While the Heaven Dou Empire did have several large bandit groups, they were usually quite well-informed. For someone to dare attack a convoy like this—what exactly was their backing? Furthermore, judging by the precision of the falling boulders, this was clearly a pre-planned operation rather than a random encounter.
Because the landslide had been so well-prepared, the Royal Knights gradually began to struggle. Some particularly massive boulders were already crashing into the middle of the convoy.
In moments like these, the true strength of the soul masters was revealed. The elites from the various high-level academies showed no sign of panic. They released their Martial Souls, shielding the Support Type soul masters in the center while the Power Attack and Defense Types took the perimeter. Any flying rocks were instantly shattered by soul skills. Even with such a dense and coordinated barrage, the convoy's pace of withdrawal remained largely unaffected.
Just as it seemed they were about to clear the path between the two hills and the Royal Knights began their rearguard retreat, a piercing whistle rang out from an unknown location. Suddenly, thousands of men in black appeared atop the hills. These black-clad attackers moved with disciplined order, charging down toward the valley at an incredible speed.
With the Royal Knights still in the process of retreating, the soul masters of the fifteen academies could only rely on their own strength for protection. Brilliant lights of various colors erupted as Martial Souls were released and soul rings flared; they were ready for battle. Although there was little to no coordination between the different academies, each school formed its own small, cohesive unit. The appearance of the enemy only served to ignite their fighting spirit. Instead of retreating, they charged forward without needing any formal command.
However, a situation occurred that caught these young soul masters off guard. Just as they thought they could easily crush their opponents, they were dealt a heavy blow. In their eyes, these attackers were mostly ordinary people—even if they had the advantage in numbers, soul masters should have held the absolute advantage in strength.
There were roughly two hundred teachers and students from the fifteen academies, while the "bandits" coming down the mountain numbered around fifteen hundred. Upon contact, these bandits displayed shocking coordination, typically surrounding a single soul master in groups of three or four. Their attacks were simple and efficient, immediately catching the soul masters by surprise. After all, the combat experience of these students was largely based on small-scale duels; this was their first time in a large-scale melee.
Brilliant soul skills began to manifest, but the black-clad men were extremely cunning. Relying on impressive speed and teamwork, they were often able to bypass or withstand ordinary first and second soul skills. Furthermore, there were soul masters hidden among the attackers—at least fifty powerful soul masters above Rank 50 leading the charge.
Whenever a powerful soul skill appeared, these leaders would immediately step up to counter it. With an average of two enemy soul masters assigned to each academy, the "bandits'" pack-wolf tactics proved highly effective, plunging the battlefield into a stalemate.
The appearance of so many powerful soul masters among the "bandits" confirmed the teachers' suspicions; this was a highly organized assassination attempt. After all, a force consisting of fifty Rank 50+ soul masters led by several Soul Saints was not something just any organization could muster. There are only about a hundred thousand soul masters in the world, and those above Rank 50 don't exceed five thousand. While five thousand sounds like a lot, when spread across the entire continent, they are incredibly rare. For a group of "bandits" to possess such a concentration of high-level power was nearly unimaginable.
Currently, the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, the Seven Treasure Academy, and the Skywater Academy have gathered together. Gu Xuan stood protectively in front of the three girls without moving a muscle, as he already knew the true identity of these "bandits."
Gu Xuan had previously wondered if Spirit Hall would actually make a move; now, it seemed his doubts were unnecessary. In this life, Tang San had displayed even greater strength than in the original story; Spirit Hall had no reason to stay their hand. After all, Tang Hao had caused them so much trouble, and knowing Tang San was Tang Hao's son, they naturally wouldn't let him go.
Of course, Gu Xuan didn't let his guard down. What if Spirit Hall's target wasn't just Tang San? What if they were caught in the crossfire? However, to avoid alerting the Titled Douluos who were undoubtedly watching from the shadows, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan refrained from acting. If they fought, they would immediately be exposed. The enemy was here to assassinate geniuses; if they saw two geniuses with ten-thousand-year fourth soul rings, things would get very dangerous very quickly.
To avoid drawing fire to themselves, Gu Xuan and Dugu Yan simply stayed back. After all, Yang Pojun, Ma Bao, Zuo Yan, Shui Bing'er, and Li Li were more than capable of handling these minor attackers. Furthermore, the Seven Treasure Academy had a Soul Douluo in its ranks. Under Gu Xuan's instruction, this Soul Douluo didn't join the fray but stayed silently by the side of Gu Xuan and Ning Rongrong.
In contrast to Gu Xuan's low profile, Tang San of Shrek Academy had already entered a killing frenzy. Blue Silver Grass spread across the ground, lunging at any enemy who drew near. Facing so many opponents for the first time, Tang San felt his blood boiling. His incredible strength was on full display as he used his Binding skill to target his enemies' legs while simultaneously taking command of the Shrek group.
Gu Xuan noticed one specific detail: Shrek Academy was facing significantly more enemies than the other schools...
"String!" Tang San barked. Using the grass to slow his opponents, he didn't rush to attack but instead coordinated his teammates' counter-offensive. Black boxes appeared in the hands of the "Shrek Six Devils." With perfect chemistry, they aimed in different directions and rapidly wound the mechanisms.
Once loaded, Tang San shouted, "Fire!"
Amidst the metallic clangs, six Godly Zhuge Crossbows spat out the breath of the God of Death. With sixteen bolts each—over a hundred in total—they wove a net of lethal energy. Screams rang out as the crossbows, which were lethal enough for low-level soul masters, decimated the ordinary black-clad men. It was a dimensionality reduction strike.
"Stay put and focus on defense," Tang San sneered. After saying this, his body blurred as he shot forward.
While the other academies were busy being besieged, no one noticed his movements. Tang San's arms moved in a rhythmic, illusory blur, and countless shimmering glints flew from his fingertips. In that moment, it looked as if he had eight arms. He was like the "Thousand Hands Asura" born for hidden weapons, continuously delivering death to the enemy.
Once he identified someone as an enemy, he showed no mercy. This was a rule of the Tang Sect General Principles, and Tang San would never forget it. Regardless of who these masked men were, they clearly had no good intentions. Tang San mostly used various throwing needles; their small size made them harder to block and easier to carry. From ordinary refined iron needles to Bone-Piercing Needles, Armor-Breaking Needles, and Overlord Needles, a variety of sizes were unleashed with devastating power.
Purple-gold light flickered in his eyes, his six senses taking in everything within range. Almost every time he moved, someone fell. The hidden weapons stored in his Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges were being consumed at a rapid rate.
It was the first time the Shrek Six Devils had seen Tang San go all out. Even those who knew him best could only see the constant shimmer of light emanating from him. Within a thirty-meter radius, the enemies fell like harvested wheat. Once they went down, they never got back up. In a short time, not only were the low-level bandits near Shrek wiped out, but even some of the surrounding attackers were caught in the crossfire. Tang San's hidden weapons were terrifying—pervasive, silent, and lethal. By the time an opponent realized they were under attack, they had often already been struck by a poisoned needle.
Tang San was currently the center of attention. Gu Xuan couldn't help but smile; he had worried his own actions might expose him, but now, with a "soul-power-attracting magnet" like Tang San around, it was impossible for Spirit Hall not to target him.
Tang San grew increasingly confident. To him, the Blue Silver Grass skills had become purely auxiliary; none of the bandits could even get close. He didn't even see the need to use the Clear Sky Hammer, as the strongest among this mob were only Soul Elders—the Soul Kings and above were all being held back by Flender and the others.
Suddenly, three figures lunged at Tang San simultaneously. As they appeared, Tang San felt his previous sense of fluid momentum vanish. Although these three didn't release their martial souls as they approached, the pressure they exerted was immense.
When they were less than ten meters away, the three released their martial souls and soul rings, their count confirming Tang San's fears. Two yellow, two purple, four black; two yellow, three purple, two black; and three yellow, two purple, two black.
One Soul Douluo and two Soul Saints!
The sudden appearance of three powerhouses made Flender and Liu Erlong's hearts skip a beat. They were currently fighting two Rank 50+ soul masters who were playing extremely slippery. Seeing the three new powerhouses arrive, the two Soul Kings they were fighting immediately turned and fled without the slightest intention of staying.
As the three shadows closed in, the faces of the Shrek group turned grim. A combination of a Soul Douluo, two Soul Saints, and two Soul Kings—they knew exactly how terrifying that force was. If Grandmaster were here, he, Flender, and Liu Erlong could use their Golden Iron Triangle Spirit Fusion Skill to resist. But in their current state, they were outmatched.
Yet, no one could retreat. Counting on others for help was impossible; the other academies were pinned down, and the Royal Knights were blocked by their own mobs. At least in the short term, no one was coming. Furthermore, the other academies were competitors; even if they could break free, they might not necessarily help. A Soul Douluo above Rank 80 was a being nearing the peak of the soul master world. Could they truly fight such an opponent? But even if they couldn't, what choice was there?
Flender and Liu Erlong quickly rushed back to intercept the two Soul Saints. Flender, though a Soul Saint himself, was near Rank 79 and a powerhouse in his own right. He engaged a Winged Tiger Soul Saint in an aerial duel. Liu Erlong's opponent was an Armored Tortoise Soul Saint. One was the ultimate offense, the other the ultimate defense; they were locked in a stalemate. These two masked saints seemed specifically assigned to neutralize Liu Erlong and Flender—while their martial souls might not counter the Shrek pair, they had no trouble delaying them.
The masked Soul Douluo's gaze locked directly onto Tang San, his eyes turning sinister. With a long cry, he took to the air and lunged toward the remaining Shrek students. In his eyes, there was only Tang San.
Golden light erupted from the Soul Douluo. As his arms vibrated in the air, they transformed into a pair of golden wings. A massive golden phantom appeared behind him, and his clothes were replaced by golden feathers as he revealed his true Martial Soul: a Golden Eagle. As the wings formed, his arms separated from them to become sharp eagle claws, his body shrinking and shifting to match the golden eagle phantom.
The faces of the Shrek Six Devils changed. While the aerial pressure wasn't enough to make them collapse, a Soul Douluo attacking a group of Soul Ancestors was a dimensionality reduction strike. Run? How could they run from a flight-capable master? Even with Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausages, it was impossible.
Tang San felt a sense of resignation. These people were clearly targeting him. Was it because of his talent, or the Clear Sky Hammer? He didn't know, but he didn't intend to wait for death. Since no one could save him, they had to save themselves.
(End of Chapter)
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