Book 14: The Finals!
Chapter 122.2: Dai Yueheng"s Determination
This ray of golden light wasn"t from the Impregnable Wall, but… following the flash of golden light, Meng Hongchen was instantly moved ten meters away, completely evading Dai Yueheng"s most powerful strike.
One couldn"t underestimate the power of s.h.i.+fting ten meters away in the blink of an eye. This was a Cla.s.s 7 soul tool known as the ring of teleportation; even Xiao Hongchen didn"t possess a soul tool like it.
The ring of teleportation could only be used once per day, but it wasn"t a disposable soul tool, and was often touted as a miracle amongst Cla.s.s 7 soul tools. Possessing an item such as it was essentially equivalent to having a second life in most situations, even though its instant teleportation distance was limited to a hundred meters.
Meng Hongchen had teleported a mere ten meters, and had been waiting for an opportunity like this.
The White Tiger"s Extermination had missed, thus her fifth soul ring finally started to sparkle with eye-catching l.u.s.ter.
She"d been waiting for him to use his ultimate move. Now that he had, Meng Hongchen"s heart was filled with self-confidence, and she was sure that she would emerge victorious. Her elegant figure flew into the air, her entire body starting to vigorously spin in the sky; it was as if she"d transformed into a whirlpool. She then launched herself directly at Dai Yueheng, who"d yet to recover from using his White Tiger"s Extermination.
Dai Yueheng was in the weakest possible state right now, as he was both suffering from her acute poison, and had just used all of his strength in his last attack. Meng Hongchen"s opportunity of choice could only be described as optimal and impeccable.
The Heavenfiend Douluo quickly arrived at a spot not far from where the battle was occuring at; he was prepared to end the contest at a moment"s notice.
Red light glimmered in the center of the whirlpool, which flickered icy-blue. That pale red light gave the spectators a searing sensation; it was as if there were a pillar of blistering fire in the icy whirlpool"s center.
This was the most powerful attack that Meng Hongchen could unleash—the Icefire Venomdragon"s Corkscrew.
This was a perfect combination of a ten-thousand-year soul skill and a Cla.s.s 6 soul tool, and its power was enough to rival a formidable Soul Emperor"s soul skill. It was apparent that she didn"t intend to give Dai Yueheng any chance at all by using such a mighty soul skill.
However, what Meng Hongchen didn"t realize was that the mirror-like ice block that enabled her to use Ice Reflection beneath her feet had been shattered in her fight against Dai Yueheng.
The Icefire Venomdragon"s Corkscrew had already reached Dai Yueheng, whose eyes seemed to be growing more and more clouded, and whose aura was growing weaker. The Heavenfiend Douluo"s hands were already raised into the air.
However, Dai Yueheng suddenly moved at this moment.
His move was simple: He stepped out with his left foot, then took a stance similar to that of using a bow and arrow as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"Bang—"
A series of explosions rang out as Dai Yueheng"s right arm sparkled. A brilliant golden light covered and protected his entire body in an instant, stopping Meng Hongchen"s Icefire Venomdragon"s Corkscrew just like that. It didn"t achieve anything at all.
A searing white light glowed once more immediately afterwards, and Dai Yueheng"s body was like a ferocious tiger as he entrapped Meng Hongchen.
He"d activated the White Tiger"s Extermination once more!
Meng Hongchen had been waiting for her opportunity to strike Dai Yueheng down for good, but Dai Yueheng had also been waiting for the same thing all along.
The resistance provided by the White Tiger"s three amplifying soul skills were even stronger than Meng Hongchen had imagined. Dai Yueheng had deliberately revealed every single weakness or loophole that she"d discovered.
Meng Hongchen was just too slippery and agile. As she was a soul engineer, Dai Yueheng was acutely aware that she had multiple tools and methods to protect her life. This was the reason that he"d chosen to reveal weakness—to lure his enemy deep within, and to let them think that he was no longer able to continue.
How could Meng Hongchen"s experience in battle compare to Dai Yueheng, who was the true veteran?
Dai Yueheng"s right arm flickered with light. This was a soul bone skill, and was something that he had yet to use throughout the entire compet.i.tion. It was called Absolute Defense.
It was dissimilar to Princess Jiu Jiu"s absolute defense barrier from before, as his Absolute Defense could only be used for a fraction of the time, and only once a day. That miniscule moment would render him invincible, but it was imperative that his opponent"s attack strike his right arm.
Considering Dai Yueheng"s current level of cultivation, he would be able to negate any attack or soul skill within that instant as long as his opponent wasn"t a Transcendent Douluo.
Meng Hongchen was relatively powerful, and Dai Yueheng had almost no way to deal with her Icetoad Venom. However, just as Ma Xiaotao had said before, a Soul Emperor from Shrek"s inner courtyard was sophisticated. Dai Yueheng had relied on his own battle experience to finally force his opponent, who"d just won two rounds in a row, into desperate straits.
Meng Hongchen had consumed a large amount of soul power in her hit-and-run tactics from before. Furthermore, she"d just unleashed her Icefire Venomdragon"s Corkscrew, definitely not expecting Dai Yueheng to turn the tables at a time such as this. She, who wasn"t even fifteen years old, immediately became hysterical.
Her Impregnable Wall was triggered at the first possible moment. However, Meng Hongchen felt her soul power immediately drain at lightning speed following the golden light"s protection. Her Impregnable Wall would only be able to last for two seconds before it crumbled under the White Tiger"s Extermination.
Frightening tiger claws slashed her Cla.s.s 6 soul armor and made ear-piercing grinding sounds.
"We admit defeat!"
The Sun Moon Empire"s teacher-in-charge"s suddenly shouted, a ray of starlight descending from the skies to protect Meng Hongchen"s body.
In this short duration of time, dozens of cracks and marks had appeared all over Meng Hongchen"s Cla.s.s 6 soul armor. Its defensive capabilities were formidable, but Dai Yueheng"s all-out strike was incredibly terrifying as well. If not for the Sun Moon Empire"s teacher-in-charge and his quick reaction, Dai Yueheng would"ve shattered the soul armor to pieces after another second, and Meng Hongchen would"ve been ravaged and torn to pieces by the White Tiger"s immense power.
This was absolute strength! Dai Yueheng, as a Soul Emperor with White Tiger as his martial soul, had proved to everyone with his extraordinary prowess that Shrek was still as powerful as ever, even if their martial souls were restrained.
Meng Hongchen was still held in the vice-like grip of terror even after the White Tiger"s Extermination"s radiance had dissipated. She could still feel how close to death she"d just been in that tiny amount of time. Her Impregnable Wall had been completely destroyed, while her soul armor"s formations had been heavily damaged. This valuable Cla.s.s 6 soul tool had been laid to ruin just like that, the only things left intact being her twin swords.
"Ah—" Meng Hongchen suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood, and her body quivered as if she was about to fall over. She would"ve collapsed if she didn"t use her thin swords to support herself.
Dai Yueheng gazed at her coldly, the ferocity in his eyes sending a cold s.h.i.+ver down Meng Hongchen"s spine. She knew very well that, without her Icetoad"s Venom and her soul tools, she wouldn"t even be worthy of battling this individual.
What surprised everyone was that Dai Yueheng only shot a single look towards Meng Hongchen before quickly leaping off the stage and returning to Shrek"s waiting area.
He stepped before Ma Xiaotao. His body"s transformations from his martial soul and soul skills were receding with dazzling speed, revealing his original form once more.
"I didn"t let Shrek down, team leader." Dai Yueheng"s eyes sparkled as he gazed into Ma Xiaotao"s eyes. This was the first time that he"d taken the initiative to address Ma Xiaotao as his team leader.
Ma Xiaotao stood up and nodded heavily in his direction.
Dai Yueheng raised his hand and removed a ma.s.sive ring from the index finger of his left hand. The ring was light silver, and had a fearsome tiger head engraved upon it.
"This is for you. I"m sure that you"ll be able to use it. Shrek cannot lose, team leader. Please." He stuffed the ring into Ma Xiaotao"s hands as he spoke. Immediately afterwards, his eyes closed and his burly body collapsed backwards.
Ma Xiaotao grabbed onto his arm to prevent him from falling. Her red lips were pressed tightly together, and her perky chest undulated vigorously for a while.
"An admirable resolve. You"re not a good-for-nothing after all."
Dai Yueheng had been victorious—he"d beaten Meng Hongchen. However, he"d also been knocked unconscious by her intense venom, and had lost all ability to continue battling.
However, his ferocity galvanized every single member of Shrek, and rekindled the raging flames in every one of their hearts.
Yes, Shrek had to win.
Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong clenched their fists tightly. The two of them, along with Ma Xiaotao, were the only people still conscious in Shrek"s seven-member partic.i.p.ating team for the single-elimination battle.
They looked at the others, who were either unconscious or severely injured, and their hearts were immediately filled with both despair and an unrivaled fighting spirit. Right now, they would place their lives on the line for Shrek"s honor and glory without a single instant of hesitation. This was the only thought on their minds.
"It"s my turn." Ma Xiaotao put Dai Yueheng"s ring on her right hand"s thumb as she spoke, and was about to go up onto the compet.i.tion stage.
At this moment, the Heavenfiend Douluo loudly announced, "As the judge, I have confirmed that the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy have given up the rest of this round and have admitted defeat. Shrek Academy is victorious in this single-elimination round. Both parties will have one minute to rest. The 2-2-3 fight will then begin immediately afterwards. As both parties no longer have enough people to complete the third round, and as both parties have a single win each from the previous two rounds, the third round shall be completed with each team"s respective reserve team members that did not partic.i.p.ate in the single-elimination round."
The Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy had admitted defeat?
Ma Xiaotao, Huo Yuhao, and w.a.n.g Dong were all astonished.
There were three people in their opponents" camp who were still able to partic.i.p.ate. Ma Rulong, their team leader, was the most powerful one, and was still able to fight. How could they just admit defeat?
w.a.n.g Yan grew solemn and muttered, "Impressive."
Ma Xiaotao frowned and said, "What"s wrong, Teacher w.a.n.g?"
w.a.n.g Yan"s expression was as dark as ever. He lowered his voice and said, "Although they"ve given up on the single-elimination rounds, this is them retreating in order to advance. They"re aware that none of them will be able to defeat you one-on-one, and that, as soul engineers, they"re stronger when they"re together. Thus, the 2-2-3 battle will be more advantageous for them. Furthermore, of the original seven partic.i.p.ating contestants, only three of you are still able to fight. Even though they also only have three contestants left, Meng Hongchen hasn"t lost her ability to fight - she"s simply overly exhausted. She"ll be able to recover, given enough time."