Because Jiang Nannan was so close to Jiang Yang, after shouting those words, she was already unconscious from the Evil Fire's invasion before she could even release a Soul Skill.
When the second shout rang out, a pair of azure wings appeared, carrying Wang Dong from who knew where toward the Evil Fire stretching across a hundred meters.
Like a moth flying into a flame.
"Hm?"
When he noticed Wang Dong flying over too, Jiang Yang, who had been distracted protecting Jiang Nannan's heart meridians, was taken aback.
While he was momentarily distracted, the red figure enveloped by the Evil Fire grew even more violent.
The flames, which had initially covered only a hundred meters, doubled in size in an instant.
"Ugh—"
Caught off guard, Wang Dong crashed straight into the wall of Evil Fire.
She fell just like a moth that had flown into a flame.
"You're making things worse..."
Jiang Yang's gaze sharpened. The Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring beneath his feet appeared, and a biting chill suddenly surged around him as his Ultimate Ice Soul Power swept outward.
Centered on him, an area dozens of meters in every direction was instantly shrouded in an aura of extreme cold. The rampaging Evil Fire recoiled as though it had met its natural enemy, hissing as it gradually drew back.
Layers of icy mist sealed it in, firmly suppressing the turbulent Evil Fire and preventing it from spreading any farther.
At the same time, Wang Dong's body lost its balance and began to fall. Jiang Yang lightly tapped the air with his toe and darted forward, steady as drifting clouds. He stretched out an arm and gently caught her around the waist, securely drawing the falling Wang Dong into his embrace.
The chill softened, suppressing the Evil Fire while keeping the person in his arms safe and sound.
[Ice Empress: Jiang Yang, this woman's gone mad. She's a Soul Emperor with Evil Fire. Do you need me to take control of your body?]
[Jiang Yang: No.]
[Ice Empress: I think you've gone mad too. Or are you planning to use the power of that armor?]
[Emperor Armor's own consciousness: Heh. Ice Empress, there's no need to worry so much. Let Xiaoyang handle this himself. Trust Xiaoyang. He'll be the most extraordinary human you've ever met.]
[Ice Empress folded her arms: Hmph! I'm only worried that if he dies, I'll get dragged down with him.]
"First Soul Skill—"
"Ice Emperor Bodyguard!"
"First Soul Skill—"
"Ice Emperor Pincer!"
Jiang Yang paid no attention to the Ice Empress. He couldn't be bothered to explain everything to her.
He immediately unleashed two Soul Skills in succession.
As the two ice-type Soul Skills spread out one after another, the chilling force of Ultimate Ice condensed into thick walls of ice, holding firm in midair and forcibly withstanding the surging Evil Fire bearing down on them.
Jiang Yang stood tall and straight, not the least bit flustered. Even as the two domineering forces of ice and fire clashed violently, shaking his meridians, his expression remained cool and composed, and his aura was as steady as a rock.
The red figure amid the flames seethed with murderous intent, driving the Evil Fire to swell to its full strength. The blazing heat scorched and split the surrounding space, turning the ground to char inch by inch. Its vicious aura slammed relentlessly against the ice wall with a fierce, ruthless assault, yet it still couldn't break through the barrier of cold.
Layers of Ultimate Ice held fast, locked in a deadlock with the scarlet Evil Fire. At their boundary, white mist roared and burst as heat and freezing cold tore at space in turn.
Jiang Yang's gaze remained calm and resolute. Though he seemed unfazed, he had already precisely gauged the flow of his Soul Power, steadily channeling his power into the ice wall. The soft glow of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring remained constant around him, without the slightest flicker or sign of fatigue.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at Wang Dong, who was sleeping peacefully and comfortably, then looked at Jiang Nannan, unconscious behind him to the side. He had a clear grasp of the whole situation.
No matter how often the Evil Fire struck,
Jiang Yang's stance remained utterly motionless, firmly guarding every escape route and line of defense.
"Haah—!"
The red figure grew more and more agitated and violent, repeatedly pouring more Evil Fire into its assault on the ice.
Fine cracks immediately appeared along the edge of the ice wall.
"Now this is interesting."
"Second Soul Skill—"
"My Heart is Bright!"
Jiang Yang calmly unleashed the second Soul Skill of his First Martial Soul, the Xuanyuan Sword.
Although Ultimate Ice wasn't a light attribute, it could still increase the Soul Skill's power by 50%.
With that boost, he quickly repaired the cracked ice wall, making it even sturdier than before.
As for why he wasn't attacking with all his strength—
Jiang Yang was doing that on purpose.
No matter how many trump cards he had, he had to reveal them one at a time to maximize his gains.
Jiang Yang believed that, with his plans in place, he would soon obtain the highest level of permission available to a student at Shrek Academy.
He might even gain the privileges of an Inner Court teacher.
That way, he would have a much easier time operating within Shrek in the future.
A while later,
as expected, a fierce wind howled across the distant sky, slicing through the clouds as a white-clad figure hurriedly swept through the air toward them.
Finally.
Jiang Yang thought to himself.
The next moment,
he immediately channeled nearly all his Soul Power and unleashed "Ice Emperor Pincer" once more, striking at the red figure.
The balance between ice and fire was instantly broken.
The red figure was also knocked into Sea God Lake by the sudden assault of Ultimate Ice.
"Not good!"
"Xiao... Jiang? Jiang Yang?!"
"Xiaotao was actually fighting Jiang Yang, and Jiang Yang even won?"
The old man in white was none other than Yan Shaozhe, the dean of Shrek Academy, whom Jiang Yang had met once before.
The Xiaotao he mentioned was naturally his prized disciple, the Flame Maniac Ma Xiaotao.
"Jiang Yang, are you all right?"
Yan Shaozhe moved almost as though he had teleported to Jiang Yang's side and supported him with one hand.
Jiang Yang had already been putting on an act. When he saw Yan Shaozhe arrive, he simply went along with it and fainted.
He had rapidly drained his Soul Power and was already nearing the end of his strength. On top of that, he had deliberately given his own heart meridians a blow.
So it was only natural that he really fainted.
"Teacher Li, treat those two."
After checking Jiang Yang's condition, Yan Shaozhe couldn't stop his heart from pounding wildly.
Even so,
he forced himself to suppress his racing heart and specifically instructed the teacher behind him to treat only Jiang Nannan and Wang Dong.
As for Jiang Yang, he wanted to take him back to the Inner Court and make plans at his leisure.
He hoped to bind Ma Xiaotao tightly to Jiang Yang.
It would be even better if they could make it a done deal.
After all, Jiang Yang was the greatest genius Douluo Continent had seen in ten thousand years, and he possessed two Ultimate Attributes.
Most importantly, one of those attributes was Ultimate Ice.
That was exactly the attribute Ma Xiaotao needed most.
As Ma Xiaotao's teacher and the dean of Shrek Academy, Yan Shaozhe hoped, both for personal and public reasons, that Jiang Yang would end up with Ma Xiaotao.
As for Jiang Nannan, who had been on such intimate terms with Jiang Yang since the new students first arrived, he could only find some other way to make it up to her.
Yan Shaozhe believed that his disciple Ma Xiaotao surpassed Jiang Nannan by far, both in figure and in talent.
He also believed that, when it came to deciding which of the two women was better, Jiang Yang would know whom to choose.
"Hiss—"
"Brother Jiang Yang!"
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