On the arena, the projection of the divine weapon ultimately proved superior, overpowering the martial soul fusion skill of the two evil soul master Soul Douluo sisters. This scene deeply shocked every spectator in the venue.
There were naturally many reasons for this outcome: the Angel martial soul's suppression of evil soul masters, the judgmental power within the Angel Holy Sword, and Qian Lingyi's inheritance of a divine position. The audience, however, didn't dwell on these complexities. They only knew that this angel girl, a mere Soul Sage, had single-handedly defeated two Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters—an astonishing feat!
On the arena, Qian Lingyi prepared to deliver the final blow to the Wu Yun and Wu Yu sisters. Though the sisters could still stand by supporting each other, their bodies were being ravaged by holy power, forcing them to use their remaining strength to maintain internal stability, leaving them no energy to counter Qian Lingyi's killing strike.
"We surrender—" To survive, they unhesitatingly conceded, but Qian Lingyi's Holy Sword showed no mercy. As they uttered their final word, the sword pierced one sister's heart.
"Stop!" Zheng Zhan shouted, attempting to intervene.
The Holy Sword didn't pause, piercing the other sister's heart as well. The sisters' faces were filled with unwillingness and disbelief as flames of holy power engulfed them. In mere seconds, Wu Yun and Wu Yu vanished completely.
"I told you to stop! Why didn't you?" Zheng Zhan began to reprimand her, though he had clearly had the chance to save at least one of the sisters earlier.
"Hmph!" Qian Lingyi snorted coldly. "I've said it before—there is never a path for evil soul masters under the angel's sword!"
Her words carried unyielding resolve, resonating throughout the venue. Instantly, the audience erupted into unprecedented cheers, all shouting the name "Angel." At this moment, Qian Lingyi's prestige reached its peak in the tournament.
"Jie jie jie…" Suddenly, a venomous laugh rang out, silencing the crowd as if their throats had been seized. The entire venue fell quiet, leaving only the sinister laughter and a growing oppressive atmosphere. An indescribable pressure weighed on everyone present.
"Well, well, well, excellent!" Under the gazes of all, the black-robed Imperial Preceptor stood up from the main platform. His face showed no clear emotion, but his words dripped with murderous intent. "Truly worthy of the Six-Winged Angel martial soul. Good, very good!"
As his words fell, a dense black mist rose behind him, and a bloody, chilling evil aura spread across the entire venue.
"Evil… evil soul master!"
"The person by His Highness's side is an evil soul master!"
"Heavens! The Imperial Preceptor Zhongli Wu is an evil soul master? Could it be that the Holy Spirit Sect is his sect?"
The audience was utterly shocked, unable to fathom that the Imperial Preceptor, personally appointed by the Crown Prince and Regent, was an evil soul master! This revelation shattered their understanding, as they had never imagined the imperial family would harbor evil soul masters—an act that defied the world's taboos!
Xu Tianran's expression was grim at this moment, as Zhongli Wu's actions fully exposed his collusion with evil soul masters. Wasn't this just causing him more trouble? Indeed, evil soul masters were nothing but ungrateful wolves!
Zhongli Wu, however, no longer cared. Qian Lingyi's actions had deeply provoked him. He could not allow this wielder of the Six-Winged Angel martial soul to live. Her performance today showed that if she became a Titled Douluo, she would be the doom of all evil soul masters—a potential new Angel God!
Evil soul masters had only recently escaped the oppression of the Angel God; they had no desire to relive the stifling conditions of their ancient predecessors. Thus, this Six-Winged Angel martial soul girl had to be killed before she could fully mature!
Otherwise, they had no new Sea God to help them slay a new Angel God!
With the resolve to kill Qian Lingyi, Zhongli Wu acted. Six black and three red soul rings rose behind him, instantly silencing the chattering crowd. Then, he raised his hand, conjuring a massive hand of black mist that surged toward Qian Lingyi on the arena.
At this critical moment, Zhu Ziyang couldn't stand idly by. With a thought, he appeared on the arena, shielding Qian Lingyi behind him. Raising his hand, he struck out with a palm, and a radiant burst of light shattered Zhongli Wu's black mist hand.
"Who are you to dare touch my people?" After destroying Zhongli Wu's attack with a single strike, the Life-Death Scythe of Serenity appeared in Zhu Ziyang's hand. Holding the golden scythe, he asked calmly.
"Good! Very good!" Zhongli Wu's eyes narrowed. He had anticipated that attacking Qian Lingyi would provoke a powerhouse from Shrek Academy, but he hadn't expected Zhu Ziyang, another target he wanted dead, to appear instead—and to shatter his attack with a single palm. This surprised him.
But he was also delighted, as he saw an opportunity to eliminate Zhu Ziyang as well. He declared, "Today, I'll let you die knowing why. I am Zhongli Wu, titled Death God!"
"Death God?" Zhu Ziyang raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhongli Wu with a half-smile. "Doesn't that make this a case of a fake meeting the real deal?"
"Go to hell!" Zhongli Wu didn't grasp the meaning behind Zhu Ziyang's words, but that didn't stop him from attacking. Dense deathly aura coalesced into long, needle-like forms, each three meters long, each wreathed in bloody deathly energy. Hundreds of these needles filled the venue with an oppressive atmosphere, making it hard to breathe. With a wave of Zhongli Wu's hand, the needles rained down like a storm toward Zhu Ziyang and Qian Lingyi on the arena.
This was Zhongli Wu's eighth soul skill, Death God Needles!
Facing Zhongli Wu's attack, Zhu Ziyang remained unhurried. The Life-Death Scythe of Serenity lightly tapped the ground, and a golden glow rose from his feet, forming a golden shield that enveloped both him and Qian Lingyi. Zhu Ziyang's mastery of light elements had reached a level of effortless control, just one step away from ascending to the realm of laws.
This light shield was a product of that mastery.
To everyone's astonishment, Zhongli Wu's Death God Needles struck Zhu Ziyang's casually conjured light shield and turned into black smoke upon contact, vanishing completely. The light shield, however, remained unscathed, exactly as it had been before.
Zhongli Wu was stunned, unable to comprehend why. This was his eighth soul skill, a hundred-thousand-year skill from a 98th-level Super Douluo! Yet it couldn't even breach a shield casually raised by a young man. What was wrong with the world? Was he too old? Was Ultimate Light truly so terrifying? His mind was in disarray.
"Since you've attacked, it's only polite to return the favor. Take this!" Zhu Ziyang said.
The nine soul rings of the Life-Death Scythe of Serenity appeared behind him, all nine crimson rings shocking everyone's senses. However, the technique Zhu Ziyang prepared to use wasn't tied to any of these rings; he displayed them purely for intimidation. Positioning the scythe before his chest, the light power made it the most radiant presence in the world. With the scythe's handle as the vertical axis and its blade as the horizontal, the heavens and earth were divided into four.
Then, Zhu Ziyang spoke.
"I say, Light Eternal!"
As his words fell, everyone's vision was consumed by golden light. No matter where they looked, there was only light—no sight of their own forms or others', only a divine, resplendent voice proclaiming, "Cease Life!"
When the light faded and the world returned to calm, everyone realized that Zhongli Wu, previously on the main platform, was now slumped on the arena, less than five meters from Zhu Ziyang.
The Imperial Preceptor was in a wretched state, blood trickling from his mouth, eyes filled with terror. The black mist behind him was gone, his soul rings had vanished, and even his soul power seemed to have disappeared, leaving him an ordinary man.
"What… what technique is this? Why? Why is my death power gone? Why can't I feel my martial soul?" Zhongli Wu's voice trembled with fear, as Zhu Ziyang's abilities surpassed his understanding. How powerless one feels in the face of the unknown!
"Usurping the name of the Death God—no mercy!" Zhu Ziyang had no desire to explain. With an indifferent tone, he swung the Life-Death Scythe of Serenity, unleashing a blade of energy.
"No! No! You can't kill me! My mother is a Limit Douluo! You can't—" His voice cut off abruptly as his head rolled to Zheng Zhan's feet, its terrified eyes staring up at him.
Gulp! Zheng Zhan was petrified, his legs trembling uncontrollably. He decided he never wanted to referee again—it was too dangerous.
The tournament venue fell silent as always, the sound of a single drop of sweat hitting the ground audible to all. Everyone was immersed in the events that had just unfolded, struggling to process them.
Truth be told, the events of these few minutes were more thrilling than many had experienced in a lifetime. First, an angel Soul Sage defeated two evil soul master Soul Douluo single-handedly. Then, the Imperial Preceptor, appointed by the Crown Prince, revealed himself as an evil soul master intent on killing the angel Soul Sage. Next, Shrek Academy's captain took the stage, shattering the Preceptor's attack with one strike.
The most surreal moment came last: the Preceptor's full-powered eighth soul skill, a strike from a Super Douluo, was blocked by a shield casually raised by Shrek Academy's captain—a shield with no apparent technical complexity. This defied common sense, making it utterly fantastical.
Yet, while the light shield blocking the eighth soul skill was fantastical, the actions of Shrek Academy's captain that followed could only be called mythical. Setting aside the fact of a twenty-year-old Titled Douluo, the nine blazing crimson soul rings alone were enough to drive everyone mad. Normally, only a Titled Douluo's ninth soul ring might be red, yet this Shrek captain had nine—rounded up, wasn't that equivalent to nine ninth soul rings? How could other Titled Douluo compete?
Perhaps because Zhu Ziyang's displayed power was so overwhelmingly heaven-defying, everyone found it only natural that he killed Zhongli Wu as easily as slaughtering a dog.
After slaying Zhongli Wu, Zhu Ziyang's heart remained calm. He looked up at Xu Tianran on the main platform, who, coincidentally, was looking at him. Xu Tianran's face bore an expression of utmost respect, even tinged with flattery. It was clear he was panicking.
Xu Tianran was indeed panicking. He knew Zhongli Wu's strength well—a 98th-level Super Douluo, just one step from the 99th-level realm of a true human god. Yet Zhu Ziyang had effortlessly killed him. How could this not terrify him?
If Zhu Ziyang wanted to kill him, no one present could save him. Thus, Xu Tianran, ever adaptable, immediately put on a respectful, ingratiating smile when Zhu Ziyang looked his way. No matter how much resentment or hatred he felt, he couldn't show it.
"Your Highness the Regent, were you aware that your Imperial Preceptor was an evil soul master?" Zhu Ziyang asked with a cheerful smile.
"This…" Xu Tianran froze, rage surging within him. He knew Zhu Ziyang was deliberately bringing up the obvious to humiliate him! Mastering his composure, he forced a smile and said, "I had no idea that Imperial Preceptor Zhongli was an evil soul master. I, too, was deceived by him!"
"Is that so?" Zhu Ziyang chuckled lightly. "It seems Your Highness was indeed deceived by a cunning evil soul master. Evil soul masters are truly despicable, daring to deceive Your Highness—utterly unforgivable!"
"Exactly! Exactly!" Xu Tianran quickly agreed, relief washing over him. Zhu Ziyang, being from Shrek Academy, surely wouldn't act against him, the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire. This was likely just a formality, a show.
"Then how does Your Highness plan to retaliate against these vile evil soul masters? After all, the crime of deceiving the monarch is unforgivable!" Zhu Ziyang said, his lips curling upward.
"W-What?" Xu Tianran was stunned, completely unprepared for Zhu Ziyang to press the issue.
"I'm asking how Your Highness plans to punish these evil soul masters. Or does Your Highness intend to pardon their crime of deceiving the monarch?" Zhu Ziyang asked, his tone serious and earnest.
"Of course not!" Xu Tianran immediately denied.
"In that case, why not seize this opportunity to issue an edict to exterminate evil soul masters? It would demonstrate to your people and the nations of the continent the Sun Moon Imperial Family's resolute stance against evil soul masters!" Zhu Ziyang said with a bright smile.
"Good! Good! Thank you for your suggestion, Your Excellency." Xu Tianran gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. "Pass my decree: all citizens of the Sun Moon Empire are responsible for exterminating evil soul masters. I urge all my subjects to strive diligently!"
"By Your command!" All Sun Moon Empire citizens in the venue stood and shouted in unison.
Xu Tianran looked at his subjects accepting the decree with a satisfied smile, but inwardly, he began calculating how to make amends to the Holy Spirit Sect that night. Though Zhongli Wu was dead, the sect still had two Limit Douluo—his trump cards against Shrek Academy. He couldn't afford to let them misunderstand him!
At the same time, Xu Tianran's hatred for Zhu Ziyang deepened.
"Thank you for Your Highness's understanding and cooperation!" Zhu Ziyang also smiled with satisfaction.
Regardless of the outcome, Xu Tianran's dignity had been thoroughly trampled today. Colluding with evil soul masters and being forced by Shrek Academy to issue a decree—either act was fatal for an emperor.
Zhu Ziyang genuinely thanked Zhongli Wu from the bottom of his heart. Without Zhongli Wu's selfless sacrifice, he wouldn't have found such a perfect opportunity to undermine Xu Tianran's prestige.
It was foreseeable that the disappointment of Mingdu's citizens toward Xu Tianran and the imperial Sun Moon lineage had reached a breaking point. Only one final blow was needed to make the Sun Moon lineage utterly abandoned by the empire's people, and Zhu Ziyang had already prepared that blow!
With a wave of his hand, Zhu Ziyang collected Zhongli Wu's body, then took Qian Lingyi's hand and left the arena. Xu Tianran, his face dark, also hurriedly departed. On the arena, only a somewhat dazed Zheng Zhan remained to announce the match's result:
"Shrek Academy wins!"
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Here are the chapters for today (づ￣3￣)づ╭～
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