Chapter 171: Battle Against Golden Crocodile

"Don't shout—I'm not afraid of you."

Xu Yang's voice was filled with disdain. A flash of golden light flickered in his eyes, and in an instant, the two blazing miniature suns still burning in the distance were extinguished. He slowly descended from the sky, landing in front of the three Board of Education members of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, not even turning his head.

"Board of Education members, please take the teachers and students to a secure place. Handling Elder Golden Crocodile is going to take a bit of time."

"Then be careful, Xu Yang!"

Meng Shenji nodded immediately, and along with Bai Baoshan and Zhi Lin, quickly gathered the teachers and students and led them toward the mountainside. There was a fortified underground shelter built and reinforced over generations of Heaven Dou Academy leadership. It was the safest location on campus.

The shelter was stocked with plenty of food and water—enough to last them at least a month.

Since everyone at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy was a soul master, the retreat was swift. In just two or three minutes, they had completely evacuated the plaza, leaving the battlefield to Xu Yang and Elder Golden Crocodile.

Meng Shenji and the others left without hesitation. From the earlier brief exchange, they could tell—Xu Yang's strength wasn't just on par with Golden Crocodile; it might even surpass him.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Golden Crocodile Avatar!"

Golden Crocodile roared skyward. His muscles and meridians surged violently, his skin sprouting golden scales, transforming in a blink into a massive crocodilian beast over twenty meters long. He radiated a terrifying and wild aura as he charged toward Xu Yang like a speeding locomotive.

On his thick tail, golden soul power surged and compressed. Muscles tightened, scales grinding together with sharp clicks—"Ka! Ka!"

The once-massive tail had become almost comically slender, reduced to half its original width. Despite the odd proportions, the chilling gleam from the tail warned of its lethal danger.

As he neared Xu Yang, that streamlined golden tail whipped forward like a spear meant to pierce the heavens—aimed directly at Xu Yang's throat.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Sun Avatar!"

Xu Yang's response was immediate. His seventh soul ring lit up, and golden flames erupted across his entire body. The surrounding temperature skyrocketed as everything nearby ignited. The ground beneath him melted into lava as golden fire scorched the earth.

Inside his body, the temperature also surged to the extreme limit of what his physique could endure. Yet his eyes stayed firm, unafraid, as he took a single step forward—and charged.

Xu Yang didn't retreat. He met the attack head-on. His blazing fist, like molten steel, smashed straight into the oncoming crocodile tail.

"Boom!"

Fist met tail. A harsh cracking sound rang out. Despite the massive size difference, it was Xu Yang's fist that triumphed—shattering the seven-meter-long golden tail into fragments, which scattered as soul power and vanished into the air.

The impact from the collision devastated the entire plaza.

"I don't believe it! A Soul Saint can't possibly be this strong!"

Golden Crocodile roared in disbelief. He knew his own strength—his Golden Crocodile King martial soul excelled in power and defense. At rank 98, even without using soul skills, he could pulverize a mountain. Yet his strength had no effect on Xu Yang's slim right hand.

He unleashed a roar infused with spiritual power, sonic waves battering Xu Yang like crashing tides—but it was useless. Xu Yang's body was like an unbreakable artifact. Even those sonic attacks, potent enough to shatter diamonds, couldn't breach his defenses. And the spiritual assault? Didn't move him an inch.

Golden Crocodile couldn't understand. Why was it, after releasing his Spirit Avatar, that his raw power still fell short against this elemental-type Soul Saint?

With his age and cultivation, his martial soul and body had long become one. His basic attacks carried the might of high-tier soul skills. Yet he was being overpowered.

"Ninth Soul Skill: Ouroboros Crocodile!"

Golden Crocodile growled as he leaped into the air. His massive body coiled, spine plates bristling into razor-edged blades. With jaws wide, he bit down on his own tail—forming a ring, like the legendary ouroboros. He spun rapidly in midair, becoming a golden storm of power.

The golden afterimages trailing behind him gouged deep trenches into the ground.

Xu Yang didn't doubt their lethality for a second.

"What a powerful soul skill…"

As he swatted away the slashing afterimages, Xu Yang's eyes widened slightly. With the insight of his Sun Golden Eyes, he could see this technique was far more complex than it appeared. The razor-sharp light was only the surface; the real danger was that it consumed almost no soul power—in fact, it seemed to be generating more as it spun.

Ouroboros. Infinite cycle.

If allowed to build momentum, the power of this move would be unimaginable.

Of course, there was a limit. Golden Crocodile's body and spirit could only withstand so much. Once he reached his limit, it would end.

Still, if he was allowed to reach full charge, the technique would be devastating.

"Like I'd let you!"

Now that he understood the principle, Xu Yang would never let Golden Crocodile complete the charge. Besides, his own arsenal of techniques was no less powerful.

During his sea voyage with the Golden Crow, Xu Yang had studied the characteristics of his Sun Avatar extensively. He had discovered a unique trait: acceleration and thermal manipulation, which boiled down to control over kinetic energy.

Essentially… like a biological microwave.

At present, he could only apply this control to himself. But even so, it gave him the fastest burst movement speed in the entire soul master world. No one could match it.

Golden-red soul power wrapped around his figure as Xu Yang blinked from sight—and appeared instantly above Golden Crocodile, twin palms blazing with Sun Fire as he reached toward the spinning beast.

"Zzzzztttt—!!"

Sparks exploded as his palms neared the golden ring. Xu Yang barely felt a sting. His Great Sun Golden Body, an evolved form of the Mysterious Jade Hand, had reached perfection. His physical resilience was unmatched on the entire continent.

"HAA!"

Xu Yang roared. Every cell in his body surged with power, greedily absorbing soul power from his dantian. With exquisite control, his hands erupted with crushing force.

"CRACK!"

Golden Crocodile's armored back—once as tough as refined steel—fractured instantly. The spinning ring came to an abrupt halt.

Golden Crocodile was stunned. His colossal form was forcibly stopped in mid-spin… by two human hands.

Worse—he could feel his spine had been fractured by Xu Yang's grasp. Those hands, far smaller than his scales, had seized his fate by the throat.

In that moment, he couldn't muster the slightest resistance.