"Fourth Soul Skill: Star Barrier!"
The brilliant starlight coalesced into a radiant shield, blocking the encroaching ice fog and splitting the battlefield.
Dai Yuheng, Beibei, and the trapped Ma Xiaotao—leading Shrek's charge—were now enclosed within the Star Barrier, unable to break free.
Eighteen shimmering stars adorned the surface of the luminous barrier, pulsing with energy.
With Xu Jiu Jiu and the Lightning Falcon Soul King engaged with Beibei as exceptions, the remaining four Star Luo members immediately turned their assault toward Dai Yuheng.
Xu Jiu Jiu cast a leisurely glance at the ice fog beyond the barrier, a faint smile curling at her lips.
Thanks to the Star Barrier's attribute isolation, the ice mist was completely sealed outside.
Even with Huo Yuhao's amplification, Ling Luochen's efforts were futile.
After all, the Ultimate Ice could only enhance her soul skills—not alter their fundamental nature. Ling Luochen was, first and foremost, a control-type soul master.
Frowning, Ling Luochen could only push the ice fog harder, assaulting the Star Barrier's barrier.
Yet, the starlit shield remained unshaken, its eighteen stars dimming one by one at a steady pace.
Clearly, the shield wouldn't break until every last star faded.
'What an infuriating defensive soul skill!'
This was the Star Barrier—a large-scale defensive skill capable of attribute isolation, unrestricted by the age of its soul ring. Its synergy with soul tools only made it more formidable.
On the surface, the Star Barrier was merely Xu Jiu Jiu's fourth soul skill.
But in truth, executing it was no simple feat.
While the Star Crown martial soul far surpassed ordinary martial souls—even rivaling some top-tier ones—its immense power came with strict limitations.
A Star Crown soul master could only cultivate at night, drawing upon the power of the stars to enhance their abilities. Every soul skill required prior absorption and storage of starlight before use.
Among them, the Star Barrier demanded the longest preparation—eighteen days to gather the eighteen golden stars.
Its defensive strength scaled with the user's cultivation, making it a rare skill unaffected by the soul ring's inherent quality.
But its drawback was equally glaring: once used, it required another eighteen days to recharge.
This was precisely why the Star Barrier's defense was so overwhelming.
At Princess Jiu Jiu's current Soul King level, the shield's resilience matched that of a Soul Emperor-ranked defensive battle soul master.
For now, the three outside the barrier were at a loss.
Both Tang Ya and Ling Luochen felt restrained, lacking the means to breach such a formidable defense.
As for Xu Sanshi?
Right now, his role was protecting the backline.
If he could awaken his bloodline and enter the Xuanwu state, he might have a chance to break the stalemate with an advanced Xuanwu Replacement.
But reaching that state wasn't so simple.
Had the trapped one been Jiang Nannan, his fury might have triggered the transformation.
But since it was just his mischievous friend Beibei?
Xu Sanshi wasn't worried—just amused.
He wasn't the only one with a trump card, after all.
A cornered dog will leap over a wall.
And Beibei had the Light Holy Dragon's awakening in reserve.
Besides, Shrek's real ace was still present.
Everything was under control.
The trio turned their gazes to Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao: Don't rush me—I'm still thinking.
…
In team battles where strength was relatively balanced, control-type soul masters dictated the flow.
They were the brain of the team, the pivot of all tactics.
This was why the Ice and Fire Dual Extreme Tactics revolved around Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen.
One wielded Soul Saint strength, crushing foes with sheer power.
The other, amplified by Huo Yuhao's Ultimate Ice, exerted peerless control.
Yet the former was countered by soul tools, while the latter met her match in the Star Barrier.
In the Star Luo team, Xu Jiu Jiu—though an auxiliary soul master—was undeniably the core.
Huo Yuhao could also serve as the core, but he preferred direct solutions.
"Kill them all—that's the strongest control."
In the earlier skirmish, while Huo Yuhao hadn't openly slacked, he'd contributed little.
Meanwhile, Xu Jiu Jiu had given her all.
Now, as the fifth soul ring of her flashed, the Chain of Stars activated.
This skill not only boosted allies' stats but also linked them together, allowing shared damage distribution.
With the Nine Transformations Soul Tool—a fifth-ranked soul tool, Dai Yuheng was swiftly injured.
This device let soul masters pool their soul power into one person for a temporary power surge—though prolonged fusion risked meridian damage.
Since Huang Heyun—their strongest fighter had already fallen to Ma Xiaotao, the fusion's main force was now Sheng Yi, the Gigant Eagle Soul King.
Bolstered by the Nine Transformations Soul Tool and Xu Jiu Jiu's support, Sheng Yi's strength briefly reached Soul Saint level.
Dai Yuheng, ever stubborn, met the assault head-on, amplifying his soul skills and charging recklessly.
BOOM—!
The impact sent him flying into the Star Barrier's barrier, his organs searing as he coughed blood.
'Impossible!'
His opponent was just a Soul King—how could their soul power be this overwhelming?
Dai Yuheng doubted his life choices.
In mere moments, the Soul Emperor was on the brink of defeat!
Though the audience couldn't see past the ice mist shrouding Huo Yuhao's group, the Star Barrier's display was clear.
Shrek was in trouble.
Their Soul Saint was trapped.
Their Soul Emperor was near collapse.
And Huo Yuhao and Ling Luochen had met their hardest counter yet.
Could it be…?
Would Shrek's undefeated legend finally fall today?
…
Huo Yuhao pondered how to fulfill Princess Jiu Jiu's mission while leaving room for others to shine.
Without contrast, how would the audience recognize the Star Crown's brilliance—or his own invincibility?
If he ended the fight instantly, where was the drama?
"Good wine fears no alley's shadow—but it still needs to be tasted."
A little hardship now would pave the way for future glory!
Besides, this was also for copying soul skills—a necessary sacrifice.
The moment Xu Jiu Jiu activated Star Barrier, Huo Yuhao had already mentally replicated it.
It was a success.
Upon copying, he immediately grasped its limitations.
If he replaced the Solidified Blue Water Field in his copy slot, he could reuse Star Barrier in the future.
But this copied skill still required starlight absorption—albeit faster due to his 50,000-year soul ring.
Replaceable? Yes.
Necessary? No.
Compared to Star Barrier which could be temporarily copied, the Blue Water Field was more versatile—compatible with his domain skills and irreplaceable.
After all, the Azure Sky Lion Beast that dropped it was now Han Ruoruo's soul ring.
Storing Star Barrier in his copy slot was enough.
Perhaps it'd catch the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy off guard later.
As his understanding of the Spirit Eye's origin deepened, Huo Yuhao grew more adept at manipulating soul skills.
The permanent copy slot could only hold one skill, but the temporary copy slot—though limited to three uses daily—now lasted indefinitely.
He could even dismiss it mentally if unused.
The only surprise?
Copying Star Barrier drained a quarter of his spirit and soul power at once.
That was why he hadn't acted sooner.
But as the Tianyuan Treasure Lotus Gu restored his energy, Huo Yuhao replenished swiftly.
Now, with the audience's vision obscured by ice mist, even Xu Jiu Jiu could only sense the outside four via stellar resonance.
Her focus was entirely on Dai Yuheng—the key to victory.
Eliminating this Soul Emperor first was crucial.
As for the four outside?
She wasn't worried.
The Ultimate Ice was neutralized.
And Huo Yuhao's Teleportation?
It was blocked by Star Barrier.
His thousand-year teleportation skill was formidable, but against her cultivation-scaling barrier, it was useless.
Not all thousand-year skills are equal!
But Xu Jiu Jiu didn't know: Huo Yuhao's four rings were all 50,000-year.
With Teleportation, he could go anywhere.
He just preferred overwhelming force.
Just as Star Luo focused on pummeling Dai Yuheng, an arctic chill erupted.
The ice mist dissipated, revealing Huo Yuhao.
The cold he unleashed was so intense that even Heavenfiend Douluo (the referee) was stunned.
'How could a soul ancestor unleash this?'
In an instant, glacial blue spread.
The Star Barrier's shield glazed over with diamond-like frost, glittering under the sun.
Xu Jiu Jiu's pupils contracted.
The bone-deep cold seeped through the barrier, making her shiver involuntarily.
'This level of Ultimate Ice…?'
'Had his earlier combo with Ling Luochen not been his limit?'
She checked the Star Barrier.
Three stars had dimmed.
'It could still hold—'
CRACK.
A hairline fracture split the barrier.
Xu Jiu Jiu's face paled.
Before she could react—
BOOM!
The Titled Douluo-tier defense shattered like glass.
Huo Yuhao stood amidst the debris, clad in Ice Empress's Armor, his hands sheathed in gleaming ice.
"Ice Empress's Claw."
Conventional skills were restrained by Star Barrier—but this was just a punch.
"Star Barrier… truly impressive." Huo Yuhao mused.
Xu Jiu Jiu, weakened, tried to speak—But Huo Yuhao vanished.
The battle entered garbage time.
With the ice mist gone, all eyes locked onto him.
From the emperor atop the royal city to the cheering crowds, no one dared blink.
And Huo Yuhao delivered.
Unleashing his second martial soul—Ice Jade Scorpion Empress, he shattered the Star Barrier with one punch.
Then, like a reaper amidst mortals, he wreaked havoc.
Freeing Ma Xiaotao, dismantling Star Luo's formation—
The audience erupted.
"Shrek will win!"
"Huo Yuhao is invincible!"
…
With four teammates eliminated, even the Lightning Falcon Soul King who'd restrained Beibei fell to Tang Ya's Blue Silver Grass and Beibei's counterattack.
Xu Jiu Jiu's mood soured further.
Huo Yuhao smirked. "Princess Jiu Jiu, will you concede?"
Knowing recovery was impossible, she sighed. "Huo Yuhao… you're truly strong. I admit defeat."
Huo Yuhao nodded. "After witnessing Star Barrier's attribute isolation, I understand why the Star Crown was once legendary."
"Thank you." With a polite bow, Xu Jiu Jiu departed.
This wasn't a comeback—with Ma Xiaotao present, Shrek's victory was never in doubt.
But it proved Shrek's might.
It also proved the Ultimate Ice's supremacy.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
["Restore the Star Crown's Glory!" completed.]
[Reward: Three Stars of Heaven (a triple-effect Gu, enhancing Star Gu's power—equivalent to a dual-Gu fusion.)]
[Evaluation: A shooting star, answering a maiden's wish.]
…
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