Chapter 113: Yu Xiaogang's Pitiful Tactics
Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong lay together on a patch of open ground, looking quite relaxed.
Ning Rongrong smiled and said, "Little Bear, what do you think of Spirit Hall City? I think, although it's not as bustling as Seven Treasure City, it feels especially peaceful and serene."
Yang Xiong smiled and replied, "Spirit Hall City truly lives up to its reputation as the holy land for soul masters. It's good for soul master cultivation, but it's a bit of a pity."
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall are still enemies, and sooner or later we'll clash. When that happens, Spirit Hall City won't be this peaceful anymore."
Ning Rongrong quickly said, "How could that happen? Both Father and Grandpa Sword are elders of Spirit Hall."
Yang Xiong shook his head. "Rongrong, you should get more involved in soul master affairs. Spirit Hall is stronger than ever now, and when people become strong, they start to get ambitious. You'll understand more if you talk with the sect master."
Ning Rongrong leaned her head on Yang Xiong's shoulder. "I don't care about any of that. As long as you're here beside me, I'm happy."
Yang Xiong chuckled. "Silly girl, everyone needs to be self-reliant. I can't always be by your side. Maybe I have other things to do?"
Ning Rongrong pouted and whined, "I don't care. You have to stay beside me. You're my boyfriend, after all."
...
After returning to his heavily guarded room, Xue Qinghe sat alone when suddenly two figures appeared, looking very imposing with their strong auras. These were the Spear Serpent Douluo and the Needlefish Douluo.
Xue Qinghe sat down. "What's the matter? Did that woman say anything?"
The Spear Serpent Douluo spoke first. "Report, young master. The Pope has ordered that, if possible, we should eliminate Yang Xiong."
Xue Qinghe's expression turned cold. "This small matter, do I need to handle it? Does she not know that Yang Xiong is someone Ning Fengzhi values? If we act recklessly, we'll expose ourselves."
The Spear Serpent Douluo hastily replied, "Young master, this Yang Xiong opposes you at every turn. I think it's better to eliminate him early, or he might affect your infiltration plan."
Xue Qinghe seemed to recall the times when he clashed with Yang Xiong, gritting his teeth in anger. "Tell that woman, Yang Xiong is my prey. No one is allowed to lay a hand on him. I'll personally teach him a lesson, and make him kneel and beg for mercy in front of me, otherwise, I'll never be able to forgive him."
The Spear Serpent Douluo hesitated. "But Yang Xiong comes from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. He may become a future problem."
Xue Qinghe scoffed. "A mere kid like him deserves all this attention? Then she must not be fit to be a Pope. But look at Tang San, the son of my father's killer and a disciple of Haotian Sect. Why hasn't she taken any action against him?"
The Spear Serpent Douluo quickly explained, "The Pope had sent Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo to deal with Tang San, but unfortunately, she failed."
Xue Qinghe's gaze grew colder. "That was an attempt to ambush him at Spirit Hall City? Knowing there were Sword Douluo and Dugu Bo, both Title Douluos, and Ning Fengzhi, she only sent Chrysanthemum Ghost Douluo? She must have no more tricks left."
The Spear Serpent Douluo and Needlefish Douluo fell silent, unsure of how to respond.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong lay back, enjoying the stars and the rare peace when suddenly, someone approached.
It was Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing. Dai Mubai smiled. "Yang Xiong, Rongrong, you two sure know how to relax. You even found such a nice place to rest."
Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong quickly stood up. "Mubai, Zhuqing, how are your injuries? Shouldn't have been too bad, right?"
Dai Mubai answered, "After treatment, I'm mostly recovered. I just need some rest now."
Yang Xiong nodded. "That's good. Hope there are no lingering effects."
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a serious look, and suddenly, they both bowed to Yang Xiong.
Yang Xiong quickly spoke. "What are you doing? We're all classmates here."
Dai Mubai said, "Yang Xiong, we owe you so much today. If you hadn't revealed your soul bone, I think Zhuqing and I would have had no good ending."
Yang Xiong smiled. "I thought something big happened. This small thing doesn't need much mention. After all, we've been teammates for years. To everyone, you're still the true leader of Shrek."
Dai Mubai shook his head. "You're wrong. If it weren't for me and Zhuqing, you definitely wouldn't have exposed your secret. Otherwise, I would have lost to Davis' Yin-Yang White Tiger."
Yang Xiong said, "I was just doing my best. I've only helped as much as I could. From here on, you need to handle things yourself."
"By the way, what's the situation with Star Luo Empire? It can't be that simple, right?"
Dai Mubai nodded. "We, Shrek Team, beat Star Luo Royal Academy, but Davis performed much better than I did. His strength is far greater. The elders of the Star Luo Empire have agreed to give me and Zhuqing a chance, but Davis won't become the prince so soon. However, we only have five years."
Yang Xiong thought for a moment and then spoke. "Why bother with this? You've already seen Davis and Zhu Zhuqing's strength today. I've faced them both."
"From a talent standpoint, Davis may be slightly weaker than you, but clearly, he's gone through rigorous training. I estimate he'll break through to Soul King in about six months. Reaching Soul King at 23 or 24 is no small feat."
Dai Mubai nodded. "Thanks for the reminder. Maybe I need more intensive training, or I'll never catch up to the gap between us."
At this point, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly spoke up. "Yang Xiong, can I ask you how you've become so strong? I know your strength exceeds both Davis' and Zhu Zhuqing's. It can't just be your external soul bone."
Yang Xiong was silent for a moment before speaking. "My personal path may not suit you all. I faced off with Zhu Zhuqing today, and in terms of speed and agility, she's probably unmatched by any Soul Venerable."
"If you really want to defeat Davis and Zhu Zhuqing, you'll need to constantly push your limits. Otherwise, you won't make up for the six years of cultivation gap."
"Tiandou Royal Academy might help, but if you want to get stronger, you'll need more life-or-death battles. Only in life-and-death situations can you truly break through your limits, like when I went to Sunset Forest alone. Even though someone protected me in secret, there were still constant dangers and close calls."
"Also, you lack mutual understanding between each other. And this understanding isn't just about being lovers or a past engagement. It's about being able to rely on each other in life-and-death situations."
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing fell silent. This was beyond their imagination, especially considering the dangers and suffering Yang Xiong had experienced. It was truly shocking.
...
The next morning, with only a few hours left until the final battle, Yu Xiaogang organized the team to prepare for the last match.
Despite Yu Xiaogang's long deliberation, he still couldn't come up with a strategy to counter the Spirit Hall team.
Yang Xiong noticed the redness in Yu Xiaogang's eyes, clearly from staying up all night thinking about tactics. Even Tang San and Qin Ming looked a bit nervous, as this was the final match.
Yu Xiaogang looked seriously at Yang Xiong. "Yang Xiong, if you had to face Evil Moon and Hu Liena's Soul Fusion skill, how long do you think you could last?"
Yang Xiong thought carefully before responding. "Master, this is difficult to say. Evil Moon and Hu Liena haven't shown their full strength yet. I estimate their Soul Fusion skill is at least at the peak Soul Emperor level, or even Soul Saint strength. Especially with their mental attacks, even I may not be able to last more than five minutes."
This five minutes was a conservative estimate. Taking into account the protection of the Xuanming Armor, Yang Xiong could hold on, but the mental disturbance from "Yao Mei" was so strong that even a Soul King could fall quickly.
Yu Xiaogang turned to Tang San. "Little San, how about you? How long could you last against Yao Mei?"
Tang San thought for a moment. "Teacher, my strength is too far from Yao Mei's. I might not last even three minutes."
Yu Xiaogang analyzed the situation and finally gritted his teeth. "Then we'll gamble on five minutes. We'll win within five minutes, or we'll lose."
"This time, I plan to have Yang Xiong, Little San, Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu, and Ning Rongrong go on. Yang Xiong will hold Yao Mei off, and the rest must defeat the other members of Spirit Hall's team within five minutes, at any cost."
"Once all the Spirit Hall members are defeated, everyone will focus on Yao Mei. This may be our only chance of victory."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but scoff at this tactic. The strength of the Spirit Hall team was far greater than Yu Xiaogang had imagined, and each member had rich combat experience. Even with the five-on-six advantage, plus Ning Rongrong's extreme support, barely holding off Spirit Hall was already impressive. Defeating them was nearly impossible.
However, this tactic was certainly more targeted. The Stone brothers would have a huge disadvantage facing the Spirit Hall team.
Yang Xiong thought of something and glanced at Xiao Wu.
It had always puzzled Yang Xiong why Xiao Wu's identity had never been revealed. She had met Sword Douluo, yet he had no idea how she had avoided detection by the Title Douluos.
Yu Xiaogang had arranged for Xiao Wu to join the final battle. Could it be that it was destined for Xiao Wu to reveal herself?
Finally, Yang Xiong spoke. "I can try to eliminate one of their members, but it's risky. It might cause a complete collapse."
Everyone looked at Yang Xiong in surprise. They had fought alongside him many times but never expected he had such a trump card.
Over the years, Yang Xiong had adhered to the principle of his martial soul being his own secret and never revealed his soul skills. No one knew what his soul skills were.
But now, thinking about it carefully, maybe it wasn't necessary to hide everything. Even if the enemy knew, they wouldn't be able to counter it. Perhaps one of his soul skills, which seemed like a great trap, could be used.
(END CHAPTER)
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