Chapter 31: Plagiarizing Tang San’s Tactics
"Martial Soul Possession—Jade Phosphor Serpent!" Dugu Yan was the first to activate her martial spirit.
A pale purple light enveloped Dugu Yan's body, and her originally green eyes turned completely purple. Her lower body transformed into a serpent tail, covered with emerald green scales that gleamed brightly under the sunlight. Three spirit rings, two yellow and one purple, rose from her feet as she whipped her tail and charged swiftly toward Zuzong.
"Damn, why does she look so much like Orochimaru?" Zuzong couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment upon seeing Dugu Yan's Martial Soul possession for the first time.
"Martial Soul Activate—Blue Silver Emperor," Zuzong silently recited in his heart.
As he spoke, Zuzong raised his right hand, and a faint white light appeared on the surface of his skin. Soon, dark blue vines with intricate patterns, the Blue Silver Emperor, surged out from his palm. Three spirit rings, two yellow and one purple, clearly emerged from under his feet, swirling around him.
Dozens of deep blue vines shot out from Zuzong's right hand and burrowed into the ground. The earth beneath his feet cracked as the Blue Silver Emperor vines erupted from the ground, quickly striking toward the onrushing Dugu Yan in a spiral formation, covering an area of several dozen square meters. It was almost impossible to avoid within this range.
Dugu Yan was shocked. "Is this still that useless Blue Silver Grass?"
However, she was a battle-hardened Spirit Elder at level 38 and had encountered plant-type Spirit Masters in the arena before.
With the agility of a serpent, Dugu Yan swiftly dodged the incoming vines without much effort, but she couldn't get any closer to Zuzong, almost stuck in place.
"Damn it," Dugu Yan cursed, flicking her tail as she attacked Zuzong again.
At the same time, the first and second spirit rings around Dugu Yan lit up.
"First Spirit Ability: Red Jade Scale Poison." "Second Spirit Ability: JBlue Jaded Scale Poison."
Enraged, Dugu Yan unleashed her first two spirit abilities.
With the enhancement of her abilities, Dugu Yan's attacks became fiercer, and she grew more and more courageous in battle. She easily dodged most of the Blue Silver Emperor vines that Zuzong had summoned, and the few she couldn't avoid were quickly cut down by her tail.
Seeing Dugu Yan getting closer and closer, Zuzong smiled faintly and murmured, "So, a poison that stimulates the nerves to increase attack power and speed by 20%, and another that numbs pain and increases defense by 30%, huh?"
"Well then, I'll step up my game too!"
Zuzong had only been using the Blue Silver Domain's attached skill—Blue Silver Range Binding—barely using even a fraction of its power. He hadn't even employed his first spirit ability. If he went all out, Dugu Yan wouldn't stand a chance. But Zuzong had his reasons.
He planned to use Dugu Yan to lure in the bigger fish—Dugu Bo. After all, those immortal herbs in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well were something Zuzong had been eyeing for a long time.
As for tactics? Copying Tang San's strategy would do just fine. His system space had long been stocked with two large bags of realgar wine. Even without it, Zuzong had mastered the Nine Yang Divine Skill, making him immune to all poisons, so Dugu Yan's snake venom posed no threat.
Zuzong's philosophy was simple: take the protagonist's path, leaving the protagonist no path to walk.
"Well then, let's push her to use her third spirit ability!"
The number of Blue Silver Emperor vines doubled from dozens to nearly a hundred, and they thickened from arm-size to bowl-size. Their speed increased as well, catching Dugu Yan off guard.
"Damn it! This is too much!" Dugu Yan cursed angrily. From the start, her opponent hadn't even moved an inch, while she had almost exhausted all her abilities except her third spirit ability.
Outside the arena, the rest of the Emperor Team watched in stunned silence. What kind of Martial Soul was this? It was so difficult to deal with, a nightmare for most beast-type Martial Soul users!
The Windbell Bird Spirit Master, Yu Feng, frowned. He had a good relationship with Dugu Yan and Yu Tianheng, and seeing Dugu Yan struggling made him upset. After a long pause, he finally muttered, "Boss, this guy is seriously cunning."
Yu Tianheng, however, was fully focused, his eyes locked on the two fighters—more specifically, on Zuzong. Though Zuzong's current abilities were troublesome, they weren't enough to harm Dugu Yan or stop his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon.
The real concern was that Zuzong hadn't used any spirit abilities yet, meaning these were just his basic techniques. How could Yu Tianheng not be shaken?
Yu Tianheng replied calmly, "Don't worry, Yan Yan still has her third spirit ability. There's still a chance."
But even as he said this, Yu Tianheng was unsure himself. Could his girlfriend's third spirit ability really make a difference?
"Yeah, Yan Yan's third spirit ability is notoriously tricky. Once you're hit by it, no matter how strong you are, you're almost guaranteed to lose," Yu Feng said, recalling Dugu Yan's third spirit ability—Jade Phosphor Violet Poison. Cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he thought of its lethal effects. Without timely detoxification, it could be fatal.
Zuzong's Blue Silver Range Binding surrounded Dugu Yan tightly, but under Zuzong's careful control, she narrowly escaped being entangled each time.
Satisfied that the time was right, Zuzong thought, "Alright! I'll give you a small opening."
Dugu Yan, desperate to close the gap, thought, "Damn it! Just a little more and I can get this blue-haired kid within the range of my third spirit ability. Then I'll make him beg for mercy."
She cut through another vine, which was noticeably tougher than the previous ones, almost catching her.
Suddenly, Dugu Yan's eyes lit up. One section of the Blue Silver Emperor vines seemed to have lost its vitality, slowing down significantly and becoming less flexible. "There's an opening!"
Acting quickly, Dugu Yan attacked the weakened spot in the vine wall.
As expected, she smoothly closed the distance between them. "Now!"
"Third Spirit Ability—Jade Phosphor Violet Poison!"
In that moment, she completely forgot that this was just a sparring match. With a piercing scream, her third spirit ring flared brightly.
Her eyes turned entirely purple, and even the emerald green scales on her serpent tail were covered in a faint purple glow. She opened her mouth and spewed a thick cloud of purple mist, which spread rapidly through the air toward Zuzong.
Zuzong's face grew serious as he watched the approaching purple mist, which now separated him from Dugu Yan like a barrier, slowly closing in on him.
Before the poison mist even reached him, a nauseating stench filled the air, making him feel dizzy and sick.
Zuzong activated the Nine Yang Divine Skill, easily neutralizing the small amount of toxin he had inhaled.
Hiding his hands inside his sleeves, Zuzong pondered for a moment before saying calmly, "So, this is the Jade Phosphor Violet Poison? Let me break your snake poison." He raised both hands, each holding a large water pouch filled with realgar wine, something he had prepared long ago in Nuoding City. Ever since he planned to join the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, Zuzong had been scheming for this moment.
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