Yan Shaozhe's heart was in turmoil.
The two massive Phoenixes, one in crimson gold and the other in black and red, collided in the sky, shaking the heavens and earth.
Roar!
A roar, neither exactly like a bull nor not, came from behind Yan Shaozhe as a gigantic Taotie Divine Bull charged into the battlefield.
"Evil Soul Master!"
Xuanzi loathed the presence of Evil Soul Masters. Upon seeing a Super Douluo level Evil Soul Master, he immediately chose to assist in the fight.
With Xuanzi's support, Yan Shaozhe easily suppressed Feng Ling.
After fighting for a short while, Xuanzi also noticed Ma Xiaotao in the corner and roared angrily.
On the enormous body of the Taotie Divine Bull, nine Soul Rings shone brightly.
The earthy yellow Energy Light Group continually formed, heading towards the black and red Phoenix.
In the direction of the Mingdu Mountain Range, Zhongli Wu suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the place in the west where the battle was erupting.
"Him again?"
...
Yan Shaozhe was deeply troubled. He assigned Elder Xuan to attack Feng Ling while he used a Soul Skill to attack Ma Xiaotao. The massive Crimson Golden Phoenix unleashed an overwhelming light and heat, a sea of fire descending.
Ma Xiaotao must die.
However, just as Yan Shaozhe's attack was about to land, a familiar aura appeared.
The Death God Demon Puppet appeared in front of Ma Xiaotao. The blood-red light flashed, and the puppet quickly enlarged, blocking the entire sea of fire.
"It's you!"
Recognizing Zhongli Wu, an instinctive fear rose in Yan Shaozhe's heart.
Zhongli Wu's power was indeed monstrous.
A Level 98 Evil Soul Master who had also enhanced his Soul Rings to an inhuman level through the Holy Spirit Sect's Secret Technique. His strength was extraordinary, and even with Elder Xuan present, Yan Shaozhe couldn't confidently say he could defeat him.
But most importantly, Yan Shaozhe feared the death aura of the Death God Demon Puppet.
The death aura matched his Martial Soul too closely. If he were severely injured again and contaminated by that aura without timely treatment, his Martial Soul might mutate malignantly.
Yan Shaozhe was perplexed, not understanding why this happened.
Clearly, until the root of the problem was found, he should avoid fighting Zhongli Wu again.
Especially given the disparity in Soul Power.
"Elder Xuan, withdraw!" Yan Shaozhe took one last look at Ma Xiaotao and turned to shout at Elder Xuan.
"Don't pursue them."
Zhongli Wu halted Feng Ling, who was about to give chase, and watched Yan Shaozhe's retreating figure in the distance.
"Sect Leader, why not chase? This is our home ground."
Zhongli Wu's gaze into the distance was meaningful.
"Feng Ling, you said your Phoenix Martial Soul awakened as an Evil Phoenix, Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix also fell and became a Dark Phoenix. Could it be that Yan Shaozhe's Bright Phoenix could also mutate into a Death Phoenix?"
During their last encounter, Zhongli Wu also noticed how his attacks affected Yan Shaozhe's Martial Soul. Although he had induced the fall of many Martial Souls, Yan Shaozhe, being a Super Douluo, with a Martial Soul that restrained death, made his death aura's infiltration surprisingly easy.
It made Zhongli Wu wonder if Yan Shaozhe was his long-lost son.
Brothers they couldn't be, as Zhongli Wu was a generation older than Yan Shaozhe.
"I didn't expect that in two years, he could cleanse my Death Power, but I can feel that the infiltrated Bright Phoenix is different from one that has never been infiltrated. Even after expelling the death power, it's still different."
Zhongli Wu conceived an idea.
A bold idea.
To exchange the sky and earth?
...
"Elder Xuan, you shouldn't have come out."
This battle not only yielded no gains, but also exposed them being in the Sun and Moon Empire.
Shrek's team plan was originally to remain hidden as much as possible, considering Mingdu was the heart of the Sun and Moon Empire. Trying to escape after being discovered wouldn't be easy.
Even though the last battle of Mingdu was one the Sun and Moon Empire and Mingde Hall had prepped for, avoiding harm to Mingdu's civilians from Evil Soul Masters and Elder Xuan's group, and activating their defensive system without hesitation displayed Mingdu's level of preparedness.
"Are we still going to Mingdu?"
"Go, we must go. Shrek's most elite children are there; how can we not go?" Xuanzi spoke.
If the Sun and Moon Empire turned against them after the competition, their presence would at least guarantee some protection for the students and a chance to take them out. Without them, those students would have no chance at all.
The conflict attracted the Fire Phoenix Soul Guide Team's investigation.
The Fire Phoenix Douluo came to inspect in person, his expression extremely grave.
"Evil Soul Master!"
He sensed the residual Soul Power at the battlefield, heavy in his heart.
There was actually a Super Douluo level Evil Soul Master, and near the Mingdu Mountain Range at that!
Damn it!
"Who was the other party?"
Even though the aura wasn't very clear, or the Fire Phoenix Douluo hadn't personally felt the individual's Soul Power, she could still speculate.
Their forces capable of deploying two Super Douluos weren't many.
The bright fire aura and the Phoenix cries heard during the battle naturally pointed to Shrek's Yan Shaozhe.
And the heavy earth attribute aura within the earthy yellow Energy suggested...
Though not necessarily Shrek's Xuanzi, since the other was Yan Shaozhe, this one was likely to be Xuanzi!
With Shrek's recent entry into the Soul Fighting Competition, this conjecture became more likely.