Conflict

Purple-red light erupted from the chubby Ma Hongjun like a surging flood. The short hair atop his head seemed to have been enchanted, suddenly growing longer and gathering toward the center like a wild lion's mane, forming a distinctive mohawk. Though no wings appeared, the moment that purple-red light spilled from his body, it became like a blazing sun, instantly unleashing searing heat as if it would melt everything around it.

Two yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet like dazzling halos. Flame-like feathers spread across his exposed, muscular arms, while his hands transformed into sharp claws that gleamed coldly.

Seeing Ma Hongjun's appearance, Gu Hengzhi could not help snorting with laughter. "That's it? You're a pheasant, not a phoenix! Let me teach this fat pheasant a lesson!"

A Stone Statue, an Earth Deity idol, rose behind Gu Hengzhi like a giant emerging from the earth. Behind it, two shadowy figures flickered in and out of view: the Earth Deity and his mount, Xiao Qing. Gu Hengzhi did not directly summon several Stone Statues because every one of them contained god-level power and would be suppressed by the Douluo plane and the Douluo God Realm. To avoid revealing his strength too early, he could only control the idols to appear one at a time. Still, he could continuously summon divine idols, and the interval between summons would gradually shorten as the number of idols on the Douluo plane increased.

"Damn it! This young master's Martial Soul is a phoenix—the Evil Fire Phoenix!" Ma Hongjun's eyes seemed to burn with furious flames. The first yellow Soul Ring on his body suddenly lit up like a brilliant pearl. He opened his mouth, and a thin stream of fire wildly disproportionate to the size of his mouth shot toward Gu Hengzhi like a fire dragon.

Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai stood to the side in tacit understanding, their eyes fixed on the battlefield as they wanted to see what their opponent's companion was capable of.

"First Soul Skill—God-Summoning! Earth Wall Technique!"

With a low shout from Gu Hengzhi, an earthen wall rose abruptly between him and Ma Hongjun like an iron fortress, blocking the purple-red stream of fire. The wall stood firm as a rock, completely stopping Ma Hongjun's attack.

After blocking Ma Hongjun's attack, Gu Hengzhi's gaze sharpened. He drove his soul power into the ground, where it gathered like surging waves. Earthen spikes burst from the earth like arrows and condensed into sharp Earth Spikes in midair. Using the Earth Spikes as a feint and the ground spikes as the real attack, he unleashed them upon Ma Hongjun like a torrential storm.

Ma Hongjun's body flashed as he flipped through the air with the agility of a swallow, narrowly evading the ground spikes. His first Soul Ring lit up again, and a beam of flame surged forth like a dragon emerging from the sea, shattering every Earth Spike.

"Is that all you've got? Get the hell out of here, then! Second Soul Skill—Phoenix Reborn in Fire!" The second Century Soul Ring on Ma Hongjun's body suddenly lit up like a blazing sun, and violent flames instantly erupted around him as if they would burn the entire world to ashes.

Gu Hengzhi remained calm. Unhurriedly, he took out three bean-sized candies that glimmered with strange light. He had painstakingly crafted them with his second Soul Skill, and they respectively carried the wondrous effects of increasing speed, strength, and defense.

"Since you want close combat, I'll grant your wish! First Soul Skill—God-Summoning! Form Transformation!" With Gu Hengzhi's furious roar, the Stone Statue Martial Soul, the Earth Deity idol, shattered into countless fragments. As though guided by an invisible hand, they swiftly reassembled into a majestic suit of battle armor, draping itself over Gu Hengzhi like an impregnable fortress.

Watching Ma Hongjun charge at him like a ball of burning flame, Gu Hengzhi's eyes shone with determination. He gathered all his soul power into his right hand like a raging tide, then threw a punch with overwhelming force, colliding viciously with Ma Hongjun's incoming fist.

Zhu Zhuqing and Dai Mubai both began breathing rapidly. They stared intently at the situation on the field, so tense that their hearts seemed ready to leap into their throats.

"Boom!!!" A world-shaking explosion rang out, as if the whole world had trembled. The outcome was beyond doubt. Whether in the quality of their Martial Souls and Soul Skills or in soul power level, Gu Hengzhi, a level 30 Quasi-Soul Elder, held an absolute advantage. Ma Hongjun was blasted back again and again by the tremendous force of that punch, stumbling more than a dozen steps before barely steadying himself.

"Fat dead chicken, remember this: your uncle will always be your uncle!" Gu Hengzhi leaped into the air like an eagle soaring through the skies. Activating Earth's Protective Body, he continuously gathered earth essence into the middle finger of his right hand. It shone with a terrifying light like a star on the verge of exploding. "Great! Wilderness! Heaven-Prison! Finger!"

The dust gradually settled. Yet contrary to everyone's expectation that Ma Hongjun would be knocked unconscious on the spot, he was still standing steadily where he was, completely unharmed. Gu Hengzhi's Great Wilderness Heaven-Prison Finger had not failed; Dai Mubai had stepped in at the critical moment and blocked that fatal strike for him.

"Pah!" Dai Mubai vigorously shook his hands, then spat out a mouthful of foul blood that sprayed onto the ground like an arrow. From the faint remaining glow, it was clear that he had activated both his first Soul Skill—White Tiger Body Shield—and his third Soul Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation. Even so, he had only barely managed to withstand Gu Hengzhi's Great Wilderness Heaven-Prison Finger.

"Pah! Fatty, get over there and stay put. Watch how I help you win back your dignity. Don't disgrace Shrek Academy again next time!" Anger flashed in Dai Mubai's eyes as he clenched his teeth, seemingly trying to swallow every bit of humiliation.

Seeing the yellow, yellow, and purple Soul Rings gleaming around Dai Mubai, along with the White Tiger Martial Soul behind him that proclaimed the bloodline of the Star Luo imperial family, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes widened in shock. However, she quickly recovered and instantly activated her Netherworld Spirit Cat Martial Soul, preparing to enter the fight and aid Gu Hengzhi.

"Netherworld Spirit Cat!" Dai Mubai stared at Zhu Zhuqing in utter shock, his gaze piercing as though he wanted to see through her completely. His voice carried a trace of disbelief, yet not the slightest hint of doubt or uncertainty. "You... you're Zhu Zhuqing!"

"Zhuqing, I don't need you here yet! Just watch me defeat this hypocrite!" Gu Hengzhi glared at Dai Mubai and roared, "Your opponent is me! God-Summoning!"

In an instant, another Stone Statue appeared behind Gu Hengzhi like a phantom. Yet it was not the familiar Kitchen God, but an ancient divine idol radiating a mysterious aura...