Beibei glanced at Ye Wuqing and Blood Wolf, then leaned toward Xu Sanshi and whispered,
"Prioritize taking down Blood Wolf first. Once he's out, it'll be two against one. Even if Ye Wuqing is at rank 58, we'll have enough of an edge to take him down."
Xu Sanshi grinned menacingly.
"Got it!"
As soon as the referee gave the signal, Xu Sanshi released his martial soul. With the Black Tortoise Shell Shield in hand, he stood tall and locked eyes with Ye Wuqing, eyes full of provocation.
A lightning-shaped, blue mark appeared on Beibei's brow, and his body was instantly enveloped in crackling thunder. The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul fully possessed him in a flash.
Both their bodies lit up with four soul rings—two yellow and two purple. Though Xu Sanshi was rank 43 and Beibei rank 42, the moment they released their martial souls together, the pressure they unleashed felt monstrous, even oppressive.
They didn't possess a Martial Soul Fusion Technique, but the synergy between their top-tier martial souls had always been exceptional—so effective it was practically equivalent to a fusion skill.
When they fought together, the power they unleashed was always greater than the sum of their parts.
On the opposing side, Blood Wolf had already entered his martial soul possession state. His body transformed into a werewolf, with his own four soul rings—two yellow, two purple—glowing around him.
Behind him stood Ye Wuqing. His handsome face remained calm and unshaken. Five soul rings hovered around him—two yellow, two purple, one black—as he held a golden leaf between his fingers, glowing faintly.
Ye Wuqing, Martial Soul: Golden Leaf, Rank 58 Power Attack System Soul King.
Blood Wolf, Martial Soul: Soul Wolf, Rank 42 Agility Attack System Soul Ancestor.
As the battle began, all four released their martial souls simultaneously. However, Ye Wuqing and Blood Wolf didn't immediately go on the offensive.
Blood Wolf stood guard in front of Ye Wuqing with a serious expression. His job was simple—don't let the enemy get close. As long as there was enough distance, Ye Wuqing's oppressive firepower would be more than enough to wear down the two Soul Ancestors from Shrek.
They had studied Shrek Academy's previous matches and were well aware of Xu Sanshi's bizarre fourth soul skill. But even if he managed to swap places, it wouldn't change much.
If Blood Wolf held off Beibei, even if Xu Sanshi swapped positions with him, he still wouldn't be a match for Ye Wuqing. Once Xu Sanshi was dealt with, the two of them could team up to finish off Beibei.
Besides, they suspected that Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill had a limited range.
Even if they were swapped, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was fearsome—but Beibei should be able to stall him long enough.
Just as Beibei and Xu Sanshi began to move, two of Ye Wuqing's soul rings lit up—his first and third. The golden leaf in his hand grew razor-sharp, becoming a deadly leaf blade.
With a slight flick of his wrist, the golden blade flew toward the rapidly approaching Beibei and Xu Sanshi. As it flew, it split—one became two, two became four, four became eight...
In an instant, one golden leaf had multiplied into dozens, slicing through the air toward them in a deadly rectangular formation.
Ye Wuqing's First Soul Skill: Golden Leaf Blade
Ye Wuqing's Third Soul Skill: Golden Leaf Formation
During the barrage of golden leaf blades, Beibei and Xu Sanshi had already advanced nearly thirty meters. Facing the oncoming storm of leaf blades, Xu Sanshi's second soul ring lit up.
His Black Tortoise Shield suddenly broke apart into over ten smaller shield fragments, which hovered and danced in mid-air under his control, deflecting the deadly leaves one after another.
Meanwhile, Beibei pulled out a red metallic orb from his soul tool storage. It was about the size of a basketball, and he infused it with soul power.
Upon seeing the object, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy members narrowed their eyes slightly.
It was a Grade-4 Soul Tool—"Blood Sun" Bomb, known for its devastating power at close range. But at this distance, Beibei was still dozens of meters from his opponents. Activating it now? Wouldn't that blow himself up?
Even if he threw it, Ye Wuqing's swarm of golden leaves could easily intercept it before it landed.
Xiao Hongchen's eyes suddenly flashed as he connected the dots—his gaze moved from Xu Sanshi to the bomb in Beibei's hand.
"Wait… could his fourth soul skill be used like that?"
Just as he had that thought, Xu Sanshi—who had just successfully deflected all the golden blades—grinned.
But before he could celebrate, the dozens of golden leaves suddenly exploded!
A single leaf blade didn't have much destructive power, but when all of them exploded at once, the resulting blast was absolutely terrifying.
Even with the shield fragments for protection, Xu Sanshi was blasted into the air by the shockwave.
His face twisted in frustration as he coughed up blood.
He had assumed Ye Wuqing was merely a "throwing weapon" type, but who knew he was also a demolition expert?
The explosion caught him completely off guard and left him with internal injuries.
At that moment, the yellow second soul ring around Ye Wuqing's body flared. The detonation was the effect of his second soul skill: Golden Explosion.
Seeing Xu Sanshi fall right into his trap, Ye Wuqing smiled faintly and launched another wave of golden leaf blades.
He would use overwhelming force to deliver Shrek their first defeat!
But then—
"Now!" Beibei roared.
In the next instant, Xu Sanshi's fourth soul ring lit up. The purple glow flared brilliantly as Blood Wolf—smirking at Xu Sanshi's injury—suddenly felt his vision blur.
By the time Blood Wolf realized what had happened…
A dragon's head wreathed in raging thunder was already devouring his face.
On Beibei's body, three soul rings lit up—first, third, and fourth—all surging with explosive thunder energy.
"First Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Claw!"
A thunder-infused dragon claw, enhancing both strength and attack power by 30%. Usable in close quarters or as a projectile.
"Third Soul Skill: Thunder's Wrath!"
Enters a berserk lightning state. Thunder damage increases by 100%, and soul power rises by 50%. Lasts until all soul power is consumed.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Thunder Dragon Head!"
Beibei's ultimate thunder-based technique—unleashes all of his lightning power into a devastating dragon-head-shaped attack. His strongest skill.
With all three skills active at once, the dragon head grasping Blood Wolf's face surged with power, radiating violent, explosive energy.
Now Blood Wolf finally understood—this was the effect of Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill.
In previous matches, Xu Sanshi had only used it to swap positions between two people. So the common assumption was that this skill, while strange, was simply a teleportation technique.
But now, they realized:
Xu Sanshi could also swap positions between a person and a soul tool.
Blood Wolf had no time to be surprised. All he felt was the paralyzing terror of Beibei's thunder.
His entire body shuddered under the electric pressure, even his breathing becoming strained.
But he knew—he had to fight back!
All of Blood Wolf's soul rings lit up, and he poured out every drop of soul power he had…
But it was too late.
Beibei had already begun preparing his soul skills the moment he shouted for Xu Sanshi.
Blood Wolf had just been swapped onto the field. Less than a second had passed before he even had the chance to activate a soul skill—only to be slammed directly into the stage.
"ROAR!"
A thunderous dragon's roar echoed across the arena. A massive Thunder Dragon Head, crackling with explosive arcs of lightning, swallowed Blood Wolf whole.
When the strike ended, Blood Wolf lay twitching on the arena floor, his body flickering with lightning as arcs danced across his skin. He was already unconscious.
And this was after Beibei had deliberately held back.
From the moment of the swap to the instant Blood Wolf passed out, barely two seconds had passed.
Meanwhile, the "Blood Sun" soul tool bomb that had vanished from Beibei's hand reappeared—right where Blood Wolf had been standing moments ago.
Beibei had timed the activation perfectly. The bomb appeared just as the switch happened, giving Ye Wuqing no time to react. In fact, he hadn't even realized what had happened before the bomb detonated.
This Grade-4 Soul Tool was among the strongest of its tier. Though Ye Wuqing was a Soul King, his defense wasn't particularly high. Lacking any defensive preparation, he was blasted off his feet.
As he was thrown back, the golden leaf blades he had sent flying toward Xu Sanshi and Beibei lost their guidance and were easily deflected by Xu Sanshi.
The timing couldn't have been more perfect. The explosion occurred just as Beibei defeated Blood Wolf.
Beibei and Xu Sanshi exchanged a glance, and without hesitation, rushed toward Ye Wuqing.
Xu Sanshi had been injured by Ye Wuqing's earlier ambush. And though Beibei had instantly taken down Blood Wolf, activating three soul skills at once had consumed a vast amount of his soul power.
They had to strike while the iron was hot—finish Ye Wuqing before he recovered!
They knew better than to think a single soul bomb could defeat him.
Sure enough, while Ye Wuqing had suffered serious injuries from the explosion, he had still managed to shield himself with his immense soul power at the last moment. It had spared him from being completely incapacitated.
Now lying at the edge of the platform, his clothing tattered and blood staining his face, Ye Wuqing glared furiously at the two who were charging at him. His fourth and fifth soul rings instantly lit up.
Though primarily a ranged attacker, with Blood Wolf gone, he couldn't allow them to close the distance. If they reached him, he might not survive the engagement.
He wouldn't give Beibei and Xu Sanshi any chance.
As the two soul rings activated, Ye Wuqing's left hand turned golden.
This was his fourth soul skill: Golden Left Hand!
This skill dramatically enhanced the attack, strength, and defense of his left arm. It also empowered his Golden Leaf Blades, turning them into explosive projectiles with devastating force.
His fifth soul skill was even more fearsome: Golden Leaf Dance.
When activated, his dozens of Golden Leaf Blades multiplied into hundreds, even thousands.
A massive golden storm surged forth like a tsunami, a sea of golden leaves crashing down on Beibei and Xu Sanshi.
And this time, Ye Wuqing fought with a new awareness. He knew about Xu Sanshi's bizarre footwork and his soul skill's swap mechanic. So he compacted the entire leaf barrage, leaving no gaps at all.
Simultaneously, Ye Wuqing flung out one Golden Leaf after another from his left hand. Empowered by Golden Left Hand, the leaves flew faster and hit harder—each one like a cannon shell.
Yet despite this storm of death, Beibei and Xu Sanshi charged forward without hesitation.
However, Xu Sanshi subtly shifted direction—heading straight for the edge of the stage.
As long as he got within range of his Mysterious Underworld Swap, there was no need to clash head-on with Ye Wuqing.
Ye Wuqing instantly recognized what Xu Sanshi was attempting.
"He's going to leap off the stage and swap with me! He's trying to disqualify me!"
There was no way Ye Wuqing could let that happen.
He, a Soul King, hadn't even used his full strength yet. He couldn't afford to be eliminated in such a humiliating way!
As Xu Sanshi ran toward the edge, Ye Wuqing directed half the Golden Leaf Sea to intercept him.
Why "intercept"? Because, after watching so many Shrek matches, Ye Wuqing had deduced that Xu Sanshi's fourth soul skill had a limited range.
To reach the edge of the stage, Xu Sanshi would have to go diagonally forward. If he retreated backward, he'd escape the leaf barrage, but also fall outside of the swap range.
Just as this new barrage split off and flew three meters toward Xu Sanshi—
A violent burst of lightning exploded.
Beibei, undeterred, had charged directly into the heart of the golden storm, lightning exploding all around him.
As the Golden Leaf Blades exploded, the blue lightning on Beibei's body began to turn gold.
"ROAR!"
A soul-stirring dragon's roar echoed again, shaking the hearts of every Beast Martial Soul Master in the audience.
"Thunder Overlord: Thunder Domain!"
The next moment, a radiant golden lightning field erupted from Beibei, expanding to cover a ten-meter radius around him.
Within that radius, every Golden Leaf Blade was instantly detonated.
Even the ones that had been sent to intercept Xu Sanshi!
The audience roared with excitement, blood boiling from the sheer spectacle.
But among the experienced soul masters, their expressions grew serious. Their eyes locked onto that ten-meter golden lightning field.
"A domain?!"
Many cried out in disbelief, some stunned, others jealous. Mixed emotions swirled.
Domain-type abilities were extremely rare and powerful. Even most Titled Douluo didn't have one, unless their martial soul was uniquely powerful or they acquired it from a ninth soul ring, and even then it was only a one in ten chance.
Yet this domain had appeared on a soul master with only four rings?
Though the domain wasn't yet fully developed, as Beibei matured, this skill would undoubtedly grow stronger along with him.
"Is this what it means to be a student of Shrek?"
Even a preliminary team member could unleash power of this level?
Amidst the astonished crowd, Beibei now knelt on one knee, clothes in tatters.
He had activated his innate divine dragon bloodline, tapping into his origin power—his ultimate trump card.
Though the Thunder Overlord: Thunder Domain was powerful, he had been at the center of the Golden Leaf barrage. Even though the domain neutralized most of the explosions, he had still taken significant damage.
Beibei spat out a mouthful of blood. One hand propped him up as he looked up at Ye Wuqing—and smiled.
Ye Wuqing's eyes burned with rage.
He turned and unleashed another storm of Golden Leaf Blades from his empowered left hand.
The air screamed as the enhanced leaves shot out like missiles.
Xu Sanshi, who was only ten meters from the platform's edge, strapped his Black Tortoise Shield to his back and silently thanked Beibei for his sacrifice. He leapt with all his strength.
A Golden Leaf Blade shot toward him like a bullet.
Even though Ye Wuqing didn't trigger its detonation this time, the raw power was devastating. Xu Sanshi, still in mid-air, was blasted downward, falling off the stage.
At the very last moment—just one meter from the ground—Xu Sanshi activated Mysterious Underworld Swap.
Ye Wuqing, realizing what was happening, accepted his fate and turned toward Beibei—unleashing another barrage of cannon-like leaves.
In the blink of an eye, the two swapped places. Ye Wuqing, now off the stage, was eliminated.
But over a dozen golden blades were already flying toward Beibei.
In his current state, there was no way he could defend himself.
But you couldn't blame Ye Wuqing for being ruthless. He was simply infuriated.
He had no time to dodge. He was already on the edge of the platform, with nowhere to run.
If he had more time, he could've escaped. If he had more speed, maybe he could've dodged. But Xu Sanshi had outplayed him.
Ye Wuqing had no chance for a fair 2v1 battle.
So he did the only thing he could—spite Shrek.
Even if he lost, he would take one of them down with him.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
As Xu Sanshi and Ye Wuqing swapped places, Xu Sanshi saw the golden leaves streaking toward the exhausted Beibei.
His eyes widened in horror.
In a desperate move, he activated his fourth soul skill again, swapping places with Beibei.
Three uses of his fourth soul skill in rapid succession had drained even his deep reserves. But Xu Sanshi now had experience dealing with the Golden Leaves.
As the blades closed in, he threw his Black Tortoise Shield and activated his first soul skill:
"Mysterious Underworld Shock!"
The shield trembled with shockwaves, intercepting the golden leaves from four to five meters away.
As expected, the leaves detonated.
The shield was blown away, but otherwise unharmed.
And Xu Sanshi—aside from the initial injuries he sustained earlier—was mostly fine. He'd need a few days to recover, but he was far better off than Beibei.
Thankfully, their tactics had worked perfectly.
Xu Sanshi had preserved his core strength, while Beibei had pushed past his limits.
And Shrek had won.
****
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