Douro Continent

Chapter 216 The Ferocious God Team (Part 2)

Despite their high hopes for the Zhuge Divine Crossbow, they were stunned when the moment actually arrived. The only one who could think of the scene before them was Tang San, but even he couldn't help but twitch slightly at the corner of his eye.

Meng Li's eyes, which had been flashing with fierce light, were now fixed on the front, but the ferocity in them had turned into astonishment and despair. His tall, strong body crashed to the ground like a mountain collapsing. Almost simultaneously, the seven members of the Fierce God Team were pulled to the ground by the momentum of their forward charge.

Blood gushed from their bodies, riddled with holes from Zhuge's crossbow bolts, flowing like red earthworms and rapidly spreading across the Soul Arena, staining a large area in the center of the main arena red in the blink of an eye.

It was an instant kill, an absolute instant kill.

The formidable Shrek Seven Devils, with their combined strength reaching level 40, didn't even have a chance to make a single move. At that moment, the minds of almost all the spectators went blank; no one knew what had happened, and very few had even seen how the Shrek Seven Devils made their move.

Such a brief team battle is unprecedented in the history of the Great Soul Arena. Although the battle was short, the impact it had on the audience was no less than any other spectacular battle.

In the VIP room, Flander stared in astonishment, while the master slowly closed his eyes and said calmly, "Let's go. Now is the time when they need us the most." After saying this, he walked out first, clearly having already planned everything that was happening.

Zhu Zhuqing was the first of the Shrek Seven Devils to regain consciousness besides Tang San. Almost without hesitation, she turned around and ran towards the entrance of the Soul Arena, one hand still tightly covering her mouth.

The second to run out was Ning Rongrong, followed by Oscar and Ma Hongjun. Only Dai Mubai, Tang San, and Xiao Wu remained on the Soul Battle Stage.

"I'll go check on Zhu Qing." Dai Mubai's voice sounded somewhat strange.

Tang San nodded, and Dai Mubai immediately turned and left.

Looking at the host who was floating in the air, already in a daze, Tang San tried to lower his voice, "Can we announce the result of this battle now?"

The host suddenly realized that he had wet his pants without even noticing.

The once clear voice became hoarse, "Team, team battle spirit, Shrek Seven Devils, yes, the Fierce God Team. The Fierce God Team is wiped out. The Shrek Seven Devils Team has successfully challenged a team of higher level."

Having received a satisfactory answer, Tang San expressionlessly took Xiao Wu's hand and walked towards the entrance of the Soul Arena.

The audience snapped back to reality at the announcer's words, and the entire main arena erupted in chaos. A cacophony of doubts, sighs, and gasps of terror filled the air. But all of this was irrelevant to the Shrek Seven Devils; to them, the battle was over.

When Tang San brought Xiao Wu to the backstage area, they found that, apart from Dai Mubai, the other four people were vomiting incessantly. Xiao Wu, who was beside Tang San, trembled and abruptly removed her mask, joining the four. Only Tang San and Dai Mubai, the two with the strongest wills, were still able to hold on. Even so, Tang San noticed that Dai Mubai's face was deathly pale, and he was clearly not feeling well.

Tang San was somewhat better off; after all, he had lived two lives, spending nearly forty years in each, and his will was resolute. Besides him, the oldest among them, Dai Mubai, was only fifteen. While Dai Mubai was undeniably powerful and had a tough demeanor, he was still just an ordinary person, and this was his first time killing someone.

The instantaneous annihilation of seven opponents, the gushing blood, the bulging eyes of the enemies, and their contorted expressions at the moment of death—all these were deeply etched into the hearts of every member of the Shrek Seven Devils. That feeling was irreplaceable by anything else.

"Tang San, we killed someone, didn't we?" Dai Mubai asked with some difficulty.

Tang San nodded. "Yes, we killed people. Our teacher said they were all vicious and deserved to die."

Ning Rongrong, her face pale, raised her head and managed to say, "But those were seven living, breathing lives. One moment they were full of ferocity, and the next they were corpses. I... waah—"

"We killed someone, we really killed someone," Oscar said, panting as he patted his chest.

"As Soul Masters, killing is a problem you will have to face sooner or later. What you are seeing now is a hardship you must overcome. Since you have to face it sooner or later, it's better to face it sooner rather than later than to vomit on the battlefield where it may happen. Otherwise, you will only become corpses like those seven people before you."

The master walked slowly, his face calm, and his soft voice sounded somewhat discordant to the Shrek Seven Devils.

"Every successful and powerful Soul Master has walked a path paved with the blood of their enemies and rivals. Haven't you ever killed? If not, where did your Soul Rings come from? Soul Beasts are also living beings; in terms of the meaning of life, they are no different from humans. Why don't you feel this way when hunting Soul Beasts? No one can help you overcome the difficulties before you. Everything depends on your own willpower. If you feel nauseous, just vomit. You'll get used to it. However, if you don't want to be the center of attention, then put away your masks and leave with us first."

When the Shrek Seven Devils returned to the hotel, even Tang San felt extremely exhausted, even more so than during their grueling training. This wasn't physical exhaustion, but rather a result of mental torment. It was Tang San's first time killing someone, and although he was generally composed, Meng Li's dying gaze lingered in his mind. Just as Ning Rongrong had said, even knowing the opponent had a way to kill them, that person was still a living, breathing human being!

The master and Flander, along with their teachers, gathered in the room. Flander was beaming with excitement; the final odds of 1 to 20 had made everyone a fortune. He had already pocketed the money. At the time, at least six or seven forces, including the Great Soul Arena, had extended invitations to the Shrek Seven Devils, but he had refused them all.

For the other Soul Masters participating in the Soul Battle, the death of the Fierce God Team was a cause for celebration. Many even believed that it was a trap specifically set for the Fierce God Team, a revenge plot by certain teams that had previously died at their hands.

While the Zhuge Crossbow is powerful, its weaknesses are also quite obvious. Anyone with a discerning eye can see them. As the master said, the Zhuge Crossbow can penetrate any defense below the second-level soul skill, but it is helpless against soul skills above the third level, especially those primarily focused on defense. Furthermore, the Zhuge Crossbow is only effective within a certain range; beyond fifty meters, its attack power weakens significantly. This is far inferior to a bow and arrow. The Zhuge Crossbow's greatest advantage lies in its surprise attack; once this advantage is gone, it is merely a relatively powerful weapon.

"Master, did you already plan to kill that Ferocious God Team? Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen such a notorious opponent." Zhao Wuji asked the master after dividing the spoils with Flander.

The master nodded. "Yes, this is another test, or rather, a training, for them. Tell me, which of you hasn't killed someone? I'm almost certain that every Soul Master above level 50 has a few lives on their hands. Just as I said before, since they'll have to go through this sooner or later, letting them experience this test while we're around will only be a good thing for them. At least if the same thing happens again, they'll be somewhat mentally prepared."

Zhao Wuji sighed softly, "But they are still so young. Wouldn't this be too much of a shock for them?"

The master smiled calmly. "These children are all smart; they won't get stuck on trivial matters. Flander, once you've finished counting your money, you can go and comfort them. I've done being the bad guy; now it's your turn to be the good guy."

Flander chuckled and said, "I'm already a positive figure in the little monsters' eyes, so it's natural that I'd be the best at being the good guy. Wuji, don't worry, I completely agree with Xiaogang's approach. When I killed someone for the first time, I threw up like crazy. It's kind of funny now. Everyone has to go through this in life, so it's fine for them to experience it sooner. I'm going to go talk to them."

It was a sleepless night for the Shrek Seven Devils.

The next morning, before dawn, the group quietly left Silves City and continued their journey toward their destination: the capital of the Heavenly Dou Empire.

The Shrek Seven Devils were still somewhat pale, especially Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong, who had vomited the most. One night was clearly not enough for them to fully recover. But after Flander's counseling, they managed to accept the reality. Flander's main idea was simple: killing one bad guy is equivalent to saving countless good guys. If bad guys don't die, more people will die. Therefore, you are not killing people, but saving people.

After this idea was instilled, the Shrek Seven Devils found it easier to accept and felt less uncomfortable. However, it was not easy to truly adapt to the feeling of killing; they needed countless experiences to hone their skills.

(End of this chapter)