The blood essence at the tip of Xu Yuan's spear erupted, and Su Mu's vision was engulfed by a crimson tide of blood essence.
The dark green halo shattered instantly.
This strike had surpassed its maximum capacity to withstand.
The spear tip stopped just before Su Mu's eyes.
Su Mu's pupils continued to contract as his heart filled with both shock and relief.
Xu Yuan definitely still had strength left. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to withdraw his spear at the last moment.
Though it was a bitter irony—his opponent hadn't even used his full strength, yet he had already lost—it was also precisely why he was still alive.
Xu Yuan withdrew his spear and turned to leave.
The blood essence flames slowly dissipated, but his presence remained condensed, as if the surrounding environment were a forge shaping this awe-inspiring divine spear.
"He didn't use his full strength, yet he surpassed the limits of Su Mu's Reversal Halo," Dai Yueyan took a deep breath, the shock in his eyes still lingering.
He had a good relationship with Su Mu and knew the limits of that halo better than anyone.
At the very least, he, Dai Yueyan, was absolutely incapable of breaking that soul ring. In battle, he would need to find other ways to exhaust Su Mu's Reversal Halo.
Among the members of the Heavenly King Team, only Dragon King Long Yue had the power to directly shatter Su Mu's Reversal Halo.
Taking another deep breath, Dai Yueyan let out a bitter smile.
"It was within expectations, but his spear strike seemed far too effortless. According to Foreign Minister Sima Lanxiao, Xu Yuan can burn his life force without any noticeable side effects, and it seems he can use it as a regular combat burst. He also has a mech suit, and possibly layered battle armor."
Long Yue crossed his arms over his chest, watching Xu Yuan walk away step by step. The fighting spirit in his eyes burned fiercely.
"In individual battles, where mech suits and battle armor are allowed, only you, Brother Long, can handle him. As for team battles, I should have a chance to fight him."
Dai Yun'er looked at her fourth brother in surprise.
Noticing Dai Yun'er's gaze, Dai Yueyan explained, "Just now, Su Mu hadn't even released his battle armor. I'm not sure if it was due to the influence of Xu Yuan's forbidden technique preventing him from quickly fusing his battle armor. We'll need to ask him about it later."
"If it was the forbidden technique's influence that prevented Su Mu from fusing his battle armor, then when we face Xu Yuan, we must complete our battle armor fusion immediately."
Dai Yun'er finally realized what he meant.
That's right. She had been so overwhelmed by Xu Yuan's overwhelming presence that she overlooked the fact that Su Mu hadn't fully unleashed his strength or fused his battle armor.
"But doesn't Xu Yuan have battle armor too?" Dai Yun'er asked again.
"Yun'er, you need to understand that battle armor fundamentally enhances a soul master's abilities—it is a full upgrade to their martial soul. His forbidden technique cannot completely seal an opponent's soul power, as it is influenced by both sides' strengths. The stronger one is, the weaker the sealing effect will be." Dai Yueyan explained to Dai Yun'er, "Even though he can fuse battle armor, it's a relative enhancement for both sides. Even if his forbidden technique becomes stronger with increased strength, the overall weakening effect on me will decrease."
It was a relative increase in strength, but not proportionally equal.
You could think of it as both sides' health bars, energy bars, and various resistances being greatly enhanced, as well as the potency of their soul skills. While the balance of who was stronger and weaker hadn't reversed and the gap remained proportional, the battle would no longer end in an instant.
"Oh~ In other words, Fourth Brother , you won't get instantly killed!" Dai Yun'er suddenly understood.
Three black lines appeared on Dai Yueyan's forehead as he smacked her head with his hand.
"Ah! Fourth Brother hit me! I'm telling Father!"
"..."
---
Su Mu returned to the Heavenly King Team's viewing box and reported his experience to everyone.
"The impact of his forbidden technique is severe." His tone was heavy, and as he looked at Dai Yueyan, he was practically warning him not to try experiencing it before making a judgment.
"I used all five of my soul skills, but the latter three—I'm a Soul King, and casting three thousand-year soul skills in succession nearly exhausted me."
Hearing Su Mu's description, Dai Yueyan and the others were shocked.
So, the suppression was this terrifying?
"Subconsciously, it felt as though heaven and earth were under his control, suppressing me. At the time, I wanted to fuse my battle armor, but one wrong step led to another." Su Mu let out a bitter laugh, regretting his earlier arrogance for releasing his first and second soul skills instead of fusing his battle armor first.
In truth, it wasn't arrogance. He knew Xu Yuan was powerful—he simply wanted to experience Xu Yuan's forbidden technique firsthand.
But that experience cost him the opportunity to fuse his battle armor.
"I could feel that under the suppressed state, the effect of fusing battle armor would be greatly diminished. I might not even be able to withstand the amplification provided by the battle armor."
As Su Mu spoke, his eyes were filled with wariness.
"How is that possible?"
"His sealing technique didn't completely revert you to a weaker state. Your soul power and physical condition are still intact, aren't they?" Dai Yueyan exclaimed in astonishment.
"No, my perception is sharp and wouldn't be mistaken. Strictly speaking, what he sealed wasn't just soul power—it was essence, energy, and spirit." Su Mu's tone was firm. "When essence, energy, and spirit are completely suppressed, even your martial soul weakens. The amplification from battle armor fusion would place an additional burden on the martial soul, and your essence, energy, and spirit wouldn't be able to sustain it."
Of course, he quickly added,
"Of course, it's not entirely impossible to bear it, but the significance would be minimal. Moreover, wearing battle armor might give him an opening to exploit, and I'd only lose more thoroughly."
"The ability to affect battle armor fusion..." For the first time, the Heavenly King Team truly grasped the terror of Xu Yuan's Seven Forbidden Techniques.
"In fact, it should only affect ordinary single-word battle armor. Battle armor made from spirit-infused alloys or forged with spirit metal, which integrates directly into the soul master's body, shouldn't be affected."
The gap between ordinary single-word battle armor refined once at the thousand-refinement level and single-word battle armor made from spirit-infused alloys wasn't just about ease of wearability.
Spirit-infused alloys and spirit-forged metals could integrate into the soul master's body—a constant fusion with the soul master. Especially when the battle armor was fully completed and paired with the soul master, the spirit-infused alloys and spirit metal became akin to soul spirits, achieving a deep fusion with the soul master.
Ordinary single-word battle armor was merely an external addition based on your current state, and thus susceptible to changes in that state.
However, two-word battle armor or single-word battle armor made from spirit-infused alloys achieved a fusion from the inside out. Even under suppressed conditions, it could still fuse and work with the soul master to counteract that suppression.
Of course, there were very few techniques capable of affecting the fusion process of ordinary single-word battle armor.
Under normal circumstances, even weakening techniques couldn't achieve such an effect.
Xu Yuan's forbidden technique simultaneously weakened essence, energy, and spirit—an all-encompassing suppression that created this outcome.
"The first thing we do when facing Xu Yuan next is to fuse our battle armor. If possible, force him to reveal his!"
Dai Yueyan looked at the other team members.
If they couldn't even force Xu Yuan to reveal his battle armor, they'd be utterly failing.
At the very least, they had to see his true strength, right?
---
On the other side, Xu Yuan had no idea that he had almost been assumed to possess a full set of single-word battle armor.
He returned to the viewing box.
Today, all nine team members were present, each having participated in their own matches.
When Yuanen Yehui met Xu Yuan's gaze, she instinctively flinched.
Her mind replayed the words Xu Yuan had said to her that night.
Carrying an immense burden alone, her heart was stretched to its limit, fragile and sensitive.
Xu Yuan had said they could face it together.
But could they really?
Those were demons...
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