Then, in less than half a second, Haoyun, executing his second transformation, successfully maneuvered behind Little Tiger and Fury, who had just missed their target. Accompanied by the gasps of the audience, Haoyun launched another attack from behind the duo. It was then that the audience noticed two daggers in Haoyun's hands. As he wielded these two daggers, his figure accelerated, leaving a trail of afterimages as he swiftly passed behind Little Tiger and Fury. Yes, Haoyun was now wielding the "Blades of Speed and Fury," unleashing his signature move, the "Phantom Stab," against Little Tiger and Fury.
Although constrained by the Fragrant Nebula's power, preventing Haoyun from transforming the "Blades of Speed and Fury" into light weapons, it didn't diminish their lethality against the Hunt Team. Therefore, the two daggers were still capable of cutting through iron like mud, directly slicing through the ribcages of Little Tiger and Fury, splitting their bodies in half.
"Wow! Such incredible speed!"
"What weapon does Haoyun have? It seems powerful!"
"Wow! Haoyun looks so cool! I want to have his babies!"
...
Seeing Haoyun effortlessly cleave Little Tiger and Fury's bodies in half, the audience couldn't help but marvel. The atmosphere at the venue soared to another climax with Haoyun's sudden display of formidable strength.
"Argh—ah—!" Little Tiger and Fury, upon realizing what had happened, found their heads, along with the upper halves of their bodies, tilted to the side. Blood gushed from their bodies like water from an opened fire hydrant, unstoppable.
"Damn it! Why couldn't I cut them in half directly? It seems my power is still greatly suppressed!" Despite the immense power displayed by Haoyun's strike, he wasn't satisfied with the results.
Dao Lao and Dream Jia were also somewhat surprised that Haoyun hadn't instantly killed Little Tiger and Fury. Of course, they understood that Haoyun's inability to do so wasn't due to his lack of strength but rather the severe restrictions imposed by the Fragrant Nebula. Thus, Dao Lao and Dream Jia concluded that while their various bodily functions seemed to have recovered significantly, their overall strength was still severely suppressed. This made the trio temporarily abandon the idea of further exacerbating the conflict with the Countess, lest their overly aggressive behavior invite disaster upon themselves.
Although Little Tiger and Fury were seriously injured, they didn't seem to be in mortal danger. Indeed, both of them had already recovered from the shock of being split in half and were now kneeling on the ground, using their intact halves to support themselves, while desperately trying to reunite the severed halves of their bodies with their hands.
"Hmph! Useless struggles!" Haoyun snorted and launched another Phantom Stab from behind the two.
"Swish! Swish!" Haoyun delivered two clean horizontal slashes.
As Haoyun once again flew past Little Tiger and Fury, their heads were immediately sent flying into the air by the blood spouting from their thick necks. Then, the two towering monsters collapsed simultaneously, dead beyond doubt. Haoyun slowly stood up from his crouched position, holding two daggers, standing proudly in the arena, allowing his body to be soaked in the rain of blood that descended from above, emitting an overwhelming aura of arrogance.
Seeing Haoyun effortlessly dispatching Little Tiger and Fury, who had been unbeatable moments ago, the audience erupted into thunderous cheers once again. The Countess also clapped slowly and nodded with a satisfied smile, giving full recognition to Haoyun's displayed strength.
"What an admirable duel! Who would have thought that the Challenge Team, not favored on paper, would stand victorious in the end with their strong willpower and formidable combat prowess. I hereby declare that the Challenge Team, composed of the Unlucky Immortal Troupe, is the winner of this return match! They are also the ultimate champions of this season's 'Fate and Challenge' program! Let's cheer for the Challenge Team together! Cough cough cough!" The Countess opened her arms, loudly announced, and spun around on the floating platform. At the same time, the venue resounded with the victory song of the winners, and countless golden ribbons shot into the sky from the surrounding stands, showering the entire arena with a golden rain.
It wasn't until the Countess announced the Challenge Team as the ultimate winners and the venue began celebrating with fluttering ribbons for the victors that Haoyun and his team dared to confirm that the challenge was finally over. The relieved trio couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and then looked at the Countess, who was still spinning in the air, leading the audience in cheering and celebration, with an uneasy heart, wondering, "Phew! According to the agreement, all three challenges have been completed. I wonder what tricks the Countess will pull next?"
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"Luckily, at the end of this challenge, many of our divine powers have broken through the Fragrant Nebula's concealment. With that, even if the Countess tries some other trick, at least we won't be completely passive and on the defensive like before." Although Dao Lao also expressed concern about the trio's future, he tried to encourage them as optimistically as possible.
At that moment, the Countess gestured for the audience to cease their cheers and turned to address the nervous trio of Haoyun. "According to the rules of 'Fate and Challenge,' it's now time for the winners to make their wishes. Now, I invite the three guests of the Unlucky Immortal Troupe to state your desires! Remember, because you've won the additional return challenge, you can make double wishes! Ahem, ahem, ahem!"
Upon hearing this, Haoyun's trio was taken aback. Given the Countess's previous behavior of forcibly adding a theatrical showdown between the contestants, they had already labeled her as "untrustworthy, prone to sudden changes." Therefore, when the Countess asked them to state their wishes, they hesitated, unsure if they should respond to her request.
"What—do you—what trick are you planning now?" Haoyun asked, his words dripping with distrust.
"Haiyo! Look at you! What do you take me for? Rules are rules, and without them, there's no order! If even I don't abide by the rules, this place will descend into complete chaos! Come on, make your wishes! Otherwise, the plot can't move forward! Ahem, ahem, ahem!" The Countess, feeling hurt by Haoyun's mistrust, urged them once again to make their wishes. At this moment, Haoyun's trio also noticed that the cheering audience, the falling golden raindrops, and everything else except for them and the Countess suddenly froze, casting the entire arena into a deathly silence.
"Oh, do you still plan to make wishes? With all your dilly-dallying, the game can't proceed! If you don't make your wishes soon, I'll take it as you giving up on this game! Hmm—let me think, if you give up this game, then what scenario should I put you into next?" The Countess floated over to Haoyun's trio, impatiently pinching her waist as she urged them.
Haoyun quickly raised his hand to stop the Countess from suggesting another round of games. "No! Shouldn't we make our wishes first? We just haven't decided what to wish for yet. Give us a few more seconds to think," he said, trying to buy some time.
Satisfied with Haoyun's response, the Countess nodded. "That's right! Hurry up! Let's finish this scene quickly so I can go back and write the next script. Ah! I've already got an idea for the next script! Ahem, ahem, ahem!" she said, sounding excited about her next project.
After agreeing to their wishes, the Countess waved her hand, causing the golden raindrops in the air to merge into several golden rain figures. Then, she grabbed hold of these golden rain figures and began to tango in the air. After a series of surprisingly impressive tango performances (of course, the tango skills of the golden rain figures were impeccable, while the Countess's performance could only be described as "hehe"), the Countess, standing in the center, struck a final pose and elegantly clapped her hands to conclude.
With three claps, the lights in the venue suddenly went out, and Haoyun's trio found themselves standing in darkness once again. Having experienced this before, they knew that the darkness meant the scene around them was about to change. So, they quickly stood back to back, alert to whatever new situation they might face.
As they anxiously pondered whether the Countess would change her mind again and transport them to another environment, the surrounding darkness was suddenly overwhelmed by a bright light. What they saw was a vast expanse of white.
Shielding their eyes from the sudden brightness, Haoyun and his companions squinted to adjust to the intense light. As their eyes gradually adapted, they realized they were in a familiar white space.
"Hey? Isn't this the white space?" Haoyun exclaimed in surprise. Dao Lao and Dream Jia also quickly adjusted to the bright light and surveyed their surroundings. As Haoyun said, they were familiar with this white space because it was what Daddy Cat referred to as the "backstage rest area." However, unlike before, this time they weren't confined in cages but miraculously stood amidst the cages in the white space.
"Weird, how did we end up back here again?" Haoyun wondered aloud. Meanwhile, a sense of foreboding crept back into his heart. Based on their previous experience, they were brought back to this white space to rest before their next performance.
So, was the situation the same this time? With that thought, Haoyun and his companions furrowed their brows once again.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Accompanied by applause, the Countess, holding a half-smoked cigar, and the rotund Daddy Cat, emerged from the white space in front of Haoyun's trio.
"This game was so exciting! I still feel like I haven't had enough! Ahem, ahem, ahem!" the Countess exclaimed in an approving tone.
"Now that we've completed the game, according to our previous agreement, shouldn't you inform us about Elina's whereabouts and let us leave?" Dao Lao didn't pay attention to the Countess's praise but went straight to the point as soon as the Countess appeared.
"Yes, yes! Oh, don't be in such a hurry! How can I dare to let you go without first confirming your strength? Otherwise, if anything happens to you, won't all the blame fall on me? Ahem, ahem, ahem!" The Countess waved her hand at Dao Lao, signaling him to be patient. Then, a powerful force pushed the trio downward, and just as they were about to lose their balance, they plopped into comfortable, oversized sofas.