The mech transformed into a burst of light, gradually dissipating to reveal Xu Yuan inside.
At this moment, the two pieces of battle armor on his right shoulder and right hand extended and connected, covering his entire right arm.
His condition was impeccable, showing no signs of having just suffered a heavy blow.
This was one of the great advantages of a mech.
The outer layer of the mech provided sufficient protection for the pilot within, offering the strongest defense at its level.
Even a Soul Elder piloting a Yellow-Rank mech capable of fighting against a Soul King could emerge unscathed after a fierce battle, even if the mech sustained damage.
Of course, if the enemy targeted the cockpit and pierced through the mech, that would be another matter.
But there was no denying that the mech's protective capabilities were more than adequate.
This was the first layer of defense.
After this first layer, there was also an energy shield.
Inside the mech, an additional energy barrier protected the soul master.
Beyond that was the soul master's own personal defenses.
For someone like Xu Yuan, who was both a mech pilot and a battle armor master, the previous attack had caused almost no harm.
He now stood amidst the ruins, with crimson flames rising around him. His hair stood slightly on end, and his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. The fiery blood essence seemed to dye his hair and eyebrows a deep red.
Xu Yuan's current posture exuded immense pressure.
Though there was no fluctuation of soul power, an invisible weight settled over those who watched.
Long Yue's eyes glowed red as he stared in Xu Yuan's direction, clenching his right hand.
Boom!
The ground shook violently.
Mountains and rivers bent to his will like toys, manipulated effortlessly.
Despite the shifting terrain, Xu Yuan remained incredibly agile.
Unlike when he was in the mech, his movements were fluid and precise, even as the ground beneath him constantly changed. He often anticipated Long Yue's attacks and evaded before the mountains could shift.
Integrating essence, energy, and spirit with the heavens and earth clearly had significant benefits.
Even subtle shifts in the flow of primal energy or pure soul power used for soul skills could be detected in advance.
Long Yue's expression grew increasingly ferocious.
He suddenly pressed his hands together in front of him.
Around Xu Yuan, mountains surged skyward, encasing him before collapsing inward, burying the area where he stood.
Boom!
A pillar of crimson flame erupted into the sky, standing atop the newly formed mountain peak.
Outside Long Yue's body, his fourth soul skill flashed, unleashing a deafening dragon roar.
The roar reverberated through the air, causing space itself to ripple. Yet Xu Yuan's will remained unshaken, clearly unaffected by the oppressive force of this soul skill.
Long Yue paid no heed to this. With each failed attempt to injure Xu Yuan, his rationality gradually slipped away.
His eyes burned crimson, and in an instant, he vanished amidst the undulating mountains.
Even in his frenzied state, he didn't charge blindly. Instead, he merged with the mountains, striking Xu Yuan suddenly and unexpectedly.
This was instinct deeply ingrained in his bloodline.
Rather than calling him mad, it was more accurate to say that he was now operating in perfect harmony with his bloodline, acting purely on instinct.
Xu Yuan's expression remained calm as his essence, energy, and spirit integrated with the heavens and earth.
He had already been attacked in this manner once before, so he had figured out how Long Yue's movements affected the flow of primal energy.
His gaze shifted, and he quickly pushed off the ground with his feet.
The mountains crumbled.
Taking advantage of the sudden collapse, Xu Yuan leapt into the air just as Long Yue burst out from the top of a nearby mountain. A massive dragon claw reached out, and Long Yue's entire body charged forward like a small mountain, the claw resembling the peak of the mountain, exuding overwhelming force.
In midair, Xu Yuan concentrated all his strength and thrust his spear forward.
"Fourth soul skill, Flame of Life!"
At this moment, his fourth soul ring flashed.
Amidst the crimson flames, a streak of azure quickly interwove, igniting fiercely.
The two flames intertwined, bursting forth from the spear tip.
Boom!
The small mountain shattered, but the core—Long Yue—remained unharmed. What had broken apart seemed to be nothing more than fragments of the mountain's surface.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan's figure was sent flying backward. After spinning several times in the air, he regained control and managed to land awkwardly.
Xu Yuan panted heavily.
He was beginning to look disheveled. The terrifying force of the previous strike left his body tingling, and he felt immense pressure grinding against his bones.
Yet his eyes burned with intense fighting spirit.
To be honest, Xu Yuan hadn't experienced such an evenly matched—or rather, completely disadvantaged—battle in a long time.
Yes, he was at a disadvantage.
Even at full power, Xu Yuan still couldn't match Long Yue.
This was despite the augmentation provided by his Seven Forbidden Techniques and their suppression of Long Yue.
Even after being weakened, Long Yue's explosive strength far surpassed Xu Yuan's augmented power.
One could only imagine the sheer might of Long Yue.
Of course, Long Yue was a Mountain Dragon King martial soul user with over sixty levels of soul power—a true Soul Emperor—and a two-word battle armor master. It was only natural for him to suppress Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan's Seven Forbidden Techniques had merely narrowed the gap between them by one rank.
But even so, they were still separated by the full amplification of two-word battle armor.
The eruption of the Flame of Life and bloodline power was only one aspect. Another was the seamless integration of numerous soul skills of the Heaven Origin Five Elements Spear, enabling Xu Yuan to unleash a truly peak-level strike.
Only then could he stand toe-to-toe with Long Yue.
Even his ultimate technique, unleashed with full force, could barely contend with Long Yue's basic attacks!
Of course, Long Yue's strongest weapon was indeed his basic attacks.
For someone like the Mountain Dragon King, even multiple soul skills couldn't compare to the raw power of a single punch.
Manipulating mountains and rivers was simply a means to ensure that punch landed on the enemy.
And enemies who couldn't handle his mountains and rivers weren't worth his effort.
Xu Yuan was thoroughly suppressed.
---
In the Shrek viewing box
Everyone felt a growing sense of unease.
No matter how confident Xu Yuan had been before the match, the reality was clear—he was now in a suppressed state.
He had even been forced to abandon his mech.
At this point, while his strength allowed him to resist Long Yue, he was still being completely overwhelmed.
Long Yue landed like a colossal meteor crashing into the earth.
The mountains trembled, and Xu Yuan quickly gathered force to launch another counterattack.
A spear thrust that pierced the heavens and earth.
The pinnacle of spear techniques illuminated the entire arena, capturing the audience's full attention.
However, the brilliance of the spear quickly dimmed, overshadowed by the towering mountain.
Boom!
Xu Yuan was sent flying again, this time skidding across the ground, his body colliding repeatedly with protruding rocks.
Fortunately, his physical resilience was extraordinary, and his vigorous blood essence ensured these injuries had little effect on him.
He removed his shirt, revealing trickles of blood flowing down his skin. Crimson and azure flames intertwined, burning fiercely across his body.
---
In the Shrek viewing box
"Class Leader… he won't lose, will he?" Wu Siduo asked anxiously.
Although losing to Long Yue wouldn't be shameful, she couldn't accept the idea of Xu Yuan, whom she had always considered invincible, falling in defeat.
Tang Wulin and the others also wore solemn expressions, carefully observing the match.
Xu Yuan had already unleashed his peak spear techniques, yet he was still being suppressed.
"He hasn't used his fifth soul skill yet," Gu Yue said calmly, offering a reminder to the group.
She gazed at Xu Yuan on the arena, her eyes fixed on the fifth pitch-black soul ring with its prominently visible crimson markings.
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