The referee's cold, stern pronouncement was like a final, heavy hammer blow, smashing down upon the hearts of the Shrek Academy group, utterly shattering their last shred of hope. Tang San lay collapsed on the stage, drenched in blood, his life hanging by a thread. Marco's icy gaze regarded him as if he were an insect. The spectators below looked on with a mix of shock, disdain, and schadenfreude… All of this intertwined, plunging the hearts of the Shrek members into an abyss of icy despair.
Yet, amidst this overwhelming despair and chill, a fury and madness akin to a volcanic eruption suddenly erupted from the Shrek Academy camp!
"San—!!"
A piercing, grief-stricken, utterly heartbroken shriek tore through the deathly silence. It was Xiao Wu. But even faster than that scream was a fiery, crimson figure blazing with an aura of utter destruction!
Liu Erlong! She could no longer suppress the rage, humiliation, worry, and heartache for Tang San boiling within her! Seeing Tang San lying on the ground like a dead dog, her heart felt as if being sliced by knives. Her eyes burned crimson, and terrifying Soul Power fluctuations erupted from her entire body! Two yellow, two purple, three black—seven Soul Rings abruptly rose around her. The Imposing Aura of a Soul Saint was unleashed without restraint, a violent Dragon Might sweeping through the surroundings, causing nearby spectators to turn pale and stagger backward!
"Marco! You little bastard! Die!!"
She had completely lost her reason. Tournament rules? Bullying a junior? She cared for none of it! All she wanted now was to tear the black-clad youth on the stage—the one who had grievously wounded Tang San and shattered her heart—into pieces! To exact vengeance for her "son" (she regarded Tang San as her own)!
A crimson fire dragon phantom roared behind her. Liu Erlong transformed into a blazing streak of scarlet light, carrying a mad, all-consuming killing intent as she charged toward Marco on the stage with extreme speed! The air itself warped from the searing heat!
"Erlong! Stop!"
"Teacher Liu! Halt!"
Flender, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, Dai Mubai, and the others were horrified, urgently trying to stop her. But how could they possibly match the speed of Liu Erlong in her towering rage?
It seemed the crimson dragon phantom, containing the full-force strike of a Soul Saint—enough to instantly annihilate any Soul Master below the Soul King level—was about to crash onto the stage and engulf Marco!
Gasps erupted throughout the arena! No one had expected Liu Erlong to dare violate the tournament rules before everyone's eyes and attempt to kill a contestant!
Yet, facing this sudden, lethal assault, Marco on the stage remained calmly standing in place, his hands still tucked in his pockets. He slightly lifted his gaze to look at the crimson dragon phantom hurtling toward him. His eyes held not a trace of fear, only a profound, icy coldness. The corner of his mouth even held a faint, seemingly mocking curve.
He seemed utterly certain that someone would never stand idly by.
Just as Liu Erlong's crimson dragon claw was less than three feet from Marco's head, the scorching heat wave already stirring the hair on his forehead—
"Hmph!"
A cold snort, as if emanating from the deepest depths of the underworld, abruptly resounded throughout the entire Martial Arena! The sound was not loud, yet it carried a supreme, majestic authority and icy killing intent, clearly penetrating deep into the soul of every person present!
At the same moment, a silvery spear light, like lightning splitting the dark night sky, soundless yet swift to the extreme, arrived later but struck first. It abruptly appeared from an oblique angle, with pinpoint accuracy, striking the center of the palm of the crimson dragon shadow transformed from Liu Erlong!
"Ding—!"
A clear, prolonged metallic clang rang out! Though not loud, it pierced everyone's eardrums!
The seemingly indestructible, steel-rending crimson dragon claw, upon contact with that point of silvery spear light, trembled and twisted violently as if a bubble had been burst! Immediately after, an indescribably terrifying force erupted along the spear tip!
"Pfft—!"
Liu Erlong was struck as if by lightning, violently spurting a mouthful of blood. The crimson dragon shadow surrounding her collapsed with a roar! Her entire body flew backward faster than she had charged, like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily onto the open ground before the Shrek Academy preparation area. The impact created a shallow crater, sending dust billowing!
"Erlong!"
"Teacher Liu!"
The Shrek members were horrified, rushing forward in panic to check. They saw Liu Erlong's face pale as paper, her aura feeble, clearly suffering serious internal injuries, though her life was not in danger. She struggled to rise but was pinned down by an invisible force, unable to move, only able to look up with furious shock.
On the arena, before Marco, a figure as straight as a spear had appeared at some unknown time.
This person wore simple gray cloth robes, with a refined face and temples slightly frosted with gray. Yet his posture was straight as a javelin. Standing there, he seemed like an insurmountable mountain, a profound, towering, and overwhelmingly sharp aura naturally radiating, suppressing the entire arena! Especially in his right hand—that ancient-styled, entirely silver-white spear, its tip flickering with cold light—emitted a piercing sharpness that seemed to sting the soul!
Godly Spear Douluo, Li Zhaoyan!
"Father." Marco gave a slight nod, his tone calm, as if the life-and-death crisis moments ago had been nothing but a gentle breeze.
Li Zhaoyan glanced at Marco with a gentle gaze, nodded, then turned his eyes toward the Shrek Academy direction. Instantly, they turned cold as knives, sharp as spears!
He did not release his Soul Rings, but that terrifying Imposing Aura at the Titled Douluo level descended like an invisible mountain, instantly enveloping the entire Shrek Academy area! The air seemed to solidify, becoming unbearably heavy!
Under this Imposing Aura, Flender, Grandmaster Yu Xiaogang, Zhao Wuji, and others, along with the Shrek Seven Devils, felt as if weighed down by a massive boulder. Their breathing became extremely labored, faces flushing red instantly, Soul Power circulation sluggish, almost unable to resist kneeling! Especially Yu Xiaogang, whose Soul Power was already low, groaned, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his body swaying unsteadily, unable even to speak!
"A Titled... Titled Douluo!" Gasps of shock rose from the spectator stands. Countless people looked at that gray-clad figure with terror, their eyes filled with awe and fear! Godly Spear Douluo Li Zhaoyan! He had actually appeared in person! Moreover, with a single spear strike, he had severely injured the furious Soul Saint Liu Erlong!
"Greetings, Your Excellency!" The elderly referee, the royal knights maintaining order, and the team leaders from various academies in the VIP seats all bowed in salute, their voices trembling.
Li Zhaoyan's gaze sharp as lightning swept over the Shrek group, finally settling on Yu Xiaogang's face—pale as death, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he was supported by Flender. His voice was like ten-thousand-year ice, devoid of any emotion:
"Shrek Academy, such imposing aura!"
"Students with vicious temperaments, using poisoned hidden weapons during a match, attempting to murder their opponents first! That is the first offense!"
"Teachers failing to discipline strictly, indulging their disciples in committing violence—dereliction of duty! That is the second!"
"After losing, showing no remorse, daring to bully the weak in full view of everyone, attempting to cruelly kill a participating student! That is the third!"
With each sentence Li Zhaoyan spoke, his voice grew colder and more severe, his imposing aura intensifying, pressing down on the Shrek members until they could barely breathe!
"Flender! Yu Xiaogang! Liu Erlong!" Li Zhaoyan called their names directly, his voice like thunder. "What have you been teaching in this academy you run? Is it to nurture such sinister, ruthless, unscrupulous scoundrels who resort to murder to vent their anger after losing?!"
"What you teach is ambush and treachery, what you nurture is malice! What you raise are fools who don't know their own limits, overestimating themselves! What you practice is shameless acts that disregard rules and bully the weak!"
"An academy like this, teachers and students like these—how dare you speak of educating and nurturing? How dare you participate in this Pan-continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament? You are nothing but a disgrace to the Soul Master Realm!"
Li Zhaoyan's stern questioning was like an invisible whip, lashing fiercely at the hearts of every Shrek member! Especially Yu Xiaogang, whose face alternated between green and pale, his body trembling violently. His lips quivered as he tried to defend himself, but under the Titled Douluo's imposing aura and the piercing words, he couldn't utter a single syllable—only endless humiliation and... a flicker of panic at having his true nature exposed.
Flender, meanwhile, broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, his face deathly pale. He repeatedly bowed, his voice dry and trembling: "Your Excellency, please calm your anger! Your Excellency, please calm your anger! It is our failure to discipline strictly, our dereliction of duty! Erlong acted impulsively out of concern for her disciple, she never intended to offend Your Excellency! We beg Your Excellency to show mercy and spare her this once! We willingly accept any punishment from the tournament, without complaint!"
His posture was extremely submissive, his heart filled with fear and regret. If Li Zhaoyan hadn't shown restraint earlier, Liu Erlong would likely be a corpse by now! The wrath of a Titled Douluo—how could they possibly withstand it?
"Hmph!" Li Zhaoyan snorted coldly, slightly retracting his imposing aura, though his gaze remained icy. "Concern for her disciple? Does that justify ignoring the rules and attempting to cruelly kill a participating student? If I weren't here, my son would already be dead by her hand! How is such behavior any different from that of an Evil Spirit Master?!"
With a thud, Yu Xiaogang finally could no longer withstand the imposing aura and the humiliation in his heart. Coupled with his still-unhealed injuries, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his legs giving way as he fell to one knee. His face was ashen, the usual light in his eyes completely gone.
"Xiaogang!" Flender and Liu Erlong (still suppressed) cried out in alarm.
Li Zhaoyan glanced at Tang San, collapsed on the ground and barely breathing, then at the kneeling Yu Xiaogang, the terrified Flender, the suppressed Liu Erlong, and the group of Shrek students whose faces were ashen with anger but who dared not speak. A flicker of disgust passed through his eyes.