章 399: Chapter 399: Tainted by Darkness

[[Notes: Apologies for not publishing chapters yesterday. Will publish remaining chapters today. So 4 chapters.]]

...

Drip~

A drop of fresh blood fell onto the stone slab, producing a light and crisp sound.

On the Spirit Battle Arena, after a few moments of exchange, two women stood apart, facing each other.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing beautiful flower petals to dance in the air.

The atmosphere became tense once again.

Luo Ying held her twin swords, her crimson eyes locked onto Zhu Zhuqing across from her. A large, exaggerated smile spread across her delicate and beautiful face, and she extended her rosy tongue to lick the blood from her cheek.

Her petite and fragile figure emitted an incredibly formidable aura, her silver white long hair flowing behind her, and her eyes glimmering with a fierce red light, like a female demon.

She twisted her fair and slender neck, always vigilant of Zhu Zhuqing's every move. But in the next second, she disappeared from her original position.

In her eyes, two points of scarlet light reflected. The edges of her swords emitted an icy glow, and pink cherry blossoms fluttered before her eyes.

A terrifying pressure enveloped them, startling Zhu Zhuqing.

Luo Ying had already appeared above her, her hands swinging down the swords she held, launching a forceful attack.

A strong sense of crisis caused goosebumps to rise on Zhu Zhuqing's skin. In the blink of an eye, she placed her long knife in front of her body as a defense.

Clang~

The metallic clash resonated as Zhu Zhuqing's Star Spirit Mirage Sword blocked the two cherry blossom swords swung down by Luo Ying.

However, the powerful force made her wrist ache, and her arm trembled slightly.

Although she had such a delicate figure, she possessed such formidable strength, like a belligerent power type spirit master.

Luo Ying held her twin swords and pressed down on Zhu Zhuqing's defense, her crimson eyes locking with her dazzling eyes, barely ten centimeters away.

"What? The one who always follows her brother is only at this level?" Luo Ying's sudden words caused Zhu Zhuqing's eyes to shrink.

In her momentary distraction, she received a powerful blow to her abdomen, causing her body to bend into a shrimp-like shape as she flew back in a sorry state.

Before Zhu Zhuqing could even feel the pain, those devilish scarlet eyes appeared before her once again. A sinister smile appeared on Luo Ying's face as she lifted the sword in her hand and swiftly slashed down!

So fast!

Before Zhu Zhuqing could be astonished by the current situation, her instinctive danger awareness caused her to raise her arm and meet the incoming sword with her own.

Clang~

Another heavy clash, but Luo Ying did not stop her attack. Instead, she continuously swung the swords in her hands, showering Zhu Zhuqing with a flurry of fierce and relentless attacks.

"Hahaha, is this all you can do? Fight back! Let me be pleased! If you can't, then die! Hahaha!"

Luo Ying laughed wildly, her face bearing a ferocious smile, and she mocked relentlessly.

Zhu Zhuqing felt uncomfortable, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

Though she could defend against every strike Luo Ying made, each strike contained an incredibly strong force. Every collision felt like a heavy blow to her arm and shoulder.

From Luo Ying's attacks, Zhu Zhuqing could tell that her swordsmanship was ordinary, lacking many skills. However, it seemed that she didn't need them. With her own powerful strength and speed, her attacks caught Zhu Zhuqing off guard and made it difficult for her to resist.

Is this the absolute difference in strength that cannot be compensated by skills?

This storm-like attack left her no room to counterattack; she could only defend and passively resist. However, if this continued, defeat was only a matter of time.

On the waiting area of the Shrek team, the members watched the battle on the Spirit Battle Arena with serious expressions.

"Who would've thought that Zhuqing would be suppressed like this? Is that woman a monster?" Ning Rongrong looked at Zhu Zhuqing, who was constantly on the defensive, with a shocked expression.

They had never expected that they, who considered themselves monsters, would turn others into monsters. It was quite ironic!

"The captain of Aquila Team, her strength is just unbelievable! It's been a long time since I've seen Zhuqing in such a sorry state."

In the Shrek, since Zhu Zhuqing had started practicing swordsmanship, her strength had skyrocketed within the team. Especially after reaching the Spirit Ancestor level, her individual combat power was unmatched in the team.

The last time they had seen her in such a miserable state should have been during their time at old Shrek Academy.

Their top fighting force was being suppressed by the opposition. Seeing this situation, they couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"I'll go next!"

At that moment, Tang San spoke up, and Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang looked at him and nodded in agreement.

Although they deeply trusted their companions, the difference in strength between them in this match was visibly apparent. Tang San didn't believe Zhu Zhuqing would win; defeat was already inevitable; it was only a matter of time.

Even if he went up next, he couldn't guarantee a victory. Because his Blue Silver Grass Martial Spirit seemed to be restrained by the opponent's Cherry Blossom Martial Spirit.

Her cherry blossoms possessed sharp cutting attributes, which were a big problem for him, as his spirit skills mainly revolved around controlling with the Blue Silver Grass.

This feeling couldn't help but remind Tang San of Zeng Yi. His Blue Silver Grass really seemed to have no effect against them.

But there was a reason why he needed to go up. His Blue Silver Grass was poisonous. As long as he could infiltrate her body with the toxin, even if he lost, with the passage of time, she wouldn't be able to defeat the other team members.

The battle on the Spirit Battle Arena continued.

Two graceful figures flickered and intertwined on the arena, their swords clashed, sparking a series of sparks.

Suddenly, an overwhelmingly powerful aura burst forth from Zhu Zhuqing, exuding a violent and malevolent energy.

Luo Ying was forced back some distance by the sudden eruption of this immense spirit power. Surprised, she raised her head to look and froze when she saw Zhu Zhuqing in her current state.

She was surrounded by a black aura, her black hair billowing behind her due to the surging spiritual power. Her once star-like, ethereal appearance transformed in an instant, becoming that of a cold and merciless female Asura!

[Third Spirit Skill, Demonization!]

Seeing her like this, Luo Ying couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, I thought it was something special, but it turns out you're just like me! Hahaha!"

Luo Ying laughed heartily, tears even streaming down her face.

Seeing Luo Ying like this, Zhu Zhuqing felt somewhat perplexed. However, she knew one thing:

"We are not the same!" Zhu Zhuqing spoke softly as she held her swords, planted her feet, and assumed a stance. An invisible wave of energy spread around her body, expanding in all directions.

Even though her surface remained calm, Zhu Zhuqing was extremely wary of this person. Her strength was too formidable. Since their battle started, she had sensed that this person had been holding back.

She could suppress her sister, who had a Level 47 spirit power, but this person had only Level 45 spirit power, yet she felt suffocated under their pressure.

This feeling was only encountered by Zhu Zhuqing in Zeng Yi among her peers.

But this person was not Zeng Yi because he was different from her. He was stronger.

Therefore, Zhu Zhuqing would not give up. It was not solely for the sake of the Shrek team; even if it were for herself, she would give it her all to win.

Even with the taint of darkness, her emotions remained calm as water. However, this expression in Luo Ying's eyes felt incredibly nauseating.

"Let's see where we differ!" Zhu Zhuqing whispered, holding the swords in her hands, her footsteps moved, assuming a fighting stance. An invisible energy wave spread around her body, radiating in all directions.