Before the battle even began, the two on the sidelines, Da Ming and Er Ming, were already losing their composure.
Er Ming's large, bell-like eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, yet not a sound came out.
He pointed a finger at Yuan En Yehui, then at himself, his expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Ti... Titan Giant Ape?" Er Ming's voice had changed pitch. "That's impossible!"
Da Ming was equally shocked. He turned his head to look at Er Ming, his gaze meaningful.
Er Ming felt a shiver run down his spine under that stare and hurriedly waved his hands.
"Big brother, why are you looking at me like that?! This has nothing to do with me!"
Da Ming didn't speak, only making his gaze even more meaningful. As Er Ming's elder brother, he understood better than anyone what this Spirit meant. It was impossible for a human to possess the Titan Giant Ape Spirit. Because the Titan Giant Ape's bloodline itself was extremely rare. Even within their own clan, passing on the bloodline was incredibly difficult. Let alone allowing a human to possess the Titan Giant Ape Spirit?
There was only one possibility—
A hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape re-cultivating into human form, then mating with a human, could possibly give birth to a descendant possessing the Titan Giant Ape bloodline.
And as for hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Apes...
For all these years, there had only been Er Ming.
The look in Da Ming's eyes as he watched Er Ming clearly said: 'You, kid, better come clean.'
Er Ming truly felt like he had a hundred mouths and couldn't explain himself.
"Big brother! I really didn't!" He stamped his feet in agitation, his massive feet thudding heavily on the ground. "I... I've never liked humans! Although... although..." As he spoke, Er Ming's voice suddenly grew weak, and an awkward expression actually appeared on his face.
[A/N: The exact timeline of Xiong Xiaoling's appearance isn't confirmed, but I think it was during the ten-thousand-year period between the end of Douluo 2 and Douluo 3, For those of you who haven't read DD3:
When Xiong Xiaoling was picking the mushrooms, she met Er Ming. Without realizing the terrifying power of him, she fed the mushrooms until empty. When her village was burned on fire, she was saved by Er Ming and brought to the house in the Great Star Dou Forest. They lived together after that. After Er Ming told her that he was a soul beast, she went to her village to see for the last time. But, it was misunderstood by Er Ming and left her without knowing the truth until there were many descendants. After she died, she left her diaries. Her son Yuanen Sitai became the founder of the Titan Giant Ape Clan and is the ancestor of Yuanen Yehui. The house where Er Ming and Xiaoling once lived together was maintained as the clan heritage.]
Da Ming raised an eyebrow. "Although what?"
Er Ming scratched his head, hemming and hawing for a while before mumbling softly. "Although Sister Xiao Wu married that kid Tang San, I... in my heart, I still..."
Hearing this, the corner of Da Ming's eye twitched. Great, this silly younger brother was still hung up on that old history. It was a good thing the two of them were inside this academy now, and Tang San couldn't probe the situation inside. Otherwise, Er Ming would be in for a world of trouble.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Yuan En Yehui again, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
"Perhaps... it's just fake?" Da Ming pondered. "Maybe it's just a name humans gave their Spirit. In reality, it's not a true Titan Giant Ape bloodline at all."
Hearing this, Er Ming nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, right! It must be that! Humans love coming up with these flashy, empty titles—dragons, phoenixes, whatever they feel like naming them!"
Ling Luochen took a deep breath, suppressing the strange feeling in her heart. She took a step back, raised her right hand, and gently clenched her slender fingers in the air.
In an instant, the surrounding temperature plummeted. Tiny ice crystals condensed in the air, refracting a rainbow of colors under the sunlight. Those ice crystals rapidly gathered, coalescing into a two-meter-long staff in Ling Luochen's palm in the blink of an eye. The staff was completely crystalline, formed from pure ice crystals. Its head was carved with intricate patterns, faint currents of chill flowing within.
First Spirit Skill — Ice Staff
Yuan En Yehui looked at that Ice Staff, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes, but she didn't rush to act.
Ling Luochen didn't hold back. Holding the Ice Staff, she lightly tapped it in front of her.
A beam of ice-blue light shot from the staff's tip, landing on her own body. The next moment, countless ice crystals materialized from the void, covering her body piece by piece, from head to toe, rapidly solidifying into a suit of crystal-clear ice armor.
Ice Armor Protection — Second Spirit Skill.
With two layers of protection now on her, Ling Luochen felt slightly more at ease.
She raised the Ice Staff again, pointing it at Yuan En Yehui.
"Be careful."
As her words fell, a dazzling ball of ice-blue light burst forth from the top of the Ice Staff.
That light shot skyward, arriving above Yuan En Yehui's head in an instant, and then—
It exploded into a shower!
Countless beams of ice-blue light descended from the sky with astonishing speed, giving the opponent no time to react.
Those light beams landed around Yuan En Yehui, instantly solidifying into thick ice pillars, connecting with each other. In the blink of an eye, they formed a sealed ice prison, trapping Yuan En Yehui inside.
Ice Prison — Third Soul Skill.
Ling Luochen looked at Yuan En Yehui trapped in the ice prison, but she didn't feel the slightest bit relaxed. It was too smooth. This child... didn't even try to dodge?
Just then, a dull thud came from within the ice prison.
Immediately followed by a second, a third—
*Crack.*
A fissure appeared on an ice pillar.
Ling Luochen's pupils constricted.
The next moment, a thunderous boom!
The entire ice prison exploded, countless shards of ice scattering in all directions. Yuan En Yehui's figure charged out from the Ice crystals filled the sky ice crystals.
Ling Luochen's heart shook violently.
How could her opponent's strength... be so immense?
That was her Third Soul Skill. While not an ultimate finishing move, it was more than enough to trap an opponent of the same level. Yet this Four-Ring Soul Ancestor before her had broken free with just two or three strikes...
Yuan En Yehui didn't give her time to be shocked.
She took a deep breath, and the aura around her suddenly surged.
"First Spirit Skill — Titan's Strength."
As her words fell, Yuan En Yehui's figure seemed to grow slightly larger. The muscles in her arms bulged slightly, and her entire body exuded an explosive sense of power. The next moment, she raised her hand and swept it through the air.
*Boom!*
An invisible force erupted from her palm. The air was compressed to its limit, forming a visible shockwave that blasted straight toward Ling Luochen.
"Second Spirit Skill — Air Cannon"
Ling Luochen's expression changed, and she hurriedly dodged. The shockwave grazed past her side, crashing into the ground behind her and blasting out a sizable crater.
A chill ran down Ling Luochen's spine. Not daring to be careless anymore, she swung the Ice Staff. Thick ice mist spread from the staff's tip, rapidly enveloping her surroundings. The mist grew denser and denser, swallowing her figure completely in the blink of an eye.
Fourth Spirit Skill — Chilling Ice Mist
Yuan En Yehui looked at the dense ice mist, her brow slightly furrowed.
Within the mist, Ling Luochen's figure flickered in and out, making it impossible to see her exact position. Moreover, the ice mist was spreading to both sides at an alarming rate, faintly forming a huge arc, as if to surround her.
'Is she planning to use the ice mist as cover and then launch a surprise attack?' Yuan En Yehui understood.
Unfortunately—
She took a deep breath and once again channeled her Spirit Power.
"Third Spirit Skill — Vajra Titan."
In an instant, a faint golden light appeared around Yuan En Yehui's body. The surface of her skin faintly revealed rock-like patterns. She looked like a vajra statue, indestructible.
Vajra Titan — All attributes greatly increased, body as solid as a rock.
Ling Luochen's ice mist spread over, enveloping Yuan En Yehui. Yet the chill contained within the mist could only linger on the surface of the golden light around her body, utterly unable to penetrate.
'Such hard defense!'
Ling Luochen was shocked inwardly, but she didn't retreat. Deep within the ice mist, Ling Luochen raised the Ice Staff high. A dark blue ring of light rose from the staff's tip, slowly drifting into the air.
The moment that ring appeared, the surrounding temperature plummeted once more. The moisture in the air condensed into fine ice crystals, falling in a rustling shower.
"Fifth Spirit Skill, Ice Radiance Ring!"
Ling Luochen pointed with her Ice Staff. The dark blue ring of light in the air suddenly erupted with dazzling radiance. A thick blue light beam shot out from the ring, heading straight for Yuan En Yehui. The moment the light beam landed, countless ice pillars erupted from the ground once more, thicker and denser than before. In the blink of an eye, they trapped Yuan En Yehui layer upon layer.
Ice Prison — Enhanced Version!
Ling Luochen breathed slightly heavily, sweat beading on her forehead.
Using five Spirit Skills in succession had taken a huge toll on her Spirit Power. But she didn't let her guard down, her gaze fixed tightly on that ice prison.
This time... she should be able to trap her, right?
However—
*BOOM!!*
The thunderous roar shook the heavens.
The ice prison shattered, and Yuan En Yehui's figure charged out once more. Golden light flowed around her body. The rock-like patterns on her skin grew clearer. She was like a humanoid beast, charging toward Ling Luochen with an invincible momentum.
Ling Luochen's pupils contracted sharply.
'How is that possible?!'
Even the ice prison enhanced by her Fifth Spirit Skill could only trap her for a few breaths?!
Yuan En Yehui's speed was terrifyingly fast. In the blink of an eye, she closed the distance to Ling Luochen. She raised her hand and threw a punch. Ling Luochen felt an irresistible, immense force crashing toward her face.
*Boom!*
Ling Luochen's body was sent flying backward. The ice armor on her body shattered into pieces, dissolving into Ice crystals filled the sky ice crystals.
She crashed heavily to the ground. Struggling to get up, she found pain everywhere in her body. Her limbs felt like they'd fallen apart, utterly unable to muster any strength.
Defeated.
She had actually... truly been defeated.
She was a Five-Ring Soul King.
Her opponent was a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor.
A full one-ring difference in level suppression.
Yet she had used all five of her Spirit Skills—control, support, offense—everything she could. And she hadn't even managed to truly breach her opponent's defense.
Ling Luochen closed her eyes. An indescribable bitterness welled up in her chest.
In the distance, Er Ming had completely petrified.
When Yuan En Yehui used her Spirit earlier, Er Ming could sense it. That was a genuine Titan Giant Ape bloodline.
A true bloodline, sharing the same roots as his own.
Er Ming stiffly turned his head to look at Da Ming.
The look in Da Ming's eyes had shifted from 'meaningful' to 'so you were this dishonest, you kid.'
Er Ming opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he had no way to explain.
Because even he himself wanted to know—
'What the hell is going on?!'
---------------------------------------------
A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter
2 Reviews = 1 Extra Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.