The dragon within the sun and the Ice Phoenix stared at each other amid the wind and snow.
This was precisely the Martial Soul Materialization technique. When Xu Zi guided the Purple Sun into the ice egg, he had already begun quietly gathering strength for this move. This was also why the golden cracks had reappeared in his eyes.
However, a Soul Fighting match was underway, so he dared not cause too much commotion, lest he lose the element of surprise and allow the Ice Phoenix to dodge.
That was why he had slowly drawn out the materialization of the Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon, only completing its form now.
Overwhelming draconic might surged outward, and brilliant purple radiance rolled.
Those purple-gold dragon eyes were like blazing suns, their scorching gaze melting the wind and snow...
The spectating Soul Masters in the distance widened their eyes, straining to see what was happening over here.
They cried out in bewilderment, "What is that?"
Aside from Ling Yuan Douluo and the cardinal, even many Spirit Hall members were kept in the dark, muttering to themselves, "What is this?"
At the same time, the three Soul Rings, their colors deepening, had already been completely enveloped in dazzling radiance.
Only those whose level of life had ascended to that of a Titled Douluo could see clearly from a distance at the match venue the truth of the Soul Rings... concealed beneath the purple Power of Destruction.
But the only Titled Douluo present was the woman who had shared Xu Zi's pillow last night.
The Ice Phoenix froze for a second, then tried to flap its wings and take flight, but the Purple Sun and dragon hovered directly above its head!
Within the brilliant purple radiance, the thousand-year second ring flashed with a circle of purple light: Purple Dragon Swallows the Sun-activate!
The fearsome dragon head thrust out. As its jaws opened wide, a purple-black death sun appeared beneath the purple radiance and cold wind, like an enormous purple-black dragon pearl.
The materialized Purple Brilliant Heaven Destroying Dragon had already been present for three seconds, enough time for Shui Bing'er to react.
But she had only just controlled the Martial Soul Fusion Ice Phoenix to spring up and fly less than two meters to the right when the dragon head, holding a black-hole dragon pearl in its mouth, caught up.
With a crack of shattering ice, the Ice Phoenix was caught in its jaws. Its rear half-eight crystalline, ridged tail feathers and the left half of its phoenix wing-had already been swallowed and annihilated upon contact with the purple-black devouring sun.
A shrill, mournful cry rang through the sky, but the fearsome dragon's jaws showed no mercy, gripping the Ice Phoenix and dragging it into the brilliant solar disk.
In an instant, all sounds fell still. Heaven and earth were silent.
Two and a half seconds later, the wind and snow had completely subsided, leaving a thousand miles of clear blue sky.
Only a continually collapsing Purple Sun remained, carrying three "star rings," yellow, yellow, and purple, as it slowly descended toward Xu Zi on the ground.
The silence did not last long.
"Th-then where are those two S-Skywater Team m-members?" A mental-type Soul Master was the first to react, speaking in broken syllables.
Only then did all the spectators come to their senses. Right! Where were Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu?
They instinctively looked toward that Purple Sun.
A terrifying thought rose in everyone's minds: had that purple dragon eaten them... out of existence?
"Bing'er!" A piercing scream rang out.
A graceful, beautiful woman came rushing out from the direction of the Skywater Team's rest area.
A pair of luan wings spread behind her, carrying her as she swooped onto the Soul Fighting Plaza.
She was Skywater Academy's team leader this year, but judging by her features and Martial Soul, she was clearly Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er's birth mother.
"Captain Xu Zi, where have you put the two contestants, Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu?" the chief referee asked with a frown.
At the same time, he joined forces with the two assistant referees, intending to intercept Shui Bing'er's mother as she swooped in.
But although they were all Soul Saints, Shui Bing'er's birth mother not only possessed a top-tier Martial Soul, but was also desperate to save her daughter. How could three referees stop her?
"Dean Shui, please calm down first..."
Several crashing sounds rang out, shards of ice scattered, and the three referees were swept away by ice-attribute Soul Power and sent tumbling to the ground.
"Where is my daughter?!" Dean Shui approached and demanded.
Though her face was beautiful, it was now covered in frost.
Her ice wings stretched upward, and the moment Dean Shui landed, she moved to capture Xu Zi alive.
Little did she expect a rolling wave of heat to assail her from the side.
"Insolence!"
A fire luan flashed over, transforming into Ling Yuan Douluo, who struck out with one palm, easily dispersing the layer of Ice Luan phantom surrounding Dean Shui.
Ling Yuan Douluo seized Dean Shui by her slender neck, then turned back and asked, "Where are those two little girls?"
Xu Zi said nothing. He merely conjured two lengths of white cloth in silence, ready to receive the Purple Sun descending from above, looking for all the world like someone mourning the dead.
Ling Yuan understood something inwardly. She immediately displayed the domineering manner befitting a Spirit Hall elder, tightening her five fingers around Dean Shui's throat as she said sharply, "When a Soul Fighting match reaches this point, how could there be no deaths?"
"Go home and put in some effort with your husband. You can add the family members back next year. Understand?"
Just as Ling Yuan squeezed until the woman's eyes rolled back, about to choke her unconscious between her fingers.
Two thuds sounded behind her.
As the Purple Sun approached the ground, two naked figures fell out of the solar disk, landing on the thin snow covering the ground.
Those two were none other than Xue Wu and Shui Bing'er.
Having just escaped the dragon's maw, the two women trembled, huddled together on the snowy ground.
Fortunately, Xu Zi had prepared in advance, promptly covering their bodies with the white blanket cloths.
Moreover, the Purple Sun behind them had yet to disperse, shielding the view of their backs in time.
With three people and one sun blocking the view around them, no one could see Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu's naked bodies clearly at all.
"Are you all right?" Xu Zi took four fingers of one woman in each hand and pulled the two up from the ground.
Xue Wu was clearly badly injured and could only stagger against Shui Bing'er's shoulder.
Shui Bing'er held Xue Wu as she leaned against her shoulder, tightened the white blanket around herself, and bent her knees with a nod. "Thank you for sparing our lives, Young Master Xu."
Xu Zi shook his head. "I respected the regulations and acted according to the rules. You're being too generous, Captain Bing'er."
Suddenly, Shui Bing'er seemed to spot something behind Xu Zi and immediately cried out, "Mother!"
Xu Zi turned around, saw Dean Shui with her eyes already rolling back from being choked, and hurriedly spoke up. "Elder Ling Yuan, what are you doing?"
At that moment, Ling Yuan Douluo was still absorbed in the sight of the Purple Sun "spitting people out."
She was pondering: What Soul Skill is this? It only damaged their clothes without harming a single hair on their heads.
Yet she had utterly forgotten that she was still gripping someone in her hand.
Fortunately, Shui Bing'er cried out, preventing another woman from collapsing on the field.
Two breaths later.
"Bing'er, Xue Wu!"
As expected of a high-ranking Soul Saint, Dean Shui recovered within seconds and gathered the two she had lost and regained into her arms.
"Mother." Shui Bing'er closed her eyes and hugged her tightly.
"A-Auntie Shui." Xue Wu was badly injured and could only respond weakly.
At this sight, trails of flame stretched from the corners of Ling Yuan Douluo's eyes. She turned her head and lowered her voice. "I asked you a question just now. Why didn't you answer me?"
"I couldn't spare the attention to reply." Xu Zi spoke as though it were only natural. "I was at the end of my tether just now. I had to control the Purple Sun Martial Soul's descent while also ensuring Xue Wu and Shui Bing'er's safety. What could I do?"
Ling Yuan clenched her fingers with a crack, but waved her hand and gave a false smile. "Fine, that's good, then. We'll talk when we get back."
If not for all the eyes around them, she would have dearly liked to pinch the back of his neck and let him experience how Dean Shui had felt.
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