Chapter 186: An Attack Even a Soul Sage Couldn't Block
"Enough of your arrogance!" Davis roared furiously as his fourth spirit ring suddenly blazed to life.
"White Tiger Annihilation!" he shouted, calling out the name of his fourth spirit skill.
Luo Ling had always found it curious—why did soul masters in this world insist on yelling out their skills' names when attacking, as if afraid no one would notice otherwise?
If it was for the sake of momentum, then it was completely unnecessary. True power didn't come from shouting.
As Davis roared, a massive white tiger phantom appeared behind him. The light around his claws turned blindingly sharp, and his talons lengthened menacingly.
Swinging his claws in rapid succession, Davis charged straight toward Luo Ling.
Each swipe released a golden claw-shaped shockwave aimed precisely at Luo Ling's vital points.
In total, nine strikes flashed at him—each one deadly. Davis no longer cared that this was only a tournament; there was only one thought in his mind now—to kill Luo Ling.
But as the nine golden blades streaked toward him, Luo Ling remained calm and unbothered.
"White Tiger Annihilation," he murmured. "Such a grand name for such a shallow attack."
Shaking his head slightly, he vanished from sight, leaving only a faint afterimage in his place.
In the instant he reappeared, his black scythe erupted with surging waves of dark, malevolent energy, transforming into a gigantic spectral scythe that descended toward Davis.
Amid that hellish aura, Luo Ling resembled a demon god emerging from the depths of the abyss. The arena floor—said to withstand even Soul Emperor attacks—shattered under the oppressive force.
The nine golden blades simply sank into the darkness, swallowed whole without a trace.
Davis's eyes widened first in astonishment, then in sheer despair.
Zhu Zhuyun's expression turned frantic. She sprinted to Davis's side, calling out, "Davis! Our Fusion Technique—now!"
Her voice snapped him from his daze, but looking at the gigantic black scythe descending upon them, Davis's heart filled with hopelessness.
Even if they completed their Fusion, could they really block that strike?
There was no time left to think. In his moment's hesitation, their opportunity for fusion slipped away.
"Stop!" shouted the Xingluo Royal Academy's team leader from the spectators' area, finally realizing the danger.
He activated his martial spirit instantly, leaping onto the stage.
His martial spirit was a draconic type—his body armored in dense scales. Seven spirit rings flared around him.
The fifth ring shone black, and a beam of dark light surged forth, forming a diamond-patterned shield of dragon scales in front of Davis and Zhu Zhuyun.
The colossal scythe struck it, halting for just a heartbeat.
Taking advantage of that split second, the dragon spirit master dashed forward, his sixth ring igniting.
"Dragon Scale Fortress!" he bellowed.
A circular wall of stone, shaped like dragon scales, burst from the ground to envelop him, Davis, and Zhu Zhuyun within.
Luo Ling's lips curved upward.
He shifted the trajectory of his massive scythe slightly and brought it down along the fortress's side.
Before everyone's stunned eyes, the gigantic, evil scythe sliced cleanly through the Dragon Scale Fortress as if it were tofu—continuing downward without losing momentum.
The arena floor, once strong enough to endure Spirit Emperor attacks, split apart with a deafening crack, dust and fragments erupting skyward.
The entire stadium fell silent.
All members of the Xingluo team stared in horror; two unlucky ones were swept off the platform by the backlash of dark energy.
Even Heaven Dou Royal Academy's members had to steady themselves—had they been standing any closer, the shockwave might have hurled some of them off too.
Swallowing hard, Shi Mo muttered with a wry smile, "At this point, does it even matter whether we're here or not? Brother Luo Ling could finish these matches alone."
Beside him, Oslo blinked, recalling their earlier match against Canghui Academy in the preliminaries.
Back then, Luo Ling had carried them effortlessly as well. Now Oslo finally realized—it wasn't that he or the team had been weak; Luo Ling was simply far too strong.
As the last tendrils of dust faded, the full devastation became clear.
The once-solid arena was now a field of rubble, split by a massive fissure gouged deep into the ground. Just imagining being hit by that strike made every contestant's heart tremble.
Would they have survived such a blow?
The thought crossed every mind in the stadium.
All attention turned to the Xingluo Royal Academy's side.
Within the ruins, Davis and Zhu Zhuyun were both unconscious, while the defensive dragon-type spirit master knelt amidst the debris, pale and stupefied.
A Soul Sage, renowned for his dragon spirit's defense, had failed to block a Soul King's single attack.
A sigh of relief passed through the audience when they realized Davis and Zhu Zhuyun were merely unconscious. The strongest observers had already sensed that Luo Ling had pulled back at the very last moment.
He had deliberately avoided striking them directly.
"During an official match, isn't it against the rules for unrelated people to intervene?" Luo Ling said casually, dismissing his scythe as if nothing had happened.
The dragon spirit master snapped from his stupor, glaring at Luo Ling with fury.
"Do you have any idea what you've done?! That was attempted murder! If I hadn't stepped in, they'd be dead!" he roared.
Luo Ling shrugged. "Don't accuse me unfairly, senior. I avoided you all—I had no intention of killing them."
He smiled faintly and added, "Besides… even if I wanted to, you couldn't have stopped me."
He glanced at the ruined Dragon Scale Fortress, its fragments still scattered across the ground.
The implication was clear—if he hadn't held back, there would be three corpses lying there instead.
Even a defensive Soul Sage couldn't withstand such power.
The dragon martial spirit master faltered, his face paling as he looked at the shattered remains of his barrier.
Only now did he realize the truth—he had brushed shoulders with death itself.
"So, you're their instructor?" Luo Ling said lightly. "Do you still want to fight? Don't worry, I won't kill you—but I can't promise you'll stay unhurt."
His calm tone was somehow even more terrifying.
The three remaining Xingluo members exchanged glances, their faces drained of color.
"We surrender!" they shouted almost in unison.
The dragon spirit master said nothing more; he knew this battle was already meaningless. No one could continue after witnessing such overwhelming might.
(END CHAPTER)
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