In the sky, the clash of ice and fire had reached a fever pitch. Each collision between the Azure Flame Undying Phoenix and the Ice Snow Phoenix erupted with deafening roars and devastating energy surges, pushing the atmosphere of the entire Great Spirit Arena to its climax.
However, as time passed, the battle began to subtly shift.
Marco, who had been fiercely exchanging Spirit Abilities and clashing head-on with the Ice Snow Phoenix, seemed to have grown weary of this energy-consuming stalemate. The azure-red flames in his eyes flickered slightly, flashing with a sharp gleam. The next moment, his fighting style abruptly transformed!
His massive azure flame wings flapped vigorously behind him, and his movements were no longer straightforward charges or evasions. Instead, they became incredibly agile and elusive! He transformed into a streak of azure-red lightning, tracing unpredictable trajectories through the air, instantly bypassing the Ice Snow Phoenix's freezing breath and closing in on the giant ice phoenix's flank!
"Endless exchanges grow tedious," Marco remarked with a faint curl of his lips. His right leg, coiled like a poised whip, suddenly lashed out! As it swung, the leg's motion tore through the air, compressing azure-red flames into a crescent-shaped flame slash as thin as a cicada's wing yet impossibly sharp!
"Tempest Kick Azure Flame Slash!"
Whoosh—!
A piercing sound ripped through the air! The azure-red crescent slash, moving at a speed barely visible to the naked eye, instantly struck the root of the Ice Snow Phoenix's left wing!
Crack!
The hardened ice armor shattered upon impact, leaving a deep, charred gash in its wake as ice shards scattered everywhere. The Ice Snow Phoenix let out a pained cry, its massive body lurching sideways as its offensive momentum faltered!
"What was that Spirit Ability?"
"A slash launched with his leg? I've never seen anything like it!"
"Incredible speed! Such cutting power!"
Exclamations of astonishment erupted from the spectator stands! Marco's sudden leg-based attack defied conventional Spirit Ability norms—it was both bizarre and ruthlessly efficient!
Seizing the advantage, Marco didn't hesitate! His figure flickered like a phantom, reappearing directly above the Ice Snow Phoenix's head!
"Leg Gun Piercing Kill!"
His left leg shot out straight as a javelin, the tip condensing intensely compressed, tangible azure-red flames into a point of extreme sharpness. Like a drill, it screamed through the air as he viciously kicked toward the Ice Snow Phoenix's skull!
Enraged and alarmed, the Ice Snow Phoenix hastily raised its massive ice claw to block!
Boom!
The Leg Gun collided violently with the ice claw! The ultra-compressed azure flames erupted instantly, their terrifying penetrating power boring straight through the thick ice! The Ice Snow Phoenix cried out in agony once more, its enormous head thrown backward by the immense force, sending ice crystal fragments flying in all directions!
Marco's form left afterimages in the air as his legs became weapons of pure terror! At times, they descended like battle axes, crashing onto the ice phoenix's back with mountain-splitting force and leaving sprawling, spider web-like fractures; at others, they swept horizontally like razor blades, their sharp leg winds slicing through icy assaults, the flames concentrated at his toes striking like a serpent's fangs, precisely targeting the nodes of the Ice Snow Phoenix's energy flow!
His attacks were no longer grand clashes of energy, but had transformed into exquisitely precise, ruthless, and lightning-fast martial art combos! Perfectly merging the ferocity of Azure Flame with the Phoenix's extreme speed, his legs became like two divine blades burning with undying flames, relentlessly assaulting the massive Ice Snow Phoenix!
"Bam! Bam! Bam! Crack! Sizzle—!"
Dense collisions like rainfall, shattering ice crystals, and roaring flames echoed incessantly! Despite possessing immense power and extreme cold energy, the Ice Snow Phoenix appeared exceptionally clumsy and passive against Marco's ghostly movements and razor-sharp leg techniques! It could only continuously flap its wings, spew frost breath, and swipe with its claws, struggling to defend while failing to capture Marco's true position. New scorch marks and cracks continuously appeared on its massive body as it retreated step by step!
Marco's figure moved through the air like a startled swan, flowing like a swimming dragon, his attacks seamless as floating clouds and flowing water, carrying a violent beauty akin to art. His expression remained relaxed, even somewhat leisurely, as if he weren't engaged in a life-or-death battle but performing an elegant aerial dance. Azure-red flames swirled and erupted around his legs, painting the sky into a dazzling yet perilous canvas.
"He's... too strong! Completely suppressed!"
"That movement! Those leg techniques! It's pure artistry!"
"The Martial Soul Fusion Skill can't even fight back?"
"He hasn't even gone all out! Look at his expression!"
The spectators on the stands watched dumbfounded, their blood boiling! The powerful figures in the VIP seats wore exceptionally grave expressions. What Marco displayed now wasn't just formidable Soul Power and flames, but an exquisitely refined combat system they had never witnessed before! This fighting style that pushed physical limits to the extreme and perfectly integrated with his Martial Soul held value no less than those powerful Spirit Abilities!
"This attack method... a Self-created Soul Skill? No, it seems more like... a complete martial art style!" Bone Douluo Gu Rong's raspy voice carried disbelief, "What kind of inheritance does this young man possess?"
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flickered, his heart surging with waves. The potential Marco displayed continuously shattered his perceived limits.
The fused consciousness of Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu was filled with humiliation, shock, and helplessness. They could sense that Marco hadn't even used his true killing techniques, perhaps not even half his strength, yet he had driven them into desperation solely with this bizarre martial art! The energy of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill was rapidly depleting, while his attacks clung to them like persistent parasites, precisely striking their weak points!
"We can't continue like this!" A desperate thought flashed through their fused consciousness.
"Screeeech—!!!"
The Ice Snow Phoenix suddenly released an extremely sharp cry, filled with sorrow and resolve! It ceased attempting to attack the elusive Marco, instead fiercely folding its massive wings to protect itself! Immediately after, a terrifying cold wave far surpassing anything before erupted violently from its center!
"Absolute Zero Extreme Ice Burst!"
Endless blue-white light devoured everything! A visible icy-blue shockwave expanded outward in a spherical shape at tremendous speed! Wherever it passed, even the air was completely frozen! The moisture in the sky instantly turned into hard ice crystal powder! This was an indiscriminate area-of-effect ultimate attack unleashed by the Ice Snow Phoenix at the cost of its origin power, intending to force Marco back or even freeze him solid!
Facing this sudden, extremely wide-ranging ultimate ice explosion, Marco raised an eyebrow slightly. His figure instantly blurred, transforming into a streak of azure-red light as he rapidly retreated backward at an astonishing speed. Simultaneously, he crossed his arms, condensing Azure Flame into a thick fiery shield before him!
"BOOM——!!!"
The ice explosion's shockwave slammed violently against the fiery shield, creating a deafening roar! Extreme cold and extreme heat clashed fiercely once again, sending massive plumes of white steam soaring into the sky and obscuring vision. Marco was pushed back dozens of meters by the tremendous impact before stabilizing his stance. The fiery shield before him flickered uncertainly, its surface now covered with a thick layer of frost.
With a slight tremor, flames surged and the frost instantly vaporized. His gaze pierced through the gradually dissipating steam, looking into the distance.
The Ice Snow Phoenix that had just released this desperate attack now appeared significantly dimmer. Its massive body trembled slightly, and its aura had clearly weakened considerably, indicating tremendous expenditure. Hovering in the air, its icy phoenix eyes stared fixedly at Marco, filled with both unwillingness and exhaustion.
Marco dispersed the fiery shield before him, standing suspended in mid-air. His azure-red eyes calmly observed his opponent before he suddenly smiled faintly and spoke:
"Your Soul Power probably can't hold out much longer, can it? Though this Martial Soul Fusion Skill is powerful, the burden on you is equally tremendous." His voice carried clearly across the entire arena. "There's little meaning in continuing this consumption battle. How about... we decide this with one final strike? Let me see what level your Fusion Skill's strongest attack can truly reach."
His tone remained calm, yet carried an undeniable confidence and... anticipation.
The Ice Snow Phoenix's massive body trembled slightly, complex lights flashing in its phoenix eyes - Shui Bing'er's stubbornness mixed with Xue Wu's determination. After a moment of silence, a voice blending both their tones, carrying both coldness and exhaustion, emerged from the ice phoenix's mouth:
"Agreed! One strike to decide the outcome!"
As the words fell, the Ice Snow Phoenix raised its head and released a long, mournful phoenix cry! The dim light around its body brightened once more, but this time, instead of expanding outward, it frantically contracted and compressed inward! All the remaining cold air in the sky, the falling snowflakes, and even its own massive body began converging and collapsing toward the core at a terrifying speed!
The light in the sky rapidly dimmed, as if all light and heat were being devoured by the continuously compressing icy-blue sphere! A terrifying aura far colder, more deathly silent, and more soul-freezing than anything before spread out like tidal waves! At the center of the icy-blue sphere, the faint silhouette of a massive glacier could be seen forming, as if preparing to drag the entire world into an eternal ice age!
Shui Bing'er and Xue Wu poured all their remaining Soul Power, willpower, and even part of their life force into this final strike! This was the ultimate form of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill "Ice and Snow Drifting" — Glacier Assault!
Marco sensed the destructive energy within the light sphere—powerful enough to seal a Soul Emperor in ice and severely injure a Soul Saint—yet instead of fear, his eyes blazed with even more intense azure-red flames! The Azure Flame surrounding him began to condense and compress inward, his aura growing increasingly refined and terrifying!
The moment of final confrontation was imminent!
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