The match began. Tai Long, Yang Pojun, Niu Li, and Huang Yuan charged forward at full speed.
Alongside them were four powerful ten-thousand-year spirit souls, each different in form and terrifying in strength.
Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang snorted coldly, each using their own amplification abilities. They transformed into two raging fire dragons and rushed out.
Could one Soul Emperor and one Soul King stop four top-tier Soul Kings and four spirit beasts?
The answer, of course, was no. Even though Huo Wushuang was strong, he couldn't hold out against so many opponents.
But one mustn't forget,Huo Wu was a top-level control-type soul master. Her third soul ring glowed with purple light, and a crimson halo instantly formed around her.
"Third Soul Skill: Repelling Fire Ring!"
Originally just a rare defensive skill, in Huo Wu's hands it displayed terrifying control power.
The Repelling Fire Ring instantly expanded, sending all four spirit souls flying. Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang only needed to deal with Tai Long, Yang Pojun, Niu Li, and Huang Yuan.
Even though the four were invincible among Soul Kings, with the Soul Emperor Huo Wushuang fighting at full power, a two-on-four battle was enough to hold even for now.
Meanwhile, Jing Ling and Bai Chenxiang transformed into two streaks of light, locking onto the four Soul Elders. Two Soul Kings and two ten-thousand-year spirit souls were more than enough to overwhelm Soul Elders.
At the rear of the formation, Jiang Zhu stood ready, her spirit soul released, prepared to heal and restore her teammates at any moment.
Facing Jing Ling and Bai Chenxiang's sudden assault, the four remaining Soul Elders of the Blazing Fire Sect used all their soul skills in a desperate gamble.
As Jing Ling charged forward, another Repelling Fire Ring appeared, bouncing his spirit soul away.
However, Bai Chenxiang and her spirit soul, the Emerald Demon Bird, were unaffected as they were flying high above,the Repelling Fire Ring couldn't reach them.
The four Soul Elders of the Blazing Fire Sect rushed together toward Jing Ling.
One-on-one, they would never be his match. But four-on-one,they might just take him down.
Bai Chenxiang and her Emerald Demon Bird darted to his aid, while Jing Ling's spirit soul also flew toward him.
Yet Huo Wu smiled. With her current Soul Emperor power, maintaining a Repelling Fire Ring cost little soul power. With this one ability alone, she could divide the battlefield and control multiple fronts.
As Bai Chenxiang and her Emerald Demon Bird dove, Huo Wu released another Repelling Fire Ring, trapping Jing Ling and the four Soul Elders inside.
Jing Ling's skeletal dragon spirit soul charged up, only to be knocked back again. Bai Chenxiang and her bird suffered the same fate.
Huo Wu maintained the ring, enclosing Jing Ling and the four Soul Elders. Unless someone could instantly shatter the ring, there was no breaking through.
Bai Chenxiang and her Emerald Demon Bird weren't suited for powerful attacks, so they couldn't possibly break through a Repelling Fire Ring cast by a level sixty-one Soul Emperor.
On the other side of the battlefield, the same scene unfolded. Another massive Repelling Fire Ring enclosed Tai Long, Yang Pojun, Niu Li, and Huang Yuan, along with Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang.
Tai Long's group faced less pressure,they were four against two, a fair fight.
Although they couldn't focus on breaking the ring, the four ten-thousand-year spirit souls working together had enough power to do so.
Their first strike was repelled, but on the second, cracks appeared.
By the third, they would have broken through,but Huo Wu poured in more power, sealing the cracks and maintaining the ring.
By now, everyone understood Huo Wu's plan. She knew the Shrek team's strength,if they were allowed to fight freely with their spirit souls, even Huo Wushuang might not last one round.
So she used her Repelling Fire Ring to divide the battlefield and defeat them one by one.
If she could eliminate Jing Ling first, his skeletal dragon would vanish on its own.
This battlefield division had another benefit: while her own energy consumption multiplied, Shrek's exhaustion would rise as well.
Unfortunately for her, the Blazing Fire Sect only had three members above the Soul King level,the other four were Soul Elders.
Although her strategy briefly suppressed Shrek, no one was holding down Jiang Zhu.
Her body glowed as her soul rings flashed one after another. Her spirit soul, the Amethyst Flower, released dazzling light.
Beams of light entered her teammates and their spirit souls, restoring soul power, stamina, and even healing injuries.
Under attack by four Soul Elders, Jing Ling, who had been struggling, suddenly recovered, transforming into a skeletal berserker to fight four at once.
Tai Long's team clashed fiercely with Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang, but without a healer, the two Blazing Fire Sect members were bound to falter.
More importantly, Bai Chenxiang, her Emerald Demon Bird, and Jing Ling's skeletal dragon had joined Tai Long's four spirit souls,six in total,abandoning their attempts to break the fire ring and charging straight for Huo Wu.
If the Repelling Fire Ring reflected attacks, then they would simply strike Huo Wu herself.
Even if she summoned another to protect herself, as long as they broke through once, they could eliminate her directly.
Without her control, the six spirit souls plus six Shrek Soul Kings could easily overwhelm the rest.
Bai Chenxiang, swift as lightning, led the charge, followed by the six spirit souls.
At that moment, Huo Wu smiled strangely.
For nearly three months since the tournament began, she had studied Shrek nonstop. She knew they hadn't revealed all their spirit souls in previous rounds.
Even in the promotion matches, the Blazing Fire Sect hadn't fought seriously, saving their trump cards for the finals.
Facing six spirit souls and Bai Chenxiang's attack, Huo Wu's sixth black soul ring glowed. A massive flame figure emerged.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Flame Goddess of War!"
A huge fiery female spirit appeared. The two Repelling Fire Rings merged into streams of light that flew into her,one circling her body, one resting in her palm.
This was Huo Wu's ultimate move. In this state, the Repelling Fire Ring shielded her completely. Unless someone shattered it instantly, she was nearly untouchable and could attack freely.
The Flame Goddess of War raised the ring in her hand and slammed it down toward the six spirit souls and Bai Chenxiang.
As it descended, it expanded into a massive fiery dome radiating terrifying heat.
If this landed, she could eliminate all six spirit souls and Bai Chenxiang at once.
Without their spirit souls, Shrek's team would be helpless against her, Huo Wushuang, and Bai Li Pangpang.
But did Shrek lack their own plan? As the number-one academy on the continent, would they accept defeat so easily?
Of course not. This scenario was one they had prepared for.
As the fiery dome fell, Bai Chenxiang and her Emerald Demon Bird suddenly changed direction, as if foreseeing everything. They bypassed the Flame Goddess entirely,their true target was never Huo Wu.
The two streaks of light dove toward the four Blazing Fire Sect Soul Elders attacking Jing Ling.
The Repelling Fire Ring that had trapped them was gone, leaving them defenseless.
In an instant, the Emerald Demon Bird's fierce attack disabled one Soul Elder, while Bai Chenxiang took down another.
Jing Ling seized the chance, turning into a skeletal berserker and crushing the last two with his bone claws.
It all happened in a flash. As the fiery dome descended on the five spirit souls, the four Soul Elders were already eliminated and carried off the stage.
Seeing this, Huo Wu's face changed slightly, though she had at least trapped five spirit souls.
Her fifth soul ring lit up, igniting fierce flames inside the fiery dome.
Under such heat, even ten-thousand-year spirit souls would struggle to survive.
But were spirit souls really that weak?
Five ten-thousand-year spirit souls could rival a Soul Sage, if not stronger.
Though lacking physical bodies, their forms were made of condensed soul power and spiritual energy.
At the moment the flames erupted, the five trapped spirit souls released all their remaining power, locking onto the massive Flame Goddess.
The Silverback Gorilla, Taishan Mammoth, Golden Beetle King, Skeletal Dragon, and Diamond King unleashed their full strength at once.
Five terrifying attacks merged into one, forming a massive energy beam.
The fiery dome that once reflected attacks shattered instantly. Even the Repelling Fire Ring around the Flame Goddess's body couldn't withstand it.
Now Huo Wu realized their true plan. They had held back earlier to conserve energy and wait until they were close enough to strike!
The five spirit souls shattered both rings and pierced straight through the Flame Goddess.
Their power spent, they turned into six rays of light and returned to their masters' spiritual seas.
With Jiang Zhu's healing and the Amethyst Flower's recovery ability, much of the damage was already offset.
The Flame Goddess crumbled under the devastating blow, revealing Huo Wu's exhausted form. She crashed onto the arena floor, blood at her lips, her aura fading.
She had consumed all her strength, only to fall into Shrek's trap in the end.
At that moment, Jing Ling, Bai Chenxiang, and the Emerald Demon Bird streaked toward her.
Tai Long's group still held Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang at bay. Even though Huo Wushuang had used his sixth soul skill to transform into a fierce fire dragon, he couldn't break through.
Niu Li's defense was unmatched; his Armored Rhinoceros spirit and five defensive soul rings made him nearly impervious.
Tai Long's strength surpassed even that of the Soul Emperor. Each punch carried unstoppable power.
Yang Pojun's black-flamed spear pierced through everything,his "Soul-Breaking Spear" style was so sharp even Soul Emperors avoided it.
Huang Yuan, though not outstanding in one area, was balanced in offense, defense, and speed.
Now at the Soul King level, he was beginning to show his terrifying late-stage potential.
The balance was broken. Without support or healing, the Blazing Fire Sect's gap with Shrek only grew.
Facing Bai Chenxiang's assault, Huo Wu's eyes filled with unwillingness, but she refused to yield.
Her six rings,two yellow, two purple, two black,rose and fused into a pure black ring.
This was her fusion skill, a rare ability possessed only by true geniuses.
Gathering all her remaining strength, Huo Wu unleashed her fourth soul skill.
"Flame Dance: Shining Sun!"
A blazing white fireball formed instantly, but instead of targeting her attackers, it shot toward Jiang Zhu at the back of Shrek's formation.
Even with her fusion, her strength was limited.
So she chose to strike where they would be forced to defend,if no one stopped it, Jiang Zhu would be gravely injured.
She meant no harm, but the battle had reached this point,she could no longer hold back.
As the blazing fireball flew toward Jiang Zhu, everyone cried out, "Jiang Zhu, dodge!"
Bai Chenxiang and the Emerald Demon Bird turned back immediately. Tai Long and Niu Li held off Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang, while Yang Pojun and Huang Yuan sprinted toward Jiang Zhu.
Jing Ling rushed straight for Huo Wu,he had to eliminate her now.
Bai Chenxiang and her bird caught up to the fireball, slicing it with countless wind blades, but they couldn't stop it.
Just then, a black-flamed spear shot forward, piercing the white fireball.
It exploded violently, scattering blazing embers everywhere. Bai Chenxiang and the Emerald Demon Bird were thrown back.
Hit by the blast, Bai Chenxiang coughed blood. Fortunately, Jiang Zhu's healing restored her quickly.
Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang were still held down. Jing Ling grabbed Huo Wu by the throat,her soul power was gone, her eyes full of unwillingness.
Defeated again by Shrek…
The power of spirit souls was truly beyond reach.
At that moment, Huo Wu finally accepted the truth,if only she had a ten-thousand-year spirit soul, Shrek would never have won again.
"The Blazing Fire Sect Team… concedes!"
Her weak voice echoed across the arena. Huo Wushuang and Bai Li Pangpang deflated like punctured balloons.
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