Five seconds passed in a flash, and during that time, Ma Xiaotao and the others directly killed half of the bandit group members.
After the five seconds passed, the Death Emissary instantly stood up and angrily shouted, "Damn it, how dare you challenge the dignity of the Death Emissary, you insects, go to hell!"
He shrieked, but the three black-clad figures behind him stood calmly, expressions of schadenfreude on their faces. The Death Emissary's rage intensified, and just as he was about to counterattack, he unexpectedly vanished the next second.
The suddenly disappearing Death Emissary startled the three black-clad figures, who then all showed puzzled expressions. In their confusion, their gazes fell upon Ma Xiaotao and the others who were frantically eradicating the bandit group below.
"Shrek..." The central black-clad figure murmured, his eyes glowing with ferocity, then he erupted without warning. Nine spirit rings—three purple, four black, and two red—shot up from the ground, and the aura of a Titled Douluo instantly sent Ma Xiaotao and the others, who were fighting fiercely, flying backward.
At the same time, Xuan Zi and Elder Lin, who had been following behind the Shrek students, instantly appeared inside the cave, shielding Ma Xiaotao and the others. They looked solemnly at the black-clad figure with nine spirit rings, and Xuan Zi said in a heavy tone, "A Super Douluo!"
"Hehehe, it's Tianhe Douluo and Gluttony Douluo in person. Ghost King Douluo Guigu greets you!" The black-clad figure showed no surprise upon seeing Elder Lin and Xuan Zi. Instead, he chuckled and introduced himself, as if meeting old friends after many years.
"You know us?" Elder Lin frowned, unable to recall any information about this Guigu in his mind. He was clearly a Super Douluo, yet he seemed to have appeared out of thin air, with no relevant background. This caused a trace of unease in Elder Lin's heart.
"Elder Lin, Ziyang is gone!" At this moment, Xuan Zi's anxious voice reached Elder Lin's ears, instantly causing a hint of panic in Elder Lin. Just as he was about to ask, he heard Jiang Nannan's voice.
"Elder Lin, Elder Xuan, no need to worry about Brother!" Jiang Nannan said. She had been paying attention to Zhu Ziyang's movements all along, so she understood his whereabouts. "This is Brother's fifth Spirit Ability. He should be fighting that Death Emissary right now. He should reappear once he kills that Death Emissary."
Despite Jiang Nannan's explanation, Elder Lin remained uneasy, but he had no choice, as the current situation was even more troublesome. She said, "Xuan Zi, act! Xiaotao, you all be careful!"
With that, Elder Lin instantly summoned her Spirit. A cyan-blue oiled paper umbrella appeared in her hand, which was precisely her Spirit, the Tianhe Umbrella.
Xuan Zi also released his Spirit, a pair of ox horns growing on his forehead, and his physique became noticeably sturdier. The two Super Douluo joined forces and attacked Guigu.
Guigu faced the attacks of the two Super Douluo without a trace of panic. The two black-clad figures behind him also released their Spirits, and sixteen spirit rings shone. One of these black-clad figures actually concealed a Titled Douluo, and judging by his aura, he was on par with Guigu.
"Demon Spirit Douluo Ai Zihao!" The second Super Douluo spoke, then transformed his hands into sharp claws and attacked Elder Lin and Elder Xuan.
The sudden turn of events plunged Ma Xiaotao and the others into temporary confusion, but as the four Super Douluo left the cave to fight outside, they finally reacted. The Super Douluo's battle was not their concern; they needed to continue eliminating this group of bandits.
Ma Xiaotao chose her target; she set her sights on the last black-clad figure, who was a Spirit Saint. The others charged towards the remaining members of the bandit group.
Not far from the main battlefield, Wang Yan and the members of the preliminary team huddled in a corner, trembling. Only after the four Super Douluo left did they emerge, and under Wang Yan's leadership, they began to kill the enemies fleeing from the main battlefield.
——
Time returned to the end of the time stop. Zhu Ziyang, at the fastest speed, rushed to a position where he could cast Hell Duel Arena on the Death Emissary. He immediately cast Hell Duel Arena, and then the opening scene unfolded.
Inside the Hell Duel Arena, Zhu Ziyang and the Death Emissary appeared simultaneously. The Death Emissary surveyed his surroundings in terror, and Zhu Ziyang, too, was using Hell Duel Arena for the first time, entering Hell Duel Arena for the first time.
Within the alternate dimension of the Hell Duel Arena, there truly was only an ancient-style dueling arena. This arena seemed to be a high platform, its ground entirely composed of giant rocks, each ten meters in length. The entire arena was also a square platform with sides exceeding a hundred meters, and along its edges existed an intangible, untouchable boundary.
"Who are you, and where is this?" The Death Emissary finally spotted Zhu Ziyang. His cloak had fallen, revealing a withered face, filled with anger and a hint of fear. This space exuded an eerie atmosphere, filling him, a man whose hands were stained with blood, with unease.
"Haha!" Zhu Ziyang, holding the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe, sneered, "This is the execution ground of Death. You, who have usurped the title of Death, accept your judgment!"
Without any superfluous words, Zhu Ziyang's spirit rings appeared behind him. Although spirit rings and Spirit Abilities could not be used in the Hell Duel Arena, for Zhu Ziyang, who had completed the second refinement of his spirit rings, this was not an issue at all. His second and third Spirit Abilities were unleashed simultaneously, and the Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe radiated its most dazzling light, rushing towards the Death Emissary.
Seeing this, the Death Emissary immediately released his Spirit, a skull scepter appearing in his hand. He unhesitatingly tried to use a Spirit Ability, but to his horror, he found that all six of his spirit rings behind him were restrained by a gray airflow, which immediately plunged him into despair.
All his abilities lay in his Spirit Abilities. Now, without the ability to use them, he was merely an ordinary person with spirit power. Looking at Zhu Ziyang, who held a golden scythe, he immediately conceded, kneeling down and shouting, "Spare my life!"
But how could Zhu Ziyang listen? The Hell Duel Arena required a battle to the Death. If he spared his life, how would he get out? Therefore, Zhu Ziyang not only didn't slow down but actually sped up.
Seeing that Zhu Ziyang had no intention of slowing down, the Death Emissary immediately stood up and began to flee. However, the space of the Hell Duel Arena was only so large; where could he run? With no other option, he resorted to threatening Zhu Ziyang, saying, "You'd best let me go, otherwise the Holy Emperor will absolutely not spare you!"
"Holy Emperor?" Zhu Ziyang was momentarily stunned, then asked, "Who is that?"
"Hahaha! The Holy Emperor is a god who transcends the World! Under his command are two Limit Douluo and more than a dozen or twenty Titled Douluo!" The Death Emissary saw Zhu Ziyang's speed slow down slightly and thought his threat had worked. He immediately blurted out everything Guigu had told him earlier, "I am someone the Holy Spirit Church's leader specifically named and wants! If you dare to harm me, then the Holy Church will surely raze your Shrek Academy to the ground!"
"Holy Spirit Church?!" Zhu Ziyang's heart tightened. This was the first time he had heard this name. He immediately asked, "You mean, the Holy Spirit Church has two Limit Douluo and more than twenty Titled Douluo?"
"Of course!" The Death Emissary became more imposing, saying, "Right now, in my cave, there are two revered figures from the Holy Spirit Church, and they are both level 96 Super Douluo! Hmph, you'd best be sensible and let me go. I see you also have Death attributes; I can introduce you, so you can also become a member of the Holy Church!"
"Is that so!" Zhu Ziyang didn't pay attention to the Death Emissary's later words. Instead, he was thinking that if what the Death Emissary said was true, then it meant that the Evil Soul Masters had completely matured. They were no longer just a few scattered individuals but had become an organized and led sect. This was not good news for Shrek Academy!
"Well, what do you think?" The Death Emissary saw Zhu Ziyang not speaking and thought he had persuaded him, but he didn't notice that Zhu Ziyang was now less than two meters away from him.
"Not well at all." Zhu Ziyang smiled and said, "In your next life, be a good person!"
The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe suddenly swung down, landing on the Death Emissary's neck under his astonished gaze. Then, the Death Emissary saw his body falling backward.
The Death Emissary, deceased!
After killing the Death Emissary, the other shore flower mark on Zhu Ziyang's forehead flashed. He didn't have time to check the specific situation, because the surrounding environment changed again. After a brief flash, Zhu Ziyang returned to the cave.
However, at this moment inside the cave, a terrifying explosion had just swept through the entire grotto hall!