Had Shrek Academy truly fallen into an irreversible disadvantage?
This was the question weighing on every spectator's mind.
On stage, faced with the overwhelming tide of blazing flames and violent gales unleashed by Yi Chen and Wang Shiying's combined fire-and-wind control, Dai Yueheng showed not a trace of fear.
His second soul ring suddenly lit up, flashing like a blazing golden sun.
The next instant, his jaws opened wide, unleashing an incomparably fierce golden light beam. It shot out like a golden cannon shell, carrying an unstoppable momentum. The very air along its path seemed to ignite, sizzling as it burned.
Zhou Sicheng was not to be outdone. Raising his massive, metal-gleaming dragon claw, he summoned forth an overwhelming surge of holy light that rippled around him like living spirits.
He waved his claw through the air as though painting a mysterious scroll. In an instant, five brilliant golden claw marks appeared in midair. They streaked forward like meteors across the heavens, merging seamlessly with Dai Yueheng's White Tiger Light Wave.
As soon as their combined power clashed against the wind-fire assault, a violent eruption of energy burst forth. The arena shook with deafening roars, light flaring in all directions.
Under this joint offensive, Yi Chen and Wang Shiying's dual control was once again shattered. Flames and gales dispersed instantly, leaving only scorched chaos in their wake.
Having broken free from this suffocating control, Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng pounced like two hunting leopards. Without pause, they launched another ferocious assault on the Dark Demon Tiger, their movements blurring into streaks too fast for the eye to follow.
But Huang Heyun was no ordinary opponent. The soul rings across his body flickered one after another like a carousel, each pulse accompanied by a terrifying fluctuation of soul power.
With his profound foundation, every soul skill seemed injected with new vigor, their might soaring. Each release tore at the very space around him, radiating terrifying destructive force.
Faced with this overwhelming onslaught, Dai Yueheng was forced to use everything he had. His black sixth soul ring lit up—fifth soul skill, White Tiger Demon God Transformation.
In an instant, his body transformed dramatically. Muscles swelled, his fur thickened and gleamed with silver light, and his aura skyrocketed. He stood like a war god descended upon the battlefield.
Only in this state could he barely resist Huang Heyun's storm-like barrage.
Zhou Sicheng likewise went all out. On top of his fourth soul skill, Saint Dragon Manifestation, he continuously layered his first, second, and third soul skills.
Golden light shone brilliantly from his body, dragon might spreading outward in waves. Holy radiance and draconic aura fused together into an indomitable force.
Together, he and Dai Yueheng supported one another, fighting with everything they had to withstand Huang Heyun's terrifying pressure.
The three figures clashed fiercely, weaving through the battlefield in a deadly struggle that kept every spectator's heart on edge.
Time passed by the second. Outside the barrier of Star Guardian, twelve stars still twinkled faintly.
Each was like a dying candle, their glow dimming under the relentless corrosion of ice mist and poisonous miasma.
Outwardly serious, Ling Luochen took advantage of a lull in the battle to secretly transmit her voice to Dugu Xianmeng:
"It's been five minutes already. Let's push our soul power a bit harder, or else this act will look too fake. The audience is watching closely."
Her eyes gleamed mischievously, as though she were orchestrating a carefully staged performance.
Dugu Xianmeng frowned slightly and replied,
"I'm worried if I go too far, I'll drain Jiujing's Star Guardian completely. That would be troublesome."
Her voice carried genuine caution. After all, their goal wasn't truly to break the shield but to play their parts convincingly.
Ling Luochen sighed softly and then transmitted to Gongyang Mo:
"Xianmeng's Jade Phosphor Five Poisons is too potent and hard to control. You'd better use some fourth-tier soul tool shells to wear down the Star Guardian. That'll be safer."
Hovering in the rear, Gongyang Mo gritted his teeth as he reluctantly pulled out a gleaming fourth-tier soul tool shell.
Feigning desperation, he fired at the barrier while loudly shouting,
"Captain, I'm coming to save you!"
His acting was flawless, as though he truly were a heroic warrior rushing into danger for his comrades.
Inside the radiant glow of Star Guardian, beneath the cover of a hidden seventh-tier soul tool barrier, Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao's attacks never ceased.
Their figures moved fluidly within the shield, soul power flaring, making it seem as though they were desperately hammering at the defense.
While keeping up the performance, they exchanged secret transmissions.
With playful teasing, Ma Xiaotao asked,
"Little Martial Aunt, didn't Jiujing say this thing could only hold us off for five or six minutes, even if we attacked together at full strength?"
Her eyes sparkled with mischief, eager for the next "act" in their staged battle.
Ye Guyi nodded slightly, her gaze sharp and calculating. She whispered back,
"Almost six minutes now. Just follow my lead in a moment."
Ma Xiaotao chuckled,
"Got it. Acting like this is even more tiring than a real fight. When this match is over, I'm squeezing Jiujing for some extra rewards!"
Her sly smile made it clear she was already scheming what she could extort.
Ye Guyi only gave a light laugh in response, keeping her focus on maintaining the illusion of an all-out assault. Every motion of hers was flawless, as though truly clashing with an impregnable defense.
Meanwhile, Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng's condition grew dire.
Both bore bloody wounds, staining their uniforms.
Under the unrelenting suppression of Huang Heyun, Yi Chen, and Wang Shiying's ice-fire control, they were like small boats tossed in a storm, ready to capsize at any moment.
Seeing them nearly cornered, Xu Jiujing's expression shifted suddenly, feigning urgency. She shouted,
"Huang Heyun! Finish Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng quickly! The Absolute Barrier won't hold much longer against Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao!"
Her voice carried a convincing trace of panic, as though truly worried.
Catching her signal instantly, Huang Heyun's Ninefold Soul Converter roared to life behind him, glowing with mysterious light.
The device hummed as it channeled the last reserves of soul power into his body.
His black fifth soul ring lit up, radiating with the depth of a starless night sky.
"Fifth Soul Skill—Dark Star Nebula Rend!" Huang Heyun bellowed, his tiger's roar shaking the arena.
In that instant, his body blurred forward like black lightning, merging with the dark demon tiger from his third soul skill, Heaven-Shaking Demon Tiger.
The fusion transformed him into a towering Dark Demon Tiger King, his aura surging with dreadful might that made hearts tremble.
Dai Yueheng, unwilling to bow, flared his own sixth soul ring. Black light flared like flames, erupting with murderous aura. His claws slashed, condensing a radiant golden character—"Kill"—blazing with destructive force.
"Sixth Soul Skill—White Tiger Annihilation Strike!"
At the same time, Zhou Sicheng's body blazed with golden light. Holy radiance swirled like a tidal wave, his dragon claws clashing against Yi Chen and Wang Shiying's ice-fire barrage.
Each swing sent waves of golden brilliance colliding with elemental force, explosions shaking the arena.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The impact of the White Tiger and Dark Demon Tiger's clash sent shockwaves rolling outward like a tidal sea. The stage trembled, stone tiles shattering beneath the impact.
For a brief moment, the two sides were deadlocked, neither yielding.
Drawing on his raw strength, Zhou Sicheng managed to break through Yi Chen and Wang Shiying's dual control, his dragon claw streaking like a golden arc toward Dai Yueheng's side in support.
But Huang Heyun's power was too overwhelming. Even together, Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng could not withstand it.
The Dark Demon Tiger's roar split the air, and the two were blasted backward, their bodies crashing into the stage like cannonballs, gouging deep trenches across the arena floor. Dust billowed as stone shattered.
Without hesitation, Huang Heyun pressed his advantage. Transformed into a colossal black tiger, he lunged after them with crushing momentum.
Yi Chen and Wang Shiying's combined flames and storm followed close behind, merging into a raging tide that swept mercilessly toward Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng.
At the same time, only five faint stars remained flickering within Star Guardian. Cracks spread across the barrier like a spider's web on the verge of collapse.
Its destruction was imminent.
High above, Huang Heyun roared and raised two massive black tiger claws, glowing with annihilating power. With unstoppable force, they descended toward Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng's heads.
****
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