Chapter 121: Elder Xuan's Defenses Breached! The Tides Have Turned
The suffocating silence over Star Luo Plaza stretched for several agonizing seconds. Then, a deafening roar erupted from the spectator stands, so loud it threatened to shatter the clouds hanging over the arena.
"What the hell was that?!"
"How did Liu Yuan take out Ling Luochen and Dai Yueheng in the blink of an eye?"
"Was he just toying with them this whole time? Was he holding back?"
"Heavens above... A Soul Ancestor instantly crushing a Soul King and a Soul Emperor. If I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes, I would have called you a liar. This is completely absurd!"
The frenzied discussions crashed through the stands like a ruptured dam. Complete, unadulterated shock was plastered across the faces of the millions in attendance. Those who had previously sneered at the Heavenly Soul Imperial Team, confident that the return of Shrek Academy's two Soul Emperors guaranteed an absolute victory, now felt a freezing chill crawl down their backs.
The tides of this match were about to completely reverse.
This horrifying realization spread through the plaza like wildfire.
Shrek Academy's defensive formation, once praised as being as immovable as Mount Tai, had been violently torn open. A fatal, gaping hole had been ripped right through their center the exact moment Liu Yuan activated his Ultimate Sublimation.
Thousands of miles away, deep within the sacred grounds of Shrek Academy, a heavy, suffocating atmosphere descended upon the Sea God Pavilion.
The grand meeting hall, which had been filled with relaxed chuckles and confident tea-sipping just moments prior, had plunged into a deathly, unmatched silence. The esteemed elders of the Sea God Pavilion, figures of legendary status who had weathered countless storms without batting an eye, completely lost their composure. They stared at the panoramic soul tool projecting the live broadcast, their eyes wide and bloodshot.
On the glowing screen, the brutal sequence played out in high definition: Dai Yueheng's chest being ruthlessly pierced, followed a split second later by Ling Luochen being violently launched off the arena stage by a devastating elbow strike.
"How... how is this possible?" one of the elders finally choked out. The exquisite porcelain teacup in his hand rattled violently against its saucer, hot tea sloshing over the rim to burn his knuckles. He did not even seem to notice the pain. "Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen are the core seedlings of our inner court! We poured immense resources into cultivating them! How could they be instantly dismantled by a single boy?"
"His strength spiked far too suddenly," another elder muttered, leaning forward until his nose nearly touched the projection. "The materialization intensity of his spiritual power in that final strike was on a completely different level than anything he displayed previously!"
The elders exchanged bewildered glances, the absolute certainty of Shrek's supremacy cracking right before their eyes.
Sitting near the front, Yan Shaozhe, the Dean of the Martial Soul Department, wore an expression so dark it looked as though it could drip ink. The muscles in his jaw twitched erratically. He stared fixedly at the projection, his gaze locked onto the terrifying purple-gold flames of light wreathing Liu Yuan's body.
"I see it now," Yan Shaozhe hissed through gritted teeth, the sound grating like two stones rubbing together. "His fourth soul skill... It is an extremely rare, burst-type amplification skill."
"In that split second, he did not merely increase his soul power. He exponentially magnified his spiritual power. Since all of his offensive soul skills are directly tied to his spiritual power, his overall combat lethality skyrocketed to an unimaginable degree." Yan Shaozhe's knuckles popped loudly in the quiet room. "He deliberately relied on that explosive boost to catch Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen completely off guard."
Yan Shaozhe slammed a fist onto the armrest of his chair, the solid spiritwood cracking under the force. "To think a kid his age could be so deeply scheming! Hiding his true trump card until the absolute perfect moment to strike... How utterly cunning!"
His fingernails dug deep into his palms, drawing thin lines of blood. Yan Shaozhe simply could not accept this reality. The absolute pride and glory of Shrek Academy, a legacy maintained for ten thousand years, was being mercilessly trampled into the dirt by a youth he had personally dismissed and looked down upon.
From the head seat of the long table, a long, weary sigh echoed through the hall.
Elder Mu remained slouched in his reclining chair. His ancient eyes remained half-closed, but the sheer weight of his presence instantly silenced Yan Shaozhe's furious ranting.
"This is not called cunning, Shaozhe," Elder Mu said. His voice was hoarse and frail, yet it carried the absolute, high-dimensional perspective of a Limit Douluo who had seen the rise and fall of countless eras. "This is simply the reality that all is fair in war."
Elder Mu slowly opened his eyes, staring at the frozen image of Liu Yuan standing victorious amidst the purple-gold flames. "To be trapped under such a high-intensity siege, yet remain calm enough to instantly seize upon Dai Yueheng's psychological arrogance... To calculate the exact moment his opponent's guard dropped and decide the entire outcome in a single, flawless move. That is not cunning. That is possessing both supreme courage and unmatched tactical strategy."
Elder Mu closed his eyes once more. A heavy, suffocating bitterness pooled in the depths of his heart, growing thicker by the second.
The more he watched Liu Yuan's outstanding performance, the more he analyzed the boy's astonishing, cold-blooded decision-making on the battlefield, the more he truly admired this youth. He was a perfect, flawless jade.
Yet, because of the blind arrogance and rigid prejudice of certain people within this very room, such a once-in-a-millennium genius had completely slipped through Shrek Academy's fingers. They had pushed away a dragon, and now, that dragon was tearing their pride to shreds.
Back at the Star Luo Plaza competition venue.
The greasy chicken leg slipped from Elder Xuan's grasp, tumbling to the floor. The smug, self-satisfied grin that had been plastered across his wrinkled face completely froze the exact instant Ling Luochen's unconscious body plummeted off the stage.
He could not laugh anymore. The sound died in his throat like a strangled bird.
Just moments ago, he had been absolutely certain that Liu Yuan would suffer a slow, humiliating defeat under the combined siege of Dai Yueheng and Ling Luochen. He had even spent the last five minutes mentally drafting the exact lines he would use to ruthlessly mock Du Busi once the match concluded.
But now? Now Dai Yueheng was lying limp on the cold stone tiles of the arena, clutching his ruined chest and wailing in sheer agony. Ling Luochen was crumpled in a heap outside the boundary lines, completely unconscious, her current condition unknown.
The sudden, brutal defeat of these two core members was not merely a simple reduction in Shrek's combat numbers. It was a catastrophic collapse of their entire tactical foundation.
Deep within Elder Xuan's chest, a sickening knot of extreme unease suddenly twisted tight.
As an experienced veteran of countless battles, his mind immediately raced past the immediate shock and locked onto a far more terrifying, troublesome issue. A violent, unstoppable chain reaction was about to sweep across the battlefield now that Liu Yuan had been completely liberated.
Originally, the Shrek Team had perfectly divided the arena into three distinct zones. On the far side, Ma Xiaotao was using her overwhelming firepower to suppress Long Aotian. In the center, Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi were desperately containing Princess Vina and the remaining four members of the Heavenly Soul Imperial Team.
But now, the two heavyweights solely responsible for hunting Liu Yuan had been violently removed from the equation. Liu Yuan, the absolute most terrifying and unstable factor in this entire tournament, had completely regained his freedom.
"Oh no..."
Thick beads of cold sweat seeped from Elder Xuan's forehead, rolling down his greasy chin. His pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks as he foresaw the bloodbath that was about to unfold. Once Liu Yuan was free to move and cut directly into that fragile middle battlefield, it would not be a fight. It would be a slaughter. It would be the equivalent of tossing a starving, apex predator wolf into a pen of defenseless sheep.
Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, Wang Dong, and Xu Sanshi... Yes, they were outstanding talents, the absolute best of their generation. But right now, they were facing a cold-blooded monster who had just instantly dismantled a Soul King and a Soul Emperor without breaking a sweat!
The moment Liu Yuan joined that central melee, Shrek's four reserve members would be instantly crushed. They possessed absolutely no means to stop him.
Once Huo Yuhao and the others were swept from the arena like dust by Liu Yuan's overwhelming power, Shrek Academy would be left with only a single combatant on the stage: Ma Xiaotao.
By then, it would not matter that Ma Xiaotao possessed the supreme Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul. It would not matter how monstrously strong her flames burned. Facing the coordinated, merciless siege of the entire Heavenly Soul Imperial Team, she would be hopelessly outnumbered. She would be dragged into a desperate, suffocating corner, utterly incapable of saving the day.
The sheer horror of this impending reality shattered Elder Xuan's composure. Complete, unadulterated panic seized his heart.
He took a sudden, violent step forward, completely discarding his image as a revered Super Douluo. Leaning over the spectator railing, he roared toward the arena at the absolute top of his lungs.
"Xiaotao! Quick! You have to stop Liu Yuan!" Elder Xuan's frantic voice boomed like thunder. "Forget about Long Aotian! Abandon your target and suppress Liu Yuan immediately!"
Bolstered by the immense soul power of a Level 98 Super Douluo, Elder Xuan's desperate command easily drowned out the chaotic noise of the millions in the arena, piercing straight through the explosive sounds of combat to reach Ma Xiaotao's ears.
Hovering in the sky, Ma Xiaotao had already sensed the drastic, terrifying shift in the atmospheric pressure behind her.
Snapping her head back, her blazing pink eyes widened in horror. She caught sight of Dai Yueheng's miserable, bloody state and Ling Luochen's motionless body lying out of bounds. Her heart abruptly plummeted into her stomach, turning to lead.
All thoughts of continuing her arrogant mockery of Long Aotian vanished from her mind. The massive, blazing Phoenix wings on her back flapped with violent urgency. Scorching, crimson-black evil fire gushed from her body in a frenzied torrent as she forcibly shifted her momentum, preparing to dive-bomb across the arena and intercept Liu Yuan before he could reach the center.
However, the very instant her figure blurred into motion, a shadow eclipsed her path.
Long Aotian, who had appeared battered and pushed to the defensive just seconds prior, suddenly materialized directly in her flight trajectory.
The dark golden soul power radiating from Long Aotian's muscular frame was now violently churning, mixed with a faint, menacing trace of blood-red light.
"I can't let you have your way!" Long Aotian roared, his voice vibrating with raw, unyielding power. He planted his feet firmly against the empty air, stepping on the void itself. The overwhelming, tyrannical pressure of his Body Martial Soul was forcibly condensed into a single, impenetrable point of defense.
Ma Xiaotao's expression twisted into an extremely ugly grimace. She could feel Long Aotian's aura shifting from defensive to something maddeningly tenacious. It was the aura of a man fully prepared to drag his enemy down to hell with him. That absolute, death-defying stance forced her to forcefully retract her diving momentum. If she recklessly collided head-on with a Body Sect elite in that state, she would undoubtedly suffer severe internal damage.
"Get lost!" Ma Xiaotao shrieked, her eyes burning with desperate fury. "Long Aotian, you stray dog, you think you can still stop me?!"
She let out a piercing, wrathful Phoenix cry that echoed through the heavens. The sky, completely saturated with her evil fire, violently churned. Countless massive pillars of crimson-black flames erupted from the heavens, rolling forward like a tidal wave to incinerate the man blocking her path.
Yet, Long Aotian stood completely unmoved within the center of the scorching inferno. The terrifying heat of the evil fire licked at his flesh, his skin rapidly burning a painful, blistering red. Despite the agonizing heat, a wild, uninhibited grin slowly stretched across his face.
"My Junior Brother has performed so outstandingly just now," Long Aotian chuckled, his dark golden aura flaring to resist the flames. "As his Senior Brother, I absolutely cannot let him outshine me."
Long Aotian stood like an impenetrable fortress in front of Ma Xiaotao. He pressed his hands together, his muscles bulging as he forcibly sealed off every possible route she could take to support her team.
"I will stop you right here, no matter the cost!" he declared, his eyes burning with fierce resolve. "Otherwise, wouldn't that make me look like a completely useless Senior Brother?"
Long Aotian's suicidal determination made Ma Xiaotao burn with an anxious, helpless rage.
And down below, at this exact moment, Liu Yuan had finished adjusting his breathing.
The purple-gold flames surrounding his body pulsed rhythmically as he slowly turned around. His terrifying, emotionless Double Pupils locked onto their next targets, casting a cold, deathly gaze toward the entangled figures of Huo Yuhao and Bei Bei.
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