To the onlookers, the area in the middle of the street had long since been completely occupied by dense Dark Blue Silver Grass. Walls of grass over two meters tall overlapped in impenetrable layers, leaving no one able to see what was happening inside.
Bang! Boom!
Muffled explosions rang out from deep within the grass walls from time to time. Powerful aftershocks of Soul Power surged outward, making the outer layers of Dark Blue Silver Grass tremble. Leaves rubbed against one another with a rustling sound that tightened the listeners' hearts.
Everyone knew the fighting inside had to be fierce, but they could not begin to guess how the battle was actually going.
Deep within the grass walls, Ye Zhiqiu was so frustrated he could have exploded!
Destroy the Dark Blue Silver Grass? Completely useless!
The shattered leaves would turn into Soul Power in the blink of an eye and be absorbed by the other leaves.
Find his bearings?
Identical ink-black vines surrounded him in every direction. Dark Blue Silver Grass filled his vision, leaving him unable even to distinguish north from south or east from west.
At that moment, he could do nothing but take a beating, without the slightest ability to fight back!
Every so often, a white wave of light condensed from Soul Power would tear through the air toward him, or a searing, tenacious mass of Phoenix Flame would suddenly strike. With the Dark Blue Silver Grass blocking his vision, the attacks were already upon him by the time he noticed them. Unable to dodge, he could only grit his teeth and endure them head-on.
"Fine, fine, fine! You little brats actually dare to wage a battle of attrition against me!"
Ye Zhiqiu's lungs nearly burst with rage. His eyes bloodshot, he steeled himself, picked a direction at random, and prepared to force his way out.
"Third Soul Skill, Black Water Surge!"
His furious roar reverberated through the grass walls. Ye Zhiqiu abruptly opened his mouth and spat out a surging black current of cold. Wherever it passed, the temperature plummeted to freezing, and the Dark Blue Silver Grass it touched froze into ice sculptures. Translucent ice encased the leaves, making them look particularly eerie.
Then he swept his hand across, shattering every frozen leaf. Ice fragments and shredded grass showered down.
Releasing black currents of cold to freeze the Dark Blue Silver Grass while smashing his arms through it to clear a path, Ye Zhiqiu fixed on one direction and charged recklessly forward, determined to break out of this damned cage.
"You little brat! Once I get out of this hellhole, I'll skin you alive!" Ye Zhiqiu was seething with frustration, each punch carrying towering fury.
Yet after charging twenty or thirty meters through the ink-black grass walls, he abruptly stopped. The ferocity and rage on his face froze, replaced by utter horror and disbelief.
He had clearly charged so far, yet endless Dark Blue Silver Grass still surrounded him. There was not the slightest glimpse of open space!
The discovery made Ye Zhiqiu's expression shift several times. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
This could only prove one thing-as he moved, this cage of Dark Blue Silver Grass moved along with him! No matter which direction he charged, he could not escape the encircling vines!
For a moment, Ye Zhiqiu was at a loss.
The Soul King strength he took such pride in had actually become this powerless before these bizarre grass walls!
"You little brat... you've pushed me too far!"
A trace of hysterical madness crept into Ye Zhiqiu's voice. He suddenly raised his head, an utterly vicious gleam flashing through his eyes.
"Fifth Soul Skill, Black Water Ice Explosion!"
Ye Zhiqiu's roar, laden with towering fury, resounded throughout the area. The Fifth Soul Ring surrounding him lit up with dazzling, deep-purple light as he unleashed his trump card.
As he activated the Soul Skill, the Black Tortoise shell on his back abruptly expanded, its markings swelling and giving off a piercing chill. The next second, Ye Zhiqiu withdrew both hands and feet into the shell, turning his entire body into an enormous Black Tortoise shield that slammed heavily onto the ground.
Thud!
The dull impact made the ground tremble slightly. A terrifying black current of cold suddenly spread outward from the Black Tortoise shell!
Wherever it passed, the ground froze over, dense patterns of ice cracks spreading across it. The Dark Blue Silver Grass was swallowed by the cold, every blade freezing into a crystalline ice sculpture that gleamed coldly in the night.
Boom!
The next second, the solid ice exploded without warning. A violent shock wave swept through the surroundings, blasting the frozen Dark Blue Silver Grass to pieces. Ice fragments and shredded grass filled the air as a swath of empty space was forcibly cleared within the once-impenetrable grass walls!
"Boy! With our Soul Power surging and mingling in this area, let's see how you absorb it back now!" Ye Zhiqiu's voice emerged from the shell, carrying a touch of deranged triumph.
Before his words had faded, a second ring of black cold swept outward, freezing the newly grown Dark Blue Silver Grass along with the scattered Soul Power.
Then the explosions came one after another!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The unending explosions were deafening. Each blast cleared away a large swath of Dark Blue Silver Grass. Just as the leaf fragments were about to dissipate into Soul Power, the next explosion arrived right on cue, completely dispersing the scattered Soul Power and giving Lin Kong no chance to reclaim it!
This was Ye Zhiqiu's killing move!
At the cost of his formidable Soul King Soul Power, he forcibly scattered Soul Power through explosions, using this to deplete Lin Kong's reserves!
Such violent attacks also consumed enormous amounts of Ye Zhiqiu's own Soul Power. Yet as he watched the Dark Blue Silver Grass around him steadily diminish, a vicious gleam flashed through his eyes. "So what? I'm a rank fifty-three Soul King! The Soul Power within me far exceeds that of you little bastards!"
The aftershocks of the final explosion slowly dissipated, and the airborne ice fragments fell to the ground. The Dark Blue Silver Grass throughout the entire area had actually been completely cleared away!
Ye Zhiqiu's feet emerged from the shell first, planting themselves firmly on the ground. Then he fully extended his legs, slowly raising the heavy Black Tortoise shell into the air, before his hands and head emerged in turn.
He surveyed his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across the Shrek group, now exposed in the clearing with varying expressions, before finally locking onto Lin Kong. All his long-suppressed frustration and fury poured out. Ye Zhiqiu could not help bursting into laughter, his voice filled with the arrogance of certain victory:
"Hahahaha! Boy, what tricks do you have left?!"
Before Ye Zhiqiu, everyone in the Shrek group wore icy expressions, their gazes sharp as blades as they stared fixedly at him.
Lin Kong slowly raised his eyes, his voice calm and cold. "To beat you into the ground!"
Whoosh!
Before his words had faded, Lin Kong abruptly flicked his hand. Several thick blades of Dark Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Ma Hongjun's waist like long ropes and yanked him directly in front of Ye Zhiqiu.
"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"
"Second Soul Skill, Bathing Fire Phoenix!"
Ma Hongjun's eyes were bloodshot as he poured out his Soul Power without reservation. In an instant, searing flames blazed around him, making him seem like a firebird bathing in flames. He drew a deep breath and abruptly spat out a thick line of fire, the crimson pillar of flame rushing straight toward Ye Zhiqiu!
Ye Zhiqiu's pupils contracted. Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but suddenly felt his feet restrained-at some unknown point, several blades of Dark Blue Silver Grass had pierced through the freezing cold and tightly bound his ankles!
"What's going on?!" Ye Zhiqiu was shaken to his core, his face filled with disbelief.
The cold surrounding him was clearly enough to freeze everything. The Dark Blue Silver Grass had been completely unable to approach him before, so how could these bizarre leaves now ignore the cold and silently wrap around him?
There was no time at all for him to consider why!
Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line had already blasted up to him. Ye Zhiqiu could only grit his teeth and abruptly retract his head into the Black Tortoise shell. At the same time, he mobilized all his Soul Power to protect his body, enduring the terrifying heat head-on.
Thud, thud, thud!
Footsteps suddenly rang out. Soul Power surged all over Dai Mubai, and his Third Soul Ring shone with dazzling light. "Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
His frame expanded, his muscles bulged, and the "king" marking on his forehead shone brilliantly. Under the enhancement of Ning Rongrong's two Soul Skills for strength and speed, Dai Mubai's strength and speed surged by thirty percent. Of everyone in Shrek, he was the one most capable of bringing these enhancements to their fullest potential!
Like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, he charged toward Ye Zhiqiu in great strides, each step making the ground tremble slightly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Two figures, swift as phantoms, swept up to Ye Zhiqiu ahead of Dai Mubai-Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu!
"First Soul Skill, Hell Stab!"
"Second Soul Skill, Netherworld Hundred Claws!"
Zhu Zhuqing moved like a specter in the dark night. Her ten fingers turned into sharp claws that tore through the air as she frantically slashed at Ye Zhiqiu's right leg!
Clang, clang, clang!
Dense claw afterimages struck his leg, crisp sounds ringing out without pause. Her claws first tore through Ye Zhiqiu's protective Soul Power, then plunged viciously into his flesh, sending blood spraying!
A rank fifty-three defense-type Soul King had actually had his defenses forcibly broken under the Shrek group's joint assault!
Ye Zhiqiu grunted in pain and instinctively pulled back one foot, retracting it into the Black Tortoise shell in an attempt to evade the storm of attacks.
But his other foot was bound so tightly by the Dark Blue Silver Grass that he could not move it at all!
Just then, Xiao Wu closed in. Planting one hand on the ground, she curled her body at an incredible angle, like a spring compressed to its limit, gathering all her strength at her waist.
"First Soul Skill, Waist Bow!"
Terrifying power erupted from her waist and abdomen, driving her legs out like steel whips with a shrill whistle through the air.
The kick slammed viciously into the back of Ye Zhiqiu's knee!
Under that enormous force, the leg Ye Zhiqiu had yet to retract was forcibly buckled. Unable to support himself any longer, he withdrew his entire body into the Black Tortoise shell.
At that moment, Ye Zhiqiu was like a turtle trapped in a jar. He could do nothing but take a beating, without the slightest ability to fight back!
Dai Mubai looked at the Black Tortoise shell lying on the ground with everything tucked inside, a vicious gleam flashing through his eyes. He bent his knees to gather strength, and several blades of Dark Blue Silver Grass emerged beneath his feet, supporting his body and abruptly launching him upward. Borrowing that force, Dai Mubai leaped three or four meters into the air!
Then, like a falling meteor bearing the force of ten thousand tons, he slammed his tiger palm down toward the Black Tortoise shell below!
Boom!
A deafening crash erupted. The heavy Black Tortoise shell was driven deep into the ground by that palm strike. The ground fractured, spiderweb cracks spreading outward!
"Up!"
Lin Kong gave a low shout. Countless blades of Dark Blue Silver Grass burst out of the ground and burrowed beneath the Black Tortoise shell. Like countless arms, they forcibly hauled the deeply embedded "shield" into the air!
Looking at the Black Tortoise shell suspended before him, Dai Mubai's eyes flashed coldly. He abruptly twisted into a spin, using the momentum to raise his strength to its limit as Soul Power gathered in his tiger palm once more.
Xiao Wu followed closely behind. Planting one hand on the ground, she unleashed Waist Bow again and kicked out viciously!
Bang! Bang!
A palm and a foot struck the Black Tortoise shell simultaneously.
The tremendous force, like towering, raging waves, sent the heavy tortoise shell flying. It slammed into the ground more than ten meters away with a deafening crash!