The Shrek Seven Devils sprouted translucent wings in unison.
Everyone took to the air at once, escaping the magma-covered ground Yan had created.
Yan had just smashed the Blue Silver Cage. He looked up, only to find that all his targets had already flown into the air.
Their suspended position greatly reduced the effectiveness of Yan's ground-blasting skills.
The rhythm of the battle began to change without a sound.
High in the air, Tang San's hands formed seal after seal.
He pushed Controlling Crane Capturing Dragon to its limits.
The Blue Silver Grass in the air was no longer simply lashing at their foes. Instead, it wove itself into a gigantic net.
The net did not attempt to ensnare the strongest members of the Golden Generation.
Instead, it slyly severed the four supporting Spirit Hall Team members from one another.
Xiao Wu and Ma Hongjun seized the advantage of being airborne and launched diving attacks from above.
The Phoenix Fire Line rained down from the sky, driving a Spirit Hall Team member into a corner.
Xiao Wu's Eight-Stage Drop followed close behind.
Before the team member could react, Xiao Wu had already wrapped herself around his neck.
A thunderous boom!
The Spirit Hall Team member was slammed hard against the edge of the arena and knocked unconscious on the spot.
With one member down, a huge gap immediately appeared in the Spirit Hall Team's defensive formation.
Seeing trouble brewing, Xie Yue tried to force out his Self-Created Soul Skill, Full Moon.
The two Moon Blades spun rapidly in Xie Yue's hands, becoming a massive silver orb of light.
The orb carried an aura that seemed capable of destroying everything as it sliced toward Tang San.
Tang San's expression didn't change. He raised his left hand slightly.
A jet-black light gathered in his palm.
The Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his grasp.
Tang San didn't unleash the Clear Sky Hammer's full might. Instead, he wove Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer into his defense.
The small Clear Sky Hammer swung repeatedly in Tang San's hand.
Each blow struck the side of Xie Yue's Moon Blades with pinpoint precision.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A rapid chorus of clashing metal rang across the arena.
Though Xie Yue's Full Moon skill was immensely powerful, the repeated blows of Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer kept dissipating its force, forcibly slowing it down.
Tang San's exquisite technique of turning an opponent's strength against him left Xie Yue deeply frustrated.
His Soul Power consumption soared, yet he couldn't inflict the slightest injury on Tang San.
Hu Liena bit through her fingertip, intending to unleash the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Demon Charm.
A glint flashed through Tang San's eyes.
Countless tiny Hidden Weapons coated with paralyzing poison shot from Tang San's sleeves.
They weren't aimed at Hu Liena's life. Instead, they targeted the path Hu Liena and Xie Yue had to take to reach each other.
The Hidden Weapons, falling like a fine rain, forced the two to stop and block.
Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was forcibly interrupted.
Tang San's group had chosen the right strategy.
Avoid their sharpest attacks and strike their weakest points.
They used Ning Rongrong's boosts and Oscar's supplies to keep pulling the Golden Generation's formation apart.
The Shrek Seven Devils' years of coordination were on full display.
Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing had yet to unleash the Hell White Tiger.
Merely through their kiting and control, the Shrek Team had already begun to suppress the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall.
Below, Yan was hopping mad, but he couldn't hit the slippery loaches in the air.
Tang San's Clear Sky Hammer perfectly countered Xie Yue's attacks.
Hu Liena, meanwhile, was being harassed by all manner of tricky tactics until she was beside herself.
The Spirit Hall Team's room to maneuver kept shrinking.
They were being drawn into the web spun by the Shrek Seven Devils.
High above, Tang San surveyed the entire field, his confidence restored.
Blue Silver Grass vines spread out like a spiderweb, keeping every teammate's position firmly under his control.
Just moments ago, Xiao Wu had eliminated one of Spirit Hall's team members.
The huge gap in their defensive line had greatly lifted Shrek's spirits.
Dai Mubai swung his massive tiger claws.
"Now!"
"Tear their defenses apart!"
Dai Mubai's voice echoed across the arena, brimming with pent-up fervor.
Oscar frantically made Recovery Big Sausages and Flying Mushroom Sausages, ready to keep his teammates going.
Ning Rongrong's fingers danced as the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda showered them with rainbow light as if it cost nothing.
She kept everyone in peak condition.
The Shrek Seven Devils exchanged glances. Years of fighting side by side let them understand one another without a word.
The sight of Zhao Wuji dying at Spirit Hall's hands surged into their minds again.
At that moment, their hatred became a tangible fighting spirit.
Ma Hongjun took another deep breath, his chest swelling high.
The blazing flames of the Evil Fire Phoenix gathered madly in his throat.
He stood ready to rain a devastating attack down on the Spirit Hall Team below.
Zhu Zhuqing's figure flickered in and out of sight in midair.
She brought the Hell Spirit Cat's stealth to its utmost, searching for the next perfect target to assassinate.
Yet the Golden Generation below, despite being suppressed, showed none of the panic they might have been expected to.
Yan stood on the shattered stone slabs.
Dust settled on his shoulders, and he let it.
His usually irritable temper had given way to an eerie calm.
Dark-red magma flowed slowly beneath his feet. He made no move to attack.
He lifted his eyes, which seemed to burn with flames.
His gaze passed through the Shrek group in the air and settled on the raised platform.
On the young man watching everything from above.
Not long ago, in the council chamber of the Holy Son's residence,
Gu Qing's seemingly casual words of guidance had struck Yan like a blow to the head.
They had opened the way past the bottleneck in Yan's Soul Power cultivation.
The arm holding Xie Yue's Moon Blade hung naturally at his side.
The silver blade reflected the figures of the Shrek group in the air.
The irritation Tang San's schemes had stirred in him had long since vanished.
In its place was absolute confidence in the power he was about to reveal.
Hu Liena stood behind the two men.
A hint of mockery flashed in her pink eyes. She curled her lips into a cruel smile.
Watching this from above, Tang San felt his heart give a sudden, violent leap at their unnatural calm.
Through the Purple Demon Eye,
he could see the Soul Power of the three Spirit Hall members flowing in a bizarre new pattern.
Their three forces, once distinct and separate,
were now intertwining and merging in a way that defied all reason.
They weren't preparing to defend themselves. They were entering some deeper form of resonance.
Tang San sucked in a sharp breath.
The requirements for a Martial Soul Fusion Skill were extremely strict. Usually, only two people with compatible abilities could perform one.
A three-person Martial Soul Fusion Skill was as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns in the history of the Douluo Continent.
The intense sense of danger made his heart clench.
"Fatty, Zhuqing, fall back!"
The shout was urgent and shrill, his voice even cracking uncontrollably.
But in the end, he was still a step too late.
Hu Liena closed her eyes.
The fox tails behind her instantly swelled.
The pink glow of her charm abruptly shifted to a deep crimson.
A violent surge of spiritual energy swept across the arena.
The force was like a tangible blade.
It scraped across the skin of the Shrek Seven Devils, bringing wave after wave of stinging pain.
Xie Yue crossed his arms.
His two Moon Blades slammed together, erupting in a blinding silver radiance.
The light didn't spread outward. Instead, it flowed backward along Xie Yue's arms.
It poured directly into his chest.
Silver-white radiance bathed his entire body, making him look like a god of slaughter.
Yan let out a roar that shook heaven and earth.
The magma beneath his feet boiled.
The Flame Lord's body began to swell rapidly.
Dark-red flames engulfed him completely.
The three of them took positions at the vertices of a perfect equilateral triangle.
The formation was complete.
Three vast forces of Soul Power surged into the sky, so immense they left everyone breathless.
They collided in midair with a crash, erupting in a terrifying radiance like a star exploding.
"Stop them!"
Tang San's hands formed seals at lightning speed, and he drove the Mysterious Heaven Skill within him to its utmost.
His third Soul Ring shone with black light.
Spider Web Restraint!
A massive, poisonous net woven from Blue Silver Grass descended from the sky.
Thick purple fumes clung to the net.
Highly corrosive, it hurtled toward the three on the ground.
At the same time,
dozens of thick Blue Silver Grass vines shot out like spears.
Tang San poured his immense Soul Power into every one of them.
He meant to forcibly sever the connection between the three of them.
Ma Hongjun no longer held anything back.
His fourth Soul Ring lit up.
Phoenix Sky-Screaming Strike!
The enormous phantom of a fire phoenix dove down, carrying an aura of destruction.
It tried to force the three apart with its extreme heat.
Yet every attempt to stop them looked laughable in the face of absolute power.
The Blue Silver Grass poison net hadn't even touched the pillar of light woven from three colors.
It turned to ash in midair without a sound.
Not even a wisp of black smoke remained.
The tough vine spears were even more like moths flying into a flame.
The moment they touched the surface of the pillar of light, they snapped to pieces.
Then they became a shower of sparks.
Ma Hongjun's phoenix phantom plunged headlong into the pillar of light surging into the sky.
There was no violent explosion as he'd expected.
Instead, the Evil Fire Phoenix let out a mournful cry.
It was swallowed whole by the even more overbearing flames.
Ma Hongjun suffered a fierce backlash.
His face turned deathly pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
His body swayed in midair, on the verge of falling.
"Fatty!"
Oscar hurriedly tossed him two Recovery Big Sausages.
They wanted to stabilize Ma Hongjun's injuries.
The pillar of light at the center of the arena blazed brighter and brighter.
It even eclipsed the sun in the sky.
Three colors of light began to spin wildly.
Under the extreme heat, space warped violently, making even the light look bizarre and distorted.
Gasps erupted from the surrounding stands.
The heat wave became a tangible gale and swept outward.
Some weaker Soul Masters even struggled to breathe.
Even the battle-hardened Soul Saints and Soul Douluos
had never witnessed such terrifying fluctuations of Soul Power.
Bibi Dong sat on the Papal throne, lightly tapping her scepter against the ground.
An invisible barrier shielded the VIP seats,
blocking the scorching wave of heat that rushed toward them.
Her beautiful eyes shimmered with astonishment, and her gaze drifted involuntarily toward Gu Qing below.
This was the method Gu Qing had displayed.
With just a few words of guidance, he had brought about a complete transformation in the Golden Generation.
Such talent and insight were enough to drive the entire Spirit Hall wild with excitement.
Watching from outside the arena, Yu Xiaogang felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He clutched the railing of the stands with both hands, his fingernails curling back.
"Impossible!"
"How could my theory be wrong?"
"That was a flawless, perfect lineup. How could it be shattered with a single strike?"
Yu Xiaogang's legs gave way, and he dropped straight to his knees.
All the effort he had poured into Tang San over the years had come to nothing in that moment.
Flender's eyes were bloodshot as he tried to charge onto the arena.
But several Cardinals from Spirit Hall held him back.
All he could do was let out a desperate roar.
In the VIP seats, Ning Fengzhi drew in a sharp breath.
The teacup slipped from his hand and shattered.
Tea splashed across his priceless brocade robe, but he didn't even notice.
"Uncle Sword, can you see the secret behind that strike?"
Chen Xin furrowed his brows, a grave light flashing in his eyes.
"That was no ordinary Martial Soul Fusion Skill."
"The Soul Power circuits between the three of them have been rewoven with extraordinary finesse."
"Such creativity is simply unheard of."
Chen Xin's gaze shifted to Gu Qing on the high platform.
"If all of this really was the work of the new Holy Son..."
"Then no one will be able to stop Spirit Hall's future."
The pillar of light's rotation reached its limit.
Then it suddenly contracted inward.
A boom like the splitting of heaven and earth rang out.
The entire Spirit City trembled faintly beneath that power, and even the golden roof atop the Pope Palace began to hum.
A colossal phantom, dozens of meters tall, stood proudly at the center of the arena.
It was a flaming body like that of a demon god.
Dark gold and deep crimson hellfire blazed across its entire form.
Its face was half a bewitching fox's and half a stern human visage.
The contradictory union radiated an oppressive aura that made people want to bow in worship.
It held a terrifying great blade, ten meters long, pointed downward.
Along the blade's edge flickered silvery sharpness capable of cleaving even space.
This was the new Martial Soul Fusion Skill Gu Qing had named and personally guided them in completing.
Sky Fire Prairie Fire!
The demon god's appearance sucked all the air from the arena in an instant.
Every breath felt as though it were burning their lungs, and a pungent smell of scorching filled the air.
The Flying Mushroom Sausages Oscar had supplied to the Shrek team rapidly lost their condensed energy in the heat.
The transparent wings on their backs began melting at a visible speed.
They dissolved into specks of light and vanished into the air.
They were forced to descend lower and lower.
Tang San gritted his teeth. The sweat beading on his forehead evaporated as soon as it emerged.
The burning pain in his skin reminded him just how terrifying the enemy before him was.
The oppressive aura made him tremble, surpassing even the fear he had felt when facing the Titan Giant Ape.
"Everyone, group up!"
"Brace for impact!"
Tang San's voice had gone hoarse. Under the immense pressure of Sky Fire Prairie Fire, even speaking was difficult.
Dai Mubai didn't hesitate for a moment. He grabbed Zhu Zhuqing as she fell.
Their eyes met in midair.
No words were needed; their thoughts instantly became one.
Blinding white light and deep black radiance burst forth together.
Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Hell White Tiger!
A massive white tiger, over ten meters long, appeared in midair.
Wings sprouted from its back, and its entire body radiated the murderous aura of Geng Metal.
It let out a roar that shook the heavens, filled with the resolve to charge forward without hesitation.
Without the slightest retreat, it positioned itself at the very front of the Shrek team.
Ning Rongrong poured every last bit of her Soul Power into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
The pagoda erupted in a brilliance more dazzling than ever before.
Several of its finest multicolored enhancement beams landed precisely within the Hell White Tiger.
The tiger's body swelled another thirty percent.
Its muscles bulged like rock, its might nearing that of a Soul Saint's Martial Soul Avatar.
Just as the Shrek Seven Devils struggled with all their might to build a defensive line,
the Flame Demon God moved.
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