The Second Prince of the Star Luo Empire!
A truly powerful figure.
No wonder the Heaven Dou Imperial Family had sent the Royal Knights to rescue him.
Now Xue Tianyu would definitely have to back down.
In this world, no one dared openly challenge the dignity of a mighty empire.
Even with a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring, he couldn't stand against an army of thousands.
The three Soul Saints of the Royal Knights landed at the edge of the ring.
The knight commander stepped forward and shouted.
"Captain of the Skywater Team, release him at once!"
"His Majesty has ordered that this matter ends here. No more lives are to be taken!"
His voice, infused with powerful Soul Power, rolled through the entire Great Soul Arena.
It carried the inviolable majesty of the imperial family.
Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu exchanged a glance, deep worry flickering in their eyes.
The prince of the Star Luo Empire—his identity really was a thorny problem.
If this was mishandled, Skywater Academy could face total annihilation.
"Captain..." Shui Bing'er called softly.
The grin on Dai Mubai's face grew even more brazen.
With great difficulty, he raised a hand and pointed at Xue Tianyu's nose.
"Did you hear that?"
"The Heaven Dou Imperial Family is protecting me. You can't lay a finger on me today!"
"Once I return to the Star Luo Empire, I'll bring people to capture you!"
"I'll make you kneel before me and beg for a death you can't have!"
"And the women behind you—I won't spare a single one!"
Faced with the Royal Knights' rebuke.
Faced with Dai Mubai's frenzied provocation.
Xue Tianyu's expression hadn't changed in the slightest from beginning to end.
He lowered his head slightly and looked at the twisted, ugly face beneath his feet.
"Prince of the Star Luo Empire?"
Xue Tianyu's voice was so calm it held not a hint of inflection.
As though he were reciting a meaningless string of words.
"That trash of a title is the trump card you're using to save your life?"
Dai Mubai's laughter caught in his throat.
In Xue Tianyu's eyes, he saw a cold indifference that made his blood run cold.
It wasn't fear, nor was it a weighing of the pros and cons.
It was the look one gave a dead man.
"I hate it most when people try to use their so-called background to intimidate me."
Xue Tianyu slowly raised his right hand.
Frigid energy gathered wildly in his palm.
A long sword, formed from pure ice, quietly took shape.
The Frost Sword.
The chilling aura radiating from its blade froze even the surrounding air, forming wisps of white mist.
The cold instantly seeped through Dai Mubai's entire body.
"You..."
Dai Mubai finally panicked.
The shadow of death instantly descended over his heart.
He could feel the genuine killing intent coming from that ice sword.
This man was insane!
He didn't care about the Star Luo Empire at all. He really dared to kill him in front of everyone!
"Stop!"
The leading knight commander glared furiously, his eyes nearly splitting.
The seventh black Soul Ring on his body instantly blazed.
Martial Soul Avatar!
The phantom of a gigantic Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus appeared out of thin air, surging toward Xue Tianyu with a violent momentum.
It tried to knock him aside at the last moment and save Dai Mubai.
Xue Tianyu didn't even glance at the Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus.
The crimson God-Bestowed Soul Ring beneath his feet suddenly flashed.
The unstoppable Extreme Cold Domain burst out in an instant.
Boom!
The Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus at the forefront seemed to have slammed into an invisible wall of ice.
Its enormous body froze in midair.
Thick ice covered its entire body at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In the blink of an eye.
A Soul Saint above level seventy, who had activated his Martial Soul Avatar.
Had been frozen solid into a gigantic ice statue.
With a thunderous crash.
The statue smashed into the edge of the ring and shattered into several enormous chunks of ice.
He hadn't even had time to scream.
The crash of the shattered ice statue rang through the Great Soul Arena.
The entire arena fell silent.
That had been a Soul Saint above level seventy, wielding an Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus Martial Soul Avatar.
Yet he hadn't even touched the hem of Xue Tianyu's robe before the Extreme Cold Domain turned him into shattered ice.
The two Soul Saints of the Royal Knights behind him abruptly stiffened, their legs locking in place.
Both men were deathly pale, cold sweat pouring down their bodies.
Seeing their comrade's惨 death, they didn't even have the courage to look Xue Tianyu in the eye.
The young man in white on the ring wasn't human at all. He was a God of Slaughter descended upon the world.
Emperor Xue Ye suddenly slapped the armrest of his seat and sprang to his feet.
His face was livid, and his whole body trembled.
The leader of the Heaven Dou Empire's most elite Royal Knights had been casually killed in front of everyone.
It was as if the imperial family's dignity had been ground into the dirt.
Salas sat beside him, a flicker of glee in his eyes.
Spirit Hall would be delighted to see the Heaven Dou Imperial Family humiliated, and Xue Tianyu had played right into his hands.
Xue Tianyu didn't spare the chunks of ice another glance.
He slowly withdrew his foot.
Dai Mubai beneath it had passed out from the pain. His chest was caved in, and he was breathing his last.
Yu Xiaogang knelt beside him, kowtowing repeatedly, afraid Xue Tianyu would kick him again.
Xue Tianyu turned and walked past Shui Bing'er.
"Let's go. The air here has been fouled."
Shui Bing'er respectfully lowered her head and followed behind Xue Tianyu.
The entire Skywater Team left in silence, their steps perfectly in sync.
No one dared to stop them.
Even the referee had forgotten to announce the result.
Only after Xue Tianyu's figure disappeared into the competitors' passage did the referee stammer out that Skywater Academy had won.
The preliminary rounds continued as scheduled.
A few days later.
The tenth round of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament preliminaries.
Skywater Academy faced Blazing Fire Academy.
In the rest area.
Huo Wushuang's brows were knitted tight, his expression so grave it looked ready to drip water.
"Little Sister, if it comes to it, we should just forfeit today's match."
Huo Wushuang looked at Huo Wu, who sat across from him without saying a word, and tried earnestly to persuade her.
"You saw what happened to the Shrek Team. Tang San was crippled, Dai Mubai was half-dead, and even a Soul Saint from the Royal Knights was killed in an instant."
"That Xue Tianyu is a madman who doesn't care about the rules at all. His strength is beyond anything we can handle."
Huo Wu sprang to her feet.
Her dark red hair fluttered despite the lack of wind.
Her eyes widened, filled with defiance and pride.
"Give up?"
"Those two words have never been in Huo Wu's dictionary!"
"Even if Xue Tianyu is a god, I'll burn a hole right through him!"
Huo Wu gritted her teeth, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Ever since she was little, she'd been Blazing Fire Academy's darling. Everyone had always revolved around her.
Why should some Xue Tianyu who had appeared out of nowhere be enough to strike fear into every team?
She refused to believe it.
So what if his power was freezing?
She would use the most extreme flames to burn that cold away until not a trace remained.
The Fire Crane Twins exchanged glances, their faces wreathed in bitter smiles.
They knew Huo Wu's temper all too well.
Once she made up her mind, not even eight horses could drag her back.
The bell signaling the match rang.
Huo Wu strode toward the competitors' passage, her long legs carrying her forward.
The Blazing Fire Team followed close behind.
At the center of the Great Soul Arena, the ring had been repaired.
The Skywater Team had arrived early and stood on one side of the ring.
Xue Tianyu stood with his arms folded, calmly watching the Blazing Fire Team approach.
The spectators in the stands roared wildly.
The Skywater Academy matches had become the biggest attraction over the past few days.
Everyone was eager to see how this team wielding the Extreme Cold Domain would crush Blazing Fire Academy, renowned for its overwhelming attack power.
Huo Wu walked to the center of the ring and fixed her gaze on Xue Tianyu.
"So you're Xue Tianyu?"
Huo Wu lifted her delicate chin, her voice thick with provocation.
Xue Tianyu raised his eyelids slightly and glanced at her.
"What do you want?"
Those two simple words carried undisguised contempt.
Huo Wu took a deep breath, forcing down the anger in her heart.
"Others may fear you, but Blazing Fire Academy doesn't!"
"They say your ice is unbreakable. Today, I'll use my fire to melt you into a puddle!"
Xue Tianyu didn't even smile. He merely looked at Huo Wu as if she were an idiot.
"With those little sparks of yours?"
"You're not even qualified to warm me up."
His words were like a bucket of oil splashed straight onto Huo Wu's rage.
She laughed in fury as red Soul Rings instantly rose around her.
Two yellow and two purple.
The pressure of a level forty-three Control-type Battle Soul Ancestor burst forth without restraint.
"Referee, hurry up and start!"
Huo Wu shouted impatiently.
She could hardly wait to see this arrogant man kneel and beg for mercy.
Huo Wu's imposing presence startled the referee, who hurriedly raised his right hand.
"Skywater Academy versus Blazing Fire Academy."
"The match begins!"
As soon as the referee's words fell, all seven members of the Blazing Fire Team erupted at once.
Flames blazed skyward in an instant, and the temperature across the entire ring rose sharply.
Huo Wushuang roared as he underwent Martial Soul Possession, his One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon appearing.
He transformed into a blazing meteor and charged straight at Xue Tianyu.
The Fire Crane Twins spread their flaming wings and closed in from both sides.
The two support Soul Masters in the back row simultaneously revealed their Fire Spark Martial Souls.
One scorching fireball after another rained down on the Skywater Team's formation.
Huo Wu stood at the very back, both hands raised high.
The third Soul Ring on her body shone brilliantly.
Repulsive Fire Ring!
A dazzling crimson ring of light abruptly spread outward from her, attempting to seal off Skywater Academy's escape route.
In an instant, the entire arena became a sea of fire.
The spectators' blood raced with excitement.
Blazing Fire Academy's opening burst of power was flawless. They made no attempt to test their opponents, going straight for their strongest killing move.
Shui Bing'er and the others stood ready, about to release their Martial Souls.
Xue Tianyu raised a hand to stop them.
"Stand back."
"Today, I'll show you what a true ruler of ice and snow is."
Xue Tianyu took a step forward.
He didn't activate his Martial Soul, nor did he release that terrifying hundred-thousand-year God-Bestowed Soul Ring.
He merely raised his right hand and lightly tapped the empty air.
A crystal-clear drop of ice fell from his fingertip and landed on the arena's scorching stone floor.
The crisp sound of a single drop striking the ground actually drowned out the roar of the flames filling the sky.
Then, a bone-chilling cold that could freeze even the soul erupted from the ice drop, spreading out in every direction.
The air above the entire Great Soul Arena twisted violently.
The Fire Sparks dancing through the air went out the instant they touched the frigid aura.
"Come forth, Snow Empress."
Xue Tianyu's voice was gentle.
At his summons, a crack split open in the empty air.
A blizzard descended upon the Great Soul Arena without warning.
Gales howled, and snowflakes whirled through the air like blades.
A peerlessly beautiful figure slowly stepped out of the snowstorm.
Her long, snow-white hair fell all the way to her ankles.
An ice-blue gown wrapped around her flawless figure.
Her peerless face held not a trace of human emotion.
Only the nobility and majesty of one who stood above all creation.
The foremost of the Three Heavenly Kings of the Far North—Snow Empress!
The instant Snow Empress appeared, every flame on the arena trembled violently.
As if it had encountered its natural predator.
Even the tyrant dragon fire covering Huo Wushuang dwindled to nothing in an instant, its flames less than an inch high.
"Th-what kind of monster is that?!"
Xue Ye cried out in shock from the stands.
Salas was even more horrified, springing to his feet.
They couldn't make out Snow Empress's true strength at all. They could only feel that her aura was a hundred times more terrifying than that of a Titled Douluo.
Huo Wu looked at the peerlessly beautiful woman emerging from the snowstorm, and a powerful sense of danger rose within her.
But the pride in her bones refused to let her retreat.
"Quit your tricks!"
"Burn her!"
Huo Wu desperately urged the Soul Power within her.
The light of the Repulsive Fire Ring suddenly became blinding as it hurtled toward Snow Empress.
Huo Wushuang and the Fire Crane Twins also braved the bitter cold, gritted their teeth, and charged.
Snow Empress hovered quietly in midair.
Her ice-blue eyes watched the oncoming crowd with cold indifference.
She extended her slender, fair hand.
She released no Soul Skill, merely pressing her hand down casually.
Emperor Palm: Great Cold No Snow!
An incredibly dense blast of extreme cold dropped from the sky in an instant.
There were no flashy effects, only absolute cold.
Boom!
Huo Wushuang, charging at the very front, took the full brunt of it.
The One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul he'd always been so proud of went out without even a roar.
White ice spread wildly upward from his feet.
In less than half a breath, it had encased his entire body.
A lifelike ice statue now stood in the middle of the arena.
The Fire Crane Twins in midair fared even worse.
They had only just begun to beat their wings when the flames on them were snuffed out by the extreme cold.
Then heavy frost covered their entire bodies.
Like birds with broken wings, they crashed hard onto the frozen arena and tumbled about in a daze.
The moment Huo Wu's Repulsive Fire Ring touched the aura of Great Cold Without Snow, it burst like a soap bubble.
It didn't leave behind even a single spark.
"No! How is this possible?!"
Huo Wu's eyes were bloodshot as she shrieked hoarsely.
With just one exchange,
Blazing Fire Team's proud offensive formation had been dismantled.
Everyone but her had lost the ability to fight.
This wasn't a match. It was a one-sided slaughter.
With his hands behind his back, Xue Tianyu strolled to the center of the arena.
Snow Empress landed respectfully at his side, like his most loyal guard.
"Is that it?"
Xue Tianyu looked at Huo Wu, standing alone opposite him, his voice full of disappointment.
"You said you'd melt my ice. Is this all you can do?"
Those words struck Huo Wu like a resounding slap across the face.
Huo Wu bit her lip, blood running from the corner of her mouth.
Her body trembled uncontrollably in the extreme cold.
But her eyes remained defiant.
Before you continue