Chapter 94: The Blinding Assault—Shrek in Peril
Xingluo Empire, Xingluo City.
As Tiansha Douluo Huang Jinxu stepped into the competition arena, the grand finale of the All-Continent Advanced Soul Master Academy Elite Tournament officially commenced.
After a string of formalities and tedious announcements from the referee—none of which interested either Shrek Academy or the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy—the two sides began exchanging names and prepared for what would be the decisive battle.
The moment the referee called for the match to begin, Huo Yuhao, seated in Shrek Academy's viewing area, silently activated his first soul skill—Vision Sharing. A circle of faint spirit power emerged beneath him as the skill linked his vision with the seven Shrek representatives on the field, enabling them to see the state of the opposing team more clearly.
From his position, Xiao Qiang immediately sensed Huo Yuhao's soul fluctuations. However, he chose not to speak. He was already aware of Huo Yuhao's ability through the Mirror Beast's Copy Martial Soul and knew how Vision Sharing worked. The skill provided a strategic advantage to Shrek's team by enhancing battlefield awareness, but for Xiao Qiang, it was no threat—especially since he had already instructed Jing Hongchen to secretly record evidence of Huo Yuhao's actions as cheating.
Since it posed no direct harm and even benefited Xiao Qiang's larger plan, there was no reason for him to intervene.
As soon as the referee shouted "Start!", Xiao Qiang—positioned at the rear of the formation—moved swiftly according to the pre-arranged strategy.
The moment the match began, all the students of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy shut their eyes at once. At the same time, Xiao Qiang activated Spiritual Detection Sharing, casting a translucent field of psychic awareness over his team. Then, a luminous orb materialized in his right palm, which he hurled high into the sky.
"Light of the Extreme: Yaoyang!"
As the words rang out, a brilliant flash detonated in the air—an extreme-level flare bomb. The entire battlefield was instantly consumed in searing white light that stabbed at the eyes like daggers.
While the audience was spared from the worst effects due to their distance and the protective soul shields, the combatants—especially those on the Shrek side—were hit head-on. The explosion of white light was so intense that it nearly blinded them.
Huo Yuhao, with only one soul ring and a meager soul power level of 17, was the first to fall unconscious. His body was too fragile to withstand such intense stimuli. Unlike his teammates, he lacked the physical resilience and spiritual fortitude of a Soul Sect or higher-level master. He collapsed on the spot, unable to resist the sensory overload.
"Damn it! Those Sun Moon bastards!" someone from Shrek Academy shouted.
Their condition was dire. Though the other Shrek members were stronger—each of them Soul Sects with four or more rings—they still found it difficult to maintain clarity, let alone initiate combat. They could only barely prevent themselves from passing out, using their soul power to shield their eyes and senses.
But while Shrek was left stumbling in disarray, the Sun Moon Empire took the offensive.
Xiao Qiang switched to his Mysterious Turtle Martial Soul, using Xuanming Replacement to forcibly swap places with Xu Sanshi on the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, he then switched back to his Sharingan Martial Soul, ensuring that his mental detection link remained uninterrupted.
Xu Sanshi, eyes still aching and vision blurred, sensed the disruption through his soul power. Though he couldn't see clearly, he immediately realized something was wrong.
His connection with Xuanming Replacement gave him a vague awareness of being forcibly relocated. Coupled with the subtle cues of danger in the surrounding soul energy, Xu Sanshi instantly deduced that he had been moved to a different position—one potentially fatal.
Without hesitation, he activated his first three soul skills simultaneously. A pitch-black turtle shell shield enveloped him in a layered defense, bracing him for an imminent attack from any direction.
His decision saved his life—barely.
Xiao Qiang's original plan had been to eliminate Xu Sanshi first, knowing that his Xuanming Replacement could turn the tide of battle by shifting allies out of danger. With Xu Sanshi now exposed, Ma Rulong and five elite Sun Moon soul engineers acted in perfect unison.
From hidden compartments in their battle gear, they each pulled out specially designed Soul Guide Piercing Cannons. Ma Rulong wielded a sixth-level version, while the others held fifth-level models—crafted for maximum penetration.
Twelve cannons in total—two sixth-level and ten fifth-level—locked on to Xu Sanshi's position and fired in synchronized bursts.
Xu Sanshi's layered defenses, thanks to his top-tier Mysterious Nether Turtle martial soul, managed to intercept much of the damage. Against ordinary soul engineers or Soul Kings, he might have survived unscathed. But these were no ordinary attackers, and this was no ordinary ambush.
The combined firepower was overwhelming.
Though his shield deflected some of the rounds, one of Ma Rulong's sixth-level blasts tore through Xu Sanshi's arm and struck his chest. The protective barrier cracked, and blood sprayed into the air.
Had he not instinctively raised his arm to block the shot, the blast would've gone straight through his heart. Even so, the resulting impact shattered bones and severely damaged internal organs. Death was only a moment away.
Fortunately, Tiansha Douluo, stationed near the field as an observer, intervened just in time, intercepting the next wave of soul cannon blasts. Had he delayed even a second longer, Xu Sanshi would have been reduced to a corpse.
But while Xu Sanshi's condition was critical, it was not the worst among the Shrek team.
Xiao Qiang, now occupying Xu Sanshi's original position, had no intention of showing mercy. Pulling out dual soul ray guns, he aimed straight at Ning Feng and Bai Fan—two of the closest Shrek members.
Ning Feng was a known support-type soul master with powerful auxiliary capabilities. Xiao Qiang didn't know Bai Fan's exact abilities, but he wasn't going to take chances. His instincts told him that eliminating them early was the safest path.
More importantly, both were weaker than him in terms of soul power—Ning Feng with four rings and Bai Fan with five, but only at around level 53 or 54. In comparison, Xiao Qiang stood higher.
Without giving them time to react, he fired both cannons simultaneously.
Twin blasts surged forward with deadly accuracy.
Both rays pierced through their heads in the blink of an eye.
Two lives—snuffed out in an instant.
Blood sprayed across the field. The corpses of Ning Feng and Bai Fan collapsed to the ground before they could even process what happened.
Xiao Qiang prepared to strike again. He still had ammo, still had targets. But before he could fire—
A thunderous voice boomed across the stadium, its fury breaking through every layer of soul power shielding the stage.
"Boy! You dare kill members of Shrek?! You're courting death!"
The force of the roar shook the entire barrier around the battlefield. The Sun Moon students froze in place.
A powerful presence surged toward the stage.
Tiansha Douluo had stood up.
And he was furious.