"Both teams, enter the arena!"
Heavenfiend Douluo's voice was low and steady.
Looking over both lineups—every last one of them was a thorn—he actually felt a headache coming on. In a setup like this, odds are at least one or two would die to spice up the show.
Still, His Majesty had quietly tipped him off yesterday: both the Clear Sky Sect and Shrek Academy were people the Star Luo Empire couldn't afford to offend. So he wouldn't favor either side—let life and death be left to fate...
As the referee's voice rolled across the stadium,
cheers erupted again.
Every gaze in the arena locked onto the Shrek team and the Clear Sky Sect team. As for the "dark horse" latter, the audience wasn't stupid—changing your suffix doesn't make people lose their minds. Everyone knew the Clear Sky Sect's return was the hottest talk of the continent.
Now, the number one sect of the continent clashing with the number one academy—both bulldozing their way into the finals—it was bound to be a spectacle.
It was also why Xu Jiawei felt justified quietly bumping up ticket prices.
"This Clear Sky Sect isn't a soft persimmon." Wang Yan muttered. "From my days of watching, the weakest on their main roster is a rank-53 Soul King. Their strongest should be Tang Ju and the masked man Dong'er mentioned. The former only showed up once—last round against Imperial Mystical Academy—six spirit rings: yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black. Among Soul Emperors, that's absolutely top-tier. But the real headliner is that masked one…"
"Teacher Wang, let's all go up," Su Wen smiled.
"Me, Sister Xiaotao, Sister Luochen, Sister Nannan, Senior Bei Bei, Nana, and Qiu'er—just right, seven."
"Mm!"
Wang Yan nodded, satisfied.
A teachable kid—Su Wen, in the final match, finally realized the importance of teamwork!
"It's the last match. Let's all go up and squeeze in a group photo—gotta have some participation vibes." Su Wen sipped his coffee, unhurried.
Wang Yan: "…"
He wanted to warn them not to get careless, but remembering the tornado Su Wen whipped up yesterday—nearly tearing the arena barrier—he swallowed the words. This youth was cagier than anyone; if he did something that looked "risky" to normal people, it only meant your own knowledge was shallow.
"Su Wen, beat him up for me! That masked guy is the only one in the whole Clear Sky team I can't stand!" Wang Dong'er whispered, pointing furtively at the masked man on the field.
Just a few days ago,
that guy strolled over, waving her Second Dad's name around to lecture her—girls should have self-respect, play hard-to-get with Su Wen, string him along for benefits, don't just give it away…
Given her personality? She fired back on the spot. The more she thought about it after, the angrier she got. Too bad he was strong and she couldn't win. So she'd use the match to have Su Wen avenge her!
"Mm… okay."
Su Wen smiled and ruffled the girl's silky hair.
From a distance, Tang San glanced over and frowned slightly. To be honest, Dong'er as bait had been cast out by his main body to begin with. This level of intimacy didn't count for much—as long as the last line wasn't crossed. What really concerned him was—this child of destiny had better not gobble the bait clean and then run!
Wang Dong'er's role was to string Su Wen along!
Only after he completed "taming" Su Wen would her mission be complete. If he wanted to give, he could give… but if the bait got eaten before the taming was done, wouldn't Tang San lose both his daughter and the war?!!
Not to mention that days ago, the divine sense he'd planted in Wang Dong'er's spiritual sea had been swallowed by the Silver Dragon King. Now he couldn't even contact the God Realm! How was he supposed to keep manipulating this bait? Have her recognize her father?
"Er Ming, after this is over, write to have Dong'er come back for a bit," Tang San said coldly.
It wasn't that the fish wouldn't bite—the bait had a problem. In that case, fix the bait first, then talk about the fish.
The Clear Sky Sect had backdoors he'd left—God Realm methods.
The memory-wipe great art was still doable.
"Th—this… yes!"
The burly man hesitated, but seeing Tang San's icy gaze, he hurriedly nodded.
…
Seven from the Clear Sky Sect, dressed in teal short robes, faced the tidal roar of the crowd with excited faces.
The Clear Sky Sect had been sealed away for millennia. They'd thought they'd spend their lives on the mountain—never imagining they'd enter the Grand Tournament and bask in the adoration of thousands.
"Both sides, retreat to your ends. The match… begins!"
"Caawww!"
A lark-like cry split the sky, opening the final battle of this tournament.
Behind Ma Xiaotao, a fire phoenix spread its wings. Scorching phoenix flames rolled through the air, spiking the temperature as she met Tang Ju's descending Clear Sky Hammer.
Ling Luochen took up her usual support-control role.
Gu Yuena, Mu Qiu'er, Bei Bei, and Jiang Nannan each engaged several enemy Soul Kings.
Gu Yuena and Mu Qiu'er went all-out. No more holding back. The former, a supreme controller of elements with a silver dragon spear in hand, suppressed a rank-56 Soul King so hard he couldn't budge, while still covering Shrek's weak link—Bei Bei and Jiang Nannan.
The field blazed with action.
This setup absolutely rivaled top-tier team matches.
But amid it all, two figures stood off from afar.
"Su Wen, you may have learned some things about me from the Silver Dragon King. But some of it might be misunderstandings. Dong'er and you are fond of each other—once you marry, I'll give you my blessing… We shouldn't be enemies." Tang San extended his hand sincerely.
"Blessing?" Su Wen smiled.
"Dong'er is my daughter. You're the young man I rate the highest. When you become a god, I'll pass you the Asura God position."
Tang San wore a kindly smile.
Truly the master of painting pies in the sky, the number one PUA (Pick-up Artists) of the God Realm.
That sincerity—others might have believed it. But Su Wen knew it was all pits and traps. On this topic, Huo Yuhao had the most right to speak…
"But Gu Yuena—you're not to touch her. I have other plans for her." Barely a few lines in, Tang San's true nature emerged—already pointing fingers.
"Then your god position is quite the hot potato. Compared to all these conditions, I find the Destruction God position easier to take…" Su Wen smiled.
"You—" Tang San was stunned.
His plan felt disrupted.
Did this kid know the situation in the God Realm? How did he know Destruction was his mortal enemy? The Silver Dragon King told him? It shouldn't be.
"Also, want to make a bet?" Su Wen grinned.
"What bet?" Tang San frowned.
"Bet on whether you'll die here."
Before the words finished, Tang San was blasted away. The terrifying force sent his organs tumbling, his heart pounding wildly. He spat blood midair. Blue Silver Emperor vines burst from the arena, wrapping his arms and yanking him back—otherwise he would've been out of bounds and eliminated.
So fast!
So strong!
Tang San's pupils shook. In the God Realm he could vaguely perceive this youth's terrifying potential—but he never imagined he was already this strong!
Like a humanoid berserk dragon.
Midair, Tang San wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked down at the smiling Su Wen below, who was looking up at him.
They locked eyes.
The next instant, the figure vanished again.
Tang San's pupils shrank. Muscles tensed tight. He scanned left and right—then a crushing force hit his back.
Ribs—broken!
He plummeted, body out of control. Agony tore across his back; it felt like he'd lost all sensation there. Fortunately, just before he hit the ground, he summoned a Blue Silver net to catch himself…
"Pfft—"
Tang San spat blood, glaring coldly at Su Wen in the sky.
The latter stood in the air, steady as a rock—prompting gasps from the crowd—looking down at him with a cold gaze.
"Time to get serious."
Tang San narrowed his eyes. Eight Spider Lances burst from his back, ripping through his clothes. Though short of a super-artifact, with divine power augmentation they were among the finest weapons in the Douluo world.
His foot slid back, then he launched skyward.
Eight purple-black lances all pointed at Su Wen.
"Eight Spider Lances, is it?" Su Wen chuckled.
He didn't dodge—he became a white meteor and charged Tang San head-on.
Boom!!!
Waves from the clash rippled outward.
Those fighting on the ground glanced up.
"At that level, they're at least Soul Sage, right?" Ma Xiaotao clicked her tongue. She always scared Su Wen, but she'd actually been the first to bow out. Now he was more monstrous—going forward, she might—
"Just his physical strength is this overwhelming?" Tang Ju frowned hard. The two in the sky looked evenly matched, but in truth, his Lord was exerting himself—soul skills flying—while their opponent hadn't even brought out the white ape or the Dreadclaw Bear; with just raw physicality, he was suppressing his Lord.
What kind of monster…
He was struggling mightily against Ma Xiaotao; helping anyone else was out of the question.
"Eight Spider Lances?"
Su Wen smiled calmly. The lances pressed against his temples and ribs—but they couldn't penetrate, freezing the smile that had just appeared on Tang San's face.
Tang San was aghast.
No! Not just speed and strength—his defense was thick like a soul beast's. Those Eight Spider Lances had devoured several 10,000-year soul beasts before this. After evolving, they could pierce a 30,000-year Cave Abyss Demon Spider's shell with ease—let alone human skin and flesh…
How—!
"So these are the Eight Spider Lances?" Su Wen gripped the two lances at his temples, grinning.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Tang San's scream echoed across the arena.
Two lances snapped in an instant. What had been incredibly tough now broke under brute force.
The Eight Spider Lances were an external soul bone—equivalent to bones. Having them broken was agony beyond words.
"Lord!"
Tang Ju's throat bobbed. He tried to rush to the rescue—but Ma Xiaotao blocked him with a cold smile.
"Not a bad poison." Su Wen glanced at his palm, faintly darkened, and raised an eyebrow.
"Admit defeat!"
Blood at the corners of his mouth, Tang San glared at Su Wen, gritting through the pain.
"My poison is rare in this world. Tang Sect is masterful at toxins. Even without divine power, this concoction of mine will have you dead within half a day!"
"Admit defeat now—go find the Star Luo Empire's healing-type soul masters—and you might live."
He was confident he could restore the lances, troublesome though it would be. But since his opponent was poisoned, the match would end…
The next instant, Tang San's expression went blank.
A lush green glow rose around Su Wen—like a spring of purification. The dense black-violet on his fingers slowly faded…
"How is that possible?!!"
Tang San panted like an ox, his eyes bloodshot.
"Let's end this."
Su Wen spoke lightly.
His palm pressed to Tang San's chest.
Behind him, a colossal Snow Maiden phantom appeared, reaching its own hand forward. In harmony, the two voices whispered:
"Empress Palm!"