Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Ring Reduction!

However, a scene even more horrifying to them followed immediately after.

Ning Xiaochun wore a solemn expression as he slowly brought his left hand, which held the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, together with his right hand, which held the Nine Killings Glazed Pagoda.

The two nine-layer pagodas, with their diametrically opposed attributes and vastly different auras, did not clash violently the moment they touched; instead, they began to fuse in a bizarre fashion.

Seven-colored rays of light intertwined with dark, netherworldly glows, forming a chaotic and profound sphere of light.

Fine beads of sweat seeped from Ning Xiaochun's forehead, and his small face turned pale. It was clear that simultaneously manifesting two evolved martial souls and forcing them to fuse placed an immense burden on him. Yet, his gaze remained resolute as he uttered clear, majestic words:

"Martial Soul Fusion Skill—Nine-Layer Glazed Pagoda!"

"Ring! Reduction!"

As the final two words were spoken, the chaotic sphere of light suddenly erupted with an indescribable, strange fluctuation. A force that was invisible and intangible, yet seemingly imbued with some supreme rule, instantly crossed space and enveloped Yan, who was in the middle of channeling his third soul skill.

The radiance of the brilliant purple third soul ring on Yan's body suddenly dimmed, as if forcibly suppressed and sealed by an invisible power.

Not only that, but his entire soul power aura plummeted wildly, like a punctured balloon! Level forty... level thirty-nine... level thirty-five... level thirty... level twenty-nine!

In the blink of an eye, Yan had been forcibly knocked down from a menacing, soul-power-surging level forty quasi-soul ancestor to the level of a level twenty-nine great soul master!

Furthermore, his most powerful thousand-year third soul ring temporarily lost all its luster and could not be utilized.

"This... this is impossible!!!"

Feeling the soul power in his body suddenly hollowed out by nearly half and his third soul ring sealed, Yan's face twisted in unprecedented terror and disbelief as he let out a heart-wrenching roar.

What kind of soul skill was this? No, what kind of martial soul fusion skill was this?! To actually be able to directly lower an opponent's soul power level and seal their soul rings?! It was unheard of! Unseen!

"Now!" Ning Xiaochun shouted in a low voice. His small face grew paler, and his body swayed; it was clear that executing "Ring Reduction" was taking a massive toll on him.

Shui Bing'er, who had long been prepared, saw cold light erupt from her ice-blue eyes!

The opponent had been forcibly knocked back to a great soul master, his soul power now even lower than hers, and he had been weakened by the "Soft Muscle Evil" and restrained by "Ice Seal" and "Ice Grip"...

"It's over."

Shui Bing'er's cold, clear voice rang out. She formed a complex and profound hand seal before her chest, and the Ice Phoenix phantom behind her let out a high-pitched cry. A majestic, extreme cold soul power poured out without reservation!

"Ice Seal!"

The massive Ice Phoenix phantom behind her flapped its wings, transforming into an ice-blue streak of light capable of freezing the soul. It charged ferociously toward Yan, who was now suffering from a plummeting soul power level, sealed soul rings, sluggish movements, and a face full of terror, carrying a biting chill that threatened to destroy everything in its path!

Yan's eyes were bloodshot. He wanted to struggle, he wanted to defend, but how could he, weakened, restrained, and with his soul power level plummeted, withstand a full-force strike from an elite Ice Phoenix, unleashed in peak condition and fueled by anger?

"No!!!"

BOOM!!!

The ice-blue phoenix and the crimson figure collided with a roar! The extreme ice instantly engulfed the remaining flames! A terrifying cold wave exploded, completely turning the ground for dozens of meters around into an ice field!

Ice mist swirled, and cold air overflowed.

When the ice mist slowly dissipated and everyone saw the situation on the field, they all gasped in shock.

Yan remained in a posture of crossing his arms to block, but his entire body had turned into a lifelike ice sculpture, frozen in a state of terror and unwillingness.

The flames on his body had long since extinguished, and his soul power fluctuations were weak to the point of vanishing; only the extremely faint rise and fall of his chest proved he was still alive.

Shui Bing'er breathed slightly, withdrawing her jade hands as the cold air around her slowly receded.

She turned to look at Ning Xiaochun, whose face was pale but whose eyes were bright. The coldness in her ice-blue eyes vanished, leaving only a sense of relief and a hint of... indescribable tenderness.

Ning Xiaochun gave her a somewhat weak smile, then put away the two pagodas, which had dimmed significantly, and walked over to the ice sculpture of Yan.

He tilted his head back, looking at the frozen face of Yan, which was etched with terror, and tapped the hard ice surface with his small finger.

"Hey, red-haired turkey."

"You lost."

"Now, it's time to fulfill your promise."

"Kneel down, kowtow, and apologize."

"Though, looking at you like this, it seems you can't move?" Ning Xiaochun tilted his head, revealing a wicked yet "innocent" smile that contrasted sharply with his current pale complexion. "How about I help you?"

Silence.

A deathly silence.

Only the faint sound of cracking ice crystals and the occasional low roar of a soul beast from the distant forest could be heard.

Hu Liena and Xie Yue stood frozen like two stone statues, their faces deathly pale and their eyes hollow, as if their worldview had been completely crushed and reshaped by everything that had happened in those few short minutes.

Twin martial souls, the Nine Treasures Glazed Pagoda, the eerie dark pagoda, a martial soul fusion skill, Ring Reduction... and that terrifying, elite Ice Phoenix.

Yan, the most skilled at frontal assault and the one with the most astonishing defense among their Golden Generation, had been instantly defeated, frozen into an ice sculpture, and left between life and death by two opponents who had used such an overwhelming, inconceivable method, despite his ten-level soul power advantage and top-tier martial soul!

This... how could this be possible?!

As for Dugu Yan, she had her small mouth agape, her enchanting green eyes wide as saucers. She looked at Ning Xiaochun, then at Shui Bing'er, and finally at the ice sculpture. After a long while, she stomped her foot and shrieked with excitement:

"Xiaochun! Bing'er! You guys are so cool!!! Well done!!!"

Her scream broke the suffocating silence.

Ning Xiaochun slowly turned around. Although his small face remained pale and his steps were somewhat unsteady, he straightened his small frame. He looked calmly at the pale-faced, complex-eyed Xie Yue and Hu Liena, and said in that crisp voice, which carried a hint of exhaustion but was beyond question:

"Now, can you apologize?"

"Or is it that the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall all talk like they're just passing gas?"

Just then, a series of dense, cracking sounds erupted from the ice sculpture.

Bang!

The thick layer of ice covering Yan's body shattered, sending shards flying in every direction.

Yan stumbled out, soaked to the bone, with ice crystals still clinging to his hair and eyebrows. His face was as pale as paper, his lips were purple, and he was gasping violently. The look he cast at Ning Xiaochun and Shui Bing'er was filled with lingering shock, disbelief, and a fear that reached deep into his marrow.

He had truly walked through the gates of hell just now! That extreme cold hadn't just frozen his body; it had nearly frozen his soul!

If Shui Bing'er hadn't seemed to pull back some of her power at the very end, he might have truly become an eternal ice sculpture!

"You lost." Ning Xiaochun looked calmly at the disheveled Yan and repeated, "Fulfill your promise."

Yan's body shuddered violently. The muscles in his face twisted, his fists clenched until they creaked, and he gritted his teeth tightly. Kneel?

Kowtow? Apologize? To a six-year-old brat? This was even more unbearable than death! Who was he? He was the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall!

He was the Flame Lord Yan! He was a future Titled Douluo! The humiliation of today would surely become a stain on his life that he could never wash away!

But... the promise had been made by his own mouth. With everyone watching, Xie Yue and Hu Liena were both looking on.

Although Spirit Hall was overbearing, it had its own pride and rules. At the very least, on the surface, going back on his word was something Yan could not bring himself to do.

Struggle, humiliation, anger, fear... various emotions intertwined on Yan's face. Finally, he lowered his head deeply, refusing to look at anyone, and squeezed three words out through his teeth in a dry, hoarse voice:

"I... am... sorry."

Once finished, his knees gave way, and with a heavy "thud," he knelt onto the cold, hard ground still covered in frost.

Then, he pressed his forehead to the floor and kowtowed once, his movement so fast it was almost impossible to see, as if lingering for even a second longer would be a slow death for him.

After kowtowing, he immediately sprang up as if his backside were on fire, his head hanging even lower. His cheeks were flushed deep red from extreme shame and indignation, and his body was trembling slightly.