The Soul King felt a chill run down his spine. Wasn't Tang San supposed to be in front of him? How had he appeared behind him?
Amid the mist, a large water sphere suddenly enveloped him. It wasn't particularly fast, but he couldn't evade it. The water closed in, trapping him inside.
In an instant, he felt as if he were stuck in a swamp, his entire body locked in place, his movements and soul power stripped away. He couldn't budge.
"Water Release: Water Prison Technique!"
Chen Xuan approached slowly, looking at the Soul King sealed within the water sphere. "This mist doesn't just obstruct your vision; it also dulls your senses. From the very beginning, you've fallen into my trap."
"Why… are there two Tang Sans?" The Soul King still couldn't comprehend what was happening. Were there really two identical individuals? Could the other Tang San be a clone?
At this moment, it was the other Tang San controlling the water prison. Identical in appearance and height, it was nearly impossible to tell them apart.
"From the start, I guided you into this trap," Chen Xuan said indifferently, walking out of the mist. He left the water clone to handle the situation, seeing no need for excessive measures.
When the mist began to form, he had used a portion of his soul power to create a water clone in a blind spot between their lines of sight.
Currently in shadow clone form, every bit of soul power consumed reduced his remaining time. But this method was the fastest way to resolve the battle.
"Two minutes left. That's enough."
As Chen Xuan exited the mist, he spotted Yu Xiaogang and another Soul King not far away.
As expected, the two hadn't moved far beyond the mist's boundaries. The tall and burly Soul King was still forming hand seals.
"That's your brother, isn't it? He's already been dealt with," Chen Xuan said, holding his cyan-gold spear as he approached the two.
Yu Xiaogang scoffed. A Soul Ancestor at the 41st level defeating a 56th-level Soul King? Even his disciple Tang San wouldn't dare claim such a feat.
However, the Soul King's face turned ashen, his eyes momentarily vacant. He could no longer sense his elder brother's presence.
"You're not my match. Leave, or go get reinforcements. My target isn't you," Chen Xuan tried to intimidate the opponent.
The Soul King's bloodshot eyes widened with rage, his voice hoarse as he growled, "Dream on! Master Yu is an important figure in the Heaven Dou Empire and our employer. You won't lay a finger on him!"
Yu Xiaogang waved his hand dismissively. "Don't listen to him. He's just a mere Soul Ancestor. Let's join forces!"
He summoned his beast spirit, a creature resembling a small dog but exuding an intimidating aura.
"You overestimate yourself," Chen Xuan said calmly, unfazed by facing two opponents, one of whom was a Soul King.
Yu Xiaogang sneered, his disdain evident. "You rely on cheap tricks. Against true experts, those are meaningless."
In his eyes, Chen Xuan was merely a slightly above-average fighter. Compared to the Shrek Seven Devils, he was leagues behind. Why else would someone his age, around 16 or 17, only be at the 41st level?
Tang San, Zhu Zhuqing, Ma Hongjun, Ning Rongrong, and the others had all reached the 41st level at 14, and they weren't even at their limits. This was the gap between them.
Yu Xiaogang prided himself on teaching geniuses. If not, students like Tai Long wouldn't have even entered his radar. From the start, he hadn't taken Chen Xuan seriously.
"You're nothing but arrogant and childish," Chen Xuan said coldly, raising his spear.
Yu Xiaogang folded his arms behind his back, his expression scornful. "Nonsense."
Chen Xuan smirked. "You think you know me after watching a few matches? How naive. Do you really believe you've seen all my cards?"
"You're delusional," Yu Xiaogang retorted dismissively.
Chen Xuan's smile deepened. "You'll find out soon enough. Let's see if you can hold onto that belief."
Knowing his clone was nearing its limit after two days of travel, Chen Xuan prepared to finish the fight swiftly.
His eyes opened, revealing a strange pattern as the three tomoe in his Sharingan spun rapidly, merging into a new form—a Mangekyō Sharingan.
Yu Xiaogang's face paled. A chill ran down his spine as an eerie soul power enveloped the area.
"Is this a technique similar to Tang San's eye abilities?" he wondered, noticing the peculiar eight-trigram-like design in Chen Xuan's eyes.
"Master, snap out of it! Fall back!" the Soul King shouted, stepping between Yu Xiaogang and Chen Xuan.
With his cyan-gold spear in hand, Chen Xuan moved, his feet sparking with electricity as he transformed into a flash of lightning, crossing 20 meters in the blink of an eye.
"I see it!"
As a speed-type Soul King, his reflexes allowed him to detect Chen Xuan's movement trajectory. He swung his blade, unleashing a fierce attack along Chen Xuan's path.
Simultaneously, his three spirit rings lit up, imbuing his blade with an intense white glow.
The clash of the Soul King's blade and Chen Xuan's spear sent sparks flying. The impact reverberated with a sharp metallic ring.
Chen Xuan's spear wavered under the powerful blow, his arm numb from the force. Though his opponent seemed lean, his strength was overwhelming.
But brute strength wasn't Chen Xuan's goal. His aim was close combat.
The battle was so swift that Yu Xiaogang only realized what had happened after the clash. He quickly drew a dagger, intending to attack Chen Xuan.
"Space Freeze." Without hesitation, Chen Xuan activated the Mangekyō ability.
The dagger, gleaming coldly, stopped just short of Chen Xuan's body with a crisp clang. Time seemed to halt. Yu Xiaogang and the Soul King stood frozen, unable to move an inch.
Yu Xiaogang's face twisted in confusion. Why couldn't he move? His dagger was mere inches from Chen Xuan, yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pierce forward.
Even the powerful Soul King found himself immobilized, his limbs locked in place as if bound by chains.
Bang!
Chen Xuan swiftly withdrew his spear and delivered a lightning-fast kick to Yu Xiaogang's chest.
The impact was devastating. Yu Xiaogang coughed up blood, his face contorted in pain as if his heart had stopped. His chest caved inward, accompanied by the sickening sound of cracking bones.
Yu Xiaogang flew backward, crashing into a boulder 20 to 30 meters away. His body curled up like a shrimp as he trembled in agony.
The Soul King, eyes bloodshot with rage, roared as the Space Freeze ended. He unleashed his soul power, swinging his blade furiously at Chen Xuan.
Pfft!
Chen Xuan's expression turned sharp as he countered with a thrust of his spear, piercing the Soul King's chest clean through, leaving a small but fatal wound.
The Soul King fell, blood soaking the ground beneath him.
Chen Xuan flicked his spear, shaking off the blood. Without sparing the fallen Soul King another glance, he strode toward Yu Xiaogang.
"Master, how would you like to die?"
Yu Xiaogang clutched his chest, his face twisted in pain and fury. He pointed at Chen Xuan and roared, "You're a wicked man with no respect for teachers. When we return to Shrek Academy, I will ensure you're expelled, no matter who defends you!"
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