Chapter 56: Konoha Secret Taijutsu — One Thousand Years of Death "I now declare this Soul Duel match officially underway." As the man in the
Chapter 56: Konoha Secret Taijutsu — One Thousand Years of Death
"I now declare this Soul Duel match officially underway."
As the man in the tailcoat announced the start, Dai Mubai could no longer restrain the killing intent in his chest and made the first move.
"White Tiger, Possession!"
A fierce pale light erupted from his body. Dai Mubai spread both arms wide, chest forward, as his bones crackled and his muscles swelled, stretching his clothes tight. Every muscle beneath the fabric became sharply defined, and even the surrounding air turned aggressive.
His golden hair instantly turned black and white, with white dominating and a few strands of black clearly visible. Four faint markings appeared on his forehead—three horizontal and one vertical—forming the character for "king."
His hands underwent the greatest transformation, doubling in size. White fur covered both palms, and with each flex of his fingers, blade-like claws extended and retracted. Each claw was eight inches long, flashing with a chilling gleam.
Dai Mubai leaned forward slightly, and his four eyes turned a deep and eerie blue, giving him the look of a killing machine.
Beneath his feet, three glowing rings rose silently—two yellow, one purple. As the soul rings revolved, his overwhelming soul power surged like crashing waves.
Zu Zong smiled faintly at the pressure sweeping toward him.
"Quite the fan of bluffing, aren't you?"
"What? Not summoning your martial soul?" Dai Mubai roared.
Zu Zong crossed his arms calmly in front of his chest. "Only if your strength proves worthy."
"You're asking for death!"
To be so blatantly underestimated—Dai Mubai couldn't tolerate it. His eyes gleamed with hostility as he raised his right fist and lunged forward, aiming a straight punch at Zu Zong's chest.
His strike was simple, no embellishments, but the sheer force and speed behind it made it razor-sharp. Zu Zong was a little surprised—this punch was approaching its peak just from the raw physical execution. Clearly, Dai Mubai had no shortage of combat experience.
Though Zu Zong acted indifferent, he was far from careless. He activated the soul power of the Nine Yang Divine Art, forming a near-invisible protective layer over his body.
As Dai Mubai's fist neared, Zu Zong shifted slightly, easily dodging the blow.
Before Dai Mubai could react, Zu Zong's left fist—imbued with focused soul power—struck out, slamming toward his back.
Dai Mubai was shocked. That reaction speed—far beyond anything he'd experienced. Even Tang San was nowhere near this fast.
Though caught off guard, his instincts kicked in. He twisted around and reflexively raised both Tiger Claws to block in front of his chest.
Bang—
Their clash sent out a wave of soul force across the arena. Audience members sitting too close had their hair whipped around by the blast.
Though brief, the shockwave was enough to send Dai Mubai sliding backward, feet scraping along the ground. He barely steadied himself after dozens of steps, nearly falling off the platform.
"What kind of monster is that?" Ma Hongjun gasped from the stands.
At first, he'd thought Dai Mubai had the upper hand after using martial soul possession. The opponent hadn't even moved, let alone released a martial soul. He assumed Zu Zong was frozen in fear.
Who could've guessed he was facing a true beast—so fast he dodged effortlessly and even had the spare strength to counterattack.
Oscar clenched his fists nervously. "Looks like this match won't be easy for Boss Dai."
Zhu Zhuqing let out a soft breath, then rolled her eyes in exasperation.
My little boyfriend… do you really need to toy with my heart like this?
Ning Rongrong was also stunned, but more than shocked, she was confused.
For some reason, this "Uchiha Zong" felt familiar. She just couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
Sitting beside Tang San, Meng Yiran furrowed her brow and said, "Xiao San, that guy's incredible. He hasn't even used his martial soul and already forced Dai Mubai into such a mess."
Tang San's expression grew heavier.
He stared intently at Zu Zong, thinking, That damned guy has gotten even stronger. Unbelievable.
Among the Shrek group, Tang San was likely the one who knew Zu Zong's strength best. Even Zhu Zhuqing might not know him as well.
Though it had been six years since he last saw Zu Zong fight in the Rift Soul Forest, the battle sense and power he displayed back then were flawless.
His teacher, Yu Xiaogang, had once said:
"I've never seen a talent like Zu Zong before. He's the kind of soul master born purely for battle. Xiao San, if you didn't have twin martial souls, he might've ruled the entire soul master world one day."
At first, Tang San didn't take that comment seriously.
He had Tang Sect's secret arts, personal instruction from a master theorist, and was born with full innate soul power and twin martial souls. He had every reason to be confident.
It wasn't until a few months before graduation, when news spread that Zu Zong had broken through to Soul Elder, that Tang San truly realized how terrifying he was. At that time, even Tang San himself had just barely reached Rank 29.
Yu Xiaogang had even tried several times in secret to take Zu Zong as his disciple, only to be rejected each time.
"Zu Zong..." Tang San growled through clenched teeth.
[Ding! Tang San's hatred toward the host has risen to 55%. Congratulations, host, you've gained 500 Hatred Points.]
Hearing the cutesy system voice in his mind, Zu Zong's lips curved into a faint smile.
He murmured, "Oh? So Tang San came to the Soul Duel Arena too. Makes sense—since all of Shrek is here, no reason he wouldn't be."
"You bastard! Still have the nerve to get distracted in a fight with me?" Dai Mubai roared.
That last punch from Zu Zong had been ridiculously powerful. Dai Mubai had assumed his Tiger Palm, empowered by Martial Soul Possession, could easily block the attack and land a heavy counter—teach the guy the price of arrogance.
But that punch… its power was terrifying. Even compared to the strength-type Soul Elders he had fought before, it was on another level.
"Damn it! What the hell is this guy?!"
He lunged forward again. Under Martial Soul Possession, Dai Mubai was like a different person entirely. The moment his white hair lifted, his body—brimming with explosive power—was already in front of Zu Zong.
Ten clawed fingers sprang forward, slashing toward Zu Zong's body.
But once again, Zu Zong easily dodged.
With soul power infused into his legs, Zu Zong's speed was monstrous. The moment Dai Mubai's claws came down, his black silhouette vanished from sight.
A second later, Zu Zong reappeared—behind Dai Mubai.
Forming a Tiger Seal with both hands, he drove it with precision toward one of Dai Mubai's most vulnerable points—his rear.
"Konoha Secret Taijutsu: One Thousand Years of Death!"
Dai Mubai's expression first turned pale, then twisted into something bizarrely euphoric.
A strange tingling spread through his body—soft and numb—with an odd sense of pleasure… followed immediately by blinding pain.
"AAARGH!"
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