As Xu Zihuang had predicted, Zheng Zhan did not make a big fuss over his unauthorized entry onto the competition stage during the match.
As a Titled Douluo-level powerhouse, he could naturally sense Yan Feng's condition.
Yu Tianhuang's earlier strike had seemed astonishingly powerful, one kick sending Yan Feng flying and forcing him out of his martial soul true body state, but in reality, Yan Feng had not suffered any significant injury.
Moreover, he had previously received instructions from above. The match between Shrek Academy's team and the Holy Spirit Cult's team must continue.
After briefly explaining the situation to the entire audience and announcing that the Holy Spirit team had won the third individual elimination match, Zheng Zhan continued in a loud voice:
"Individual elimination match, fourth round. Shrek Academy, send out your second participating member."
Xu Zihuang stopped conversing with Ning Tian, then gave a slight nod toward Zhang Lexuan in Shrek Academy's rest area. With a step forward of his right foot, he appeared as though crossing through the void, instantly arriving at the center of the competition stage.
On the rostrum, Xu Tianran, Zhong Liwu, and Jing Hongchen all felt a jolt in their hearts. Compared to before, this time they perceived it even more clearly.
This was actually another application of void-walking, a technique generally only achievable by Super Douluo-level powerhouses.
Jing Hongchen considered himself incapable of such a feat. As for Xu Tianran, with both legs crippled, even if his cultivation were sufficient, he would be powerless to do it.
What was most strange was that throughout the entire process, they could not sense the slightest soul power fluctuation from Yu Tianhuang. Clearly standing right before their eyes, Yu Tianhuang seemed to have vanished from this world.
A hint of an unusual look flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes. He spoke to Zhong Liwu beside him in an enigmatic tone:
"State Preceptor, who do you think will win this match?"
His words were phrased rather tactfully.
From the rostrum's perspective, they had witnessed the entire process of Yu Tianhuang stepping onto the stage to save Wang Qiu'er and then knocking Yan Feng down.
Anyone with eyes could see that Yan Feng and Yu Tianhuang were not on the same level at all. Defeat was almost inevitable for him.
"My disciple is no match for him," Zhong Liwu replied heavily, quite frank on this point.
Xu Tianran nodded and sighed softly:
"Shrek Academy's ten-thousand-year foundation truly cannot be underestimated. Not just this, Yu Tianhuang, Wang Qiu'er's talent is also astonishingly high."
"No matter how deep the foundation, it still requires talent. I believe that Shrek Academy's team, plus those few from the Tang Sect, probably encompass the very best of their younger generation," Zhong Liwu said with a cold laugh.
"Your Highness need not worry. I have already made preparations that leave no room for error. In the end, the victors will certainly be people from our cult."
"Oh? In that case, let us wait and see."
A glint of light flashed in Xu Tianran's eyes as he once again revealed his gentle smile.
Ju Zi sat beside Xu Tianran without speaking the entire time, a faint smile always on her pretty face. But as her gaze fell upon the competition stage below, deep in her eyes lay an indelible trace of worry.
At this moment, Xu Zihuang and Yan Feng had both taken their positions on the stage.
Unlike Xu Zihuang's complete calm, after the earlier incident, Yan Feng was extremely wary of Xu Zihuang. But since this was a match, they had to follow the rules.
Currently, Shrek Academy holds the lead in points. Until they secured at least three victories in the individual elimination matches, the opposing side had no right to demand an early team battle.
The outcome of this match did not matter much to him; there would still be those two taking action later. All he needed to do was probe and wear down Yu Tianhuang as much as possible while preserving himself.
The fact that those two had not substituted him out meant he understood their intentions. Moreover, he had some confidence in his own strength. If he had prepared in advance, Yu Tianhuang might not have suppressed him so easily as before.
"Match begins!" Zheng Zhan shouted after seeing both sides ready.
As soon as Zheng Zhan's words fell, Yan Feng immediately activated his seventh soul skill once more, Bone Dragon True Body, appearing in midair nearly a hundred meters away from the competition stage.
Drawing from his previous experiences fighting Bei Bei and Wang Qiu'er, he very cautiously chose to maximize the distance from Xu Zihuang.
Anyone who had carefully observed Xu Zihuang's battle against Yu Tianlong would notice that Yan Feng's current position exceeded the attack range Xu Zihuang had displayed when using Thunder Domain. Meanwhile, his Bone Dragon Breath could still reach Xu Zihuang.
But what Yan Feng did not know was that, from the start of the tournament until now, the abilities Xu Zihuang had displayed were merely the tip of the iceberg.
Xu Zihuang expressionlessly raised his head.
The instant those brilliant golden eyes met his, Yan Feng felt as though the surrounding space had frozen and time had come to a standstill, as if he had been placed in a void of nothingness.
This sensation lasted only a moment. When he came back to his senses, a purple-golden point of light had already enlarged in his vision.
"Pfft—"
Purple-golden thunder light shone dazzlingly on Xu Zihuang's right hand. Arc-like lightning condensed into a perfectly straight light blade extending more than a hundred meters from his palm, piercing straight through the forehead of Yan Feng's Bone Dragon True Body.
Four blood-red hundred-thousand-year soul rings slowly pulsed beneath Xu Zihuang's feet. At this moment, the fourth soul ring blazed with intense light.
This was one of the hundred-thousand-year soul skills bestowed upon him by the Thunder Beast—Thunder Light Blade!
A light blade formed from thunder, containing terrifying piercing and cutting power. Even a mountain range could be easily penetrated by it.
Thunder Light Blade could be used for long-range attacks, condensed in the right hand for close combat, or even channeled in conjunction with the Thunder God's Spear. To some extent, this soul skill was the ultimate superior version of Laughing Red Dust's Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear left arm bone skill, Darkgold Edge.
Xu Zihuang coldly swung his right hand. The incredibly sturdy Bone Dragon True Body, which also possessed soul power dispersion capabilities, was sliced in half as easily as a knife through tofu. Even the soul guide's protective barrier at the edge of the competition stage was torn open, leaving an incomparably clear-cut mark.
The Bone Dragon's True Body instantly collapsed and shattered. Yan Feng's corpse fell from the sky, likewise cleaved in two. But very soon, under the surging extreme thunder attribute lightning, it turned charred black and crumbled to ashes, leaving not even bones behind.
This sudden change plunged the entire arena into dead silence.
Xu Tianran could personally feel Zhong Liwu's soul power surging violently beside him, the terrifying aura nearly slipping out of control.
Seeing Zhong Liwu ultimately restrain himself, Jing Hongchen, who had tensed up, ready to protect Xu Tianran at any moment, finally let out a long breath, though cold sweat already drenched his forehead.
This was the oppression brought by a Super Douluo!
At such close range, if Zhong Liwu truly erupted, Jing Hongchen honestly had no confidence he could block him.
Jing Hongchen looked once more at Yu Tianhuang on the competition stage, his heart filled with both admiration and regret.
Yu Tianhuang's talent was truly too heaven-defying. Each time, he brought them even greater shock. Jing Hongchen did not doubt that, as long as Yu Tianhuang continued to grow, he would surely become the strongest of this era.
His own stubborn grandson probably would never have the chance to catch up to Yu Tianhuang.
"If only you were not from Shrek Academy, but one of our Sun Moon Empire's people, then…"
All such imaginings stopped there. Because Jing Hongchen knew very well that neither Xu Tianran nor Zhong Liwu would allow Yu Tianhuang to leave safely after this tournament.
Over in the eight-strong teams' rest area, quite a few team members and leaders had stood up.
Among them were Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng, whose face was ashen and seemed ready to explode at any moment, as well as Tang Wutong, Yu Tianlong, Wei Na, Mu Xue, Xu Jiujiu, Laughing Red Dust, Dreaming Red Dust, and others who knew Yu Tianhuang relatively well.
In the next moment, the arena's dead silence was replaced by an uproar and clamor.
Xu Zihuang's calm voice resounded throughout the entire venue:
"Shrek Academy concedes the individual elimination match and requests to begin the team battle ahead of schedule. For Shrek Academy's side, I alone will participate."
Xu Zihuang's words completely ignited the emotions of the entire audience. When spoken by Yu Tianhuang, such arrogant words felt entirely justified and proper.
This was the peerless prodigy of Shrek Academy!
The audience felt an intense wave of anticipation, their eyes filled with excitement.
Perhaps Yu Tianhuang was about to make history in this tournament with a legacy of ten thousand years!
At the start, the audience had not held much bias toward either side in the match between Shrek Academy's team and the Holy Spirit Cult's team. The people of the Sun Moon Empire indeed had little goodwill toward Shrek Academy, but they likewise detested those cruel, evil soul masters.
Now, Yu Tianhuang had earned their respect through sheer strength.
Zheng Zhan, who had arrived a bit late, froze briefly before quickly reacting and saying gravely:
"From individual elimination to team battle, since Shrek Academy has already secured three or more victories first, you are entitled to fifteen minutes of rest time."
"Not necessary."
Xu Zihuang gave Zheng Zhan a faint glance, then turned his indifferent gaze toward the Holy Spirit team's rest area.
"I said, begin the team battle now."
Among the four remaining members of the Holy Spirit team, the two evil soul master youths standing at the back, Tang Dai and Gu Yu, both darkened their expressions. The two women wearing black robes and bamboo hats also rose in unison.
Zheng Zhan said nothing more and simply announced the early commencement of the team battle. Although he already knew beforehand that those evil soul masters had made thorough preparations to deal with Shrek Academy, after witnessing Yu Tianhuang's terrifying strength and that calm confidence, he likewise had no certainty about the outcome of this match.
On Shrek Academy's side, while no one questioned Xu Zihuang's decision, all of them focused intently on the situation on the competition stage.
Especially Ning Tian and Wang Qiu'er.
Soon, the four remaining members of the Holy Spirit team rose into the air and landed on the stage.
Of the two young evil soul masters, Tang Dai concealed his aura the best and had a relatively slender build. Gu Yu was short and stout, only reaching Tang Dai's waist in height.
The two respectfully followed behind the two female evil soul masters.
The two sides faced each other, and a chilling atmosphere instantly spread.
Zheng Zhan even skipped the introductions and simply raised his right hand high before chopping downward sharply.
"Match begins!"
As the team battle started, Xu Zihuang moved first. Four blood-red soul rings rose once more from beneath his feet. The first three soul rings nearly shone simultaneously.
The purple-golden Thunder God's Spear instantly appeared in Xu Zihuang's right hand, its tip raised high.
A massive dragon entwined with black-purple thunder light coiled up beneath his feet. The black-purple dragon head exuded an overwhelming, domineering presence that looked down upon all beings.
Xu Zihuang stood atop the dragon head, his long black hair fluttering in the wind. With this giant dragon at the center, a black-purple light ring appeared in the air, completely enveloping the entire competition stage.
Immediately after, smaller versions of black-purple Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons emerged throughout the light ring.
"Ang—"
The dragon head beneath Xu Zihuang let out a resounding dragon roar toward the sky. The smaller Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragons instantly transformed into streaks of black lightning, crisscrossing and soaring within the ring. The entire space was filled with terrifying thunder power.
A colossal black-purple light pillar, like a natural disaster, shot skyward in an instant. Its diameter exceeded a hundred meters, swallowing the competition stage and soul guide protective barrier in the blink of an eye. After erupting, the light pillar even showed signs of expanding outward.
Purple Inferno Thunder Prison Dragon Martial Soul's second soul skill, Dragon Emperor Shock Domain Realm!
And this was the Dragon Emperor Shock Domain Realm amplified by the Thunder God's Spear.
Even after releasing their martial souls, Tang Dai and Gu Yu were instantly annihilated under the impact of the thunder power and evil-breaking force. They did not even have time to let out miserable screams before ending up like Yan Feng, reduced to nothing, not even bones remaining.
After lasting several seconds, the black-purple light pillar dimmed. The black-purple Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon beneath Xu Zihuang's feet also became illusory.
At that moment, a powerful mental power storm suddenly erupted.
The figures of the two female evil soul masters appeared in the space opposite Xu Zihuang. Their bamboo hats had already disintegrated, revealing identical faces.
Their complexions were deathly pale, but one could tell their original appearances had been quite beautiful. However, their eyes were completely blood-red, giving an utterly shocking and horrifying impression.
What caused the entire audience to cry out in horror and shock was that eight soul rings had emerged around each of the two female evil soul masters.
Moreover, they were the optimal configuration: two yellow, two purple, four black.
"Eight rings?! Soul Douluo?!"
Dark, chilling black airflow converged behind them into two enormous shadows. Their ferocious appearances instantly multiplied the surrounding spatial mental fluctuations several times over.
"As expected, Revenge Souls," Xu Zihuang's gaze sharpened, but he showed no great surprise. When his main body had returned, he had already carefully sensed the true cultivation levels of these two female evil soul masters as well as the characteristics of their martial souls.
They were precisely the Holy Spirit Cult's Wu Yun and Wu Yu sisters. Due to tragic experiences in their childhood, Wu Yun and Wu Yu had self-created this powerful Revenge Soul martial soul at age fifteen. By fixing their bone age at fifteen and sacrificing most of their life force, they gained an unbelievable cultivation speed and power.
Of course, their actual age had long surpassed twenty. After all, no matter how bizarre evil soul masters might be, it was impossible to reach Soul Douluo in merely five short years. It was only their special bone age and formidable strength that led Zhong Liwu to recruit them to the Bright Capital for use against Xu Zihuang.
"Hehehehehehehehe…"
Wu Yun and Wu Yu suddenly let out shrill, eerie laughter. Immediately afterward, the Revenge Soul phantoms behind them bizarrely began to merge.
Martial soul fusion skill! This was the true confidence behind Zhong Liwu's claim of absolute certainty.
The martial soul fusion skill of two Revenge Soul Soul Douluos even possessed the might to slay a Titled Douluo.
"Die—"
But before the creepy, overlapping tail-end of Wu Yun and Wu Yu's voices could fade, a gigantic black-purple Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantom had already pierced straight through their bodies.
Xu Zihuang stood at the very center of this Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon phantom, maintaining the posture of thrusting the Thunder God's Spear forward. The Thunder God's Spear had transformed into something crystal-clear and translucent, like purple-golden crystal, while Xu Zihuang's entire body was covered in black-purple scales.
Purple Radiance Thunder Prison Dragon's third soul skill, Dragon Emperor Evil-Breaking Rend!
"Mere dust, worthless even half a fraction before me."
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