On the Battle Soul Platform, as the referee's voice fell, both sides released their martial souls.
Amid the roar of dragons and tigers, a gigantic fiery phoenix spread its wings behind Ma Hongjun and merged with him. A pair of flaming wings over six meters wide extended from his back, lifting him straight into the air to hover mid-sky.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black spirit rings rose around him, six in total. The terrifying flames made the air inside the entire arena scorching hot.
The power pressure of a level-67 Spirit Emperor surged outward, bearing down upon the members of the Holy Dragon Sect team.
At the same time, Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and the others released their martial souls as well. Around Dai Mubai's body, two yellow, two purple, and two black rings rose, transforming him into a humanoid white tiger. The "king" mark on his forehead exuded an air of dominance, and his evil eyes gleamed with cold light.
After Zhu Zhuqing's spirit possessed her, she turned into a lithe black shadow. Over the years, with the endless supply of Oscar's Evil God Tiger Sausages, her dark attribute had reached an extreme level.
As long as she didn't use the Martial Soul Fusion Technique with Dai Mubai, her ultimate darkness would grant her a terrifying boost in individual combat power.
Qin Qiong's hand held a two-meter-long War Dragon Halberd, shaped like a coiling dragon. His level-58 spirit power erupted.
Beside Dai Mubai, Long Wu's body was covered in a Lion King armor, making him look like a battle general guarding Li Sheng and Zhao Lan behind him.
Li Sheng stood in the middle, a silver chain coiled around his body, with two yellow, two purple, and one black ring gleaming.
At the rear stood Zhao Lan, holding a blue Wind Flute. Two yellow, two purple, and one black ring rose around her as well.
Their formation was a standard 3-3-1 power-attack array: Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Qin Qiong in the front line; Long Wu shielding Li Sheng and Zhu Zhuqing in the second; Zhao Lan as support in the rear, providing full-field assistance.
The Holy Dragon Sect team's formation, however, was unique. The seven of them stood in a pyramid pattern, with their captain Tuoba Hu at the front center and the others fanning out behind him.
All seven possessed the White Armored Earth Dragon martial soul. Apart from Captain Tuoba Hu, who had two yellow, two purple, and two black rings, the others all had two yellow, two purple, and one black,perfect five-ring configurations. They were the strongest of their generation in the Holy Dragon Sect.
After releasing their martial souls, seven enormous White Armored Earth Dragons appeared, their pressure uniting to form a single dragon's might to counter Dai Mubai's group.
With the blessings of their martial souls, their aura did not lose even though their spirit levels were slightly lower.
As both sides revealed their martial souls, thunderous cheers erupted throughout the Great Battle Arena. This was a clash of teams at Spirit King level and above, a spectacle most ordinary people would never witness in their lifetimes.
Even some of the strongest teams in the tournament were now watching closely, voices rising in discussion.
"The Third Prince's team is incredibly powerful, and their lineup is very well balanced."
"The Holy Dragon Sect's team may all be power-attack types, a single-style formation, but their shared martial soul grants them great amplification. It's still anyone's guess who will win this fight."
All combatants had released their martial souls, their rings flashing brilliantly. The referee's voice rang out at the perfect moment: "Match... begin!"
As soon as the words fell, Ma Hongjun let out a piercing phoenix cry and charged first toward the Holy Dragon Sect's formation. "I'll take point!"
A fiery streak tore through the sky. His second yellow ring lit up.
"Second Soul Skill: Phoenix in Flames!"
Under the boost of his second ability, the temperature of his flames rose at a terrifying speed.
At the same time, Zhao Lan at the back raised her Wind Flute. Her first yellow and third purple rings shone together.
A melodious yet fierce flute sound echoed.
"First Soul Skill: Agility of the Wind."
"Third Soul Skill: Battle Spirit Surge."
Two streams of light, one blue and one red, shot into Ma Hongjun's body. His speed increased by thirty percent, and his combat strength by at least twenty.
His phoenix cry grew even fiercer as he spread his massive wings, conjuring a towering phantom of a fiery phoenix.
His fourth purple ring shone.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
Flaming meteors filled the sky, raining down over the entire Holy Dragon Sect formation. Boosted by the support of a spirit master, his thousand-year soul skill now had power beyond even a ten-thousand-year skill.
Facing the onslaught, Tuoba Hu's face remained calm. He sneered, "So what if you're a level-67 Spirit Emperor? So what if you have the Nether White Tiger? Today you'll witness the Holy Dragon Sect's strongest group might!"
As his words fell, he and his six teammates activated their first three rings simultaneously. Their seven dragons' auras surged together.
Their first three skills were identical,defensive techniques ideal for their White Armored Earth Dragon souls.
Their soul power merged into one, and a massive dragon-shaped shield formed in front of them.
"White Armored Dragon Shield!"
The blazing meteors struck it in explosions of fire and thunder, but the seven-man shield held firm.
Even Ma Hongjun's full-power assault, capable of incapacitating a Spirit King instantly, couldn't break through their defense.
Meanwhile, Dai Mubai and Qin Qiong charged forward, while Zhu Zhuqing slipped around the side like a dark shadow.
But the seven defenders didn't move, their formation producing smaller dragon-shaped shields around all sides,an unbreakable wall.
"Nether Stab!"
"Nether Hundred Claws!"
Zhu Zhuqing unleashed her full level-56 power, but her sharp claws only sparked against the shield without leaving a mark.
Her speed was useless against such a turtle-shell formation.
She retreated to circle around, waiting for the moment the defense broke.
Li Sheng's Heavenly Mechanism Lock couldn't pierce through either,his famed single-target control was rendered useless.
Qin Qiong shouted, "I'll break it!"
He followed closely behind Dai Mubai. Four of his five rings lit up at once, his War Dragon Halberd glowing as if turning into a living dragon.
Zhao Lan's flute rang again, this time adding blue and yellow lights for power and spirit amplification.
With four self-buffs plus three boosts from Zhao Lan, Qin Qiong's halberd had reached its peak attack.
His black fifth ring flashed.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Black Dragon Sky Breaker!"
He stomped down, cracking the arena floor, and hurled the halberd like a dragon-shaped spear.
At the same moment, Ma Hongjun's third ring shone.
"Third Soul Skill: Phoenix Piercing Strike!"
Two powerful attacks rushed toward the Holy Dragon formation.
Tuoba Hu remained calm, his fourth and fifth rings glowing black and purple.
The seven White Armored Earth Dragons' claws gleamed with cold white light.
"White Armored Dragon Seal Claw!"
Seven claw marks merged into one gigantic imprint, smashing into the fiery phoenix and colliding with the War Dragon Halberd.
Explosions roared.
The halberd's deadly thrust was blocked,their combined strike equaled the strength of a Spirit Sage's ten-thousand-year skill.
Even with Ma Hongjun's prior impact weakening it, Qin Qiong's full-force attack couldn't break through.
The power gap was too great.
At that moment, Dai Mubai rushed behind the halberd, gripping it with his tiger claws. His first, third, and fifth rings lit up.
"First Soul Skill: White Tiger Shield."
"Third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation."
"Fifth Soul Skill: White Tiger Devil God Transformation."
His body doubled in size, overflowing with monstrous power, channeling all of it into the War Dragon Halberd.
With Zhao Lan's further boosts, his strength surged again.
With a resounding crack, the halberd pierced through the claw's scaled surface, using the small gap to unleash its full single-target power.
The black dragon roared.
For the first time, Tuoba Hu's face changed. "Hold it! Their burst is strong but short-lived. Once we endure this wave, it'll be our counterattack!"
The seven dragons roared, pouring all their spirit power into the claw to push back.
The struggle reached a deadlock.
At that moment, Ma Hongjun, who had been blown back, returned in a blaze of fire.
"Phoenix Nine Styles: Phoenix Burst Claw!"
He struck the end of the halberd, compressing flame power into one explosive thrust.
The combined force shattered the claw, driving the halberd straight through toward the Holy Dragon formation's front shield.
"Not good!" Tuoba Hu's eyes widened. He and his team quickly redirected the upper shield to intercept.
With a metallic clang, the attack was blocked again. The halberd's glow dimmed, unable to break through their overwhelming defense.
But their upper protection was now gone.
A flash of silver streaked past,the Heavenly Mechanism Lock shot toward Tuoba Hu like a silver serpent.
At the same time, Ma Hongjun rose high again, his fourth ring shining.
"Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
Flames poured down once more.
Without the upper shield, there was no avoiding it. Tuoba Hu's face darkened. If their defense broke now, defeat was certain.
Vice Captain Tuoba Gui shouted, "Brother, use it now! If we don't bring out our trump card, we're finished!"
Tuoba Hu gritted his teeth. The ultimate move was costly and could only be used once, but this was their only chance.
"Unite as one! Spirit merge as one! White Armored Earth Dragon, ascend!"
The seven shouted together, withdrawing their defenses and merging their powers.
A massive White Armored Earth Dragon phantom condensed in the air. The broken claw reformed, anchoring the form of a colossal dragon roaring toward the heavens.
It batted away the halberd, blocked the Heavenly Mechanism Lock, and glared at the falling meteors.
"Earth Dragon's Wrath!"
Its roar dispersed the flames in an instant, white mist snorting from its nostrils as its golden eyes locked onto Dai Mubai's team.
This was the Holy Dragon Sect's group fusion skill. Below level 70, they could form a pseudo Martial Soul True Body. With Tuoba Hu, a level-61 Spirit Emperor, as the core, their combined might could rival a Spirit Sage who had activated a true Martial Soul True Body.
The sudden appearance of the colossal White Armored Earth Dragon left all the watching teams wide-eyed in disbelief.
So this was the power of a true championship contender.
Even Ma Hongjun, with his level-67 spirit power, could hardly face it head-on.
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