Hu Yanzhen could no longer describe his feelings as mere surprise. Who was he? Hu Yanzhen, the Celestial Elephant! After activating his martial soul, he became a small giant over three meters tall, possessing strength comparable to a ten-thousand-year soul beast. Yet he still could not defeat Wang Li.
"Ha!"
Hu Yanzhen broke free and began attacking with both arms, throwing punch after punch. Each strike carried fierce wind as his fists slammed heavily toward Wang Li.
Wang Li inwardly welcomed the attack. He spread his legs slightly into a horse stance. With alternating movements of his hands, he deflected Hu Yanzhen's attacks effortlessly.
The terrifying force was transmitted into his body. Part of it he redirected into the ground, and part he endured himself. But with the strength of his body, it caused him no pressure at all.
His long hair fluttered in the wind, his eyes flashed like lightning, and golden light flowed throughout his body. Wang Li's expression remained completely calm.
Hu Yanzhen's bell-like eyes widened. A trace of ferocity flashed in them. He drove force through his legs, from legs to waist, from waist to arm, concentrating all his power into his right arm. This punch was absolutely his strongest attack without using a soul skill.
Bang!
Wang Li received the attack but was pushed back two steps by the impact. He shook his hand, quickly recovering, and said with a light smile:
"Sect Master Hu Yan, that was powerful. Come again!"
Outside the fighting arena, everyone from the Elephant Armored Sect,from elders to disciples,was stunned.
Their sect master Hu Yanzhen, an eight-ring Soul Douluo, had his power attacks easily blocked by Wang Li, who was only a six-ring Soul Emperor.
Only Dugu Yan, holding Wang Li's cloak in her arms, wore a smile. Her eyes sparkled with excitement. She knew Wang Li's true level was actually a seven-ring Soul Saint. For a Soul Saint to fight a Soul Douluo without falling behind was already extremely rare on the continent.
Hu Yanzhen breathed heavily, not from exhaustion but from anger. His lips twitched as he said in a deep voice:
"Good boy, you've got some guts…"
"Second Soul Skill: Mammoth Strength!"
His second yellow soul ring suddenly lit up. Hu Yanzhen's arms were covered with a layer of earthy yellow light and rapidly expanded, giving a pure sense of overwhelming power.
He stepped forward and rushed toward Wang Li, gathering strength in his right arm before smashing it down. The momentum was like a heavily armored tank charging at full speed.
Wang Li still chose to receive it head-on. He raised both hands to block.
Boom!
The sleeves on his arms burst apart instantly. His arms trembled, and his body was sent flying backward.
After being knocked back about seven or eight steps, Wang Li forcefully twisted his body and landed steadily on the ground. His blood and energy were slightly shaken but quickly stabilized.
"Fall down!"
Hu Yanzhen charged again. His arms were like giant hammers smashing down repeatedly, clearly determined not to stop until Wang Li was crushed.
Although Wang Li was tall, he looked somewhat slender compared to Hu Yanzhen, as if a mantis were trying to stop a chariot. Yet under Hu Yanzhen's violent attacks, Wang Li remained incredibly resilient. His bones crackled loudly, but his posture stayed upright.
At that moment, a strange magnetic field seemed to form between the two of them. The force and energy generated by their battle were being absorbed in a mysterious way by an unseen presence.
Hu Yanzhen did not notice it, and neither did Wang Li. Wang Li only saw his experience bar skyrocketing, which was the reason he enjoyed fighting.
However, this was still Hu Yanzhen's most violent assault, and Wang Li did not feel entirely comfortable. So he used his second soul skill. A vast surge of life energy filled his body, pushing his physical functions beyond their limits and resisting all negative states.
Now Wang Li no longer worried. Facing Hu Yanzhen's furious attacks, he answered punch with punch and kick with kick. The force of their blows caused the air to explode with loud cracks. The granite arena beneath them, which could withstand the power of a Soul Emperor, began to fracture under their battle.
"Ahhh! You brat,take my Death Crush!"
Hu Yanzhen roared deeply. It wasn't that he lacked patience, but the current situation drove him nearly insane.
He was a Soul Douluo, a powerhouse whose strength and defense rivaled that of a Title Douluo, yet he could not defeat a mere Soul Emperor.
His third soul ring,the purple one,lit up brightly. Hu Yanzhen's entire body was covered with a deep yellow glow, like a mountain of flesh pressing forward.
Wang Li rapidly retreated and simultaneously used his first soul skill. Blue Silver Grass surged wildly with the wind. The flexible vines helped him resist the crushing attack.
Soon the Blue Silver Grass spread across the entire arena and continued growing outward. The elders and disciples were forced to retreat repeatedly. In a short time, an area of nearly a thousand square meters was filled with Blue Silver Grass.
"What is this?"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"Blue Silver Grass,why is it everywhere?"
…
Hu Yanzhen climbed to his feet, staring around in confusion. In the blink of an eye, their arena had become completely covered with Blue Silver Grass.
At that moment Wang Li laughed loudly.
"Sect Master Hu Yan, let's continue. But this time, it's my turn to attack!"
He lifted a hand. Hundreds of thick Blue Silver vines, as large as giant pythons, raised their heads. With a slight movement of his finger, they attacked Hu Yanzhen from all directions.
The air filled with whistling sounds. Hu Yanzhen was shocked and quickly used his first soul skill:
"Bronze Wall Iron Barrier!"
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Hundreds of vines lashed against Hu Yanzhen's body. He had no way to block them and could only endure the blows.
Hu Yanzhen felt so frustrated he almost spat blood. Unable to bear it any longer, he gathered his soul power and directly used his sixth soul skill. His black soul ring shone brilliantly, accompanied by the roar of a Diamond Mammoth.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Ancient Heaven-Shattering Tremor!"
Hu Yanzhen's aura surged. The surrounding Blue Silver vines were blasted away instantly. Behind him appeared the phantom of a giant Diamond Mammoth. He stomped heavily on the ground, and the phantom mammoth did the same.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth shook violently. Terrifying shockwaves spread outward, destroying everything within fifty meters, including the ground and the Blue Silver Grass.
It was a powerful ten-thousand-year soul skill. However, Wang Li's first soul skill was a fifty-thousand-year skill. The Blue Silver Grass grew faster than Hu Yanzhen could destroy it.
Wang Li clapped his hands and praised:
"As expected of Sect Master Hu Yan. The Diamond Mammoth's power and defense are astonishing. But I also have power and armor-piercing methods. Third Soul Skill: Frenzied Dance."
The Blue Silver vines, enhanced in all attributes, gained not only strength and speed but also increased armor and armor-piercing abilities. Their penetrating attacks were especially effective against tough defensive martial souls.
With a thought from Wang Li, the vines in Frenzied Dance state surged toward Hu Yanzhen again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Hu Yanzhen's eyes widened. His blood churned violently as pain surged from his internal organs. The power of the vines was penetrating directly into his body.
"Pfft!"
Hu Yanzhen spat out blood. His defense,the mighty defense of the Diamond Mammoth,was completely useless.
The Blue Silver vines, glowing with metallic luster, each carried tremendous force. They struck Hu Yanzhen repeatedly, forcing him backward. Confusion filled his eyes.
The pain in his body could not compare to the anguish in his heart. He shouted in grief and rage:
"Ahhh! Seventh Soul Skill: Mammoth True Body!"
Roar!
The phantom of a Diamond Mammoth appeared behind him once more and roared toward the sky before merging into Hu Yanzhen's body. His body began to swell, as if he truly transformed into a Diamond Mammoth. A wild, tyrannical, primal aura spread in all directions.
Seeing Hu Yanzhen in this state, Wang Li recalled the original story. This was the same powerful defense that once dared to block the divine weapon Poseidon Trident with his body.
In fact, even the Poseidon Trident had not completely broken his defense. If Hu Yanzhen had not foolishly tried to block it with his head, the trident might not have killed him in a single strike.
For Wang Li, there were many ways to defeat Hu Yanzhen. But ending the fight too quickly would be boring. With a wave of his hand, countless Blue Silver vines surged toward the Diamond Mammoth.
With the support of his first soul skill Growth and third soul skill Frenzied Dance,both fifty-thousand-year soul skills,the Blue Silver Grass could gradually grind down any enemy.
After using his Martial Soul True Body, Hu Yanzhen's power and defense reached their peak. He destroyed the Blue Silver Grass wildly and tried to capture Wang Li's real body.
But his destruction could not keep up with the grass's growth. Trapped in endless vines, he was struck again and again in agony.
"Roar! Come out! Fight me again!"
Hu Yanzhen roared in pain.
"Eighth Soul Skill: Endless Diamonds!"
The Diamond Mammoth stomped the ground and opened its huge mouth, spraying countless diamond blades that cleared a temporary passage. But the Blue Silver Grass grew rapidly again and quickly filled the gap.
For half an hour the Diamond Mammoth struggled. After exhausting all his soul power, Hu Yanzhen withdrew from the Martial Soul True Body state. Under the constant whipping of the vines, his internal organs suffered severe injuries. Blood poured uncontrollably from his mouth.
He could no longer even maintain his Martial Soul Possession. His massive body, like a mountain of flesh, finally collapsed and could not stand again.
At that moment all the Blue Silver Grass parted to the sides, as if welcoming their king. Wang Li then walked forward step by step until he reached Hu Yanzhen.
He was very pleased. A single fierce battle had given him eighty thousand experience. If he could fight like this four or five more times, he could upgrade his first five soul rings into one-hundred-thousand-year rings.
Looking at Hu Yanzhen, who was spitting blood with dull, lifeless eyes, Wang Li said:
"Sect Master Hu Yan, that was a great fight. Let me heal you first. When we have time, we can fight again."
He waved his hand. Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Hu Yanzhen's body.
"Second Soul Skill: Revival."
Blue energy flowed into Hu Yanzhen's body. He discovered that the injuries to his internal organs were rapidly healing.
In less than three minutes, Hu Yanzhen could stand again. Wang Li stopped the skill and said with a smile:
"Sect Master Hu Yan, how about resting a bit and then fighting another round?"
Hearing this, Hu Yanzhen took several frightened steps back and looked at Wang Li with a complicated expression. He truly could not understand how this young man had trained.
After a long hesitation, he finally asked in a deep voice:
"I only want to ask one thing. Why did you come here? Defeating me and using the Elephant Armored Sect to establish your reputation,is that Poison Douluo's idea or the Heaven Dou Empire's?"
Wang Li was slightly stunned. He had not expected Hu Yanzhen to think so much. Then he smiled lightly and said:
"Sect Master Hu Yan, you misunderstand. I came to the Elephant Armored Sect without anyone's orders. I simply want to challenge powerful fighters everywhere. Your sect is only my first stop."
Hu Yanzhen stood there in a daze. He had been utterly defeated simply because Wang Li wanted to challenge strong opponents.
Thinking of this, he asked bitterly:
"You're really only a Soul Emperor?"
Wang Li calmly replied:
"Yes, a Soul Emperor."
Hu Yanzhen seemed to age more than ten years instantly. Then he asked again:
"Just Blue Silver Grass as your martial soul?"
Wang Li corrected him firmly:
"It's a mutated Blue Silver Grass martial soul. Ordinary Blue Silver Grass is difficult even to cultivate."
Hu Yanzhen fell silent. Blue Silver Grass, mutated Blue Silver Grass,how big could the difference be? One of the most famous useless martial souls on the continent had produced a monster like Wang Li.
Then he continued:
"You plan to challenge other powerful fighters? Other Soul Douluo on the continent?"
Wang Li nodded.
"That's right. I want to experience intense battles. Sect Master Hu Yan, how about another fight?"
Hu Yanzhen shivered slightly. A smile appeared on his face. His defeat was shameful, but if everyone else also lost, no one could mock anyone.
He shook his head.
"I'm old. Even if you healed my injuries, after such a battle I would need several months to recover fully. There are many powerful figures on the continent."
"Within the Heaven Dou Empire, the other Four Element Academies have powerful principals. The kingdoms and duchies have Dragon Duke and Snake Grandmother. In the Star Luo Empire there are the White Dragon Sect, Wind Sword Sect, and Fire Leopard Sect. Go challenge them. I truly can't fight anymore."
Wang Li realized Hu Yanzhen had no intention of fighting again. He did not want to force him and turn them into mortal enemies. Besides, Hu Yanzhen was right,there were many other opponents.
After gaining eighty thousand experience, the trip had already been worthwhile.
With some regret, he said:
"In that case, it's a pity, but thank you for your guidance, Sect Master Hu Yan."
With a wave of his hand, all the Blue Silver Grass withdrew. The arena, now full of cracks and pits, would have to be repaired by the Elephant Armored Sect themselves.
The elders, disciples, and Dugu Yan finally approached again.
Wang Li tore off his tattered training clothes, revealing his well-built upper body. He took new clothes from his storage soul tool and put them on.
Dugu Yan walked over excitedly and handed him his cloak. Wang Li took it and put it back on.
Looking again at Hu Yanzhen, he cupped his hands and said with a smile:
"Sect Master Hu Yan, we will take our leave now."
After speaking, he took Dugu Yan's hand and the two walked down the mountain.
Beside Hu Yanzhen, an elder said fiercely:
"Sect Master, this is a great humiliation. Should we…"
He did not finish the sentence but made a throat-cutting gesture.
Hu Yanzhen looked at Wang Li and Dugu Yan's departing figures and shook his head calmly.
"I couldn't beat him. Do you think you could? The sky of the Douluo Continent is truly about to change. A Soul Emperor,a mere Soul Emperor,defeated me."
"Perhaps I really am old. The sect master of one of the lower four of the Seven Great Sects cannot defeat a young junior. Even Poison Douluo might not be able to suppress me head-on, yet his grandson-in-law left me helpless."
"That endless Blue Silver forest… it can't be broken through. It simply can't be broken through."
If you want to read 40 advanced chapters and 3 new chapters daily, please subscribe to my : patreon.com/Moorowkeel