Two teams stepped onto the arena stage.
Compared to the all-Soul Saint team from the Sun Moon Xu Family, and the team of Soul Saints and Soul Emperors from the Body Sect, the Shrek Academy team and the Holy Spirit Cult team—both of which included Soul Kings—seemed a bit lackluster.
However, both teams still drew significant attention.
Because one team came from the number one academy on the continent, while the other came from the only sect of Evil Soul Masters on the continent.
On the stage,
The two teams faced off from a distance.
"Shrek Academy, do you still recognize us?" Tang Ya suddenly spoke with a faint smile in her voice. Her voice, amplified by the soul-powered sound equipment in the arena, echoed throughout the stadium.
The crowd erupted in murmurs.
Spectators: What? Drama?
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Xian Lin'er and the others looked grim, sensing the many eyes now focused on them.
The rest of the Shrek Academy team on stage also wore serious expressions, with hints of tension in their eyes, all looking toward the silent Huo Yuhao.
Seeing that Huo Yuhao remained silent,
Wang Dong spoke up sharply, "A bunch of Evil Soul Masters—who would recognize you?!"
But Huo Yuhao raised his hand.
"No need for more words," Huo Yuhao said. He took a deep breath, as though making a decision. His expression turned icy, devoid of emotion, as he said, "Since they've spoken, it means they no longer intend to keep our past hidden. In that case, we'll do as they wish."
"I know your identities, of course. The last Sect Master of Tang Sect, expelled student of Shrek Academy—Tang Ya. And the missing outer court student of Shrek Academy—Bei Bei!"
The crowd erupted into chaos.
Everyone was shocked by Tang Ya and Bei Bei's revealed identities.
"What? They were once students of Shrek Academy?"
"They clearly know each other."
"That woman's from the Tang Sect? Wasn't the Tang Sect wiped out ages ago?"
"Wait, what's the Tang Sect? Never heard of it."
All eyes were now fixed on Huo Yuhao, faces full of astonishment.
Even Tang Ya was stunned. She hadn't expected Huo Yuhao to really reveal their identities.
Bei Bei remained expressionless.
And although Huo Yuhao appeared cold and fearless on the surface, in reality… he truly wasn't afraid, because everything was according to that mysterious adult's plan. All he had to do was follow instructions.
The one on stage was actually the Frost Variant Centipede posing as Huo Yuhao.
Its earlier silence was due to mentally "connecting" with the real Huo Yuhao. Huo Yuhao was hiding within the arena, secretly using Spiritual Detection to infiltrate the soul-tool barriers and link with the Frost Variant Centipede's consciousness to command it.
Frost Variant Centipede: I'm just a costume!
The soul-tool barriers around the arena didn't block spiritual power, so with Huo Yuhao's ability, he could infiltrate without anyone noticing.
Tang Ya, while surprised by Huo Yuhao's boldness, wasn't too shocked—instead, she laughed loudly. "Good! An expelled student, was it? And a missing student! Huo Yuhao, right? Since you're so bold, then tell everyone the reason I was expelled and Bei Bei went missing!"
From below the stage came Cai Mei'er's angry voice, "Is the match not happening? Why hasn't it started yet?"
This outburst seemed more like a cover-up.
But Shrek Academy had never been the type to explain themselves.
And delaying the match too long would indeed violate the rules.
On stage, Qingci Douluo snorted coldly, "Spectators should not interfere with the match. I will only warn once—don't say I didn't."
Qingci Douluo and Monying Douluo had been caught up in the drama and forgotten to continue the match, though neither would admit their mistake.
In any case, the battle could still proceed while they talked.
Maybe they should ask Jing Hongchen about developing a soundproof soul barrier next time—so outside voices could be ignored.
"The match begins!" Monying Douluo then declared.
Both teams activated their martial souls simultaneously.
The Frost Variant Centipede morphed into a suit of frost armor and summoned the Frost Centipede Spear. With the mutated martial soul's power residing in its body, it could use part of the Frost Centipede's abilities. As long as no one dissected it, no flaws could be found.
"You have become Evil Soul Masters—right and wrong no longer concern me. Come fight!"
With those words, the Frost Variant Centipede charged ahead.
The others followed closely.
Upon seeing Huo Yuhao in that icy armor, Tang Ya's suspicions were confirmed. Madness flashed in her eyes, and she shouted with a crazed smile, "So you are the Frost Armor Emperor!"
How could Tang Ya not be driven mad?
Huo Yuhao had taken her virginity…
Then vanished mysteriously without a single word of explanation.
If not for the support of her thirst for revenge—if she hadn't become someone entirely different—she never would've survived. She never would've had the courage to keep going.
Who isn't insane? They're all just pretending to be strong!
Hidden in the crowd, Ye Xeshui, watching through a blood soul clone, was delighted.
"Yes! That look in her eyes—that's what I wanted to see!"
The stands exploded with noise again.
Outsiders may not have understood, but many local nobles and those familiar with underground dealings certainly knew the title Frost Armor Emperor.
He was only a Soul Saint, yet had stirred up quite a few storms. Many powers had secretly investigated him, trying to recruit him.
But all had failed.
And after the underground forces were purged, the Frost Armor Emperor vanished without a trace.
As the Shrek team charged, the Holy Spirit Cult team did as well.
Bei Bei wanted to fight Huo Yuhao, but Tang Ya beat him to it. Bei Bei said nothing, turning instead to fight others.
It was as though none of this had anything to do with him—as though he was unaffected, calmly and logically seeking victory.
The Frost Variant Centipede lunged at Tang Ya with a thrust.
But Tang Ya didn't flinch—she waved her hand and summoned a flood of dark Blue Silver Grass, wrapping around the Frost Centipede Spear.
After all, the Frost Variant Centipede was not the real Huo Yuhao. The strike was deflected by the dark grass and missed, freezing a large section of the arena.
"You Shrek Academy people are all the same—birds of a feather!" Tang Ya sneered coldly at the Frost Variant Centipede.
Was she referring to Huo Yuhao denying her after what he'd done, or Shrek's hypocrisy?
The Frost Variant Centipede didn't care. From behind its helmet, its eyes narrowed as it scanned Tang Ya's vital points, contemplating how to proceed.
If it went all out, it was confident it could defeat Tang Ya. But posing as Huo Yuhao while fighting on stage was somewhat tricky.
But only just.
Radiant light burst from its body, making it look like a divine general descending from heaven to purge evil.
Tang Ya's eyes grew colder. Her expression could have frozen someone solid. Stepping with her Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track, she advanced instead of retreating. Waves of dark Blue Silver Grass surged toward the Frost Variant Centipede, as if to drown him.
"Die!!"
The Lesser Frost Venom Scorpion Variant, through absorbing Huo Yuhao's blood and the enhancement of the Frost Venom Scorpion Martial Soul, had gained powers and techniques nearly identical to that of the original martial soul.
Naturally, he also controlled the power of Ultimate Ice.
Faced with the surging tide of Dark Blue Silver Grass, the scorpion felt nothing but disdain. His expression remained as cold as ever.
The power of Ultimate Ice erupted from within him. In an instant, the spreading chill froze all the Dark Blue Silver Grass on the spot, stripping the martial soul's extensions of all vitality.
Tang Ya hastily severed her spiritual link with the summoned grass to prevent the Ultimate Ice from damaging her martial soul—or herself.
Even so, Tang Ya was forced to shiver as the intense cold gripped her body, forcing her to calm herself down.
Feeling her Dark Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul being suppressed, Tang Ya's expression turned extremely grim.
Since her martial soul mutated into Dark Blue Silver Grass, she hadn't felt such suppression—her soul could rival even the top-tier ones.
Yet when facing Huo Yuhao, that helpless, suppressed feeling returned.
It was a sensation she had desperately tried to forget.
Most plant-type martial souls feared fire and ice. Though her mutated soul no longer feared ordinary elemental damage, the Ultimate Ice from Huo Yuhao was still far beyond her capabilities.
Sensing their team leader was in danger, the remaining five evil soul masters leapt into action, trying to besiege the Lesser Frost Venom Scorpion.
Their attack filled the arena with ominous energy and a sickening aura.
Compared to Nana, their presence was weaker, but the stench of blood they emitted was far heavier.
However, against these soul emperors and kings, the scorpion didn't even take them seriously.
With a casual wave, he unleashed a palm strike infused with Ultimate Ice.
Inkshadow Douluo immediately intervened to save them.
Though the attack missed, it froze half the arena. Snowflakes began falling from the sky, and the temperature dropped significantly.
Had the evil soul masters taken the strike directly, they would have died instantly—frozen to death on the spot.
Inkshadow Douluo had no sympathy for these evil soul masters, but given the tournament rules, he couldn't just watch them die.
As for whether they posed a threat to the empire—that wasn't his concern.
After all, no matter how evil these soul masters were, could they possibly be more wicked than His Highness the Third Prince?
Back in the arena, the Lesser Frost Venom Scorpion continued suppressing Tang Ya. Yet she embodied the unyielding spirit of the Blue Silver Grass, refusing to give up.
Meanwhile, Bei Bei was engaged in battle with the remaining six members of the Shrek Academy team.
Like Tang Ya's team, they too faced a seemingly unbeatable foe.
The difference? They weren't getting wiped out.
Thanks to one critical factor in Shrek's team composition—Ou Ou's Holy Grail martial soul.
The Holy Grail is a pure support-type martial soul. It appears as an exquisitely crafted goblet of gold and silver, naturally generating a golden liquid known as Holy Water.
Huo Yuhao had studied it closely—not only was the Grail's water golden, but Ou Ou's own Holy Water was golden too.
This Holy Water served as the core of her healing powers.
Soul masters with the Holy Grail martial soul possessed a special innate skill: Baptism. It allowed them to sprinkle Holy Water on allies, imbuing them with light-elemental power.
Those who had been baptized would gain light-attribute effects on their attacks, become immune to dark and evil elemental powers, and have such incoming damage significantly reduced.
This was precisely why Ou Ou had been chosen to participate in this match.
At the very beginning of the fight, she immediately baptized every team member.
To strengthen the baptism, she even used up half of her Holy Water reserve.
The Holy Grail martial soul did have its flaws—once the Holy Water was depleted, neither Baptism nor her healing powers could be used effectively.
Fortunately, after years of cultivation alongside Huo Yuhao, Ou Ou's Holy Grail had evolved. It had acquired both light and life attributes.
Light enhanced all its abilities. Life allowed the Grail to regenerate Holy Water at a much faster rate.
Now, the Holy Grail radiated golden light and pulsed with vitality.
It should rightly be called the Holy Grail of Life, a dual-element, top-tier martial soul.
During their shared training, Ou Ou had even told Huo Yuhao a family secret:
She was a descendant of the ancient Qian Clan, the same clan as the Six-Winged Angel Soul Masters from ten thousand years ago.
Those with the Six-Winged Angel martial soul formed the main branch. The rest—those who didn't inherit it—formed side branches. Still, even these offshoots awakened martial souls rich in light element.
After the fall of Spirit Hall, the Qian Clan scattered, hiding across the continent.
Technically, people like Ou Ou were not rare.
They just lacked connection with one another, and most weren't even aware of their heritage. Only family texts mentioned the truth, and no one dared speak of it publicly.
Ou Ou only learned the secret because she was the heir of her family.
Still, she had no plans to restore the old Qian Clan. She didn't possess the Six-Winged Angel martial soul anyway. Rather than chase the past, she preferred to build a stronger future for her new family.
Her clan, inheriting the Holy Grail martial soul, had long served as ceremonial baptizers for royal and noble children—bestowing blessings upon newborns.
Their status in society was far from low.
Back in the battle, Bei Bei's arm transformed into a dragon's limb, and he unleashed a strike brimming with evil energy at the six Shrek fighters.
But a radiant golden net appeared—Bai Shanshan's technique.
The net, made of fine threads, couldn't block the attack completely, but it weakened the evil energy within.
Then, Wang Dong followed up with a light-elemental blast, further diluting the evil power.
By the time the strike landed, it was far less dangerous, and the rest of the team could dodge with ease.
There was no way they could withstand it head-on.
Even ignoring the evil attribute, the raw power of the strike could seriously injure any regular soul king.
Bei Bei's gaze swept over the six. His eyes revealed an instinctive hatred—his Ultimate Evil Dragon Soul repelled the light element by nature!
His first soul ring glowed as evil energy surged up his arm.
He unleashed a skill—Evil Dragon Claw!
At the very instant the evil dragon claw struck, an arrow made from a flower stem shot from behind like lightning. A blooming rose adorned the tip—radiant and beautiful.
This arrow radiated a destructive aura, but it also carried the power of light, aimed directly at the evil dragon claw.
The collision between arrow and claw triggered a terrifying explosion, intercepting the claw mid-air and detonating it prematurely.
The audience turned to follow the trajectory of the arrow and saw Tantai Jiayao, just lowering her bow.
"First Soul Skill: Flame-like Rose Arrow!"
Tantai Jiayao's martial soul, Ten Thousand Flower Bow, is a rare long-range type soul master weapon.
Long-range types are rare because while many martial souls and soul masters can perform ranged attacks, few specialize in it. As the name suggests, long-range soul masters rely entirely on distance-based attacks.
They are typically armed with bow or crossbow-type martial souls.
One of their key traits is their powerful offensive capability from afar.
Among the best was Tang Xiaolei, who appeared in the previous Soul Master Tournament. A student of Zhengtian Academy and teammate of Yu Mengdi, his martial soul, the Zihua Bow, could transform soul rings into arrows of unmatched power—though each shot consumed a soul ring, severely limiting his ammo.
Until those soul rings recovered, he couldn't shoot again.
Still, if used wisely, even a single arrow could turn the tide of battle.
Bow-type martial souls don't always come with their own arrows. Most users must conjure arrows with soul power, or in rare cases, with physical objects.
For example, Tang Xiaolei's Zihua Bow used soul rings to create arrows.
Tantai Jiayao's Ten Thousand Flower Bow—true to its name—forms arrows from blooming flowers.
This weapon is a heritage martial soul of the Tantai clan. Though technically a weapon-type martial soul, it can only absorb soul rings from plant-type soul beasts, more precisely, flower-type ones.
Most flower-type soul rings usually grant support-type skills, but when combined with the Ten Thousand Flower Bow, they become attack-type skills—while still preserving the original flower beast's unique abilities.
Also, the bow will bloom flowers that match the absorbed soul rings—decorating the Ten Thousand Flower Bow with living blossoms.
Currently, five kinds of flowers adorn her bow: Rose, Chinese Rose, Monthly Rose, Lilac, and Daisy.
This ability, known within the Tantai clan as "The Flower Garden", is considered the bow's innate gift.
Although her arrows aren't strictly limited in number, each one requires a blossoming process. The higher the soul ring's age, the longer it takes to produce another arrow—but the more powerful that arrow becomes.
Thankfully, her first soul skill—the Flame-like Rose Arrow—can be generated quickly, allowing rapid fire.
This skill comes from a Flame Rose soul beast—fire-type roses that aren't rare in general but are hard to find as they grow near volcanoes.
The first soul skill grants basic offensive power with an added fire attribute, allowing it to explode on contact with the evil dragon claw.
Behind Tantai Jiayao stood Ou Ou.
Worth noting: in Ou Ou's Holy Grail, a daisy-tipped arrow was soaking.
With the first attack intercepted, Beibei launched his second strike, more ferocious than before, driven by his hatred of light.
"Second Soul Skill: Evil Thunder!"
With a lift of his claw, purple thunder laced with malevolent energy erupted.
Thunder, usually a force that restrains evil, had here become its ally—amplifying Beibei's dread power.
This apocalyptic bolt of lightning swept toward Wang Dong and her teammates, making the entire audience hold their breath.
"Not on my watch!" Wang Dong shouted.
Without a captain or vice-captain, she was the team's frontline shield.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Divine Light Avatar!"
"Third Soul Skill: Butterfly God Slash!"
Her combo was smooth and fast. Though it couldn't completely block the Evil Thunder, it diverted the lightning's path, sparing the teammates behind her.
Bai Shanshan seized the moment and unleashed countless red threads, aiming to bind Beibei.
Beibei raised his claw to tear them apart—but just then, the threads exploded with both water and fire attributes!
The collision of opposing elements erupted into a violent explosion, engulfing Beibei.
All seven team members had trained with Huo Yuhao, who had gifted them attribute infusions. Their own elemental abilities were enhanced, and some gained entirely new attributes.
Bai Shanshan's Thread martial soul normally had no elemental affinity, but with Huo Yuhao's help, it gained both water and fire properties.
Thanks to the nature of her thread soul—indestructible and endlessly extendable—she didn't fear the elemental conflict.
Instead, she used the threads as triggers to detonate water-fire collisions—dramatically increasing her offensive power and compensating for her previous lack of attack options.
Even Beibei was caught off-guard.
Who would've expected threads that snap at a touch... to explode like grenades?
Water and fire are heartless—especially when they collide.
Jiang Nannan took the chance to teleport beside Beibei.
He instinctively counterattacked with Evil Thunder again, but she was ready.
Upon teleporting, she immediately activated her Fourth Soul Skill: Invincible Golden Body, rendering her immune to his strike.
Bai Shanshan's threads were connected to all teammates—giving her full control of the battlefield.
Beibei's failed attack gave Jiang Nannan an opening.
As soon as Invincible Golden Body ended, she unleashed her Fifth Soul Skill: Soft Bone Lock, immobilizing him.
Though the power difference was huge and she couldn't hold him for long—all they needed was a moment!
"Now!" Bai Shanshan shouted with excitement.
A rare opportunity had arrived—and it was right before them!
Beibei thrashed once and blood ran from Jiang Nannan's mouth. The shock sent her flying, injured.
Just then—three giant cauldrons dropped from the sky.
It was Xiao Xiao's Three-Life Soul Suppressing Cauldron!
"Sixth Soul Skill: World-Stabilizing Tripod! Three Cauldrons for One Soul!" she declared, her face resolute, pouring all her soul power into the move.
The cauldrons slammed Beibei down, pinning him.
And in that very moment—Tantai Jiayao was already ready.
The daisy arrow once soaking in the Holy Water Chalice now rested on her bowstring—fully drawn.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Blooming Arrow of the Daisy!"
The arrow surged with intense light energy and destructive power.
Huo Yuhao had gifted her the destruction attribute, massively boosting her offensive capabilities.
With Beibei locked in place—he was the target.
Tantai Jiayao released her grip.
Swoosh—
A Soul Saint defeated—right here and now!
A deadly arrow shot out, radiating potent powers of destruction and light.
At that moment, a low chant echoed from within the suppression of the Three-Life Soul Suppression Cauldron, accompanied by a surge of dark, evil energy.
"Fourth Soul Skill – Evil Dragon Head!"
In the next instant, the suppression of the Three-Life Soul Suppression Cauldron was forcibly shattered from the inside. The three small cauldrons were blasted in different directions, spinning uncontrollably, stained with an ominous blackness.
A black thunder dragon radiating an evil aura burst forth from the suppression and lunged toward the incoming arrow.
The arrow and the dragon's head met—and to everyone's shock, they stalemated.
It was a confrontation between destruction and light… against pure evil!
When the cauldrons were scattered, Xiao Xiao couldn't help but let out a pained grunt. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her body went limp—she nearly collapsed.
Fortunately, Wang Dong was right beside her and caught her in time.
Clearly, the backlash to her Martial Soul had affected her physical body.
But Xiao Xiao didn't pay attention to her injury. Instead, she stared in disbelief toward Bei Bei and gasped, "How is this possible?"
The sixth soul skill of the Three-Life Soul Suppression Cauldron, Heaven-Stabilizing Cauldron, once all three cauldrons suppressed a target, as long as their strength didn't exceed Xiao Xiao's by more than two soul rings, the target would completely lose the ability to resist—left at the mercy of others.
Bei Bei had seven rings. Xiao Xiao had six. She couldn't understand—how was Bei Bei still resisting?
The last soul master who could resist Heaven-Stabilizing Cauldron was Huo Yuhao, and that was only because he was a soul master with an Ultimate Element.
"Could it be that… that theory is true? Is Bei Bei also an Ultimate Attribute soul master?!" Shock and disbelief filled Xiao Xiao's eyes.
On and off the arena, all eyes were fixed on the confrontation between the Daisy Blossom Arrow and the Evil Dragon Head.
Even the exotic Frost Centipede and Tang Ya temporarily halted their fight, drawn in by the epic clash of energies.
Tantai Jiayao's eyes narrowed slightly, her face tense.
The soul ring on the Daisy Blossom Arrow originated from a 20,000-year-old Reviving Daisy.
Being able to absorb a soul ring beyond her level was thanks to her cultivation method enhancing her physique. This also allowed the soul skill's power to surpass that of an ordinary fifth soul skill—its destructive force rivaled that of a sixth soul skill.
The Reviving Daisy's innate ability was called Life Bloom, which could stimulate vitality in the target's body, accelerate healing, and even temporarily revive the critically wounded. It was a key medicinal soul beast for healers.
This ability, inherited by the arrow, granted it enhanced attribute amplification. The destruction attribute granted by her Martial Soul, combined with the light attribute from the Holy Grail's blessing, were both amplified—yet still could only match the Evil Dragon Head in a standoff.
Tantai Jiayao was starting to get a bad feeling.
This strike was powerful, but still not truly fatal.
Their plan… had failed.
The Evil Dragon Head was once Bei Bei's Thunder Dragon Head. But as Bei Bei grew stronger, and with the enhancement of his soul rings via the Holy Spirit Cult's secret arts, both its power and effects had evolved dramatically.
The soul skill that originally only manifested the dragon's head now began to show parts of the dragon's body—clearly, it was evolving into a complete Thunder Dragon.
If Bei Bei's fourth ring continued to improve, he would eventually be able to summon a full-fledged Thunder Dragon.
After a moment of stalemate, the destructive and light powers on the arrow were entirely worn down by the evil energy.
Then, with a snap, the Evil Dragon Head bit the arrow in two!
This marked the complete defeat of Shrek Academy's remaining six members.
By now, Jiang Nannan was injured, Xiao Xiao was injured, Ou Ou had nearly exhausted her holy water, and Tantai Jiayao couldn't unleash her strongest attack again anytime soon. Only Wang Dong and Bai Shanshan were in relatively good condition.
They looked like they could still fight.
But their eyes revealed reluctance and frustration.
Just as Bei Bei lost patience and was about to ruthlessly finish off the six girls…
Bai Shanshan took the lead and shouted, "I surrender!"
"I surrender too!" echoed Tantai Jiayao.
"Same here!" Ou Ou quickly followed.
Wang Dong, Xiao Xiao, and Jiang Nannan all helplessly stepped down from the stage.
They weren't without strategy.
When they learned they'd face the Holy Spirit Cult, Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er gathered the team for a meeting and specifically discussed Bei Bei's current status.
Based on Bei Bei's previous battle against the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect team, they had reason to suspect that Bei Bei might also be an Ultimate Attribute soul master—on top of having Title Douluo-level combat power.
Originally, Huo Yuhao only brought back news that Bei Bei had been turned into an evil-type soul master. He never mentioned anything about him possessing Ultimate Evil attributes. So Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er were unaware of his full capabilities.
When Bei Bei fought Nanmen Yuner, even after she awakened her divine beast bloodline and gained immense power, she was easily defeated.
That meant Bei Bei's strength and attributes overpowered hers.
Nanmen Yuner's wind and fire attributes were both at the peak level beneath ultimate rank—so to suppress her would require an ultimate attribute.
Though this couldn't be confirmed without closer examination, one thing was certain: Bei Bei was incredibly strong—possibly on par with Huo Yuhao.
Without Huo Yuhao, no one else could defeat Bei Bei. On the contrary, they might drag Huo Yuhao down if they fought together.
But there was still Wang Dong, daughter of the God King. And Wang Dong said:
"Can't win? I don't understand that!"
She had to fight Bei Bei in the arena to get a proper look at him!
And so, this was the plan:
Fight a round. If they couldn't win, surrender.
Save strength for the upcoming 2v2 and solo matches.
Of course, all of this was based on the assumption that Huo Yuhao could secure the advantage and defeat Bei Bei and Tang Ya.
Tang Ya, being a Soul Sage, couldn't be ignored. But compared to Bei Bei, she wasn't as much of a concern.
She was just a Blue Silver Grass soul master. Even if corrupted, it was still just Blue Silver Grass!
Xian Lin'er and Cai Mei'er couldn't imagine how Tang Ya could possibly beat Huo Yuhao.
That said, Tang Ya's tenacity in the earlier battle, managing to survive Huo Yuhao's attacks, was surprising. But it also showed she couldn't truly oppose him—just barely hanging on.
After Wang Dong and the others left the stage, Xu Sanshi rushed to Jiang Nannan's side, fussing over her, but she ignored him.
The rest of the team remained at the resting area, receiving healing from Weina while watching the stage.
Now, only Huo Yuhao, Bei Bei, and Tang Ya remained.
The Holy Spirit Cult team had turned it into an evil 2v1.
"Humph! Evil soul masters, just as despicable as expected!" Wu Ming muttered coldly.
Ma Xiaotao snorted, "Just some evil soul masters. I believe in Yuhao!"
Ling Luochen stared silently at the stage.
Only Hua Yao subtly glanced at Bai Shanshan, Tantai Jiayao, and Ou Ou—those three had displayed previously unseen powers in this match.
What they had shown contradicted the records she had reviewed.
Maybe it was because they had been hiding their true strength.
But Hua Yao's instincts told her—this had something to do with Huo Yuhao. There was definitely something she didn't know.
On the arena platform, the young variant Frost Centipede was surrounded, wearing a cold expression. The atmosphere was tense.
In truth, the young Frost Centipede was conversing with Huo Yuhao.
Young Frost Centipede: "Old Ancestor, should I take them out? Over!"
Huo Yuhao: "This is the Old Ancestor. You don't need to take them out—you need to let them take you out! Over!"
Young Frost Centipede: "Huh? Over!"
Wait, Old Ancestor...
You told me to impersonate you, guaranteeing at least a divine seat, but you didn't say I had to throw the fight.
Dying and coming back to life—is that really okay?
Fortunately, Huo Yuhao sent another message shortly after.
Huo Yuhao: "I've sent the plan. Download and review! Over!"
Young Frost Centipede: "Received! Over!"
After quickly reading through the plan, the young Frost Centipede let out a breath of relief. "So it's a fake death. But I still need to play dead for a while—not an easy task. Truly, sh*t is hard to swallow, and divine positions are hard to earn!"
"But the Old Ancestor wouldn't harm me. Let's go!"
The Frost Centipede raised its head, locking eyes with the approaching Bei Bei, then glanced at Tang Ya's weirdly grinning face. It was thinking about how best to act.
If it didn't control its power well, it might actually kill Bei Bei and Tang Ya. Not only did it possess the soul power mimicked from the mutant Frost Centipede martial soul, but its own strength as a creature was already at a savage beast level.
People like Tang Ya and Bei Bei couldn't stand against it at all.
So, better stick to Huo Yuhao's plan. Otherwise, it wouldn't even know how to lose convincingly.
Just as the young Frost Centipede was about to act, Tang Ya—who had retreated to the safety zone—spoke up again with a sweet smile.
Tang Ya: "Huo Yuhao, let our Evil Dragon Saint Son and the Sea God Pavilion's young master have a battle. Come to think of it, they're even from the same school. That Sea God Pavilion title should've been ours."
She spoke clearly, as if afraid others might not understand.
The entire arena erupted.
The Evil Dragon Saint Son and the Sea God Pavilion's young master were from the same school?
And the Sea God Pavilion's title was supposed to belong to the Evil Dragon Saint Son?
Two huge bombshells dropped, sending the audience into a frenzy.
So many stories could unfold from that revelation.
Even the representatives of the major powers and powerful individuals all perked up, listening intently.
Many turned their eyes toward the Shrek Academy rest area, probing for answers—waiting for someone from Shrek to clarify.
"Utter nonsense!" Xian Lin'er shouted angrily, flying into the air. Nine soul rings appeared as her pressure spread like a nearing Super Douluo, instantly silencing the crowd.
Xian Lin'er ignored everyone else and shouted toward the arena, "Evil soul master from the Holy Spirit Sect! If you continue to slander Shrek Academy, don't blame me for ignoring the rules and executing you on the spot!"
Jing Hongchen also flew into the air, facing off against Xian Lin'er as he barked, "Spectators, do not interfere with the competition!"
Douluo Mo Ying and Qing Ci only glanced at Xian Lin'er coldly.
If not for wanting to watch the drama up close, they might've already handed Shrek's team a red card. Did Shrek think this was one of the other three kingdoms? This is the Sun Moon Empire—we don't fear you!
Cai Meier then gracefully stepped forward and added, "If people can use the arena to spread misleading rumors, then this competition loses all meaning. What should be a battle between young soul masters has become a stage for slander. Truly tragic."
Compared to Xian Lin'er's bluntness, Cai Meier was far more calculating.
No wonder Xian Lin'er never beat her.
Sure enough, after Cai Meier spoke, Jing Hongchen hesitated. Though he disliked both her and Xian Lin'er, he still carefully glanced toward the Third Prince, waiting for his ruling.
Up on the royal platform, the Third Prince chose this moment to speak.
Resting his chin on one hand, he looked down at the situation below and smiled:
Third Prince: "It's fine. Let them continue. I like hearing this sort of thing."
"Everyone here is wise enough to tell truth from lies. Even if someone stands on that stage and claims I murdered my father and brothers, caused chaos in the harem, waged pointless wars, and lived a life of debauchery—I wouldn't stop them, much less punish them."
Jing Hongchen: "…"
Mo Ying Douluo: "…"
Qing Ci Douluo: "…"
Those who knew the truth fell silent—because none of what the Third Prince said was even slander. It was all true.
And he didn't even hide it.
If they hadn't helped cover things up, those stories would already be widely known.
Even so, the Third Prince's licentiousness was public knowledge.
The audience didn't know all this—they just knew the prince supported Tang Ya's right to speak. Many people beamed with excitement and voiced their support.
"That's right, we can tell what's true!"
"His Highness is right!"
"Go ahead and speak, Blue Silver Saintess! We'll vouch for you—promise we won't spread it!"
Of course, not everyone supported this.
Xu Jiuyou stood up on behalf of the Star Luo Empire. "Your Highness, turning the Soul Master Tournament into a stage for rumors—doesn't that damage the dignity of the Sun Moon Empire?"
Tu Xijun, speaking for the Dou Ling Empire, added, "This tournament has a long legacy. It's a sacred battleground for honor among the powers. Letting baseless rumors stain it is inexcusable."
Even the Dio Academy representative of the Heaven Soul Empire stepped forward, "If the tournament becomes a tool for public opinion manipulation, there's no point in holding another one."
The three empires stood united—not only to oppose the Sun Moon Empire and the Holy Spirit Sect, but also to protect Shrek Academy.
They were curious about the truth too, but they couldn't let it come out here. Based on the reactions from Xian Lin'er and Cai Meier, Tang Ya was about to reveal something that could shake Shrek Academy to its core.
With the Third Prince and Sun Moon Empire growing so powerful, if they didn't band together—and lost Shrek—they'd be next in line for annihilation.
Shrek's secrets could be investigated in the dark. Saying them out loud would expose everything—making it useless for political leverage.
But the Third Prince wasn't one to reason with the weak.
He calmly said:
"Continue the match."
"Wait a minute…" The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's team elder, a Title Douluo, stepped forward.
But the Third Prince casually pointed outside the arena and said coldly:
"Throw him out!"
Suddenly, two figures descended from the sky—Ximen Million and Gongsun Xiongbing, now captain and vice-captain of the Evil Sovereign Soul Engineer Corps, formerly elders of the original Otto Business Alliance.
Both now Title Douluo, their aura locked tightly onto the Glazed Tile Sect elder.
Ximen Million: "This way, friend from the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Gongsun Xiongbing: "Don't make it hard for us."
The elder snorted coldly and sat back down—his last act of defiance.
The Third Prince didn't bother with him. His eyes returned to the stage.
The young Frost Centipede still faced off against Bei Bei.
Tang Ya exchanged a glance across the arena with the Third Prince. She understood—he was giving her permission to go all in.
Her smile grew even more sinister as she raised her voice and revealed the truth:
"Everyone knows Huo Yuhao is the disciple of the Dragon God Douluo. But few know that our Evil Dragon Saint Son of the Holy Spirit Sect… is actually the great-grandson of the Dragon God Douluo!"