Xuan Zi was completely surrounded.
His once-mighty Taotie Divine Ox true form could no longer maintain its overwhelming presence after sustaining repeated heavy injuries and burning his vital blood. The dark yellow spirit power around him flickered erratically under the suppression of Kong Deming's immense silver gravitational field.
He swept his gaze around.
To his left stood the Snow Empress, emperor sword in hand, radiating terrifying Extreme Ice. To his right was Ye Yulin, calmly controlling the Starlight Death Ray. Directly ahead hovered Kong Deming, the Hall Master of the Sun Moon Empire's Hall of Worship, alongside Jing Hongchen, who had just arrived.
Faced with this formation, Xuan Zi knew there was almost no chance of escape.
His once-slovenly robes had been torn to shreds in the fierce battle. His body was covered in purple-red frostbite from the Extreme Ice erosion, as well as scorched wounds left by spirit tool rays piercing straight through him.
Looking at the four peak powerhouses before him—figures capable of reshaping the fate of the continent—Xuan Zi let out a hoarse, miserable laugh.
"I never imagined you'd think so highly of this old man," he rasped. "To keep me here, you even brought out so many trump cards."
Kong Deming's expression was cold and impassive. Hovering in midair, the silver disc spirit tool behind him emitted steady pulses, maintaining the spatial lock.
"After all, you are Taotie Douluo, one of Shrek Academy's stabilizing pillars," Kong Deming said evenly. "Naturally, we must treat you with proper respect. But now, you are already at your limit. To spare yourself unnecessary suffering, shouldn't you surrender?"
"Surrender? In your dreams!"
Xuan Zi let out a shrill roar as his Rank 98 spirit power flared one last time.
He did not choose to confront Kong Deming, whose aura was the strongest, nor did he attack the lightning-fast Snow Empress. Instead, he suddenly spun around, gathering all his remaining power into his palms and striking toward Jing Hongchen—the relatively weaker target who had just arrived and had yet to fully stabilize his footing.
He intended to tear open a gap through Jing Hongchen's position and force his way out of the Bright Capital.
Watching Xuan Zi's desperate struggle, Jing Hongchen's eyes flickered with disdain.
"Foolish."
He snorted coldly. Without even activating his Martial Soul, his hands moved rapidly, triggering multiple linked Grade 9 defensive spirit tools in an instant.
A massive dark-red spirit tool barrier materialized out of thin air—Red Dust Protection. Its surface rippled with high-frequency shockwaves.
Boom!
Xuan Zi's palm, heavy as a thousand jun, slammed violently into the barrier.
The resulting shockwave spread outward, pulverizing the stone slabs beneath the ruined Duke Mansion into dust.
Although Jing Hongchen's spirit power rank was inferior to Xuan Zi's, the brute force of the blow still sent him flying backward dozens of meters, his boots carving two deep trenches into the ground.
But those brief seconds of obstruction were enough to extinguish Xuan Zi's final hope.
Without hesitation, Ye Yulin, the Snow Empress, and Kong Deming launched their attacks simultaneously at Xuan Zi's back.
The Snow Empress struck first.
Her emperor sword traced an ice-blue arc through the air, the Extreme Ice causing the surrounding space itself to distort from the intense cold.
"Emperor Sword: Ice Extreme—Peerless!"
A sword qi over ten meters long tore straight through the thin layer of spirit power shielding Xuan Zi's back. The freezing energy surged into his meridians through the wound, nearly freezing his blood solid.
Almost instantly after, Ye Yulin's Starlight Death Ray arrived.
Three highly concentrated Grade 9 rays struck Xuan Zi's knees and spinal joints with pinpoint accuracy. Accompanied by the piercing sound of bones shattering, Xuan Zi's massive true form staggered violently.
Then came the final blow.
Kong Deming's silver disc suddenly closed, transforming into a colossal silver heavy hammer. It descended from above, carrying the crushing pressure of collapsing space, and smashed squarely into the back of Xuan Zi's head.
Xuan Zi suffered an injury unlike anything he had experienced since rising to fame.
First came the Extreme Ice stripping away his mobility, followed by nerve-searing agony as the rays severed his body, and finally the mountain-like impact that crushed his consciousness entirely.
Bang!
The massive Taotie Divine Ox phantom could no longer sustain itself and dissipated completely.
Xuan Zi's aged body fell helplessly from midair, crashing onto the ground. Blood seeped from his eyes, nose, and mouth, staining the surrounding dust a dark purple.
With his vital blood burned away and his meridians shattered, he had completely lost the ability to resist, managing only faint, shallow breaths.
Jing Hongchen stepped forward.
From within his robes, he took out a set of Soul-Forbidden Chains designed specifically for Titled Douluo—core Grade 9 spirit tools forged from rare metals and engraved with powerful sealing formations.
With practiced efficiency, he threaded the chains through Xuan Zi's shoulder blades and locked a high-voltage suppression clasp at his dantian.
"Take him away," Jing Hongchen ordered calmly.
Several elite Soul Engineers immediately stepped forward and, like dragging a dead dog, hauled away the once-dominant Super Douluo toward the prisoner carriage in the rear.
With Xuan Zi captured, the suffocating tension enveloping the Duke Mansion finally dissipated.
Kong Deming put away his spirit tools and landed before Liu Yuan.
This cold and aloof Hall Master of the Hall of Worship actually bowed slightly at this moment, his tone carrying rare courtesy.
"Duke Liu Yuan, if not for your advance planning and willingness to risk your own safety to restrain Xuan Zi, the Bright Capital might have suffered a true catastrophe. On behalf of the Hall of Worship, I thank you."
Ye Yulin and Jing Hongchen also stepped forward, offering their gratitude.
In their eyes, Liu Yuan's talent was already astonishing—but his foresight and strategic planning made even these seasoned veterans feel ashamed.
"It was simply my duty," Liu Yuan replied indifferently. "You Seniors have worked hard."
He turned his gaze toward the direction where Xuan Zi had been taken away. He knew that from this day onward, Shrek's ten-thousand-year reputation would begin to collapse.
Soon after, Kong Deming indicated that, given Xuan Zi's special status, they needed to immediately escort both the prisoner and the evidence to the Imperial Palace and report directly to His Majesty.
Liu Yuan nodded in understanding. "Please go ahead, Seniors. I'll follow after tidying up a bit."
Kong Deming and the others said no more. They transformed into several streaks of light, passing through the now-calming streets and heading straight toward the Imperial Palace.
—
Inside the Imperial Palace, within the Imperial Study.
After hearing Kong Deming's detailed report on Xuan Zi's capture and the failure of the Star Luo Empire and Body Sect's ambush, the Sun Moon Emperor was so enraged that he smashed the inkstone on his desk straight to the ground.
Before him lay the evidence: the pitch-black robes worn by the Star Luo Titled Douluo disguised as an Evil Soul Master, and spirit tool recordings of Xuan Zi infiltrating the Duke Mansion in real time.
"Shrek… Star Luo… what a 'righteous path' protecting the continent!"
Anger flushed the Sun Moon Emperor's sickly face. He coughed violently, then suddenly raised his head and shouted at the attendant below.
"Transmit my decree! Copy and distribute everything that happened tonight—Xuan Zi's infiltration and attempted assassination of an important official, along with the images and evidence of a Star Luo Titled Douluo disguising himself as an Evil Soul Master to slaughter civilians!"
"I want every corner of the Douluo Continent to see the true faces of these hypocrites! From this day forward, I announce to the entire continent—Shrek Academy and the Star Luo Empire have colluded with the Body Sect to harm the innocent. The Sun Moon Empire will no longer coexist with them!"
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