"Senior Sanshi, do you really want to seek your own death?"
Huo Yuhao's expression turned completely dark, cold killing intent spreading out like a tangible force.
"Yuhao, personal grudges are personal grudges, but stance is stance."
Xu Sanshi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze unshakably determined.
"As a member of Shrek Academy, I absolutely cannot stand by and watch a fellow student die, nor can I let you take Bei Bei away! Besides, my reinforcements will be here soon!"
Xu Sanshi didn't like Dai Huabin either, but if he hadn't seen this scene, he could have ignored it. Now, however, Dai Huabin was right in front of him. If he chose to stand by and do nothing, how could he ever face the Academy again?
"Stubborn fool!"
Huo Yuhao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, only pure, icy killing intent remained.
"Xiao Mei, kill them."
"Understood, Yuhao."
Xiao Wu nodded lightly, divine blue power surging around her like the tide—sacred and vast, yet containing a terrifying might capable of annihilating everything.
One must know, before she was cast into the spatial turbulence, she bore the position of Sea God—so the divine power flowing within her at this moment was the power of the Sea God.
Bei Bei closed his eyes in pain.
The ruthless killing order from Huo Yuhao was like an ice-cold dagger stabbing straight through his heart.
The little junior brother he remembered, stubborn but still kind at heart, had finally disappeared completely.
If it were the old Huo Yuhao, he would never have uttered the words "kill Xu Sanshi" no matter what.
Huo Yuhao had truly changed; he was no longer the little junior brother Bei Bei once knew.
"Master, this is life and death now! You absolutely must hold on!"
Cú Chulainn laughed wildly, and in an instant, a crimson aura surged around him like burning flames, adding to his wild and unrestrained presence.
At the same time, a faintly excited smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if the impending battle was exactly what he yearned for.
"Hmph, when it comes to defense and survival, I'm the expert!"
Xu Sanshi growled, pouring all his soul power without reservation into his shield array. The heavy phantom of the Black Tortoise let out a deep roar as the shield array blazed with light.
Xu Sanshi took a deep breath, intense pain radiating from his abdomen—Bei Bei's relentless strike had nearly shattered his soul power.
But the eyes that always held a hint of mischief were now as solid as stone.
He stared dead ahead, determination boiling inside—he must not back down, nor fall!
His greatest reliance was the ultimate defense brought by the Black Tortoise martial soul.
The Black Tortoise Shield Array was deployed: layers upon layers of black shield phantoms surrounded him like the most loyal guardians, radiating an unbreakable, heavy aura.
His only job was to become an unyielding stone, an unbreakable bone, pinned firmly here—delaying until reinforcements arrived!
If Cú Chulainn could restrain that terrifying black ponytailed woman, then the only ones Xu Sanshi would have to face head-on would be Huo Yuhao and the weakened Tang Ya.
As for Bei Bei… Xu Sanshi's heart twisted; that bastard might have betrayed them, but knowing Bei Bei, he would never truly try to kill his own brother.
That was his only blessing amid misfortune, and also the one variable in his calculations.
And hope was not so distant!
In his mind flashed the graceful, incomparably beautiful figure of Han Ruoruo's servant, the romantic demigod Aglaea. With her authority, she must have noticed the changes on their side and his predicament.
So, he believed, the reinforcements must be on their way.
Of course, he was also clear-headed enough to prepare for the worst.
If… if reinforcements never came, it could only mean the battle elsewhere was even fiercer, and even Aglaea had no time to spare.
If that was the case, then fate had turned against him, and Xu Sanshi was destined to die here today!
But even if this was a dead end, he would fight till the last second—shed the last drop of blood, exhaust the last shred of soul power, until the Black Tortoise Shield shattered and he fell to the ground!
Thinking of this, he poured his soul power madly into the Black Tortoise Shield again. The massive turtle-snake phantom seemed to let out a silent roar, and the shield's light grew even more solid and heavy.
He grinned, baring a smile mixed with pain and madness, and shouted hoarsely at Huo Yuhao:
"Come on! If you want to hurt a Shrek student, ask my shield first if it agrees!"
The air seemed to freeze into solid ice, or as if invisible hands squeezed it tight—each breath came with the grating friction of metal.
Killing intent, hatred, icy soul power fluctuations all interwove, sending the temperature of the ruins plummeting as if the dead of winter had arrived.
The first to shatter this deadly silence was Cú Chulainn.
Battle intent burned like flames in his crimson eyes. With a fierce step, the ground exploded beneath him, and he shot forward like a red meteor tearing through the night!
The legendary spear in his hand—the Gáe Bolg—let out a chilling hum. The tip vibrated at a frequency too fast for the eye to follow, stabbing out countless cold flashes in an instant!
No longer a single thrust, but a dazzling, deadly rain of crimson meteors!
Each cold star contained a force to pierce steel and rip souls, flooding the space and leaving no room to dodge as it surged toward Xiao Wu!
Xiao Wu's beautiful face showed not the slightest contempt. Ocean-blue divine power surged from her, gathering rapidly before her and taking form!
The vast divine energy stirred the surrounding moisture, and the air even echoed with the illusory roar of waves.
A trident, deep and mysterious, carved with ancient divine runes, appeared out of thin air and landed securely in her hand.
Facing the destructive rain of spears, she did not retreat. Waist sinking, wrist flicking, the projection of the Sea God's supreme divine weapon thrust forth, carrying a crushing force—no tricks, only absolute power and majesty.
"BOOM!!!"
Spear and trident collided at their tips in a thousandth of a second!
The burst of light in that moment outshone the sun!
A terrifying shockwave spread out in a perfect ring, as if a god's whip of destruction lashed out.
The earth was torn like fragile paper, bottomless cracks spreading madly, rubble, dust, and even distant broken buildings turned instantly to powder under this pure violence.
The aftershock of just a single clash leveled hundreds of meters, creating an absolute death zone!
Xiao Wu and Cú Chulainn separated at the center of the explosion, sliding back dozens of meters, gouging deep ruts into the ground.
They exchanged glances, each seeing the gravity and the thrill of meeting a worthy opponent in the other's eyes.
They tacitly understood—their level of battle was too high. If they fought to the death here, the shockwaves alone could wipe out Huo Yuhao, Xu Sanshi, and the other wounded with ease.
Just like the earlier fight between Jing Yuan and Hoolay—one collision was enough to scatter the Shrek students.
No words needed, the two figures moved again, streaking away toward distant ruins in perfect sync.
Almost as soon as they left sight, a series of terrifying explosions and rumblings echoed from afar, the ground trembling slightly.
It was clear that, unrestrained, both sides had unleashed everything in a true life-and-death battle!
But here, with the biggest variable gone, the oppressive atmosphere only grew colder.
Huo Yuhao's blood-red eyes showed no emotion, only pure killing intent. He inhaled slowly, and a wave of extreme, bone-chilling cold erupted from him!
"Crack, crack, crack—"
The harsh sound of freezing echoed as a white chill swept madly. Ground, broken walls, even water molecules in the air froze instantly!
Within moments, hundreds of meters around had become a dead, frozen wasteland, the cold so intense that Xu Sanshi's breath turned instantly to ice crystals.
"Hate Fist: Eternal Frozen Prison!"
Huo Yuhao roared, right fist crashing forward!
This punch contained his overwhelming hatred for the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, for fate, for all the injustices of the world!
Bloody ice mist twined around his arm—not soul power, but a fusion of his nearly tangible hatred and ultimate ice!
This was a soul skill he created by perfectly combining mental and soul power, and now, for the first time, he showed it to the world.
The hatred came from his deep vendetta against the White Tiger Duke's Mansion and all who had hurt him.
Hatred, soul power, and spiritual power fused to form a terrifying force.
The punch left his fist, transforming into a blood-red arc that seemed to freeze and distort space with its hate and cold!
Even Bei Bei, watching from the side, was affected by the intense emotional shock, a surge of irritation and hatred rising in his heart, his expression changing.
The blood-red punch streaked at Xu Sanshi's layered, turtle-shell-like black shields!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang—!
A series of explosive cracks sounded!
The Black Tortoise Shield Array, strong enough to block Soul Douluo-class attacks, was shattered layer by layer by this terrifying punch that combined mental assault and physical freezing!
The shields, made of countless black lights, broke apart with crisp cracks under the onslaught.
Xu Sanshi clenched his teeth, eyes red, soul power burning at an unprecedented pace as he poured everything into the shield.
Broken shields regenerated and reformed, trying to hold back the flood, the Black Tortoise shell groaning under the strain!
Finally, after countless layers were pulverized, the punch was finally stopped by a final, flickering, cracked shield barely half a foot from Xu Sanshi's body.
"Hah… hah…"
Xu Sanshi dropped to one knee, gasping violently, sweat freezing into icy crystals on his brow.
His soul power was nearly drained, his mind stabbed by the invasive hatred.
A bitter, fearful smile crossed his face. He had underestimated Huo Yuhao—this punch was already close to a full-force Soul Douluo attack, and it carried terrifying mental pollution!
Even with a powerful Black Tortoise martial soul, and being just a step from Soul Sage, he had almost been killed by this blow.
Xu Sanshi smiled bitterly; he had confidently believed his defense could buy time, but now he realized he had overestimated himself and underestimated Huo Yuhao.
Bei Bei's expression was complex beyond words. Huo Yuhao, after leaving the Academy, had walked a path completely unfamiliar to him, his power becoming extreme and terrifying.
The intent and power of this punch reminded him of the "Sovereign Descent" taught by Mu En—except Huo Yuhao's was "Sovereign Hatred".
He clenched his fists, determined: if Xu Sanshi fell, he would risk everything to save him.
As for Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu, he was powerless.
After all, having betrayed Shrek Academy himself, saving Xu Sanshi was already his limit.
Dai Huabin had done many evil deeds—he deserved his fate, and Huo Yuhao's revenge was justice.
Zhu Lu, though, was simply unlucky—to have Dai Huabin as her fiancé.
But Huo Yuhao was not done.
"Senior Sanshi, as expected from the Black Tortoise, but this is as far as you go."
Huo Yuhao's voice was icy, devoid of warmth, as he slowly raised his palm, gathering even greater cold and hatred.
"Hate Palm: Oblivion Without End!"
As he thrust out his palm, ice elements and weird blood-red hatred frantically converged, instantly forming a giant blood-red ice hand that blotted out the sky!
The hand's texture was clear, like a demon god's claw, with countless wailing souls in its palm, carrying an aura of soul-freezing, annihilating oblivion, pressing down irresistibly on the exhausted Xu Sanshi, and the despairing Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu behind him!
The shadow fell over Xu Sanshi's pale face.
He looked up at the blood-red hand, the corners of his mouth twitching, a trace of despair finally flashing in his eyes.
He was truly… at his limit.
Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu were even more ashen, the chill of death gripping their throats.
Just as the massive hand, filled with endless hatred and cold, was about to crush Xu Sanshi and the others—
A sudden change burst from the sky!
A fierce, dragon-like streak of green lightning ripped across the sky, roaring in like a ray of hope breaking through despair!
Wherever it passed, space itself seemed torn apart by the violent thunder, crackling explosively!
Next came a grand, dusk-colored sword aura soaring into the sky!