Shrek Crushed the Entire Way

The referee's voice came down from midair.

"Begin!"

The seven Shrek members immediately contracted into an arc. Dai Mubai stood at the very front, with Ma Hongjun and Tang San on either side. Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu withdrew to the wings, while Ning Rongrong and Oscar were protected at the deepest point of the arc.

Huddle up, defend, and hold their ground—this was the opening strategy Tang San had settled on after repeatedly working it through in the waiting area. The opposing captain's strength was unfathomable; rushing in recklessly would be no different from courting death.

The Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda spun in Ning Rongrong's palm as her first soul ring lit up. "Nine Treasures have renown: first, strength." A glazed light descended upon Dai Mubai, and the White Tiger Soul Master's aura abruptly surged. Her second soul ring followed immediately after. "Nine Treasures have renown: second, speed." Another beam of light fell upon Xiao Wu.

Oscar had already handed out the sausages he had prepared in advance. Now, he quickly stuffed a Recovery Sausage into Ning Rongrong's hand, with another clenched between his own teeth, ready to replenish their strength at any moment.

Dai Mubai took a deep breath, and his second soul ring lit up. The White Tiger Intense Light Wave erupted from his mouth. The milky-white beam, bolstered by Ning Rongrong's enhancement, shot straight toward the center of the Ji Ni Tai Mei Team's formation. Wherever it passed, it gouged a shallow scorch mark into the Cyan Steel Rock covering the arena.

Ma Hongjun attacked right after him. The Phoenix Fire Line shot from his mouth, its red flames drawing an arc along the flank of the White Tiger Intense Light Wave and sealing off Yu Tianxin's room to dodge left. One attack came head-on, the other from the side; their coordination was seamless.

Tang San did not rush to attack. His Blue Silver Grass silently spread from the edge of the arena, dozens of vines crawling close to the ground and weaving a net beneath the Ji Ni Tai Mei Team's feet, waiting to tighten. He did not immediately activate the bind. He was waiting—for a gap in their flanks or rear when they dealt with the White Tiger Intense Light Wave from the front.

Lei Li stepped forward, slamming his Thunder Turtle Shield heavily against the arena floor. The shield's surface suddenly expanded, and the instant the White Tiger Intense Light Wave struck the shield wall, a dull, thunderous boom erupted.

The beam shattered into countless tiny motes of light. Lei Li remained completely unmoved, while lightning coursed rapidly through the cracks on the shield's surface, channeling the entire impact into the arena floor.

When the Phoenix Fire Line curved around from the flank, Lei Dong's spider silk net had already opened to the right of the shield wall. Three strands of Thunder Spider Silk formed an electric web. When the red flames struck it, lightning tore them into several tiny tongues of fire, which bounced twice on the arena floor before going out.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda's enhancement truly lives up to its reputation." Yu Tianlin's voice was calm and clear, utterly unruffled amid the roar of colliding soul skills.

Zhu Zhuqing was looking for a route to break through the flank, while Xiao Wu was gathering strength. The two of them would cut in from the sides when the frontal firepower was at its fiercest, targeting Lei Jiu.

"Lei Li, shift the shield wall three steps left and leave the left flank open. Lei Dong, set two layers of spider web behind the opening. Qing Luo, hide the vines beneath Lei Dong's web. Yu Xiaolou, fall back beside Lei Jiu. Yu Tianxin, charge from the front."

A series of commands was issued in an orderly fashion.

The moment the order left his mouth, Lei Li shifted the shield wall three steps to the left. The left flank, which had previously been completely sealed off by the shield, suddenly opened into a wide stretch of empty ground.

Zhu Zhuqing narrowed her eyes. She had indeed been waiting for an opportunity, but this one had come too deliberately. A nimble attack-type Soul Master's instincts kept her from charging in rashly, but Xiao Wu had already moved.

Xiao Wu carved an arc through the air. The instant explosive power granted by the Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul made her a full tier faster than Zhu Zhuqing. She leaped directly from the front, stepped on the top of Lei Li's shield wall, and flipped over it. That angle was the shield wall's only defensive blind spot.

When Xiao Wu landed, she was only three steps away from Lei Jiu. For a nimble attack-type Soul Master, that was killing range in a single strike—but her feet landed on three strands of spider silk.

Lei Dong had laid two complete circles of Thunder Spider Silk around Lei Jiu. Three strands in the inner ring, and three in the outer ring; the threads were so fine they were nearly invisible to the naked eye. Xiao Wu had stepped on the first strand of the inner ring. An electric arc exploded up from her ankle, and then the second and third strands triggered at the same time. The paralysis effects of the three spider silks stacked together, freezing her body in midair for an instant.

Qing Luo's Dragon Scale Tulip Vine burst from beneath the spider web. Thorn Bind activated, and dark-gold vines wrapped around Xiao Wu's waist and legs, injecting poison through the vines.

Xiao Wu let out a muffled groan. The Soft Bone Rabbit's flexibility allowed her to forcefully twist at the waist and turn even after being poisoned, trying to snap the vines with the strength of her hips. But after absorbing the Aromatic Silk Beauty, Qing Luo's vines had become far tougher than an ordinary plant-type martial soul. Xiao Wu broke one vine, only for three more to surge up around her.

"Third Brother!" Xiao Wu cried from within the tangle of vines.

Tang San's Blue Silver Grass activated in that instant. Dozens of Blue Silver Grass vines burst simultaneously from beneath the arena floor, all winding toward the Dragon Scale Tulip Vine binding Xiao Wu.

Grass restrained vines. Tang San used Blue Silver Grass's numerical advantage to forcibly pry open Qing Luo's bind. The Blue Silver Grass and Dragon Scale Tulip Vine twisted together in midair, producing the rasp of fibers rubbing against each other. Xiao Wu seized the opening created by the tangled vines to slip free, then staggered back several steps after landing and crouched behind Dai Mubai, panting heavily.

Her right leg had temporarily gone numb from the Dragon Breath Poison, and several flecks of golden pollen clung to the tip of her scorpion braid.

Shrek's formation had already been compressed into the arena's southwestern corner during this exchange. The Ji Ni Tai Mei Team pressed in from the front and both flanks at once. Lei Li's shield wall stood as steady as a rock, Lei Dong's spider silk formation laid down layers of defenses along the sides, and Qing Luo's vines kept bursting from underground, restricting Shrek's room to move.

Dai Mubai was forced back for the third time by Yu Tianxin's Thunder Dragon Claw. His White Tiger martial soul was not inferior to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon in raw strength, but Yu Tianxin's attack rhythm was simply too fast. Every Thunder Dragon Claw followed Lei Jiu's drumbeat, and the strength enhancement Ning Rongrong gave Dai Mubai could only barely let him match Yu Tianxin.

Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line was blocked completely by Lei Li's shield wall. The occasional shots that curved around from the sides were also intercepted by Lei Dong's spider silk net. Zhu Zhuqing tried to break through the flank twice with Hell Stab, but each time, she was forced back by Lei Dong's spider silk just as she was about to break through.

Tang San was under more pressure than anyone else. He had to maintain Blue Silver Grass defensive support for Dai Mubai, cover Xiao Wu while she was weakened, protect Oscar and Ning Rongrong, and remain constantly alert for the masked captain who had stood in the center of the arena without attacking. His Mysterious Heaven Skill internal energy was already circulating at its limit. Several Blue Silver Grass vines were linked to every finger, and his fingertips trembled faintly.

Fine beads of sweat had already appeared on Ning Rongrong's forehead. She was maintaining both the strength and speed enhancements at once, rapidly draining her Soul Power.

"We won't last half an incense stick at this rate." Dai Mubai wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Tang San swept his gaze across the arena before speaking. "Their control chain covers the entire ground battlefield. If we keep fighting on the ground, our space to maneuver will only keep shrinking. Oscar, Flying Mushroom Sausage. Everyone, take to the air."

Oscar reacted instantly. He had long since held a Flying Mushroom Sausage in his mouth, and Ning Rongrong had also replenished her Soul Power once in advance with a Recovery Sausage. The first wave of four Flying Mushroom Sausages went to Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Zhu Zhuqing, and Xiao Wu, while Tang San and Ning Rongrong took the second wave.

Seven pairs of transparent, mushroom-shaped wings unfolded simultaneously behind the Shrek members, casting seven overlapping pale-blue halos across the arena.

Seven figures rose from the ground beneath the lights. The gusts kicked up by their wings scattered dust across the arena floor.

The Flying Mushroom Sausages elevated the Shrek Seven Devils' mobility to unprecedented heights. Attacks launched from the air could not easily be stopped by even the most intricate ground defenses.

Everyone on the Ji Ni Tai Mei Team raised their heads at once.

"Captain, they've taken to the sky." Lei Dong's tone carried a trace of helplessness. No matter how intricate his spider silk formation was, it could only cover the ground and low altitude. Flying was beyond its defensive range.

Yu Tianlin looked up at the seven circling figures in the sky. The Withered Wood Mask concealed his expression, but the slight adjustment in his stance showed that he was not surprised. "The Shrek Seven Devils truly do have a few hidden cards. But so what if they can fly?"

He still did not release his martial soul. He merely turned his head and said one sentence to Yu Tianxin.

"Tianxin, prepare."

Yu Tianxin raised his head and looked toward the Shrek members in the air. Behind him, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon slowly lifted its dragon head.