Chapter 31

: Hellfire Spider Web
Translator: 
Irene_ 
 Editor: 
X
Ai Hui’s concentration had never been so fixated.
The contestant before him was the strongest he had encountered so far. Showcasing superior skills, the obvious gap in strength killed all suspense as to who would claim victory, but this strangely galvanized Ai Hui even more. Passionate, red-hot blood flowed in his veins like molten lava.
He was moved by the fact that he was about to challenge one of the legendary absolute arts.
Although his right arm was numb, hanging limply from his shoulder, and his vision was obscured in the darkness, his unprecedented focus led to an enhancement of the six senses.
Ai Hui clearly sensed his opponent who didn’t bother to conceal himself. From the strange handstand to the heat emitting from his palms, Ai Hui could feel even the faint flickers of energy rippling along the ground.
The motion of the elemental energy was minute and Ai Hui had not detected it earlier.
The surprise attack he had launched earlier had probably been detected through this weak energy web.
The other side had already quietly cast an inescapable net, waiting for prey to intrude. Absolute art indeed, Ai Hui admired. Setting traps was a technique he was also proficient in, but he had not previously detected this snare at all. Evidently, his rival had next-level skills.
He suddenly thought of Lou Lan’s earlier words. That guy could cast the [Hellfire Spider Web].
The spider was an arthropod that Ai Hui was familiar with. He had seen all kinds of spiders in the Wilderness. Both the [Flaming Heavenly Spider Transformation] and [Hellfire Spider Web] appeared to be related to spiders—perhaps this principle could lead to victory?
Techniques were not named carelessly. Their names, more often than not, represented their characteristics.
Ai Hui knew how to catch spiders like the back of his hand. His heart stirred. Could it be…
His figure flashed as he abruptly charged forward. At the same time, he felt his opponent’s body shift slightly. Indeed, as Ai Hui had deduced, the almost undetectable weak ripples on the ground were actually part of an extensive invisible network. His opponent was like a spider waiting within a spider web. The moment an intruder entered any corner of his web, it fell under his control.
In such a short moment, Ai Hui could not think of a better idea.
This was the first time Ai Hui had met an opponent who was vastly superior. [Hellfire Spider Web] was undoubtedly the most suitable technique to use in a blind battle.

Since you do not dare to attack, let me!

Zu Yan became impatient. He yelled loudly and initiated an attack. He smacked his flame-clad left palm on the ground, and his body fiercely lunged toward Ai Hui. The darkness did not affect his aim at all. Borrowing the force of his lunge, his straightened legs garnered elemental energy, and he once again dove at Ai Hui like a sturdy hatchet.
The sharp, sky-rending sound that followed brought with it the billowing crackle of flames. The ferocity of his attack was incomparable—even the audience was awestruck by the sheer force of Zu Yan’s kick.
As the attack approached, Ai Hui found himself beset by a feeling of helpless entrapment as the wind roared in his eardrums.
His heart palpitated, but like a weak candle flame shielded from the wind, he still had a trace of clarity. He bit his tongue, allowing the sharp pain to rouse him. The incoming flame chopped down, like a solid hatchet blade.
With all his might, Ai Hui threw himself to the side.
Boom!
Amid the flame-filled sky, the long legs impacted heavily onto the ground, like a heavy tomahawk thrown by a giant.
The solid, elevated stage shattered like a crispy biscuit. Fragments flew everywhere, revealing a battered and exhausted Ai Hui.
Zu Yan was quite surprised. His kick appeared sharp, but the real killer technique was the interference produced by the [Hellfire Spider Web]. This move had been trialed and validated. Opponents usually became distracted by his legs and their state of mind would be affected by the nearly invisible ripples.
During a deadlocked battle between two excellent combatants, a moment of absent-mindedness was enough to tip the scales of victory.
The interference of the [Hellfire Spider Web] surprisingly had zero effect on his opponent.
Zu Yan’s interest was piqued. Those capable of dodging this skill were not nameless people.

Who are you exactly?

As if he had been injected with steroids, Zu Yan roared as he launched a storm-like attack. The collision between his heavy legs and the ground was so loud it made people shiver. A scarlet-red blaze enveloped the whole stage, and the debris flew in all directions like a downpour. The pieces of the stage smashed against the elemental energy-powered screen, which isolated the stage from the outside, like raindrops pattering on a huge piece of banana leaf.
Stunned, the whole training hall fell into silence as everyone was rendered speechless by the scene happening in front of them. How could they have ever witnessed such a violent attack? The more faint-hearted spectators trembled uncontrollably, and those who boasted of being brave turned pale-faced.
Even the referees on the side looked tense. They were already prepared to rescue someone at any time.
Ai Hui’s hairs stood on end. From the beginning and until now, danger had never left him. The intense crisis provoked his reflexes and he had no time to think at all. Dodge! Dodge with all his might! Relying on his instincts to dodge!
He felt he could suffer a direct hit at any time. No, as long as his opponent’s leg brushed against him, layers of skin would scrape off even if he did not perish.

Are you a mouse? Dodge! You only know how to dodge!
After launching consecutive missed attacks, Zu Yan gradually became angrier and his voice revealed it.
Do you think you can dodge?

Zu Yan sped up his attacks.
Before the previous fire had even dispersed, a new flurry of flames were violently released with the heavy kicks coming his way. In the blink of an eye, the flames onstage stacked layer upon layer like scorching, red clouds.
Ai Hui was in an even more challenging situation. It was as if he had been surrounded by the raging sea and could be engulfed by the giant waves at any time. His energy was rapidly draining and at a faster rate than usual.
Sweat was pouring out of his body, he was panting for breath, and his throat was hot like a blazing fire.
The audience offstage gradually recovered from their initial shock and soon discovered something abnormal. That strange, pitiful earth elementalist always appeared to be in jeopardy, narrowly avoiding collapse and destruction. But, a long time later, that fellow had actually not been hit yet!
How odd!
Those with even the tiniest brain could tell something was not right. Dodging a move or two was possibly due to luck. More than ten strikes? Absolutely not a fluke.
Slowly, someone started to notice a possible explanation.
That earth elementalist could anticipate Zu Yan’s attacks, and his actions were extremely nimble, lacking any slight delay and sloppiness. His moves were so fluid, it was as if his whole body had been coated with oil.
With such smooth dodging, this was definitely not an obscure figure!
Everyone was racking their brains to recall which earth elementalist was known to be an expert in this battling style. Wait, earth elementalist…everyone felt a sense of unexplainable awkwardness.
If it had been another individual, they would receive it well, but remembering that the person on stage was an earth elementalist, the crowd felt uncomfortable.
Such smooth battle moves carried out by an earth elementalist. What a violation of laws.
Shouldn’t an earth elementalist’s moves be dictated by his sand puppet?
Eh? Only at this point did everyone remember. Where was that slightly foolish sand puppet?