thefictionvixens Chapter 763 A Small Punishment
Chapter 763 A Small Punishment
When the draw was over, Xie Yue and the substitute member of the Shrek Seven Devils team walked to the center of the field, and something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, the substitute member of the Shrek Seven Devils team turned around with a long face, bowed deeply in the direction of Pope Bibi Dong, and said:
"Your Holiness the Pope, I forfeit this match."
What? They forfeited in the very first match?!
The Shrek Seven Devils team's unexpected forfeit caused an uproar and sparked much discussion at the scene.
But this did not hinder the progress of the match. After a brief moment of stunned silence, the cardinal in charge of the refereeing immediately announced that Xie Yue had won the first match.
In the second match, Xie Yue, representing the first team of the Spirit Hall, faced off against Rui Wen, representing the second team of the Spirit Hall.
It didn't take long.
Wearing a specially made female knight outfit, Raven walked lightly onto the arena and stood in front of the tall and imposing Xie Yue.
However, something equally unexpected happened.
When the referee announced the start of the match, Raven suddenly raised her hand and bowed in the direction of Pope Bibidon.
"Your Holiness the Pope, I also forfeit this match."
Upon hearing this, the audience was stunned once again. However, most of the spectators present were shrewd and quickly realized the trickery involved—the Spirit Hall's second team was deliberately targeting the Shrek Seven Devils team.
In an instant, the scene was filled with gloating.
The elite teams from the various advanced soul master academies of the Star Luo Empire, who had all been eliminated, laughed almost unrestrainedly.
At this moment, the Shrek Seven Devils clearly realized this as well, and their expressions all turned rather grim.
Yu Xiaogang and Tang San frowned almost simultaneously. The master and disciple exchanged a glance, both revealing a hint of frustration, but even more so, anger.
The two teams sent by the Spirit Hall are undoubtedly strong, and are definitely top-tier teams in the finals of the All-Continent Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament. Otherwise, they would not have made it into the top three.
Especially in terms of individual ability, they have an almost overwhelming advantage.
Although Tang San, one of the Shrek Seven Devils, also possesses a ten-thousand-year fourth spirit ring, in reality, every member of the Spirit Hall's second team is like that, and now they even have five experts at the Spirit King level.
The difference in strength between soul masters is undoubtedly huge with the addition of one more soul ring, let alone when it is a difference of five people.
The Spirit Hall's first team is even more terrifying, as all of its members are Soul King level experts above level 50.
Having a skill level of 40 or above might be quite important in the preliminary rounds, qualifying rounds, and even the first four rounds of the finals, but it seems somewhat insufficient in the final three-way individual competition.
Only those who are level 50 or above have a chance of winning.
However, this is precisely the weakness of the Shrek Seven Devils, because there is not a single Soul King above level 50 in their team, and they can't even muster seven Soul Masters.
But their opponents have five, or even seven, Soul Kings.
If it were just one, there might be a chance, but with five or even seven Soul Kings standing there, it's almost impossible.
The fact that the Spirit Hall's second team was able to defeat the Fire-Water-Wind team, which had two Soul Kings above level 50, Huo Wu and Shui Bing'er, shows that their strength is absolutely terrifying.
If the Spirit Hall's Second Team, which has five Soul Kings, is like this, then what about the Spirit Hall's First Team, which has all Soul Kings?
It might even be worse, even more terrifying.
The two teams from the Spirit Hall completely overwhelmed the Shrek Seven Devils team in terms of cultivation level and spirit ring configuration alone.
In individual combat, no matter what, the Shrek Seven Devils would never be able to defeat the Spirit Hall's first and second teams.
Therefore, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, master and apprentice, had a wicked idea: to send two substitute players into battle to test the strength of the two Spirit Hall teams. Even if they lost, it wouldn't matter, as long as they could find out the opponent's tactical arrangements.
If all else fails, they can simply forfeit and concede, letting the Spirit Hall's first and second teams fight it out, while the Shrek Seven Devils reap the benefits in the next match.
But to everyone's surprise, these two teams did not play by the rules and sent out what seemed to be their strongest captains right from the start.
Moreover, after the Shrek Seven Devils' substitutes had no choice but to forfeit and admit defeat, Raven from the Spirit Hall's second team also forfeited and admitted defeat.
This greatly surprised Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, and shattered their illusions of getting a bargain.
The pressure is once again on the Shrek Seven Devils; it remains to be seen whether they will send out another member to face Xie Yue.
The expressions on the faces of Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, the master and disciple, were extremely grim.
When their gazes fell upon the members of the Spirit Hall's second team, several girls, including Feng Xian and Ye Lan, glared back at them with cold smiles, clearly seeing through the master and disciple's dirty little schemes.
This made Yu Xiaogang and Tang San feel guilty, and their eyes couldn't help but turn somewhat gloomy.
Similarly, after a brief moment of stunned silence, the cardinal in charge of the refereeing duties declared Xie Yue the winner of the second match.
In the third match, according to the previous draw, the Shrek Seven Devils team will send someone to continue their duel against Xie Yue, who just won the game.
The other members of the Shrek Seven Devils were equally surprised by the change in the situation on the field.
Just as Yu Tianheng was about to volunteer to go on stage and compete against Xie Yue, whose strength was clearly superior to his,
Master Yu Xiaogang stood up from the Shrek Seven Devils' private rest area, looked towards Pope Bibi Dong in front of the Papal Palace, and shouted loudly:
"Wait a minute, don't start the match yet."
His voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like that of a duck, but the Soul Masters watching the match were all at least level 30 Soul Masters, so they could hear him clearly.
In an instant, almost everyone's eyes were drawn to the direction where Yu Xiaogang was.
The cardinal, who was acting as the referee, was about to reprimand Yu Xiaogang for arbitrarily interrupting the match when the Pope raised his hand to stop him.
Bibi Dong sat upright in the gilded chair, her delicate body slightly tilted towards the side where her beloved disciple Ye Qifeng was, one jade hand gently raised, the other hand supporting her cheek.
Her beautiful eyes were lowered, her gaze towards Yu Xiaogang calm, indifferent, and cold, carrying a hint of condescension, as if she were looking at an insignificant ant.
"State your reasons."
Faced with Bibi Dong's extremely cold attitude, Yu Xiaogang frowned deeply, feeling slighted and inwardly resentful. He then gave a cold smile:
"My reason is that the Shrek Seven Devils team gave up the first half of the individual competition in the finals and voluntarily entered the loser's bracket final in the afternoon."
It is obvious that Yu Xiaogang no longer intends to send his team to compete.
He intends to forfeit and concede defeat, giving up the competition for the final spot in the individual competition, and letting the Shrek Seven Devils voluntarily fall into the loser's bracket to compete for the other qualifying spot in the team competition.
Of course, this was also a helpless move by Yu Xiaogang.
The Shrek Seven Devils team was far behind their opponents, lacking even a single level 50 Soul King.
Moreover, the Spirit Hall's First and Second Teams have clearly begun to unite against them.
Given Bibi Dong's ruthless nature, she has probably already given the two Spirit Hall teams a death order: to severely injure or even kill the Shrek Seven Devils during the competition.
Especially his disciple Tang San.
Although the rules of the Elite Soul Master Tournament prohibit killing during the competition, given the significant difference in skill levels, they have many ways to make their opponents accidentally kill each other.
Just like when the Shrek Seven Devils faced Canghui Academy, they used their opponent's soul skills to inflict backlash and severe damage.
Bibi Dong, after all, is the Pope of the Spirit Hall and has been in a position of power for a long time. She has been working hard to govern the Spirit Hall and is determined to achieve the goals that her predecessors have not yet accomplished. How could she possibly let her personal feelings affect the overall situation?
Yu Xiaogang had already deeply realized this when he met Bibi Dong more than half a month ago.
On the surface, a genius soul master may not seem like much, and the Spirit Hall has never lacked such geniuses.
But the more powerful a Soul Master is, the more they understand how terrifying the influence and destructive power of a true genius can be.
If Tang San's talent caught the attention of the Spirit Hall, then his lineage from the Clear Sky Sect and his identity as the son of Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao undoubtedly made the Spirit Hall even more certain of their intention to kill him.
Although such killing intent cannot be openly expressed, the Spirit Hall employs countless underhanded methods.
They would never allow a second Tang Hao, or even a more powerful enemy, to appear.
The talent of having twin martial souls has already led the Spirit Hall to place Tang San above Tang Hao in importance.
Moreover, Tang San has achieved his current success with only a useless martial soul, Blue Silver Grass. Who can see his future clearly?
For the sake of the Spirit Hall's overall interests, they absolutely could not allow this variable to occur.
Thinking of this, Yu Xiaogang became very vigilant, fearing that the Spirit Hall would take this opportunity to harm his disciple Tang San.
Especially in individual competitions where there is no support from teammates, it is easier to target and sabotage the competition.
That's why Yu Xiao just decided to change her strategy, give up the first half of the individual competition, and voluntarily enter the loser's bracket final in the afternoon.
The sudden announcement of abstention plunged the room into silence once again.
If the earlier substitute player's sudden surrender was somewhat acceptable, then Yu Xiaogang's sudden announcement that the Shrek Seven Devils team had forfeited the individual competition undoubtedly shocked everyone present.
Even the other members of the Shrek Seven Devils, except for Tang San, all looked surprised and bewildered.
Clearly, they did not know beforehand that Yu Xiaogang would make such a decision.
Bibi Dong remained seated in her gilded chair, her posture unchanged, her gaze still indifferent and cold, as she swept her gaze down at Yu Xiaogang:
"Oh? So you're planning to abstain?"
Yu Xiaogang stood with his hands behind his back, head held high, chest puffed out, his face full of arrogance:
"That's right. Although forfeiting is not what I wanted, I think it's our right to admit defeat."
Yu Xiaogang's extremely arrogant words rang out like a thunderclap in front of the Papal Palace. There seemed to be nothing wrong with his words themselves, but the problem was his attitude, the occasion, and the person he was speaking to.
His words were undoubtedly a direct challenge to the Pope.
Pope Bibi Dong, the supreme ruler of the Spirit Hall, is the most authoritative woman in the world of spirit masters. She is worshipped by countless spirit masters, and her strength is unfathomable.
Yu Xiaogang, a mere level 29 Great Soul Master, actually dared to defy the Pope? How could he dare? Who gave him the courage? Does he have a death wish?
Is it possible that the previous punishment wasn't enough and they want to do it again?
The Soul Masters watching the match were all astonished, their faces full of confusion, and then they gasped in shock.
As if to confirm what these Soul Masters were thinking, Pope Bibi Dong suddenly stood up slowly and nodded to Yu Xiaogang:
"You're right."
"Admitting defeat is indeed your right."
A smug smile appeared on Yu Xiaogang's lips, thinking he had overpowered Bibi Dong with his aura. However, Bibi Dong's next words sent chills down his spine:
"But who gave you permission to speak to me, the Pope, like that!"
As the cold words fell, an overwhelming and unstoppable pressure of soul power suddenly erupted from Bibi Dong's body, and then slammed into Yu Xiaogang's chest.
With a muffled thud, Yu Xiaogang, who was in the Shrek Seven Devils' exclusive rest area, was sent flying, knocking over countless seats along the way.
Feeling the terrifying aura that suddenly erupted beside him, Ning Fengzhi, sitting next to the Pope, was deeply moved.
At this moment, his eyes revealed shock, and at the same time, a trace of fear flashed through them. His gaze couldn't help but fall on the Pope beside him.
If it weren't for his calm and composed nature, and the protection of Sword Douluo, he probably wouldn't have been able to sit still and would have slid off the chair.
Beside Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo's eyes flashed with a sharp sword light. The soul power aura of a level 96 Super Douluo was faintly visible, enveloping himself and Ning Fengzhi and isolating them from the soul power pressure emanating from Bibi Dong. However, he could still feel a sense of being suppressed.
"This is... a level 98 peak Super Douluo?"
It was obvious that Sword Douluo had already sensed Bibi Dong's exact cultivation level from the soul power she unleashed.
"What? A level 98 peak Super Douluo?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi was even more horrified, instinctively swallowing hard. "This woman, Bibi Dong, is actually this terrifying?!"
Bibi Dong had no idea what Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were saying in their soul power transmission, or rather, she didn't care at all.
She just wanted to punish Yu Xiaogang, that disgusting guy, and didn't intentionally target anyone else.
Of course, she also deliberately controlled the direction of her soul power aura, so it had no effect whatsoever on the side where her disciple Ye Qifeng was.
"This is just a small punishment; it won't happen again."
Looking at Yu Xiaogang, who was lying on the ground like a dead dog, vomiting blood, Bibi Dong's eyes were cold and her face was expressionless.
For some reason, she felt disgusted when she saw Yu Xiaogang's incompetent yet pretentious face.
So, unable to hold back any longer, he immediately struck. (End of Chapter)