Xiao Hongchen's fourth soul skill, Gold Sacrifice, allowed him to burn metal to replenish soul power, or to burn his own soul power to generate immense offensive strength.
Relying on this soul skill, and supported by his other abilities, he continuously absorbed metal from the surrounding environment to replenish his soul power, then burned that soul power again to convert it into pure attack power.
As long as he could maintain Gold Sacrifice, he had a near-limitless source of energy—like a human engine.
Dai Yueheng was firmly entangled with Xiao Hongchen, unable to stop Meng Hongchen from closing in on He Caitou. He Caitou also noticed Meng Hongchen charging toward him. He quickly rotated the muzzle of his soul cannon to aim at her, pulling out a cigar and lighting it.
As the cigar ignited, a sharp gleam returned to his eyes, and his depleted soul power began to gradually recover.
This was He Caitou's martial soul—he was a food-type martial soul master. One could say that his martial soul doomed his family to failure in the royal power struggle. In the Sun Moon Empire, the Emperor's martial soul could be something grand like the Sun, the Moon, or the mighty Purple Radiant Heaven-Extinguishing Dragon—but never a food-type martial soul.
When He Caitou channeled all his attacks toward her, Meng Hongchen raised her hand and unleashed a mist of ice, which transformed into a dazzling white stream to intercept the incoming soul tool rays.
Although some of the attacks slipped through, Meng Hongchen relied on her agile footwork and evasive maneuvers to avoid direct hits.
Turning one's own body into a stationary soul cannon platform might offer overwhelming firepower, but it also made one a sitting duck. Against opponents of equal or greater strength, this approach was practically asking for defeat.
In just a blink, Meng Hongchen dodged He Caitou's attacks and appeared right in front of him. Empowered by her Zhuqing Ice Toad martial soul, her soul skill Ice Refraction gave her exceptional agility—far beyond He Caitou's.
Once she had reached him, Meng Hongchen activated another skill—Ice Feedback. She rapidly absorbed the poison-laced ice mist still lingering across the arena into her own body, compressed and refined it, and transformed it into a burst of powerful soul power.
He Caitou reacted swiftly, slamming his hand down on the trigger. The soul cannon array on his body began charging up again—just moments away from firing.
But Meng Hongchen released the immense soul power she had just refined in a direct blast, scattering the soul cannons mounted on He Caitou's body. The impact sent him flying across the arena and crashing down near its edge.
He Caitou had just begun to get back up when Meng Hongchen closed in again. Without hesitation, she kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him off the stage. As she did, she said coldly:
"Even with the Sun Moon Empire's tech behind your soul tools—they're still useless."
Her words made He Caitou clench his teeth in rage, glaring at her furiously. But Meng Hongchen no longer paid him any attention. She turned and rushed back to support Xiao Hongchen against Dai Yueheng.
With her arrival, the pressure on Xiao Hongchen eased significantly.
Toxins from the Zhuqing Ice Toad danced in Meng Hongchen's hands as she flung them at Dai Yueheng.
Although White Tiger's Protective Barrier could reduce the effects of the poison, it couldn't block them completely. As the venom slowly invaded his body, Dai Yueheng's complexion turned increasingly pale. His breathing grew labored, but he clenched his teeth and forced himself to stay conscious.
This can't go on! I can't keep dragging this out!
Dai Yueheng realized that if he continued to fight a war of attrition against Xiao and Meng Hongchen, he would inevitably lose. With the poison steadily corroding his defenses, there was no way he could outlast their soul power.
"For the glory of Shrek Academy!!" he suddenly roared.
At that moment, both Xiao and Meng Hongchen felt a dramatic shift in his aura. The remnants of his soul power erupted with full force. With White Tiger Diamond Transformation and White Tiger Devilgod Transformation activated simultaneously, his body underwent a drastic transformation, inching closer to the true form of the Evil-Eyed White Tiger.
Dai Yueheng let out a thunderous roar that shook the entire battlefield. The explosive tiger's roar sent a wave of pressure surging across the platform, forcing the Hongchen siblings back a step.
Down below, Wang Yan frowned. "Dai Yueheng's too reckless! He's been poisoned and still using such powerful soul skills? After this one attack, he'll be completely spent!"
"He knows dragging this out would only lead to defeat," Xuan Zi said with a sigh. "So he's gambling it all on one final strike—on the chance to win. If this attack can defeat the enemy, even if he collapses afterward, it will be worth it."
If only it weren't for that Evil Soul Master incident… If Shrek Academy's seven official team members had all been available, they would've been ready for any opponent!
Thinking this, Xuan Zi's expression darkened.
Dai Yueheng's eyes were bloodshot as he locked his gaze onto Xiao and Meng Hongchen. He roared:
"White Tiger Destruction Strike!!"
With that thunderous shout, his entire body shot forward like a soul cannon blast, charging straight toward the pair.
In that instant, the force of Dai Yueheng's attack soared beyond that of an average Soul Emperor, even approaching the power of a seven-ring Soul Sage. Without using their trump card, Hongchen's Blessing, neither Xiao nor Meng Hongchen could stop this strike head-on.
"Brother!!" Meng Hongchen shouted.
Hearing her call, Xiao Hongchen immediately understood. He nodded and said, "Got it! Then let's show them our true strength—what we siblings are truly capable of!"
As he spoke, the two clasped each other's hands. Their martial souls—the Zhuqing Ice Toad and Three-Legged Golden Toad—flared and surged toward each other under their joint control.
Watching from below, Xuan Zi frowned. "Are they... attempting a Martial Soul Fusion?"
"Wait, their martial soul compatibility is that high?" Wang Yan was utterly shocked.
The conditions for Martial Soul Fusion were extremely strict—even siblings couldn't always meet the requirements. This was the first Martial Soul Fusion seen in recent tournament history!
Xiao and Meng Hongchen's figures vanished in a swirling storm of crimson-gold light, replaced by a massive, majestic crimson-gold toad standing tall at the center of the stage—this was their Martial Soul Fusion Technique, Hongchen Yearning. It possessed both ice and fire attributes.
The crimson-gold toad opened its massive mouth and unleashed a scorching storm of energy at Dai Yueheng.
Dai Yueheng didn't flinch. He charged forward without hesitation, refusing to dodge.
"No! Is Dai Yueheng really going to take that hit head-on?!" Wang Yan shouted in alarm, his face pale.
Onstage, Dai Yueheng collided head-on with the enormous blast of energy from Hongchen Yearning.
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