Shrek Academy faced the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy. It was a clash between traditional Soul Masters and Soul Engineers, a fateful showdown between ten thousand years of glory and emerging technology.
On opposite sides of the arena, both teams stood ready.
At the front of Shrek's formation stood Huo Yuhao. Behind him were Ma Xiaotao, clad in red like a blazing flame; Ling Luochеn, cool and aloof; Jin Nier, with her dazzling golden hair; and Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Ning Tian.
On the Sun Moon Team's side, captain Ma Rulong wore a grave expression. Beside him stood the arrogant Xiao Hongchen, the stunning Meng Hongchen, and the other four members: Mijia, Xiao Xiafeng, Chen Fei, and Lin Xi.
"Begin!"
At the referee's command, both sides moved at once.
"Brothers, open fire!" Ma Rulong roared. Countless metallic gleams instantly flashed across the seven members of the Sun Moon Team.
Those were Soul Tools!
A dense array of Soul Cannon barrels extended from their bodies, making them look like seven mobile steel fortresses.
"Boom! Boom! Boom—!"
In an instant, countless Soul Guidance Rays and high-explosive shells poured down like a torrential storm, engulfing the entire arena in a sea of firepower.
"Seven Treasures Have Names: First, Speed! Second, Release! Third, Strength!" The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda in Ning Tian's hands blazed with light, and a rainbow glow instantly enveloped Wang Dong and Xiao Xiao.
"Pathetic tricks!" Ma Xiaotao snorted. Her Phoenix wings spread behind her, and blazing Phoenix Flame surged skyward, forming a wall of fire that forcibly blocked the first wave of artillery.
"Ice Seal!" Ling Luochеn swept her staff. Extreme cold spread through the air, freezing the shells that had slipped past the fire wall in midair.
Both sides were instantly locked in a fierce battle of offense and defense.
The Sun Moon Team's strategy was crystal clear: suppress the enemy with firepower!
Xiao Xiafeng kept producing Buffing Mantou and stuffing them into his teammates' mouths.
Ma Rulong and the others unleashed a relentless barrage while deftly using Milk Bottles to replenish their Soul Power. At crucial moments, they even activated Invincible Barriers to withstand Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Meteor Shower.
"So this is the power of Soul Tools? They're certainly no joke." Below the arena, Zhang Lexuan narrowed her beautiful eyes as she watched the seemingly endless barrage from the opposing team.
"Xiao Hongchen, do it!" Seeing that their attacks weren't breaking through, Ma Rulong roared.
A haughty smile curled Xiao Hongchen's lips as five Soul Rings lit up one after another beneath his feet.
"First Soul Skill, Metal Control!"
"Second Soul Skill, Boiling Gold!"
"Third Soul Skill, Gold Solidification!"
He reached out with both hands, and more than a hundred miniature Soul Cannons suddenly poured out of his Storage Soul Tool!
"Let me show you what a true genius can do! Fourth Soul Skill, Sacrifice of Gold!"
The Soul Power in Xiao Hongchen's body burned wildly. The hundred-plus Soul Cannons finished charging in an instant, giving off a terrifying, heart-stopping aura.
"Fire!"
Boom—!
This was no longer a shower of shells, but a metal storm! Every ray had been enhanced by Sacrifice of Gold, multiplying its power!
At the same time, Meng Hongchen moved.
She darted into the fray like a phantom.
"First Soul Skill, Ice Toad Poison!"
Patches of ghostly blue miasma spread through the air. This was the unique, ice-and-fire poison of the Zhuqing Ice Toad. Anyone touched by it would have its icy toxin penetrate its bones and its fiery poison attack its heart.
"Second Soul Skill, Ice Poison Ring!"
The miasma expanded in an instant, forming a huge ring of poison that enveloped the Shrek team.
"Watch out! It's poisonous!" Wang Dong cried, hurriedly flapping her butterfly wings in an attempt to scatter the miasma.
But Meng Hongchen's figure flickered in and out of sight within the poisonous fog. Using her Third Soul Skill, Ice Refraction, she repeatedly shifted positions across the ice. The slender sword in her hand struck like a viper's tongue, every thrust aimed at a vital point.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Ice-Fire Poison Dragon Drill!"
Meng Hongchen spun her slender sword at high speed, focusing the terrifying energy of ice and fire at its tip before thrusting straight at Ling Luochеn, who was maintaining the ice wall.
Clang—!
At the critical moment, Jin Nier struck. She hurled the Golden Dragon Spear, and its tremendous force instantly shattered the ice-and-fire drill, forcing Meng Hongchen back.
The battle reached a stalemate.
The Sun Moon Team's Soul Tools came one after another. Combined with Xiao Hongchen's Metal Control and Meng Hongchen's poisonous harassment, they managed to suppress the Shrek Team, even though it had a Spirit Saint among its ranks.
"This ends now." A hint of madness flashed in Xiao Hongchen's eyes. "Meng, use that!"
Meng Hongchen nodded and instantly retreated to Xiao Hongchen's side.
They clasped hands and met each other's gaze.
A red-and-blue radiance shot into the sky. Behind them appeared the phantom of a massive Three-Legged Golden Toad. Its body was crimson, but one eye was icy blue and the other fiery red. A suffocatingly terrifying aura poured from it.
Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Red Dust Attachment!
This was more than just a fusion of Soul Power. It was the perfect combination of metal and poison. Once unleashed, it would turn the entire arena into a poisonous metal domain from which no one could escape alive!
"Not good! Stop them!" Ma Xiaotao's expression changed dramatically. She tried to charge over, but Ma Rulong and the others held her back with everything they had.
"Too late! Die, Shrek!" Xiao Hongchen roared with laughter. The enormous Three-Legged Golden Toad phantom opened its mouth, a destructive beam of light gathering inside.
At that perilous moment,
Huo Yuhao, who had yet to make a major move, finally acted.
He slowly raised his head. Golden flames seemed to burn within his Golden Eyes.
He looked at Xiao Hongchen as the latter unleashed his Martial Soul Fusion Skill, the corner of his mouth lifting into a cold smile.
"Trying a fusion in front of me? What makes you think you can?"
Huo Yuhao raised his right hand and pointed his index finger at the space between Xiao Hongchen's brows.
"Soul... Shock!"
Vmmm—!
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no dazzling display of light.
Only an invisible ripple that pierced through layers of defenses, ignored the Invincible Barrier, and burrowed straight into Xiao Hongchen's Sea of Consciousness.
"Ah—!!!"
Xiao Hongchen, who had been laughing wildly moments before, suddenly let out an agonized scream.
His eyes rolled back, blood poured from his orifices, and his body toppled backward, stiff as if his soul had been torn away.
"Brother!" Meng Hongchen screamed in terror.
As Xiao Hongchen, the one controlling the fusion, fell, the Martial Soul Fusion Skill that had just taken shape instantly collapsed.
"Boom—!"
The terrifying backlash exploded, and red-and-blue light burst apart.
Meng Hongchen, at the very center of the blast, took the full force of it. She was flung away, spewing blood, and fell unconscious.
The other members of the Sun Moon Team were also sent tumbling by the sudden turn of events.
The entire arena fell silent.
Everyone stared in disbelief at the young man standing in the middle of the arena, his finger still outstretched.
One finger!
Just one finger!
And he had broken the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Master Academy's strongest trump card—their Martial Soul Fusion Skill!
Huo Yuhao slowly lowered his hand. The gray-gold light in his eyes faded, and his gaze cleared.
He looked at the battered Sun Moon Team and calmly uttered two words:
"Clear them out."
Ma Xiaotao and the others immediately sprang into action. How could they pass up a chance to strike while the enemy was down?
Phoenix Sky-Screaming Strike!
Frozen Thousand Miles!
Light of the Butterfly Goddess!
They hurled one powerful attack after another at the Sun Moon Team, whose members had already lost the ability to fight.
A moment later, only the seven members of the Shrek Team remained on the arena, standing tall and proud.
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