Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 538: Endurance

Chapter 538: Endurance

Gu Lan relied solely on its reflection ability to contend with Big Cat, but the Lion-Tiger Golden Force had not only repulsion but also absorption. The absorption ability could counter the Glazed Glass clan's ability to some extent. If Big Cat didn't attack directly, he could absorb Gu Lan's bloodline power and strike at empty space, continuously depleting Gu Lan's bloodline. What then?

The problem was that Gu Lan's equipment was so overwhelmingly superior that Big Cat couldn't even reach Gu Lan and use the absorption effect directly.

The leader of the Golden Lion clan was in the VIP seats, watching this scene with a flickering gaze, his broad lion paws opening and closing restlessly.

Bang!

Big Cat was knocked flying again, spitting out another mouthful of blood. The heavy sword in his hand was already covered in chips and scratches from the continuous collisions. The lightning spear not only had a strong paralyzing effect but was also extremely sharp. This was why Big Cat didn't dare let it pierce him.

This time, Gu Lan did not pursue him. It had realized its problem. Despite appearing to have the upper hand in a series of attacks, it could clearly feel that its opponent, though steadily retreating, was not panicking in the slightest. Moreover, the Lion-Tiger Golden Force gave him incredible toughness. Despite Big Cat spitting blood multiple times, it was clear he hadn't sustained any critical injuries.

Meanwhile, Gu Lan's own bloodline power consumption was not insignificant. It had to use bloodline power to activate its equipment, after all

As expected of someone able to enter the finals, its strength and combat experience were undoubtedly substantial. During the group stage, it used the capabilities of its armor with exceptional skill. And the lightning spear in its hand, the Eye of the Thunder God, was indeed a divine artifact.

Of course, divine artifacts had different levels, and the Eye of the Thunder God was not nearly as powerful as Mei Gongzi's Celestial Plume, but it was still a divine artifact! Its paralyzing lightning effect had a defense-ignoring property. While not an absolute defense bypass, it rendered most defenses ineffective.

Gu Lan had only revealed this divine artifact upon entering the finals today, aiming to swiftly advance to the top eight.

When Gu Lan drew Big Cat as its opponent, it was quite excited. Big Cat was one of the rare contestants in the top sixteen without any backing. Although he had shown considerable strength in previous matches, he lacked wide-range attack capabilities and divine artifacts, making him one of the easiest opponents in the finals.

But what Gu Lan didn't expect was the sheer strength of Big Cat's Lion-Tiger Golden Force's defense and resilience. Despite Gu Lan having the upper hand, it continuously took minor injuries, which were slowly draining its bloodline power.

This couldn't continue; otherwise, it’d risk being counterattacked and losing everything.

Realizing its predicament, Gu Lan decisively stopped. It grasped the Eye of the Thunder God in its right hand, and the gemstones on its armor lit up one by one. Its massive bloodline power surged, infusing the Eye of the Thunder God, causing golden lightning to flicker around it.

At the center of the Eye of the Thunder God, right where Gu Lan held it, was a gemstone, the core of the artifact. The name "Eye of the Thunder God" actually referred to this gemstone. It was said that an extraordinary divine lightning had been sealed in this stone by the power of an Emperor, and the stone was then set into the shaft of this spear.

As bloodline energy poured into the gemstone, more and more power accumulated into the spear. Dazzling lightning illuminated Gu Lan’s translucent armor, making it shimmer brilliantly.

One good thing about being knocked back was that Big Cat had a little time to get himself together. Gu Lan's pause gave him a chance to catch his breath, and he made sure to use it; ny now, he had somewhat recovered from the paralysis.

He didn't counterattack while Gu Lan was gathering energy. Instead, he took a deep breath and stabilized his Lion-Tiger Golden Force.

But deep in his eyes, a hint of red appeared, filled with murderous intent.

Gu Lan kept its eyes fixed on Big Cat, not worried about an attack at this moment. If Big Cat attacked, it would just mean an even better opportunity. Its innate reflection ability would suppress its opponent, allowing it to unleash the full power of the Eye of the Thunder God and end the match.

But Big Cat didn't attack. Instead, he was also gathering his strength, just like Gu Lan.

Gu Lan knew it couldn't delay any longer. When it saw the hint of red in his opponent's eyes, it felt a sense of unease.

The Eye of the Thunder God had now transformed into what seemed like a bolt of pure lightning, emitting blinding golden flashes.

Gu Lan shouted, "Die!"

The Eye of the Thunder God in his hand vanished, and the next moment, a massive bolt of lightning appeared before Big Cat.

At that moment, he saw the blood-red light in Big Cat's eyes suddenly burst forth.

When Gu Lan saw the sudden surge of blood-red light, its heart seemed to skip a beat. As it was momentarily dazed by its opponent's imposing presence, the lock on Big Cat that the Eye of the Thunder God had was broken.

Big Cat’s figure flickered strangely. The Eye of the Thunder God seemed to pierce him clean through but then... the impaled figure dissipated! The real Big Cat had already dashed toward Gu Lan at lightning speed.

He had dodged! He had actually dodged it!

Throughout the prolonged battle, Gu Lan had repeatedly used the lightning spear to attack Big Cat, while the latter had always tried to block it rather than dodge, making it seem like he lacked the speed to evade the Eye of the Thunder God.

Yet when Gu Lan unleashed its strongest strike, Big Cat managed to dodge! Even before the red light appeared in his eyes, his body had already moved instinctively. The strange steps left behind multiple afterimages, and the only thing pierced was a shadow. The Eye of the Thunder God, having lost its spiritual lock-on, could no longer continue to pursue him.

Blinding red light suddenly erupted from Big Cat, and in the next moment, he was in front of Gu Lan.

Gu Lan quickly raised its hand and pressed the silver gemstone on its armor, intending to teleport and retrieve the Eye of the Thunder God.

But Big Cat had been waiting for this moment for too long. How could he let Gu Lan escape just like that?

"Roar—"

A massive Lion-Tiger beast's silhouette emerged behind Big Cat. As this roar echoed out, terrifying red light enveloped the entire battlefield, including Gu Lan.

Gu Lan felt an intense, frenzied, icy killing intent hit its heart, causing its movements to slow down involuntarily. Meanwhile, Big Cat's speed surged again. His heavy sword, imbued with Lion-Tiger Golden Force, came crashing down with unstoppable ferocity.

At the critical moment, Gu Lan instantly activated its innate ability, and a halo of glazed luster burst out.

The Glazed Glass clan's bloodline was rated as first tier precisely because of its reflection ability. No matter how strong the attack, it would be reflected with equal strength. Even if the Glazed Glass Nymph was injured, the opponent had to consider whether they could withstand the same injury.

Boom!

Gu Lan was struck by the sword head-on and sent flying. The silver gemstone on his armor was also struck off.

Big Cat was hit by the reflected power and also sent flying, spewing a mouthful of blood.

Gu Lan bore the brunt of the attack, but its armor mitigated most of it. Big Cat, lacking such defense, could only use his bloodline power to absorb a small part of it. The impact still struck him hard.

Gu Lan spat out a small mouthful of blood, both shocked and furious. The silver gemstone that enabled it to teleport was no longer usable, and repairing the armor would be quite costly. It was also injured by Big Cat's powerful strike, which had penetrated the armor's defense. Much of the Lion-Tiger Golden Force had been stopped by the armor, but a good part of it still impacted Gu Lan.