Chapter 54: The Heavenly Thunder Formation

Ruf passed the signal to his companion, and Dean began to launch a frontal assault with his flying knives. Brook followed closely behind, using his elastic hands to create chaos and sneak attacks. Finally, Ruf waited for his opponent to show an opening, then seized the moment to unleash his explosive punch and end the fight.

Du and Hu were knocked to the ground by the shockwave from the explosive punch. As they rolled across the arena, flying knives kept coming, stabbing into the ground and causing a series of explosions, turning the ring into a wasteland.

When Hu Guozheng got up, he noticed that the Azure Dragon Blade was only a few meters away. Resolute, he signaled Du Bin, then charged desperately at the trio, drawing all their attacks onto himself. Just as those attacks converged, he rolled forward and grabbed the Azure Dragon Blade. The barrage behind him struck his previous position, erupting in a massive explosion.

“Let me show you what a rookie can do—Shattering Heart Strike!” Hu Guozheng raised the Azure Dragon Blade high and smashed it fiercely against the ground. At the same time, Ye Tang and Du Bin leaped into the air. An earthquake-like tremor spread across the entire arena.

Ruf and his companions, unable to dodge in time, took the full brunt of the attack. The intense resonance numbed their legs and forced blood from their mouths.

As soon as Du Bin and Ye Tang landed, they unleashed their ultimate skills in an attempt to break through the encirclement. Du Bin attacked Ruf, who was supporting himself with one hand on the ground, using a sphere of lightning. Ruf endured the electric attack head-on, and before Du Bin could react, Ruf struck his chest with another explosive punch.

With a loud thud, Du Bin was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. Hu Guozheng turned and exclaimed in panic, “Damn! Old Du is in trouble!”

Ye Tang, entangled by a swarm of flying knives and unable to help, suddenly remembered that Du Bin had spent half a year learning an ultimate skill he hadn’t fully mastered. She reminded him, “Du Bin, use the Heavenly Thunder Array!”

His mind blank, Du Bin suddenly heard Ye Tang’s reminder and quickly adjusted his posture, hovering in midair.

Everyone watched as he floated in the air, and soon a surge of lightning enveloped his body. He realized he couldn’t gather enough lightning to complete the technique.

Looking up, he saw the giant screen broadcasting the event live overhead. A sudden idea struck him, and he shouted to Ye Tang, “Tang, cut the wires from the live broadcast above to help me channel the lightning!”

“Channel electricity to you? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“There’s no time. Hurry!”

Seeing his determination, Ye Tang could only unleash a powerful crescent-shaped sword aura at the wires high above. The sword energy broke through the arena’s barriers, slicing through the thick cables one after another.

Seizing the opportunity, Du Bin connected his lightning to the wires. Instantly, a large blue magic circle appeared on the ground, and at the link point, a vast area was filled with heavenly thunder, with Du Bin at its center, guiding the power outward.

Though Du Bin succeeded in activating the Heavenly Thunder Array, his lack of mastery caused severe backlash. He struggled to breathe, his heart raced, and he lost all feeling throughout his body.

Ye Tang and Hu Guozheng had already moved outside the range of the Thunder Array. As for Ruf and his companions, they’d taken some precautions but couldn’t escape in time.

This unexpected outcome surprised Wu Qiwei in the VIP lounge. “Knowing his own limitations and using himself as a conduit to borrow external electricity—quite clever for a rookie. But there are risks.”

Du Bin’s attack temporarily trapped Ruf and his companions within the array. Realizing that every second counted, Ye Tang knew any delay would endanger Du Bin further.

“Fatty, let’s use our ultimate skills together. If we wait any longer, Du Bin won’t make it.”

She transformed her Red Blade into eight swords. Under her mental command, the flaming swords targeted Ruf and his companions from all sides. Meanwhile, she gathered a powerful blaze between her outstretched hands—her limit.

Her injuries from a previous battle with Le’er hadn’t healed, and her mental exhaustion made it impossible to recover, leading to this desperate situation.

On Hu Guozheng’s side, he struck a dramatic pose, channeling all his strength into the Azure Dragon Blade. As Ye Tang summoned a massive firebird, he swung the blade, and the firebird bombardment at the center of the Thunder Array caused a series of energy explosions.

Ruf could easily break through the Thunder Array under normal circumstances, but the triple assault overwhelmed him. Numb and losing consciousness, he collapsed, his body convulsing.

Du Bin, unable to withstand the immense forces, was completely numb, his hair standing on end and smoke rising from his body. With a loud crash, he fell from the sky. Fortunately, he protected his head, avoiding a direct blow, though he still suffered injuries.

After surveying the scene, Xiao Xue announced the Hunting Team’s victory. Many wealthy spectators cursed at the unexpected result, booing the Dream Team.

“Du Bin!” Ye Tang rushed onto the stage and embraced him, distressed by his battered appearance. “You idiot! Do you know you almost died?”

“Cough... cough... Tang, could you stop hugging me so tight? My wounds hurt!” Du Bin groaned in pain.

Realizing her own forwardness, Ye Tang awkwardly let him go and dropped him to the ground. Du Bin, landing painfully, complained, “Ow! Can’t you be a bit gentle?”

“What do you mean by gentle? I don’t know how.”

“Why are girls always so rough?” Du Bin, already covered in injuries, suffered even more under her treatment.

“That’s just how I am. What’s it to you?”

“You two are such a PC.” Hu Guozheng interjected helplessly. Both replied in unison, “We are not a PC!”

“Really? Then why...” Hu Guozheng cast a suspicious look back and forth between them. Ye Tang snorted, refusing to answer.

Awkward in the face of their ambiguity, Hu Guozheng sighed, “Ah, I really don’t know what to say about those two.”

Du Bin and Ye Tang glared at him, their eyes blazing. Hu Guozheng, beads of sweat on his forehead, raised his hands and laughed dryly. “Pretend I never said anything.”

Wu Qiwei merely smiled at the outcome. Seeing YOYO’s hopeful expression, he was satisfied. The next match would begin in an hour. Zeng Yilong and Qin Ling left the VIP lounge, and after this event, many gambling businessmen began to pay attention to the Hunting Team, who had been underestimated but were now in the spotlight.

Du Bin and the others had little time to celebrate before receiving news that Ye Lan had been injured and hospitalized. They rushed to the hospital, and upon arrival, found Ye Lan covered in wounds. Though the injuries were not fatal, they would affect the upcoming key matches.

Ye Tang, dazed, held the hand of the newly sleeping Ye Lan. Anyone capable of injuring Aunt Lan must be formidable. She recalled Aunt Lan’s mysterious meeting with someone before the match.

“Tang, Aunt Lan is out of immediate danger. We have to wait for her to explain what happened.” Du Bin, seeing Ye Tang had stayed at the hospital all afternoon, tried to comfort her.

She replied angrily, “I know who hurt Aunt Lan. At this point, the only one strong enough to defeat her overwhelmingly is him and no one else.”

“You mean Wu Qiwei,” Du Bin guessed from her tone. Indeed, aside from him, no one else could have injured the powerful Aunt Lan.