When Zhu Ziyang saw the confident expression on Xu Jiujie's face, an uneasy feeling struck him. Before he could react, Xu Jiujie and the two Control-type Soul Kings beside her made their move.
Xu Jiujie's first soul ring lit up, and a thread of starlight landed directly on Zhu Ziyang. Instantly, he felt as though something had locked onto him. As expected, in the next second, Wang Shiying and Wang Yichen activated their skills. Wang Yichen summoned a circular flame that bloomed beneath Zhu Ziyang's feet, while Wang Shiying conjured a whirlwind that merged with the fire, forming a blazing vortex that engulfed him.
Reacting quickly, Zhu Ziyang swung his Judgment Scythe, radiating light elements that formed a dense wall of golden energy in front of him.
But the fire vortex was just a diversion—the real trap came from Xu Jiujie. With a calm smile, she flicked her hand, releasing a beam of golden light that soared into the air and crashed down in an unexpected spot, transforming into a golden dome that rapidly expanded, trapping Zhu Ziyang inside.
He felt a crushing pressure from above and instinctively retreated. As he tried to react, he noticed the golden barrier, but before he could act, it had already enveloped him completely.
Atop the shield floated a brilliant golden orb, the size of a fist, made of 108 crystal facets, spinning rapidly and glowing with incredible brilliance.
The sudden entrapment caused a stir across the entire arena.
On stage, Xu Jiujie wore a smug expression. So what if he's a Soul Emperor with a hundred-thousand-year soul ring? In the end, he still fell into my trap.
Without hesitation, she issued a command and activated her fourth soul skill. A burst of dense starlight erupted from her body, forming a shimmering dome that covered the entire battlefield.
Empowered by her command and the boost of her skill, the Star Luo team launched an even fiercer assault on the six remaining Shrek members.
Huang Heyun, the Dark Demon Tiger Soul King, now protected by a turtle-shell-like soul tool on his back, went head-to-head with Ma Xiaotao. Even with her strength, Ma Xiaotao struggled under the pressure—especially beneath the starlight dome that disrupted her control over the fire element.
Dugu Shangshan, the Nether Crazy Lion Soul King, overpowered Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, pushing them back rapidly with Xu Jiujie's buffs.
Chen Xiaojie, the Lightning Falcon Soul King, clashed evenly with Jiang Nannan, but lightning offered no speed advantage. Thanks to her Ultimate Agility, Jiang Nannan held a slight edge.
Meanwhile, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were overwhelmed by continuous bombardments from Wang Yichen and Wang Shiying. On top of that, Yuhao's Spirit Eyes were slightly suppressed by Xu Jiujie's Stellar Crown, forcing the two into a defensive struggle.
This was the Star Luo team's strategy: eliminate the others first, then gang up on Zhu Ziyang.
From the outside, it seemed the situation was turning dire for Shrek Academy. In the stands, Wang Yan was extremely anxious. He turned to He Caitou, asking, "What is that soul tool trapping Ziyang? And what about the one Huang Heyun's using?"
"That's a Seventh-Grade Absolute Defense Soul Tool," He Caitou replied grimly. "It's a reverse-defense barrier that can trap a person inside for fifteen minutes. The only way to break it early is by destroying the core orb on top, which requires at least Soul Sage level power."
"And the tool Huang Heyun's using is a Fifth-Grade Soul Converter. It transforms any attribute-based soul power into neutral energy, allowing anyone to absorb and use it, thereby enhancing their attacks."
Wang Yan was stunned. "So they went all-in for this battle… There's nothing we can do now. It's all up to them."
Inside the golden barrier, Zhu Ziyang could clearly observe the battlefield. He immediately noticed that after Xu Jiujie activated her fourth soul skill, the light element—and other elemental energies—began fading rapidly.
He instantly realized what her fourth soul skill was:
Stellar Guard – a domain-type soul skill also known as Elemental Isolation or Attribute Rejection.
Within its range, all elemental energies are expelled, except for those granted protection by the skill. Those protected also gain 15% to 30% increased elemental resistance.
"What a powerful martial soul," Zhu Ziyang muttered. Then he began looking for a way to escape.
He tried slashing the golden dome with his scythe—his Judgment Scythe—but the barrier absorbed the strike like rippling water and bounced it back.
This told him brute force wouldn't work. His eyes locked on the orb floating at the top. He couldn't explain the mechanism, but instinct told him this was the core. If he could destroy that, he could break free.
Acting quickly, he activated his third soul skill, leapt into the air, and slashed the orb with half of his full strength. The orb shook, but didn't break.
Now he had a sense of its durability. Without hesitation, he unleashed his sixth soul ring—the hundred-thousand-year ring, glowing crimson, dyeing the entire dome red.
Outside the dome, Xu Jiujie panicked when she saw this.
"If we don't take down the others soon, Zhu Ziyang might actually break that soul tool!" she shouted. "Everyone—go all out!"
Her fifth soul ring activated. The Stellar Crown above her head shone brighter than ever, unleashing beams of radiant starlight.
Fifth Soul Skill – Radiant Starlight: an area-wide control-type skill that freezes all enemies caught in its light for one second.
The surprise attack caught Shrek completely off guard. Everyone—except for Ma Xiaotao in midair and the agile Jiang Nannan—was struck and frozen in place.
Then, in that vulnerable moment, Bei Bei, Xu Sanshi, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong were quickly knocked out of the stage with no resistance.
Seeing four teammates fall in an instant, Ma Xiaotao exploded in fury.
Under the oppressive power of Stellar Guard, she still activated four soul skills at once—the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Fire burst across the arena's sky and ground.
Huang Heyun was caught completely off guard and struck head-on by Phoenix Sky Blue Flame. Even with the defensive boost from Stellar Guard, he was blasted into the ground, coughing blood and left pale-faced.
Dugu Shangshan, having just eliminated Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, relaxed too soon. He was hit by three Phoenix Meteor Showers, suffering moderate damage before retreating to assist Chen Xiaojie against Jiang Nannan.
But Ma Xiaotao's true targets were Xu Jiujie, Wang Shiying, and Wang Yichen.
Flaming meteors rained down on them.
Xu Jiujie was protected by Sheng Yi, the defense-type soul master, who spread his iron wings to block the attack, saving her from harm.
Wang Shiying and Wang Yichen weren't so lucky—they dodged as best they could, scrambling through fire.
They forgot one crucial detail: Ma Xiaotao had used four soul skills.
Third: Buff skill
Fifth: Phoenix Meteor Shower
Sixth: Sky Blue Flame
→ That meant the fourth was still to come.
As Wang Yichen avoided yet another meteor, feeling proud of herself, a pillar of flame erupted beneath her, swallowing her completely.
When the flames faded, she was in terrible shape—heavily injured, though alive thanks to her fire-element martial soul and Stellar Guard's resistances. But she was no longer able to fight.
Ma Xiaotao's burst left one enemy wounded and another repelled. Xu Jiujie's confidence shattered, replaced by anxiety.
And then—it happened.
A crack echoed through the stadium.
The golden dome shattered.
Zhu Ziyang had broken free.
Xu Jiujie's elegant face turned pale. There was no more calm, no more arrogance—just dread and disbelief.
Five minutes… Only five minutes… He broke a seventh-grade soul tool in five minutes?!
Is that… the true power of a hundred-thousand-year soul skill?
With Zhu Ziyang's return to the battlefield, the outcome of the match was all but decided.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 early chapters available on Patreon: [email protected]/facficmax10