While Zhu Ziyang was toying with the Death God Envoy within the Hell Duel Arena, a fierce battle was also raging in the stone hall outside.
Although Shrek's Reserve Team had seized the initiative and struck first, killing more than half of the bandit group, the main force—the fallen soul masters—were still alive. There were roughly twenty of them remaining.
These fallen soul masters were generally Soul Elders, with three of them being Soul Kings, and one unknown black-clothed Soul Sage. Together, their overall strength was not inferior to Ma Xiaotao and her companions. What's more, they were backed by over a hundred ordinary bandits, who threw themselves at them like mindless puppets, creating endless trouble.
As the team leader, Ma Xiaotao naturally took on the Soul Sage.
That black-clothed Soul Sage was extremely powerful. With a soul ring configuration of three purple, four black, his display alone was astonishing. Combined with his strange and unknown beast martial soul, he could actually go head-to-head with Ma Xiaotao, even though she wielded the Ultimate Fire and had received the augmentation of Gongyang Mo's six soul skills.
Ma Xiaotao was furious. She had never imagined herself locked in a stalemate with an evil soul master—it was a deep insult to her. She threw her head back and let out a furious roar. Her first and third soul rings lit up at the same time, and golden flames surged from her right arm. Those flames transformed into several long spears of fire, emitting overwhelming energy as they hurtled through the air toward the Soul Sage.
Seeing this, the Soul Sage immediately raised his arms—shaped like eagle claws but covered in snake scales—attempting to block Ma Xiaotao's assault. His arms were wrapped in pitch-black vengeful spirits.
But he still underestimated Ma Xiaotao—this so-called Flame Demon of Shrek's Inner Court. The first spear was blocked, but the second struck almost instantly, forcing him back a step. Then the third… the fourth… the fifth… one after another, eight golden spears in total, pierced through his arms and nailed him to the rock wall, his shoulder torn open as he stared on in rage and disbelief.
Ma Xiaotao was quite satisfied with the result, her delicate face blooming with a proud smile.
This was the Golden Nine Strikes of her 100,000-year-old Bright Flame Skyhawk Right Arm Bone.
After her successful hit, Ma Xiaotao wasted no time and immediately activated her fifth soul skill to finish off the Soul Sage. Her dark blue phoenix flame took form, a divine bird swooping from the skies like a holy messenger, diving straight at her opponent.
Faced with Ma Xiaotao's full-force attack, the black-clothed Soul Sage panicked and hastily activated his seventh soul skill—Martial Soul True Body. A bizarre creature appeared before everyone: it had the head of a rat, the body of a snake, two stubby claws on its belly, and seven rat tails at the end of its three-meter-long body. As soon as it emerged, a nauseating stench filled the entire cave.
"What… what the hell is that?" The seven members of the Reserve Team looked on with disgust. The youngest, Xiao Xiao, even vomited on the spot.
Wang Yan's expression turned grave. He recognized the martial soul and explained, "That's the Corrupt Venom Serpent, a legendary creature from the Abyss. I never thought someone could actually awaken such a martial soul! It's said that everything it touches rots and dies—it's a true thief of life."
"This thing…" Huo Yuhao and the others had never heard of such a martial soul, but Wang Yan's words filled them with concern. "Teacher, will Sister Xiaotao be alright?"
"She will. Ma Xiaotao's Fire Phoenix martial soul is the Ultimate Fire—naturally countering such evil beings," Wang Yan reassured.
As he said, Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Skyblue Flame possessed powerful purifying properties. With the boost of Ultimate Fire, that purification grew even stronger. As the blue phoenix collided with the Corrupt Venom Serpent, the latter's eyes filled with terror. Its body was immediately set ablaze.
Seizing the momentum, Ma Xiaotao's right arm flared again with golden flame. She activated the other soul skill of her right arm bone—Golden Burst Break.
A golden fireball pulsing with terrifying energy appeared in her hand, inside of which a majestic hawk soared. As the hawk's image grew sharper, she threw the fireball with all her strength. It blasted toward the burning Corrupt Venom Serpent like an unstoppable meteor.
But just before it could strike, an unexpected change occurred.
Demon Spirit Douluo Ai Zihao suddenly appeared before the Corrupt Venom Serpent. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his face was grim. With a wave of his hands, he neutralized Ma Xiaotao's golden fireball.
"As expected of Gluttonous Douluo… I'll remember today's grudge!" Demon Spirit Douluo hissed with venom. He scooped up the Corrupt Venom Serpent with one hand and threw two pitch-black soul tool shells with the other, shouting coldly, "These were meant for trade… but now, heh, let's see how you like our Supreme Elder's creations!"
At the same moment, Xuanzi appeared beside him and noticed the thrown soul tool shells. Though he didn't recognize them, the terrifying aura they radiated instantly triggered his instincts. He shouted, "Everyone, retreat immediately!"
Without hesitation, he grabbed Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo and released his Martial Soul True Body. A colossal Gluttonous Divine Bull appeared in the center of the stone hall.
Ma Xiaotao and the others, hearing his cry, understood the danger and sprinted toward the exit. Just as they reached Xuanzi, the two soul tool shells detonated.
The massive shockwaves radiated from the shells' impact points, sweeping outwards in waves of explosive force. Stones, blood, and corpses were sent flying. The thunderous boom slammed into everyone's eardrums. The pressure and force drained the color from their faces.
In that instant, Xuanzi shielded everyone beneath his massive bull form. The Gluttonous Divine Bull absorbed nearly ninety percent of the explosion's power. The cave walls collapsed in a blink. Huge boulders crashed down onto Xuanzi, burying the once-spacious hall.
The explosion ended—but the devastation it caused was painfully real.
"Th-this…" Wang Yan and the Reserve Team, being farther from the center and protected by Xuanzi, were merely blown a few meters away by the soundwave. Bruised but safe, they staggered to their feet and stared at the ruined scene in horror.
"Was… was that an eighth-grade soul tool shell?" Huo Yuhao stammered as he looked blankly at He Caitou.
"Y-yes!" He Caitou was equally shocked. He had seen soul tool shells before, but never an eighth-grade one that could detonate without a soul tool cannon!
"Heavens…" Zhu Ziyang returned just as the explosion subsided, carrying the Death God Envoy's corpse. He emerged into a sealed-off zone of shattered rock. The intense heat and lingering aura of soul tool explosives instantly told him what had happened.
His face turned pale. He anxiously prayed that Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao were safe. Without hesitation, he began clearing the rubble. The Stillness Fate Ending Scythe was ineffective for this task, so he immediately switched martial souls. The Heavenly Frost Holy Dragon possessed him, and with powerful dragon claws, he punched away the debris, reducing stone after stone to dust.
While Zhu Ziyang dug through the rubble, Shrek's group slowly recovered from the blast.
After repelling Ghost King Douluo, Elder Lin was also startled by the sudden explosion. She rushed into the cave and was met with a scene that filled her with both worry and rage.
A massive Gluttonous Divine Bull was pinned under the collapsed mountain. Beneath him were Shrek's dazed core team members.
Elder Lin quickly pulled them out, then shattered the rocks pinning the bull. Without the added pressure, the divine beast collapsed, no longer able to support himself. His back was badly scorched, emitting a charred stench, his fur burned away, and the flesh beneath torn and bloodied. He looked utterly miserable.
"Xuanzi, are you alright?" Elder Lin ran to him, her voice filled with concern. Though Xuanzi was over a hundred years old, she had watched him grow up—he was still her junior!
"Cough… still alive! It's thanks to my thick skin. Otherwise, I'd have died here!" The Gluttonous Divine Bull shrank back into Xuanzi. He looked awful—his clothes tattered, half his hair burned off, and his back a mess of blood and burns. His face was pale as chalk, but he forced a smile and said, "Hehe… I didn't expect a soul tool shell to be this powerful. Thinking back, Elder Mu's decision was absolutely right!"
"Now is not the time for jokes!" Elder Lin scolded angrily.
"Alright, alright!" Xuanzi immediately composed himself. Ignoring his injuries, he looked toward the students and asked, "How's Xiaotao and the others? Elder Mu entrusted this mission to me—I can't afford to mess it up again!"
"Don't worry. With you acting as the shield, they're all safe," Elder Lin replied.
(End of Chapter)
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