Chapter 233: Bluff Strategy—Tianshui Team Wins
Boom!
A deafening explosion echoed across Pope's Plaza. The blast, filled with blue and gold light, shattered the specially constructed arena floor, leaving behind a moderate-sized crater.
Bone Douluo released his soul power to shield Ning Fengzhi from the blast. Several Titled Douluo elders from the Elder Hall felt the sudden spike in energy and looked outside toward the commotion.
When the light faded, Qian Renxue landed outside the plaza. His face was pale with exhaustion. His Eight Spider Lances retracted automatically—he had been blown away by the soul power shockwave.
Tianchen wasn't unharmed either. The blast had pushed his massive body back several meters. His long crocodile tail, covered in golden scales, showed a patch of bright red where blood gushed out. His sixth soul skill–strengthened tail had been pierced by the Blue Silver Overlord Spear.
In the Heaven Dou Second Team rest area, Gu Chen began to question everything. The power of Qian Renxue's Blue Silver Overlord Spear could likely penetrate even his second and fifth soul skills combined, which formed his bone armor. Could this Golden Crocodile's defense surpass even his Bone Dragon? Was he no longer the strongest shield?
A rich vitality surged as a beam of golden light descended upon Qian Renxue. His pale face regained color, and his exhausted body recovered at a rapid pace. Within seconds, excluding his mental fatigue, he had returned to full strength. The healer, of course, was Ah Yin.
Aside from food-type soul masters, soul power transfer isn't effective between different spirits. But Ah Yin and Qian Renxue shared the same bloodline. Her Titled Douluo-level soul power quickly helped him recover.
Qian Renxue stood and bowed to his mother, then turned to Tianchen and sighed inwardly—he had lost. He had planned to have the Blue Silver Overlord Spear break, trap Tianchen with Blue Silver Domain, then toss him out with vines.
But he had overestimated his endurance and underestimated the spear's sheer force.
Returning to the Tianshui rest area, Qian Renxue was immediately approached by Shui Yue'er.
"Brother-in-law, how are we supposed to beat that monster? Your strongest attack only gave him a light injury!"
"Don't panic. We still have a plan. Go up one at a time and focus on draining Tianchen's soul power. Bing'er will go last."
Shui Yue'er, Qiu Ruoshui, Yu Hairou, Shen Liuyun, and Gu Qingbo went up in order. Each launched a soul skill at Tianchen, which had no effect. They were casually knocked aside by a swipe of his tail—completely helpless.
"It looks like the afternoon semifinal will be Tianshui versus Heaven Dou Second Team. Shui Bing'er won't be able to defeat him. Looks like we'll have to reveal the Seven-in-One Fusion Skill early."
Ning Fengzhi's expression soured. The Golden Crocodile spirit far exceeded expectations—not only in defense but also in offense. The Seven-in-One Fusion Skill was best used as a surprise killer. Using it once would give an edge, but a second time could easily be countered—especially with so many powerful Spirit Hall members present. The weakness of such techniques would be instantly seen through.
In the arena, the Ice Phoenix and Golden Crocodile faced off. In the Heaven Dou Division, the Ice Phoenix had always been the most imposing—until now. Compared to the Golden Crocodile, it looked smaller, and its ring configuration was clearly inferior.
After easily defeating five opponents, Tianchen took Shui Bing'er more seriously. "Use your fifth soul skill, Shui Bing'er. That's the only way you can hurt me. If you can't beat me after that, surrender. My soul power is still full, and dragging it out is pointless."
"I won't know until I try."
Shui Bing'er soared into the air and activated her first soul ring. Dozens of ice spikes rained down. Tianchen didn't even use soul power. His crocodile tail arched over his head like an umbrella, letting the spikes fall harmlessly on the rest of his body.
He didn't even flinch. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying it—like getting a back massage.
"Third Soul Skill—Ice Phoenix Wrath!"
"Second Soul Skill—Ice Ring Armor!"
Shui Bing'er buffed herself and dove. Tianchen activated his third soul ring too—a support skill. As they clashed, it was clear Shui Bing'er was being dominated. The crocodile couldn't fly, but in close combat, it was overwhelming. The Ice Phoenix could only struggle helplessly.
Crack!
One tail swipe shattered her Ice Ring Armor and sent her flying.
"Why are you still trying? The outcome is obvious. We're both from Spirit Hall. No need to fight like this."
Seeing her fifth soul ring light up, Tianchen smirked. "Now that's better."
The Ice Phoenix took flight again. A terrifying humanoid silhouette formed behind her—long white fur, tall build, monstrous features. The Titan Snow Demon.
Tianchen felt the oppressive aura and grew more serious. He activated his fifth ring as well. Shui Bing'er's attack was too much to take head-on.
He looked up. Gold light and fire burst from his body, merging into a massive golden crocodile even larger than his own form.
Suddenly, he felt icy wind whirl around him. He began to lift into the air. An icy-blue tornado had formed around him—an unnoticeable buildup of Shui Bing'er's fourth soul skill.
"Split control? Trying to interrupt my fifth skill with that? Pointless. These snow blades are just tickling me."
"Fifth Soul Skill—Fierce Golden Crocodile!"
Just as Tianchen prepared to clash, Shui Bing'er changed tactics. The Ice Phoenix swerved mid-air and dove beneath him—striking him from below as the snowstorm lifted his massive body.
"AHH!"
Tianchen screamed for the first time. He spat out bile. His giant crocodile form, along with the Ice Phoenix, flew out of the arena and out of Pope's Plaza, crashing outside the battlefield.
Qian Renxue slammed his fist on the railing in excitement. "Well done, Bing'er!"
He had known there was no way to defeat Tianchen head-on. The only option was to use the rules to force him out of bounds.
After his defeat, the team's hopes rested on Shui Bing'er.
So they sent five teammates to drain Tianchen's soul power. Shui Bing'er let herself get beaten to lull Tianchen into thinking victory was assured.
In the end, she used a snowstorm to lift his heavy body and finished him with her fifth soul skill—knocking him out of the arena.
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