Five seconds passed in an instant. Within that time, Ma Xiaotao and the others took down half of the members of the bandit group with ruthless precision.
As the five seconds drew to a close, the Death Messenger shot to his feet, fury emanating from him. He shouted angrily, "How dare you provoke the Death Messenger's authority?! You worthless insects, prepare to die!"
He screamed, but the three men dressed in black behind him remained calm, standing with malicious smiles on their faces. As the Death Messenger prepared to retaliate, however, his form suddenly disappeared.
The sudden disappearance of the Death Messenger caused the three black-clad figures to startle, their expressions now filled with confusion. At the same time, their eyes shifted downward toward Ma Xiaotao and the others, who were swiftly annihilating the bandits below.
"Shrek…"
The central black-clad figure muttered under his breath, eyes glowing with murderous intent. Then, without any warning, his power erupted. Nine soul rings—three purple, four black, two red—shot up from the ground, releasing the overwhelming presence of a Titled Douluo, instantly sending Ma Xiaotao and her group flying backward.
At that exact moment, Xuanzi and Elder Lin—who had been following Shrek's students—suddenly appeared in the cave, quickly placing themselves between Ma Xiaotao and the black-clad figure. Their expressions were grave as they stared at the Titled Douluo and spoke with heavy tones.
"Super Douluo!"
Elder Lin muttered under his breath.
"Hehe, it's the Tianhe Douluo and Taotie Douluo themselves. Greetings, my old friends!"
The black-clad figure laughed as though he were meeting old acquaintances, his words dripping with mockery. He didn't even seem the least bit surprised to see Xuanzi and Elder Lin.
"You know us?"
Elder Lin's brow furrowed deeply, his mind racing as he tried to recall any relevant information. The black-clad figure was a Super Douluo, yet he seemed to have appeared from thin air. There was no record of him, which made Elder Lin uneasy.
"Elder Lin, Ziyang is missing!**"
Xuanzi's anxious voice cut through Elder Lin's thoughts. The old man's face flashed with alarm, and just as he was about to ask, Jiang Nannan's voice rang out.
"Elder Lin, Elder Xuan, don't worry about my brother!"
Jiang Nannan said confidently.
"I've been paying close attention to his movements. He's using his fifth soul skill right now, and should be fighting that Death Messenger. Once he kills him, he'll show up again."
Relief flickered on Elder Lin's face, though anxiety still lingered. Despite Nannan's explanation, the current situation was still precarious.
"Xuanzi, let's act! Xiaotao, be careful!"
With that, Elder Lin summoned her martial soul—a blue-green paper umbrella, a rare and powerful weapon known as the Tianhe Umbrella.
Xuanzi also released his martial soul, a set of ox horns sprouting from his forehead, his figure enlarging slightly. The two Super Douluos joined forces, launching an attack on the black-clad figure.
But the black-clad figure was unbothered. He calmly ordered the two men behind him to release their martial souls. Sixteen soul rings blazed with light as the two black-clad men revealed their identities—both were also Titled Douluo, matching the first figure's aura.
"Yao Ling Douluo Ai Zihui!"
The second Super Douluo spoke as he struck at Elder Lin and Xuanzi with his claw-like hands.
The sudden chaos left Ma Xiaotao and her group momentarily disoriented. However, as the four Super Douluos left the cave to continue their battle, the rest of the team quickly recovered. Their fight was not with these top-tier Douluos—it was with the bandits.
Ma Xiaotao chose her target: a Soul Sage in black. The others also rushed forward to engage the remaining bandits.
Meanwhile, not far from the battlefield, Wang Yan and the reserve team members huddled in a corner, trembling. They stayed hidden until the Super Douluos were out of the cave, then emerged, following Wang Yan as he led them to take down the bandits fleeing the main battlefield.
The scene flashed back to the moment when Zhu Ziyang had been using his Hell Duel Arena technique against the Death Messenger. After utilizing his skill, Ziyang had been locked in the battle against the Death Messenger, both appearing in the eerie, alternate space of the Hell Duel Arena.
The space resembled an ancient duel ground, with its massive square arena made of giant stones, each a solid block of ten meters long. A bizarre, invisible barrier surrounded the edges of the platform, sealing both fighters within.
"Who are you? Where is this place?"
The Death Messenger finally noticed Ziyang, his hood falling off to reveal a withered, furious face filled with anger and a hint of fear. The ominous atmosphere around them filled him with unease.
"Heh."
Ziyang smirked, holding the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe.
"This is the Execution Ground of Death. You, who dare claim the title of Death, will face judgment here."
Without further words, Ziyang summoned his soul rings. Though he couldn't use them in the Hell Duel Arena, his rings had been refined to such a degree that their abilities were not restricted. Ziyang released his second and third soul skills in tandem, and the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe flared with a brilliant light, charging toward the Death Messenger.
The Death Messenger immediately summoned his martial soul, a skeletal scepter materializing in his hand. He attempted to activate his soul skills, but to his shock, all six of his soul rings were sealed by a mysterious gray energy.
At that moment, the Death Messenger realized: without his soul skills, he was nothing more than a soul-powered ordinary person.
Seeing Ziyang charge toward him, scythe in hand, the Death Messenger kneeled in immediate surrender, screaming,
"Spare me!"
But Ziyang didn't listen. This wasn't a place for mercy. The Hell Duel Arena demanded life or death.
With one swift motion, the Jing Shi Xiu Ming Scythe cleaved through the air and fell upon the Death Messenger's neck, ending the fight in an instant.
The Death Messenger's body crumpled to the ground.
Afterward, the Bi'an Flower Mark on Ziyang's forehead flickered briefly. He didn't have time to inspect it further, as the environment around him changed once again. In a blink, he found himself back inside the cave.
However, as soon as he arrived, a tremendous explosion rocked the cave, and everything went dark.
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