Word Count: 2,573 Words
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"Younger sister..."
Xiao Hongchen stared at the injury-covered Meng Hongchen, bewildered and lost like a child who had just entered the world. For over ten years, he had held himself in high regard. When leaving the Sun Moon Empire, he had confidently told his grandfather Jing Hongchen that his grandson would definitely punch Shrek Academy, kick down the three great empires, and easily bring home the championship trophy.
However, reality gave him a crisp slap in the face. Upon striding confidently onto the competition stage for the first time, he was defeated with a few punches and kicks by a younger opponent who was far from his peak condition. As the saying goes, the higher you stand, the harder you fall. The sudden drop from mountain peak to valley bottom left Xiao Hongchen feeling lost and helpless.
"Brother, Ling Bai is indeed a monster unlike any we've ever seen in our lives..."
Meng Hongchen threw away her broken sword and resolutely stood in front of her brother. She declared firmly, "But the word 'monster' has never belonged exclusively to Shrek. We are also monsters cultivated by the Sun Moon Imperial Academy!
We represent not just ourselves, but also the country behind us! If we defeat him, we will be the pride of the Sun Moon Empire, heroes of the people!"
Meng Hongchen's teeth ground audibly as she stubbornly locked eyes with Ling Bai. His pupils seemed to burn with brilliant golden light. It was a condescending gaze from above, like an angel pronouncing death upon a sinner. His brilliant golden hair flew wildly in the wind as the Angel Sword's edge gleamed menacingly. The six-winged illusory figure behind him simultaneously raised a golden longsword!
In this moment of crisis, Xiao Hongchen finally realized that his sister, whom he thought was just a face-obsessed fool, had no less pride in her heart than he did, and was even more resilient!
Xiao Hongchen's heart pounded violently, a fresh surge of fighting spirit welling up in his chest. The Three Legged Golden Toad let out a roar from the depths of his soul, banishing his fear of Ling Bai and ignoring the Seraphim's majesty. This time, it was humanity challenging the lofty god above!
"Sister, let's put an end to the myth of the Seraphim!"
A familiar confident smile appeared on Xiao Hongchen's face. All the Spirit Guidance Devices on his body disintegrated as he opened his arms toward Meng Hongchen.
Meng Hongchen smiled in relief and turned to throw herself into her brother's embrace. Regardless of victory or defeat, this would be their final strike!
A pillar of golden and ice-blue mixed light shot skyward, instantly engulfing their bodies. The light pillar condensed in the air, transforming into a massive toad standing five meters tall. It was neither the pure gold of the Three Legged Golden Toad nor the ice blue of the Red Eyed Ice Toad, but rather a crimson gold radiating metallic luster, with beast eyes as black as an abyss.
The toad opened its massive mouth, revealing a crimson-gold vortex spinning at high speed deep in its throat. Xiao Hongchen's voice resounded throughout the arena:
"Ling Bai, I am very grateful to you. You made me realize that there's always someone better, and there are heavens beyond heavens. From now on, I will devote myself to cultivation with the humility of an apprentice. But I will still take away the championship of the Spirit Master Tournament!
Take this well! This is mine and Meng's Spirit Fusion Skill, Hongchen's Yearning!"
Ling Bai sensed the vast spirit power fluctuations contained in Hongchen's Yearning and exhaled softly:
"A single strike to decide victory, is it? Looks like there's no need to conserve spirit power."
As his words fell, his yellow, purple, purple, black, black five spirit rings suddenly began alternating in brilliance. Within at most the time of one breath, from the first 100-year spirit ring to the final 10,000-year spirit ring, five halos of light flickered in succession like ripples, ultimately converging into a dazzling golden ring of light!
Secret Technique, Rings Fusion!
Spirit Fusion Skill Hongchen's Yearning VS Secret Technique Rings Fusion!
Spirit Fusion Skills had been renowned for millennia, yet this was their first appearance in this Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament. Rings Fusion had been performed once by Ning Tian during the round-robin stage. Her Medusa's Gaze, which fused all her spirit power, directly crossed two major ranks to petrify the Golden Leaf Spirit King Ye Wuqing. Without a doubt, the Seraphim's Rings Fusion would certainly be even more powerful than the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's!
Every heart among the spectators nearly leaped out of their chests at this moment. The collision of two of the Spirit Master world's ultimate trump cards was a spectacle rarely seen in a thousand years. The crowd roared, cheering fervently for Ling Bai under the name 'Seraphim.'
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Wang Yan somewhat couldn't bear to watch. He covered his face with both hands, leaving only his eyes exposed. The battle had long since escaped his control. Reaching the stage of deciding victory with a single strike was already an unexpected blessing. Although Ling Bai had little spirit power remaining, no one knew what miracle the Seraphim's power would create after Rings Fusion.
Ma Xiaotao struggling with the evil fire in her heart, Ling Luochen who had just regained consciousness, Bei Bei, Jiang Nannan, and the others, including the typically calm Ning Tian and Shadow Dragon Douluo Xie Qin, were all silently praying for Ling Bai's triumphant return.
On the other side at the Sun Moon Imperial Academy, Elder Ma clenched his fists tightly. The Hongchen siblings were both top-tier Spirit Kings. The power of Hongchen's Yearning was comparable to a Spirit Saint. He unconditionally believed the Sun Moon Imperial Academy would break Shrek's monopoly and claim their first-ever Spirit Master Tournament championship!
On the distant high platform, Star Luo Emperor Xu Jiawei, White Tiger Duke Dai Hao, and the ministers of the Star Luo Empire locked their gazes on the center of the competition stage. They were equally infected by this battle's explosive atmosphere and couldn't wait to see the final outcome!
"Excuse me, does anyone care about me..."
Everyone was highly charged with excitement except for Heavenfiend Douluo Huang Jinxu, who served as the finals referee. He was nearly depressed to death. He could neither prevent both sides' team members from using their respective trump cards, nor was he certain to what degree the collision of the two techniques would reach.
If he failed to rescue them in time, resulting in the death of any competitor, whether from the Sun Moon Imperial Academy, Shrek Academy, or the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Clan...
Even the Star Luo Imperial Family might not be able to protect him!
Countless pairs of eyes converged on the high platform. They discovered in shock that after Rings Fusion, Ling Bai's entire person abruptly disappeared. Meanwhile, the six-winged angel illusory figure behind him grew increasingly bright. The light seemed to outline the figure's build and facial features. First and foremost was a pair of golden eyes that seemed to overshadow all the world's radiance.
The instant those golden eyes appeared, the light across the entire competition stage suddenly dimmed. The heavy rain falling from the sky instantly froze. Every strand of rain maintained its falling appearance. Everything seemed to become slow, yet spider web-like cracks appeared in the air above the competition stage.
The appearance of the golden eyes coincided with the eruption of Hongchen's Yearning. The vortex-like crimson-gold light transformed into a torrent pouring downward, sweeping straight toward that increasingly distinct figure.
That crimson-gold light was filled with metal's clanging and ice's rigid coldness. Multiple contradictory elements gathered together, forming a kind of hysterical madness. After Hongchen's Yearning's crimson-gold pillar flashed, the ground seemed to transform into a sea of magma.
The dense dark clouds suddenly split open, revealing the blazing sun hanging in the sky. Its light shimmered brilliantly. Scorching sunlight descended, passing through the competition stage's barrier and landing upon that figure. The golden halo highlighted her devastatingly beautiful appearance—face frozen like ice, yet commanding all under heaven!
Ling Bai's figure had disappeared, replaced by an absolutely stunning woman appearing around twenty years old. Her cold eyes were like a clear spring atop a snowy peak, and golden pupils shone beneath her slender brows with aloof pride. An innate aura of lofty majesty that brooked no blasphemy emanated from her, creating an infinite sense of distance. Her brilliant golden hair danced gracefully, adding a touch of vitality to her icy demeanor. Six angelic wings beat slowly behind her, and a bright golden six-winged angel imprint glowed on her forehead.
"Who... who is she?!"
Someone voiced the doubt in everyone's hearts, but no one answered. They gazed unblinkingly at the breathtakingly beautiful woman. The emotions surging in their eyes were not base desires, but submission arising from the depths of their souls. They were not people of the same world. She didn't belong on the scarred competition stage. She should sit upon a throne suspended high in the sky, looking down upon the mortal world in solitary pride!
"Disperse."
The peerless woman uttered a single, chilling word. The distorted, frenzied crimson-gold light pillar completely turned golden the next moment, then transformed into countless golden points of light descending like stars. After condensing together and then dispersing, the Hongchen siblings' all-out attack vanished without a trace.
She turned her gaze toward the embodiment of Hongchen's Yearning. A golden ring of light spread outward. No matter how powerful, Hongchen's Yearning couldn't halt the expansion of that golden ring. The seemingly gentle golden light passed through the surging crimson-gold waves without hindrance and fell upon the massive crimson-gold toad's body.
The crimson-gold toad trembled violently and suddenly disintegrated. The figures of Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen reappeared. The siblings' eyes were filled with blankness as fresh blood flowed like tiny snakes from their seven orifices.
Hongchen's Yearning was merely a small matter casually resolved for that woman. She slightly raised her head and gazed intensely at the enormous sun in the sky. An indescribable expression flickered across her flawless face—was it regret or nostalgia? The great sun burned the clouds into flame colors. Suddenly, her eyes seemed to see something through the sun and became unprecedentedly bright. An ocean-like pressure surged over the crowd in that instant. It was as towering as mountains, as unstoppable as tidal waves!
The common people shuddered and fell to their knees, unable to suppress the feeling of worship washing over their minds. They simply could not meet the gaze of such a noble existence!
Spirit Masters felt as if facing a formidable enemy. Low-ranking Spirit Masters below Spirit Saint reacted no differently from common folk, offering their knees and faith to the peerless woman. Spirit Saints, Spirit Douluo, and Titled Douluo flushed red as they desperately resisted the soul-deep urge to kneel.
On the competition stage, Heavenfiend Douluo discovered dumbfounded that the woman was slowly flying toward him. He clearly felt his body's movements uncontrollably slowing down. As the woman drew closer and closer, he only felt a stuffiness in his chest. His knees trembled continuously. He pressed down hard with his feet to stabilize himself, absolutely refusing to lose composure before hundreds of thousands of people!
The exquisite figure descended from the sky and landed gracefully before Heavenfiend Douluo. A faint coldness emanated from her golden eyes.
"Wh-what do you want?"
Heavenfiend Douluo gulped down a mouthful of saliva and asked tremblingly. He knew acting this way was very undignified, yet he truly felt thick fear rising from the depths of his heart.
"Who won?"
"Ah?"
Heavenfiend Douluo fell into a daze. Only when the woman frowned in displeasure did he suddenly react. He quickly glanced at the unconscious Hongchen siblings and stammered:
"Y-you... it's you who won."
The woman nodded slightly. A burst of intense golden light flashed, and Ling Bai's figure reappeared on the competition grounds. At that moment, people suddenly noticed that the two shared a seventy percent resemblance. Ning Tian couldn't help rubbing her eyes, beginning to wonder about the relationship between them. Shadow Dragon Douluo Xie Qin had a sudden realization:
"No wonder this kid is prettier than a girl. The mystery is finally solved..."
"May I ask who you are?"
Ling Bai tentatively asked. He had his suspicions but found them too astonishing. He hoped to hear a definite answer from this peerless woman.
"Just a former loser. Who I am isn't important."
The woman's figure slowly dissipated into golden light. She calmly spoke of her desolation, but she appeared so indifferent, as if she had already set down her burden. The shining six-winged angel brand on her fair forehead reflected brilliantly with the brand on Ling Bai's forehead, though her radiance was much stronger.
"What a naturally blessed little fellow..."
After looking at the youth who seemed carved from the same mold as herself, her beautiful face suddenly bloomed into a smile. Her voice was gentle:
"Deal with the little trouble in your body, and remember to visit Jialing Pass.
Someone is waiting for you there."
...
Divine Realm.
An azure-haired man with eyes deep as the sea seemed to sense something, a trace of worry surfacing subconsciously on his face.
"Third Brother, what's wrong?" An absolutely beautiful woman with scorpion braids hugged the man from behind.
"I seem to have sensed a familiar aura."
"Who?"
"It's nothing, Xiao Wu."
The man turned and pulled the woman named Xiao Wu into his arms, gently stroking her fragrant hair.
No matter when or where, her presence was where his heart found peace.
"Third Brother..."
Xiao Wu rested lightly against the chest of her former brother and now husband, Tang San, listening silently to the steady, powerful beat of his heart. After countless years together, she could read every glance and subtle motion. She knew he was hiding something from her.
Yet she understood that if he wouldn't speak of it, it was because he didn't want her to worry. So clever as she was, she naturally wouldn't press further. Just as before, believing in him and supporting him was enough.
Seeing his wife's unwavering trust, Tang San smiled slightly, though his smile revealed some reluctance.
"Third Brother, I miss Xiao Qi. Is she doing well on the Douluo Continent?" Xiao Wu changed the topic.
"With Big Brother Da Ming and Second Brother Er Ming watching over her, Xiao Qi is naturally doing fine."
Tang San's eyes flickered when he mentioned his daughter, Tang Wutong. Her descent to the mortal realm had his subtle guidance. The Child of Destiny must belong to the Tang family. Yet in the past year, the fate of the Child of Destiny had grown increasingly faint. He needed to investigate what was happening on the Douluo Continent. If someone had disrupted his carefully arranged grand plan, then sorry...
You already have a way to die!
"Xiao Wu, Destruction wants to discuss the Divine Realm's future plans with me. I'll head over first," Tang San casually found an excuse to leave.
"Mm, come back early."
Tang San walked out of the Sea God Palace. His expression instantly changed from relaxed to solemn. He stopped and gazed into the distance, murmuring to himself:
"Was that aura yours, Angel God...
Qian Renxue."
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