"Stop overthinking. The match is about to begin."
Xu Jiawei looked at his virtuous junior, patted his shoulder, and spoke softly.
He knew full well that he couldn't fully rely on Shrek Academy, but the situation in the Xingluo Empire forced him into this course of action.
"A weak country has no voice."
Xu Jiawei sighed inwardly, glancing toward the arena. The match had already started.
"We must end this quickly. My soul power is superior, and I must fully utilize it!"
A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Dai Yaoheng's eyes. As he stepped back, his presence intensified, secretly accumulating soul power.
Off the stage, he had already recovered about 75% of his soul power. Fully unleashing it wouldn't be a problem, but his aura grew heavier with every passing moment.
"The match begins!"
Huang Jinxu, observing the two standing at the edge of the stage, gave the signal, vanishing from the stage entirely.
The next moment, Dai Yaoheng let out a thunderous tiger roar, launching forward like an arrow.
In midair, his first, third, and fifth soul rings glowed in succession. He transformed at lightning speed.
White Tiger Defensive Barrier, White Tiger Vajra Form, White Tiger Demon God Form—the three amplification skills boosted his power to the absolute maximum within mere breaths.
Meng Hongchen faced Dai Yaoheng, like a fierce tiger incarnate. She pushed both palms forward. Her first soul ring glowed, and a white aura released, followed by streams of blue light illuminating her body.
Thirteen points on her body glimmered ice-blue simultaneously, rapidly transforming into a set of exquisitely crafted ice-blue armor that protected Meng Hongchen entirely.
Every detail was meticulous. Blue-gold patterns adorned the armor, making the beautiful Meng Hongchen appear even more heroic and imposing.
As Meng Hongchen had said, she was no vase. Her talent rivaled that of Xiao Hongchen, and though she was a Soul King, she was even younger than Xiao Hongchen.
A pair of ice-blue long swords extended from her hands, three feet in length and slender. Behind her, three pairs of folded wings, each only a foot long, unfurled, radiating chilling ice power.
"Direct confrontation is unfavorable. Delay and let the poison penetrate."
Calm and composed, Meng Hongchen's eyes reflected her strategic thought.
She trusted the poison of her Zhuqing Ice Toad. Known as the "King in the Cracks" of the extreme north, it had unique properties—even against Dai Yaoheng, a whole realm above her.
In a flash, her speed surged. She had no intention of clashing head-on with Dai Yaoheng. As she moved laterally, her slender swords swept through the air.
Dense cold air rushed toward him as two ice-blue light blades crossed in midair, forming a lethal X-slash aimed at Dai Yaoheng.
Dai Yaoheng did not dodge. As a disciple of Shrek Academy's Inner Courtyard, he knew time was limited.
He swung his left hand, soul power erupting outward as five golden blades, slicing into the center of the X-slash, momentum unbroken.
"Crack! Crack!"
Two sharp breaking sounds rang out. The X-slash shattered, erupting into a fog of white mist—still laced with the deadly toxin of the Zhuqing Ice Toad.
Meng Hongchen had maximized her poison advantage.
Dai Yaoheng held his breath but felt a chill spread through his body, as if something was infiltrating him from all angles.
"White Tiger Blazing Wave!"
Channeling his soul power, he ignored the sensation. His aura flared, his soul rings glowing as he lunged toward Meng Hongchen.
Simultaneously, a white wave, accompanied by a metallic roar, surged toward her. Amplified by his three soul skills, the White Tiger Blazing Wave, as thick as an arm, radiated the full presence of a Soul Emperor.
"Ice Poison Ring!"
"Ice Refraction!"
Meng Hongchen's sharp voice cut through. She moved, and at her feet, a circular mirror-like ice surface five meters across appeared, reflecting her image strangely.
Facing Dai Yaoheng's terrifying strike, she remained calm. In the next moment, a bizarre scene unfolded: two Meng Hongchens appeared on the ice.
A flash of white light, and the one facing Dai Yaoheng turned into an illusion and vanished. The real Meng Hongchen shifted position, evading the White Tiger Blazing Wave entirely, now behind him.
Her slender swords flashed, scattering countless sword shadows, surging straight toward Dai Yaoheng's back. The ice-blue blade light cut sharply through the air.
All this was thanks to her Ice Refraction. On a sufficiently wide ice surface, she could swap positions at will.
Dai Yaoheng's eyes widened but he quickly stabilized, planting his left foot and rotating his right hand to defend.
The tiger claw emitted sharp golden light, colliding with the ice-blue sword shadows with crisp clashes, scattering the blades into a fog of white mist.
Meng Hongchen shifted again, using her third soul skill, Ice Refraction, repeatedly changing positions. Sword shadows swirled, seeking his weakness.
She was in no rush; the longer she delayed, the more the poison took effect, the more advantageous it became.
Dai Yaoheng grew anxious. The harder he tried to strike her, the more futile it became. With the poison accumulating, his body began to falter.
"I can't delay any longer!"
Suddenly, his speed faltered, and he shivered.
Meng Hongchen's eyes gleamed. Her swords cut, a streak of ice-blue slashing toward Dai Yaoheng's shoulder.
"Clang!"
The blades pierced flesh and struck bone with a metallic clash.
"Spirit Bone?"
Meng Hongchen murmured.
Dai Yaoheng's right arm suddenly shone, golden light enveloping his entire body. Her swords could no longer advance.
"Spirit Bone Technique: Absolute Defense!"
He grinned fiercely, feigning weakness. The moment the golden light spread, it trapped her swords as well. For a brief moment, Meng Hongchen could not draw her blades.
But she only blinked, letting an intense teal energy flow from her arms into her ice-blue swords, then immediately releasing them as she retreated. Ice Refraction activated again.
"Try to escape? Not that easy!"
Dai Yaoheng roared. His sixth soul ring blazed, overwhelming everything within five meters.
Golden light coalesced into a massive killing character, and a white tiger phantom rose behind him.
"White Tiger Destruction Strike!"
Just as the ultimate skill was about to hit her, Dai Yaoheng's dragon-like grin widened. If this hit landed, Meng Hongchen would be mortally wounded! He also intended to prove himself to the figure on the palace wall.
At that moment, a golden light flared from Meng Hongchen.
In a flash, she reappeared ten meters away, completely evading the strike.
"Damn! This soul device is busted!"
Dai Yaoheng cursed, but his shock deepened as he felt extreme ice-elemental soul power gathering in his right arm.
"Not good! Ice Explosion Technique!"
He realized instantly that it was the Ice-Beryl Scorpion Spirit Bone from the auction, panicking. The teal energy from her sword had already entered his body.
At that moment, glory or not, he could not die here. He was the firstborn of the Duke of White Tiger, with a bright future ahead.
With that resolve, he slashed with his left tiger claw. His bloodied arm fell.
Immediately, the arm exploded with dazzling teal energy, scattering flesh, leaving only a golden spirit bone.
Dai Yaoheng was blown back, and before he could react, Meng Hongchen's next strike arrived.
"Ice-Fire Poison Dragon Drill!"
An ice-blue soul vortex gathered in front of her, with a faint red glow at the center. It burned fiercely, like flames within a whirlpool of ice.
This was her ultimate attack, a fusion of her millennia-old soul skill and soul device.
"Boom!"
The vortex surged toward Dai Yaoheng, who, poisoned and terrified, watched helplessly.
"No!"
A reassuring figure appeared before him—Huang Jinxu.
"Step down. You've lost."
Her cold voice rang out. Dai Yaoheng froze. He had been defeated?!
Looking toward the palace wall, the figure was gone.
"No!"
Meng Hongchen, hearing Huang Jinxu, moved slightly. Her Ice-Beryl Scorpion Spirit Bone's Ice Explosion and her soul skill had exhausted her soul power.
She leapt down from the stage, heading toward the rest area.
From now on, this was no longer her home turf.
"It's my turn."
"Boss Ma, lend me the sword!"
At the instant of Meng Hongchen's victory, Jiang Jue's eyes opened, a sharp gleam flashing.
"Today, I will bring Shrek's millennia-old glory to a close…"
"He has sat on the throne of the continent's number one for too long!"
(End of Chapter 141)