Under the enhanced state of the White Tiger Meteor Shower, Yan was blasted several meters away. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
However, with his formidable defensive capability, he hadn't suffered serious injuries. The blood was simply from the internal shock of the Spirit Ability's impact against his defense.
Seeing that Yan had only sustained minor injuries, Dai Mubai's expression grew serious. Even with the enhanced power of his fourth Spirit Ability, he hadn't managed to finish the fight. He couldn't help but acknowledge Yan's incredible strength—and even more terrifying, his overwhelming defense.
While Dai Mubai and Tang San launched their coordinated assault, Zhu Zhuqing and Ma Hongjun simultaneously began their attacks.
Ma Hongjun, with a Spirit Power level of Rank 43 and a top-tier Fire Phoenix Martial Soul, naturally possessed formidable strength.
However, his opponent was a power-attack type Spirit Elder with Spirit Power at Rank 47. Anyone chosen by Spirit Hall wouldn't have a weak Martial Soul either.
Facing Ma Hongjun's flames head-on, the Spirit Hall attacker showed no fear and launched a direct counterattack.
At the same time, Zhu Zhuqing was holding her own against two opponents. One of them had Spirit Power at Rank 48, and the other at Rank 47—both clearly stronger than her in raw power.
Yet, incredibly, Zhu Zhuqing wasn't at a disadvantage.
With the assistance of Oscar's Flying Mushroom Sausage, her speed had skyrocketed. And in Soul Land, speed is power. Coupled with Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda enhancing her attack, Zhu Zhuqing now struck with lightning-fast, lethal force—single-handedly overwhelming both opponents.
From within the red mist, constant explosions rang out—clear signs of the ferocity of the battle. Although the red fog obscured visibility, the sounds alone gave everyone an idea of the intensity within.
Zhu Zhuqing was confident—Lin Jie would win.
Inside the red mist, Lin Jie's Iron Sand Sword buzzed like a swarm of bees. His cold gaze locked onto the massive shadow before him. Lin Jie had already evaluated the destructive power of Xie Yue's Moon Blades. Without his powerful Spirit Power, his Iron Sand Sword wouldn't have lasted this long against them.
Xie Yue's expression darkened as he noticed cracks on his Moon Blade. He hadn't expected Lin Jie's whip-like Iron Sand Sword—several meters long and vibrating like a chainsaw—to have such terrifying cutting power. Without his robust Spirit Power to reinforce it, his Moon Blade might have been completely severed by now.
Through their earlier exchanges, Lin Jie had also observed something important. Inside the dense red mist, the Charm Demon Fusion Abiliy had about a 30% chance of dodging his attacks autonomously. This meant the current dominant controller—Xie Yue—was responding exceptionally well, using the Moon Blade to intercept any strikes that didn't directly threaten his core.
The metallic crashes echoing from the red mist were the sounds of Lin Jie's Iron Sand Sword clashing with Xie Yue's Moon Blade.
Xie Yue had become unnervingly calm. He recognized the terrifying power of Lin Jie's strange weapon, but within the area of their Fusion Abiliy, he remained confident in victory.
Although the Charm Demon didn't boast overwhelming offensive power, its Spirit Power consumption was relatively low compared to other Fusion Abiliy's focused purely on attack. That meant it could be sustained longer. With his and Hu Liena's combined fusion, his power now exceeded Rank 60. In contrast, Lin Jie's maximum Spirit Power should only be around Rank 47.
Under these conditions, Xie Yue was convinced—Lin Jie had no chance of winning.
But... was that really true?
If the Charm Demon had an offensive nature, Lin Jie might've been a bit concerned. But now, with his devastating Iron Sand Sword in hand, he had no fear at all.
Lin Jie slashed out once more. This time, the Iron Sand Sword transformed into a ten-meter-long whip blade, cracking through the mist toward the Charm Demon.
Xie Yue raised his Moon Blade once again to block.
CLANG!
Sparks burst out as the Iron Sand Sword clashed against the Moon Blade with a shrill screech. Lin Jie surged his Spirit Power again, pouring more force into the whip—it smashed down like a storm.
The relentless assault strained Xie Yue's Soul Power to the limit. He couldn't keep defending like this.
At last, Xie Yue dodged to the side, choosing to disengage rather than take Lin Jie's assault head-on.
But as he retreated, he saw Lin Jie already swinging that ten-meter whip again, aiming directly at him.
Xie Yue's gaze flicked toward the edge of the red mist. In a flash, he spun his body and launched one Moon Blade high into the air, spinning toward Lin Jie's chain sword at high velocity with a piercing screech.
At the same time, he launched a second Moon Blade—not at Lin Jie, but outside the red mist.
Lin Jie noticed the external strike but didn't bother reacting. Instead, he countered the Moon Blade flying toward him with another powerful sweep of his sword.
—
Outside the red mist.
After being caught off guard by Tang San and Dai Mubai's earlier combo, Yan now took the fight far more seriously. Under the possession of his Flame Lord Martial Soul, enhanced by both fire and earth attributes, his offensive and defensive capabilities had reached terrifying heights.
His fiery, explosive fist shot toward Dai Mubai. Even before the blow landed, the intense pressure from the punch surged through the air. If Dai Mubai took this hit directly, he'd suffer far more than minor injuries.
Tang San reacted swiftly, activating his fourth Spirit Ability—Blue Silver Prison—to try and restrain Yan.
But Yan had already learned his lesson. A purple Spirit Ring flared, and he activated his third Spirit Ability—a self-enhancement type. In an instant, his already-massive explosive fist swelled even further, now radiating magma-like power. He smashed straight into the Blue Silver Prison.
Despite its resilience, Tang San's Blue Silver Prison was instantly shattered. After all, Yan's fire attribute naturally countered Tang San's Blue Silver Grass, and this time, it was supercharged with explosive magma-like energy.
Seeing his prison shattered, Tang San's face grew grim. His control ability had been broken so easily—if he didn't go all out now, they had no chance.
With that thought, a pitch-black hammer appeared in Tang San's hands.
Meanwhile, Yan, having destroyed the prison, drove his massive flaming fist straight at Dai Mubai.
Exhausted from multiple Spirit Ability activations, Dai Mubai had little energy left—but he had no choice but to retaliate. He surged his remaining Spirit Power into his third ability once more. His muscles swelled again, and he swung a heavy punch to meet Yan's blow.
Their fists collided—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion rippled across the field.
Dai Mubai was launched into the air, flung backwards in a long arc and slammed into the ground with a loud crash.
At that moment, Tang San hurled his Clear Sky Hammer toward Dai Mubai—not at him, but at a Moon Blade that had emerged from the red mist, aimed directly at his teammate.
Thanks to his Purple Demon Eye, Tang San could clearly see what was going on inside the fog. He wasn't striking Dai Mubai—he was saving him.
Up on the platform, the reactions were mixed.
Bibi Dong's phoenix eyes twitched slightly, but her expression remained serene.
Ning Fengzhi still wore his usual faint smile.
CLANG!
The Clear Sky Hammer collided with the Moon Blade midair, knocking its trajectory off course. The blade spun off and returned to the mist. Tang San calmly retrieved his hammer.
Dai Mubai, surprised by Tang San's throw at first, didn't dodge. He trusted Tang San implicitly—and sure enough, the clang of metal confirmed his friend had just saved his life.
Already injured, Dai Mubai hit the ground hard. His face turned pale.
Seeing Tang San holding the Clear Sky Hammer, Yan's eyes widened in shock. As one of the Golden Generation, he knew exactly what that hammer meant.
But remembering the Supreme Pontiff's prior instructions, he quickly calmed himself and turned his attention fully to Tang San.
Tang San gave one last glance at the fallen Dai Mubai, then stepped forward coldly.
"From here on out, I'll be your opponent."
Yan sneered, "You? Let's see if you've got what it takes."
Tang San had already realized that his Blue Silver Grass was mostly ineffective against Yan. At most, it could hold him briefly—and even then, it would be instantly destroyed.
Continuing to use it would just waste his Spirit Power.
Now, he had no choice but to use the Clear Sky Hammer.
Raising the hammer before him, Tang San launched into a barrage of attacks—Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique. Each strike was stronger than the last, creating a storm of black hammer shadows around him.
Yan grinned coldly. He knew this technique well—just like Feng Xiaotian's Stormwind Demon Wolf's Thirty Six Successive Chops, it had a fatal flaw:
It had to be continuous.
If even one strike was interrupted, the momentum would break—and the entire attack would collapse.
Yan wouldn't let that happen.