Wu Feng asked herself hysterically, Is it simply because Huo Yuhao is stronger than me? No! He might not be stronger than I am. Intense envy and the abnormal feelings she harbored towards Ning Tian erupted once more, and the hatred she felt towards Huo Yuhao was elevated to an unprecedented level.
Dai Huabin"s emotions were a lot steadier than hers. From beginning to end, his hatred for Huo Yuhao had never declined. He had been losing to someone ever since he had entered the academy, someone whose cultivation was clearly far inferior to his, and that someone was Huo Yuhao!
From his perspective, Huo Yuhao had taken the glory that should have belonged to him. The Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament"s champions.h.i.+p should have been his. He deeply believed that if he worked hard enough, he would definitely do better than Huo Yuhao, and he should have been the one to join the Shrek"s Seven Monsters.
Dai Yueheng had reminded him more than once that Huo Yuhao was outstanding in many different aspects. However, it was because of this that his stubbornness and dissatisfaction grew even stronger.
He had been cultivating as hard as he could over the past few years. All he wanted to do was have another battle with Huo Yuhao, and use the outcome to prove that he was stronger than Huo Yuhao was. However, Huo Yuhao had been gone from the academy for over two years, and only just returned several days ago. He had waited for this day for too long!
When Huo Yuhao confessed to w.a.n.g Dong, Dai Huabin was unnaturally calm. Why? He was laughing coldly inside! A confession was good, because that meant Huo Yuhao cared for this unbridled and arrogant girl with the number two tag. That meant defeating Huo Yuhao during the Sea G.o.d"s Fate was the best choice, as this would greatly humiliate him even if it wouldn"t break his spirit. It was equivalent to him stealing Huo Yuhao"s girlfriend!
A peculiar excitement appeared in Dai Huabin when these thoughts surfaced in his head. He really wanted Huo Yuhao"s feelings for the girl with the number two tag to become even deeper. That way, Huo Yuhao would definitely feel a lot more pain and agony when his girl was stolen.
Huo Yuhao finally reoriented himself, and he grasped w.a.n.g Dong"s hands tightly. He lowered his voice and said, "Let"s begin. On the lake?"
Zhang Lexuan"s voice echoed from a distance. "The Bride Kidnapping doesn"t have to happen on the lake"s surface. There are fewer people on your team, Yuhao, so you guys can choose the location for your battle."
Huo Yuhao shook his head and said, "There"s no need, let"s just do it on the Sea G.o.d"s Lake. The Sea G.o.d"s Fate has fulfilled the two of us, and I hope this romantic and fateful meeting to be as perfect as it can be." His answer was calm, but the five people standing before him suddenly felt very different at this moment.
Huo Yuhao"s aura seemed to transform, and rise rapidly. This wasn"t because of his soul power. It was an imposing demeanor that was hard to describe. It was vast and broad, and even though it wasn"t that sharp, it brought immensely powerful pressure.
Ning Tian"s face changed. She knew that she had underestimated Huo Yuhao in the end. However, they were two against five. Did the two of them really have the confidence to defeat five people who were similar in cultivation? She was sure now that Huo Yuhao definitely knew the girl with the number two tag.
Huo Yuhao held w.a.n.g Dong"er"s hand with his right hand, and a faint smile appeared on his face. He tapped softly on the water lily with the tip of his foot, and propelled both w.a.n.g Dong"er and himself into the air. His movements weren"t fast, but there was an unnatural harmony within his movements, even as a layer of light gradually s.h.i.+mmered into view about him.
The little Snow Lady on his shoulder flew out with a whoosh, hovering above his head.
"Dong"er... should I call you that?" Huo Yuhao whispered.
"Yes," w.a.n.g Dong"er answered softly. She was full of sweetness and warmth in her heart, but she was still as shy and bashful as ever. In the end, the two of them had been calling each other "brothers" for so many years, and she wasn"t very used to the sudden change in how they addressed each other. This still required a process no matter how willing she was in her heart.
"We will definitely win. Help me fly." Huo Yuhao moved in front of her as he spoke.
w.a.n.g Dong"er hugged him across the waist, and the Radiant b.u.t.terfly G.o.ddess" wings extended out to either side of them. They dipped slightly before flying forwards in the air.
Dai Huabin and his impromptu began to move at the same time.
Ning Tian asked Ling Luochen, "Senior sister, can you control how high they can fly?"
Ling Luochen shot a cold look at her and said, "Do you really think Huo Yuhao is going to use his advantage in flight to fight us? He won"t. What you guys should watch out for are his powerful offensive and control abilities. Let"s go." She took point as she spoke and stepped lightly on the water"s surface. Every step became a patch of thin ice as she pursued Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong. Intense cold began to spread from her body.
Ning Tian frowned. During her time in the outer courtyard, she had always been the absolute leader of her cla.s.s, and she had always been the brains. Ling Luochen refused to listen to her, and this made her a little uncomfortable. However, she had to win today"s battle. From her perspective, she had to cleanse the humiliation that Huo Yuhao had given her. No matter how displeased she was with Ling Luochen, she still released her martial soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed PaG.o.da, as soon as possible. The soul tool shaped like a shuttle beneath her feet rotated, and she received a rapid speed boost as she followed behind Ling Luochen.
Wu Feng was very tight with Ning Tian, and she was also in the same cla.s.s as Xie Huanyue and Dai Huabin. They had cooperated together many times, and the four of them naturally had a lot more chemistry when they moved together.
"Senior sister, give us a place to stand," Ning Tian growled softly.
Fighting on the lake"s surface wasn"t their forte. In the end, not a single one of them had seven rings, and none of them had martial souls that could fly. They could float on the water"s surface for a short period of time, but they would never have the same convenience as Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong"s b.u.t.terfly wings if they had to spend a prolonged time above the water"s surface.
Ling Luochen grunted coldly and replied, "Do I need you to teach me?"
The six soul rings on her body rose as she spoke, and a dense chill immediately caused the air temperature to plummet.
A long and slender Ice Staff took form in her hands. Her forward momentum paused in the very center between the camps of the men and women.
Intense chill permeated out from beneath Ling Luochen"s feet in all directions. Large patches of tough ice could be seen condensing below her, spreading far into the distance.
She didn"t use any other soul skills besides her Icy Staff, and she relied on her control of her own ice element to accomplish all this.
Ning Tian was still astonished, even though Ling Luochen had just rebuffed her. She knew that Ling Luochen was part of the team that had brought home the champions.h.i.+p in the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament. However, she only understood that everyone with a reputation in Shrek actually had substance when she saw this display of power with her own eyes. Ling Luochen had deep and dense soul power, and along with her manipulation of her element, these were traits that the other four of them just couldn"t match up to.
However, the four of them also showed the qualities that had allowed them to enter the inner courtyard.
Ning Tian landed her shuttle-type soul tool behind Ling Luochen. Dai Huabin, Xie Huanyue, and Wu Feng all went forward and formed a row in front of Ling Luochen. Dai Huabin was in the center, while Wu Feng and Xie Huanyue stood at his sides. Everyone released their martial souls. The five of them formed a mini battle team that consisted of two a.s.sault-type, one defense-type, one control-type, and one auxiliary-type soul master.
Except for the fact that they didn"t have an agility-type soul master that was adept in speed, this impromptu soul master combination could be considered as perfect as it could be. This was especially true since their main control-type soul master was extremely formidable, while their auxiliary-type soul master possessed the Seven Treasures Glazed PaG.o.da.
Ning Tian"s Seven Treasures Glazed PaG.o.da began to take effect at the first possible moment. A single streak of soul power was attached to Ling Luochen"s body, which greatly sped up the freezing process. Four different amplifications - speed, power, strength, and defense - were unleashed, and were added to the other three people. Colorful hues waltzed through the sky as an aura where five seemed to integrate as one began to permeate their surroundings.
Just as Ling Luochen had said, Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong didn"t fly high into the sky. They stopped at a distance of about one hundred meters away. They didn"t launch an attack, and were just waiting in silence.
Huo Yuhao watched as Ling Luochen"s frozen area of effect reached a diameter of one hundred meters. Huo Yuhao"s voice could be heard from a distance away as he said, "Are you guys ready?"
It was a simple question, but it was filled with immense self-confidence, and it was clear that his tone implied. We won"t attack because we"re waiting for you to get ready. I"ll come when you are.
Dai Huabin roared angrily, "Huo Yuhao! You will have a showdown with me, face-to-face, if you"re a man!"
Huo Yuhao laughed coldly and retorted, "Have you ever won?"
Dai Huabin couldn"t take it anymore, and he released a deafening tiger roar into the sky as he unleashed his soul skills.
His frame began to swell, and radiant white light emerged from within his body. His body enlarged to more than two meters tall in a flash, his tightly bulging muscles were covered with a layer of white fur. The black patterns along his body were charged with a fearsome aura as
his first, second, and third soul skills — White Tiger"s s.h.i.+eld, White Tiger"s Vajra Transformation, and White Tiger"s DevilG.o.d Transformation — were used at the same time. With Ning Tian"s Seven Treasures Glazed PaG.o.da amplifying him at the same time, he gave off a ferocious, formidable, and intimidating aura that flowed outwards.
Huo Yuhao and w.a.n.g Dong"er made their move. The wings behind w.a.n.g Dong"er"s back fluttered, and she carried Huo Yuhao through the air as they descended and drifted to the other end of the icy surface. They held hands as they stepped forward side by side. They didn"t accelerate, and they didn"t charge forward, they were just sauntering along the surface of the ice.
The tiny Snow Lady hovered beside Huo Yuhao, and her orange-golden l.u.s.ter became increasingly obvious. Right at that moment, a strange thing occurred on Huo Yuhao"s body.