"Two versus Two, Match Five!" the announcer's voice boomed across the arena. "Let's welcome today's teams! On one side, we have the Iron Blood Duo! And on the other, the Black and White Demons!"
Ye Yin and Zhu Zhuqing walked onto the stage side by side. One was dressed in a handsome white outfit with a matching white mask, exuding an air of nobility and integrity. The other wore a tight, black leather suit and a black mask, looking every bit the deadly assassin who moved in the shadows. Their opponents were a pair of bare-chested, strong men with thick, bulging muscles.
"Match start!"
The Iron Blood brothers clasped their hands, each grabbing a massive iron hammer as two yellow, hundred-year spirit rings rose from beneath their feet. Zhu Zhuqing quickly completed her Spirit Possession, her movements sharp and feline. Ye Yin simply raised his right hand, the Good and Evil Pearl spinning calmly in his palm.
Then, his spirit rings appeared. When two deep purple, thousand-year rings materialized around him, the entire arena fell into a stunned silence. A moment later, that silence was shattered by an eruption of excited and disbelieving shouts.
"Holy crap!"
"Two thousand-year spirit rings!"
"He's cheating! That has to be fake!"
"His first and second soul rings are both a thousand years old! That's impossible!"
Listening to the uproar from the audience, Ye Yin was extremely glad he had decided to wear a mask.
In the management office, Flender, who had seen countless battles in the Soto Great Spirit Arena, was speechless. He had never witnessed such an outrageous scene. Manager Ao, the man in charge of the arena, was so shocked by the news that he could barely speak.
"We must establish a good relationship with 'White Demon' from that team!" he ordered his subordinates. "A Spirit Grandmaster with two thousand-year rings will definitely be a money tree for our arena! Especially in a combination like the Black and White Demons—the hype is off the charts! Tell me all the details of the match later. No, on second thought, I'll go watch it myself."
On the stage, the Iron Blood brothers were just as stunned. They blinked, suspecting their eyes were playing tricks on them, but no matter how many times they looked, the two purple rings remained. They exchanged a glance, seeing the same shock mirrored in each other's eyes. This was real. This was going to be an extremely challenging match.
Ye Yin's first spirit ring flashed three times. One white light shot into his partner, while two black lights streaked toward his opponents.
First Spirit Ability (Blessing): Target: Zhuqing. Effect: All Attributes Amplified (Intensity: Level 3). Duration: Eight minutes.
First Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Long. Effect: Arthritis (Intensity: Level 5). Duration: One hour.
First Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Hu. Effect: Bone Spurs (Intensity: Level 3). Duration: Twenty-eight minutes.
Beside Ye Yin, Zhu Zhuqing let out a soft gasp. Although she had braced herself, she still couldn't hold back the involuntary reaction as the pleasurable side effect of the blessing washed over her. At the same time, she felt her attributes surge by at least ten percent across the board. Yin Ge's amplification is so strong this time!
Ye Yin himself was surprised by the effect. An all-attribute amplification—this was the first time that had appeared.
While Zhu Zhuqing was enjoying the power boost, Tie Long and Tie Hu were not. The moment Tie Long tried to move, a sharp pain shot through all his joints. Tie Hu's condition was just as bad; it felt like sharp bone spurs were grinding inside him, an unbearable pain that came from deep within.
"Big brother," Tie Hu grunted.
"Second brother," Tie Long replied through gritted teeth.
"What's going on? Why does my whole body suddenly hurt?"
Ding!
[Resentment from Tie Long +12!]
[Resentment from Tie Hu +12!]
"It must be that White Demon's Spirit Ability," Tie Long growled. "This guy isn't what we thought! I feel like he's the real Black Demon! Let's charge him!"
The two brothers endured the pain and moved forward, blocking all escape routes.
Ye Yin's second spirit ring flashed again as two more white lights fell onto Zhu Zhuqing.
"Second Spirit Ability, Soul Skill Blessing."
Target: Hell Rush Stab. Weakening: Distance is reduced. Additional Effect: Stores release counts (up to five times, recovers one every five seconds). Duration: Half an hour.
Target: Nether Claw. Weakening: Attack count is halved. Additional Effect: Each attack increases the next attack's damage by ten percent.
As the two blessings took hold, Zhu Zhuqing's legs went soft, and she nearly stumbled. Two blessings in a row meant two waves of intense side effects. Under her mask, she bit her lip hard, her face flushed and her body damp, but she forced herself to stand tall, feigning calm. She couldn't let anyone see what was happening; the public humiliation would be too much to bear. Ye Yin's abilities are powerful, but these side effects are too much! she thought frantically.
Ding!
[Resentment from Zhu Zhuqing +20!]
[Resentment from Zhu Zhuqing +19!]
"Black Demon, go!" Ye Yin commanded.
Zhu Zhuqing's first spirit ring flashed. With a swish, her shadowy figure flickered and reappeared behind the two brothers. They turned around instantly, their combat experience showing.
"First Spirit Ability, Shockwave!" they roared in unison, activating their identical spirit rings at the same time.
In response, Ye Yin's rings flashed again, unleashing another four curses to weaken his opponents.
First Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Long. Effect: Numb (Intensity: Level 5). Duration: Twenty-four hours.
First Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Hu. Effect: Childbirth (Intensity: Level 8). Duration: Twenty-eight minutes.
Second Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Long's "Shockwave." Amplification: Intensity increases. Side Effect: The Spirit Ability will have an unknown side effect on the user. Duration: Five minutes.
Second Spirit Ability (Curse): Target: Tie Hu's "Shockwave." Amplification: Range increases. Side Effect: The larger the range, the lower the overall intensity (no intensity at half-meter range). Duration: Twelve hours.
Tie Long swung his heavy hammer to unleash the Shockwave. But as he did, the "Numb" curse took full effect. His entire body went numb, he lost his grip, and the hammer clattered to the ground. The Shockwave, however, did not stop.
With his body in a state of heightened sensitivity from the numbness, the high-frequency vibration of his own Shockwave became an overwhelmingly stimulating force.
"Awoooo!" Tie Long cried out, a strange sound of shock and something else.
The vibration descended from the hammer, through his arms, and down his body. When it reached his midsection, the terrifying shockwave pulsed incessantly through him. Instantly, Tie Long's eyes went wide. What is this feeling?!
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