Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 223 Vampire Bat
On the second day, the round-robin matches in Group 1 continued, with Shrek Academy's first match of the day being against Mingyu Sect.

Among the teams in the first group, Mingyu Sect's overall strength is quite considerable, ranking only after St. Freya Academy, Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Shrek Academy, and Holy Spirit Sect.

Mingyu Sect is a sect centered around Soul Masters, located within Mingdu. The disciples of the sect almost all cultivate in a close-combat Soul Master style, similar to Meng Hongchen's path.

In terms of close-combat soul tool usage skills, even the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy may not be far superior to the Mingyu Sect. The difference between the two sides mainly lies in the quality of the soul tools themselves—the Mingyu Sect's soul tool level is slightly inferior.

"Shrek Academy versus Mingyu Sect, both teams' players enter the waiting area to prepare. Players for the first individual elimination match will go directly to the stage." Zheng Zhan's voice resounded throughout the venue through the amplified soul tool.

In the Shrek Academy's rest area, Mu Mingtian was once again the first to compete.

"Both parties share the same name."

"Mingyu Sect, Youchen."

"Shrek Academy, Mu Mingtian."

On Mingyu Sect's side, a short and stocky young man came up. He was neither fat nor thin, but only about 1.6 meters tall. His movements were very agile, but also somewhat sleazy.

The weather wasn't great for today's match; it was drizzling. Zheng Zhan said in a deep voice, "The rules are clear. Both sides, step back."

You Chen and Mu Mingtian retreated a hundred meters as instructed, each standing at the edge of the field, their eyes fixed on each other.

Zheng Zhan waved his hand sharply, and the soul guidance array in front of him instantly lit up with a dark blue light, and the energy barrier of the simulated battlefield spread out like ripples.

【Rainy Night Forest No. 5069】

The scene changed abruptly. A strong wind, carrying large raindrops, pounded down, instantly blurring the view. Each raindrop struck the leaves with a crisp "crackling" sound, converging into a noisy roar of rain. Underfoot was muddy humus mixed with withered branches and fallen leaves, sinking half an inch underfoot and feeling slippery and sticky.

All around are dense, towering ancient trees, their trunks so thick that it takes several people to encircle them. Their vigorous branches sway wildly in the wind and rain, and their dark green broad leaves are washed smooth by the rain. Occasionally, a broken branch falls with a whooshing sound, splashing mud and water.

Thick white fog filled the distant forest, intertwining with the rain curtain and obscuring the view even ten meters away. Only the occasional flash of lightning that pierced the sky could briefly illuminate the entire forest, casting interlaced tree shadows that resembled menacing ghosts.

The air was filled with the damp, earthy smell and the stench of decaying vegetation. The wind and rain howled through the gaps in the forest, as if some unknown entity was lurking in the shadows.

You Chen raised his hands to his sides, and two cold glints flashed as two sharp, spiked weapons appeared in his palms, their sharp edges gleaming coldly in the rain. At the same time, five spirit rings rose from his body, two yellow and three purple, pulsating in the wind and rain, emanating a steady fluctuation of spirit power.

Such a rainy night was clearly more conducive to his concealment and surprise attack; it was practically a battlefield tailor-made for him.

As the soul ring appeared, You Chen's figure suddenly became illusory, leaving a trail of blurry afterimages behind him. He suddenly lunged forward, instantly traversing dozens of meters without using any soul-guided propulsion devices, and arrived in front of Mu Mingtian in the blink of an eye. He drew a cross with his two sharp spikes, one horizontal and one vertical, sweeping towards Mu Mingtian with a sharp gust of wind.

However, the area where the spikes swept was empty—Mu Mingtian had simply vanished.

It should be noted that Mu Mingtian's martial soul is the Light and Dark Dragon King, which allows him to switch freely between light and darkness. This dark environment, with its wind and rain, became his best cover.

"Clang, clang." Two crisp collision sounds rang out, and two circles of black light spread out in the air.

In the stormy night, You Chen was clearly unable to find Mu Mingtian's trail. He could only futilely keep a watchful eye on his surroundings, his spikes trembling slightly as he waited for his opponent's next move.

"Where is he?! Hiding like that, what kind of skill is that!" You Chen gripped his twin daggers tightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surrounding rain, his voice carrying a hint of anger at being toyed with. Rainwater slid down his cheeks, mingling with the taut lines of his muscles, making him appear even more anxious—this unseen opponent was more nerve-wracking than a direct confrontation.

Mu Mingtian reappeared, no longer hesitating, his fifth spirit ring suddenly illuminating. Simultaneously, a ghastly white light emanated from the tips of two spikes in his hands, each spike about half a foot long, incredibly sharp, and accompanied by a slight buzzing sound—these were high-frequency oscillating blades, not belonging to any elemental attack, using high-frequency oscillation as a powerful destructive method, specifically designed to counter the similar ability You Chen had used in the previous match. After all, it wasn't just the Tang Sect studying their opponents; their outstanding performance had also prompted all opponents to diligently research countermeasures. With a light touch of his toes on the ground, the nine afterimages behind Mu Mingtian, illuminated by the brilliance of his fifth spirit ring, all chased after him from behind, merging into his body. At this moment, his body became translucent, like a wisp of ghostly energy, his speed instantly doubling. The light of his invincible shield reached its strongest state; body and spikes merged into one, shooting straight towards You Chen like a bolt of lightning.

Ghostly Strike!
His martial soul is somewhat similar to Nana's from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, but not entirely the same. Nana's martial soul is more inclined to evade physical attacks, while he takes a different approach, enhancing his speed and destructive power through a ghostly state. This fifth soul skill is his strongest attack, and paired with a pair of level six soul tools, even a seven-ring Soul Saint would find it difficult to gain the upper hand in a head-on confrontation.

The powerful surge of soul energy that erupted in that instant seemed to tear apart the air around him, with fine spatial cracks constantly appearing around him.

But the next second, Mu Mingtian had a black longsword in his hand.

"when!"

A dull thud rang out as the longsword precisely blocked the intersection of the twin spikes, completely neutralizing You Chen's powerful strike. Dark light flowed across the black blade, and at the point of impact with the pale white vibrating light of the spikes, it stirred up tiny ripples of energy that flashed and disappeared in the rain.

"Shrek Academy wins the first individual match," Zheng Zhan announced the result in an absolutely fair tone. A hint of undisguised respect flickered in his gaze as he looked at Mu Mingtian.

After exiting the simulated battlefield, Mu Mingtian turned to look in the direction of Mingyu Sect and uttered two words in a deep voice: "Next." However...
The captain of Mingyu Sect remained unusually calm, as did his teammates, showing no signs of anxiety despite the first defeat.

The captain remained seated, silent and offering no instructions. A figure flashed out from the Mingyu Sect's waiting area and leaped onto the competition stage with a "whoosh."

When this person stepped onto the stage, Mu Mingtian couldn't help but be taken aback—his opponent's appearance was truly peculiar. Previously, this Mingyu Sect member had kept his head down, hidden behind the other members and inconspicuous, but upon closer inspection now, he was surprisingly memorable.

He was a pale-skinned young man, his face deathly white, exuding an aura of sickliness. His not-too-long hair was styled into a slicked-back look with some special material, glossy and smooth. He had light brown eyes with a cold gaze; his posture was slightly hunched, thin yet tall, with particularly long arms that swayed slightly at his sides. The moment he stepped onto the stage, an eerie aura enveloped him; if he were among the Holy Spirit Sect's forces, he probably wouldn't even need to disguise himself.

Zheng Zhan looked at the young man from the Mingyu Sect and said in a deep voice, "Let's exchange names."

"Shrek Academy, Mu Mingtian."

"Mingyu Sect, Ade." The young man's voice was very strange, soft yet sharp, yet it also revealed a bit of masculinity, which was completely opposite to the sinister aura on his body.

"Step back and prepare for the match," Zheng Zhan's voice rang out again. Both sides stepped back as instructed, and Zheng Zhan waved his hand once more, activating the simulated battlefield.

[Dragon Burial Site No. 4555008]

The scene suddenly changed, and the two found themselves in a cemetery where countless dragon bones were buried.

Beneath my feet lies black soil mixed with gravel and bone powder, soft and rough to the touch. The air is thick with the stench of decay, mingled with a faint, lingering aura of dragon power, inspiring awe even after millennia. Scattered all around are dragon bones of varying sizes. Some stand like giant pillars, their exposed portions reaching several meters high, their surfaces riddled with weathered grooves yet still revealing their former robustness. Others are broken into several pieces, their white surfaces gleaming coldly in the dim light, their sharp bone spurs like knives, seemingly poised to pierce the air at any moment. Still others lie complete dragon head skeletons half-buried in the earth, their empty eye sockets facing the sky, their fangs gleaming, faintly hinting at their former domineering power.

The ground was covered with pits of varying depths, and in many places, there were still dark brown marks left by dried dragon blood, which contrasted with the scattered fragments of scales.

In the distance, several twisted black plants sprouted from the cracks in the bones, their leaves an eerie purplish-black, seemingly growing from the dragon bones' nutrients. Occasionally, a cold wind blew through, whistling through the cracks in the bones, like the mournful cry of a dragon echoing in the graveyard, adding to the eeriness and solemnity. Ade, in the distance, moved instantly.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, and his body suddenly leaped up as if it were nothing. A faint red light spread from his body, and at the same time, a pair of huge membranous wings unfolded from his back—it was actually a flying martial soul! The wings were unusually wide, and the surface of the membranous material was covered with fine dark red patterns, with slightly curled edges, giving it a somewhat eerie feel.

As his wings unfurled, the crimson in his eyes intensified, and two sharp fangs emerged from his lips, their stark white gleam flashing in the dim dragon burial ground. An intensely pungent stench of blood instantly filled the air, as if he had just emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood; even the lingering dragon's might was somewhat diluted by this ferocious aura.

This is his martial soul – the vampire bat.

(End of this chapter)