Chapter 115: Decisive Battle of the Spirit Hall Team

Soon the final match arrived, the last competition to vie for the three soul bones.

The Shrek team of seven from the Heaven Dou Royal Academy stepped onto the Arena, arranged in a 1‑2‑3‑1 formation that looked very odd.

Rong Rong stood alone at the rear; in front of her were Tang San and Dugu Yan, followed by Yu Tianheng, Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu, while Yang Xiong alone occupied the front of the line.

However, the distance between Tang San and Dugu Yan and the three of Yu Tianheng was so close that from afar it resembled a 1‑5‑1 formation.

And the Spirit Hall team finally deployed their strongest lineup.

Captain Xie Yue, martial soul Moon Blade, Level 52 Strong Attack System Soul King.

Hu Liena, martial soul Demon Fox, Level 51 Control System Soul King.

Yan, martial soul Flame Lord, Level 52 Strong Attack System Soul King.

Zhang Ping, martial soul Golden‑waisted Swallow, Level 47 Agility Attack System Soul Grandmaster.

Li Kai, martial soul Black‑horned Mountain Boar, Level 47 Strong Attack System Soul Grandmaster.

Xu Yu, martial soul Golden Scepter, Level 46 Auxiliary System Soul Grandmaster.

Sun Chuantao, martial soul Ring Giant Blade, Level 48 Strong Attack System Soul Grandmaster.

Seeing the Spirit Hall's lineup, Yang Xiong was speechless; the gap was indeed huge, and he wondered how the original work's roughly Level 40 team managed to win—could they really rely on the so‑called Tang Sect hidden weapons?

It should be noted that none of the Spirit Hall's seven members have an inferior martial soul; their soul power is frighteningly high. In the entire Soul Master Competition, only Dai Weisi and Zhu Zhuyun could barely hold their own in this team, and even Feng Xiaotian likely couldn't make the main lineup.

When the referee gave the order, the match entered the one‑minute preparation phase; everyone summoned their martial souls. Yang Xiong's entire body turned silver, and the Xuanming Armor manifested as well, with his eyes turning purple—the Purple Extreme Demon Eye.

After the Spirit Hall team summoned their martial souls and Soul Rings, everyone on the spot felt immense pressure, especially from the three Ten‑thousand‑year Spirit Rings, whose power was truly staggering.

The audience erupted in a roar; the Shrek team had actually fielded two Soul Elders, while the two Defense System Soul Grandmasters who appeared yesterday were absent, making it hard to fend off the Spirit Hall team's attacks.

When the referee announced the start, the entire Shrek team surged forward, even Rong Rong lunged forward a bit.

In that instant, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda emitted six beams of light that swiftly merged into everyone's bodies, and Rong Rong solemnly intoned, "The Seven Treasures are named: first, Strength; second, Speed; third, Soul."

The crowd was startled; they had never seen the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda used in such a supportive way. Could a mere Soul Elder not fear the drain on soul power? How long could she keep such desperate support?

The Spirit Hall team's formation was impeccably orderly; Xie Yue and Hu Liena led at the front, standing side by side. Their martial souls merged, forming a figure over two meters tall, a Demon Charm wielding Moon Blades in both hands, wearing a mask, and exuding a red aura.

In terms of speed, the Demon Charm was extremely swift, especially with the surrounding red mist that even many Soul Grandmasters in the audience could not see through.

Yang Xiong transformed into a silver silhouette and plunged straight into the red mist.

Once inside the red mist, Yang Xiong clearly felt his spirit power being disrupted, his vision severely limited; without the Purple Extreme Demon Eye and his spirit power far surpassing ordinary levels, he would have been bewildered by the mist.

The Demon Charm emitted an androgynous voice: "I didn't expect a mere Soul Elder like you to dare challenge me; then I'll deal with you first."

Yang Xiong snorted coldly: "Just you, an androgynous one, where does your confidence to spout such nonsense come from?"

The Demon Charm instantly roared, brandishing the Moon Blades and slashing at Yang Xiong; the blades were exceedingly sharp, far more formidable than Feng Xiaotian's Wind Blade.

But Yang Xiong was undaunted, his hands like a pair of silver claws, forcibly grasping the Moon Blades.

With just one strike, Yang Xiong felt his palm as if being sliced; a thin scar appeared on his silver palm, confirming the attack's formidable strength.

The Demon Charm snorted: "I didn't expect you to see through my attack, but how long can a mere Soul Elder like you withstand?"

Yang Xiong roared angrily: "Why do you, an androgynous chatterbox, talk so much? Prove yourself by beating me first."

Seeming bothered by being called androgynous, the Demon Charm's attacks became incredibly rapid; despite Yang Xiong's strong hands, numerous wounds quickly appeared, the scars piercing deep into his bones—this is the inherent vulnerability of a physical martial soul.

Yang Xiong gritted his teeth, his body becoming markedly more robust, his skin and bones seemingly hardened—a Self‑Created Spirit Skill: Steel Reinforced Iron Bones.

Aside from Yang Xiong, the others surged forward like released tigers, racing toward the Spirit Hall team's ranks.

Everyone present instantly understood that the Shrek team was likely throwing everything into a desperate strike, using Yang Xiong's distraction of the Demon Charm to quickly crush the enemy; no wonder the Auxiliary System Soul Master spared no soul power for amplification.

Yu Tianheng transformed into a massive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and directly confronted Yan of the Spirit Hall.

Yan's martial soul, the Flame Lord, is a premium fire‑earth dual‑attribute martial soul, possessing powerful Fire Attribute attacks and Earth Attribute defense, truly a blend of offense and defense.

Only at the initial clash, Yu Tianheng began to falter, being knocked back several meters.

Yet Yu Tianheng's body crackled with lightning, and he immediately employed his Fourth Soul Skill, Blue Lightning Divine Dragon Rush, turning his right hand into a massive dragon claw that lunged at Yan, seemingly disregarding soul power consumption.

Dai Mubai faced Sun Chuantao; the massive White Tiger collided with Sun Chuantao's Ring Giant Blade. The White Tiger is an ultimate attack‑beast martial soul, and Dai Mubai even used his Third Soul Skill, White Tiger Diamond Transformation, resulting in a brief stalemate.

Xiao Wu faced Li Kai; Li Kai's Black‑horned Mountain Boar attacked with extreme speed and formidable strength, while Xiao Wu relied on agility to barely cope.

Dugu Yan unleashed a massive amount of poison mist, employing multiple soul skills simultaneously; the toxic fog filled most of the Arena, forcing everyone to counter it with soul power.

Opposite them, the Agility Attack System Soul Master Zhang Ping moved at lightning speed, transforming into a highly nimble Golden‑waisted Swallow that charged at Rong Rong, apparently aiming to crush the Shrek team's support first.

Anyone with eyes could see that the Shrek team's soul power gap was enormous; only Rong Rong's ultimate support could balance the sides, as her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda could boost everyone's strength, speed, and soul power by a full forty percent, bridging the disparity.

But Tang San reacted with blinding speed; Blue Silver Grass swiftly swept Rong Rong away from Zhang Ping, and in his hand appeared a jade‑green scythe, the Mantis Leg External Soul Bone.

Within the entire Shrek team, aside from Yang Xiong, only Tang San's speed could keep up with Zhang Ping, so Tang San had to both attack the enemy and protect Rong Rong.

However, judging by the formation, Tang San—whether intentionally or not—was positioned very close to the red mist where Yang Xiong and the Demon Charm were battling, as if ready to assist Yang Xiong at any moment.

Aside from Hu Liena, the Spirit Hall team had no other Control System Soul Masters.

The Golden Scepter in Xu Yu's hand of the Spirit Hall emitted a golden glow, likewise enhancing the attack capability of all members of the Spirit Hall team.

Both sides grew increasingly fierce, and at that moment the battlefield suddenly underwent an anomaly.

Originally, Yang Xiong and the Demon Charm fought each other desperately; Yang Xiong alternated between claw and fist, maintaining a ferocious, all‑out stance.

Especially with the Xuanming Armor's toughness, as long as the attack wasn't aimed at limbs or the head, the armor could deflect the Moon Blade's strikes, leaving only a faint scratch—this defense far exceeded everyone's expectations.

As the attacks grew ever more fierce, Yang Xiong's First Soul Ring suddenly flared, and he vanished instantly, while the person who had been standing in Yang Xiong's spot turned out to be Xu Yu.

This is Yang Xiong's First Soul Skill: Xuanming Transposition, a technique already regarded as a divine skill.

Moreover, the Shrek team never attacked Xu Yu from start to finish, leaving Xu Yu completely relaxed to support others, without any defense at all.

Even though the Demon Charm reacted swiftly, its frenzied duel with Yang Xiong was hard to restrain, and the Moon Blade struck Xu Yu directly.

Originally, Xu Yu was merely an Auxiliary System Soul Master with relatively weak defense, and Yang Xiong chose a particularly cunning angle, causing the Moon Blade to miss the Golden Scepter and slam into Xu Yu's shoulder, apparently a serious injury.

Meanwhile, Yang Xiong himself appeared at Xu Yu's original spot, at the rear of the opposing formation, fists clenched, and charged straight at Sun Chuantao, who was battling Dai Mubai. Although Sun Chuantao is a Strong Attack type, his tool martial soul offers far weaker defense than a beast martial soul.

Sun Chuantao was suddenly attacked from front and back, taking Yang Xiong's punch outright; he was knocked back, even spitting blood.

And Tang San, who had been very close to the red mist, at that instant transformed into a Ghost Shadow and surged into the mist—an ultimate Tang Sect technique, Ghost Shadow Mirage Step. His right hand's Mantis Leg clawed Xu Yu from behind; Xu Yu, already struck by the Demon Charm, now suffered Tang San's attack as well, a deep wound slashing his back down to the bone.

After Xu Yu took successive heavy blows, he collapsed on the ground, barely alive, and his injuries seemed serious.

The audience erupted in a stir; the Spirit Hall team had originally held an absolute advantage, but in an instant they lost their only support, Xu Yu, and Sun Chuantao was also wounded by Yang Xiong.

The tactic was good; Shrek's team handled strategy and timing excellently, but there was a huge flaw: during this process no one could protect Ning Rongrong, no one could match Zhang Ping's speed, and Tang San had to face the Demon Charm. If the Demon Charm's red mist got close to anyone else, the whole battle could instantly be turned around by the Spirit Hall team.

Zhang Ping immediately activated the Third Soul Skill: Flying Swallow Meteor, moving at lightning speed, and attacked Ning Rongrong directly.

Dugu Yan, who had been releasing poison, rushed to Ning Rongrong's side, and the huge Jade Phosphor Snake's tail swept over, trying to block Zhang Ping's attack.

But Zhang Ping's speed was extreme and her attack power was formidable; Dugu Yan was struck head‑on, was blown several meters away, and blood spurted from his mouth.

Yang Xiong realized he had no time and no chance to strike the Spirit Hall members from behind; with a flash of movement he Teleported right next to Ning Rongrong, forcibly blocking Zhang Ping's attack.

The Spirit Hall team instantly erupted in anger; having one member injured and another fallen dealt a huge blow to their formation and morale.

Yan directly activated the Fifth Soul Skill: Flying Sand Wild Flame, a group‑attack and a Yi Wan Nian Soul Technique; the entire Arena instantly turned into a sea of fire, and everyone suffered terrifying flame attacks.

Yang Xiong grabbed Ning Rongrong and together they strained to fend off the incoming flames.

Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and activated the Fourth Soul Skill: White Tiger Meteor Shower; countless meteors rained down, colliding with Yan's flames, while Yu Tianheng also activated the Second Soul Skill Thunder Ten Thousand Pounds, and the massive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon instantly emitted endless thunder, countering the fire.

However, the power gap between the Yi Wan Nian Soul Technique and the Thousand-Year Soul Technique remained huge; in this sea of fire, Yu Tianheng's and Dai Mubai's soul skills were outmatched.

By contrast, Tang San was in an even more troublesome position; he had to fight the Demon Charm alone, which was far stronger than anyone had imagined, and several cries of agony echoed from within the red mist.

Yang Xiong, helpless, activated the First Soul Skill: Xuanming Swap again, swapping positions with Tang San; Tang San instantly appeared beside Ning Rongrong, while Yang Xiong re‑entered the red mist.

But at this moment Tang San still looked rather miserable; after battling the Demon Charm for about two minutes, his External Spirit Bone Mantis Leg had been sliced into several pieces, his left hand's grip had become the Clear Sky Hammer, yet both of his pure white Mysterious Jade Hands were cracked, and several sharp wounds appeared on his body.

Although Yang Xiong's slick maneuver just eliminated one opponent, the audience fell silent, because Shrek's team could not block the Demon Charm at all, not even Yang Xiong; his both hands already bore obvious injuries.

Sun Chuantao, though struck once, did not lose all combat power; the Ring Giant Blade he wielded grew even more ferocious.

Time flew by, and after about five minutes, even Yang Xiong's body bore many wounds; his silver arms looked as if they had cracked, riddled with various slash injuries.

Even more troublesome, Yang Xiong felt his spiritual power was nearing its limit, and he could no longer clearly see the Demon Charm's attacks.

With a fierce shout from the Demon Charm, Yang Xiong was blasted out of the red mist, gasping heavily; it was a rare moment of being forced to such extremes in a fight against peers.

The remaining six members of Shrek could only barely contend with the four from the Spirit Hall.

Especially Yan, whose defense was extremely strong and attack speed unusually swift; in terms of martial soul, he was by no means weaker than the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon or the White Tiger, and even a multi‑person assault could not subdue him.

The other members of the Spirit Hall also displayed formidable combat prowess, especially Zhang Ping and Li Kai; Zhang Ping's speed was extreme, and even Tang San found it hard to deal with her.

Li Kai charged recklessly, completely suppressing Xiao Wu.

The Demon Charm roared again, "Yang Xiong, your spiritual power is nearly exhausted; no one can stop me, so your Shrek team should just surrender obediently."

As the Demon Charm's words faded, the red mist began to spread, soon enveloping the rest of Shrek's members.

(End of Chapter)