Suppression!

Leng Hanyuan stood in the void, nine ice-blue soul rings manifesting behind him.

A crisp, soul-shaking Phoenix Cry rang out.

His pupils faded into an icy blue.

Two long, narrow fissures tore open from his shoulder blades.

Ice crystals shimmering with a deep blue luster squeezed out from the cracks, piece by piece.

The moment the wings fully unfurled, the surrounding temperature plummeted.

White frost and snow began to fall from the sky.

Each feather was impossibly thin, its edges so sharp they were nearly invisible.

Only a faint, ghostly light outlined their contours.

The very color of the world seemed to shift.

It felt as if they were no longer in Ming Capital, but in the Far North.

Ice Crystal Profound Phoenix!

This top-tier martial soul, which had suppressed all the geniuses of ten thousand years ago until they could barely breathe, had finally reappeared before the public after ten millennia!

Leng Hanyuan stood at the center of the frost and snow, his ice crystal wings spread wide, looking like an angel descended from the frozen wastes.

That noble, divine beast aura caused the martial souls of lower-ranked soul masters to tremble involuntarily.

It was not the bloodline suppression that Tang Wulin exerted over dragon-type martial souls.

It was simply an absolute suppression born from a higher grade!

Even a Limit Douluo like Yu Guanzhi felt a secret tremor in his heart upon sensing that divine beast aura, which seemed to crush everything beneath it.

"Mystic Phoenix Douluo, Leng Hanyuan."

Leng Hanyuan's voice was devoid of joy or sorrow, carrying an indifference that stood above all else.

"This is what a phoenix truly is!"

"This is the might of the strongest member of our Phoenix Family!"

Leng Yaozhu watched that figure, who appeared like a True Phoenix descended to the world, the frost on her beautiful face vanishing entirely.

In its place was a flush of excitement.

That phoenix might, which looked down upon all things, was exactly what those of the Phoenix Family dreamed of and pursued!

As someone who had already taken the first step and established his own semi-divine position, Yun Ming felt it even more deeply.

His grip tightened around the Sky-Propping Spear.

The look he cast toward Leng Hanyuan grew significantly more solemn.

He could feel it.

Leng Hanyuan had also taken that step.

And he had walked even further than he had!

It was the pinnacle of power Yun Ming had seen to date!

However...

Understanding all of this, Yun Ming had no intention of retreating; on the contrary, the fighting spirit in his eyes grew even more intense.

Leng Hanyuan's unexpected strength was a bad thing for Shrek Academy.

Because it would likely cause the scales of this sparring match to tip in his favor.

It would deal a massive blow to Shrek Academy's reputation.

But for the Sky-Propping Douluo Yun Ming alone, it was actually a good thing.

Having long been famous and having searched the continent for an opponent in vain, the appearance of a powerful enemy could only bring Yun Ming excitement.

Spear cultivators and sword cultivators actually shared many commonalities.

One of them was the spirit of pressing ever forward!

Those who could walk far on these two paths never lacked the courage to strike at a stronger opponent!

Yun Ming moved.

The Sky-Propping Spear thrust out violently.

The moment the silver spear lunged, the shaft vanished entirely.

The spearhead pierced through space, emerging out of thin air just half a foot in front of Leng Hanyuan.

The tip of the spear carried a single, intensely concentrated point of silver light.

It was the first form of the Sky-Propping Spear, the move that had made Yun Ming famous.

Void Breaker!

There was no flashy trajectory, no spreading shockwave; all power was compressed into a point the size of a needle tip, specifically designed to shatter protective soul power.

It was a technique he had developed, inspired by the Soul-Breaking Spear of the Break Clan from twenty thousand years ago.

This single strike had once pierced the defenses of three Title Douluo in an instant.

Leng Hanyuan raised his right hand.

Two fingers.

Ice crystals emerged from his knuckles, wrapping around his index and middle fingers like an ultra-thin, translucent glove.

The moment his fingers closed, the spear tip collided with them.

There was no explosion, no thunderous roar.

Only a faint, crisp sound.

It was as if a needle had lightly tapped a piece of glazed glass.

Yun Ming's expression shifted.

That point of silver light was caught between two fingers!

The spear was forced back into its original form from the void.

The silver shaft hummed and vibrated, like a silver snake gripped by its throat, unable to break free no matter how it struggled.

Leng Hanyuan lowered his head to glance at the spear tip between his fingers.

His knuckles tightened slightly, and a layer of ice began to spread from his fingertips onto the spear.

The speed was not fast, but it was unstoppable.

That chill traveled along the long spear, invading Yun Ming's body!

Yun Ming abruptly channeled his soul power, shattering the ice layer to pull his spear back.

Ice shards flew as the shaft was withdrawn.

The web between his thumb and index finger had split open.

Yet, there was no blood.

The wound was frozen shut, a white line extending from the web of his hand all the way to his wrist.

The cold air was burrowing into his meridians!

Yun Ming looked down at his hand, then did something.

He switched the spear to his left hand and gave his right hand a violent shake, forcibly expelling the ice shards from his meridians.

Yun Ming looked up, his expression now filled with gravity.

He did not speak, merely taking a deep breath to suppress the white frost on his chest.

He attacked again!

This time, it was not one strike, but one hundred and eight.

Spear shadows filled the sky, each one precisely aimed at the center of Leng Hanyuan's brow.

Leng Hanyuan moved as well.

Ice crystal wings unfurled from his shoulder blades.

They blotted out the sun!

The entire sky dimmed by a shade!

These massive wings spread out behind him, the tips curving slightly forward to shield his front.

All one hundred and eight of Yun Ming's strikes landed on the ice wings.

The attacks, which could easily crush a Title Douluo, left only a dense patch of white dots; not even a single crack appeared.

Yun Ming gritted his teeth, and his spear stance changed once more.

The power of the one hundred and eight strikes converged in mid-air, and a golden light suddenly ignited at the spear tip.

He poured his soul power into the shaft, using his spear intent to draw upon the power of heaven and earth!

This strike was no longer a thrust.

The Sky-Propping Spear swept horizontally, crashing down toward Leng Hanyuan with the force of ten thousand tons.

Leng Hanyuan lifted his eyelids.

His ice-blue pupils held a hint of excitement.

He raised his left hand, fingers splayed, his palm facing the descending spear shadow.

A mirror of ice appeared out of thin air.

A Profound Ice Mirror, condensed from the absolute zero of extreme ice!

The spear slammed into the ice mirror; the mirror did not shatter, but the spear shaft bent slightly.

The powerful recoil forced Yun Ming back dozens of meters in the air before he could steady himself.

The surroundings fell into silence.

The big shots watching from the sidelines fell silent.

Their thoughts were varied.

They could all tell.

The clash just now had clearly seen Leng Hanyuan gain the upper hand.

Although neither of them had used their full strength yet, at their level, a simple exchange was enough to reveal a great deal.

Qiangu Dongfeng twitched the corner of his mouth.

As a Limit Douluo who had once been ruthlessly suppressed by Leng Hanyuan, his mood inexplicably improved a little.

Even a guy like Yun Ming was being pushed back.

Thinking of this, he felt much of the gloom in his heart dissipate.

The side from Shrek Academy, meanwhile, wore expressions of disbelief.

Zhuo Shi and the others even began to doubt reality.

What were they seeing?

That invincible Pavilion Master was actually being suppressed?!

"Your Excellency, you are strong—stronger than anyone I have ever fought."

Yun Ming steadied his breathing and straightened his posture once more.

"However, it is not over yet!"

A flicker of determination flashed in Yun Ming's eyes.

A faint radiance emerged from his body.

Leng Hanyuan also became a bit more interested.

Now was the moment for the things that would truly influence the final outcome of this battle!

What Yun Ming possessed, and what Leng Hanyuan currently did not...

Four-Word Battle Armor!