A Dramatic End to the Match
The Light-Dark Holy Tiger both chose the Ice Phoenix Maiden as their target, and the mirrored exits they selected were positioned to attack Ice Phoenix Maiden from both sides.
Outside, the Ice Phoenix Maiden hovered within the ice and snow fortress, her icy blue eyes warily scanning the silent mirrors. An extreme chill emanated from her, and she could vaguely sense an extremely dangerous aura locking onto her, as if she were being targeted by some Ferocious Beast. However, she couldn't determine where or how the attack would come from.
Inside the Mirror Space, the Star Luo Royal Team was preparing to launch a lightning attack from each mirror exit, catching Skywater Academy off guard. However, just as they were poised to strike, a sudden change occurred on the outer arena!
"Buzz--!"
The biting cold intensified suddenly, accompanied by a melodious yet icy hum of Soul Power. One after another, massive ice walls, incredibly thick and gleaming like diamonds, rose from the ground. They were not random, but rather pieced together and supported each other at extremely precise angles. In the blink of an eye, they formed an incredibly sturdy, flawless ring of ice and snow fortress around the girls of the Skywater Academy!
From the outside, all that can be seen is a solid ice barrier, completely isolating both internal and external views and attack paths.
Inside the Mirror Space, Dongfang Yao had already reached the edge of the exit and was surging with starlight, suddenly slammed on the brakes, almost crashing out of the Mirror Space. He stared dumbfounded at the huge "turtle shell" outside, his mouth agape, before finally managing to utter a single, exasperated remark:
"No way! They're just building houses on the spot? How are we supposed to fight like this?" He gestured exaggeratedly. "This ice wall looks thicker than the walls of Star Luo City! Are they planning to have a tea party inside until the end of the match?"
The Hell White Tiger and the Light-Dark Holy Tiger, which were about to pounce, abruptly stopped their attack, letting out a low growl of dissatisfaction. A trace of solemnity flashed in the eyes of the Hell White Tiger, which was a fusion of Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun, while the Light-Dark Holy Tiger cautiously scratched at its paws, its aura of holiness and darkness fluctuating slightly.
Holding the massive Vermilion Bird Sniper Cannon, Baili Shouyue frowned slightly as he looked through the scope at the impenetrable ice fortress. His sniping could indeed inflict massive damage, and might even penetrate the ice wall, but to kill a heavily protected target with a single shot, especially the powerful Ice Phoenix Maiden who had completed her Martial Soul Fusion, was extremely difficult.
"Captain, what should we do?" Baili Shouyue's calm voice echoed in the Mirror Space. "Should we launch a strong attack to break the ice, or wait for them to come out?"
Dai Weisi's deep voice rang out. "A strong attack! They're huddled inside, making them easy targets! Shouyue, look for opportunities to snipe at the weak points of the ice wall or force them to move! Yao, you and Pei Qinhu prepare to attack as soon as the ice wall breaks! They can't maintain this defense indefinitely; their Soul Power is being depleted!"
Dai Weisi felt that the opponent wouldn't be able to use such a defensive Soul Skill that consumed so much Soul Power more than a few times, and that he could simply wait and wear them down.
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In the few seconds that the Star Luo Team was adjusting their tactics, the people from the Skywater Academy inside the Ice and Snow Fortress were not idle.
The Ice Phoenix Maiden, having completed her Martial Soul Fusion, hovered in the center of the fortress, radiating an aura of extreme cold. Her Ice Phoenix wings fluttered gently, sending countless tiny ice crystals drifting down and merging into the surrounding ice walls, continuously reinforcing the defenses. Her senses penetrated the ice walls, carefully probing the energy fluctuations of the still mirrors outside.
Under the command of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu, the remaining team members quickly occupied various positions within the fortress, their Soul Skill ready to be unleashed. Yu Hairou, Gu Qingbo, and other Battle Soul Master guarded the points where they might be breached, while Shen Liuyu prepared ranged control or attack Soul Skill.
"They're in the mirror image; they'll definitely try to break the ice," Shui Bing'er analyzed calmly. "We need to predict their attack points."
The Ice Phoenix Maiden nodded slightly, her clear, cold voice ringing out. "Leave it to me."
She extended her slender hand and gently pressed it against the inner ice wall. A surge of powerful ice-attribute Soul Power flowed into it, and subtle changes began to occur within the ice wall. A layer of almost invisible, extremely cold energy flowed within the ice wall like mercury, significantly reinforcing several potential attack directions, especially the area directly opposite the giant mirrors. Simultaneously, near the top of the ice wall, several incredibly sharp ice spikes quietly condensed, like swords hanging overhead, ready to fall at any moment.
"Shouyue, have you found the weak point?" Dai Weisi urged from within the mirror image.
"The energy fluctuations seem to be slightly weaker at the junction of the third ice wall on the left and the ground," Baili Shouyue calmly reported. The Vermilion Bird Sniper Cannon slightly adjusted its angle, and the scorching energy began to condense highly. The Vermilion Bird phantom became more and more solid, and its sharp gaze locked onto the target.
"Alright! Now! Shouyue, break the ice! Everyone else, prepare—"
Dai Weisi hadn't finished giving his order!
"Whoosh-- Boom!!!"
A beam of fiery red energy, like the blood of a Vermilion Bird, shot out from a Reflecting Mirror and struck the weak point of the ice wall that Baili Shouyue had pointed out with perfect accuracy!
A violent explosion rang out, Lie Yan and ice intertwined wildly, and a large amount of white steam billowed out!
The ice wall trembled violently, and large cracks and signs of melting appeared where it was hit, but... it was not completely pierced! The extremely cold energy flowing inside withstood this violent blow at the last moment!
"Now!" Inside the Ice Fortress, a blue light flashed in the Ice Phoenix Maiden's eyes.
Almost at the same moment the sniper beam hit, the several giant ice spikes that had been poised to fire from the top of the ice fortress, like missiles receiving a command, shot with deadly whistling sounds towards the Reflecting Mirror had just fired the beam!
At the same time, the ice walls in several areas on the front of the Ice Fortress suddenly caved inward, and then, like a catapult, sprayed out countless dense and extremely sharp ice spikes, covering and striking several other mirror surfaces that might be hiding enemies!
"Close the passage!" Dai Weisi shouted to Li Yang without hesitation.
Li Yang had practiced this tactic many times, and he instantly closed the spatial passage of the mirror.
"Crackling and popping--!"
A dense rain of sharp ice spikes slammed into a Reflecting Mirror, producing a teeth-grinding cracking sound. The smooth mirror surface could not withstand such a violent attack; it was instantly covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and then with a "bang," it shattered completely, turning into countless points of Soul Power and fragments that scattered and disappeared.
Inside the Mirror Space, Li Yang, a support-type Soul Master connected to the aura of the mirror, let out a muffled groan, but his gaze remained calm. He had already anticipated this situation.
"It's useless!" Li Yang shouted, unleashing a torrent of Soul Power from his body without hesitation. "Re-condense!"
The mirror-shaped Martial Soul in his hand flashed, and the space around the spot where the mirror on the arena had just shattered and disappeared twisted and fluctuated. Soul Power rapidly gathered, and almost in the blink of an eye, a brand new, intact Reflecting Mirror materialized out of thin air. The smooth mirror surface still coldly reflected the Ice and Snow World outside and the Tianshui people who were on high alert!
This is what makes his Martial Soul so troublesome—as long as his Soul Power is not exhausted and his original Martial Soul is not destroyed, these derived Reflecting Mirror can be continuously re-condensed!
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"Just as I thought!" Inside the ice fortress, Shui Bing'er frowned slightly upon seeing this scene. She had previously suspected that the other party's mirror was not so simple, and now it seemed that it indeed possessed regenerative abilities.
"Zhaojun!" Shui Bing'er called out immediately.
The Ice Phoenix Maiden, suspended in mid-air, immediately understood. Her cool gaze swept over the mirrors that had stabilized again, and she suddenly clasped her hands together in front of her chest!
Winter is coming - Revised!
No longer the widespread blizzard of before, but the ultimate compression and manipulation of energy! Centered on her, terrifying cold air gathered wildly, and the temperature on the arena plummeted again, as if even the air itself was about to freeze. Countless huge, angular, diamond-like ice crystals rapidly condensed around her, each radiating a chilling aura capable of shattering metal!
"Go!"
She pushed forward with both hands!
Those enormous, extreme ice crystals did not scatter aimlessly, but rather, as if they were precisely guided, split into several streams, each carrying a piercing shriek that tore through the air, and accurately bombarded the Reflecting Mirror!
Li Yang's expression changed, and he dared not be negligent. He frantically poured his Soul Power into his Body Mirror Martial Soul and unleashed his defensive Soul Skill. At the same time, ripples like water spread across the surfaces of the several Reflecting Mirror, making the mirrors even more profound, attempting to withstand or deflect the terrifying ice crystal bombardment.
"Boom boom boom--!"
A series of explosions rang out in the arena!
The extreme ice crystals collided violently with the enhanced Reflecting Mirror, unleashing an astonishing energy shockwave! Ice shards and distorted mirror light flew everywhere!
One side, two sides, three sides... The ripples on the surface of the mirror vibrated violently, and finally, unable to withstand it, they shattered and disappeared.
Dai Weisi looked through the last few shaky mirrors at the still towering ice fortress outside, and at the Ice Phoenix Zhaoji was constantly unleashing terrifying icy power. He knew he couldn't wait any longer!
Waiting for an opening? The opponent's defense and counterattack strength far exceeded expectations. They had been waiting for so long, using their Soul Power and Soul Skill as if they were free, yet the opponent showed no signs of fatigue. If they waited any longer, and all the mirrors were dismantled, they would completely lose the advantage of their spatial Soul Skill!
We must launch a full-scale attack! We must tear through their shell with overwhelming force!
Chapter 228 The Play Ends the Competition
"Sizzle!"
A sickeningly hot and tearing sound rang out! The strange and powerful wings of the Light-Dark Holy Tiger became the most terrifying siege hammer. The golden-red Ultimate Fire scorched the solid ice, causing it to melt and vaporize rapidly, while the dark purple dark energy, like a malignant sore, constantly eroded and disintegrated the internal structure of the ice layer, destroying its Soul Power stability.
Under the combined attack of these two diametrically opposed yet equally destructive attributes, the Ultimate Ice of the Ice Fortress, which had rendered the Blazing Fire Academy helpless, was suddenly torn open with a huge gap, as if it had encountered its nemesis!
The members of the Skywater Team inside the fortress were shocked and their faces showed astonishment. They knew better than anyone that the ice and snow produced by the Martial Soul Fusion Wang Zhaojun and Zhen Ji's martial souls was far harder and colder than that of ordinary ice-attribute Soul Master, making it an absolute defense.
Even the Soul Master of the Blazing Fire Academy, who all followed the extreme fire attribute path, couldn't budge it in the slightest. Why were the flames of this strange Holy Tiger so powerful? They naturally couldn't imagine that this was a qualitative change effect produced by the superposition of Ultimate Fire and the power of dark erosion.
The Ice Phoenix Maiden hovering in the center of the fortress narrowed her icy blue eyes slightly. With a light wave of her jade hand, she ignored the noise made by the Hell White Tiger chiseling ice beside her, and her body suddenly became much colder!
Countless deep blue ice shards, each as thick as an adult's arm and with incredibly sharp tips, instantly materialized, each radiating a chilling aura capable of shattering metal! With a flick of her finger, these ice shards shot out like arrows from a crossbow, surging towards the widening gap in the Light-Dark Holy Tiger! The whistling sound of them tearing through the air was terrifying!
However, faced with this dense barrage of ice spikes, the Light-Dark Holy Tiger didn't even make a significant dodging move.
The golden-red flames burning around it suddenly swelled, forming a blazing fire shield. The powerful ice shards that shot into the range of the flames were mostly melted and vaporized instantly by the extreme heat, turning into large swathes of white water vapor, without even touching its body!
Only a handful of flames managed to penetrate the weakest point of the fire and strike the holy, silvery-white fur of the Light-Dark Holy Tiger!
But the result made the Ice Phoenix Maiden's pupils shrink slightly—the ice shards struck the fur with a crisp "clanging" sound like striking metal, and then shattered weakly, leaving not even a trace of white! The fur's defensive power was beyond imagination!
"Tsk." The Ice Phoenix Maiden couldn't help but let out a soft click, a hint of helplessness flashing across her beautiful face. Her weakness might not be obvious when facing ordinary Soul Master —possessing the control and defense of Ultimate Ice, coupled with the almost infinite Soul Power support of the Holy Grail, was enough to make her a perpetual motion machine and an impregnable fortress on the battlefield.
However, when faced with an opponent like the Light-Dark Holy Tiger, who also possesses Ultimate Attribute and has no weaknesses in attack, defense, or speed, her shortcomings become glaringly apparent: she lacks a decisive, powerful attack and has relatively sluggish movement speed. Her attacks struggle to penetrate even the strongest defenses.
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"Crack... Boom!"
In that brief moment as she pondered a solution, the Light-Dark Holy Tiger had already successfully widened the breach in the fortress to a passage large enough for one person to pass through! Golden-red and dark purple flames scorched at the edge of the passage, preventing it from healing quickly.
Dongfang Yao had been lurking on the periphery and waiting for his chance, suddenly brightened up. "The passage is open! This genius will go first!"
The power of stars surged around him, and he wanted to use his Pursue Stars Chasing Shift to stir up chaos.
However, just as he was about to move—
"Boom!"
A massive, incredibly thick ice pillar with a sharp tip, like a lurking ice dragon, suddenly burst forth from the newly opened passage! Its speed was comparable to that of a powerful bow and crossbow, carrying a terrifying aura capable of crushing everything, and it crashed straight into Dongfang Yao, who was preparing to teleport in!
This sudden counterattack was extremely cunning and ruthless, perfectly anticipating his momentum and position!
The icicle was almost touching the tip of his nose, and the extreme cold made his skin sting!
At the critical moment, Dongfang Yao displayed his astonishing reaction speed and combat instincts. He abruptly stopped the Pursue Stars Chasing attack that was about to be launched, and the power of the stars within his body began to circulate wildly in another way!
Return to Dust!
Just before the icicle was about to hit solid, his figure suddenly became illusory, as if erased by an eraser, and vanished from the spot in an instant!
The next second, he was already in the safe zone where he had left the star mark. His heart was pounding, and he watched with lingering fear as the terrifying ice pillar almost grazed his afterimage and continued to charge forward with unstoppable force!
Boom!!!
The ice pillar finally slammed into the protective light barrier at the edge of the arena, producing a deafening roar that caused the barrier to ripple violently. The ice pillar itself shattered into countless ice crystals due to the immense impact.
"Haha, this genius won't admit defeat so easily!" Dongfang Yao shouted stubbornly and optimistically.
However, in the split second that the Ice Phoenix Maiden's precise counterattack forced Dongfang Yao back, and as the old forces dissipated and new forces failed to emerge—
"Chirp--!"
A loud, murderous cry of the Vermilion Bird suddenly rang out from the Mirror Space behind the Star Luo Team!
A streak of crimson-gold light, like a shooting star tearing through the sky, appeared—a specially crafted sniper shell spinning at high speed, Entanglement with a condensed phantom of the Vermilion Bird! It seized the perfect moment when the Ice and Snow Fortress was at its most chaotic in terms of Soul Power fluctuations and structural vulnerability due to the counterattack and the breach, striking the key support point on one side of the fortress with unparalleled precision at a speed beyond visual perception!
Baili Shouyue's timing was absolutely brilliant!
"Oh no!" Inside the Ice Fortress, Shui Bing'er and the Ice Phoenix Maiden were too late to take any effective remedial action!
"Boom!!!!!!!"
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out!
The crimson flames and the extremely compressed Soul Power shockwave erupted at that vulnerable point! Like the last straw that broke the camel's back, the ice and snow fortress, which was already under tremendous pressure and whose structure had been destroyed by the Light-Dark Holy Tiger, could no longer maintain its stability!
With a sickening, tooth-grinding cracking sound that echoed throughout the fortress, the majestic ice and snow construct, starting from the point of impact, instantly saw cracks spread like a spiderweb across its entire surface, and then—
Utterly disintegrated! Shattered with a deafening roar!
Countless ice blocks, ice spikes, and snow fragments were flung wildly in all directions like cannonball shrapnel, and powerful shockwaves mixed with icy cold air and scorching fire swept across the entire arena!