dead, he let out a sigh of relief and turned toward the Holy Spirit Church team.
The Holy Spirit Church team was in relatively good condition. After all, they had activated their invincibility shields in advance. Even when the first shield expired, they still had a second one to use.
However, detonating vengeful spirits required a substantial amount of soul power. The sheer number of explosions, combined with the use of soul tools, had drained them significantly.
As a result, Tang Ya and the other Holy Spirit Church team members appeared pale and out of breath, clearly suffering from the strain.
The referee, his face cold, announced, "Since all members of the Tang Sect team have fallen unconscious, the Holy Spirit Church team is the winner."
The spectators remained silent. There were no cheers for the Holy Spirit Church's victory. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere settled over the stands as the audience looked at the Holy Spirit Church team with grim expressions.
On the high platform, the expressions of the Sun Moon Empire's officials also turned uneasy.
After all, Evil Soul Masters were universally despised. In the Three Kingdoms of Douluo, they were hunted on sight. And now, these same Evil Soul Masters had openly detonated a massive number of vengeful spirits in an official competition. This only deepened the Sun Moon Empire's growing apprehension toward them.
Xu Tianran observed this shift and sighed inwardly. He had already decided that once the Holy Spirit Church outlived its usefulness, he would have to eliminate them.
No matter how powerful they were, they were ultimately a sect of Evil Soul Masters a group with a terrible reputation and an unstable nature.
As the future emperor, once he unified the continent, his priority would be to remove any threats to his throne. The Holy Spirit Church was at the top of that list.
The Healing Douluo, in accordance with their prior agreement with Shrek Academy, immediately flew onto the stage to tend to the injured Tang Sect members.
Meanwhile, below the stage, Cai Mei'er grew anxious. The Tang Sect's defeat meant Shrek Academy had lost its last remaining safeguard a reality she could not accept.
With Shrek Academy's failure, all hope of preserving their "ten thousand year honor" now rested on the Tang Sect battle team. If their loss was confirmed, Shrek Academy's legacy would be shaken.
Her mind raced. "No, I have to get the Tang Sect team into the finals. But how do I turn this around? What would Elder Mu do in this situation? No… the situation is urgent, and I don't have Elder Mu's strength. I can't handle this the way he would."
"Wait… what would our wise and righteous ancestor Tang San do in this situation?"
Cai Mei'er had read many records about Tang San at Shrek Academy. She knew he was a figure of great justice, someone who excelled at exposing the wickedness of his enemies.
After a moment of thought, she immediately flew from the waiting area to the arena and sternly reprimanded the Holy Spirit Church team. "You despicable villains! How dare you unleash so many vengeful spirits in self destruction? You've resorted to such vile tactics just to defeat the Tang Sect team. This is nothing short of shameless!"
"If you are allowed to advance to the finals, it will only increase the appeal of Evil Soul Masters, which will undoubtedly destabilize the peace of the continent and endanger all living beings!
To put a stop to such foul practices, I demand a rematch! And for the sake of fairness, the rematch must wait until the Tang Sect team has recovered from their injuries. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit Church team must be prohibited from using vengeful spirits!"
The head referee, Zheng Zhan, descended from the sky and frowned at her. "The Tang Sect team lost a single match. That has nothing to do with endangering the peace of the continent or the safety of all living beings.
Cai Mei'er, your reasoning for demanding a rematch is weak, and your conditions are completely unreasonable."
Cai Mei'er coldly replied, "The peace of the continent is upheld by Shrek Academy. The safety of all living beings is not something for you to decide!"
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 30 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Albino1