Shi Mo's Black Tortoise Turtle spirit might be a top-tier defensive spirit, rivaling even the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, but the power gap between him and Yaomei was nearly fifty levels. His full-powered turtle shell defense was shredded like paper by Yaomei's moon blades.
Shi Mo felt an overwhelming sense of defeat, realizing he was the one who needed protection. For the Heaven Dou team, he ended up being the first to be eliminated.
A roar echoed as Su Ming's Wood Dragon, summoned alongside his Wood Puppet, shielded Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling within its massive body. Even as Yaomei tried to fend it off with a spirit skill, the dragon's power deflected the attack, sending the moon blade spinning back into Yaomei's hand.
By then, Dugu Yan, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing had positioned themselves behind Yaomei, having already eliminated every Spirit Hall team member except Yaomei and Qian Renxue in just a few seconds.
Hu Liena frowned, realizing their initial attack strategy had backfired and that the Heaven Dou team had them trapped.
"Nana, we underestimated them," said Xie Yue. "Time to go all out and show our true power."
"Phantom Fox Skull Skill: Phantom Domain!" Hu Liena activated her spirit bone skill, unleashing a dense red mist centered around her.
This skull skill, combined with Yaomei's red mist, enhanced her mental power and reduced her opponents' senses and battle power. However, she quickly realized her skills were ineffective—Su Ming's sixth spirit skill had amplified the Heaven Dou team's mental strength so much that their defenses were only mildly weakened, which Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could easily reinforce.
Feeling trapped and frustrated, Hu Liena could only grit her teeth as Xiao Wu mocked, "Hu Liena, Xie Yue, we've got you surrounded. What tricks do you have left?"
Meanwhile, Su Ming, from his vantage point atop the Wood Puppet's head, casually remarked to Qian Renxue, "Seems like your team's losing the match."
Qian Renxue, unfazed, replied with a smile, "Not necessarily. If I win against you, I can handle the rest of your team."
Su Ming gave her a knowing smile, his gaze shifting to Hu Liena. He found it odd that she already possessed a spirit bone for her head, as a valuable head spirit bone was supposed to be among the Spirit Hall's championship rewards, supposedly a gift reserved for Hu Liena by Bibi Dong.
System: Uh-oh!
The system sensed trouble but couldn't intervene in time. Meanwhile, Hu Liena continued to reveal her other spirit bone abilities.
"External Spirit Bone: Fox Tail!"
"Left Leg Bone Skill Activated!"
In the face of the Heaven Dou team's encirclement, Hu Liena used all three spirit bones in her possession. Her skull bone enhanced her mental strength and lowered her opponents' sensory perception, while her fox tail boosted her attack power, and her left leg bone increased her speed.
Seeing this, the crowd was in awe, many people whispering in amazement at the wealth and power of Spirit Hall. Some couldn't suppress their greedy glances; three high-quality spirit bones all at once!
Targeting the support, Hu Liena locked onto Ye Lingling, assessing her as a greater threat than Ning Rongrong's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda due to her healing abilities.
"Wood Dragon, protect Lingling. We'll handle the battle," ordered Dugu Yan.
The Wood Dragon, Su Ming's precautionary measure, remained by Ye Lingling's side, as Dugu Yan believed that she, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu could defeat Yaomei on their own.
"Fifth Spirit Skill: Medusa's Gaze!"
For the first time in the tournament, Dugu Yan unleashed her fifth spirit skill, acquired from a Medusa spirit beast with nearly 30,000 years of cultivation. This skill would have been even more powerful if it had come with a Medusa spirit bone like her grandfather's.
As Yaomei prepared his next attack, Dugu Yan activated the skill, locking eyes with him to unleash the petrifying gaze. Hu Liena felt her body freeze completely, unable to move.
Taking advantage, the green snakes hidden within the jade poison mist tried to bite her, but the protective golden light deflected them.
Dugu Yan clicked her tongue in annoyance. "This golden aura is such a nuisance, preventing my venomous snakes and poison from having much effect. Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, attack now! I can only petrify him for one second at most!"
Recognizing the opportunity, Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged a quick glance.
"First Spirit Skill: Ghost Thrust! Third Spirit Skill: Ghost Slash!"
Their combined assault hit Hu Liena just as the petrification wore off, her defense weakened by the brief stun.
"That petrification didn't even last a second," Dugu Yan noted, frustrated. "I didn't account for his three spirit bones' defensive boosts!"
Prepared for another attack, Yaomei closed his eyes this time, refusing to meet Dugu Yan's gaze.
"Your fifth spirit skill is powerful," Yaomei smirked, "but it has a fatal flaw—it requires direct eye contact!"
Dugu Yan was momentarily taken aback. She hadn't expected her spirit skill's weakness to be exposed so quickly. With Hu Liena's high level of mental strength, even with her eyes closed, her actions were barely affected.
But no matter—someone else was ready with a powerful move.
"Ice Arm Spirit Bone Skill: Frozen!"
In the next moment, Hu Liena, who had her attention focused on Dugu Yan, was frozen in place.
"Another spirit bone? And it's from that girl with the Yin-Yang Lotus!" someone in the crowd gasped.
"It's like these spirit bones are free!"
Ye Lingling smiled as she looked at the immobilized Yaomei. "Xiao Wu, now's your chance!"
This Frost Spirit Bone was a gift from Su Ming, intended as a protective measure for Ye Lingling—a premium spirit bone at seventy thousand years. Although not one of the rare hundred-thousand-year bones, it offered her substantial self-defense capabilities.
Unlike Ning Rongrong, who had a natural gift for spiritual skills, Ye Lingling needed extra protection. Su Ming owned several spirit bones from system rewards, but he preferred to wait for rarer ones before assigning them to his team.
As such, he had given her this Frost Spirit Bone to enhance her abilities. Before the finals, Su Ming, wary of potential danger, helped her reach the fiftieth level and gifted her a divine-bestowed spirit ring, which she absorbed to attain a forty-thousand-year ring. Her power now stood at fifty-two.
With the freeze immobilizing Yaomei for a brief moment, Xiao Wu teleported right beside him.
"Hehe, it's been a while since I used this. Your strength should hold up, right?"
"Eight-Stage Throw!"
With a powerful kick, Xiao Wu launched Yaomei into the air.
"Nine Treasures, Rise: Power, Speed, Spirit!" Ning Rongrong grinned mischievously as she chanted. Despite Hu Liena's rumored infatuation with Su Ming, Rongrong didn't mind—this was a tournament, after all.
Launched by Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Throw, Yaomei tried to resist by breaking out of the ice with his superior strength, but he found himself unable to fully shake off Xiao Wu's grip. Her teleportation skill made it even harder for him to escape; whenever he thought he was free, she appeared above or behind him.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Blades of Fury!"
Yaomei finally managed to find a brief opening to unleash his fourth spirit skill, sending a flurry of blades flying toward Xiao Wu.
At that moment, Xiao Wu's fourth spirit ring glowed, covering her in golden light.
"Fourth Spirit Skill: Invincible Golden Body!"
This was the first time she'd had to activate Invincible Golden Body during the tournament; few opponents had forced her to use it. Watching from below, Yu Xiaogang was stunned to realize her fourth skill granted invincibility.
With her Invincible Golden Body, Xiao Wu was immune to physical attacks, enduring Yaomei's desperate assault as she completed the final throw. With one last kick, she sent Yaomei hurtling down toward the arena.
As the dust settled, Yaomei staggered to his feet. The armor they'd gained from their fusion was cracked, and those with keen senses noticed blood staining his lips, barely visible against the armor's color.
Bibi Dong's eyes narrowed. She recognized the power of Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Throw, a skill she knew well through Ah Rou. Its force was undeniable.
"Brother," Hu Liena whispered, struggling to stand, "we're severely injured, and our spirit power is nearly depleted. We only have one final move left."
"Nana, let's use it," Xie Yue replied, his voice tinged with frustration. "We'll aim to take down at least one of them."
Yaomei's left leg bone glowed as they charged at Ning Rongrong, their last target. They propelled forward, doubling down with their tail bone to boost speed.
Xiao Wu and the others hadn't anticipated that a weakened Yaomei would launch such a swift, desperate attack.
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