The moment the ice crystal exploded, Ma Xiaotao felt like a roaring engine suddenly drenched with ice water—completely extinguished.
More than that, the cold aura released from the explosion felt familiar to her.
Indeed, the ice crystal had been painstakingly crafted by Huo Yuhao, imbued with the purest form of his Ultimate Ice soul power. Its purpose was to suppress Ma Xiaotao's demonic flames and secure victory for the Sun and Moon Battle Team.
With Ma Xiaotao's rhythm completely disrupted, Ma Rulong and Xiao Hongchen naturally didn't waste the opportunity. They kept up the pressure, and with her flames snuffed out and her power drained, Ma Xiaotao found herself helpless. That Ultimate Ice had halted her ability to erupt with strength again in a short time.
And so, Ma Xiaotao's soul power ran dry. She collapsed, unable to fight back.
Xiao Hongchen and Ma Rulong were on the verge of collapse themselves, but as Ma Xiaotao fell unconscious, they remained standing on the battle stage.
The entire arena fell silent.
"The first match of the 2-2-3 battle format: victory to the Sun and Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy."
At the sound of Heavenfiend Douluo's ruling, Xiao Hongchen grinned smugly. Despite the effort it took, he managed to lift his hand and flash a 360-degree middle finger before he and Ma Rulong limped off the stage, arms draped over each other's shoulders.
Wang Yan's face was ashen.
The one battle Shrek Academy had the best chance of winning… was lost.
Watching the way the Sun and Moon team handled Shrek's members, Wang Yan couldn't help but feel like the other side knew their students inside and out. Every tactic was met with a counter. Already weaker in overall strength, Shrek was now at a decisive disadvantage.
Atop the imperial city wall, Emperor Xu Jiawei sighed. The roar of curses from the crowd, turning on Shrek like a switch, left him feeling that the situation was beyond saving.
He was exhausted. Let it all burn.
"The second 2v2 match is about to begin. Audience, please quiet down. Competitors, take the stage."
Now, the pressure turned to Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu.
In the previous match, Dai Yueheng had remained unconscious and in visible pain after being struck by the Sword of Judgment. This left his younger brother Dai Huabin seething with fury. Despite the collapse of Shrek's morale, his eyes still burned with determination. Clutching Zhu Lu's hand, he marched onto the stage.
Dai Hao, watching his second son appear, felt his mood lift. Deep down, he hoped his son could turn things around for Shrek and become the hero of the match.
In fact, he even dared to imagine his son earning the honor of becoming one of the next-generation Shrek Seven Devils.
At that same moment, the Sun and Moon team revealed their second pairing: Meng Hongchen… and Huo Yuhao.
A flash of surprise passed through Wang Yan's eyes. The Sun and Moon team had more than enough members, yet they sent out reserves?
Rather than relaxing him, this made Wang Yan deeply uneasy. Unless they were very confident in victory, the Sun and Moon team wouldn't casually choose to send out substitutes.
"Dai Huabin, I'm going to defeat you."
"Zhu Lu."
Shrek's pair introduced themselves first and declared their determination to win.
Huo Yuhao said nothing. He took Meng Hongchen's hand and led her toward their starting position, his face calm as he locked eyes on Dai Huabin—the face he could never forget.
That was the same face he'd seen looking pleased as Huo Yun'er was beaten to the ground by servants.
Meng Hongchen felt his hand trembling—trembling not from fear, but from excitement.
She glanced at his face, concerned, but said nothing. Her instincts told her this trembling had everything to do with the person standing across from them.
Dai Huabin frowned as he studied Huo Yuhao's face. It looked familiar… but he didn't dwell on it. Holding Zhu Lu's hand, he also stepped into position.
The arena held its breath in silence.
If the Sun and Moon team won this match, the entire tournament would be decided then and there.
"Begin."
At Heavenfiend Douluo's command, Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu wasted no time. They immediately began fusing their martial souls.
Once completed, their fused form would grant them the power of a peak-level Soul King—this was their only hope for victory.
What stunned the entire audience—including both teams, aside from Ma Rulong—was that Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen also took up the stance for a martial soul fusion.
That's right. Two martial soul fusion techniques were about to collide.
Netherworld White Tiger fused first.
The massive blue-purple White Tiger born from Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's fusion let out a deafening roar and charged straight toward Huo Yuhao and Meng Hongchen, who were still in the middle of fusing.
Before the match, Huo Yuhao had personally asked to fight alongside Meng Hongchen. Ma Rulong hesitated at first, but after hearing him whisper the words "martial soul fusion," he didn't doubt him for a second.
This was a fusion between the strongest soul master-type among them—Meng Hongchen—and the wielder of Ultimate Ice—Huo Yuhao. No one could imagine just how powerful their fusion would be.
"Senior Meng…"
"Yuhao…"
Their fingers interlocked, their eyes locked, and with a nod, they called each other's names.
In the next moment, their figures vanished—replaced by the phantom of a colossal, divine toad radiating overwhelming pressure.
Even the king among beasts—the White Tiger—was forced to bow before it.
As that aura swept over the Netherworld White Tiger, its aggressiveness instantly dulled, and its charge slowed noticeably.
Still, that wasn't enough to stop the tiger's thunderous momentum—until the toad's eyes gleamed with a deep, icy blue light, endless and unfathomable.
Centered on the toad, a terrifying freezing domain erupted outward. Everything around it froze completely.
The Netherworld White Tiger was no exception.
That terrible, Ultimate Ice domain even spread below the stage—reaching as far as Ma Xiaotao. Having had her demonic flames extinguished earlier, she now shivered uncontrollably under the cold, like a mother hen caught in a blizzard.
Frozen in place, the Netherworld White Tiger hadn't lost its ability to fight. It struggled, and cracks began to form in the ice imprisoning it.
But that… was only the beginning of its nightmare.
From those cracks, a blue-green liquid began to seep in. No one noticed when it started, but it quietly slipped into the White Tiger's body.
A moment later, the tiger's agonized howl echoed across the arena.
Wang Yan shot to his feet.
"What's happening?!"
Referee Heavenfiend Douluo frowned. It wasn't yet time to end the match by force. And for now, he didn't want to.
After all, it would mean declaring Shrek Academy's complete and utter defeat.
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, Go Check It Out.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.