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**
However, at this moment, Ling Xiao had no time to ponder such things.
Huyan Li executed his first soul skill with extreme speed.
Before the echo of his thunderous, beastial roar could even fade, the Diamond Great Shield had already coalesced. Huyan Li gripped it tightly, raising the shield with both hands to resist the incoming strike.
In the next instant, Ling Xiao's attack arrived in a flash.
The Profound Sky Axe, augmented by a terrifying axe radiance, cleaved straight down. With a booming explosion, the overbearing aura of the Profound Sky Axe slammed violently into the exact center of the Diamond Great Shield.
Hit by such a heavy blow, the incomparably massive Diamond Great Shield shuddered violently. The sound of the impact was a dull, thunderous roar—not crisp or bright, but saturated with a sense of pure, immense power that made it all the more intimidating.
Ling Xiao's offense and Huyan Li's defense instantly clashed.
The sharp edge and sheer power of the Profound Sky Axe erupted in a split second. The solid, tangible axe radiance unleashed its destructive fury, fully displaying the terrifying offensive power of the Profound Sky Axe.
Streamers of blackish-red soul power flowed wildly across the blade, even staining the translucent, glittering Diamond Great Shield with a tinge of blackish-red, as if forcing it into retreat.
Although Huyan Li continuously poured his brown soul power into the great shield to reinforce its strength, it was still suppressed by the momentum of the Profound Sky Axe, clearly falling into a disadvantage.
Protected behind the great shield, Huyan Li gritted his teeth and resisted with all his might. Seeing Ling Xiao coming at him with such ferocious momentum—an attack far superior to anything before—he had made a split-second decision.
He executed his first soul skill at maximum speed to condense the Diamond Shield, using the combined strength of both arms to raise it in welcome. He had originally thought that by relying on his strongest defensive power, he would be able to take this axe strike.
Yet, he never expected that the moment he blocked the strike, a terrifying, and colossal force would instantly crash into him, completely exceeding his expectations. Both hands holding the shield could not help but tremble.
A long, deep indentation from the axe blade appeared right in the center of the great shield, which he had condensed from the source of his Diamond Force. It looked as though it was about to be split wide open by the Profound Sky Axe.
But in the end, he blocked it.
The Diamond Shield was not shattered. However, under the formidable force of the Profound Sky Axe, Huyan Li was forced back three steps. With every step he took, the ground beneath his feet shattered into pieces.
Seeing Huyan Li block the strike, Ling Xiao did not show the slightest hint of frustration. If Huyan Li were defeated by a single strike right after he started taking things seriously, it would actually be quite boring.
With a low shout, Ling Xiao channeled power into his right arm and pressed the axe downward. At the same time, he twisted his waist slightly, spinning his body to pull the weapon back.
The Profound Sky Axe swung in a sweeping cleave along with his rotation, producing a harsh, grinding screech. Simultaneously, the massive axe radiance was pushed to its absolute limit, its sharp edge and piercing aura abruptly surging.
Bang!
As this axe strike concluded, Huyan Li was forced to take yet another step back before stabilizing his stance. Sweeping his gaze forward, he saw the eye-catching fracture line on the Diamond Great Shield, and a chill instantly ran through his heart.
What terrifying offensive power!
With just a single axe strike, such a mark was left on the great shield he condensed with Diamond Force. One had to know that the defensive power of this Diamond Great Shield was clearly much stronger than the physical defense of his Martial Soul body augmented by Diamond Force.
However, Huyan Li did not have much time to waste on shock.
After driving Huyan Li back with one strike, Ling Xiao did not pause for even a fraction of a second. He closed the distance and attacked once more, swinging the giant axe in a sudden, violent cleave. Its momentum was incredibly fierce, domineering and overbearing.
This time, Ling Xiao did not activate any soul skills, nor did he employ the Profound Heaven Slash. He merely injected his soul power to stimulate his Martial Soul, relying entirely on his immense physical strength to launch a fierce assault against Huyan Li.
Instantly, a barrage of heavy impacts rang out.
Bang! Bang! Bang! ...
The continuous, thunderous roars echoed without pause as the Profound Sky Axe and the Diamond Great Shield repeatedly clashed.
Throughout this barrage of attacks, although Ling Xiao did not execute any soul skills, his sheer focus and full-throttle execution combined with the innate might of the Profound Sky Axe were incredibly astonishing.
Forced to defend with his shield, Huyan Li constantly struggled to counter the force. He fell entirely into a disadvantage, retreating repeatedly; for a time, he had only the ability to parry, with absolutely no power to strike back.
It was clear to all that his defeat was practically sealed, right before their eyes.
At this moment, in contrast to Huyan Li's desperate struggle, Ling Xiao's eyes remained resolute, completely devoid of joy or sorrow. Victory was well within his grasp, yet not a single smile of satisfaction appeared on his face.
There was only a surging, ever-strengthening battle intent.
His cleaves and slashes never wavered.
Diagonal chops, vertical hacks—every single move and stance sought victory through absolute force.
He did not pay much attention to intricate techniques, and the directions in which he struck Huyan Li's Diamond Great Shield were quite scattered rather than focused on a single line. It wasn't that he couldn't concentrate his attacks on one specific axe score to break it faster.
He simply chose not to.
Having withstood numerous strikes from the Profound Sky Axe, the once radiant and dazzling Diamond Great Shield in Huyan Li's hands could not help but lose its luster.
It was now riddled with axe marks and heavily battered, looking as though it was on the verge of being completely scrapped. These brief dozen or so breaths of time were agonizingly difficult for Huyan Li.
Ling Xiao had unleashed over a dozen consecutive axe strikes. Every time a strike landed, Huyan Li lost the contest of strength once over, leaving him feeling incredibly stifled and aggrieved.
In the next instant, just as Huyan Li had weathered the dozen or so cleaves from Ling Xiao and his stamina waned—his strength visibly failing him—Ling Xiao's battle intent and imposing aura reached their absolute peak.
Still without executing any soul skills, he swung a simple and straightforward axe strike. Yet, this single strike was truly the final straw that broke the camel's back. Huyan Li had nowhere left to retreat and could only hold up his shield to block.
The Profound Sky Axe slammed solidly and squarely against the great shield.
Instantly, with a resounding BANG, the Diamond Great Shield in Huyan Li's hands violently exploded, cleaved cleanly into two halves by the Profound Sky Axe.
The broken remnants slipped from his grip and shot outward to both sides, crashing onto the ground and sending shattered stones flying everywhere.
After shattering the great shield, the residual force of Ling Xiao's axe strike was far from spent. It tore right through the defenses of the Diamond Mammoth Martial Soul, injuring its inner essence and leaving a massive wound across the chest of Huyan Li's Martial Soul body.
Once the Martial Soul Possession is activated, the host and the spirit become one in body and mind. With his Martial Soul sustaining such an injury, the Soul Master felt the exact same excruciating pain.
Even though Huyan Li tried his best to endure it, his defeat at this moment caused his mental state to plummet. Combined with his previous injuries, he could not help but let out a pained groan.
He stumbled back several steps, grunting as he involuntarily clutched his chest, slowly circulating his soul power to mend the injuries on his Martial Soul body. At this moment, his steps were disorganized, no longer possessing their usual steady and powerful footing.
At the same time, his breathing was erratic, and his soul power aura had deteriorated drastically, leaving him far weaker than before. Clearly, he no longer had the strength to continue the fight.
This match between Ling Xiao and Huyan Li thus concluded with Huyan Li's defeat.
Although this outcome was practically a certainty in everyone's minds, many disciples of the Elephant Armored Sect still could not help but feel somewhat disheartened. Fortunately, this battle had truly been spectacular enough to open their eyes.
Within the Elephant Armored Sect and the Diamond Academy, the group of Elephant Armored Sect disciples led by Huyan Li would frequently spar and compete with one another on regular days.
However, none of those matches were anywhere near as thrilling as today's battle, which featured such a diverse array of brilliant moves and extraordinary methods. Furthermore, Ling Xiao's methods were overbearing, fierce, and unyielding.
The fact that he used a head-on, frontal assault to rightfully defeat Huyan Li in terms of pure strength—shattering his strongest defense—left everyone thoroughly convinced and full of admiration.
At this moment, a deep feeling of admiration for Ling Xiao spontaneously welled up in the hearts of the Elephant Armored Sect disciples, even though he hailed from Spirit Hall.
Prior to this, the greatest impression Ling Xiao had left on them was merely that of a genius disciple from Spirit Hall.
Any awe or respect they held for him was based on that background.
But at this very moment, Ling Xiao had used his own strength, in an entirely different manner and without relying on the influential background of Spirit Hall, to completely win over the young disciples of the Elephant Armored Sect.
**
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