As the referee gave the command, two blazing flames erupted at once. Neither fighter released any soul skills; they simply turned into two streaks of fire and collided directly.
"Phoenix Nine Styles: Phoenix Burst Claw!"
The flames condensed, and Ma Hongjun's right arm transformed into a fiery phoenix claw, carrying a terrifying power as it slashed toward Baili Chiyan.
This little brother,he was determined to win him over!
Baili Chiyan was not one to back down. His flames condensed into a pair of fiery fists, meeting Ma Hongjun's blazing claw head-on.
It was a contest of pure flame control. When claw met fist, both flames were dense and solid, but Baili Chiyan's strength was far inferior to Ma Hongjun's.
Flames exploded and surged between them, neither side gaining the upper hand, yet Baili Chiyan was forced back several steps under the overwhelming power.
Ma Hongjun pressed in close. His blazing claws lashed out like afterimages, and every clash was followed by compressed flames detonating.
Baili Chiyan's fiery fists were no weaker,his control over flame was on par with Ma Hongjun's. Each time fist and claw met, waves of scorching fire erupted.
But since both were masters of fire, their attacks, which would devastate any other opponent, could not harm each other at all.
The contest of flame turned into a contest of strength. Baili Chiyan was quickly overpowered, forced to retreat step by step by Ma Hongjun's terrifying might.
He was shocked by Ma Hongjun's power. He knew the phoenix flame was formidable, but he hadn't expected such monstrous strength.
Since pure technique was no longer enough, he decided to change his approach.
The first yellow soul ring on his body lit up, and his already blazing flames surged even higher.
"First Soul Skill: Prosperity of Fire!"
This was a pure amplification skill, one that greatly boosted the power of his flames. Every attack afterward would gain a significant increase in strength.
Seeing this, Ma Hongjun's second yellow soul ring also lit up. The Bathing Fire Phoenix skill activated instantly, further enhancing his flames. Once again, they were evenly matched.
But Baili Chiyan didn't seem to care. He began to retract his external flames,he knew that no matter how much fire he used, it would do little against Ma Hongjun, who was also a master of fire. Better to conserve his soul power.
The next moment, his fifth black soul ring shone brightly. Ma Hongjun immediately prepared to counterattack, his third purple soul ring flashing at the same time.
Both men released their soul skills simultaneously. A massive fire phoenix took shape, its cry shaking the air as it dove toward Baili Chiyan, who stood at the edge of the battle arena.
But Baili Chiyan's powerful attack did not appear,instead, his body began to change dramatically.
Already wreathed in flame, after activating his fifth soul skill, even his human form seemed unnecessary. He became a formless mass of crimson fire.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Scarlet Flame!"
His fifth soul skill bore the same name as his martial soul, and its effect was astonishing.
The giant fire phoenix struck,but it passed straight through him. Baili Chiyan's form had become intangible, a pure flame with no substance.
The phoenix fire tore through the air and crashed into an ice wall hastily raised by a nearby Soul Douluo, preventing the attack from harming the spectators.
That Soul Douluo frowned slightly after blocking the full power of Ma Hongjun's strike. "Are young people nowadays all this fierce? That attack wasn't any weaker than a ten-thousand-year soul skill from a Soul Emperor! Was that really just his third soul skill?"
Beside him, a water-element Soul Sage sighed. "Looks like we're in for a rough match."
Even as he spoke, the flaming Baili Chiyan moved swiftly, rushing toward Ma Hongjun. Explosive sounds burst from within the mass of flame.
"Come on, play with fire? Let's see how you hurt me now!"
Ma Hongjun's expression changed slightly. Clever as he was, he immediately understood the effect of that fifth soul skill. Baili Chiyan had turned his entire body into fire itself,elementalized flame,and from the look of it, he could maintain this state for quite a while. This wasn't a one-time skill.
Normally, such powerful abilities would consume enormous energy and couldn't last long. But Baili Chiyan's first soul skill clearly extended its duration,why else would he use a mere hundred-year skill?
Indeed, his first soul skill, Prosperity of Fire, originally just boosted flame power. But ever since obtaining his fifth soul skill, it now refined his flame form and greatly reduced his energy consumption, allowing him to maintain it much longer.
As long as he limited his attacks, he could prolong the duration indefinitely,long enough to exhaust Ma Hongjun's soul power completely.
Ma Hongjun, also a fire-element soul master, had a higher level of soul power, but his attacks couldn't harm an elementalized Baili Chiyan at all.
Unless one had elemental superiority or a powerful spiritual attack, Baili Chiyan was essentially invincible in this state.
Realizing this, Ma Hongjun's expression darkened. So that was why his arrogant opponent had dared to gamble big,he'd been hiding this "divine skill" all along.
Indeed, for a fire-element soul master, this was a godlike ability. All of Ma Hongjun's skills used fire, making him ineffective against it.
The best strategy would be not to attack,simply let Baili Chiyan's energy run out.
But Baili Chiyan wasn't foolish. As Ma Hongjun spread his phoenix wings to take flight, the fiery Baili Chiyan followed him into the air like a leaping fireball, continuing the chase.
In this flame form, brief flight was no problem.
Ma Hongjun streaked through the arena at top speed, using bursts of fire to accelerate. Behind him, Baili Chiyan's flame changed shape,from a ball to a ribbon, then into a web of fire. If even a strand touched Ma Hongjun, it would latch on and consume him.
He didn't know exactly what would happen if it attached,but judging from Baili Chiyan's eagerness, it couldn't be good.
Tens of thousands of spectators laughed as they watched Ma Hongjun flee in panic. The once majestic fire phoenix now looked like a frightened fire chicken.
In the viewing area of the Divine Fire Sect, Baili Chilìng smiled. She knew her brother's fifth soul skill was invincible against any fire user,no one could beat him in this state.
Even if Ma Hongjun couldn't hurt him, if he got close, he'd be drained dry,roasted into a "fire chicken." Her brother had once used this skill to defeat a level 71 Soul Saint while he was only level 63.
Even if the Soul Saint used Martial Soul True Body, as long as fire was involved, Baili Chiyan could absorb it endlessly,until his opponent was nothing but ashes.
But could Ma Hongjun really lose so easily? If that were true, why would he have dared to accept the wager?
He knew Baili Chiyan had a trump card. Was he simply overconfident?
Of course not. He had his own secret weapon,a move guaranteed to win, no matter the situation.
Long ago, Oscar had warned Ma Hongjun that the world was full of strange and powerful soul masters, each with unique abilities.
Thanks to Oscar's duplicating sausages, Ma Hongjun had faced almost every kind of opponent imaginable,including one with a similar elemental form.
That one had been ice; today, it was fire.
But the principle was the same. Elemental fire form wasn't truly invincible. If faced with a hotter flame, it could still be melted or absorbed.
That was one of its few weaknesses, though among equals, it almost never came into play.
Even the level 71 fire-element Soul Saint from Baili Chiyan's sect hadn't produced flames hot enough to suppress him.
Ma Hongjun was a genius, but at level 67, could he really match a Soul Saint?
Seeing Ma Hongjun nearly cornered, Baili Chiyan believed victory was at hand. To win this prodigy over, he had even risked using his lifesaving skill.
He was confident,but wary. What if Ma Hongjun still had something up his sleeve?
At that moment, Ma Hongjun's face showed a trace of helplessness. "I thought your trump card wouldn't be that impressive, but I really underestimated you. Your ability is powerful,especially against fire and most ordinary soul masters."
"But unfortunately, I am not an ordinary soul master, nor an ordinary fire user. Defeating you in this state is actually quite simple."
Baili Chiyan hesitated slightly but didn't slow down. "Oh? I'm not invincible, true,but I doubt you have that power."
Ma Hongjun continued, "To counter you, a soul master of equal level with ice or spiritual attributes would do. Unfortunately, I am neither."
Baili Chiyan chuckled. "Then stop struggling. Join me willingly, and I'll treat you like a brother. The Divine Fire Sect will nurture you well."
Ma Hongjun ignored him. "There's one more way,flame suppression. If a fire stronger than yours appears, your form will collapse."
Baili Chiyan wasn't worried. He even formed a fiery grin. "Sure, but can a mere Soul Emperor like you pull that off?"
Ma Hongjun glanced at the arena's edge,there was nowhere left to retreat. "Whether I can or not, we'll see soon enough."
His tone was calm, like still water, utterly unlike the fiery nature of his power.
As he spoke, his six soul rings rose and pulsed. The phoenix flames on his body compressed tightly, his eyes locked on the approaching web of crimson fire.
The audience didn't understand why Ma Hongjun had suddenly gone quiet, but they'd heard his exchange with Baili Chiyan.
Could it be… that he really had a fire strong enough to suppress Baili Chiyan? But he was only level 67…
Only Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing remained calm. They weren't worried at all. Seeing the situation, and hearing Ma Hongjun's analysis, they knew he had a plan.
Perhaps after this battle, Ma Hongjun would gain a talented little brother,or maybe even both siblings, since Baili Chiyan had said he'd double any wager, including his sister.
Then, before everyone's eyes, Ma Hongjun's soul rings began to pulse and merge.
Everyone was stunned.
"Ring fusion?!"
A few recognized it,an extremely rare technique known only to top prodigies. It could multiply the power of a soul skill many times over.
But Ma Hongjun's fusion was different. His rings weren't just combining,their colors were changing, all merging into his final black ring.
First, the two yellow rings fused in. Then, when the two purple rings joined, the black one deepened. When his fifth black ring merged with the sixth, all six rings vanished.
Only one remained,a blood-red, hundred-thousand-year soul ring!
Everyone was in disbelief. How was that possible? Even with fusion, Ma Hongjun only had six rings. How could their combined age equal a hundred thousand years?
They didn't know that each of his rings had been absorbed across levels. Added together through this unique fusion, they equaled a hundred thousand years.
Which meant this attack would match the power of a hundred-thousand-year soul skill.
This was one of Ma Hongjun's true trump cards, something he had never intended to use.
But now, he would hold nothing back,he was determined to claim Baili Chiyan as his brother.
Baili Chiyan felt an ominous chill. He dove toward Ma Hongjun, panic creeping in as the red ring's aura filled him with fear.
"Body merged with soul, flame merged with ring, the blazing rebirth, the phoenix ascends from hell."
"Phoenix Nine Styles,Phoenix Hellfire!"
The blood-red ring flared, its light fusing completely with Ma Hongjun.
A titanic fire phoenix spread its wings, spewing endless, terrifying flame. The fire compressed to the extreme, turning black-red,so hot it could burn and purify all things.
The crimson flame dove straight into it, only to be overwhelmed. The supposedly invulnerable Baili Chiyan screamed in agony.
"Impossible! You're only level 67! How can you have this kind of power?!"
He screamed, unbelieving that such destruction could come from a Soul Emperor.
Even a Soul Saint would be obliterated by this attack.
Just as Baili Chiyan was about to be erased completely, the ice-element Soul Douluo and water-element Soul Sage intervened.
Even in his final moment, Baili Chiyan refused to surrender. He would rather die by Ma Hongjun's fire than disgrace his sect.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Ice Soul,Frozen Heaven!"
"Sixth Soul Skill: Water Barrier,Sealed Soul!"
The two unleashed their strongest ice abilities together, barely halting the spread of the Phoenix Hellfire.
Only then did Ma Hongjun stop, standing weakly, nearly drained of all strength.
His trump card was terrifying,so much that it took a Soul Douluo and a Soul Sage to contain it,but it also exhausted him completely.
His soul power and spirit were nearly depleted; he wouldn't be able to use any soul skills again for three days.
But Ma Hongjun thought it was worth it.
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