Tang San suddenly plummeted from the main dueling stage, a sight that caught every spectator in the Great Spirit Arena completely off guard. To the audience, his fall did not look like the result of a powerful attack or a fierce clash of skills. Instead, it appeared as though he had simply lost the will to fight. It looked like a deliberate, cowardly retreat.
Before the crowd could even process what had happened, Tang San scrambled up from the ground below the stage. Without a moment of hesitation or a backward glance, he bolted toward the exit tunnel. The strangest part was the reaction of the crowd near him. Wherever Tang San ran, the spectators within a thirty-meter radius scattered in panic. They covered their noses and retreated as if he were a plague, hiding as far away as possible.
While everyone enjoyed watching the excitement of a spirit fight, no one wanted that excitement to turn into a personal disaster. The stench trailing behind Tang San was unbearable.
High up in the spectator stands, Yu Xiaogang sat frozen in his wheelchair, completely confused by the scene unfolding below. Had Tang San really just run away? Did he just abandon his teacher without a second thought?
A wave of despair washed over Yu Xiaogang. Because of his current physical condition, he was confined to a wheelchair. Earlier, Tang San had carried him up to this high vantage point so he could have a better view of the team battle. But now, that height was a curse. Although his injuries were mostly healed, his body remained incredibly weak. Walking on flat ground was difficult enough; maneuvering a heavy wheelchair down the steep steps of the stadium stands by himself was impossible. It would be a death sentence for his old bones.
He looked down at the exit where his disciple had vanished. Tang San was long gone, leaving behind nothing but a trail of disgusting, yellow footprints. Yu Xiaogang was stranded.
Meanwhile, the team battle on the central dueling stage raged on. The arena was massive, so even though a section of it had been contaminated by Tang San's unfortunate accident, there was still plenty of room for the other Spirit Masters to fight. They simply had to be careful to avoid the foul area.
However, the psychological impact was immediate. Shi Mo, one of the Black Tortoise Spirit Masters from the Royal Fight Team, decided he could no longer endure the environment. If he stayed on the field, he risked touching that filth and becoming as disgusting as Tang San. Unwilling to accept that humiliation, Shi Mo voluntarily withdrew from the match, quickly exiting the stage to escape the smell.
With the distractions gone, the battle intensified. On the side of the Royal Fight Team, the Spirit Master Oslo made his move. He was a nimble agility-attack system Spirit Master with the Black Panther Spirit. His third Spirit Ring, a bright purple halo, lit up instantly.
Oslo's eyes changed, his pupils contracting into vertical slits like a predatory beast. Under the purple glow of his Spirit Ring, his bones crackled and popped, his body adapting to the surge of power. Suddenly, a terrifying phantom made of light separated from his body. It was shaped like a black panther and moved with blinding speed.
"Panther Shadow Clone!"
The panther construct darted across the stage, crashing violently toward Huo Feng.
A major clash was about to erupt. Huo Feng, standing calm amidst the chaos, shifted his weapon. The longsword in his hand transformed, taking on the burning properties of the Liehuo Sword. He spun the weapon, creating a spherical barrier of flaming sword energy around himself. The Panther Shadow Clone slammed into the fire but could not break through. Ordinary attacks were useless against this defense.
"Huo Feng's Spirit is incredibly powerful! Everyone, watch out!" Dai Mubai roared, turning to instruct his teammates. As the captain of the Shrek Team, he had witnessed Huo Feng's power before and knew far more about the danger he posed than the members of the Royal Fight Team did.
On the other side, the remaining Shi brother of the Royal Fight Team hesitated. With his brother Shi Mo gone, his defensive formation was broken. His momentum faltered for a split second. However, he quickly regained his focus. His second Spirit Ring lit up, and the tortoise shell on his back split, transforming into two heavy shields that he gripped firmly in his hands.
"Swish!"
Huo Feng did not wait for them to regroup. His third Spirit Ring flashed, and the Liehuo Sword in his hand shifted form again. The flames died down, replaced by a brilliant, holy radiance. It transformed into a massive golden greatsword.
"Light Wing Slash!"
Huo Feng swung the heavy blade with fierce precision. Three streaks of golden sword energy tore through the air, slashing toward the Shrek Team members.
Dai Mubai reacted instantly. "White Tiger Vajra Transformation! White Tiger Light Wave!"
He unleashed his second and third Spirit Abilities simultaneously. His muscles swelled, his skin turned striped with black and white, and a massive beam of white light erupted from his mouth. The White Tiger Light Wave collided head-on with Huo Feng's three golden sword slashes.
The impact was deafening, but the stalemate didn't last. The golden energy was too dense, too sharp. Dai Mubai's attack crumbled in less than two seconds. The force of the explosion sent the White Tiger Spirit Master stumbling backward, retreating dozens of steps before he could regain his balance.
Before Dai Mubai could recover, a figure shot out of the smoke like a meteor. In the blink of an eye, Huo Feng was already in front of them. The golden greatsword was gone. In its place was a blade crackling with blue arcs of electricity—the Thunderclap Sword.
"Sword Breaking Strike!"
The Thunderclap Sword hissed with raw power as Huo Feng thrust it forward. His target was Yu Tianheng, the captain of the Royal Fight Team. Huo Feng's speed was terrifying; Yu Tianheng had absolutely no time to dodge.
Facing the incoming strike, Yu Tianheng had only one option: block it head-on. He let out a furious roar, channeling all his Spirit Power into his right arm. His arm, transformed into a dragon's claw by his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, swung forward with full force. Blue lightning surged into the sky as he tried to catch the blade.
"Pfft!"
The defense that Yu Tianheng was so proud of proved to be as fragile as paper. Huo Feng's Thunderclap Sword pierced through the lightning and struck Yu Tianheng's dragon claw instantly.
Although Huo Feng stopped the blade from slicing through the arm completely, the kinetic energy and the burst of thunder were devastating. Yu Tianheng was blasted off his feet and tumbled violently across the ground. The intense electric current from the sword invaded his body, causing him to convulse uncontrollably.
It was a cruel irony. Yu Tianheng possessed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Spirit, known as the greatest lightning Spirit in the continent, yet he had been shocked into a near-death state by Huo Feng's lightning attack. Lying on the ground, twitching, Yu Tianheng felt a deep sense of defeat.
The rapid collapse of both Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng sent a wave of shock through the remaining fighters. They froze, unsure of what to do. Even Dugu Yan, a Spirit Ancestor with a cultivation level over forty, hesitated. She hadn't even had a chance to cast a single skill yet.
Huo Feng did not give them time to think. He moved like a phantom, rushing past the front lines. This time, his eyes were locked on a new target: Ma Hongjun.
Seeing the electric arcs dancing on the Thunderclap Sword, sheer terror filled Ma Hongjun's eyes. This wasn't a sparring match among friends anymore. When they were teammates at Shrek Academy, he hadn't realized how suffocating Huo Feng's pressure could be. Now that they were enemies, he had no desire to fight.
But Ma Hongjun knew he couldn't just sit there and wait to die. Driven by the instinct to survive, he activated everything he had. All three of his Spirit Rings lit up simultaneously.
"Phoenix Fire Wire!" "Phoenix of Nirvana!" "Phoenix Wings Soaring!"
He unleashed every ounce of Spirit Power in his body. Purple flames erupted around him as he used his third Spirit Ability to launch himself into the air, trying to fly out of Huo Feng's reach.
Huo Feng frowned slightly at the display. Without slowing down, the longsword in his hand shifted back into the flaming Liehuo Sword. He swung the blade upward. A sharp wind composed of sword energy and fire slashed through the air.
The Phoenix Fire Wire that Ma Hongjun had spewed out was instantly obliterated by the sword wind. The attack didn't stop there; it continued upward, sweeping Ma Hongjun right out of the sky.
"Bang!"
The fat Phoenix fell heavily to the ground, groaning in pain. He struggled to scramble to his feet, but before he could stand, Huo Feng was already there. With a graceful, light step, Huo Feng leaped up and landed a palm strike squarely on Ma Hongjun's chest.
Inside his mind, Huo Feng issued a cold command.
"System, sacrifice Ma Hongjun!"
As the command was given, Ma Hongjun felt a strange, invisible force hit him. It wasn't just physical pain; it felt as if his very essence was being drained. His eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the ground, completely unconscious.
[Ding!] [Ma Hongjun sacrificed successfully!] [Main quest completed: 4/7!]
Huo Feng didn't pause to celebrate. His figure flickered and vanished from his spot. Before the other Shrek members could react to Ma Hongjun's defeat, Huo Feng appeared at the very rear of the battlefield.
He had found Oscar.
Oscar, the food system Spirit Master, stood trembling. He was a support specialist with zero combat ability. Huo Feng didn't even need to use a Spirit Ability to deal with him. He simply threw a casual, Spirit Power-infused punch.
"Bang!"
Oscar didn't stand a chance. He was launched into the air, flying ten meters backward before crashing onto the cold stone floor.
"System, sacrifice Oscar!" Huo Feng said silently in his heart.
Oscar, who was struggling to push himself up, suddenly felt his strength evaporate. It felt as if his body had been hollowed out from the inside. His legs gave way, and he collapsed face-first onto the ground, unable to move a muscle.
[Ding!] [Oscar sacrificed successfully!] [Congratulations to the host for completing the system's main quest 5/7!] [Quest reward: Spirit Ring Age Enhancement Card * 1!] [Note: The Spirit Ring Age Enhancement Card can increase the age of all the host's Spirit Rings by one thousand years!] [The Spirit Ring Age Enhancement Card has been stored in the system warehouse, please check it, Host!]
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