The situation on the scene was completely different from what they had anticipated. The Skykiller Douluo was still standing in place, and the members of the Star Luo Team were also standing unharmed.
The golden shield formed by the Star Guardian still existed. Of the eighteen Golden Stars on the dome of the shield, seventeen had lost all their luster, leaving only the last one stubbornly emitting a faint light. Although the light was almost negligible, it had endured.
Seeing this, everyone was shocked and terrified. It was unimaginable that a Martial Soul Fusion Skill deployed by two Soul Kings had been blocked by Xu Jiujiu, who was at the same level. It was truly unbelievable!
Thinking of this, some people turned their gazes towards Xu Jiujiu. Upon seeing Xu Jiujiu's appearance, they fell silent. How should they put it? It was within expectations.
Xu Jiujiu's face was ashen, without a trace of blood. The Star Crown on her head was covered in dense cracks, like a spiderweb.
Xu Jiujiu felt a sweetness in her throat, and a mouthful of blood was about to spurt out, but she forcibly swallowed it back. For the sake of the royal family's dignity, she didn't want to show any weakness.
Xu Jiujiu wanted to hold on for a while longer, but the damage caused by the Xiao Hongchen siblings was too great. In the next moment, the cracks on the Star Crown Martial Soul suddenly widened, and the Star Crown instantly shattered.
With the Star Crown's Martial Soul shattering, the Star Guardian immediately collapsed, exposing the Star Luo Team once more to the Sun Moon Team.
However, the Sun Moon Team wasn't faring much better at this point. Ma Rulong, though at full health, was trapped inside a Soul Tool and unable to act.
Then there were Li Yan and Mi Jia, who had been shielding the Xiao Hongchen siblings while they used their Martial Soul Fusion Skill. Both were Soul Kings and five-ringed Soul Engineers, their combat strength still considerable despite the heavy drain.
As for the Xiao Hongchen siblings, after unleashing their final attack, the Crimson Toad in the air immediately disintegrated. The siblings slowly descended to the ground. Although they were unharmed, their internal soul power was completely depleted, making any further action impossible.
After landing, the siblings, weakened by the soul power exhaustion, stumbled and fell. Xiao Hongchen's eyes were filled with intense resentment. He had believed his move would shock the world, but he was forced to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill by a fellow Soul Master. Even with that, he had only managed to achieve a stalemate. His arrogance wouldn't allow him to accept this.
Unbeknownst to him, Xu Jiujiu was also extremely regretful. If she hadn't been trying to save a trump card for the championship, the team wouldn't be in this situation. If she had planned it better, and the Star Guardian had been released earlier, they could have at least preserved Tang Ling's combat strength.
In that case, they would have had a good chance of competing for second place, instead of ending up in this embarrassing situation. Even though the Sun Moon Team was left with only Li Yan and Mi Jia, they had to remember that Ma Rulong was still at full health. Moreover, according to Xu Jiujiu's estimation, the duration of the absolute defense Soul Tool that had been restraining Ma Rulong should be about to expire.
Thinking of this, Xu Jiujiu's gaze swept towards Ma Rulong. As luck would have it, the light shield that had been imprisoning Ma Rulong began to slowly dissipate just as Xu Jiujiu looked over. Xu Jiujiu's heart sank, and bitterness filled her.
After breaking free, Ma Rulong rushed to the Xiao Hongchen siblings, catching them before they hit the ground. Looking at the unconscious siblings, Ma Rulong felt a complex mix of emotions. The Xiao Hongchen siblings had performed admirably, even he couldn't find fault with their efforts, while he, as the team captain, had been largely ineffective.
"You've worked hard. Leave the rest to me," Ma Rulong said softly, finally turning his gaze to the Skykiller Douluo.
"Your Excellency, my two teammates have fallen unconscious. Could you please send them down for rest and treatment?"
Huang Jinxu nodded slightly and waved his hand. Powerful soul power enveloped the Xiao Hongchen siblings, carrying them down to the stage. There, the Star Luo Empire had already arranged for healing soul masters to await them.
The match between the Star Luo Team and the Sun Moon Team ultimately ended in a narrow victory for the Sun Moon Team.
Initially, the Star Luo Team had five Soul Kings, while the Sun Moon Team was left with only Li Yan and Mi Jia, both Soul Kings, plus Ma Rulong, a Soul Emperor.
No matter how one looked at it, the Star Luo Team had a higher chance of winning, and that's how it seemed when they first clashed. Mi Jia and Li Yan were tightly restrained by the Star Luo Team's wind and fire dual control, while Ma Rulong was subjected to a fierce assault by the remaining three Soul Kings of the Star Luo Team. Despite his Soul Emperor cultivation, he was once on the brink of danger.
Ultimately, Ma Rulong was forced to use the eighth-rank Soul Tool, the Sword of Judgement, to turn the tide and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
This was just the surface. In reality, Ma Rulong's cultivation wasn't sufficient to unleash the true power of the eighth-rank Soul Tool. While using the Sword of Judgement, Ma Rulong also employed another forbidden weapon, the seventh-rank Soul Tool, the Chapter of Sacrifice.
The reason the Chapter of Sacrifice was called a forbidden tool was because its use came at the cost of a Soul Master's life force and potential.
By using the Chapter of Sacrifice and burning his life force, Ma Rulong unleashed the true power of the Sword of Judgement, thus securing the victory in the match.
After the match, the Body Sect team members gathered in the conference room to discuss their strategy for tomorrow's match against the Sun Moon Team.
It was worth mentioning that this conference room was originally provided by the Star Emperor Hotel for Shrek Academy, but after the Shrek team was eliminated, the hotel officially transferred it to the Body Sect Academy.
"Everyone saw the match of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy today. Do you have any strategies?" Lin Kong, the team captain, was the first to speak.
Everyone looked at each other. Xiang Wuqing thought for a moment and frowned, saying, "Ma Rulong isn't too difficult to deal with. I believe everyone can see today that he paid a considerable price for using that eighth-level Soul Tool. He probably won't be able to use it again in tomorrow's match against us. Even if he could use that move again, with Yu Qing and me working together, he wouldn't be able to cause much trouble."
"The most troublesome thing about the Sun Moon Team is the martial soul fusion skill of the Xiao Hongchen siblings, and they have a lot of Soul Tools. I'm afraid we won't be able to interrupt..."
Xiang Wuqing didn't continue, but everyone understood what he meant. The Sun Moon Team, putting aside everything else, was truly rich. Just look at the invincible shield they used in today's match against the Star Luo Team, it was like it didn't cost anything. This was indeed a bit of a headache.
The problem was laid bare, and everyone fell silent, including the three Soul Emperors. Judging by the intensity of the battle between the Xiao Hongchen siblings and Xu Jiujiu today, they didn't think they could hold their own.
This wasn't about admitting defeat; it was about having a realistic assessment of their own abilities. They weren't fools. They'd seen the recent actions of the sect, and it was clear the higher-ups wanted to make a name for themselves through this tournament. They couldn't afford to jeopardize the sect's plans by being overly competitive.
So, in a very unspoken agreement, everyone turned their gaze towards Huo Yuhao. Without a doubt, Huo Yuhao was the undisputed strongest member of the team. This had been confirmed during their initial encounter, and today, his battle with Ma Xiaotao had revealed his Twin Martial Souls and a 100,000-Year Soul Ring, which was absolutely terrifying.
Seeing that everyone had passed the problem onto him, Huo Yuhao didn't refuse and agreed directly, "Leave it to me. I won't let them use their Martial Soul fusion."
Everyone smiled at his words, and their hearts relaxed. Aside from that unreasonable Martial Soul fusion skill, they really didn't see any chance for the Sun Moon Team to win. Relying on that cripple, Ma Rulong? Or those weaklings who relied on drugs to boost their power?
The reason everyone was so confident wasn't just because they believed in Huo Yuhao's strength; it was also because of his attitude. Huo Yuhao meant he had a way to disrupt the Xiao Hongchen siblings' Martial Soul fusion, rather than relying on his strength to force a confrontation.
If they were in Huo Yuhao's shoes, they would probably be strutting around like peacocks, not being as cautious as Huo Yuhao.
Honestly, even Huo Yuhao himself didn't know who was stronger between him and the Xiao Hongchen siblings if he went all out. From today's competition, Huo Yuhao could estimate that the Xiao Hongchen siblings' combined strength had definitely reached the level of a Soul Saint.
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(End of Chapter)