manynovel Chapter 280 Ya Li: Ling Bing, or rather, should I address you respectfully as...
Chapter 280 Ya Li: Ling Bing, or rather, should I address you respectfully as...
Chapter 280 Ya Li: Ling Bing, or rather, should I respectfully address you as Lord Huo Yuhao? [Two-in-One]
Seeing that Cai Yue'er was like a mad dog, biting anyone she saw, and even without any evidence, she was ready to convict the two of them directly.
Especially when recalling Nanali's earlier suggestion, the expression on Zhuoshi's aged face became increasingly helpless.
He took a deep breath, his voice filled with the last vestiges of his restraint.
"Moon, I'll say it again, put away your battle armor and stop fooling around."
"Nonsense?"
These words were like igniting a powder keg, striking a nerve with Cai Yue'er.
Beneath the magnificent crown, that youthful, beautiful face appeared even more distorted and grotesque.
"How could I possibly make a mistake? In my entire life, when have I, Cai Yue'er, ever made a mistake!"
With this sharp, angry shout, the moonlight, compressed to its limit, burst forth from the staff she held high.
It transformed into an incomparably sharp, silvery-white moon ring, shooting towards the podium with a piercing shriek that tore through the air.
Seeing Cai Yue'er actually using her killing move, Zhuo Shi's murky eyes finally revealed an undisguised look of shock.
He really couldn't understand it.
After all, Cai Yue'er is a senior member of the Sea God Pavilion who has lived for over a hundred years and is one of Shrek Academy's top combat forces.
Why is he still acting like a child who is easily angered, completely unable to control his emotions?
At this moment, Huo Yuhao, who had been standing quietly at the back, had a red glow representing anger flashing deep within his calm blue-gold eyes.
Cai Yue'er has managed to reach this position and live for so long, so she must have some brains after all.
Unfortunately, he happens to have the ability to completely turn others into mindless people.
As the moon wheel hurtled towards them, Zhuo Shi's movements seemed both slow and fast.
However, he simply raised his right hand slowly and drew a circle in front of him.
In an instant, an incomparably powerful surge of blood energy erupted from his seemingly aged body.
With a flat push of his right palm, a loud and high-pitched dragon roar suddenly exploded out.
The entire space trembled violently under the dragon's roar, as if it were about to be torn apart.
At this moment, in the minds of most people present, a ferocious dragon covered in dark red scales appeared.
The dragon opened its massive jaws and swallowed the oncoming moon whole.
Huo Yuhao, standing to the side, looked at Zhuo Shi's palm strike with a hint of surprise.
If the "Ruling the World" technique that Elder Mu taught him involved integrating spiritual power into physical attacks, then the combat technique this old man is using now involves integrating his own surging, ocean-like blood and qi power into it.
Although they are completely different ways of expression, they lead to the same goal: mobilizing one's own energy and spirit.
Zhuo Shi's right palm remained suspended in front of him, his eyes flashing with a sharp light as he coldly addressed Cai Yue'er in the air: "Cai Yue'er, don't make me say it a third time."
"For the sake of our years of friendship, if you stop now, I can pretend nothing happened. If you insist on doing so, and you cause trouble at the Sea God Pavilion, it will only embarrass everyone."
"Friendship, or embarrassment?"
Cai Yue'er's voice became increasingly distorted and shrill, as if she had heard some enormous joke.
"Zhuoshi, if Yali were standing in front of you right now, you'd probably be groveling before her like a dog! Why would you be here talking about friendship or embarrassing things with me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhuo Shi's aged face instantly turned ashen, his vital energy momentarily halted, and he angrily rebuked:
"You...shut up! Yali would never be as unreasonable as you are now."
"Heh, looks like I've hit a nerve with you, old man."
Cai Yue'er's smile became increasingly distorted, and the silver moon behind her swirled, its light growing ever more dazzling.
"Yes, that woman certainly wouldn't cause trouble. After all, she's already gotten everything she wanted, what more could she possibly want?"
As the venomous words fell, Cai Yue'er raised the Silver Moon Scepter high once more.
This time, the enormous silver moon behind her began to expand outward at an astonishing speed, and her only 100,000-year soul ring shone even brighter.
In an instant, the enormous silver moon completely filled the dome of the room, swallowing up all the light.
It was as if everything began to melt and disintegrate under the pure moonlight, and everyone's perception became extremely blurred at this moment, with only the vast silvery whiteness remaining in their vision.
Ninth Soul Skill, Moonlight!
Seeing Cai Yue'er completely driven to madness, even resorting to using her 100,000-year-old soul skill, Zhuo Shi's face was so gloomy it could drip water.
"Cai Yue'er, you've really gone mad!"
He suppressed his anger, muttered a curse under his breath, and then shouted at Nanali:
"Nanali, protect the others and make sure nothing happens to them. I must act immediately and capture this madwoman."
As they spoke, nine spirit rings—four purple, four black, and one red—emerged from behind Zhuo Shi.
A layer of unusually thick, dark red dragon-shaped battle armor instantly covered his entire body, each scale shimmering with a deep, serene luster.
Zhuo Shi took a step forward, and the dragon wings on his back suddenly vibrated. He transformed into a dark red streak of light and instantly darted into the silvery-white moonlight domain.
His right hand, covered by the dragon claw gauntlet, clenched into a fist, and then he unleashed a powerful punch towards the core of the domain.
At this moment, Zhuo Shi's aged body seemed to fully stretch out, and the surging power of his blood and qi poured into his whole body, like a sleeping dragon awakening at this moment, roaring to the sky.
A dark red band of light rapidly spread out from Zhuoshi's body.
Almost instantly, it transformed into an enormous, scaled dragon, carrying an overwhelming aura of dominance, and pounced towards Cai Yue'er, who was suspended in the center of the domain.
At the same time, Cai Yue'er's ninth soul skill seemed to have been fully charged.
The enormous silver moon that occupied the entire dome shone even brighter, with countless streams of moonlight constantly shooting out from it, transforming into a silver storm that swept across the entire space.
However, the moonlight did not only target the giant dragon formed from the turbid world, but a considerable portion of it also shot indiscriminately toward the platform below.
"Good heavens, has this old hag Cai really gone mad? She actually dares to kill these students?"
Nanali muttered a curse under her breath, while the Fear Bell in her hand shook rapidly at the same time.
The eerie sound spread rapidly, transforming into a tangible dark green sound wave barrier in front of her, firmly protecting Huo Yuhao and the group of students who were already pale with fright behind her.
"Don't be afraid, children. Come behind me. Vice Dean Nanali will protect you."
Despite the scolding, Nanali's mouth was practically crooked from laughing.
She was making plans very quickly.
Based on her qualifications, she would have had to wait at least several more decades before she had a chance to take over Cai Yue'er's position.
But now that such a shocking drama has unfolded, with Cai Yue'er openly going berserk within the academy and even attempting to attack ordinary students, her crime is far more serious.
Even if she doesn't die, it's almost a certainty that she will be impeached and removed from office.
At that time, wouldn't the position of Dean of the Foreign Languages Department be hers for the taking?
Thinking of this, she almost couldn't keep up the sorrowful and compassionate expression on her face.
In mid-air, a series of deafening void explosions and a violent energy collision storm followed.
Countless terrifying holes suddenly appeared on the body of the giant scaled dragon that had been transformed from the turbid world.
Even many of the dark red scales were covered by the eerie silver moonlight, turning into a silvery-white color, and were melting and peeling off at an alarming speed.
Cai Yue'er hovered beneath the silver moon, looking down at the weakened Crimson Armor Dragon below, and let out a cold snort.
"You've never beaten me before, do you really think you can now?"
Zhuo Shi was also suffering terribly in his Martial Soul True Form state, as his Crimson Armor Dragon Martial Soul was a top-tier True Dragon-type Martial Soul.
Its defensive capabilities are almost unparalleled in the world. Even if a Limit Douluo attacks it head-on, it would probably not be able to shatter its dragon scales in a short time.
However, the moonlight erosion ability attached to Cai Yue'er's Silver Moon Martial Soul is naturally a counter to soul masters like him.
Even worse, he also had to focus on controlling his own power, constantly dissipating the energy fluctuations that overflowed during their battle.
They were afraid that if they weren't careful, the aftershocks of the battle would cause the entire teaching building to collapse.
Fortunately, this room was built entirely according to the specifications of the Soul Arena, and it can barely withstand the aftershocks of a battle at the Title Douluo level.
Even so, the competition platform below had long since vanished, completely transformed into ruins that were constantly being melted away by the silver moonlight.
Even Nanali, who was on the platform responsible for supporting the defensive barrier, couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable at this moment.
After all, she was just a sound wave control-type Soul Master, and direct defense was not her forte.
In order to remain safely hidden within Shrek Academy, she didn't learn any of the bizarre and dark secret arts of the Holy Spirit Cult.
Simply relying on her soul power to withstand the continuous onslaught of Cai Yue'er's ninth soul skill is indeed a bit of a stretch for her.
Nanali pursed her lips and secretly transmitted her thoughts to Huo Yuhao through their mental contract: "Master, is it some ability of yours that has affected that old hag, causing her to go completely insane?"
"No, judging from her hysterical state, she might have already gone mad. I've heard that back in her generation, there weren't many female Soul Masters who didn't secretly admire Sky Douluo."
As for the men, even the Sky-Supporting Douluo himself was no exception; they were all madly pursuing the Holy Spirit Douluo Ya Li.
"Those unfounded things, just talking about them makes it feel like all the goodwill I have for her is shattered. I think Cai Yue'er probably harbored resentment from unrequited love back then, and today she's finally unleashed it all, right?"
Listening to Nanali's incessant chatter in his mind, Huo Yuhao's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't respond immediately.
Ever since he learned different versions of the same story from Xuanzi, Long Xiaoyao, and Ye Xishui, he developed a strange sense of antagonism towards these older generation love stories.
After all, many things are not so clear even to those directly involved, let alone the version learned from others.
"However, Master, in this situation, I'm afraid Old Master Zhuo alone can't stop that crazy woman. And now that this matter has escalated to this point, how are we going to handle it?"
Nanali's clear, slightly anxious voice rang in Huo Yuhao's mind once again.
According to her original plan, even if she wanted to take action against Cai Yue'er, she should have done so secretly on a dark and windy night.
But this ostentatious act, which is so grand and disruptive that it's almost like they're going to demolish the entire teaching building, is clearly going to cause a huge mess.
Of course, as long as things can end peacefully in the end, the one who will suffer the most is definitely Cai Yue'er, the instigator.
"Didn't Shen Yi just say she had contacted the Holy Spirit Douluo? So much time has passed, why hasn't he shown up yet?"
In Nanali's memory, that Holy Spirit Douluo rarely left Seagod Island.
With the opponent's cultivation level of 98, even if they are only a support/healing type Soul Master, it would probably only take them a few breaths to get here at full speed.
Upon being caught in Nanali's questioning yet inquisitive gaze, Shen Yi, who was leading the students away, immediately understood and quickly responded:
"Vice Dean Nanali, Her Holiness the Holy Spirit just replied to me, saying that she is currently at the Spirit Tower headquarters on a very important official business and will probably need some time before she can return to the academy."
"At the Spirit Pagoda? Isn't that too far away to help in a crisis?"
Nanali frowned, subconsciously biting her thumbnail, her delicate face filled with anxiety.
His mind raced, and he anxiously transmitted his voice to Huo Yuhao again:
"Given the current situation, if we want to subdue Cai Yue'er immediately, doesn't that mean our only option is the Dragon Emperor Douluo?"
"Master, that's absolutely unacceptable. If that old hag finds out and intervenes now, things will become very disadvantageous for us."
"You have no idea, Cai Yue'er's willful nature is largely learned from that old woman Long. You could say those two are practically in cahoots!"
Looking up at Zhuo Shi, who was clearly locked in a fierce battle under the bright moonlight, and Shen Yi, who was leading the last few students to safety from the room, Huo Yuhao frowned slightly and calmly responded through the mental contract:
"Why not just ask Yun Ming directly?"
Even setting aside the fates that he has altered.
Among the countless stories circulating in Douluo Continent and even Star Luo Continent today, this Sky-Supporting Douluo is already recognized as the number one person in the world.
Rather, given the intense energy fluctuations erupting here, the opponent, being a quasi-god level Limit Douluo in his prime, and being on Seagod Island, should have sensed it long ago.
This is one of the reasons why Huo Yuhao has not chosen to take direct action until now.
As for the other reason, he also wanted to take this opportunity to see.
Faced with Cai Yue'er's reckless behavior, what kind of punishment will the current Shrek Academy leadership impose?
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Nanali showed a clear look of surprise.
But then she quickly realized something and transmitted her voice in a complicated tone: "Master, I'm afraid that won't work. Yun Ming is currently unable to leave the Golden Ancient Tree."
This matter is quite complicated and cannot be explained in a short time. In any case, it is closely related to the divine lineage of Devil's Island and is one of the Sea God Pavilion's top secrets.
boom--
Another muffled thud echoed through the air, and a violent energy storm swept in all directions, leaving the entire Soul Arena in ruins.
Seeing Zhuoshi once again trying to stop her, and even after the students had safely evacuated, Nanali flew up to restrain her as well, Cai Yue'er's chest heaved violently with uncontrollable anger.
She screamed through gritted teeth, "I only sensed an unusually evil aura. You all clearly saw it too, that chilling and eerie aura, could it be emitted by a normal Soul Master?"
"There's definitely something wrong with this spirit ice! Why are you stopping me again and again?!"
With both Zhuoshi and Nanali blocking her way, Cai Yue'er realized that her defeat was only a matter of time.
After her anger subsided, she gradually came to her senses and began to try to justify her actions.
When we get to the Sea God Pavilion, I will insist that the problem lies with Ling Bing, no matter what.
Cai Yue'er has been able to act recklessly with this temperament for so long, so she must be well aware of the intricacies of it.
As long as one's reasons are valid, even if it is eventually found that Lingbing has no problems, there is Elder Long protecting one's back.
Furthermore, since this is an internal matter of the academy, the final outcome will only be to minimize the problem and let it go.
At most, she would only receive a few mild reprimands.
"You old hag, you're really good at twisting the truth, and you're talking nonsense again."
Nanali wouldn't give Cai Yue'er any chance to breathe. With a sharp rebuke, she raised her right hand and snapped her fingers decisively.
The enormous bell phantom behind her trembled once more, this time emitting not a clear, crisp sound, but a grand, booming sound like a morning bell or evening drum.
"I know my brother better than anyone. He's such a kind-hearted man that he wouldn't even dare to step on an ant. He's so kind that the Federation should just give him an honorary good citizen certificate."
"You crazy woman, how dare you slander him as an evil spirit master with such baseless accusations? I think your indiscriminate biting behavior is more like that of those mentally unstable evil spirit masters."
A series of barbed words were amplified by the layers of sound waves.
Like a tidal wave, it crashed directly onto Cai Yue'er, making her feel deafened, and even her mind was violently shaken for a moment by the enormous sound waves.
At this moment, Nanali was completely calm, and could even be described as very confident.
She had already learned from her master that the so-called Evil Eye was not a pure martial soul in essence.
In other words, no problems can be found even if any form of inspection is conducted subsequently.
In this situation, Nanali naturally seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to verbally condemn the old hag to the pillory of shame.
As for Zhuoshi, who had reappeared in human form on the other side, his face beneath the helmet showed a somewhat amused and exasperated expression.
Zhuo Shi still clearly remembers that when Nanali was young, a soundproof array had to be specially activated on the Soul Fighting Stage before she could compete.
The fear is that if this old lady gets carried away with the fight, she'll amplify all the dirty deeds her opponents have done so that the entire Shrek City can hear them.
But now, she's making fun of her own brother. You can only say that they're blood relatives, right?
Huo Yuhao, who was still in the room, heard the amplified sound echoing throughout the entire Soul Arena, and felt several clear black lines appear on his forehead.
Is Nanali indirectly retaliating against me for forcing her into a contract?
Especially seeing Nanali in mid-air looking like she hadn't had enough and wanted to say a few more harsh words, Huo Yuhao could only take a deep breath and transmit his voice through the mental contract:
"Nanali, leave the rest to me."
He didn't want things to take too long now, and he didn't want any unnecessary changes to occur.
Even before arriving at Shrek Academy, his soul power had already officially broken through to level fifty.
And the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger naturally provided him with the fifth soul ring for his Spirit Eye Martial Soul.
Huo Yuhao himself never expected that he would try to use this brand-new soul skill in this kind of situation.
"Hey? Master, wait! I still have a few harsh words to say, they'll definitely inflict ten thousand points of mental damage on Cai Yue'er, they'll pierce her lungs..."
Huo Yuhao ignored Nanali's enthusiastic voice.
Eight black spirit rings, glowing red, created by simulated spirit skills, appeared behind him.
A large, jet-black cat silently leaped out of the spirit ring, then its body swelled up and transformed into an exceptionally powerful black tiger.
As Huo Yuhao's eighth spirit ring flickered violently and then became unusually dim, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's originally blood-red eyes suddenly turned into a deep, dark blue.
Even the gray aura surrounding her transformed into pure black at that moment.
A Xie exerted force with all four limbs at the same time, his massive body transforming into a black lightning bolt as he pounced towards Cai Yue'er, who was standing beneath the silver moon in mid-air.
The iconic evil hook behind him was suddenly swung, drawing a chilling black arc in the air.
Having finally escaped the mind-shaking sonic control, Cai Yue'er's face twisted again as she watched the black tiger pounce on her.
"How dare you..."
How dare a mere soul spirit that hasn't even reached the 100,000-year level act so presumptuously in front of me?
Does Lingbing think that a tiger fallen into the plains can be bullied by a wild dog?
Although the eerie, black tiger seemed strangely familiar, Cai Yue'er, whose mind was still in disarray, couldn't recall the original form of the spirit for the moment.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger moved with extreme speed. Just as Cai Yue'er was about to gather her soul power and set up a defense, a point of pitch-black light burst out from the tip of its evil god hook.
The black light was silent and without any energy fluctuations, yet it rapidly expanded into a black hole with a diameter of over ten feet.
In an instant, it swallowed up both the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and Cai Yue'er's figures, disappearing without a trace in mid-air.
Zhuoshi, who had already removed his battle armor, could not hide the shock on his face.
Shrek Academy probably has a deeper understanding of these spirit beasts than even the Spirit Pagoda, which hunts and kills a large number of spirit beasts for research.
In the ancient records left by Thousand Hands Douluo in the academy, there was a detailed summary of this strange soul beast, and even a great deal of attention was paid to its talent ability called the Arena of Life and Death.
Ancient texts clearly state that if Tang San's ancestor hadn't been lucky, even though he had already become a Title Douluo and was about to complete the Sea God's test, he would probably have died long ago under the claws of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
But now, this...
Seemingly noticing the surprised gaze that Zhuo Shi was giving him, Huo Yuhao looked up and responded loudly:
"Red Dragon Douluo, you are not what you think. My soul skill is called Eternal Arena."
Feeling the increasingly puzzled looks from Zhuo Shi and Nanali, Huo Yuhao thought for a moment before explaining:
"I wonder if you two have ever heard a myth. In order to punish a person, the god sentenced him to push a huge rock to the top of the mountain."
But whenever the boulder is about to reach the summit, it rolls back down to the foot of the mountain, and this continues eternally, without end.
"Wait a moment."
Upon hearing this, Zhuoshi instinctively spoke, his expression extremely strange.
"According to your logic, doesn't that mean Cai Yue'er is currently inside pushing stones?"
Nanali, standing to the side, merely imagined the old hag angrily pushing the stone, only to have it roll down again and again.
Cai Yue'er could only repeat this scene endlessly. Given that old hag's temperament, she would probably be so angry that she would die on the spot.
Thinking about it this way, Nanali couldn't hold back her laughter any longer and almost burst out laughing.
Yes and no.
Huo Yuhao shook his head slightly, not offering much explanation on the matter.
In fact, he preferred to call this fifth soul skill, which evolved from A Xie's innate ability, Eternal Prison.
Unlike A Xie's third soul skill, "Momentary Eternity," which allows manipulation of spacetime within a specific area, it does not.
The flow of time within the Eternal Prison is completely consistent with that of the outside world.
What is eternity?
That is the endlessness built up from countless moments.
From the moment she entered the prison, Cai Yue'er's existence was forever frozen in time.
All the remaining time is nothing more than endlessly repeating that frozen moment in that void.
In a sense, in that alien space that was tantamount to exile, Cai Yue'er achieved a different kind of immortality.
Just then, an exceptionally pure and ethereal voice rang in everyone's ears.
"Then what should we do to release Yue'er?"
What followed was a sacred radiance as warm and gentle as the rising sun.
The radiance carried an incredibly rich life force, and wherever it passed, even the air became fresher.
The golden-white light slowly dissipated, revealing a stunningly beautiful girl who was pure and elegant, untouched by the world.
She wore a simple light green dress, and her long, dark green hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall.
Even though her eyes were closed, everyone present could still clearly feel that she was looking at you with a gentle gaze.
It was as if a single glance from her could wash away all the restlessness and distracting thoughts deep within one's heart.
Zhuo Shi, whose expression had been rather unpleasant, completely changed his demeanor upon seeing that familiar figure.
His old face was not only flushed, but he also looked somewhat flustered. He subconsciously rubbed his hands together, completely losing his previous composure.
"Yali, what brings you here?"
"Shen Yi notified me to come."
Yali's voice was as gentle and refined as ever. She glanced around at the chaotic scene, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, and sighed softly:
"But it seems I was a step too late and couldn't stop it from happening."
"Such a big incident has occurred, and we must give a clear explanation to all the students involved. Moreover, the subsequent entrance examinations will likely become more difficult as a result."
"Oh dear, Yali, this isn't your fault."
Upon hearing this, Zhuoshi immediately became anxious, his tone filled with barely suppressed anger.
"It's all that crazy woman Cai Yue'er's fault! I've tried to persuade her to calm down so many times, but she just wouldn't listen. She insisted on making things so embarrassing, and now look what's happened, leaving behind such a huge mess!"
Seemingly unconcerned by Zhuo Shi's angry complaints, Ya Li's face still wore that captivatingly gentle smile.
Seeing Zhuo Shi's uneasy appearance, Nanali's lips twitched involuntarily, and she immediately spoke to Huo Yuhao through the mental contract:
"So, Master, that old hag Cai wasn't wrong before. When Master Zhuo saw this Holy Spirit Douluo, his soul was almost stolen away, and he acted like a young boy."
However, this is not surprising, after all, back then, the Sky-Supporting Douluo caused a huge commotion in Mingdu for the sake of the Holy Spirit Douluo, and directly and unilaterally declared Ya Li to be his wife.
But nothing came of it after that. In the end, Yali stayed at Shrek Academy, but she remained single.
So it's no wonder that male soul masters of that generation still can't forget her even now...
While listening to Nanali's gossip, Huo Yuhao could also clearly sense something else.
The Holy Spirit Douluo's seemingly closed eyes pierced through Zhuoshi and Nanali, landing directly on him.
His brows furrowed slightly.
He actually sensed the aura of a divine seed in this Holy Spirit Douluo, who was hailed as the most beautiful woman in the Douluo Continent.
Before Huo Yuhao could ponder which deity this aura belonged to, he sensed that Ya Li's tightly closed eyes seemed to open completely at that moment.
In her water-green eyes, a faint golden light shimmered.
A life force far more intense than before burst forth, carrying the fragrance of early spring grasses and trees breaking through the soil.
Is this the divine seed of the goddess of life?!
Before Huo Yuhao could even react, Ya Li's gentle, soothing voice rang in his mind:
"I feel the power of emotions here. Ling Bing, or should I address you as Lord Huo Yuhao? The two God-Kings of Destruction and Life have been waiting for you for a long time."
Only now did Huo Yuhao's calm expression finally change slightly.
(End of this chapter)