Hearing Huo Wu's words, Tang San couldn't help but recall the way she had surged into his arms like a ball of fire that day, boldly offering him a kiss.
He did genuinely admire this girl who dared to love and hate with equal ferocity. Unfortunately, Huo Wu's temperament was one he had no desire to deal with, which meant they were destined never to become friends. While there was no shortage of men willing to endure a beautiful woman's tempers — Feng Xiaotian being a prime example — deep down, Tang San was a real man.
None of the others on either side had spoken, but the air was already thick with tension. The red-robed cardinal serving as referee clearly knew how to read the moment, and it was right then that he announced the start of the match.
Feng Xiaotian instantly flashed to Huo Wu's side, positioning himself in front of her as a shield. The blazing flames that erupted from her body seemed to become his backdrop. Meanwhile, the other members of their team, led by Huo Wushuang, unleashed their Martial Souls one after another.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The Shrek Seven Devils didn't arrange themselves in a conventional formation like they had in their previous matches. Instead, the moment the referee called for the start, they rapidly retreated and formed a circle.
Inside the circle stood two people: Ning Rongrong and Oscar. The five others circled around them at high speed. None of the seven had released their Martial Souls yet, but intense waves of Soul Power radiated from all of them, converging wildly toward the center.
What was this?
Seated before the Papal Hall, Pope Bibi Dong, Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan Master Ning Fengzhi, and the three Titled Douluo all betrayed expressions of astonishment. As the foremost figures in the Soul Master world, even they couldn't decipher what the Shrek Seven Devils were doing.
Tang San, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Ma Hongjun, and Zhu Zhuqing — the five stepped in perfect unison, as if following some hidden rhythm. The Soul Power fluctuations emanating from their bodies traced a peculiar pattern, swirling outward from their forms in a continuous spiral.
At the center of the formation, Ning Rongrong and Oscar stood hand in hand, both with their eyes closed. Rising from Ning Rongrong's body was a brilliant nine-colored radiance, while from Oscar's emerged a faint red glow. The two lights spiraled around each other and soared skyward.
Although none of the Shrek Seven Devils had released their Martial Souls, this entirely new fighting style put extraordinary pressure on their opponents.
"Feng Xiaotian, take to the sky!" Huo Wu barked.
The seven members of Divine Wind Academy shifted formation immediately. A pair of enormous cyan wings unfurled from Feng Xiaotian's back, and at the same time, a cyan light-image coalesced behind him — the silhouette of the Gale Twin-Headed Wolf.
Beneath that massive, dazzling light-image, Feng Xiaotian shot into the air. A single flap of his wings, aided by the wind currents above, sent him soaring to dizzying heights. What he was using now was the same combination he had employed during his duel with Tang San — the Second Soul Skill, Twin Wolf Possession, and the Third Soul Skill, Gale Twin Wings.
Under the effects of these two powerful Soul Skills, Feng Xiaotian's combat strength surged to its absolute peak.
At that moment, Huo Wushuang had already taken Feng Xiaotian's place, standing before Huo Wu as her protector. Flanking him were two of Divine Wind Academy's assault-type Battle Soul Masters. The three formed a wall, completely shielding Huo Wu from view.
The two behind Huo Wu were not the forty-level-plus agility-type Fire Crane Soul Masters. Instead, they were the two fire-attribute support Soul Masters who had appeared during the preliminaries — neither of them yet at the fortieth level — the same ones who had caught even Tang San off guard. Countless dense, crimson points of light converged on Huo Wu's body at astonishing speed.
Huo Wu's expression was grave. Her hands rose slowly before her as though each carried the weight of a thousand tons. Scorching flames coalesced in her palms into a white glow. At this moment, all four of her Soul Rings blazed to life simultaneously, and the pained look on her face spoke volumes about the immense pressure she was enduring.
Anyone with a sharp eye could see that Divine Wind Academy was now employing a five-protect-two strategy. The two support Soul Masters were bolstering Huo Wu while three assault-type Soul Masters guarded her. Among the seven, the two most critical players were Feng Xiaotian, spiraling ever higher in the air above, and Huo Wu, who had merged her Soul Rings to consolidate every ounce of her Soul Power.
"Change —!" Tang San shouted.
The Shrek Seven Devils' formation shifted. The circle suddenly became a single vertical line. Tang San stood at the very front, followed closely by Dai Mubai, then Ma Hongjun, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing in sequence.
At the very back stood Ning Rongrong and Oscar.
The shift in formation caused the Soul Power they had just gathered and condensed to twist into a single unified stream. And it was at that instant that Oscar suddenly wrapped his arms around Ning Rongrong from behind. The faint reddish glow emanating from his entire body flared into a vivid pink and surged wildly into Ning Rongrong's body.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda rose before Ning Rongrong. With a solemn expression, she thrust both palms forward. Like Huo Wu, all four of her Soul Rings lit up at once.
The ability to merge Soul Rings was not something exclusive to Huo Wu. It was, in fact, one of the special abilities of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. As the clan master's only daughter, how could Ning Rongrong possibly not know how to use it?