Chapter 336: The Defeated Dog's Struggle (Part 2)

Nan Qiuqiu saw the first Oblivion Light blocked by Meng Hongchen, felt no anxiety, and calmly began to fire the second and third beams.

As the beams shot through the air toward her, Meng Hongchen's gaze hardened.

She could no longer passively take hits; since the opponent kept using the same move, it meant she judged that she held the advantage that way.

In Meng Hongchen's view, tactics are a struggle for battle initiative.

As long as one can keep the initiative in one's own hands and lead the opponent step by step toward defeat, that's good tactics.

And now, the best way to seize initiative is close‑quarters combat, disrupting the opponent's rhythm.

Meng Hongchen spread a pair of ice‑blue wings behind her, and with the aid of a thruster, she turned into a white blur and charged at Nan Qiuqiu.

So fast!

Nan Qiuqiu's pupils contracted; Meng Hongchen's speed exceeded her expectations.

Yet she did not panic.

These days she had been alternating battles with Shilake and the geniuses of the Tang Sect, and at this speed, not only Bei Bei but even Xu San Shi could manage it when unleashed.

The third soul ring lit up, and a pink orb gathered in Nan Qiuqiu's palm, which she hurled at Meng Hongchen.

Having just taken a loss, Meng Hongchen naturally dared not meet the orb head‑on; she slipped her foot and dodged it.

Yet the next second she saw a smug smile on Nan Qiuqiu's face.

A sudden jolt struck her heart.

Immediately, the pink orb she had evaded exploded.

The pink blast radiated instantly, and after the first explosion it detonated twice more, expanding the blast radius by a full fifty percent.

Oblivion Chain Explosion, Nan Qiuqiu's third soul skill, is a large‑area attack of the Oblivion attribute.

Back when she was at the Earth Dragon Gate, it was this soul skill that kept her invincible among peers.

Even at Shilake Academy, this move proved very useful.

But Nan Qiuqiu's smile faded quickly.

Because she saw an ice mirror appear beneath Meng Hongchen's feet, and moments later it positioned itself a few meters ahead of the Oblivion Chain Explosion, perfectly evading the strike.

Ice Refraction, a soul skill whose effect closely resembles teleportation, earned credit once more.

After closing the distance between them, Meng Hongchen's first and second soul rings lit up together.

The poison ring expanded rapidly, instantly enveloping the entire arena.

Nan Qiuqiu's gaze shifted, and she hurriedly activated her second soul skill, turning her whole body pink.

Oblivion Shield, which applies the Oblivion attribute to her body to block external attacks.

Feeling her soul power being consumed at a speed far beyond expectations, Nan Qiuqiu's expression grew increasingly grave.

Clearly, her Oblivion Shield was defending against unseen attacks.

Meng Hongchen's poison was stronger than she had thought.

Worse still, Meng Hongchen was already within ten‑plus meters of her.

It's true that Meng Hongchen's swordsmanship can't match Huo Yutong's, but fighting a primarily ranged opponent like Nan Qiuqiu was clearly no problem.

At the critical moment, Nan Qiuqiu dared not leisurely test with earlier soul skills; the fifth soul ring glowed, and a pink longsword materialized in her hand, slashing toward Meng Hongchen.

Seeing this, Tang Wulin twitched his mouth, and with a strange expression glanced at Huo Yutong.

Why did this scene feel so familiar to him?

Not only he felt familiarity; Meng Hongchen herself did too. Seeing the pink longsword swing, she instinctively recalled the painful memory of being completely suppressed five years ago by Huo Yutong wielding the Imperial Sword.

She quickly stepped back a few paces, hurriedly evading the strike.

Meng Hongchen, watching from the stands, became very anxious.

"What are you doing, Meng? Since you're already in close range, you should press the attack!"

He didn't understand the effect of the Oblivion attribute, but judging from their earlier exchanges, Nan Qiuqiu hadn't inflicted any damage on Meng Hongchen, so this sword's damage should also be low.

With Meng Hongchen's strength, there are plenty of countermeasures.

At this moment Meng Hongchen realized her slip, clicked her tongue in displeasure, and surged forward again.

Nan Qiuqiu's face instantly showed a hint of panic; she extended her hand, and four Oblivion Lights shot out together.

Meng Hongchen sneered, leapt in place, and dodged all the Oblivion Lights.

At the same moment she descended, she unleashed her strongest offensive soul skill, Ice‑Fire‑Poison Dragon Drill.

Unexpectedly, the next instant she saw Nan Qiuqiu grin again, a golden radiance flashing on her body while a pink glow gathered in her palm and shot out before the golden shield formed.

It was the Invincible Shield and Nan Qiuqiu's sixth soul skill, Oblivion Star.

Meng Hongchen, having used Ice‑Fire‑Poison Dragon Drill, couldn't dodge in time and resorted to the Wall of Tenacity to block the strike.

That was her biggest mistake in this match.

After Oblivion Star struck the Wall of Tenacity, it began rapidly siphoning her soul power and quickly grew larger.

Meng Hongchen's soul power was instantly drained by more than half, and continued to deplete.

Oblivion Star, this soul skill, is currently Nan Qiuqiu's deadliest finishing move; once it hits, it rapidly absorbs the opponent's soul power, depleting their strength.

This move, like Huo Yutong's Great Cold No Snow, is best countered by simply avoiding being hit, because the soul skill lacks a locking function and flies straight after activation.

And once it has absorbed enough soul power, it will naturally—

"Boom—boom—boom!"

A massive explosion roared, engulfing Meng Hongchen.

"Meng!"

In the stands, Meng Hongchen sprang up anxiously, nervously looking toward the spot on the arena where the explosion occurred.

Nan Qiuqiu, also holding a long scroll, waited with a tense expression for the outcome.

This is her strongest soul skill, and its cost is huge; although that strike vaporized much of Meng Hongchen's soul power, its own consumption was also significant, leaving her with less than thirty percent of her soul power remaining.

Her expression suddenly changed in the next second.

A strong sense of danger came from behind.

She hastily turned sideways, trying to dodge, but she was still a step too late—a sword pierced her shoulder and ran through her body.

"Ah——!"

Nan Qiuqiu screamed, her expression turning ruthless as she also thrust a sword backward.

Unfortunately, Meng Hongchen's skill was far superior to hers; she tiptoed and easily dodged this attack.

Seeing Meng Hongchen preparing to continue her attack, Nan Qiuqiu suddenly shouted:

"Referee, I admit defeat!"

Meng Hongchen stared for a moment, then her expression turned extremely ugly.

(End of chapter)