Chapter 137: Chapter 198 Instant Kill
The seven members of the Fiend Team were all thrown to the ground by their own momentum as they charged forward.
Blood gushed from their bodies, which had been riddled with bolts from the Zhuge Crossbows like sieves. The crimson liquid spread rapidly across the battle stage like writhing red worms. In the blink of an eye, the central area of the main battle platform had been dyed red.
An absolute instant kill.
The Fiend Team, whose strength had reached Rank 40, hadn't even had the chance to strike once.
At that moment, the minds of every spectator in the arena went completely blank. No one knew what had just happened—very few had even seen how the Shrek Seven Devils had made their move.
Such a short team battle was unprecedented in the history of the Grand Spirit Arena.
Yet, despite the brevity of the battle, the impact it left on the spectators was no less shocking than any intense, drawn-out fight.
Inside the VIP room, Flender's eyes were wide with shock. Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang slowly closed his eyes as if nothing had happened and said calmly:
"Let's go. Right now, they need us the most."
After saying this, he turned and walked out, as if everything that had just transpired had already been accounted for in his calculations.
Ning Rongrong was the first among the Shrek Seven Devils, aside from Tang San, to snap out of her daze. Without hesitation, she turned and ran toward the battle stage entrance, covering her mouth with one hand.
Oscar was the second to run out, followed by Ma Hongjun.
Dai Mubai and Tang San both turned to look at Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing, clearly surprised that the two of them seemed entirely unaffected.
Looking up at the floating, dumbfounded host, Dai Mubai spoke in as controlled a voice as he could manage:
"Are you going to announce the result of the battle?"
The host snapped out of his trance. Only then did he realize that at some point, he had wet himself.
His originally clear voice had turned hoarse.
"Team… team battle. Shrek Seven Devils… versus… Fiend Team. Fiend Team annihilated. Shrek Seven Devils successfully completed an across-rank challenge."
Hearing the expected result, the team finally turned toward the battle stage entrance.
The audience snapped out of their stupor at the host's announcement. Instantly, the entire Grand Spirit Arena erupted into chaos.
There were voices of disbelief, sighs, and horrified whispers, all overlapping in a deafening cacophony.
But none of that mattered to the Shrek Seven Devils. For them, the battle was over.
When they reached the backstage area, they found three of their teammates vomiting uncontrollably.
Only Tang San remained expressionless, though he noticed that Dai Mubai's face was pale, his spirit clearly shaken.
After all, in his previous life, Tang San had been an assassin. He had lived through two lifetimes.
But aside from him, the oldest among them, Dai Mubai, was only fifteen.
Dai Mubai might have been powerful and hardened in his approach, but he was still just a normal human. This was his first time taking a life.
As for Zhu Zhuqing?
She had already killed countless people when she fled from the Star Luo Empire to the Heaven Dou Empire.
And Xiao Wu?
As a spirit beast, killing was nothing unusual. In the world of spirit beasts, it was all about survival of the fittest.
Still, the scene of seven men being instantly slaughtered, the way blood sprayed everywhere, the way their eyes bulged in terror, the twisted expressions on their faces in their final moments—all of it was now deeply imprinted in the minds of the Shrek Seven Devils.
It was a feeling that no other experience could replicate.
After a long silence, Ma Hongjun struggled to his feet and looked straight at Dai Mubai.
"Boss Dai… we killed people, didn't we?"
Dai Mubai nodded but didn't say a word.
Tang San, standing beside them with a blank expression, stated flatly:
"Yes, we killed them. But teacher said they were ruthless criminals who deserved to die, so don't burden yourselves too much with guilt."
Ning Rongrong, her face still pale, lifted her head weakly and forced out a few words:
"But… but they were still living people."
"A moment ago, they were full of bloodlust, and in the next moment, they were corpses. I… ugh—"
She couldn't finish before she started vomiting again.
"We really killed them. We actually killed people."
Oscar clutched his chest, his breath unsteady.
"As soul masters, killing is something you will all have to face eventually. What you've experienced today is just another step on your path."
"If you're going to face it sooner or later, it's better to do so now, rather than on an actual battlefield where you could be the ones vomiting in shock."
"Otherwise, you'll end up like those seven, turning into corpses yourselves."
At that moment, Yun Feng emerged from the shadows, his expression calm. His voice was quiet, but to the Shrek Seven Devils, his words sounded jarringly out of place.
"Every powerful and successful soul master walks the path of blood. Have none of you ever killed before?"
"If not, then where do you think your soul rings came from? Spirit beasts are living creatures too. From a purely biological standpoint, they're no different from humans."
"When you hunted spirit beasts, why didn't you feel this way? This is a hurdle no one can help you overcome. You'll have to rely on your own willpower."
"If you feel sick, just keep throwing up. You'll get used to it."
After Yun Feng finished speaking, Yu Xiaogang added:
"If you don't want unnecessary attention, put your masks back on and leave with us."
By the time they returned to the hotel, everyone felt utterly exhausted—more so than after any of their hellish training sessions.
It wasn't a physical exhaustion but a mental one.
Even with their strong hearts, the image of Meng Li's dying eyes lingered in their minds, haunting them.
Tang San himself wasn't entirely unaffected.
This was the first time he had killed someone in this world.
Just as Ning Rongrong had said—no matter how cruel the opponents had been, they had still been living beings.
Yu Xiaogang, Flender, and the other instructors gathered in one of the hotel rooms.
Flender was in an extremely good mood. At the final betting round, the odds had reached an astonishing ten-to-one, making them all a fortune.
He had already collected the winnings.
At that moment, at least six or seven different factions—including the Grand Spirit Arena itself—had sent invitations to the Shrek Seven Devils, all of which he had rejected.
To the other soul masters participating in the battles, the Fiend Team's deaths were a cause for celebration. Some even believed it had been a setup, a meticulously planned revenge by teams whose members had previously died at the hands of the Fiend Team.
Although the Zhuge Crossbows were powerful, their weaknesses were also glaringly obvious.
Anyone with keen eyes could see them.
Just as Yun Feng had said—while the Zhuge Crossbows could penetrate any defense below a second soul skill, they were ineffective against third and fourth soul skills, especially those focused on defense.
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