Chapter 196. Nether White Tiger (Part 1)

Before this team battle soul fight, Tang San had achieved not only a twenty-seven consecutive victory streak in team battles—he and Xiao Wu had also racked up a flawless twenty-seven win record in two-on-two duels at the thirty-level tier. While a handful of individual wins might have come down to luck, how could all twenty-seven matches have been? In terms of teamwork alone, the two of them, who had been together for nearly seven years, were undoubtedly the most familiar pair among the Shrek Seven Devils. Therefore, even though they were facing three powerful opponents boasting optimal soul ring configurations at levels well above thirty-five, they felt no fear whatsoever. In particular, the opposing team's linchpin—Du Gu Yan, a Control Type Soul Master—already had cracks forming in her confidence after her third soul ring skill had been neutralized earlier.

The Shi brothers, the Mystic Turtle Soul Masters, had already poked their heads and legs out of their turtle shells. The two simultaneously let out a low roar, and the second soul ring on each of them flared bright. A faint ring of light glowed along the edges of the shells on their bodies.

"Shield transformation!" The brothers bellowed in perfect unison. The turtle shells on their chests and backs eerily separated, each landing in their respective hands and transforming into massive turtle-shell shields a full meter in diameter. Stripped of their shells, they looked significantly smaller than their normal forms before manifesting their martial souls—their once-robust physiques reduced to scrawny frames, as though the shells had been forged from their very bones and vital blood. The sight was nothing short of astonishing.

Throughout this time, the most eye-catching member of the Imperial Battle Team had always been Yu Tianheng, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master and team captain. But in truth, when it came to raw combat power within the Imperial Battle Team, the Shi brothers were hardly inferior to Yu Tianheng. Whether it was the Mystic Turtle Martial Soul, Dai Mubai's White Tiger Martial Soul, or Yu Tianheng's Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul—all of them ranked among the top tier of martial souls. The unassuming Shi brothers were absolutely more formidable than most people imagined. It was simply that in most battles, they never needed to unleash their full strength. Now, however, the devastating blow Yu Tianheng had suffered had clearly ignited genuine fury in these normally composed brothers. At this moment, the first two soul rings on both of them were blazing simultaneously, and their burning gazes were locked squarely on Tang San.

The brothers exchanged a glance and simultaneously roared. Each launched the massive turtle-shell shield from their grip, sending them hurtling straight toward Tang San and Xiao Wu.

The turtle-shell shields spun and howled through the air; their overwhelming momentum alone was enough to make one's blood run cold. Most remarkably, behind each shield trailed a streak of yellow soul power connecting it back to the brothers' hands. The razor-sharp edges of the shields sliced through the air as they flew, arriving with spine-chilling shrieks.

Green mist had already permeated the entire arena, and a faintly sweet, fishy scent assailed their nostrils. Although they had eaten Oscar's small sausages, every member of the Shrek Seven Devils except Tang San felt their heads growing dizzy. Fortunately, the anti-toxin properties of the small sausages were effective enough to keep them from showing any outward sign of collapse.

At this point, the relatively more relaxed one was actually Dai Mubai, who faced the opponent's strongest fighter.

In his renewed clash with Yu Tianheng, Dai Mubai immediately realized his opponent had not recovered to full strength. While that strange white light had healed Yu Tianheng's physical injuries, the soul power he had expended earlier had not been replenished. After all, he had previously drained enormous amounts of soul power fighting the Shrek Seven Devils' combined assault—far more than Dai Mubai had consumed.

Flesh wounds healed quickly, but Yu Tianheng's strongest asset, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Arm, had only barely set after being fractured. He still dared not exert full force. At this point he could only rely on his lightning abilities to spar with Dai Mubai, and with his soul power already lower than Dai Mubai's—who had been further boosted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda—Yu Tianheng made the calm choice to fight on the move, maximizing the paralyzing effect of his lightning while avoiding direct confrontation.

Dai Mubai wanted to seize the opportunity to end the fight but couldn't. Du Gu Yan's ability as a Jade Phosphor Snake Control Type Soul Master to dominate the field with poison was far from ordinary. If Tang San hadn't used his familiarity with various deadly poisons and relied on realgar wine to neutralize her most powerful third soul skill, the Jade Phosphor Purple Poison, the Shrek Seven Devils would likely have all been down already.

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhuqing and Ma Hongjun's situation was far less optimistic.

Both of them faced opponents seven or eight levels above them in soul power. Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could help narrow the gap, the difference of an entire soul ring was something that simply could not be compensated for.

An extra soul ring meant more than just an additional soul skill. The enhancement to various attributes that came with absorbing a soul ring was something soul power alone could not make up for. Just like Tang San after reaching the thirty-level realm, who had received a comprehensive boost in both strength and control.

Ma Hongjun's martial soul, the Phoenix, was also of the flying type, but he was not yet able to fly. He could only rely on his Phoenix Fire Line to wear down his opponent.

But the Wind Chime Bird Soul Master, Yu Feng, launched extremely crafty attacks. His pair of wings cut like blades, ready at any moment to dive. If Ma Hongjun's attacks were even slightly slow, he risked being struck.

What frustrated Ma Hongjun even more was that Yu Feng's ability was wind. While he didn't dare let the Phoenix flames scorch him, the wind generated by his flapping wings could often dissipate the Phoenix Fire Line's attacks.

To keep his opponent from closing in, Ma Hongjun had to maintain his Fire Phoenix Immersion skill at all times, ensuring his Phoenix Fire Line stayed at peak offensive power. While this temporarily kept the opponent at bay, his own soul power was being drained at an alarming rate.

If Oscar hadn't been regularly feeding him large sausages, Ma Hongjun would have already collapsed.

Zhu Zhuqing's situation was even worse than Ma Hongjun's. At least Ma Hongjun had Oscar's support; she could only rely on her own strength.

The Black Panther Soul Master, Aosi Luo, was naturally faster than Zhu Zhuqing. The Black Panther Martial Soul was itself an outstanding presence among agility-type martial souls. Even with the speed boost from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Zhu Zhuqing could not fully close the gap between them, and could only keep dodging and weaving.

Aosi Luo's attacks grew increasingly fierce. With her soul power steadily depleting, Zhu Zhuqing was gradually reaching her limit.