Under the restriction of Long Jiaojiao's two soul skills, Dugu Yan's poison mist found it impossible to advance even an inch. Simultaneously, the other two Power Attack Type soul masters of the Mad Rhino Team sprang into action. They didn't move to support Kuang Xi, Tie Chui, or Tie Ban; instead, they charged directly at the Emperor Team's formation.
Because the poison mist was being continuously pushed back by the powerful gale, the two didn't have to worry about being poisoned. They aimed to strike the formation head-on and shatter the Emperor Team's offensive rhythm.
However, just as they rushed forward, the two yellow soul rings on the bodies of Shi Mo and Shi Mo lit up instantly. Two massive, dark-green shields flew toward their faces at a speed no slower than that of an Agility Attack Type soul master.
The flying shields were spinning at high speeds, and the sheer destructive force granted by that rotation was not to be underestimated.
The two Power Attack soul masters possessed the Giant-Pawed Tiger Martial Soul, and their soul power had reached Rank 38. Shi Mo and Shi Mo were at Rank 37 and Rank 36, respectively; though their soul power levels were slightly inferior, their mastery over the flying shields made it difficult for the two tigers to advance.
The flying shields seemed to have eyes of their own, locking onto them and launching intermittent strikes. While the Giant-Pawed Tiger provided great offensive power and decent defense, taking a direct hit from those heavy, rotating shields without guarding would be disastrous. Forced to attack while defending against the persistent shields, the two found themselves in a troublesome predicament.
Osler and the opponent's Agility Attack soul master were also locked in combat. Both sought to ambush the other's Support Type soul master, but since their soul power was roughly equal, neither could gain the upper hand, resulting in a stalemate.
Dugu Yan watched her poison mist being blown back, but she wasn't worried in the least. Gu Xuan had already anticipated this scenario when arranging their tactics.
Moreover, the opponent had to continuously release strong winds to prevent the poison from spreading. No matter how one looked at it, the opponent's soul power consumption was several times higher than her own. Furthermore, the Mad Rhino Team's Support Type was only Rank 35, while Dugu Yan was Rank 38.
Dugu Yan only needed to use her poison mist to pin down Long Jiaojiao, preventing her from supporting the rest of her team. Gu Xuan had already planned everything out.
On the Spirit Fighting Arena, the two teams appeared to be in a balanced tug-of-war, with neither side able to take down their opponents quickly. For a moment, the scene reached a peaceful equilibrium.
However, this balance was shattered almost immediately, and the one responsible was, naturally, Gu Xuan.
Though he faced two Defense Type soul masters, their soul power was only at Rank 36. Even as pure Defense Types, they were utterly incapable of suppressing Gu Xuan.
Gu Xuan had already activated his first and second soul skills. His first skill increased all attributes by 20%, while his second increased his attack and strength by 100%. Under the influence of his second skill, every one of his strikes carried a "piercing" property.
Even if the opponents maintained a constant defense, Gu Xuan only needed to strike a single point repeatedly to shatter the whole surface.
Furthermore, Gu Xuan was bolstered by Dugu Yan's Red Jaded Scale Poison and Blue Jaded Scale Poison, granting him a 30% increase in attack and speed, along with a 50% defense boost and pain neutralization.
Under Gu Xuan's ferocious assault, a crack actually appeared on Tie Chui's Ironclad Shield. Then, with a forceful strike from Gu Xuan, the shield shattered with a booming explosion.
Because his Martial Soul had shattered, Tie Chui sprayed out a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness instantly. As the shield broke, Gu Xuan's bone claw slammed into his chest. The terrifying strength combined with the backlash of the shattered Martial Soul caused Tie Chui to collapse.
This was only because Gu Xuan had held back. After all, his bone claws were lethal weapons; if he hadn't changed his strike from a stab to a palm-slap at the last second, the defenseless Tie Chui might have had his chest pierced through.
Had he suffered such a heavy injury, the boy might not have been savable, and it wouldn't be as simple as just falling unconscious.
As Tie Chui hit the ground, Tie Ban let out a furious roar. "Brother!"
Tie Chui and Tie Ban were biological brothers. Throughout the fight, Tie Chui had repeatedly blocked Gu Xuan's attacks on Tie Ban's behalf. Seeing his brother heavily injured and unconscious, Tie Ban was consumed by anxiety and rage.
None of the combatants had time to wonder how Gu Xuan had shattered Tie Chui's defense. After all, Tie Chui was a pure Defense Type Soul Elder with three defensive soul skills; logically, his Rank 36 strength should have been enough to withstand most attacks from soul masters below Rank 40.
Yet, he had been defeated by Gu Xuan in just a few minutes.
"Bastard!" Tie Ban roared, charging directly at Gu Xuan with his shield raised.
Gu Xuan smiled. Previously, under Long Jiaojiao's speed buff, it was difficult to lock onto them because they would dodge while defending.
Now that Tie Ban was attacking blindly, Gu Xuan stood his ground. When Tie Ban was less than thirty centimeters away, the third purple soul ring on Gu Xuan's body flared to life.
"Third Soul Skill: Bone Dragon Purgatory!"
As the skill was activated, bone swords erupted from the ground, knocking Tie Ban backward. Tie Ban raised his shield in a desperate defense, but the protruding bone swords were incredibly hard and exceptionally sharp.
Tie Ban only lasted five seconds before his defense was breached, and he slumped over, fainting on the spot.
Having dealt with the two Defense Type soul masters in quick succession, Gu Xuan turned his gaze toward Long Jiaojiao. This girl was their biggest problem; as long as she was dealt with and Dugu Yan's poison swept in, victory was essentially guaranteed.
Stepping over the protruding bone swords, Gu Xuan reached Long Jiaojiao in a few strides. Long Jiaojiao's face paled in horror, and the rest of the Mad Rhino Team finally realized what was happening on Gu Xuan's side.
When he saw Tie Chui and Tie Ban fall, Kuang Xi's eyes nearly split with rage. He never imagined that before he could take down Yu Tianheng, Gu Xuan would have already defeated two Defense Type Soul Elders.
Gu Xuan was only Rank 33! What kind of monster was he? He truly was the man capable of defeating the Rank 40 Feng Xiaotian!
"Jiaojiao!" the others screamed.
Long Jiaojiao instantly lit up her third purple soul ring, attempting to block Gu Xuan's advance.
"Third Soul Skill: Storm Blade!"
From the bloom of her Storm Flower, a three-edged greatsword with a diameter of one meter materialized and shot toward Gu Xuan with incredible speed.
Gu Xuan was inwardly surprised. 'She actually has an offensive skill?'
Support, control, and offense—one had to admit that the Storm Flower was not a weak Martial Soul. While none of these three traits were outstanding individually at her level, their combination was unique.
However, her third soul skill's attack power was not strong enough for Gu Xuan. His right bone claw quietly transformed into five talons—the external soul bone, Darkgold Terrorclaw.
As he charged toward Long Jiaojiao, a swipe of his right hand split her third soul skill into six pieces, effortlessly neutralizing it.
The reason Gu Xuan had been able to shatter Tie Chui's Martial Soul so quickly earlier was also because he had secretly used the external soul bone, allowing him to erupt with such terrifying attack power.
Naturally, others couldn't tell the difference; his second soul skill also involved the bone claws, and the color of the Darkgold Terrorclaw was nearly identical once they turned dark-gold.
Having easily dealt with her skill, Gu Xuan reached Long Jiaojiao and shot out his left hand, gripping her throat. With just a slight application of force, he could snap the young beauty's neck.
With Long Jiaojiao restrained, she could no longer maintain her second soul skill. The gale subsided instantly, and Dugu Yan increased her soul power output. The poison mist surged forward once again.
Gu Xuan's grayish-black eyes stared at Long Jiaojiao as his calm voice rang out. "You no longer have a chance."
Kuang Xi felt a sudden wave of discouragement. He had wanted to turn back to help, but Yu Tianheng had him pinned down, just as Osler had pinned down their Agility Attack user. They simply couldn't break away.
Despite all their calculations, they hadn't expected Gu Xuan's strength to be so terrifying—able to defeat both Tie Chui and Tie Ban in such a short time.
Kuang Xi slammed his fist into the ground. Looking at the encroaching poison mist and Long Jiaojiao held in Gu Xuan's grasp, he sighed and said slowly, "The Mad Rhino Team... surrenders!"
As Kuang Xi admitted defeat, the commentator's voice rang out excitedly. "Emperor Team versus Mad Rhino Team—the Emperor Team wins!"
(End of Chapter)
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