Chapter 90: Bone Crushing Fist
In the fifth match of the Soul Master Competition, the Shrek Battle Team finally faced a formidable opponent: the Elephant Armor Academy Battle Team.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San paid great attention to this match. Yu Xiaogang even suggested giving up, as the opponent's strength was stronger than they had imagined.
However, Tang San, with his stubborn personality, decided to fight with all his strength, even if it meant suffering some injuries in the process.
When the Shrek team members stepped onto the arena, everyone couldn't help but swallow nervously.
Now, Yang Xiong was fourteen years old, standing at about 1.85 meters tall, with a very strong physique. His height and build were almost the same as Dai Mubai's.
In comparison, aside from Yang Xiong, Dai Mubai, and Tailong, the others were all around 1.75 meters tall at most.
However, the Elephant Armor Academy team looked extremely terrifying. Each member was at least over two meters tall, with very muscular bodies, resembling sumo wrestlers from Yang Xiong's past life. From their weight, they were likely over 300 pounds.
After some analysis, Tang San decided not to send Tailong to fight, but instead chose Zhu Zhuqing to take the stage. Even Tailong and Yu Xiaogang were puzzled by this decision.
But Tang San had carefully analyzed both teams. He believed that the Elephant Armor Academy team had a significant weakness in agility, and sending Tailong would be disadvantageous due to his larger size. Instead, he opted for the faster Zhu Zhuqing, who might be able to use her speed to sneak some strikes.
Compared to the intense action on the arena and the entire Soul Fighting Arena, the atmosphere in the stands was even more charged with tension.
Emperor Xue Ye was still present to watch the competition, and beside Ning Fengzhi stood a very tall man—Huyan Zhen, the head of the Elephant Armor Sect.
Huyan Zhen was clearly displeased. "Sect Master Ning, I've heard that the second team of Tianshou Royal Academy is supported by you, and your daughter is even on this team. It seems like you're very confident about winning the championship."
Ning Fengzhi appeared calm. "Sect Master Huyan, you're joking. The Shrek Battle Team from Tianshou Royal Academy is just a group of children, how could they compare to your nearly adult Elephant Armor Battle Team?"
Though Ning Fengzhi's words seemed casual, they were subtly mocking the Elephant Armor Battle Team for relying on their age advantage.
Huyan Zhen's face darkened. "Once you step into the arena, there's no talk of age. I hope these children don't cry when they get beaten."
Before Ning Fengzhi could respond, Sarath spoke first, "Sect Master Huyan, it seems you're very confident in the Elephant Armor Battle Team."
A slight smirk appeared on Huyan Zhen's face. "Of course. My grandson, Huyan Li, reached the Soul Lord realm at twenty. He is the most talented disciple of our Elephant Armor Sect. His talent even surpasses mine when I was young. He might be the only Title Douluo from our sect in the future."
The Bone Douluo behind Ning Fengzhi let out a cold snort, clearly not taking Huyan Zhen's words seriously.
Sarath subtly hinted, "Sect Master Ning, I didn't expect your daughter to be on the arena as well. It seems that Shrek Battle Team is truly backed by your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
Ning Fengzhi smiled. "Sarath, you think too much. This is the Tianshou Royal Academy Battle Team. I wouldn't dare to take credit."
As the conversation was about to escalate, Emperor Xue Ye spoke, "Let's focus on the match. It's rare for Tianshou Royal Academy to produce such talented youngsters."
Emperor Xue Ye's high status made everyone refocus on the arena.
After the introductions and display of soul rings, everyone was shocked.
The Elephant Armor Sect had three Soul Lords, and the other four members were top Soul Emperors. The team captain, Huyan Li, had reached level 43, one level higher than Dai Mubai.
In comparison, Shrek only had one Soul Lord, and their soul power level was vastly overshadowed.
When the seven members of the Elephant Armor Sect entered the arena, their towering and muscular bodies gave off an overwhelming presence. The arena itself seemed to shake under their pressure.
As the referee announced the start of the match, Tang San called out, "Retreat!"
To everyone's surprise, instead of attacking, the Shrek team began retreating quickly, maintaining their formation. Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing were on the left and right, Dai Mubai was in the center, and Yang Xiong was almost right next to Ning Rongrong.
Tang San and Yu Xiaogang had obviously analyzed the Elephant Armor Sect's tactics in advance. They were more suited to using brute strength and defensive counters, and their biggest weakness was their speed and agility.
While Shrek retreated, the Elephant Armor Academy team advanced with great force.
Tang San reacted swiftly. His Blue Silver Grass shot out like vines, quickly wrapping around the legs of the Elephant Armor team, trying to halt their advance.
But for some reason, the Elephant Armor members responded too slowly, and soon the Blue Silver Grass had wrapped around multiple legs.
Tang San was pleased at first, thinking it would be hard for them to escape. The powerful pulling force of the Blue Silver Grass seemed to trip the enemies.
But to his surprise, the Elephant Armor team showed no reaction. The Blue Silver Grass was unable to move their 300-pound bodies.
Some of the people wrapped by the Blue Silver Grass simply exerted some force, and the vines immediately snapped. Even Tang San's body was momentarily thrown off balance.
Tang San was stunned. These people were definitely much stronger than Dai Mubai in terms of raw strength, especially the captain Huyan Li. There were probably few in the Soul Lord rank who could surpass him in power.
The Elephant Armor team seemed to completely ignore Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, keeping their formation and continuing to advance. Even the Shrek team felt the immense pressure. After all, most of Shrek's members were about 1.7 meters tall, while the Elephant Armor team members were at least 2 meters tall. It felt like adults battling children, with Shrek looking relatively small in comparison.
At that moment, Tang San's eyes lit up. Numerous Blue Silver Grass vines wrapped around the waists of Yang Xiong and the others, and Tang San quickly called out, "Xiao Ao."
Oscar, clearly prepared, immediately created two flying mushroom sausages—one for himself and the other for Tang San. With his current soul power, Oscar couldn't create many flying mushroom sausages, since it was a millennium soul skill.
In an instant, Tang San and Oscar flew into the air, and the Blue Silver Grass attached to their bodies lifted Yang Xiong and the others along with them. This was one of the reasons Tang San had chosen Zhu Zhuqing over Tailong, as Zhu Zhuqing was much lighter than Tailong.
With everyone now airborne, the overwhelming pressure from the Elephant Armor Academy team vanished, and the Shrek team was now looking down on them from above.
Oscar immediately provoked the opponents, causing them to erupt in anger. The Elephant Armor team quickly formed a strange formation, and Huyan Li was lifted into the air by the others.
But at a critical moment, countless Blue Silver Grass suddenly sprouted from Huyan Li's body, and soon, all the members of the Elephant Armor team were covered in Blue Silver Grass, as Tang San had intentionally used his second soul skill—Parasitic.
Yang Xiong, standing at the back of the team, couldn't help but sweat at the sight of Huyan Li and Oscar.
These two were a strange pair—one with a flashy smile and the other looking rather foolish, far from the image of talented Soul Masters.
Though Tang San's trick of luring them out was clever, he had clearly underestimated the raw strength of these opponents. In an instant, the Blue Silver Grass on both Huyan Li and the others was easily shattered, preventing Huyan Li's flying strike. That was probably the only effect the tactic had.
Tang San's eyes flashed. "Attack! We must defeat Huyan Li as soon as possible."
In a split second, everyone descended from the air. Yang Xiong stayed at the back to protect Oscar and Ning Rongrong, while Tang San and the others launched an all-out attack on Huyan Li. According to Tang San's plan, attacking a Soul Lord with four people should have been easy.
But it was clear that he had underestimated Huyan Li's physical strength. Regardless of the multiple attacks on him, Huyan Li summoned a giant Diamond Mammoth and unleashed his fourth soul skill: Gravity Resistance. A massive protective shield appeared, and with a powerful roar from the Diamond Mammoth, the entire arena seemed to shake.
The four of them attacked the enormous Diamond Mammoth, but this pure defensive skill was not easy to break through.
Huyan Li, clearly enraged by Oscar's taunting, charged at the four with immense force.
Dai Mubai and Huyan Li collided with fists. Huyan Li's massive body was momentarily halted, but Dai Mubai was forced to retreat several meters, showing the immense difference in strength.
Zhu Zhuqing reacted quickly and used her third soul skill: Phantom Claws, sending countless shadows to strike at Huyan Li.
But Huyan Li's Gravity Resistance was so powerful that he slammed his head into the incoming attacks, sending Zhu Zhuqing flying with the force.
The Elephant Armor Sect was known for its formidable defense, and their strength and resistance were truly terrifying.
Tang San and the others hesitated for a moment, but then continued their assault. However, the other members of the Elephant Armor Academy team attacked, and the scene quickly turned into a chaotic battle. Clearly, with the control of Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, it was impossible to control the Elephant Armor Academy team.
Given the situation, it seemed likely that Shrek would lose as soon as their formation was broken.
Just as both sides were about to engage in full-scale combat, Ning Rongrong summoned the giant Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and several supportive effects fell on the four attackers, significantly enhancing their strength and speed.
Huyan Li, as the captain of the Elephant Armor Academy, though not very intelligent, understood the importance of support in a team. He quickly broke free from the others' attacks and charged like a raging bull toward Ning Rongrong.
At this moment, the advantage of having so many Soul Lords in the Elephant Armor Sect became clear. The other two Soul Lords, Huyan Shan and Huyan Ba, faced off against Tang San and Dai Mubai, while the remaining four members began to surround Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, effectively restraining the four attackers.
Yang Xiong sneered and, facing the charging Huyan Li, threw a punch at him. His fist collided with Huyan Li's, and while Yang Xiong didn't move an inch, Huyan Li was sent stumbling back several meters.
Huyan Li was furious. "How can a Soul Master of your rank have such strength? I'm sure no one can match me in terms of power."
Huyan Li's second soul ring flashed, activating his second soul skill: Mammoth Strength. His already massive body became even more muscular.
But once again, when they collided, Yang Xiong remained unmoved, while Huyan Li was forced back again.
Before Huyan Li could launch another attack, Yang Xiong quickly closed the gap and struck again, especially focusing on his hands, which turned into claws. As Huyan Li's punch came toward him, it felt like it was striking soft cotton. Yang Xiong's body tilted uncontrollably.
Before Huyan Li could stabilize himself, Yang Xiong's hands shot forward like claws, sinking into Huyan Li's arm. Despite his tremendous defense and strength, five deep gashes appeared on his arm, and Huyan Li felt a sharp pain.
But Yang Xiong's response was much faster. A silver fist, charged with energy, slammed into Huyan Li's chest, sending him flying more than ten meters, leaving a visible imprint on his chest.
Huyan Li's mouth bled slightly. It was clear he had been seriously injured.
The others had originally thought Huyan Li would easily break through, especially since the only remaining defense was a Soul Lord. But now it seemed like Huyan Li was the one in trouble.
Yang Xiong's punch was called Bone Crushing Fist. It gathered his physical strength and soul power into his fist, delivering a full-powered strike. It was an attack-type soul skill that was almost impossible to resist in the Soul Lord realm.
(END CHAPTER)
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