A blue-violet barrier shot out, and a brilliant cage of lightning trapped the two of them. It also trapped five Soul Engineers, including Ma Rulong.
Inside, it was two against five. Outside, it was also two against five.
"You're pretty confident, thinking the Hongchen Siblings can take on our teammates." Mu Xuanheng knew perfectly well that Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong could defeat the Hongchen Siblings. Even without some of their advantages, they still had Gongyang Mo this time.
Ma Rulong was confident, of course. "The Hongchen Siblings aren't as simple as you think. Instead of worrying about them, you two should worry about yourselves."
He produced an emblem and stuck it to his back. It was a Level 7 Soul Tool, capable of greatly enhancing his strength. Lin Xi, Mi Jia, and Chen Fei, meanwhile, used the Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument.
"Princess Jiujiu had a good idea. We'll borrow it. We really can't afford to let our guard down against the two of you."
Ma Rulong tossed Chen Fei a golden ball, then hefted a golden cannon barrel and began firing a fierce barrage.
Walls of earth rose in front of Gu Yuena, blocking the Soul Tools' artillery fire.
Mu Xuanheng spread Chaofeng's wings and took to the air, looking for an opening to attack the trio.
The Void Dragon Claw tore through space and struck at the Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument. Unexpectedly, the instrument showed no reaction at all.
"Our elders saw through your special ability long ago. You shatter space. We prepared a Level 7 Soul Tool, the Forbidden Air Stele, specifically for you. Your spatial attacks are useless against us." Lin Xi was very proud of their foresight.
Mu Xuanheng, on the other hand, seemed disappointed. "I knew it. You couldn't possibly be using only Soul Tools you made yourselves. It really is unfair to Soul Masters who have to fight you."
Ma Rulong immediately retorted, "Being able to use Soul Tools made by others is a skill in itself. It's your mistake for refusing to use Soul Tools."
He immediately changed his target, focusing fire on Mu Xuanheng. Xiao Xiafeng handed him a bun, and he took a bite, hoping to increase the intensity of his firepower.
Mu Xuanheng could only dodge back and forth in the air.
The trio changed targets as well, going after Gu Yuena.
Their artillery fire couldn't suppress Gu Yuena's elemental counterattacks. The Soul Tools they could use were also far inferior to Ma Rulong's.
"Damn it, don't underestimate us!"
They threw the golden ball, and a little monkey emerged from it.
It chittered twice, then suddenly grew larger, transforming into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.
The giant ape swung its fist at Gu Yuena.
She had hidden her aura so well that even a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast couldn't detect it.
"The Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument needs four people to reach its full potential. Our fourth is this Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast."
The ape grew even larger. It hammered both fists into the ground, and its impacts drowned out the crackling lightning around them.
As the others laughed wildly, the giant ape charged toward Gu Yuena.
"Gu Yuena, you can control the elements in battle, but you're no good at close combat, are you?"
A Level 7 Soul Tool appeared in Ma Rulong's hand. It shot a red beam with incredible penetrating power. "Mu Xuanheng, don't even think about getting over there."
If they took care of Gu Yuena first, then dealt with Mu Xuanheng, victory would be within their grasp.
Outside the cage, Huang Jinxu was also debating whether to break through the Thunder Prison to save Gu Yuena.
But he held back, because Mu Xuanheng didn't seem worried at all.
"Ma Rulong, you're still underestimating us."
The giant ape's charge was unstoppable. They could already see victory within their reach. "We've accounted for everything. You're going to lose. A Soul Ancestor with a control-type Martial Soul could never withstand a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast's close-range attack."
A spear punched a hole through the ape, and booming lightning drove it back.
Silver hair streamed behind her as the Silver Dragon Spear danced in her hand. "Accounted for everything? I don't think I've ever said I was a control-type Soul Master. To be clear, I'm a control-and-attack type."
The Silver Dragon Spear sang through the air: one thrust brought the wind, another pierced with thunder, another burst with blazing fire, and another turned flowing water to ice and struck from within.
The Dragon Spear swept in circles, both attacking and defending.
"Twin Martial Souls?" The trio facing Gu Yuena weren't the only ones stunned. Everyone else was, too.
Xiao Xiao, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong were already known to have Twin Martial Souls. And now there was another.
What's more, she hadn't shown any sign of using them before.
The images, produced through special means, sent the audience into a collective cheer. "The goddess is invincible!"
The senior Soul Engineers from Sun Moon stood up, staring at the scene in disbelief. They looked toward Shrek, where Yan Shaozhe and Wang Yan were just as astonished.
"Xuanheng must have known. That kid hasn't been worried at all."
The Hongchen Siblings couldn't see the field clearly, but they understood that their team's strategy had gone wrong. If five against two wasn't working, then the two of them would have to seize an advantage against five!
Meng Hongchen said, "Third Soul Skill, Ice Refraction!"
She shifted position again, but this time something was different.
"Careful, she's about to use a Soul Tool." Huo Yuhao sensed danger through Spiritual Detection, though he didn't know what it would be.
Thirteen spots on her body glowed icy blue, forming a suit of armor that covered her from head to toe.
Huo Yuhao was certain this wasn't something she could have made herself.
He suddenly thought of the armor Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena had been working on. "No, I can't understand that kind of armor at all. It might not even belong to the existing Soul Tool system." He looked at Meng Hongchen. "Your armor isn't good enough!"
Meng Hongchen's face darkened. Her armor was a Level 6 Soul Tool made by her grandfather. How could it not be good enough? "You won't last much longer. Bei Bei, right? Your Martial Soul won't hold out much longer either. You should leave the field."
Bei Bei was covered in wounds from the Soul Tools. Against Meng Hongchen in her current state, he wouldn't be able to withstand even one move.
"And you have me." He Caitou stood in front, a cigar clenched between his teeth.
They had to buy time for Mu Xuanheng and Gu Yuena. They were also buying time for Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong to recover their Soul Power.
"Ice Fire Poison Dragon Rotation!"
Even Bei Bei and He Caitou together couldn't withstand the attack. Fortunately, Meng Hongchen had maximized her offensive power by using her Soul Skill to convert the poison into an attack.
"Now it's your turn."
Gongyang Mo's face was pale. He had been maintaining his enhancements at full power, and he was running out of Soul Power. He couldn't keep going.
"We can't give up!" Huo Yuhao shouted, rousing Gongyang Mo from his dispirited state.
He remembered: his two junior schoolmates still had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
"Wang Dong, can our Soul Power hold out for three?"
Wang Dong understood what Huo Yuhao meant. "You want to try every combination of our Martial Souls?" Seeing Huo Yuhao nod, she said, "I'll give it everything I've got!"
The Spirit Eye and Clear Sky Hammer combined. "Truth in the Void, Mind Storm."
Meng Hongchen crushed her bracelet almost immediately. It was the Soul Tool that would teleport her the instant she activated it.
Even so, she didn't escape completely. She was still grazed by the attack, and her head spun in a daze.
The audience cried out in surprise. The two of them hadn't used this Martial Soul Fusion Skill before.
Xu Jiujiu murmured, "So they really do have a second Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"Brother!"
Meng Hongchen called out to Xiao Hongchen, because the two of them had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill of their own.
"Hongchen Attachment!"
The Hongchen Siblings' Martial Soul Fusion Skill appeared, astonishing everyone—but that wasn't the only reason.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had also used their second Martial Soul Fusion Skill.
The Ice Jade Scorpion and Light Goddess Butterfly combined. "A Lone Dance in the Frost, a Radiant Raiment of Light."
An adult Tang Wutong appeared, the only Martial Soul Fusion Skill led by Wang Dong.
Clashes between Martial Soul Fusion Skills were rare, even rarer when they happened multiple times. Not every Martial Soul was like the White Tiger and Hell Spirit Cat, which had a Fusion Skill in almost every generation.
Fusion Skills between Twin Martial Souls were even rarer.
Neither side interrupted the clash, and this time they were evenly matched.
The Hongchen Siblings still had energy to spare, but so did Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong. The difference was that the two of them still had one more Martial Soul Fusion Skill to use.
The Clear Sky Hammer and Ice Jade Scorpion combined, forming their strongest attack. Gongyang Mo managed to maintain his enhancement until he ran out of Soul Power.
"Blazing Fervor in the Deep Freeze, Hammer of the Heavenly Emperor!"
The giant hammer rose high overhead.
Huang Jinxu prepared to protect the combatants. The audience opened their eyes wide, waiting to see the battle end.
But the hammer wasn't aimed at the Hongchen Siblings. It was aimed at the Thunder Prison!
Inside the Thunder Prison, Lin Xi and the others had realized that ordinary attacks were now completely useless after Gu Yuena revealed her second Martial Soul.
"Captain!" They were asking for permission.
Ma Rulong shouted, "Activate the backup plan!"
The Nine Transformation Soul Changing Instrument activated, pouring all their Soul Power into the Soul Beast.
Its already enormous body grew larger still, and its combat strength increased tremendously.
Ma Rulong said, "You can't win. You see that? It has Soul Saint-level strength. And I'm not even at full power."
The mark on his body flared. The Level 7 Soul Tool stimulated his body, pushing his strength even higher. "Mu Xuanheng, don't think you can go help Gu Yuena. I'm your opponent."
He drew a greatsword. It was the Sword of Judgment, a Mingde Hall creation—and an eighth-level Soul Tool.
"Mu Xuanheng, this is my full power. This strike will burn through my meridians and end my future. Can you take it?" He and the giant ape beside him roared together.
Mu Xuanheng didn't retreat. "Then I'll show you my full power, too."
Gu Yuena appeared beside him. They raised their hands together. "Battle Armor Heng, Moon—possess us!"
The Battle Armor, an artifact from an era yet to come that only the two of them could make, was the equipment of the new age's strongest Soul Masters. Now it covered their bodies.
Their auras surged.
They didn't switch opponents. Wind and lightning swirled around Gu Yuena, and the Level 7 Soul Tool, the Heart of Elements, shone brightly. She gripped the Silver Dragon Spear, its spearhead cycling through various elements.
Each thrust was like a dragon, and each was different.
No one was more shocked by the sight than Lin Xi and the other two. Gu Yuena had suppressed the Soul Saint-level Soul Beast they had raised all by herself.
What was that armor? How could it possess such power? They didn't know, and could only place their hopes in Ma Rulong.
He raised the two-toned greatsword overhead. "Awaken, Sword of Judgment!"
A white aura appeared beneath his feet, and Soul Power poured into the Sword of Judgment.
The sword turned, its white side becoming black. "You are darkness. I sentence you, heretic!"
Mu Xuanheng immediately felt darkness seep into his body. He remembered that the sword had been a perfect counter to Ma Xiaotao, but Ma Rulong was unlucky enough to be facing him.
The greatsword turned again, its white side facing him. "Judgment of Light!"
Mu Xuanheng said, "If you were facing someone else, you might really have overwhelmed them, but you're facing me. Fourth Soul Skill, Disaster-Fortune Reversal!"
The darkness inside him turned to light, and the light around him only strengthened his power.
"Emperor Sword, Ice Extreme Peerless."
Chilling energy surged. Several sword auras shattered every one of Ma Rulong's attacks.
Gu Yuena drove her spear through the ape's heart.
It seemed that their victory was assured.
Suddenly, the Thunder Prison began to crack. The strike Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had launched before passing out had rescued the two of them as well.
Ma Rulong also saw the Hongchen Siblings' condition.
"Captain, use the combination Soul Tool!"
Before you continue