The horn of battle blared, sharp and resonant. In that instant, the skies themselves seemed to shift — the entire arena's atmosphere ignited with tension and anticipation.
Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao shot into the air like two arrows piercing through the heavens.
Their movements were swift and graceful, every motion flowing with both power and elegance. Their robes fluttered wildly in the wind, radiating confidence and strength.
At the same moment, behind them, Gongyang Mo was already in full concentration, his gaze locked firmly on his teammates.
Murmuring under his breath, his hands weaved through intricate motions as streams of multicolored light flowed from his fingertips — his support-type soul skills.
"First Soul Skill: Crimson Power!"
"Second Soul Skill: Orange Soul!"
"Third Soul Skill: Speed of Yellow!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Azure Aegis!"
"Fifth Soul Skill: Verdant Prosperity!"
As his soul skills activated, multiple beams of colored light — two red, two orange, and two blue — burst forth from the radiant body of his Rainbow Dragon martial soul, like ethereal sprites flying through the air.
Each beam found its mark, merging precisely into Zhou Sicheng and Dai Yueheng's bodies.
In that instant, their auras surged dramatically. Dragon roars and tiger growls echoed faintly within them, as if two ancient beasts were awakening from slumber.
Their muscles tightened, power surging like a volcanic eruption within their bodies — their entire beings blazing like ignited powder kegs ready to explode with devastating might.
With explosive force, they launched themselves forward — two human comets streaking across the battlefield, their speed leaving behind only afterimages as they charged straight toward the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy formation.
At the same time, two orange beams of light, like serpents of pure energy, fused into Ling Luochen and Dugu Xianmeng.
The moment the light entered them, their auras flared. Their soul rings gleamed like constellations, and the atmosphere around them shifted instantly.
Ling Luochen raised her Elemental Staff, her body exuding an overwhelming chill. Frost mist coiled around her, and within moments, the entire arena was engulfed in winter's breath.
The cold fog spread rapidly from her position, obscuring vision and turning the battlefield into a blur of white and silver.
Dugu Xianmeng, in contrast, held her Emerald Phosphor Divine Bow with elegant precision. Her delicate jade-like arm drew the bowstring gracefully, her every motion refined and deliberate.
Her calm gaze exuded focus. Though she did not loose an arrow immediately, her presence radiated a quiet, deadly pressure — as if the mere release of her fingers could unleash a fatal strike.
Two more lights — orange and cyan — flowed into Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao. Their soul power surged once more like a rising tide.
Ye Guyi's Holy Light attribute erupted in full, a divine radiance enveloping her entire figure. Bathed in pure brilliance, she looked like a celestial angel descending upon the mortal realm.
Ma Xiaotao's fiery aura answered in kind — her phoenix flames blazed fiercely, illuminating her crimson silhouette until she looked like a miniature sun. The heat around her twisted the air, distorting space with its intensity.
Under Gongyang Mo's amplification, Ye Guyi raised her Seventh-Rank Soul Tool — the Holy Light Sword. Her aura became ethereal, transcendent.
Her gaze hardened with resolve and confidence as her first and fourth soul rings glowed brightly, radiant as twin stars.
"First Soul Skill: Holy Radiance!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Glorious Spirit Array!"
The instant her skills activated, Ye Guyi transformed into a magnificent battle angel.
She raised her sword high, its blade glowing with overwhelming brilliance. Waves of divine light radiated outward from her — sacred, purifying, and boundless.
The aura of holiness spread rapidly, suffused with a power that could seemingly cleanse all evil.
Within that divine light, Ye Guyi stood as the supreme sovereign of the battlefield. Anything tainted or dark trembled under her presence, crushed by the weight of her sanctity.
As her fourth soul ring shone, the hundred-meter-wide arena floor changed dramatically.
Under the force of her divine power, a massive glowing formation carved itself into the ground.
Runes shimmered and pulsed with mysterious brilliance — the sacred array of light itself radiating holy majesty.
From the formation, an overwhelming surge of purifying power burst forth, crashing down upon the Sun Moon Academy team like a sacred tide.
Instantly, every member of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy felt the crushing weight descend upon them.
The pressure was suffocating — as though a mountain bore down upon their chests.
Even with protective soul power, the divine energy of purification gnawed at their defenses, dissolving it layer by layer.
And before they could recover—
Ye Guyi's second soul ring lit up, radiating a soft yet mighty golden light.
"Second Soul Skill: Saint Spirit Slash!"
She swung her Holy Light Sword. The motion was elegant and flowing — yet brimming with unstoppable rhythm and might.
Within the enormous Glorious Spirit Array, countless golden sword auras materialized in the air, descending like a storm of divine rain.
Each sword beam howled through the sky, slicing the air itself with shrill whistling cries.
The combination of Saint Spirit Slash and Glorious Spirit Array had transformed her single-target technique into a wide-range, auto-locking area attack.
Though each individual strike was weaker than before, their sheer number made up for it — a dense golden web of destruction fell over the Sun Moon Academy formation.
In that instant, Ye Guyi displayed exquisite control and coordination — executing a flawless skill chain that blended divine might and technique perfectly.
But Ma Xiaotao was no less dazzling.
High above, her phoenix wings unfurled magnificently. Each feather burned with living flame, blazing with sacred beauty.
Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings pulsed rhythmically around her, emitting a powerful aura.
"Second Soul Skill: Phoenix in Rebirth!"
"Third Soul Skill: Soaring Phoenix Wings!"
With the activation of both skills, Ma Xiaotao's aura skyrocketed. Her presence became overwhelming — like a true phoenix reborn from flame.
The temperature rose sharply, air sizzling and crackling from sheer heat. The scorching aura clashed dramatically with Ling Luochen's frost mist below, creating a breathtaking contrast of fire and ice.
Yet under Ma Xiaotao's precise control, neither force interfered with the other — a perfect harmony of extremes.
Then, her sixth black soul ring lit up.
At once, a blazing cloud appeared in the heavens, a sea of scarlet flame swirling like molten magma.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
The infernal cloud roared to life, birthing countless blazing meteors, each the size of a basketball, trailing long tails of fire as they plummeted toward the Sun Moon formation.
The blazing rain fused seamlessly with Ye Guyi's descending holy sword auras.
Gold and crimson intertwined — divine light and flame merging into one cataclysmic force that seemed like Heaven's Judgment itself.
The two powerhouses had synchronized perfectly, their combined attack far surpassing the limits of ordinary Soul Emperors.
With Gongyang Mo's amplifications layered upon them, the destructive might of their fusion rivaled — even exceeded — that of a Soul Saint's ten-thousand-year soul skill.
The golden-red meteoric downpour fell like divine punishment, locking onto every member of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy.
The audience held their breath as the radiant storm engulfed the battlefield. The might was apocalyptic — the sheer pressure alone made one's heart tremble.
Shrek Academy's opening strike was merciless and overwhelming.
Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao had launched a devastating first salvo — fast, coordinated, and relentless — leaving no room for the Sun Moon team to set up their long-range soul tools.
They knew full well that most Soul Engineers, except for the rare few, could not match traditional Soul Masters in close combat.
But the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy were no amateurs — and they knew their weaknesses as well as their strengths.
They had no intention of being crushed so easily.
Facing two peak Soul Emperors head-on, they responded instantly and decisively.
At the forefront stood Ma Rulong. With his Gigantic Spirit Ape martial soul activated, his physique changed drastically — his head enlarged, muscles bulged, and golden fur bristled across his frame, radiating primal beastly energy.
His two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings pulsed rhythmically, and the first, third, and fifth rings flared simultaneously.
Each soul skill amplified his physical might and soul power — perfect for synchronizing with Soul Tools, as was common among combat engineers.
After activating his boosts, he swiftly triggered the soul tools bound to the rings on his left hand — each containing specialized mechanisms.
The first tool — a metallic sphere — shot skyward like a comet.
Once it reached altitude, it detonated with a flash, releasing a massive white ripple that spread across the air like an invisible film.
It was a Fifth-Rank Soul Tool: The Attribute Suppression Ring, capable of weakening enemy attack properties — reducing Ye Guyi and Ma Xiaotao's onslaught just enough to buy time.
Then came the second tool — a violet-blue orb covered in glowing runes.
Once activated, it burst like fireworks, crackling with arcs of electricity.
This was one of Ma Rulong's personally crafted Seventh-Rank Soul Tools — Prison of Thunder.
It expanded instantly, forming an enormous inverted dome of lightning that enveloped the air above the Sun Moon formation.
Inside, lightning surged madly, roaring like thunder beasts.
Much of the incoming meteoric assault was neutralized by the immense electric field.
Even the divine sword auras were slowed and dispersed as they met the wall of thunder.
Only a few stray blasts slipped through.
But before they could hit—
Lin Xi, positioned in the center, raised another Soul Tool.
It shot upward and stopped three meters above their heads, unfolding into a small metallic shield.
In a flash of yellow light, it expanded to a five-meter barrier that covered the entire team.
The remaining sword energy and meteors slammed into it with deafening roars.
Ripples of energy spread across the glowing barrier — but none of the attacks pierced through.
The Fifth-Rank Defensive Soul Tool held strong.
Sweat streamed down Lin Xi's face, his body trembling as he maintained the barrier. Each impact felt like a hammer strike to his soul.
But together — Ma Rulong's Prison of Thunder, the Suppression Ring, and Lin Xi's Shield — had held the line.
Three Soul Tools.
Three defenses.
Enough to block an attack that could have annihilated an army.
The price, however, was steep.
The Suppression Ring crumbled into scrap.
The Shield shattered under strain.
Even the Prison of Thunder dimmed severely, its glow fading as it consumed seventy percent of its power.
If Shrek unleashed another strike of that magnitude — it would not hold.
Yet despite the damage, the Sun Moon Academy had achieved its objective.
They had survived Shrek's first wave.
And in a battle like this, that was victory enough.
****
Well, my P*tr*on was banned and my S*bscribeSt*r is under review, so while my Sub is being activated, I'll be using K*-fi to sell advanced chapters. If you'd like to read those chapters (26+), you can go here:
ko-fi.com/shax07