Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends

He looked up at Merida in horror, his eyes filled with disbelief.

How could this woman be so strong?

He's a powerful offensive Soul Master! Even if he hastily parried, he shouldn't have been knocked back by a girl his own age with a single kick!

Merida pressed her advantage relentlessly, giving Dai Mubai no chance to catch his breath.

She knew that when facing a Soul Master, especially one with a top-tier Beast Soul, once the opponent completed the Soul Possession and released the Soul Skill, her advantage in close combat would be greatly reduced.

We must stun him before he fully realizes what's happening!

She lightly touched the ground with her toes and lunged forward again. This time, it wasn't just a simple leg technique; her hands transformed from palms into fists, and the shadow of her fists was like a sudden storm, enveloping Dai Mubai's vital points.

Each punch contained explosive power; the movements were concise and efficient, without any frills, yet each strike was deadly, carrying a brutal atmosphere reminiscent of battlefield combat, which formed an extremely strong contrast with her bright appearance.

Dai Mubai was completely thrown into disarray.

Despite possessing level 39 soul power and a top-tier Evil Eye White Tiger martial soul, he could only desperately parry and dodge under this close-quarters, rapid-fire, and ferocious attack that didn't allow him to unleash his martial soul at all.

He occasionally managed to retaliate, but his opponent countered with even more sophisticated close-range techniques, leaving him to take several punches and kicks instead.

Bang! A dull pain shot through my chest from an elbow strike.

*Slap!* My cheek stung as the edge of his palm brushed against it.

*Sizzle!* The collar of his clothes was torn by the sharp wind of his fingers, leaving bloodstains on his skin.

Dai Mubai was both shocked and furious, and felt so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood!

His pride and joy, his power and soul force, were actually suppressed by his opponent's pure, savage, yet incredibly exquisite fighting techniques.

The opponent's speed, strength, reaction, and control over the rhythm of the battle were all far beyond what an ordinary advanced soul master academy student should be capable of.

"You bastard! Get out of my way!"

Dai Mubai roared, desperately urging his soul power, trying to forcefully shake Merida away and create space for himself to release his martial soul.

However, Merida seemed to have seen through his intentions. The moment his soul power erupted, her body slid back half a step like a boneless eel, following the force of the eruption, just avoiding the strongest impact. Then she closed in again and delivered a sharp hand chop at a tricky angle, slashing hard at Dai Mubai's neck.

Dai Mubai was terrified. If that blow landed, he would be seriously injured, if not killed.

He could no longer care about his princely demeanor or the pride of a soul master. He suddenly did an extremely ugly roll and fell to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow, but ended up covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled.

At this moment, Ma Hongjun, who was dizzy from the slap, finally got up. He covered his face and watched Dai Mubai being beaten to the ground by a girl. He was shocked and angry, and forgot about the pain in his face. He yelled, "You dare to hit Boss Dai! I'll burn you to death!"

His soul power surged, preparing to unleash his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

Chapter 273 Standoff

On the Canghui Academy side, the old man leading the team, Shi Nian, had been watching coldly and did not stop Merida from teaching those two arrogant brats a lesson.

But when he saw that the other person was also about to unleash their martial spirit to launch a sneak attack, he frowned, knowing that he could no longer stand idly by.

"enough."

An aged voice rang out, not very loud, but clearly drowning out all the noise in the hall and penetrating everyone's eardrums.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying pressure as vast as a mountain and as deep as an abyss, like an invisible tide, suddenly spread out from Shi Nian's center, instantly enveloping the entire hotel lobby.

Just as Ma Hongjun was about to release his martial soul, his soul power circulation suddenly stopped, as if an invisible hand had grabbed his throat. His face turned red, and the light of his martial soul's possession flickered a few times before being forcibly forced back into his body!

Dai Mubai, who had just gotten up from the ground and was preparing to unleash the White Tiger Vajra Transformation at all costs, was also enveloped by this pressure. He felt his whole body become heavy, his soul power flowed sluggishly, and his movements instantly stiffened. He looked abruptly at the old man in the moon-white robe.

Apart from Tang San and Cinderella, who were slightly pale due to their superior mental strength and preparation, Oscar and Zhu Zhuqing also felt a tightness in their chests and were under immense pressure.

The other diners in the hall were even more silent, and some ordinary people even turned pale and broke out in a cold sweat.

This is a Soul Saint!

Shi Nian stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze like two beams of cold lightning, sweeping over Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, and finally landing on Merida.

"Lida, come back. Just teach them a lesson to show them their place, no need to cause any more trouble."

Merida stopped her attack the moment the oppressive aura was released. Although she was proud, she was not unreasonable.

Upon hearing Shi Nian's words, she coldly glanced at the disheveled Dai Mubai and the bewildered Ma Hongjun, who was covering his face, snorted, turned around, and walked back to the Canghui Academy's ranks with her head held high, like a victorious queen.

The students in the Moon White team looked at her with awe and a hint of fanaticism. This junior sister, who had only recently enrolled, was exceptionally talented and unconventional. Her strength was indeed ridiculously powerful!

Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun stood there, their faces flushed red and then pale, filled with shame and indignation.

They were actually beaten so badly by a girl's fists and feet, and in the end, they were intimidated by her teacher's intimidating aura, and they couldn't even release their martial spirit!

This is an absolute disgrace!

Dai Mubai stared intently at Merida's retreating figure, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, his evil eyes filled with resentment and murderous intent.

That bitch! And that old bastard! He'll remember this! He'll pay for today's humiliation a hundredfold one day!

Just when the atmosphere at Shrek Academy was extremely tense, and Dai Mubai was about to be blinded by rage...

"Hahaha! I wondered who was spouting turtle-like aura here to scare the kids! It turns out to be you, you old turtle, Shi Nian!"

A loud, boisterous laugh, filled with undisguised sarcasm, boomed like thunder from the second-floor stairwell of the hotel.

Immediately afterwards, a figure as imposing as a mountain descended the stairs with a thud.

It was none other than the team leader from Shrek Academy, Immovable King, Zhao Wuji.

He had been resting in his room upstairs when he heard something amiss downstairs, and especially after sensing the oppressive aura of a Soul Saint level being, he immediately came down.

He witnessed Shi Nian using his intimidating power to suppress his students, and he was instantly enraged.

Zhao Wuji walked up to the Shrek Academy students and stood like an iron tower. The fierce aura of a powerful offensive battle soul saint on his body also burst forth. Although it was not a deliberate pressure, the ferocious aura, like that of a prehistoric beast, instantly broke through the heavy pressure brought by Shi Nian, greatly reducing the pressure on Dai Mubai and the others.

Zhao Wuji put his hands on his hips, glanced sideways at Shi Nian opposite him, grinned, revealing his white teeth: "What? The old can't beat the young, so you come out to bully the young? Shi Nian, you're still as spineless as ever!"

When Shi Nian saw Zhao Wuji, a hint of surprise and fear flashed in his eyes. He clearly recognized the Immovable King, who was infamous in the Soul Master world back then.

His face darkened, and he said coldly, "Zhao Wuji? So he's one of your students. Hmph, just like teacher, like student. A bunch of unruly brats, talking nonsense and bringing shame upon themselves!"

"Pah!" Zhao Wuji almost spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"No matter how wild my students are, they're still real men! Unlike you Canghui guys, all dressed like you're going to a funeral, not much skill, but a lot of airs! What, there's a little friction between students, and you old codger can't wait to jump out and show off? Have you no shame?"

The atmosphere in the hotel lobby was so tense you could hear a pin drop.

On one side stood Shi Nian, the Soul Saint of Canghui Academy, dressed in a moon-white robe with a gloomy and profound aura, with seven students of different expressions standing behind him.

Merida stood among them, her amber eyes still brimming with lingering anger and arrogance as she coldly stared at Shrek Academy, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain.

On the other side was Zhao Wuji, a Shrek Academy teacher with a burly build and a wild, bear-like aura, standing in front of his six students. His large, round eyes stared at Shi Nian, full of provocation and disdain.

Behind him, Dai Mubai's face was ashen, his chest heaving, and his evil eyes were filled with a mixture of anger and killing intent.

Ma Hongjun covered his face, feeling both ashamed and indignant, as well as lingering fear.

Zhu Zhuqing remained expressionless, but her tightly pursed lips betrayed her inner turmoil; her disgust for Dai Mubai and the other man had reached its peak.

Oscar shrank back, secretly groaning. Tang San's eyes remained calm, but he slightly turned his body to better protect Cinderella behind him.

Cinderella glanced at Merida with a hint of worry before quickly looking away.

Although the two Soul Saints did not release their pressure directly at each other, the invisible clash of their auras still made it difficult for ordinary people in the hall to breathe, and even made Soul Masters with low Soul Power feel oppressed.

“Zhao Wuji,” Shi Nian’s voice was icy, breaking the suffocating silence.

"After all these years, you are still as vulgar and foul-mouthed as ever. No wonder the students you teach are also so unbearable and lack even the most basic manners."

"Hahaha!"

Zhao Wuji seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Manners? Shi Nian, you're talking to me about manners? During the Soul Master Competition, when you used your crappy illusion soul skill to ambush your opponent and almost turned him into an idiot, did your manners go to waste?"

"Oh right, I forgot, your Canghui Academy is best known for these underhanded tricks. If you can't beat them openly, you resort to dirty tricks behind their backs, right? Is that what you call good manners?"

Chapter 274 Aftermath

Zhao Wuji's words were extremely sarcastic and biting, directly exposing the true nature of Shi Nian and Canghui Academy.

Shi Nian's face instantly turned extremely ugly, and a ruthless killing intent flashed in the depths of his eyes.

His expertise in mental illusion attacks is no secret in the Soul Master world, but to be so publicly belittled by Zhao Wuji, especially in front of his own student, is undoubtedly a great humiliation.

"Zhao Wuji! You're asking for death!"

Shi Nian's moon-white Soul Master robe fluttered without wind, and an even more gloomy and solid spiritual pressure began to gather. The light in the hall seemed to dim, the air became viscous, and various unsettling illusions floated before everyone's eyes.

This is precisely the ability that made him famous: combining mental and spiritual power to create realistic illusions, interfering with or even destroying the opponent's spirit.

On Shrek Academy's side, apart from Zhao Wuji, Tang San, and Cinderella, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Zhu Zhuqing all turned pale, feeling various noises and chaotic images appearing in their minds, and their soul power circulation became sluggish.

Especially Ma Hongjun and Oscar, whose mental strength was relatively weak, were sweating profusely and their eyes were somewhat unfocused.

"Hmph! Such trivial skills, yet you dare to show off your limited abilities before an expert!"

Zhao Wuji roared, his voice like a thunderclap in spring! His seventh deep black soul ring suddenly lit up for a moment, and an even more savage and domineering aura of power swept out like a volcanic eruption.

This power is not purely spiritual power, but rather a force formed by Zhao Wuji combining his own violent soul power and fighting spirit—a force that is unstoppable and crushes everything.

Unlike the eerie and ethereal illusions of yesteryear, it was like a giant axe, cleaving open the pervasive, chilling spiritual pressure and the nascent illusions in the simplest and most brutal way.

"puff"

Shi Nian let out a muffled groan, his face paled slightly, and he swayed, taking a small step back.

His illusion attacks are most vulnerable to opponents who are not top-tier in mental strength but have an iron will and incredibly violent soul power.

Zhao Wuji's power was precisely one of his nemesis; that brute force and unreasonable impact directly shook his mental guidance.

The Shrek Academy students felt a sudden lightness in their bodies, and the noise and illusions in their minds instantly dissipated. As if waking up from a nightmare, they gasped for breath, their eyes filled with awe and lingering fear as they looked at Zhao Wuji.

Only then did they truly realize that even a preliminary clash of auras and domains between Soul Saints was far beyond their ability to withstand.

"Old turtle, you can't win by playing dirty tricks, so you want to resort to force?"

Zhao Wuji stepped forward with a sinister grin, clenched his fist, making a cracking sound as his knuckles popped, and his muscles bulged, like an ancient bear poised to pounce.

"Come on, I'm itching for a fight. Shall we go outside and spar? Let me see if you've improved at all these years, aside from hiding in the shadows and using dirty tricks!"

His words were full of provocation, clearly showing he wasn't afraid of things getting out of hand.

Zhao Wuji is a fearless person. He dared to fight back when he was being chased by the Spirit Hall. How could he be afraid of a year?