Chapter 237: The Legend! One Against Fourteen! [Conclusion]
With the mournful cry of a phoenix, Ma Hongjun's wings shattered, and he crashed to the ground below the stage.
"Fatty! Are you alright?"
Dai Mubai hurried over, helping Ma Hongjun up with a look of concern.
Ma Hongjun's chubby body trembled, and a look of fear flashed in his eyes as he took deep, shaky breaths. Hearing Dai Mubai's question, he shook his head weakly. The match just now had crushed his confidence, and now, just seeing Dai Yao sent shivers down his spine.
Dai Mubai sighed in relief. Ma Hongjun was Shrek's strongest individual attacker, crucial to their strategy for the team competition. If he were seriously injured, it would be a severe blow. Glancing back toward the stage, where Dai Yao stood with a calm and unwavering expression, Dai Mubai felt a chill run down his spine.
So far, Dai Yao had taken down nine opponents, showcasing only a few self-created techniques. It was like seeing only the tip of an iceberg—no one knew just how much lay hidden beneath the surface.
While Oakland's team cheered with excitement, a heavy atmosphere hung over the Shrek and Spirit Hall teams, their faces etched with tension and worry. Tang San clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles pale. His violet-hued eyes locked onto Dai Yao, filled with resentment and frustration.
Oakland's clean sweep of nine opponents meant that only Spirit Hall's Golden Generation remained to compete. Shrek's chances of winning had all but vanished.
"Tang San, I know how frustrated you must feel," Yu Xiaogang said, resting a hand on Tang San's shoulder. "But there's nothing we can do; it's impossible for us to win this individual match."
"I understand, Teacher." Tang San wasn't one to act on impulse, but he couldn't suppress his discontent.
Seeing that Tang San had calmed down, Yu Xiaogang let out a deep sigh.
"Our only option now is to look ahead and focus on the team competition this afternoon. For now, let's concentrate on draining their soul power as much as possible. Any advantage we can gain will be crucial."
Tang San considered this with a determined look. He knew Yu Xiaogang was right. He gave a firm nod, then relayed this strategy to Dai Mubai as he helped Ma Hongjun off the stage.
"Next!"
After defeating Ma Hongjun, Dai Yao's gaze shifted toward the Spirit Hall team as he calmly called out his challenge.
The repeated "next" echoed from Dai Yao as if he weren't facing the continent's top young soul masters, but rather a line of nobodies. His confidence sparked an intense reaction.
Yan, one of the strongest of his generation, naturally had his pride. While he couldn't deny his admiration for Dai Yao's incredible strength—his own level at Dai Yao's age had been nowhere close—he couldn't tolerate the notion that a soul master raised outside of Spirit Hall could decimate their carefully trained elite. It would be a humiliation to Spirit Hall, which stood as a sanctuary for all soul masters.
When he heard Dai Yao's challenge once again, Yan couldn't contain his fury. With a powerful leap, he landed on the stage with a thunderous impact, his soul power surging. His entry alone sent a shockwave across the arena, scattering dust and filling the air with a suffocating heat.
As the dust settled, Yan straightened up, his fiery red eyes blazing as they locked onto Dai Yao.
"You're strong, Dai Yao. But this is where it ends for you!"
"That depends on whether you're strong enough," Dai Yao replied without flinching.
"A powerful aura. Far beyond Sun Chuantao," Dai Yao thought as he analyzed Yan's strength. "This is the strongest opponent I've faced in the tournament so far."
He went over his strategy in his mind.
"After defeating nine opponents, I've used about forty percent of my soul power, leaving me with sixty percent. These last five are tougher than the previous nine combined."
Yan, Dai Mubai, Xie Yue, Tang San, and Hu Liena—each a formidable opponent. Among them, only Dai Mubai was slightly weaker. The real test was just beginning.
As the two warriors locked eyes, a wave of anticipation swept through the audience.
"Nine! He's taken down nine of them!" Ferdinand exclaimed in astonishment. "Not ordinary opponents either—these are the continent's most talented young soul masters! And all without even using his spirit!"
Salas nodded in satisfaction as he stroked his beard.
"What we're witnessing goes beyond mere talent. Dai Yao has outshone every genius in history. A talent like his is destined to belong to Spirit Hall."
The high-ranking soul masters couldn't help but watch with rapt attention. Even the five titled Douluos and Ning Fengzhi focused intently on the arena. For these powerful figures, Dai Yao's performance was a unique spectacle.
Bibi Dong looked on with a glint of interest in her eyes, a smile playing on her lips.
"The real battle is just beginning."
As they spoke, the tension on the battlefield grew. With a slight bow to each other, Dai Yao and Yan readied themselves.
The moment the red-robed bishop signaled the start, they both activated their spirits simultaneously.
"Yan, rank 52, assault-type battle soul king, martial spirit: Flame Lord. Please, grant me your guidance."
Yan bowed respectfully, his body taking on molten, lava-like patterns as a massive stone figure loomed behind him. His dark red eyes burned with unmasked pride and battle intent. With a yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black spirit ring configuration, his soul rings pulsed ominously. Even without activating his fifth soul ring, the pressure he radiated was intense.
In response, Dai Yao bowed as well.
"Dai Yao, rank 45, assault-type battle soul master, martial spirit: Holy White Tiger. Please, grant me your guidance."
Lowering his hands to assume an offensive stance, Dai Yao's soul power surged to life, his rings materializing in yellow, purple, purple, black—a rare and awe-inspiring configuration that rivaled the presence of Yan's soul king-level spirit rings.
An awed silence fell over the onlookers. Even Spirit Hall's veteran soul masters marveled at the extraordinary level of talent they were witnessing. There was no denying it—Dai Yao was the real deal, his talent unparalleled in the history of soul masters.
As the two young men faced off, sparks seemed to fly from their gazes, filling the air with palpable tension.
The bishop's voice rang out, marking the start of the battle.
The instant the signal was given, Yan unleashed his full power, the Flame Lord towering over him as flames roared around his fists. He charged at Dai Yao like a firestorm, determined to put an end to Dai Yao's winning streak. But Dai Yao matched him in speed, his self-created techniques amplifying his reflexes as he weaved through the onslaught.
"Fourth soul skill—Volcanic Shockwave!"
Yan's attack released an eruption of flame and stone across the arena. Dai Yao leapt backward to avoid the impact, his eyes scanning for any opening. The ground cracked beneath him, scorched from Yan's furious attacks.
Undeterred, Dai Yao's muscles coiled like springs as he prepared to launch a counterattack.
"Eight Extremes Blast!"
Closing the distance in a flash, Dai Yao delivered a precise blow to Yan's chest. The force of the impact sent Yan stumbling, but his fifth soul ring activated, stabilizing him as he unleashed a wave of scorching heat in retaliation.
It was a grueling exchange, with both combatants pushing each other to their limits, neither willing to back down. Each move Dai Yao made was calculated to conserve soul power, but against an opponent of Yan's level, he had no choice but to exert himself fully.
Eventually, after an intense clash of fists, flames, and relentless blows, Dai Yao's fierce resilience and unyielding spirit won out. With one final, decisive strike, he sent Yan crashing to the edge of the arena. Exhausted and beaten, Yan fell to one knee, conceding defeat.
With the audience in stunned silence, Dai Yao stood tall, taking a deep breath to steady himself before issuing his next challenge.
"Next!"
The red-robed bishop's voice rang out with authority.
"Fifth Soul Skill! Roaring Flame of Flying Sand!"
With a resounding hum, Yan's black soul ring began to pulse, radiating a fierce aura that seemed to transform the entire stage into a molten hellscape. Without hesitation, Yan unleashed his strongest soul skill, determined not to underestimate Dai Yao even for a second. Streams of red-hot magma surged like fiery serpents, lunging toward Dai Yao.
To Yan's amazement, however, the pressure he normally exerted as a Soul King had no effect on Dai Yao. Even with the substantial gap in their levels, Dai Yao moved through the oppressive energy with effortless ease, like a fish swimming in a strong current.
"There's something strange here," Yan thought, his wariness intensifying. "My pressure isn't affecting him at all!"
The intensity of Yan's fifth soul skill had transformed the entire battlefield into a sea of molten lava, and yet, there stood Dai Yao, completely unfazed. The Shrek and Oakland teams both looked on in shock.
In the original story, Yan's power had been vividly displayed only once—when he had single-handedly fought off six of Shrek's best. As a warrior, he was relentless, using his flame control to neutralize even the poison-infused Eight-Spider Lance. A man who fought fiercely, standing his ground to the very end.
Dai Yao knew he had to be on high alert. This wasn't a moment to hold back, so he immediately unleashed his full power, activating his third soul skill, White Tiger Dark Gold Transformation, and his external spirit bone, White Tiger Eight Wings. The aura surrounding him was as intense as Yan's, perhaps even more so.
Dodging the onslaught of magma serpents with calculated grace, Dai Yao raised his hand to the sky, his palm poised to release his next move.
"Fourth Soul Skill—White Tiger Thunder God Strike!"
As he summoned his power, the clear sky darkened in an instant. Countless silver bolts of lightning split the heavens, illuminating the battlefield in an eerie glow. The roaring thunder reverberated, each strike amplifying the intense light and noise, creating a storm of electricity that clashed with the flaming serpents below.
The hiss of electricity colliding with magma echoed through the air.
Sizzle—Boom!
The ground cracked and sparked as both warriors continued their relentless assault, neither one willing to yield. They moved so quickly and with such ferocity that it seemed they were locked in an endless, evenly matched duel.
Gradually, however, the lightning from the heavens began to wane. The lava that had once covered the ground cooled and solidified, returning the arena floor to its original state.
When the dust settled, it was clear that Dai Yao's fourth soul skill had matched, perhaps even overpowered, Yan's fifth. Yan's eyes widened in disbelief.
A Soul Ancestor's fourth soul skill had managed to equal, if not surpass, his fifth! Everyone watching seemed equally astonished, many of them standing up in shock.
"Is he really just a Soul Ancestor?" Their perception of the boundaries between soul levels felt shattered.
Xie Yue and Hu Liena watched in stunned silence, even though they had known of Dai Yao's fourth soul skill and had some sense of its power. To witness him using it with such devastating effectiveness against a Soul King defied belief.
Yan, gritting his teeth, fixed his gaze on Dai Yao, finally speaking after a long silence.
"Dai Yao, I admit you're strong—strong enough to challenge me while still a Soul Ancestor. But after the first nine rounds, your soul power must be nearly exhausted!"
"And now that you've used such a powerful technique, how much do you have left?"
Yan continued, "I may have to use this to my advantage. It's not the most honorable way to win, but for Spirit Hall, I'll do whatever it takes."
At that moment, however, his eyes widened in disbelief. The clouds that had begun to disperse after Dai Yao's previous attack now started to gather again, rumbling as new lightning formed.
Dai Yao's black soul ring gleamed, and the sky once again darkened. Lightning arced from above, casting an eerie brilliance across the arena. Suspended mid-air, his wings spread wide, his golden eyes looked down on Yan with a calm, unyielding gaze.
"Too bad for you," Dai Yao replied. "I have far more soul power left than you think."
With this revelation, Dai Yao felt an unexpected sense of relief. Now that he understood the limits of Yan's fifth soul skill, his initial fear had dissipated. Often, it's the unknown that incites the most fear, but once he'd measured it, he felt reassured.
"How is this possible?!" Yan roared, watching Dai Yao's fourth soul skill activate once again without pause.
For most soul masters, their strongest skills required a cooldown period before they could be used again. Yan's own fifth soul skill, for example, needed several minutes of recovery time before he could use it a second time.
But here was Dai Yao, effortlessly summoning his fourth soul skill as though there were no restriction at all. Yan could hardly believe it.
Dai Yao offered no explanation, only a cold, assessing stare. Lightning crackled in his hand, coalescing into a blinding flash of energy as he charged toward Yan, his fists wrapped in pure thunder.
The explosive sound of his strike reverberated as he streaked across the battlefield like a thunderbolt.
In that brief moment, Yan's instincts screamed at him. But true to his reputation as one of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, he recovered quickly, activating his first four soul skills at once.
Thud, thud, thud! Thick walls of rock surged from the ground, each layered with magma, forming a layered shield in front of him. As a soul master with fire and earth attributes, Yan had forged these defenses specifically to withstand Soul King-level attacks.
And yet, despite his preparations, he couldn't shake the dread that weighed heavily on him, thanks to Dai Yao's relentless attacks.
Just as he feared, the impossible happened—Dai Yao shattered through three of the stone walls in an instant. With each wall that fell, the electricity surrounding his fist seemed to diminish, but not enough to weaken his resolve. Finally, with his last wall crumbling to dust, Yan's defenses lay exposed.
Yan tried to sound confident, but his voice wavered.
"Dai Yao… if you can still summon that skill after this, I'll concede with no complaints."
In Yan's mind, such a feat would be impossible. To unleash a skill on par with a Soul King's ten-thousand-year skill three times in quick succession was unheard of.
"As you wish," came Dai Yao's calm reply.
Yan watched in horror as Dai Yao raised his hand, that faint, unfazed smile on his lips. A low, rolling rumble filled the air, as if even the sky were preparing for a final judgment. In the blink of an eye, Dai Yao's hand filled with renewed thunderous energy, and lightning stormed down from the heavens once more.
With one final, thunderous blow, Dai Yao's fist broke through Yan's last defense, striking him squarely in the gut. Yan's eyes rolled back as he slumped over, his body thrown backward with the force of the impact, eventually tumbling off the stage.
Watching Yan fall, Dai Yao gave a slight smirk. He dusted off his hands before turning back to face the remaining competitors, his gaze cool and composed as he called out once more.
"The Golden Generation… is that all?"
The crowd erupted, their shocked murmurs filling the grand space before the Pope's Palace.
(Chapter End)
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