A brilliant barrier instantly cut them off from everyone else.
Outside the barrier, Bei Bei and the others were being beaten. Inside, Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena were left without Gongyang Mo's support.
Xu Jiujiu said, "This move was originally meant for your Shrek Soul Emperor. Using it on you now isn't much of a loss."
Light flashed in the princess's hand, suppressing the elements Gu Yuena controlled. A barrier formed in midair, trapping Gu Yuena inside.
He Caitou cried out in shock at the sight. "An absolute defense Soul Tool? A level-seven absolute defense Soul Tool? Only an attack on the level of a Soul Saint could possibly break it."
With Gu Yuena isolated, Yi Chen and Wang Shiying were freed to use their dual control of wind and fire. They turned their attention to Mu Xuanheng.
Pick them off one by one—that was Star Luo Academy's plan.
Xu Jiawei had already sat down on the high platform. So what if they had a rare Soul Ring? Under a carefully laid plan, even that wouldn't turn the tide.
The spectators couldn't understand what was happening, but they could see Gu Yuena attacking wildly inside the barrier while the five people outside were held off by a single Soul King.
It was easy to tell who would win and who would lose now.
"Are you still going to fight?" Xu Jiujiu asked with a smile. She didn't think Mu Xuanheng could defeat all six of them.
Mu Xuanheng suddenly began to applaud. "Very well done. But don't you think you're underestimating us?"
"What do you mean?" Xu Jiujiu suddenly sensed that something was wrong. Why was Mu Xuanheng still so calm? And why was Gu Yuena, trapped inside the absolute defense Soul Tool, calmly watching them?
"Third Soul Skill: Butterfly God Slash."
Outside the barrier, Huo Yuhao had set a trap for Chen Xiaojie, making him think he'd found an opening. But Wang Dong had attacked him long before that. With Gongyang Mo's support, all 108 slashes struck Chen Xiaojie.
The attack wasn't over. Bei Bei immediately followed up. "Reign Over the World!"
A Self-Created Soul Skill from Mu En—and Bei Bei's strongest attack.
Even Chen Xiaojie, an agility-type Soul Master, couldn't withstand an attack like that. The Heavenly Fiend Douluo rescued him.
"Dugu Shangshan!" Xu Jiujiu immediately sent another person to intercept the remaining five.
What she hadn't expected was for Dugu Shangshan to be attacked the moment he stepped out of Star Protection.
"Dazzling in its brilliance, fading into nothingness—Golden Road!" Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Martial Soul Fusion Skill immediately sealed Dugu Shangshan's Martial Soul. A barrage of Soul Tool fire followed.
With two people down in quick succession, Xu Jiujiu's expression darkened. She could only hope that the five outside couldn't break through Star Protection.
Mu Xuanheng kindly reminded her, "Don't underestimate the people outside. They have more than one Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
Xu Jiujiu's expression changed at once. Martial Soul Fusion Skills had a cooldown and couldn't be used repeatedly—but if her opponents had more than one, they could simply take turns using them.
She couldn't afford to gamble.
Once a third person went out to intercept them, their Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument would no longer be able to raise Huang Heyun to the mid-stage of Soul Saint.
Mu Xuanheng casually flicked his hand. "Then it's my turn. Second Soul Skill: Phantom Dragon Demon Body!"
His wings spread wide, dazzling with color.
"Dual Control of Wind and Fire."
"Useless. Do you think I can't control wind and fire?"
Mu Xuanheng's control of wind and fire was only weaker than Gu Yuena's. That didn't mean his control was weaker than other Soul Masters'.
"Star Fall Art!"
Xu Jiujiu used her Soul Skill, but Mu Xuanheng casually scattered it with ice spikes formed from his Ultimate Ice.
"Ultimate?" The biting cold was even more intense than Huo Yuhao's. Xu Jiujiu now realized that Mu Xuanheng was absolutely not the pretty boy the rumors made him out to be. On the contrary, he was a genius among geniuses.
The extreme cold froze even the light itself. Only Huang Heyun, drawing on the strength of his teammates, could resist it.
The black tiger grew larger, and a dense wave of darkness surged forward. It swung a heavy punch at Mu Xuanheng. Not only did it fail to produce the result they wanted, it didn't even move him.
"How is that possible?" Three Soul Kings working together, and they were being suppressed by a Soul Ancestor?
"Don't get distracted!" Mu Xuanheng warned them. The Chaofeng Dragon Claw drew a bloody gash in an instant.
At that moment, no one was in a hurry anymore.
Outside, one against many was being beaten down. Inside, many against one were still being beaten down. And they'd even had to resort to a scheme to deal with Gu Yuena, their strongest fighter. If she were let out, they'd be certain to lose.
Xu Jiujiu, however, didn't panic. She still had her fifth Soul Skill.
"Mu Xuanheng, you're strong, but there's no way you can defeat us!"
Before her fifth Soul Ring could light up, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo suddenly carried her off the arena.
Everyone was stunned.
Why? Wasn't the Heavenly Fiend Douluo a Guardian Douluo of the Star Luo Empire? Why was he helping Shrek?
Xu Jiujiu, rescued from the arena, glared furiously. "Huang Jinxu, what are you doing?"
"Jiujiu, mind your manners." Xu Jiawei immediately spoke up from the stands to stop her. He couldn't clearly sense what was happening from outside, but he knew Huang Jinxu must have had a reason for intervening.
"Fixed match! A cover-up!" The crowd's shouts grew louder. The spectators wanted an explanation.
On the arena, Mu Xuanheng clicked his tongue. "That was fast. As expected of a Titled Douluo with the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star—you're incredibly sensitive to danger."
The Heavenly Fiend Douluo said, "I'm not sure exactly what happened, but Contestant Mu Xuanheng should have a Soul Skill that transcends space. I only stepped in because I sensed that Princess Xu Jiujiu's life was in danger."
He'd offered an explanation, but most people weren't convinced. They hadn't seen the danger.
The uproar grew louder. Xu Jiawei could only suppress it with the authority of the emperor. "We must trust Senior Huang Jinxu's judgment. Soul Masters have countless methods at their disposal, and this is only a competition. No one should risk a life."
Even so, the discontent remained.
"Do we really have to make such a fuss?" The farce had even disrupted the match, and Mu Xuanheng was quite unhappy. "If you refuse to accept it, come back up here. We'll fight to the death."
"Fine! Let's see if you can—" Xu Jiujiu had just taken a step when Xu Jiawei, from the high platform, pinned her in place. "Nonsense! The referee already rescued you. How can you return to the arena?"
Mu Xuanheng said, "That's fine. We can do it below the arena too. You'd better call the Medical Immortal Douluo over."
An elderly woman appeared at the edge of the arena. "Do not take her life."
The spectators were dumbfounded. What did that mean? Was he going to attack someone below the arena?
Xu Jiawei released Xu Jiujiu from his restraint. "Senior, don't save her. Let her learn a lesson."
Mu Xuanheng sneered. Now this was a real cover-up: after being rescued, she still got to return to the match.
The emperor and the Titled Douluo had played their parts in unison. They wanted her to return, but didn't want to bear the public backlash for letting her do so. They wanted to have it both ways.
"What a farce." Mu Xuanheng glanced at Huang Jinxu. "When does the match continue?"
The Heavenly Fiend Douluo waved his hand. "The match continues."
The moment those words fell, Xu Jiujiu spat out a mouthful of blood.
At that moment, all the Titled Douluos clearly sensed it: the power to tear through space.
Huang Jinxu impassively sent Xu Jiujiu flying toward the Medical Immortal Douluo.
Mu Xuanheng snorted. "You don't even trust your own Titled Douluo. And you managed to make the emperor let you return to the arena. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one in charge of the Star Luo Empire."
Xu Jiujiu, who had just been receiving treatment, spat out blood again. She knew the emperor would never let her appear in public again. Nor would he let her take part in decisions involving high-level Soul Masters.
Her willfulness today had already offended Huang Jinxu.
It was also a blatant show of distrust toward a Titled Douluo.
The little farce came to an end, and the match had to continue. With Xu Jiujiu gone, Star Protection was no longer in effect. Gongyang Mo immediately used his enhancement Soul Skill, and colorful halos appeared above Mu Xuanheng's head.
"You three should leave the arena too."
Huang Heyun still wanted to make one last stand. "Fifth Soul Skill: Dark Hurricane!"
"Emperor Sword: Ice Extreme Peerless!"
With Gongyang Mo's support, Mu Xuanheng cleaved the hurricane apart with a single sword strike.
The Heavenly Fiend Douluo intervened again. This time, no one questioned his judgment.
Even the arm of a Titled Douluo had been frozen. A Soul King would have ended up as an ice sculpture.
Only one of the seven remained, still fighting Bei Bei. In the end, he could only concede.
The two-two-three and individual matches no longer mattered. They had made it to the finals.
Mu Xuanheng's displayed strength and special abilities were enough to silence everyone.
He stood on the arena beside Gu Yuena, looking down on the masses.
Before you continue