"Ah—!" The crowd immediately flew into an uproar when they saw Xiao Xiao's two yellow soul rings.
Not even the weakest team would send out a two-ringed student to participate in a tournament like this!
The Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament required that its participants be under the age of twenty. If a person couldn't breakthrough to the Soul Elder rank by the age of twenty, could he even be considered an outstanding student? This was a tournament for high-ranking soul master and soul engineering academies. A two-ringed soul master appearing on the tournament stage had never occurred for an extremely long period of time.
At this moment, however, they were personally witnessing this exact scene. Yet since this was such a rare occurrence that it didn't feel real.
For example, Tang Xiaolei and Xue Lang. The two of them were involuntarily stunned for a moment by Xiao Xiao's two rings, to the extent that their movements slowed by a bit. She had previously revealed six rings, but now she only had two of them. Just what was Shrek Academy doing?
They were stunned for a moment, but He Caitou wasn't.
The moment the referee announced the start of the match, he took a large step forward. Just as everyone was thinking that he was going to use a valiant strategy like the soul tool fort, He Caitou didn't. He entered a half-squatting position, and an enormous black two-meter cannon appeared on his right shoulder. Its appearance was very similar to that of a stationary soul cannon.
The referee was first stunned at seeing this, but he quickly wiped away all thoughts of interfering. This was because a white light–which was clearly a sign of soul power being gathered– began to flicker from this mouth of the cannon. From this, he could tell that this wasn't a stationary soul cannon, but an energy-gathering soul cannon.
However… did an energy-gathering soul cannon need to be this large?
The referee was filled with doubt, but Tang Xiaolei and Xue Lang didn't think the same. The instant He Caitou showed that enormous energy-gathering soul cannon, they suddenly felt a terrifying wave of pressure from him. It seemed as though this cannon would be able to threaten their very lives if it were to be activated.
Normally, a soul engineer who didn't walk the very edges of the path would equip himself with an energy-gathering soul cannon due to its formidable might. Although it drained a lot of soul power, it would serve as a trump card at crucial moments.
An energy-gathering soul cannon was also called a force-gathering soul cannon because it was a soul tool that condensed and compressed soul power before launching it in a powerful all-out attack. Its main fault lay in the process of gathering soul power, while its main benefit was its powerful attack power. It would normally appear on a soul engineer's chest, but it would absolutely not be as terrifyingly large as the one He Caitou had on him now.
Most other soul masters were at a loss towards tools like the energy-gathering soul cannons that He Caitou was currently using; only truly powerful soul engineers would understand what this thing was.
The resting area of the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy.
"That, that is? That can't be. A super energy-gathering soul cannon? Shrek Academy has actually developed a super energy-gathering soul cannon? But, he's a four-ringed Soul Ancestor. Can he even use a soul tool like this?" Ma Rulong was astonished.
Teacher Ma furrowed his brows tightly and muttered to himself, "It seems like we've always been underestimating Shrek Academy's Soul Tool Department. Their research capabilities aren't as weak as they seem on the surface."
Right, the thing equipped on He Caitou's shoulder was something that completely shouldn't have appeared within this competition. This soul tool was first developed in the Sun Moon Empire, and it was called the super energy-gathering soul cannon; it was also a soul engineer's singular most powerful weapon.
The simple use of this super energy-gathering soul cannon would drain almost all of a Soul King's soul power. That was the only way to release most of its might.
He Caitou naturally didn't have the strength of a Soul King, but the super energy-gathering soul cannon he wielded wasn't actually a complete one; the core formation within it had been modified slightly, though it seemed identical to the original on the surface. Once he became a Class 5 soul engineer and modified it again, he would be able to release the strength of a proper super energy-gathering soul cannon.
Although it wasn't a complete one, the soul power within He Caitou's body started to pour into the super energy-gathering soul cannon at an astonishing rate.
Right, he had a very simple plan—he wanted to finish everything with a single stroke. He was very clear that fighting a Soul King and a Soul Ancestor with his and Xiao Xiao's strengths would yield practically no chances for him at all. If he wanted to win, he had to stake everything. Because of that, he decided to take out this incomplete super energy-gathering soul cannon.
He Caitou did his utmost to inhale the Thin Cigar in his mouth as he squeezed out every single bit of his soul power and poured it into the cannon. The Thin Cigar actually turned into ash within three puffs due to his furious inhaling.
Xiao Xiao stood by his side, immediately replacing the Thin Cigar for him according to the plan that they had set up beforehand. Furthermore, she even helped light it for him.
The two ends of the tournament stage were separated by a distance of a hundred metres. This was an extremely short distance for soul masters; one could charge through that entire distance within three breaths of time at most. However, He Caitou didn't dare to be careless at all. He knew from Wang Yan that one of their two opponents was a soul master who specialised in long-range attacks.
However, he had no other options. They could only stake it all, as doing so would it last give them a sliver of hope; not staking it all would guarantee their defeat. They were originally planning to use the strategy of Tian Ji in the horse race, so although they knew that their opponents were specialised in long-range attacks, He Caitou had no other choice but to carry out his plan.
Tang Xiaolei and Xue Leng were astonished by Xiao Xiao's soul rings, resulting in them blundering away a bit of time. However, they quickly returned to their senses due to the might of the super energy-gathering soul cannon.
Xue Lang roared wildly, and he exerted strength in his legs to dash out like lightning. A violent transformation occurred to his body as he charged forward; silvery-grey fur started growing wildly on his body, and his muscles and bones grew at an astonishing speed. The biggest change occurred to his head; his mouth started protruding outwards, revealing a pair of sharp teeth. His legs became extraordinarily thick, and his arms turned into a pair of sharp claws. At the same time, his first soul ring was already flickering.
Xue Lang's martial soul was the Wolf, the Soulwolf. His martial soul in and of itself wasn't considered too powerful, but the reason why he was able to enter Justsky Academy's official team was due to a few relatively powerful soul skills he had gotten his hands on.
For example, there was his first soul skill that he was current releasing: Wolf Transformation.
When a soul master who had a Beast Soul released their martial soul, their strength would be determined by how closely their transformation resembled that of their martial soul. This Wolf Transformation of his was a self-strengthening skill, and its effects were akin to a weakened version of Dai Yueheng's White Tiger's Vajra Transformation.
This skill gave Xue Lang an all-round increase in speed, power, and soul power, causing his combat strength to instantly increase.
Xue Lang was an agility-type soul master, but he was able to take on an assault-type soul master to a certain extent after using his Wolf Transformation.
In contrast to Xue Lang's rapid charge forward, Tang Xiaolei's bright eyes instantly turned bright purple, as though a purple flare was being released from his eyes. He raised his left hand, causing a large bow to appear within his palm. He was one of the three Soul Kings who had appeared in this match, and his two yellow and three purple soul rings flickered brightly.
Ye Wuqing clearly had a lot of trust in Tang Xiaolei, seeing that he dared to send him out instead of going himself in this second round.
Tang Xiaolei raised the longbow in his left hand and placed his right on the bowstring, a purple light flickering through his eyes as he did so. Immediately, the energies around his body began to surge at an astonishing rate. In an instant, the suppressive aura that he generated was actually not inferior to the super energy-gathering soul cannon that He Caitou had.
The longbow in Tang Xiaolei's hands was 1.8 meters long; its entire body was bright purple, and the luxurious patterns on it shone with a purple halo. It was called the Purpleflower Bow, and Tang Xiaolei had always thought that his martial soul was unique and unmatched. Other than the fact that it wasn't suited for group battles, it was incomparable among martial souls specialising in long-range attacks.
Although this was something that only he considered, this indirectly proved how powerful his long-range martial soul was.
Tang Xiaolei's wrist seemed to shake slightly as he drew the Purpleflower Bow with lightning speed. In an instant, a yellow beam of light shot out and practically instantly reached He Caitou. The beam didn't target He Caitou himself, but the super energy-gathering soul cannon on his shoulder.
The speed of this arrow was simply too quick. Combined with the fact that it gave off no signs beforehand, and the entire process could only be described with the phrase 'lightning quick'. What was more unusual, however, was the fact that the five soul rings that had originally surrounded Tang Xiaolei had decreased to a total of four after he fired this arrow. He didn't have any arrows, so what he fired was actually his own soul rings.
The hairs on Xue Lang's skin stood up involuntarily the moment this arrow of light brushed past him. Even if he knew that this was an attack launched by his partner, a trace of fear still flashed past his eyes. This was because he knew the might of the Purpleflower Bow.
If one were to ask who the person who had the strongest suppressive and instant-attack abilities within Justsky Academy was, the answer to this wouldn't be Ye Wuqing or Yu Mengdi, but the Purpleflower Bow-wielding long-range soul master who was also a self-proclaimed assault-type soul master, Tang Xiaolei.
Tang Xiaolei's martial soul had many flaws. Namely, his Purpleflower Bow required him to use his soul rings as arrows to be fired. Furthermore, his soul power would be fully drained the moment he fired all of his arrows. He had to meditate patiently to recover his soul power, and only when the condition of his soul power return to its peak would he be able to release his soul rings again.
In other words, he could only shoot a total of five arrows in a battle. After shooting those five arrows, he would be as good as dead.
A flaw like this would be fatal to any soul master, but he was still able to represent Justsky Academy to turn up for this tournament in front of more than ten thousand people. This was naturally because his advantages were able to make up for his disadvantages; mainly, his terrifying attack power.
A terrifying consumption of soul power that limited him to just a few attacks made it so that he possessed a terrifying amount of attack power. Furthermore, he didn't need to gather his energy like He Caitou's super energy-gathering soul cannon. Because of that, when comparing notes with each other, even Yu Mengdi and Ye Wuqing had to be careful of Tang Xiaolei when he still had soul rings on his body. The only way they could have a chance of winning was by making him waste all of his soul rings.
At this moment, the lightning-like bolt of yellow light was just about to arrive. However, He Caitou wasn't finished with his energy-charging yet. He simply couldn't move, nor could he dodge the attack that was coming towards him. On the other hand, Xue Lang had crossed over fifty metres in his wild charge; he would enter his attacking range within one more breath of time.
At this exact moment, the young, two-ringed girl stepped out, unbeknownst to Tang Xiaolei or Xue Lang.
A large, pitch-black cauldron appeared not far away from He Caitou's body without any prior warning. The instant that yellow arrow of light was about to hit He Caitou, the cauldron took the initiative to let out a rumble. Its enormous body obstructed the arrow at an angle, as though it had grown a pair of eyes.
A dazzling burst of sparks and an ear-piercing boom erupted from the large cauldron, an astonishing gorge having been cut into its surface. After that, the yellow arrow of light was deflected slightly, practically scraping past He Caitou's shoulder as it flew towards the protective barrier.
"Skree—" A shrill whistle rang out. More astonishingly, a small hole had actually appeared on the protective barrier formed by a hundred and eight soul masters, causing it to ring with a weird sound. Although it was instantly repaired, that yellow arrow had completely disappeared. However, the hole had clearly existed; the penetrative power of Tang Xiaolei's arrows could be seen from that.
"Eeh! What accurate judgement." Tang Xiaolei was slightly astonished as he looked at Xiao Xiao. He couldn't help but squint his eyes as he saw her flickering second soul ring, the purple glint in his eyes brightening up even more.
Right, this had been Xiao Xiao's own ability to judge. Huo Yuhao definitely couldn't spend a large amount of his spiritual power to help them out because of the third match he had to partake in, so this was all caused by Xiao Xiao herself. That was a wonderful feeling for her. Although her eyes couldn't keep up with the speed of Tang Xiaolei's arrow, she was able to instantaneously activate her Cauldron Sweep to forcefully change the direction of that arrow.
However, Tang Xiaolei had already drawn his Purpleflower Bow for the second time. His arrow was still yellow this time, but it gave off a completely different feeling.
Earlier, he had used the swift Speed Arrow. However, his current arrow was filled with a crazy force of oppression.
Xue Lang had crossed another ten or so metres at this moment, but his speed was still increasing,
"Wuuu–" A mournful tune suddenly rang out. It was evidently somewhat sharp and piercing, but Tang Xiaolei and Xue Lang felt their minds jolt when they heard it. At the same time, they slowed down for an instant.
One shouldn't underestimate the effects of this instantaneous decrease in their speed. This exact instant made Xue Lang, who was already ready to attack Xiao Xiao and He Caitou, jump into the air, while delaying Tang Xiaolei's arrow for another moment. Thus, it was able to win more time for He Caitou.
Just what was that? A soul tool? Tang Xiaolei and Xue Lang were drawn towards the long flute in Xiao Xiao's hands.
No, that clearly wasn't a soul tool. The two soul rings surrounding Xiao Xiao had changed into a single one.
In that instant, every single person from the audience and the other representative teams finally understood why Shrek ACademy would send out a weak, young girl to the Continental Advanced Academy Soul Duelling Tournament. This was because this young girl was actually a twin-souled soul master who had infinite potential! Could any of the academies present here even bring out a twin-souled soul master?
So what if she only had two soul rings? The fact that she had twin martial souls signified that she had a boundless future. For a brief period of time, nobody dared to underestimate Xiao Xiao anymore; their gazes on her even became fervent. This was especially so for the teachers in charge of the various teams. They all had a single thought: 'How good would it be if she was in our academy!'
After Xue Lang was slowed down for a moment, he didn't immediately speed up to close the final twenty metres that were separating the two parties. Instead, he angled his body downwards as though he was swallowing a man whole.
This was coordination, the coordination between him and Tang Xiaolei. This was because Tang Xiaolei's second arrow had finally arrived at this moment.
The sharp whistle coming from this arrow was much more intense than the previous one. Furthermore, it wasn't just a beam of light like the previous one, but a ball of light that was as large as a watermelon.
If anyone present was able to clearly see the yellow arrow in flight, that person would immediately see that it was a crystal-yellow arrow which was rapidly rotating in mid-air.
This was Tang Xiaolei's second soul skill, Destruction Arrow; a spiralling arrow.
Its penetrative power wasn't as high as the previous arrow, but its destructive power far surpassed it. This was especially so due to the extremely astonishing explosive force that came along with it.
Nobody would ever have thought that Xiao Xiao would actually abandon He Caitou and rush out. No, she couldn't be considered to be abandoning him. Instead, she used her body to block He Caitou and rushed towards Xue Lang.
The black cauldron that had previously appeared was now gone. Three rays of black light shone from Xiao Xiao's body as she charged forward, forming a horn formation.
Although she was a twin-souled soul master who possessed infinite potential, she was currently still a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster! She was still extremely weak in front of Tang Xiaolei and Xue Lang. However, she still decided to charge forward without turning back.
He Caitou's eyes instantly turned red. Before Xiao Xiao had rushed out, she softly whispered to him, "Senior brother He, I can only do this much. I'll depend on you for everything else."
He Caitou was the physically largest person among Shrek's Seven Monsters, while Xiao Xiao was the smallest. One could imagine how he was feeling, seeing that a little girl was standing in front of him to face a Soul King and a Soul Ancestor. At that exact instant, the image of the little girl he had never paid special attention to was now branded in the softest parts of his heart. He would never forget her resolute eyes when she looked at him, and her small, tender cute face.
Xiao Xiao!
He Caitou clenched his teeth, using all of his strength to release his soul power. His blood vessels suffered an intense blow due to the overly quick release of his soul power into the super energy-gathering soul cannon, and tiny beads of blood started to seep from the surface of his skin. His veins were completely revealed on his forehead, and it seemed as though his body could explode from his own soul power at any time.
Xiao Xiao's small face looked somewhat chilly, but her eyes were filled with a raging will to fight. Even if she clearly knew that any of the two opponents in front of her could easily defeat her, or even pulverise her if they wished to, she still decided to charge forward without turning back.
Shrek's glory didn't just belong to their seniors; it similarly belonged to her, to Huo Yuhao, and to Wang Dong. It belonged to the weakest trio as well.
Huo Yuhao had contributed enough as the team leader during the previous matches, and even Wang Dong had contributed by releasing the Golden Road alongside him. The only person who hadn't done anything was her; she had never contributed anything to the team before. She was only a background figure in the eyes of the others–that was what Xiao Xiao felt in her heart.
This was especially so when Bei Bei sent her out along with He Caitou. This feeling in Xiao Xiao's heart intensified even further; she was being used to lure her opponent's most powerful forces away and waste them. Xiao Xiao had always been filled with arrogance as a twin-souled soul master, and so she had already decided to do whatever she could in this match, regardless of whether she would lose or not.
Thus, she rushed out at this crucial moment. The feeling of prediction in her heart had become increasingly powerful, and she discovered that she could even sense the time needed for He Caitou to finish charging up his super energy-gathering soul cannon. Furthermore, she knew that she had to fight for more time for him to finish charging it.
The downward-slanting Xue Lang felt palpitations in his heart as he saw Xiao Xiao rush towards him.
The young girl in front of him was clearly much weaker than him, but her charming face seemed to be radiating with light. By charging recklessly like that, did she not want her life? Was Tang Xiaolei's arrow so easily blocked? Was she mad?
At this exact moment, Xue Lang was actually considerate towards Xiao Xiao. The young lady in front of him was not only pretty, but her staunch attitude and bravery had already infected him to the point where he had no plans of taking the initiative to attack.
"Xiao Xiao!" Below the stage, Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Bei Bei, and Teacher Wang couldn't help but cry out. This was originally a match that they had planned to throw! However, Xiao Xiao had no plans on giving up.
As the Destruction Arrow neared, even Tang Xiaolei himself was infected by Xiao Xiao's fearlessness in the face of death. However, he couldn't retrieve an arrow that he had fired. Moreover, this was an issue that was related to Justsky Academy's glory. Thus, he had to clench his teeth and release his attack no matter what. But, his eyes subconsciously drifted towards the referee.
Right, the referee. The referee had already charged over, and he wasn't even thirty metres away from the area where both parties would collide. However, even a seven-ringed Soul Sage couldn't instantaneously teleport thirty metres!
At this exact instant, Xiao Xiao's eyes lit up. An intense white light suddenly rose from her body, and her two yellow soul rings blossomed with beautiful light, as though they were burning. The three cauldrons in front of her merged together, then flew straight towards Xue Lang.
This was Xiao Xiao's most powerful attack: National Treasure, Cauldron's Quaking Tremble.
Xue Lang's movements were sluggish, to the extent that he was somewhat late when releasing his skill.
An enormous might that completely surpassed his imaginations suddenly blossomed outwards as the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron's Cauldron's quaking tremble was completely focused on him; he was temporarily paralyzed.
Furthermore, the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron flew right into the path of the Destruction Arrow. Xiao Xiao was not only temporarily blocking Xue Lang with the greatest amount of power she could muster, but she was also stopping Tang Xiaolei's fatal blow.
"Boom—"
A violent boom rang out, shaking the entire tournament stage.
Since Tang Xiaolei��s first arrow was able to puncture a small hole into the protective barrier, how could his second arrow–which focused on destruction–be any weaker?
A terrifying explosive force practically instantly shattered Xiao Xiao's Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron. After using Cauldron's Quaking Tremble, the Cauldron simply had no energy left to block the destructive power of the Destruction Arrow. However, it acted as a detonator that caused the Destruction Arrow to explode prematurely.
The remnants of the explosion directly spread towards Xue Lang, who was in a temporarily paused state.
The instant that terrifying explosive force descended upon Xue Lang, he unusually didn't feel any anger at all. While using all of his soul power to defend himself, he only felt admiration towards the courageous girl in front of him.
Right, she had already done her best. A young girl, whose cultivation hadn't even reached that of a three-ringed Soul Elder, had forcefully blocked a Soul Ancestor and hurt him using the strength of his own companion by relying on her own strength. Moreover, she had simultaneously blocked the attack of a Soul King. Who could ask her for more?
A martial soul was the foundation of every single soul master. Xiao Xiao's entire body seemed to be struck by an enormous hammer in the instant the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron shattered. She wildly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and her advancing body fell straight to the ground with blood seeping from her seven apertures. She had fallen completely into a deep coma.
"Ah–" He Caitou's eyes went red as he let out a mad roar. In an instant, a cloud of bloody mist erupted from his body. The charging process, which had originally needed five to ten more seconds to complete, was actually completed instantly.
The super energy-charging soul cannon instantly turned into a white blaze, and an indescribable, yet terrifying feeling pervaded the entire tournament stage.
The hundred and eight soul masters in charge of maintaining the protective barrier subconsciously poured their soul power into the golden pillars in front of them, turning the protective barrier dark yellow.
After the Threelives Soulcrush Cauldron shattered, Xiao Xiao fell straight to the ground with no signs of waking up. Tang Xiaolei's soul was stirred by the scene, but he was still a Soul King-ranked expert, and this match was just that important to Justsky Academy. He adjusted his mental state in an instant, then raised the Purpleflower Bow in his hands.
Time no longer permitted him to hold back anymore. The danger he felt from He Caitou's super energy-gathering soul cannon was simply too great.
Three beams of purple light were pulled back into a single line, a gradual change occurring to them. The first arrow was the lightest shade of purple, while the last was the deepest. When the last arrow left his bow, the Purpleflower Bow in Tang Xiaolei's hands turned it into a purple flare that rose into the air. Immediately, a purple blaze started to rise from the three arrows, twisting the air in front of them. By the time the three arrows crossed half of the tournament stage, He Caitou unleashed his super energy-gathering soul cannon.
At this moment, every member of the audience–including the various representative teams and the party surrounding the Star Luo Emperor–held their breaths. They had completely forgotten that the match they were spectating had Shrek Academy participating in it. Every single person present had been infected by the desperation felt by Xiao Xiao as she resolutely used her strength as a two-ringed Soul Grandmaster to stop two opponents who vastly outclassed her.
Everyone felt as though they were being choked; that feeling was completely indescribable. In their eyes, the young girl who fell down spitting blood was just that steadfast and brave, yet so stubborn and cute. Even if she had already fallen while spitting blood, she was still an unconcealable being of light who drew the attention of everyone present.
A vast ray of white light appeared on the tournament stage. This wasn't a pillar of light, but a ball of light. The instant it was released, He Caitou was marked with a cross-shaped symbol. No matter how he moved, this symbol would follow him.
When the white ball of light left the super energy-gathering soul cannon, the entire tournament stage mysteriously started to distort. From the perspective of the audiences, the situation on the tournament stage seemed to have instantaneously turned blurry, making them unable to discern anything. However, Xue Lang, Tang Xiaolei, and the seven-ringed Soul Sage who was the referee felt space shattering instantly. Moreover, they felt their bodies shattering along with the space, making them nearly vomit blood.
Tang Xiaolei's gaze changed in the next moment, and he was instantly terrified. He was originally absolutely confident in his own attack, but he now discovered that the target he had placed on He Caitou had vanished following the distortion of space. In other words, the three strongest arrows he had released had lost their mark.
Right, the three rays of purple light had suddenly split into three as they flew through the distorted space. As a result, they simultaneously split up and flew towards three directions, akin to that of a triangle. Moreover, He Caitou was right in the middle of that triangle.
After that, Tang Xiaolei saw the white blaze grow bigger and bigger as it approached him. The ball of light was only a foot or so wide, but he felt as though he couldn't breathe.
His soul power was completely drained after releasing the five arrows, making it so that he had no strength to resist at all. He was originally hoping for his three arrows to interrupt He Caitou's attack before defeating him, but who would've guessed that the latter's super energy-gathering soul cannon was able to twist the space around him?
At this moment, the astonished referee finally played his assigned role.
Following a roar, one white, two yellow, three purple, and one black soul ring appeared. The seven-ringed referee then sped up explosively, his seventh soul ring flickering.
Amidst a low roar, a mountain-like figure flew straight out and stood in front of Tang Xiaolei.
This figure was actually an enormous elephant that was shrouded by a thick layer of armor. Soul rings seemed to faintly light up around the body of the enormous elephant as it formed a earthen-yellow screen of light that fiercely collided with the super energy-gathering soul cannon.
"Kaboom—"
A person who had never seen the might of a super energy-gathering soul cannon would definitely not be able to imagine how terrifying it was.
In the first place, a weapon like this should not have appeared on the tournament stage. This was because a super energy-gathering soul cannon simply took too long to charge up, while a tournament held among soul masters had an extremely quick tempo. He Caitou had spared no costs, injured his own body and urged all of his soul power to reduce the charging time of the weapon by a half, but it still took so long to charge up. If this were an ordinary fight, he would've lost god-knows how many times already.
Although it had a long charging time, its might was similarly terrifying. It was equivalent to taking the soul power of a soul master within a certain area and unceasingly compressing and condensing it using an enormous and complicated formation array before focusing it in one point and releasing it using the mouth of the cannon.
The army was provided with a few super energy-gathering soul cannons, but it wasn't given too many. This was due to its limited attack range, which was only around five hundred metres or so at maximum. Thus, a very powerful godly archer could definitely affect its charging. Furthermore, each usage of it would ignite a miniature sun within the army which was using it; it would be strange if their opponent didn't prioritise taking it down first.
"I've done it. Xiao Xiao, did you see it? I've done it." The loud sounds of an explosion didn't just ring out in front of them; three terrifying explosions similarly rang out behind He Caitou. Only, the sounds of these three explosions were masked by the explosion in front.
He Caitou felt a large force strike his back amidst the violent booms, throwing him forward. He then smashed violently into the tournament stage, and the place he landed was just beside Xiao Xiao.
The current tournament stage was now a patch of beauty if looked at from afar. The dark yellow protective barrier surrounding the tournament stage was now gold, and the hundred and eight soul masters maintaining it now had grave expressions on their faces.
Differently colored lights started exploding on either end of the tournament stage. One of the ends of the stage shone with an intense white blaze, while the other shone with purple.
The tournament stage had suffered a massive amount of destruction due to the release of these two terrifying forces. The ear-deafening noises coming from the stage could even be heard in places very far away from Star Luo Plaza.
However, the current situation was a quiet world to a certain someone. This certain someone was precisely He Caitou.
He Caitou felt as though his entire body had been emptied out as he lay on the ground. The strong taste of a cigar continued to unceasingly slice his throat like tiny knives.
He was already somewhat desensitised to the violent bouts of pain overcoming him. Now, he was trying to look towards Xiao Xiao's direction from his fallen state.
The incomparably quiet Xiao Xiao definitely couldn't hear any of the violent explosions that were coming from the outside world at this moment. Her face was very pale, and her thin lips were still tightly pursed together. As she furrowed her brows, faint traces of blood could be seen flowing from her seven apertures. Not only did she look miserable, but she also gave off an indescribable sense of heartache.
The current Xiao Xiao was just that cute in He Caitou's eyes. The conversation that only the two had heard on the stage earlier was now resounding in his mind.
"Brother He, do you have any especially strong soul tools that aren't restricted?"
"I have one, but it needs a very long time to charge up."
"Then, how about we stake it all? I can help you stall for some time. I can't guarantee that I���ll be able to give you enough time, but I'll do my best. We're also students of Shrek Academy, so for the sake of Shrek's glory, we can't just easily forfeit. Our youth isn't an excuse."
"Xiao Xiao. But…"
"Don't 'but' me, brother He. If we don't use all of our strength to stake it all, we'll definitely regret it for our entire lives. If a girl like me isn't scared, don't tell me that you are."
"I'm naturally not scared, but I'm worried for you."
"There's no need to worry about me. I'm a member of Shrek's representative team, not just a little girl. Let's just do it this way!"
Right. It was this exact conversation that had sealed their strategy on the tournament stage, and also the path that the match would follow. At this moment, He Caitou didn't even know whether he was feeling any regret in his heart.
Struggling, he did his best to crawl over to Xiao Xiao. He bent his body, then used his wide back as a support to carry Xiao Xiao��s body while enduring the falling gravel that came from the blown up tournament stage.
"Little girl, I will never let you protect me in the future again. I should be the one who's protecting you!" He Caitou felt his mind go dizzy. He continuously endured the pain of the falling gravel landing on his back, but even in the instant he fainted, he continued to use his elbows and knees to support his own body to protect the brave little girl under his back from the falling rocks.