Douluo Continent: Little Huo Niang Taken Away by Di Tian

The battle reached a stalemate. Xiao Xiao tried to find an opening, but Lan Xiu's small balls were perfectly coordinated, with precise advances and retreats.

Due to a moment of carelessness, Xiao Xiao's soul power was somewhat depleted from the previous battles, and the power of the cauldron was slightly weaker. A small ball of nine luminaries hidden in the shadows suddenly accelerated, broke through the defense, and struck her left shoulder hard!

"Ugh!" Xiao Xiao groaned, feeling a spiraling surge of soul power mixed with mental impact penetrate her body. Half of her body instantly went numb and she staggered backward.

Just as she lost her balance, the other two Nine Luminaries Spheres, which had been waiting for a long time, shot towards her from an incredible angle like sharks smelling blood, and stopped in front of Xiao Xiao with great difficulty!

The speed was so fast that it exceeded her current adjustment limits!

"Lan Xiu wins!" Zheng Zhan announced in a deep voice, simultaneously taking a step forward, his immense soul power separating the two dangerously close balls. "Sun Moon Royal Academy scores one point, bringing the total to five! One-minute break, the next contestant from the Spirit Pagoda will enter!"

"Spirit Pagoda, Huo Yutong!"

"Sun Moon Royal Academy, Lan Xiu!"

"start!"

Just as Zheng Zhan finished shouting "Start," he saw Lan Xiu's eyes widen. Without saying a word, Lan Xiu raised his hand and unleashed a solid beam of soul power straight at the referee's face!

"Insolence!" Zheng Zhan shouted in a low voice, instinctively raising his hand and waving it. A thick barrier of soul power instantly formed, blocking the attack.

He almost couldn't resist slapping Lan Xiu away, suppressing his anger as he turned to the girl opposite him who seemed to be leisurely strolling through the streets: "Huo Yutong! What did you do?"

Huo Yutong tucked her hands into her sleeves and blinked innocently, "Referee, please don't be angry. I am a spirit-type soul master, and I just used my soul skill—'Dreamlike Illusion.' At the start of the match, I put Lan Xiu into an illusion. In his eyes, I am you, and you are me. So he wasn't attacking me, but rather 'attacking' me."

She paused, then added, "Once his soul power is exhausted, I will resolve his inner conflict."

This soul skill naturally originates from the 100,000-year-old skull produced by the 100,000-year-old Dream Eater King, Little Tapir.

Zheng Zhan: "..."

The entire arena fell silent, then burst into laughter that filled the entire stadium.

From Lan Xiu's perspective, "Huo Yutong" (actually Zheng Zhan) was hiding behind an egg-shaped soul power barrier, completely still.

He was panting heavily, thinking to himself, "Good heavens, no wonder he's a Soul Saint! His defense... it's incredibly solid!"

Zheng Zhan was already in tears: he, a dignified Unbreakable Douluo, was now being beaten like a coward by a Soul King, and had to diligently shield the other from harm! What kind of situation was this!

Below the stage, in the rest area of ​​the Royal Academy of Sun and Moon.

Xiao Hongchen turned his head expressionlessly: "Remove him from the list, it's too embarrassing."

The remaining team members covered their faces in unison, their inner cries echoing: Lan Xiu! Just admit defeat already! You're fighting the head referee! A Title Douluo! That's a living, breathing Title Douluo! You can't win! Please!

After another fruitless barrage, Lan Xiu's soul power was depleted, and he was panting heavily. Looking at Huo Yutong, who remained unmoved, he was filled with grief and indignation. He weakly called out in Zheng Zhan's direction, "I... surrender..."

"Huo Yutong wins, Spirit Pagoda gets one point, total seven points!" Zheng Zhan, barely suppressing the urge to shove Lan Xiu into a crack in the ground, announced with a dark face, "The team competition begins in ten minutes!"

The illusion dissipated.

Lan Xiu blinked and saw Zheng Zhan with a murderous look on his face, and Huo Yutong looking at him with pity in the distance.

"Lan Xiu," Huo Yutong explained, "you were hit by my soul skill from the very beginning. What you just attacked was... His Excellency the Chief Referee."

Lan Xiu: "..."

He looked down at his hands, then at Zheng Zhan's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his cheeks instantly turned a deep purplish-red.

He only wants to do one thing right now—

Find a crack in the ground to crawl into, preferably one that leads straight to the Earth's core.

Lan Xiu's face was ashen, and he staggered off the stage, his back view screaming, "I want to retire on the spot."

"Everyone, come here." Xiao Hongchen's expression was solemn as he gathered his teammates together, lowered his voice, but his tone left no room for doubt.

"You all saw Huo Yutong's move clearly just now. That wasn't an ordinary illusion; it was 'cognitive manipulation'!"

Once the team battle begins, who can guarantee they won't be trapped in her illusion? You might think you're attacking Huo Yutong, but every strike will actually be aimed at us!

"They're making us kill each other without us even realizing it! She can even turn the head referee into a Spirit Tower member!"

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over Lan Xiu, who was still in a daze, and said in a deep voice, "Therefore, I have decided—we will forfeit the team competition."

This battle was not a matter of strategy. We lost to the strongest Spirit Pagoda, and even more so to the unpredictable and deadly "underworld" soul skills.

"As long as we're alive, there are still many round-robin matches to go, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to advance!"

"Captain is brilliant!" Meng Hongchen was the first to raise his hand in agreement. "That soul skill is too insidious. I abstain. I wholeheartedly agree."

"Agreed." The other team members had no objections and nodded in unison, looking at Lan Xiu with a complex mix of emotions and sympathy—after all, no one wanted to become the next "warrior" to bombard the referee with criticism.

Xiao Hongchen took a deep breath, turned to face the referee's table, and announced loudly, "Chief Referee, Sun Moon Royal Academy forfeits the team competition!"

Zheng Zhan paused for a moment, then understood. His lips twitched almost imperceptibly. Striving to maintain the dignity of the chief referee, he announced loudly, "Sun Moon Royal Academy forfeits. In the team match, the Spirit Pagoda wins! This individual and team match is now over!"

When the news spread, the reactions on the high platform varied.

Zhongli Wu was trembling with ecstasy, his withered fingers pounding the railing as he let out a maniacal "hehehehe" laugh, as if he had just witnessed the most spectacular comedy of the past decade: "Oh my... Laughing Red Dust, you've led your troops brilliantly, deserting at the last minute, absolutely brilliant!"

Long Xiaoyao, standing to the side, couldn't help but chuckle. He was clearly still replaying the scene in his mind, his lips curling into a wide grin, his beard trembling as he stroked it to hide his amusement.

On the other side, Xu Tianran's face was ashen, and the armrest of the chair next to him had been cracked from his grip.

Even worse off was Ju Zi, who was sitting next to him. She tried to remain calm, but her fingertips were turning white. When Xu Tianran got angry, his large hand holding her slender hand tightened uncontrollably, almost crushing her bones. The intense pain caused her forehead to bead with cold sweat, but she dared not show it in the slightest.