Chapter 172: Chapter 173 – The Battle Begins
The atmosphere atop the tournament stage was so tense it felt as if the very air could ignite.
At that moment, Dou Ling Academy’s defensive battle soul master, Chi Hengyu, suddenly surged with power. His aura erupted like a volcano on the verge of explosion as he released his colossal Vajra Shield martial spirit, stunning the entire arena.
The shield’s design was unique and imposing—its upper half a perfectly rectangular block radiating steadiness and strength, while its lower end tapered into a sharp triangular point, carrying an edge of ferocity.
Towering over two meters in height, the Vajra Shield loomed like a city wall upon the stage. Its width exceeded a meter and a half, a massive barrier that exuded suffocating pressure.
Even though Chi Hengyu’s physique was burly, his muscles knotted like steel and his arms thick with strength, he still needed both hands to firmly grip the handle and tilt the massive shield upward, barely managing to raise it from the ground.
The moment it manifested, determination flashed in his eyes. With a roar, he drove the shield downward with all his might.
Boom!
A heavy crash thundered across the arena, like distant stormclouds splitting the sky. The shield plunged into the hardened stage floor, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the ground and scattering shards of stone into the air.
Immediately after, his fifth soul ring shone brilliantly.
The deep violet ring pulsed with mysterious radiance, and within its glow, a surge of dazzling white light erupted, flooding outward in all directions like a tidal wave.
Under this radiance, the massive Vajra Shield suddenly pulsed as if infused with divine strength, rapidly expanding.
It split into two with a sharp, resonant crack, like ancient war drums being struck. In the next instant, each shield split again—two to four, four to eight—and within mere breaths, a great wall of shields had risen across the arena, like a forest of steel sprouting from the earth.
The shield walls locked seamlessly together, forming a flawless barrier that sealed off all avenues of attack from the front.
Every shield radiated dazzling white light so intense it was painful to gaze upon, while the solidity emanating from them screamed of indestructibility.
Compared to Xu Sanshi’s famed shield wall, Chi Hengyu’s defense was not inferior—in fact, it was even sturdier.
This was his formidable Fifth Soul Skill: Vajra Bastion—a fortress-like wall that guarded Dou Ling Academy’s formation.
But Chi Hengyu was not the only one to unleash a soul skill.
His teammates, coordinating with practiced precision, revealed their strength as well.
The control-type Soul Ancestor, Qing Feng, stood tall in his azure robes, as straight and steady as a pine tree.
Beside him was their support-type Soul Ancestor, Tang Niuniu, a petite girl with the lively charm of a forest sprite.
Her body suddenly shimmered with transformation.
Her ears grew round and furry like those of a small animal, irresistibly adorable. Her frame puffed slightly, her cheeks becoming plump and round like ripe apples, giving her an irresistibly pinch-worthy look.
Pressing her palms together, her third soul ring lit up, glowing gently like the warm sunlight of spring.
A beam of green light shot forth from her hands, striking Qing Feng directly like a ray of focused brilliance.
Her martial spirit was the Raccoon—an exceptionally rare pure support-type beast spirit.
The skill she now used allowed her to amplify and channel her soul power into her teammate’s next soul skill without loss, greatly magnifying its strength in proportion to their relative cultivation.
The closer her cultivation was to her partner’s, the greater the amplification. This made her cooperation with Qing Feng exceptionally flexible, filled with endless tactical possibilities.
Receiving Tang Niuniu’s amplification, Qing Feng’s aura soared. His fourth soul ring blazed to life.
An earthy yellow glow spread slowly from beneath his feet, making the ground tremble faintly as if the land itself were awakening.
Then the entire stage shook violently, like a miniature earthquake.
With a resounding rumble, it was as if thousands of galloping warhorses thundered forward. A massive tidal wave of earth surged forth, a rolling wall of soil crashing toward Shrek Academy’s formation with unstoppable momentum.
The wave loomed high, threatening to bury everything beneath it.
Meanwhile, before Chi Hengyu’s Vajra Bastion, countless sharp earthen spikes thrust upward like claws from the abyss, their points gleaming with menace.
Arranged in perfect formation, the spikes reinforced the heavy shield walls, locking seamlessly into the fortress-like defense.
Together with the Vajra Bastion, they formed an unbreachable bulwark, turning Dou Ling Academy’s front line into an impregnable citadel.
The three Dou Ling soul masters had unleashed their skills simultaneously, layering one defense upon another to create a meticulous network of fortifications.
Their tactics were clear: from the very beginning, they had no intention of going on the offensive.
This closed-off, defensive strategy was not meant to seize the initiative at the start of the battle, but rather to firmly withstand Shrek Academy’s first fierce offensive. Their goal was to buy enough time—time to unleash the trump card they had kept hidden until now.
Facing the surging earthen tide released by Qing Feng, Dou Ling Academy’s control-type Soul Ancestor, Dai Yaoheng showed not a trace of fear. He stood at the very front of Shrek’s formation, like a fearless lion, ready to meet the storm head-on.
Three of his soul rings lit up simultaneously—the first, third, and fifth—exploding with dazzling light.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Body Barrier!"
A layer of white radiance instantly enveloped him like a suit of impenetrable armor, granting him formidable defense.
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
His body swelled, muscles bulging as though inflated with power. His bones crackled loudly, reshaping beneath the strain.
"Fifth Soul Skill: White Tiger Demon God Transformation!"
His muscles surged explosively, every fiber brimming with destructive strength. Just by looking at him, one could sense the terrifying force coiled within his body.
As the three skills stacked upon one another, his aura climbed to its peak. His fur thickened, shining with golden luster, and his eyes blazed like burning flames, exuding a crushing aura of dominance.
At the same time, at the rear of the formation, Gongyang Mo’s Rainbow Dragon martial spirit flared to life.
His spirit shimmered in the sky like a coiling rainbow. His first soul ring gleamed crimson, and a fiery line of energy shot forth, sinking into Dai Yaoheng’s body.
It was as though he had injected him with a powerful stimulant, layering yet another amplification on top of Dai Yaoheng’s already monstrous strength.
With Gongyang Mo’s support, Dai Yaoheng’s level sixty-four soul power erupted with such terrifying intensity that it surpassed even many Soul Sages.
Facing the overwhelming earthen tide, Dai Yaoheng roared like a tiger descending the mountain. His body lunged forward, massive tiger claws raised high, golden light swirling across them, carrying the power to shake heaven and earth.
Then, he struck.
BOOM!
The impact thundered like an exploding bomb. A massive shockwave surged forward like a raging beast, obliterating Qing Feng’s control skill outright.
But the force did not stop there. It barreled onward, wrapped in violent soul power, crashing into Chi Hengyu’s Vajra Bastion with cataclysmic impact.
The shield walls shuddered violently, trembling as though caught in a storm. The outer layer of earthen spikes shattered instantly, pulverized into dust that scattered into the air and vanished.
At that instant, Zhou Sichen’s golden dragon claws lifted. Radiance gleamed from them, brimming with unstoppable might. But he did not attack.
Instead, he reached out, grasped Dai Yaoheng’s massive frame, and with a burst of power, hurled him forward like a living projectile.
Dai Yaoheng’s body shot through the air like a cannonball, whistling as it hurtled toward Chi Hengyu’s shield wall.
Meanwhile, boosted by Gongyang Mo’s speed amplification, Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao had already launched forward like arrows from a bowstring.
As flying-type soul masters, they possessed an innate advantage: the sky itself.
They easily bypassed the towering shield wall, darting over it like nimble birds, diving straight toward Dou Ling Academy’s backline with lethal intent.
Du Busi (Du Busi’s granddaughter, Du Gu Xianmeng), however, did not immediately unleash her infamous Jade Phosphor Five Poisons.
Her expression remained calm, tranquil as still water. Slowly, she drew forth her Jade Phosphor Godbow, its elegant frame glowing faintly green, pulsing with the aura of life and death intertwined.
Her soul rings lit one after another, and with each flare, the bow’s glow intensified. As her power flowed into it, arrows of condensed Jade Phosphor poison gradually took form.
The venom-tipped arrows glimmered with sinister green light, carrying an aura of fatal curse that made the heart quiver.
She nocked the arrows with graceful, fluid motions, yet did not release them. She merely stood there, calm and unhurried, her eyes sharp with cold wisdom, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and deliver a killing blow.
Ling Luochen, by contrast, moved swiftly and decisively.
Clutching her elemental staff, runes glowing across its surface, she extended it lightly. An icy-blue breath of frost spiraled out, like a chill northern wind, and wrapped around each of her advancing teammates.
In an instant, crystalline Ice Armor Rings formed over their bodies, gleaming with frost. These icy armors not only boosted defense but could also resist critical strikes when needed.
Having completed this support, Ling Luochen stood silently, conserving strength.
High above, Gongyang Mo remained motionless, hovering like a radiant star. He observed the battlefield keenly, releasing timely attribute boosts to his teammates when necessary, providing quiet yet immense support.
Zhou Sichen, as captain, remained poised after hurling Dai Yaoheng. He stood elegantly, his posture composed, his soul rings dimmed as though the battle ahead was already within his grasp.
His eyes radiated calm confidence, as if everything was unfolding exactly as he had planned.
When Shrek Academy’s offensive revealed itself to consist of only three Soul Emperors directly attacking, the audience was surprised, but after a moment’s thought, it did not seem unreasonable.
After all, these three were the strongest among Shrek’s roster, and this was the first time in the tournament that any Soul Emperors had even appeared on stage.
For the spectators, it was natural that the strongest would lead the charge to break the enemy’s defenses.
Their anticipation grew as they watched, every gaze fixed on the battlefield, unwilling to miss even a single instant of the clash.
Meanwhile, Dou Ling Academy’s seven members had already drawn mysterious components from their soul tools.
Each piece gleamed with metallic luster, pulsing faintly with stored energy.
Most notable was Gu Zhu Jian, who held in both hands a massive circular metal disk, as wide as a millstone. Intricate runes covered its surface, flashing with a cold brilliance beneath the sun—unmistakably extraordinary.
His teammates moved with practiced coordination, swiftly assembling the parts. Their hands moved with mechanical precision, their eyes filled with steely determination.
It was clear—they were constructing something crucial, utterly focused and ignoring the chaos around them.
Hidden behind Chi Hengyu’s colossal shield wall, Shrek could not see what Dou Ling’s seven were doing.
But the spectators from the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Academy did—and their brows furrowed deeply.
Their gazes locked onto Dou Ling Academy’s seven, eyes filled with doubt and astonishment.
Ma Rulong frowned slightly and muttered, "No wonder they gave up first place in the group stage. With preparations like this... If I’m not mistaken, those components—they’re assembling a scaled-up Thunder Cannon. But how could they possibly have the blueprints for such a weapon?"
His voice was laced with disbelief. He knew well the destructive might of the Thunder Cannon—a weapon powerful enough to shift the tide of battle. If Dou Ling truly assembled an enlarged version, this match would take an extremely dangerous turn.
Xiao Hongchen also frowned, thinking deeply before speaking in a low, grim tone: "If my guess is right, this is a counterfeit copy of Mingdetang’s Thunder Cannon. They don’t have the craftsmanship for the real thing, so they enlarged the design. By making it bigger, they reduced the complexity of the construction. But that’s why they need all seven to operate it."
At his words, Ma Rulong’s eyes lit with both shock and excitement. A thrill ran through his voice as he whispered, "If they actually assemble this oversized Thunder Cannon, its power as a seventh-tier soul tool... even Shrek’s three Soul Emperors may not withstand it!"
His tone was hushed but filled with both tension and anticipation, eager to see how the clash would unfold.
For he knew—the power of a seventh-tier Thunder Cannon was overwhelming, a force capable of obliterating anything in its path in an instant.
Xiao Hongchen nodded slightly, eyes still fixed on the battlefield, his voice low and thoughtful: "But... are those two girls really only Soul Emperors?"
Ma Rulong snorted dismissively. "Even if they were Soul Sages, they only have six rings. Without Spirit Avatar amplification, no Soul Emperor could withstand a Thunder Cannon strike."
To him, even if Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao were truly Soul Sages, without the boost of Martial Spirit True Body, they could not possibly endure the devastating might of a Thunder Cannon.
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