Chapter 265: One Person Crushes a Team, One Sentence Digs a Pit
"A man without faith cannot stand. Brother, keep your word."
As the 20,000-year-old Human-Faced Demon Spider appeared beneath Chen Sixue's feet, the crowd from the Sun Moon Empire turned their gaze toward Wang Chen with subtle but sinister amusement.
They were already mentally dragging him toward the toilet for his promised public "feast."
"T-That just looks like a soul beast! Can it really possess the terrifying power of a Human-Faced Demon Spider? Cross-level challenge? Sounds like nonsense to me!"
Wang Chen stammered, his expression stiff. Though merely a low-level soul master, he had studied at a Soul Master Academy and knew what a Human-Faced Demon Spider was. But if he admitted that now, the furious citizens of the Sun Moon Empire might just hold him to his word—and his meal.
Before he could say more, the battlefield roared to life. Chen Sixue gave a slight gesture, and the Demon Spider lunged.
On the Douluo Continent, the Human-Faced Demon Spider was known as a nightmarish evil soul beast. Most soul masters couldn't even dream of absorbing its soul ring unless they completely overpowered it. A hundred-year-old version of the spider was already equal to a thousand-year-old ordinary soul beast in strength—never mind a twenty-thousand-year one.
That's precisely why Xiao Qiang had allowed Chen Sixue to face the entire Dragon Slayer Sect team solo.
The twenty-thousand-year-old Human-Faced Demon Spider had strength surpassing even some Soul Emperors—boasting speed, strength, defense, and lethal venom. Against soul lords and soul kings with only four or five rings, it was a slaughter.
Like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep, the Demon Spider's strikes were ruthless. A single touch meant paralysis, poisoning, or death.
Even the captain of the Dragon Slayer Sect, their strongest, was instantly entangled in the spider's silk and would have perished if not for the quick intervention of the referee. But despite being saved, the venom would keep him bedridden for at least two months. His tournament journey was over.
The remaining team members paled.
Faced with overwhelming power, many soul sect-level fighters immediately forfeited. Yet one man held on—Feng Shen, the team's only soul king. As a flying-type soul master, he believed he could dive from the sky, strike fast, and claim glory for his sect.
If he defeated Chen Sixue, he'd become famous overnight.
But dreams are always brighter than reality.
As Feng Shen dove, Chen Sixue didn't even dodge. Her right leg shimmered, activating the soul skill from her 8,000-year-old Soft Bone Rabbit right leg bone: Invincible Golden Body.
Feng Shen's full-speed dive slammed into her motionless form—only for Chen Sixue to raise her heel and slam it straight into his body.
The force of his own momentum, combined with her brutal counter, sent him flying—gravely wounded.
After Feng Shen's collapse, the remaining members of the Dragon Slayer Sect abandoned all hope and surrendered.
With their captain incapacitated and their soul king defeated, none dared to continue. Even if they could pull Chen Sixue off her soul beast, her powerful soul ring configuration—three purple, two black—wasn't something mere five-ring soul kings could handle. Prolonging the fight would only mean more injuries and expensive treatment for their sect.
Thus ended the first match of the All-Continental High-Level Soul Master Competition.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy had crushed the entire younger generation team of the Dragon Slayer Sect—with one person.
The Sun Moon Empire's audience erupted in wild cheers.
They knew their academy would win, but this? One beautiful girl obliterating an entire team? That was something only Shrek Academy had once done.
Now it was the Sun Moon Empire's turn to shine.
Of course, triumph for one group usually meant misery for another.
And the most miserable soul master today?
Wang Chen: "…"
Watching Chen Sixue dominate the entire stage in just a few minutes, Wang Chen noticed the sharp glints in the eyes of nearby spectators. He suddenly realized he might actually get dragged to the toilets by angry citizens. And there were plenty of soul masters here—some with very hands-on approaches.
"B-Bro, about earlier—" Wang Chen began, trying to pass the blame.
But before he could finish, the "brother" he came with coldly interrupted him.
"I tried to stop you. Don't blame me for your blind worship of Shrek."
"Don't you also worship Shrek?"
"Yes, but I'm not stupid enough to say it out loud in the Sun Moon Empire—especially when they don't even know what soul spirits are."
"You… Are you still my brother?"
"We may know each other, but we're not that familiar. Don't drag me down with you."
Wang Chen was dumbfounded.
Especially when he noticed that several nearby Sun Moon Empire soul masters were standing up and casually surrounding him.
"I'm warning you! I'm a soul master!" he shouted, releasing his spirit rings—one white, one yellow—to show his Great Soul Master rank.
But the Sun Moon Empire soul masters around him exchanged looks and then revealed their own spirit rings—two yellow and one purple, even two yellow and two purple in some cases.
Due to using soul-devouring pills, many in the Sun Moon Empire had reduced talent and couldn't break past certain bottlenecks. But early on, their training speed was unmatched. A difference of one or two innate ranks could still be compensated with effort, especially in this soul-spirit era.
What's more, their soul rings looked far better than they should have—thanks to the overflowing energy from soul spirits, which even transformed their earlier, weaker rings.
"Don't come near me!" Wang Chen cried, backing away. "It's just soul spirit technology! Even Shrek—"
Slap!
Before he could finish, a nearby soul master struck him hard—right in the direction of Shrek Academy's delegation.
Wang Chen, dazed, looked over—only to see the students and instructors of Shrek Academy standing there with serious and even shocked expressions on their faces.
Wang Chen: "…"
No, wait… Why are you guys shocked?! Don't tell me—even Shrek doesn't have soul spirit technology?!