With a flick of his hand, Zhu Ziyang summoned the Repose of the World Reaper Scythe back into his grasp. He landed beside Chen Zifeng, exchanging a brief glance before they both moved into action.
Chen Zifeng's third and fourth soul rings illuminated simultaneously. His Soul Sword, the Pursuit of Souls, glowed with a brilliant rainbow light. He released the sword, and in an instant, it multiplied into a dozen identical blades, suspended in midair. At his command, they surged forward, slicing through the air with sharp, cutting force toward Jiang Nannan and Beibei.
Third Soul Skill: Speed.
Fourth Soul Skill: Shadow.
Zhu Ziyang also made his move, his body darting forward in a swift leap. He activated his fourth soul skill, Starry Radiance Shadow Clone, creating an immediate doppelganger. Both the clone and his main body attacked in tandem. Zhu Ziyang leapt into the air, his right leg glowing with brilliant yellow light, aiming directly for Gong Yang Mo in the air. Meanwhile, his clone targeted the only control-type soul master in Ma Xiaotao's team, Ling Luocheng.
Seeing Zhu Ziyang charging directly at him, Gong Yang Mo flapped his colorful wings and ascended into the sky without hesitation. However, Zhu Ziyang wasn't about to let him escape so easily. His eyes flashed with a sharp gleam, and a purple crystalline eye materialized above his head, shooting a powerful purple beam directly at Gong Yang Mo.
The Illusionary Heaven Eye hit Gong Yang Mo with perfect accuracy, instantly trapping him in a dream state. His wings stopped flapping, and he began to fall. Despite not being a spiritual-type soul master, Gong Yang Mo, as an inner academy elite, quickly snapped out of it after three seconds.
Realizing he was now less than ten meters from Zhu Ziyang, he panicked, desperately flapping his wings in an attempt to escape. His eyes scanned the battlefield, hoping for help, but Ma Xiaotao was too busy overwhelming Dai Yaoheng to notice, and Jiang Nannan and Beibei were caught up in Chen Zifeng's assault. Ling Luocheng was the only one with the space to act, so he moved to stop Zhu Ziyang's clone.
Ling Luocheng raised his staff, summoning a dense cold aura that condensed into an ice prison, aiming to trap Zhu Ziyang.
Seeing the ice prison coming toward him, Zhu Ziyang remained calm. He swung his Repose of the World Reaper Scythe with force, shattering the ice pillar into dust. After dispersing the ice fragments, he charged once again toward Gong Yang Mo.
The battle was simple from that point. Gong Yang Mo was quickly eliminated, and after dealing with him, Zhu Ziyang turned his attention to Ling Luocheng, who put up a token resistance before being forced out of the battlefield.
With Gong Yang Mo and Ling Luocheng eliminated, Zhu Ziyang sprinted forward and grabbed Jiang Nannan from behind. She quickly activated her fourth soul skill to escape his grip, but in doing so, she left Beibei wide open. Zhu Ziyang shifted his target, abandoning Jiang Nannan, and attacked Beibei instead.
Once Beibei was eliminated, the outcome of the battle became clear.
Chen Zifeng went to assist Dai Yaoheng in dealing with Ma Xiaotao, while Zhu Ziyang focused on Jiang Nannan. Despite her speed advantage, Jiang Nannan found it impossible to outmaneuver him. Without giving her a chance, Zhu Ziyang activated his Silver Right Eye's time-stop ability, and with a flash of his Left Eye, he appeared right in front of Jiang Nannan. He seized her waist and eliminated her from the battlefield in a single move.
In the end, Ma Xiaotao, fighting three opponents alone, stood no chance. Xuan Zi called the match to a halt and declared the result.
"The battle is over. Team Dai Yaoheng wins!" Xuan Zi, holding a wine gourd, smiled and said, "Team Ma Xiaotao, accept your punishment!"
"What?! If Elder Xuan hadn't stopped me, I could have beaten Ziyang and the others!" Ma Xiaotao protested, her face showing clear dissatisfaction.
"Enough, let's begin," Xuan Zi ignored her complaint, still smiling as he looked at the group.
Zhu Ziyang, Dai Yaoheng, and the others smiled as well.
"I'm a pig!" Beibei, Xu Sanshi, and He Caitou shouted in unison.
Jiang Nannan, Ling Luocheng, and Gong Yang Mo, however, blushed slightly, muttering quietly, "I'm a pig."
"Hahaha! Nannan, even though you eliminated me, you still have to admit it!" Tang Ya grinned proudly at Jiang Nannan.
Since everyone else had shouted, Ma Xiaotao, not wanting to be the exception, reluctantly muttered, "I'm a pig."
"Good," Xuan Zi said, pleased with the display. "Now, let's begin the second round."
"What? Another one?" The group groaned at Xuan Zi's words.
"Of course. It wouldn't be fair to let only one side do the shouting," Xuan Zi replied cheerfully. "For the second round, we'll mix things up a bit. Ma Xiaotao and Zhu Ziyang, this time you two will each lead a team. Beibei will switch places with Zhu Ziyang. Beibei will join the main team, and Zhu Ziyang will lead the substitute team. Then, Ma Xiaotao will lead the main team and face Zhu Ziyang's substitute team. What do you think?"
The proposal took everyone by surprise. Their eyes immediately turned toward Zhu Ziyang. This was clearly an unfair advantage for Ma Xiaotao's team.
However, to everyone's shock, Zhu Ziyang agreed immediately, saying, "I'm fine with it."
"I'm fine too," Ma Xiaotao said, surprised but accepting the challenge.
"Alright, you have five minutes to discuss your tactics," Xuan Zi said with satisfaction.
Zhu Ziyang quickly pulled his substitute team of six aside, preparing for the next round.
"Ziyang, is Elder Xuan trying to make things difficult for us?" Tang Ya muttered, visibly frustrated. "He's clearly trying to make us shout 'I'm a pig' again!"
"You guys only have to shout once. I might have to shout twice," Xu Sanshi said with a frown, and He Caitou nodded in agreement.
"I say, don't you trust me at all?" Zhu Ziyang laughed at their complaints. "The match hasn't even started, and you're already giving up. You're seniors, but you're acting worse than Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, and Xiao Xiao!"
Huo Yuhao and the others, slightly embarrassed, responded, "Big Brother Ziyang, our strength isn't great, but we won't drag you down. Just tell us what to do, and we'll do it."
"Good!" Zhu Ziyang grinned. "In that case, let's do this, and that!"
With their strategy set, the battle began.
Xuan Zi gave the signal, and the battle erupted once more. Zhu Ziyang's team moved swiftly, and Xu Sanshi immediately used his fourth soul skill to swap places with Gong Yang Mo, leading to a one-for-one elimination of them both.
Next, He Caitou, Tang Ya, and Xiao Xiao took the lead, attempting to delay Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yaoheng, Chen Zifeng, Jiang Nannan, and Beibei. However, the three of them were no match for the five, only managing to hold them off for half a minute.
In that half minute, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were able to perform their martial soul fusion skill. A massive golden eye shot out, radiating brilliant light directly at Ma Xiaotao and her team. Facing a martial soul fusion skill capable of shaking a Soul Douluo, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng immediately responded, releasing their own soul skills. Jiang Nannan, Chen Zifeng, and Beibei also joined the defense.
When the collision ended, Ma Xiaotao and Dai Yaoheng were disheveled but relatively unharmed. Jiang Nannan's team was the same. However, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were exhausted and immediately eliminated by Xuan Zi.
Their mission was complete. Zhu Ziyang had already been preparing.
Once Ma Xiaotao's team broke through the fusion skill, they saw something that made them tremble with awe. Zhu Ziyang hovered in the air, his six soul rings shimmering. The Repose of the World Reaper Scythe was raised high as a Heavenly Moon rose from beneath his feet, arching toward his head.
The moon was dazzlingly beautiful, with a golden crescent radiating brilliant light. Beneath it, a pale grey aura formed a cloud, like a messenger from hell, exuding a chilling cold that reached deep into the soul. The combination of blinding light and deathly cold was mesmerizing.
This strike—The Mourning Moon of the Fallen—was a fusion of light and death, Zhu Ziyang's most powerful attack.
The battlefield outside was silent. The eliminated participants watched in shock, realizing that Zhu Ziyang's sixth soul ring was a hundred-thousand-year ring. However, Xuan Zi remained calm, eyes gleaming with excitement. "This heavenly moon is enough to rival a Soul Douluo's full-power strike!"
Mu En's sharp eye had truly seen Zhu Ziyang's potential. With this, Zhu Ziyang was on the verge of becoming a Title Douluo, surpassing even the Beast God and Dragon Emperor.
Zhu Ziyang's lips curled into a smile as he swung the scythe, the Heavenly Moon cutting through space and heading straight for Ma Xiaotao and her team.
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