Demon Empress Challenges Yun Ming to a Fight to the Death

The Baby Dragon statue was a portal.

Once a challenge was confirmed, people from the various Shrek Academies could pass through the portal to Shrek and challenge its people.

After Demon Empress and the others arrived at Shrek through the portal, Yun Ming and his companions immediately sensed their presence and emerged from Sea God Pavilion.

Yun Ming seethed with rage:

"Nether Emperor, Ghost Emperor, you dare come back?

I'll make you pay for what you've done today!"

"Arrogant!

Yun Ming, your wounds haven't even healed, yet you're already boasting. Besides, we haven't come to cause trouble today.

We're here to challenge you fair and square."

As soon as Ghost Emperor spoke, Demon Empress, her graceful figure veiled, raised one slender hand and pointed straight at Yun Ming:

"I, Demon Empress of the Holy Spirit Cult, challenge Yun Ming, head of Shrek Academy. I invoke the Life-and-Death Arena."

"Demon Empress, how dare you?

You dare issue a challenge to the death.

Aren't you afraid of dying?"

Yun Ming said it aloud, but inside he was already panicking.

At his peak, he would not have feared Demon Empress.

But although he had returned to the Quasi-God level, his power was still unstable, and his wounds had not healed.

He could not be certain of victory.

Yet he had no chance to refuse.

The moment Demon Empress issued her challenge, it was accepted.

Two beams of golden light enveloped them. An instant later, they appeared in an empty space.

There was only an enormous arena and a Heavenly Screen broadcasting the battle within, allowing everyone to watch, including people in other worlds.

At that moment, atop the ruins of Shrek in the Soul Land I World, countless Titled Douluo looked up at the sky.

Bibi Dong watched Yun Ming and Demon Empress.

"So these are the powerhouses of another world?

There are still three months until the first Challenge Tournament. I didn't expect to see an arena match today.

So issuing a challenge automatically draws both sides into the arena.

Xiaogang, you made the right decision. At least you saved your disciple and those other students.

Though we also have your money-grubbing Headmaster Flender to thank.

After taking over Blue Tyrant Academy, he expanded enrollment on a massive scale. Otherwise, hardly any Divine Examinations would have descended upon our world."

"But these Divine Examinations are nowhere near enough to go around."

They were not nearly enough.

At Bibi Dong's words, the other members of Spirit Hall looked helpless.

Spirit Hall was far from the only faction gathered here. Every faction on the continent had come.

And though Blue Tyrant Academy had many students, fewer than a hundred had Innate Soul Power of rank six or above.

So no one had killed indiscriminately.

The students who possessed Divine Examinations had all been confined, awaiting allocation among the major factions.

Only those with a Divine Examination Quota were qualified to challenge people from the Shrek Academies of other worlds through the Baby Dragon statue and thereby advance their Divine Examinations.

No one was foolish enough to kill off those remaining hundred-odd quota holders to merge their Divine Examinations into higher-level ones.

Spirit Hall had now taken control of the place.

Flender and Yu Xiaogang had made all these decisions. They had sold out every teacher and student at Shrek Academy just to keep their own disciples from being killed.

Gangzi had said he would raise a god, and Tang San had been moved to tears.

But even with the arrangements settled, countless eyes remained fixed on Tang San and Oscar, the only two who possessed Dragon God's Nine Trials.

"Xiaogang, I'm afraid I can't keep them in check."

Bibi Dong's expression grew conflicted.

Yu Xiaogang flew into a rage at her words:

"If any of you dare hurt Xiao San, I'll destroy Spirit Hall at any cost."

Meanwhile, in the world of The Unrivaled Tang Sect.

Because Shrek possessed overwhelming strength and prestige, no one had moved against it for the time being.

Huo Yuhao had just emerged after obtaining Dragon God's Nine Trials when Taotie Douluo Xuan Zi pulled him over to watch this arena match between worlds.

"Xuan Zi, what is this?"

"Yuhao, this is a battle between powerhouses of the Holy Spirit Cult and Shrek Academy from another Douluo Continent.

Sooner or later, we'll have to fight them. Watch closely and learn how strong they are. Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can win every battle."

In the world of Legend of the Dragon King, members of the Holy Spirit Cult who had been about to head to Shrek Academy to seize quotas stopped when they saw the match on the Heavenly Screen.

Demon Empress watched her counterpart with keen interest.

"Interesting. Let's see how strong the other me is and whether she can deal with Yun Ming."

Yun Ming of Shrek Academy had the same thought.

He had never fought Demon Empress. This battle was the perfect chance to learn what the Holy Spirit Cult's most mysterious figure could do.

Within the screen, atop the arena.

Demon Empress was the Holy Spirit Cult's supreme leader and the Deep Sea Demonic Whale King's wife. Purple-black energy radiated from her body.

She wore no Battle Armor, yet her presence was every bit as imposing as Yun Ming's in his armor.

"Demon Empress, you can't even tell how far beneath me you are, yet you dare challenge the strongest person on this continent.

Today I'll show you what the Heavenly Douluo truly is and what it means to be the strongest on the continent."

Yun Ming was forcing himself to be brave, trying to overwhelm her with sheer presence.

Demon Empress merely sneered.

"Heavenly Douluo? The strongest on the continent?"

Her Soul Power erupted, and a towering surge of blood flooded half the arena.

"You are the strongest—among those who've just been revived and haven't even healed."

Yun Ming's face darkened as he drove his Four-Word Battle Armor to its limit.

Behind him, nine Spirit Rings—six red and three gold, befitting a Quasi-God—pulsed slowly. His Heaven-Reaching Spear pointed diagonally at the ground.

Yun Ming's Heavenly Pillar Domain spread outward. Within it, the sea of blood Demon Empress had summoned parted down the middle.

He wielded his Heaven-Reaching Spear to its fullest.

He thrust, and the spear lunged like a dragon.

He unleashed his first through sixth Soul Skills in rapid succession. Terrifying spear light forced back every wave of blood Demon Empress had released.

A cold smile flashed across Demon Empress's face. As her vast Soul Power surged forth, the phantom of a Deep Sea Demon Whale hundreds of meters tall appeared behind her. Its enormous mouth opened, unleashing Demonic Whale Devour.

It swallowed all of Yun Ming's attacks whole—along with Yun Ming himself.

Yun Ming roared. His seventh Soul Skill blazed to life, and the true form of his Heaven-Reaching Spear expanded hundreds of times over. Wherever its tip passed, it tore cracks through space.

That strike had actually shattered the void.

The force behind Yun Ming's spear grew fiercer still. He swung it in a Heaven-Reaching Strike aimed straight at Demon Empress.

After those few probing exchanges with Demon Empress, even he could no longer hide his anger:

"This is a fight to the death, yet you won't release your Martial Soul or use Battle Armor. Are you looking down on me?"