On the arena, the woman announced her name, saying, "Mingdu Soul Mentor Academy, Xu Tianzhen!"
Upon hearing this name, He Caitou was momentarily stunned, his gaze turning blank. An unstable aura surged around him, but he quickly regained his composure, suppressing the intense turmoil within his heart. He showed no outward signs of distress, though his eyes no longer held their previous simplicity. They had become sharp, tinged with a hidden hatred.
He Caitou's change caught Zheng Zhan's attention, but he didn't notice the hatred in He Caitou's eyes, assuming it was merely a sign that He Caitou was preparing to go all out.
"The match begins!" Zheng Zhan declared.
In an instant, the arena fell eerily silent. The anticipated initial clash didn't occur. After Zheng Zhan announced the start of the match, neither Xu Tianzhen nor He Caitou made a move. Both stood still, locked in a strange atmosphere.
"Little Peach Sister, something's wrong. Get ready to act!" Zhu Ziyang was the first to sense something off with He Caitou. He immediately nudged Ma Xiaotao, who was nestled in his arms, and said.
"For real?!" Ma Xiaotao, always eager for chaos, sat up excitedly, her eyes gleaming as she looked at the arena.
The second to notice something unusual about He Caitou was Xu Tianzhen. The girl was horrified to realize that the face of the burly man opposite her had transformed into another. Though his skin remained dark, his features had become much more handsome. More importantly, his face bore a striking resemblance to her brothers!
"You… you…" The girl was so frightened she seemed petrified, pointing at He Caitou as she stammered, "Are you human or a ghost?!"
"Heh, Xu Tianzhen, long time no see!" Revealing his true appearance, He Caitou glared at this cousin who used to follow him around, his face dark with rage. His heart was filled only with hatred, devoid of any joy at reuniting with a relative. His voice was icy, his expression bordering on madness as he roared, "Xu Jiusong killed my entire family! Today, I'll make him taste the pain of losing a loved one! Die!"
With that, He Caitou sprang into action. His entire body was instantly covered in a dense array of soul tools. What followed was a barrage of attacks as he unleashed every soul tool on him, including a level-7 soul-guided cannon shell! In an instant, the arena was filled with at least a hundred soul-guided shells of varying sizes and power. While they might not level the entire arena, they could at least blow half of it away.
Xu Tianzhen was utterly stunned. By the time she thought to defend herself, a level-4 soul-guided shell had already struck her. The shell exploded with a deafening blast, sending Xu Tianzhen flying. Snapped back to reality, she realized, regardless of who this person was, he was after her life. Still airborne from the blast, Xu Tianzhen summoned all her strength to release her martial soul and activated her invincible shield.
As the first soul-guided shell detonated, the nearly hundred others seemed to receive a signal, exploding one after another.
At that moment, the entire venue fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the chain of explosions and He Caitou's near-maniacal laughter.
"This… this… isn't Caitou going a bit overboard?" Xu Sanshi gaped, turning to Bei Bei beside him in a daze.
"Don't ask me, I don't know!" Bei Bei, equally stunned, replied.
"Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, something's wrong. Third Senior Brother's state isn't right!" Though Huo Yuhao was also shocked, his martial soul allowed him to notice He Caitou's abnormality first, and he spoke up immediately.
On the arena, Zheng Zhan finally reacted. Without time to think, he rushed into the explosion, attempting to rescue Xu Tianzhen. This was the current emperor's only daughter! If she died on the arena, especially during a match he was officiating, even ten Zheng Zhans wouldn't be enough to quell the emperor's wrath.
At that moment, Zheng Zhan desperately wanted to rush out and yell at He Caitou, You escaped, so why the hell did you come back? Yes, Zheng Zhan had confirmed that He Caitou was the late emperor's only son. When He Caitou revealed his true appearance, Zheng Zhan had seen it too, which plunged him into deep confusion. This hesitation prevented him from stopping He Caitou's actions and rescuing Xu Tianzhen before the explosions began.
Now, Zheng Zhan could only pray to the heavens that Xu Tianzhen's life-saving treasures were strong enough to withstand an explosion comparable to a level-8 soul-guided cannon.
"Damn it, what is Zheng Zhan doing?!" On the viewing platform, Xu Tianran was furious, slamming his fists on the armrests. His expression was anxious as he stared at the arena, roaring, "If anything happens to my little sister, I'll make Zheng Zhan and the Tang Sect pay with their lives!"
At this moment, Xu Tianran hadn't realized that the person on the arena was Xu Tianhe. His first assumption was that this was a mistake in the match, not an intentional murder attempt, though the consequences were the same.
At the same time, Xu Tianzhen's protector finally acted. Like Zheng Zhan, he had been thrown into shock and doubt by He Caitou's appearance, missing the critical moment to save Xu Tianzhen. When he came to his senses, he rushed into the explosion alongside Zheng Zhan, working together to rescue her.
Everything happened so suddenly, in the blink of an eye, leaving no time to process the events. From He Caitou unleashing nearly a hundred soul-guided shells to Xu Tianzhen being engulfed in the explosions, from Zheng Zhan diving into the blasts to Xu Tianzhen being rescued, the entire sequence took less than three minutes.
When Zheng Zhan pulled Xu Tianzhen out of the explosion's range, her face was deathly pale, and she was gravely injured. If not for her status as a princess, equipped with numerous defensive soul tools, she likely wouldn't have survived long enough for Zheng Zhan's rescue.
The explosions continued for five minutes before gradually subsiding. On the arena, Xu Tianzhen stood supported by Zheng Zhan and her protector. Zheng Zhan looked at He Caitou with a complex expression, while Xu Tianzhen's protector was seething with rage. If not for Xu Tianzhen holding him back, he might have already rushed forward to tear He Caitou apart.
"How hateful!" He Caitou stared at Xu Tianzhen, who, though pale, was clearly not in mortal danger. His face was filled with unwillingness and fury. If not for the shred of rationality he still clung to, he might have charged forward to finish her off in front of two Titled Douluo.
"You're Brother He, aren't you?" Despite nearly losing her life, Xu Tianzhen wasn't angry. Instead, she asked with a voice full of pity, "Why do you want to kill me? I remember you used to dote on me the most."
"Hahaha!" He Caitou burst into manic laughter at her words. "Dote on you? I can't wait to kill you! So that your heartless father and brother can experience the pain of losing a loved one!"
"What?!" Xu Tianzhen was stunned. Though she didn't know what He Caitou had been through all these years, she could tell he believed her uncle, cousin, and others were killed by her father and brother. She immediately tried to explain, "That's not true, Brother He! Uncle and the others were killed by evil soul masters! My father avenged them!"
"Hahaha!" He Caitou laughed even harder, tears streaming down his face. He had no intention of arguing with Xu Tianzhen further. Since he had chosen to reveal himself today, he was prepared to go all out, even if it meant mutual destruction. He turned directly to the viewing platform and shouted, "Xu Tianran, do you still recognize me?"
Using his soul power, his voice echoed throughout the entire venue. The silence of the crowd made his words exceptionally clear. The audience was confused, but many sensed that something significant was about to unfold.
"Xu Tianhe!" Xu Tianran now recognized He Caitou. Wasn't this the sole survivor of his uncle's family from over a decade ago? To think he would appear at the Soul Master Tournament, and in such a way! Xu Tianran felt as though his face had been slapped.
Receiving no response from Xu Tianran, He Caitou continued shouting, "What a pity I couldn't kill your sister and make you taste the pain of losing a loved one! Oh, wait, how could someone like you care about family? Your legs and your manhood were ruined by your own brother, weren't they? Hahaha, what a delight! Even if you've claimed the throne, so what? You're just a useless cripple, passing the throne to someone else's son, hahaha!"
"Xu Tianhe, you're courting death!" Xu Tianran's rage erupted, and he roared uncontrollably, "Wei Hong, kill him!"
Wei Hong, Xu Tianzhen's protector, received the order and immediately shook off Xu Tianzhen's grasp, charging toward He Caitou. As a Titled Douluo, killing He Caitou was effortless for Wei Hong, who faced no resistance.
A large blade appeared in his hand, surrounded by two yellow, three purple, and four black soul rings—nine in total. The blade, gleaming with a sharp edge, swung toward He Caitou.
Just as the blade was about to cleave He Caitou in two, a graceful figure appeared on the arena. A clear phoenix cry rang out, and a high kick struck Wei Hong, sending him flying backward. He crashed heavily into the ground, spitting out blood and fainting!
A single kick had severely injured him!
The figure revealed herself, her charming face radiating undeniable authority.
"What are you, daring to touch a disciple of my Shrek Academy!"
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