The next day, the Star Luo Grand Stadium was filled with a deafening roar, the sound waves almost lifting the clouds.
But when that figure stepped onto the central platform, all the noise eerily froze for an instant, then erupted into even more frenzied, almost uncontrollable cheers.
Long Yue.
Step by step, he walked forward, his crimson eyes scanning the surroundings like a tyrannosaurus rex surveying its territory.
Wherever his gaze fell, the fervent cheers carried a trace of barely noticeable fear. The aura he exuded was no longer the soul power fluctuations of a soul master, but a pure, primeval, blood-scented oppression, heavy enough to suffocate.
His target was Tang Wulin standing across from him.
Clearly, after being defeated twice in succession, Long Yue was eager to regain face on the Shrek Academy students.
Tang Wulin took a deep breath, the air mixed with dust and fervor rushing into his chest.
Long Yue's gaze locked onto him, not seeing an opponent but rather an irritating object that needed to be utterly crushed.
A tremendous pressure flashed through Tang Wulin's mind, quickly replaced by a surge of fighting spirit. Facing this humanoid beast, he had to seize every opportunity.
"The match begins!"
The referee's voice ignited the fuse.
Long Yue moved. No probing, no detours—only the most primal, most violent pounce.
The alloy platform beneath his feet groaned under the unbearable strain. His entire body transformed into a streak of dark gold light tearing through the air, bringing with it a momentum of destruction, charging straight at Tang Wulin. His speed far exceeded any of Tang Wulin's previous opponents.
Having been defeated by Bo Xi and mocked by Gu Yue, Long Yue's heart was already brimming with uncountable fury. He donned his one-word battle armor "Mountain," going all out!
Tang Wulin's pupils suddenly contracted. The Golden Dragon Claw instantly covered his right arm, and the Blue Silver Emperor martial soul surged violently. Countless resilient vines burst forth from his body, intertwining to form a thick vine shield in front of him.
Boom—Crack!
Long Yue's mountain-like force crashed straightforwardly into the Blue Silver Emperor vine shield.
In an instant! The Blue Silver Emperor vines, capable of withstanding a Soul King's full-powered attack, shattered and crumbled like fragile dry grass.
The dragon claw tore through without resistance, brutally colliding with Tang Wulin's crossed Golden Dragon Claw arms.
An indescribable terror of force surged upon him like an avalanche.
"Urgh—!"
The clear sound of bone-cracking echoed painfully. Tang Wulin felt as if his arms were being crushed by two rapidly moving mountains. The intense pain instantly overwhelmed his nerves.
His entire body flew like a broken kite, hurled by an irresistible force. He traced a sharp arc through the air, crashing heavily onto the protective barrier at the edge of the platform dozens of meters away.
The protective barrier fluctuated violently, twisting and emitting a near-breaking hum before barely bouncing him back to the ground.
"Ack!" A mouthful of scalding blood uncontrollably spewed from Tang Wulin's mouth, splashing onto the cold alloy platform, bright red and eye-catching.
He knelt on one knee, the scales of the Golden Dragon Claw on his right arm shattered, revealing bloody flesh underneath. His left arm hung limply, clearly broken.
Every breath pulled at the fiery pain in his chest, and his vision blackened intermittently.
With Long Yue's all-out effort, the two-ring gap plus the battle armor disparity meant even Tang Wulin saw no hope of victory, let alone proving himself against such overwhelming power.
The stands erupted in deafening cheers and screams, the name of Long Yue roared crazily.
Amidst the frenzied clamor, the seating area of Shrek Academy was deathly silent. Wu Zhangkong abruptly stood up, his nails digging deeply into his palm, his knuckles turning white.
"Concede."
Long Yue dragged his heavy steps closer.
His footsteps scraped heavily on the platform. His voice was hoarse and low, carrying an inhuman cruelty and ferocity. In his vertical crimson pupils, human reason was swiftly receding, leaving only a burning desire for destruction.
Tang Wulin struggled to lift his head, blood foam continuously oozing from his lips. His blurred vision made Long Yue's towering figure twist and sway in a haze of blood. The excruciating pain was like countless steel needles wildly stirring inside him; each heartbeat brought a tearing spasm.
Concede? The word burned his nerves like a branding iron. He seemed to see the proud Dragon King within him again, heard Old Tang's icy words, saw his companions' silent and heavy faces, and finally, Wu Zhangkong's punished figure because of him.
"Concede?" He bared his teeth, stained red with blood, forcing out a nearly grotesque sneer.
There was no fear in that smile, only a kind of almost fanatical, bone-breaking determination to bite off a piece of the opponent's flesh. "You… dream on!"
He fiercely drove his still-functional right hand into the cracks of the fractured platform beneath him, fingers digging into the hard alloy, forcibly supporting his battered body. Slowly, shakily, he stood up.
Each movement caused the broken bones to emit a hair-raising grinding sound. Blood dripped continuously from his arms, mouth, and torn clothes, blossoming into ghastly red flowers on the platform.
Long Yue's vertical pupils suddenly contracted. The heavy stench of blood and the flames of defiance in Tang Wulin's eyes poured oil onto his already boiling killing intent. The last shred of rationality belonging to "Long Yue" was completely devoured by the rampant draconic nature.
"Roar——!!!"
A roar, completely unlike a human's, filled with pure destructive will, erupted from the depths of Long Yue's throat, akin to the roar of an ancient beast.
The earthy yellow light around his body surged violently. Wild soul power formed tangible shockwaves spreading in all directions, whipping Tang Wulin's hair and clothes into a frenzy.
He raised his dragon claw high, the mountain phantom buzzing and trembling, exuding an aura of total annihilation.
It was no longer about the match or victory—it was purely about destroying this stubborn ant who refused to fall.
His massive leg slammed down on Tang Wulin with such speed and force that the critically injured, near-death Tang Wulin couldn't even think of dodging.
Tang Wulin spat out a mouthful of blood, visible fragments of internal organs among it.
"Wretch! Stop!"
A thunderous roar laden with endless shock and anger exploded like celestial thunder. At the moment the voice rang out, the entire noisy arena seemed to be silenced by an invisible giant hand pressing a mute button. Space itself became viscous and solidified.
Just as Long Yue was about to deliver the final blow, a figure appeared without warning in front of Tang Wulin, as if he had always been there.
The newcomer, tall with a fierce visage, was none other than Elder Zhuo Shi of Shrek Academy's Sea God Pavilion, the Red Dragon Douluo—Zhuo Shi.
Zhuo Shi's face was terrifyingly dark, like storm clouds pressing down on the city. Without any extraneous movements, he simply extended a palm.
That palm, seemingly slow yet precisely accurate, slapped onto the Mountain Dragon King's dragon claw.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no violent energy clash—only a muffled thud that stopped hearts.
As if time froze in that moment. The raging assault, the apex power of Long Yue's Mountain Dragon King martial soul concentrated in one claw, disintegrated and dissipated instantly under that gentle slap, like an ice pick thrown into a furnace.
Long Yue's wild, charging massive body was forcibly halted by an overwhelming force. It was as if he had collided with an invisible, immovable ancient divine mountain. The backlash made his blood surge, sweet taste filling his throat, forcing him to swallow the blood surging to his lips.
For the first time, astonishment and a hint of confusion at being interrupted in his destructive process flickered in his crimson vertical pupils, quickly replaced by deeper, furious killing intent directed at this sudden obstacle.
Zhuo Shi slapped aside Long Yue's attack and swiftly extended his other hand, gently yet irresistibly scooping up the swaying, nearly unconscious Tang Wulin behind him.
A warm, rich stream of soul power instantly flowed into Tang Wulin's broken body, forcefully protecting his nearly collapsed heart and internal organs.
Tang Wulin's over-tensed nerves suddenly relaxed, and his vision plunged into an endless abyss of darkness.
In the last moment before consciousness faded, he seemed to hear only his faint heartbeat and the suffocating, all-consuming darkness.
"So... painful..." A silent murmur slipped through his mind, and he lost consciousness completely.
"Roar——!!!"
Long Yue, forcibly restrained by Zhuo Shi, fell into complete madness.
The last vestiges of rationality were utterly crushed. His killing intent no longer targeted anyone but instead unleashed indiscriminately at the surrounding air like a mad beast.
Zhuo Shi paid him no heed, coldly throwing out, "Shrek Academy requires an explanation," before taking Tang Wulin to find someone to treat his injuries.
Dai Tianling sat rigidly in his opulent seat, his face grim, his body taut like a fully drawn bowstring.
The exquisite jade teacup in his hand was squeezed until it cracked. He stared at the completely out-of-control Long Yue on the platform, whose murderous gaze now turned towards him. The last traces of hesitation and appreciation in his eyes vanished, replaced by cold resolve and deep apprehension.
"Elder En Ci." Dai Tianling's voice carried suppressed anger, like the grating of ice. "Please take your disciple off the platform."
Dai Tianling's gaze swept over Long Yue, who was still wildly attacking the protective barrier on the platform. That destructive power sent a chill through his heart.
A beast unable to control its killing desire, daring to glare even at the emperor… On the battlefield, when he kills in a frenzy, would he sweep indiscriminately, friend or foe?
Would his elite royal guards become casualties of his madness? This thought gnawed at him like venomous snakes, making his trust in En Ci's faction and Long Yue completely tilt towards Bo Xi. At least Bo Xi was lucid and controllable.
"Your Majesty, calm down." A peaceful yet supremely authoritative voice sounded. En Ci, who had been standing quietly nearby, finally moved.
This pillar of the Star Luo Empire, the Dragon Emperor Douluo, showed no emotion on his face, only a profound solemnity born of countless experiences.
He took a step, his figure blurring momentarily. In the next instant, he appeared like a ghost beside the frenziedly swinging dragon spear of Long Yue.
Long Yue's beastly instincts seemed to sense a great threat. His crimson vertical pupils sharply turned towards En Ci, a threatening growl emanating from his throat. The mountain phantom charged forward, instinctively attacking En Ci with unparalleled ferocity.
A trace of barely perceptible sorrow flickered in En Ci's eyes, quickly replaced by resolve.
Facing an attack that could make ordinary Title Douluo avoid its sharp edge, he merely raised his right hand casually.
That hand was gaunt, yet seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth. A thin layer of pure golden light glowed at the edge of his palm—not dazzling, yet carrying a dignity that made space itself stagnate.
"Child, rest for a while."
Long Yue seemed to sense mortal danger, letting out an even more ferocious roar, attempting to gather his strength again.
However, before this Limit Douluo, En Ci, his struggles were like those of a caged beast. That finger jabbed with precision, ignoring the violently surging protective soul power on his body, accurately imprinting on the center of his forehead.
"Uh..."
Long Yue's frenzied movements froze instantly. The crimson in his eyes receded like ebbing tides, replaced by extreme emptiness and bewilderment.
His ferocious expression froze on his face. His massive body swayed, as if all bones were removed, collapsing backward with a thunderous crash.
En Ci flicked his sleeve, a gentle soul power catching Long Yue's falling body and laying it gently flat.
He gazed down at his unconscious disciple's face, still bearing traces of wildness, his gaze complex. There was sorrow, helplessness, and a deep sense of powerlessness.
He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over Dai Tianling, whose face was grim in the VIP seats, to Zhuo Shi, holding Tang Wulin with a livid face, and finally landing on the shocked spectators and the chaotic platform.
A barely perceptible sigh dissipated into the dead silence of the arena.
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