Chapter 164: Peak Duel (Part 2)
"Xue'er!"
After deflecting one of Qian Renxue's strikes, Xiao Yu spoke calmly, "Your Angelic Sacred Sword is formed by your fifth soul skill, while my Underworld King Sword is an inherent part of my martial spirit. Soul skills consume soul power, but sword techniques do not. Though I expend soul power to resist the effects of your domain, compared to you, it's nothing but a drop in the ocean. If this continues, it's inevitable that you'll lose."
Qian Renxue snorted coldly. She begrudgingly admitted the truth in Xiao Yu's words. Activating the soul bone in her right arm, her soul power surged wildly. In an instant, radiant golden light burst from her body, and for a fleeting moment, she truly resembled a descended angelic deity.
Under the effect of the soul bone, Qian Renxue's sacred sword expanded to several times its original size, and with unstoppable momentum, she brought it crashing down with immense force.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Underworld Annihilation!"
Facing the fierce and domineering strike from Qian Renxue, Xiao Yu's fifth soul ring glowed beneath his feet. Vast soul power poured into the Underworld King Sword in his hand, which he swung upward to meet the descending Angelic Sacred Sword.
Boom!
The two attacks collided violently, triggering a thunderous explosion. A massive wave of energy rippled outward like a tidal wave, shaking the heavens and earth.
Under the stunned gazes of countless onlookers, the two soul-power-infused sword shadows shattered simultaneously, dissolving into countless points of light that scattered into the air.
"Third Soul Skill: Gale Shadow Break!"
In the instant the collision ended, Xiao Yu's third soul ring flashed, and his figure shot forward like a stream of light.
This was the greatest difference between Xiao Yu and Qian Renxue. Lacking practical combat experience, Qian Renxue needed a brief pause to transition between soul skills after using one. Xiao Yu, however, had mastered the seamless integration of his soul skills, achieving perfect transitions.
Boom!
Xiao Yu's third soul skill not only enhanced his attack power but also increased his speed by 50%. Before the energy ripples from their fifth soul skill clash had even dissipated, he was already in front of Qian Renxue.
Slash!
With a swift strike, Qian Renxue was sent flying as though struck by a sledgehammer, blood spraying from her lips.
"I didn't expect your mastery of soul skills to have reached such a refined level. In this regard, I indeed cannot compare to you!"
Qian Renxue wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Instead of showing anger at the heavy blow, she nodded in admiration toward Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu nodded lightly in return. "Xue'er, forgive me for being blunt, but your use of soul skills is a mess. Certain distractions are dividing your attention. I suggest you extricate yourself from them as soon as possible."
"The infiltration of the Heaven Dou Empire has indeed squandered Xue'er's talent!"
Watching from the shadows, Qian Daoliu nodded slowly in agreement with Xiao Yu's critique. He cast a displeased glance at Bibi Dong, seated in the primary position.
If not for Bibi Dong, how could Qian Renxue have been exiled to carry out such an infiltration mission? For over a decade, his opportunities to see his granddaughter could be counted on one hand.
Qian Renxue was not one to dismiss good advice. She was well aware that the tedious political affairs of the Heaven Dou Empire had significantly hindered her cultivation progress. She nodded toward Xiao Yu. "Thank you for the reminder. I'll seriously consider it."
"However, I haven't lost yet!"
With a sharp turn in her tone, Qian Renxue dismissed the Angelic Sacred Sword. Maintaining the fifth soul skill had indeed drained a significant amount of her soul power, and she realized that in terms of swordsmanship, she was no match for Xiao Yu.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Angelic Roar!"
Qian Renxue's final soul ring lit up. Since physical attacks weren't working, she decided to try mental attacks instead.
As her soul ring activated, she exhaled sharply and unleashed a piercing, resonant cry. Simultaneously, her eyes snapped open, and intense golden flames surged from them.
Angelic Roar was a wide-range attack soul skill. Through a unique conversion of angelic soul power, it transformed half of her soul power into a mental shockwave, targeting all enemies within the affected area with a devastating psychic blow.
Qian Renxue possessed a head soul bone with an astonishing age of 99,999 years. Beyond granting her the ability to disguise herself, it significantly enhanced her mental strength. Combined with the augmentation from her Angelic Domain, this mental attack was so potent that even high-level Soul Saints like Flender or Liu Erlong would face shattered souls and certain death if caught in its wake.
But Xiao Yu's mental strength was far superior to Flender and Liu Erlong. In the blink of an eye, the 100,000-year head soul bone skill of the Underworld Dragon, Death Stare, activated. A horrifying mental pressure descended, condensing and compressing into a focused linear attack that shot directly toward Qian Renxue.
The two terrifying mental attacks collided, triggering another earth-shaking shockwave.
Death Stare was a skill derived from a 100,000-year soul bone, while Qian Renxue's Angelic Roar relied heavily on her 99,999-year head soul bone. Yet, the gap of just one year in their soul bone ages represented a monumental difference in power.
After a brief stalemate, Death Stare overwhelmed Angelic Roar, striking Qian Renxue directly.
Qian Renxue felt her mind go completely blank. Although the clash was a battle of mental power, both were based on high-quality soul bones, making the impact incredibly overwhelming. Unable to maintain control, Qian Renxue was sent flying backward.
Hmm?
Seeing Qian Renxue, still entrapped by the mental attack, plummeting toward the ground, many spectators couldn't bear to watch and covered their eyes. The thought of such a graceful and stunning beauty crashing unceremoniously into the ground was too much for them to bear.
Only Tang Hao, hidden in the shadows, looked excited. Watching Qian Renxue being sent flying reminded him of the time he had smashed Qian Xunji, who had pushed him to the brink of despair, with his hammer. Tang Hao silently prayed that Qian Renxue would land badly, suffering severe injuries.
However, the embarrassing scene Tang Hao anticipated never materialized. In a flash of black light, Xiao Yu appeared directly in Qian Renxue's path. Extending both arms, he caught her securely.
"Let go of me!"
Realizing she was being held in a princess carry by Xiao Yu under the gaze of the entire audience, Qian Renxue's cheeks flushed red, and her heart raced wildly. She couldn't help but let out a coquettish protest.
Xiao Yu, ever the gentleman, set her down carefully. Turning to the referee, he asked, "Referee, can you now declare the result of the match?"
The referee, who had been completely stunned by the scene, snapped back to his senses at Xiao Yu's words. Although he was from Spirit Hall, even he couldn't fabricate the outcome in front of such a large audience. Reluctantly, he announced, "In the second match of the Grand Finals, Nine Star Academy versus Spirit Hall Academy, the victor is Nine Star Academy!"
(End of Chapter)
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