Chapter 131 – I Told You, You Only Get One Strike!
Zhu Zhuyun's hands transformed into sharp, claw-like talons.
Her eyes changed color—her left one deep green, her right one icy blue.
The four spirit rings around her pulsed up and down, releasing a powerful and suffocating aura.
"Nether Spring Descent!"
Cold, spectral light flashed from her eyes, and all traces of human emotion vanished.
The chilling aura that surrounded her resembled the merciless focus of a hunting beast—yet laced with something darker, something unnerving.
An uncomfortable shiver passed through everyone watching.
Her fourth purple ring flared brilliantly.
Instantly, thick, ink-black spirit power surged outward, transforming into the ghostly image of a roaring spirit cat.
"Mrrrow!"
A piercing shriek echoed through the arena.
Dugu Feng was surprised—Zhu Zhuyun's presence was overwhelming, and her fourth skill was completely different from what he knew of her from before.
It seemed his very existence had altered the course of her fate.
The sharp sound cut into his mind, as though a vengeful cat spirit were screaming within his skull—a psychic attack hidden within the technique.
But that wasn't the real danger.
The shriek tore open an invisible rift before him, and from it poured thick, pitch-black liquid—like a dark, poisonous spring cascading downward.
It was her fourth spirit ability, Nether Spring Descent.
Zhu Zhuyun had won her previous four matches without using this skill; this was the first time she revealed her strongest attack.
Dugu Feng's expression grew twisted.
The dark spring water looked disturbingly familiar—it possessed a corrosive power similar to poison.
The energy crawled like maggots on bone, corrosive and pernicious, sharing an uncanny kinship with toxicity itself.
"Trying that trick in front of me?" Dugu Feng chuckled. "That's like showing off a blade before Guan Yu."
He had to admit, it was a powerful skill—swift, dominative, a near-instant kill attack.
But today, she had met her natural enemy.
Dugu Feng didn't dodge; instead, he calmly allowed the inky waters to crash over him.
"Ahh!"
"What strength! Her fourth soul skill is amazing!"
Gasps filled the audience.
They marveled at Zhu Zhuyun's might—the fourth spirit ring's release completely enveloped Dugu Feng in black liquid.
As everyone's attention focused on the overwhelming attack, Zhu Zhuyun's figure vanished completely, leaving not even an afterimage.
In truth, she was moving at tremendous speed, closing the gap between them.
She had never intended to rely entirely on the fourth skill.
Using its cover, she launched into a flurry of close-range combat.
Her first three rings—yellow, yellow, purple—flashed in quick succession.
"Nether Thrust!
Nether White Claw!
Nether Slash!"
Three rapid, lethal skills erupted from her hands—all close-combat attacks.
Clones of Zhu Zhuyun appeared all around Dugu Feng—front, back, left, and right.
Her overlapping figures brought their claws together overhead, ten sharpened fingers fusing into a foot-long blade.
The blade shot forth from four directions simultaneously, slicing toward him.
A dozen more claw shadows followed, each radiating a deadly glint.
Each one carried the aura of corrosion and darkness, capable of piercing flesh and infecting the body with ruinous energy.
Even a shallow wound would unleash destructive forces within the body's meridians.
Dugu Feng stood motionless beneath a sheet of black corrosion, seemingly buried by the attack.
Zhu Zhuyun exhaled softly in triumph.
That ability's corrosive force could trouble even a Spirit King; once someone was touched by it, dispelling it was next to impossible.
Yet as she looked closer, Dugu Feng didn't move.
Could he truly be frozen in fear beneath his reputation—a paper tiger who'd just been lucky before?
No… there was no way someone could reach Spirit Ancestor rank on luck alone.
Her instincts screamed—something was wrong.
Her strikes grew faster, fiercer—
But the next instant, the strength in her body collapsed.
Her spirit power was draining rapidly, leaking away like water through a sieve.
Her face turned pale. "Poisoned? Impossible!"
They hadn't even touched.
She had used the fourth skill precisely to prevent him from releasing any poison.
Then how—?
It had to be Dugu Feng's doing!
Drawing on her battle-hardened instincts, Zhu Zhuyun refused to retreat.
Grinding her teeth, she gathered what strength remained and unleashed hundreds of claw shadows and slashes at once.
"You think your Nether Spring can harm me?"
Dugu Feng's voice was cold, mocking.
Though buried in black liquid, not a trace of corrosion affected him.
He released a sharp, contemptuous laugh, and a burst of raw power exploded from his body, sweeping across the entire arena.
The black liquid on his skin instantly turned into harmless spirit energy, evaporating into mist.
At the very instant Zhu Zhuyun attacked, his toxins had fused seamlessly into her fourth ability—his external spirit bone devouring every trace of corrosive force like it was born from the same source.
Her fourth skill had, in effect, strengthened him.
Zhu Zhuyun's heart lurched. She had never faced anything like this—her strongest attack had no effect at all!
How was that possible?
He'd been completely engulfed in the technique—yet emerged without a scratch.
A shiver of terror coursed through her.
Then it hit her—the wave of killing intent.
Cold, white ripples of murderous pressure erupted from him, freezing the air itself.
The fluctuations solidified, trapping Zhu Zhuyun mid-motion, claws and slashes suspended inches from his body.
They were barely a finger's width apart.
Dugu Feng could clearly see the color drain from her flushed face, panic flickering in her bright eyes.
She pushed herself desperately, trying to summon more spirit energy—but it was as though a bottomless void had opened inside her.
Her spirit power and mental energy both surged away, vanishing into nothing.
Zhu Zhuyun couldn't understand—there was no pain, no sign of how he had struck her.
"You—!" she gasped through clenched teeth.
A faint, cruel smirk curved on Dugu Feng's lips.
She finally understood—she had never been his match.
Even retreat was impossible; her body refused to respond.
"I told you," Dugu Feng said calmly, stepping back, "you only get one strike."
Zhu Zhuyun collapsed with a dull thud, hitting the floor hard.
Her spirit power was completely gone.
The abruptness, the eerie silence—it chilled everyone to the bone.
She hadn't even lost consciousness, just stared upward in disbelief.
Moments ago, she had been the Star Luo Empire's most beloved genius, admired by all.
Now she lay powerless on the ground, defeated without even knowing how.
Such a fall struck deep humiliation and shock into her heart.
The arena fell utterly silent.
From the fierce explosion of her fourth spirit skill, to her swift close combat, to Dugu Feng's sudden victory—
it had all happened in a single breath.
Once again, Dugu Feng had triumphed without ever revealing a single spirit ring.
Only that fleeting wave of frozen killing intent hinted at his use of the Killing God Domain.
Even the mighty Zhu Zhuyun couldn't force him to show more.
Just how strong was Dugu Feng, really?
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Bankai10