Emperor Cold Heaven Snow Dance Shining Sun

"We're stronger than all the others combined. The two of us can beat them. We don't need a seven-on-seven match."

Gu Yuena said it calmly, as though stating a fact.

Even if it was true, to everyone else, it was a blatant insult.

Especially to Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yueheng, since they were the only two Soul Emperors.

"Ha, hahaha. The two of you can defeat the other twelve?" Ma Xiaotao's voice edged toward hysteria. "Even if you think everyone else is useless, I'm still here. The gap in Soul Power between us isn't something your hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring can make up for!"

The other official team members silently gathered behind Ma Xiaotao, making their position clear. They absolutely did not agree.

Even the mild-mannered Gongyang Mo looked displeased. "Junior, you still need to learn to show respect to your seniors."

Gu Yuena blinked and answered calmly, "I'm only stating a fact."

Ling Luochеn, who was usually aloof and quiet, even stepped forward. "Even if you can use an attack like that again, there's no way you can defeat the seven of us."

With even her speaking up, the others needed no further prompting. They didn't think they were that weak, and they wanted an apology.

Gu Yuena didn't understand what they meant. To her, they were merely a group of weak people banding together to save face.

She was about to speak when Mu Xuanheng interrupted her.

Mu Xuanheng really didn't like showing off his strength. A two-on-twelve match might get a little dicey?

"Oh, don't worry, everyone. The two of us definitely have what it takes."

Bei Bei and the others stared wide-eyed. Weren't you supposed to be calming things down? Why were you adding fuel to the fire?

He wasn't the only one fanning the flames.

Xuan Zi found it amusing. "Fine, I'll grant your request. Twelve against two. Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena on one team, everyone else on the other."

Wang Yan tried to step in and smooth things over, but Yan Shaozhe stopped him.

He wanted to see just how powerful these two peerless geniuses really were.

Being invincible among those of the same rank and defeating stronger opponents were the marks of a peerless genius. Could two Four-Ring Soul Ancestors take on two Soul Emperors? That was what he wanted to find out.

However, Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena weren't ordinary peerless geniuses.

At Xuan Zi's command, everyone summoned their Martial Souls.

Their colorful Soul Rings flared to life once more. This time, they weren't facing the usual seven-on-seven match, but twelve against two.

Both sides were certain they would win.

The White Tiger roared, "Juniors, if you lose, you'd better apologize to us seniors who've spent several more years cultivating!"

Gu Yuena stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Mu Xuanheng.

"Should we use Heng and Yue?"

"Wouldn't that be too easy?"

"Then we won't!"

Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena were confident they could handle them.

A fierce wind swept across the field, tugging at their robes. They stood still, without needing to move.

"Damn it, I refuse to believe they can really overcome Soul Emperors as Soul Ancestors!" Ma Xiaotao immediately activated the enhancements from her second and third Soul Skills, then used her fifth Soul Skill, Phoenix Cloud Piercing Strike.

She didn't bother testing them. She went straight for an all-out assault.

Gongyang Mo lit up all four of his Soul Rings. He left out only his final, ten-thousand-year Soul Skill and used the other three to support Ma Xiaotao. Red, orange, yellow, and green rings shone around her, boosting her combat power by more than thirty percent.

In their previous match, Dai Yueheng would have been the one to take this attack. But now he stood on the opposing side—and was also the one who would launch the next attack.

The White Tiger's first, third, and fifth Soul Rings lit up—yellow, purple, and black—the three enhancement skills he used most often. "White Tiger Meteor Shower!"

Two Soul Emperors with optimal Soul Ring configurations, supported by a Soul King with an almost identical configuration.

No Soul Emperor would dare take that head-on.

This wasn't their strongest attack, but it still wasn't something a Soul Ancestor could withstand.

"Get ready to apologize!"

"Eternal Frozen Domain!" Mu Xuanheng unleashed his Soul Bone Skill. In his frigid domain, fire had no place.

Phoenix Cloud Piercing Strike was greatly weakened, and Ling Luochеn was frozen so badly she couldn't use her Soul Skills.

Among the reserve team, only Huo Yuhao, who also possessed Ultimate Ice, fared somewhat better.

Mu Xuanheng was using Eternal Frozen Domain without stacking it with Emperor Cold Heaven Snow Dance Shining Sun, so the temperature remained within Huo Yuhao's tolerance.

The Fire Phoenix and White Tiger Meteor Shower were already right in front of him. Any other Soul Ancestor would have been ready to surrender after taking a blow from two Soul Emperors.

But Mu Xuanheng wasn't an ordinary Soul Ancestor.

"I'll take your attack! Emperor Sword, Ice Extreme Peerless!" Compared to the Emperor Palm's Great Cold No Snow, this sword strike had far greater penetrating power.

Its icy swordlight shattered Ma Xiaotao's Soul Skill and unleashed a blast of cold.

The freezing blast broke through the meteor shower, countering both attacks with one move.

Gu Yuena opened her eyes. The light faded from the field, and darkness closed in.

From outside, the entire field turned pitch-black.

Light and darkness were both within her command.

Gu Yuena's Soul Ring configuration far exceeded the optimal ratio. Each additional Soul Ring didn't simply give her control over another element—it also strengthened her elemental control and amplified the power of her elements.

Earth, fire, water, wind, light, darkness, ice, lightning, metal, and wood were all at her command. Space-time was the only special case, and her control over it was somewhat weaker.

It was the same with Chaofeng Yuyuan, though that skill was weaker still. Chaofeng's advantage didn't lie in elemental control, either.

Ma Xiaotao tried to use her flames for illumination, but Mu Xuanheng's cold suppressed them.

"This won't do. We need to think of something. With our vision at a disadvantage, we'll lose to them easily." Ma Xiaotao wasn't the only one who didn't want to lose; none of the others did, either.

"We have no idea what to do."

Everyone was anxious. No one wanted to lose.

Suddenly, Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection Sharing connected with everyone. "I can make sure we can see."

"Great, then we'll be fine. Right, Xiaotao?" Gongyang Mo was delighted. He thought that meant Gu Yuena's Soul Skill would be useless.

Huo Yuhao sensed something was wrong. Gu Yuena knew about his Soul Skill; there was no way she would do something pointless. His heart jumped, and he shouted, "This is bad! Everyone, break out of this prison!"

They heard him, but no one reacted right away. Instinctively, they thought Gu Yuena had simply shrouded them in darkness.

"Three, two, one." Gu Yuena counted down from within the shadows. As her voice fell, the people inside were instantly immobilized.

Thunder rumbled overhead again, and ball lightning rolled across the field once more.

This time, though, it was weaker than before, because Mu Xuanheng hadn't joined in.

"Phantom Dragon Demon Body (Chaofeng Dragon Body)"

He spread his wings, and his speed surged.

He plunged into the darkness. The immobilized fighters couldn't stop Mu Xuanheng now.

A Soul King could be dispatched with a dragon claw. Soul Emperors, however, required the Emperor Palm to end the fight quickly.

Brilliant Soul Power descended from above. "The match is over."

Yan Shaozhe looked troubled. The match hadn't ended quickly, but the fight itself had been a complete and utter curb-stomping.

The twelve didn't look any happier. They'd watched themselves get eliminated.

Spiritual Detection had let them know exactly what was happening to them.

"We lost." They were reluctant to admit it, but it was the truth.

The inner-court disciples had lost to outer-court disciples—Soul Emperors had lost to Soul Ancestors.

Mu Xuanheng landed steadily beside Gu Yuena. "Seniors, we told you to trust us."

Gu Yuena said calmly, "We could've made it even easier with Heng and Yue."

That remark only made the official team members, who were already feeling awful, feel worse. They hadn't even forced their opponents to reveal all their trump cards. They'd failed miserably.

The atmosphere was oppressive, and Wang Yan quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"It was just a match. It doesn't change the fact that you're all exceptional geniuses of the continent."

Xuan Zi lowered his wine jug. He'd watched the whole thing, and Gu Yuena's elemental control had left him deeply shaken. "That brat's eye for choosing a wife is every bit as good as his talent."

"Enough. Go back and reflect on this properly. And you two, don't get cocky. Tomorrow morning, meet here again. We'll get ready to set off."