The clamor of eighty thousand spectators gradually faded, and one by one, their figures dissolved into nothingness. In the eyes of the Shrek Academy team, the arena had transformed into a completely different scene.
Tang San looked around at the slowly changing surroundings, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming.
Staring at the all-too-familiar cliff beneath his feet, Tang San suddenly couldn't tell whether Douluo was the dream or if this place, Ghost Sorrow, was the illusion.
He glanced down at the Tang Sect attire he was wearing. "I remember I was clearly in the Soul Master Competition arena..."
"How dare you steal our sect's Profound Heaven Treasure Record? This is a heinous crime!" A Tang Sect elder, whose face had blurred in Tang San's memory, glared at him with fury.
"The Tang Sect raised you as an orphan, provided you with food, clothing, and taught you skills. Is this how you repay the sect?" Angry shouts echoed in Tang San's mind, and hostile gazes bore down on him one after another.
"Elders, please listen to me—" Tang San panicked.
A low rumble of thunder sounded, and the Tang Sect elders glared at him like man-eating demons in the dark night, rushing forward to crush his flesh and bones bit by bit.
Tang San felt pain, but he realized he wasn't dead. He frowned slightly, sensing something was off. Based on his experience, he shouldn't still be alive in this state.
Wait! I'm in the middle of a competition...
Just as Tang San began to realize something, the scene before him shifted again. This time, he found himself on a nighttime street in Suotuo City, with Xiao Wu and the Shrek Academy team walking toward him.
Tang San's heart leaped with joy, but before he could speak, another figure appeared in the scene.
It was a middle-aged man in his forties—the lecherous man Bu Le, whom the Shrek team had once taught a lesson.
"Xiao Wu?" Tang San wanted to warn Xiao Wu and the others, but he found his voice trapped, unable to call out.
Suddenly, Bu Le struck, swiftly defeating the Shrek team with ease, then grabbing Xiao Wu.
"Brother, save me! Brother, come quickly!" Xiao Wu struggled desperately, but she was no match for Bu Le and was subdued in moments.
Tang San's eyes burned with rage. He struggled with all his might to help, but his bones and muscles were shattered, leaving him collapsed on the ground.
He soon realized something was wrong. Why didn't he feel pain despite his intense struggle? And why had the Shrek team been defeated so easily?
After struggling for a while, Xiao Wu realized it was futile, and a sense of helpless despair and hatred began to spread.
No, this shouldn't be happening... Tang San's heart trembled as he saw Xiao Wu's icy gaze fixed on him.
"You can't escape now, little beauty, hahaha!" Bu Le let out a wild, piercing laugh.
No!! No!!! This is an illusion, this is an illusion! Tang San's eyes turned blood red.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were also reliving moments they had long tried to forget.
"Li Xun, what are you doing?! Let me go! Let me go!" Dai Mubai hung in mid-air, suspended by vines, his eyes wide with terror as thorns slowly crawled up his body.
When the thorns wrapped around him just as they had in the past, Dai Mubai's voice echoed to the heavens: "No, Li Xun!!"
On the other side, Ma Hongjun also shed tears of regret in the illusion.
The sudden shouts from Tang San, Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai momentarily stunned the audience. Naturally, they knew Xiao Wu, as she was a member of the Shrek Academy Team.
But the name Li Xun was quite intriguing. Weren't they currently battling the Canghui Academy? Why were they calling out the captain of the Heavenly Dou Royal Team?
Some sharp-eyed spectators had already noticed Li Xun sitting in the stands and turned their questioning gazes toward him.
"I told you their illusion technique wasn't up to par. They couldn't even fully suppress a person's actions," Li Xun said with an awkward smile, feeling the stares from the audience and Zhu Zhuqing.
"Their Seven-in-One Fusion Skill is indeed no match for our Martial Soul Fusion Skill," Ning Rongrong nodded happily.
She clearly remembered the last time she used her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda to control Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and Liu Erlong. In just three seconds, they had gone through several cycles of the illusion, each time standing still, completely immersed in it.
Inside the multicolored light pillar, the illusion was still ongoing. Tang San's eyes were bloodshot, and the intense pain had pushed him to break through the barrier that had been holding him back.
The Eight Spider Lances extended from his back as Tang San rushed toward Xiao Wu, intending to slice Bu Le into pieces. However, his lances struck nothing but air.
Illusions, it was all illusions.
Tang San repeatedly reminded himself in his mind that this was the Soul Master Competition, but the scene before him remained unchanged.
He slowly closed his eyes, refusing to look at the despair-inducing images. Carefully, he recalled the layout of the arena.
After roughly determining his position, Tang San activated the Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, spread his Eight Spider Lances to their fullest, and lunged forward.
"Captain, look! He's moving. Has he broken free from our illusion?" one of the Canghui team members said nervously, watching Tang San turn toward them.
"Impossible. Our Seven-in-One Fusion Skill isn't so easily broken," the Canghui captain frowned and shook his head. "Look, his eyes are still closed."
"Haha, you're right!" The other team members immediately relaxed.
But before their laughter could fade, Tang San's figure suddenly blurred. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of them.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The Eight Spider Lances pierced through three Canghui team members with unstoppable sharpness. The illusion before Tang San's eyes cracked, allowing him to see the people ahead clearly.
Tang San's killing intent surged as he watched the Canghui team panic. The cold shadows in his eyes seemed ready to drag these people into an endless abyss.
Streams of life force continuously flowed into his body through the Eight Spider Lances. Seeing the remaining Canghui team members preparing to retreat and counterattack, Tang San instantly flung the three aside and pursued them.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The sound of sharp weapons tearing through flesh echoed as the remaining Canghui team members were swiftly pinned to the ground by the Eight Spider Lances.
Tang San's face was as cold as eternal frost, his heart burning like boiling oil. He didn't spare them just because they had lost the ability to fight. Streams of life force continued to surge into his body through the Eight Spider Lances, not only increasing his strength but also filling him with the exhilaration of vengeance.
"Canghui Academy concedes. Please stop harming our team members."
The illusion shattered, and the multicolored light gradually faded, revealing the gruesome scene on the arena.
The Shrek Academy Team stood dazed in their starting positions, as if they hadn't fully woken up yet. On the other side of the arena, the students of Canghui Academy lay in pools of blood.
Amidst the fallen students of Canghui Academy stood a figure with eight spider-like spears strapped to his back.
"Student, Canghui Academy has already conceded. Please release our students," the assistant leader of Canghui Academy shouted angrily.
However, Tang San seemed to pay no heed.
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