Shrek's unusual formation puzzled everyone, especially the newly appeared soul master who hadn't shown up at all during the preliminary or qualifying rounds. It didn't seem like she was some kind of secret weapon.
But Yang Xiong, and in fact, everyone from Shrek, knew clearly that this person was the key to victory.
She was Ye Lingling, with a Nine-Star Begonia martial soul and a soul power of level 39.
According to Yang Xiong's strategy, the Shi brothers, Dai Mubai, and Yu Tianheng took the lead. The Shi brothers had the Black Tortoise martial soul, known for its powerful defense, though their mobility and reaction speed were average.
Standing beside them were Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng, both exceptional fighters whose combat prowess effectively made up for the Shi brothers' shortcomings.
Yang Xiong positioned himself as a sensitive assault-type soul master in the second row, ready to respond to issues wherever they arose.
In the rear was Tang San, who would control the field and protect Ye Lingling, along with Yang Xiong when necessary.
With Ye Lingling's Nine-Star Begonia's healing powers, this formation was practically unbreakable. No matter how strong Feng Xiaotian and his team were, as long as they couldn't wipe out the entire team in one go, they'd be slowly exhausted to defeat.
Sure enough, at the start of the match, Feng Xiaotian's Gale Demon Wolf launched a flurry of wind blades, seemingly trying to break Shrek's formation.
But the Shi brothers stood firm in front. Without even using their soul skills, they summoned their Black Tortoise martial souls. The normal wind blades landed on their shells like tickles, unable to penetrate their defense.
Huo Wushuang, Feng Xiaotian, and two other assault-type soul masters charged head-on, only to be blocked by Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, and the Shi brothers. In fact, they were being pushed back.
Before the opposing team could react, Ye Lingling summoned her giant Nine-Star Begonia. A green glow quickly flowed into each team member, instantly healing the minor injuries from earlier clashes.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass didn't attack either, since it would be ineffective against fire and wind-type soul masters, it was better to focus on control and support.
Seeing Shrek's complete tactical shift, the New Divine Wind Team was stunned, it felt like they were facing an entirely different team.
Feng Xiaotian frowned and immediately used his first soul skill: Wind Blade Array. Countless wind blades, stronger and faster than before, flew toward Shrek.
Huo Wushuang also unleashed his first soul skill: Violent Dragon Flame, sending streams of fire charging at Shrek's formation.
The two seemed to coordinate their attacks, both wind and flame intensified, even showing signs of explosive interaction.
Yet Dai Mubai, Yu Tianheng, and Tang San didn't move.
The Shi brothers exchanged a glance. Their bodies shrank slightly, and their torsos transformed into thick, ancient-looking turtle shells.
They directly withstood the combined wind and fire attacks with only faint marks left on their shells. They were pushed back a few meters, but otherwise unharmed.
The Black Tortoise martial soul truly lived up to its name as a top-tier defense type. It had endured both Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wushuang's first soul skills without flinching.
Immediately after, Ye Lingling's begonia emitted another green light that completely erased the damage to their shells.
Huo Wushuang: "..."
Feng Xiaotian: "..."
Just as Yang Xiong predicted, the match turned into a battle of attrition. The two sides fought constantly, but any injury Shrek sustained was healed in moments by Ye Lingling.
Shrek members deliberately avoided using powerful soul skills, instead relying on custom techniques and physical attacks. Their formation resembled a massive turtle shell, making it hard for the opposing team to land clean hits.
The Shi brothers held strong against both wind and fire, frustrating the New Divine Wind Team.
More than twenty minutes passed with both sides still fighting. But it was clear the New Divine Wind Team had fallen into a trap, they had used many offensive skills and burned through a lot more soul power.
Feng Xiaotian gritted his teeth and flew into the air. A massive flame from Huo Wu merged with him.
Clearly, Feng Xiaotian was preparing his self-created soul skill: Gale Demon Wolf Thirty-Six Slash. With Huo Wu's support, the combined wind and fire power would be immense.
He aimed to break Shrek's defensive line in one decisive strike.
The Shi brothers stepped forward and shouted, "Shield Transformation!"
Their chest and back shells split and moved into their hands, transforming into two huge shields one meter wide, this was their second soul skill.
Feng Xiaotian's attacks grew faster. Each strike landed on their shields, creating visible cracks. Despite their strength, the brothers struggled to withstand the full onslaught.
The Black Tortoise martial soul was indeed powerful. In terms of combat ability, the brothers weren't much weaker than Dai Mubai or Yu Tianheng. Their only drawback was their lack of speed.
Ye Lingling channeled her healing abilities into them as quickly as possible.
But Feng Xiaotian's technique, now boosted by Huo Wu, reached a power level comparable to a Soul King. Each strike grew stronger than the last.
By the 24th strike, the Shi brothers were faltering.
They roared and used their fourth soul skill: Black Tortoise Guard, trying to endure. But Feng Xiaotian was relentless, breaking their defense and sending them flying.
The brothers spat blood and knelt, clearly seriously injured.
Yang Xiong and the others looked at each other. Yang Xiong moved like lightning, taking their place.
Feng Xiaotian shouted, "Yang Xiong, finally showing yourself! Let's see how strong your defense really is!"
Yang Xiong smiled coldly. "Let's see if your Thirty-Six Slash is worth the hype."
His entire body turned silver as his muscles bulged and bones hardened. It was his self-created soul skill: Steel Muscles and Iron Bones.
He met Feng Xiaotian's attacks head-on, punching back and forcing him to retreat.
But Feng Xiaotian's strikes only grew stronger. By the final attack, even Yang Xiong seemed to be reaching his limit.
At that moment, Feng Xiaotian activated his fourth soul skill: Demon Wolf Storm, combining it with his Thirty-Six Slash.
Simultaneously, Huo Wu unleashed her fourth soul skill: Fire Dance Radiance.
The combined wind and fire engulfed the arena like a sun inside a tornado, unstoppable.
Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng hurried to protect Ye Lingling and Tang San, using their strongest skills. Dai Mubai used White Tiger Meteor Shower, and the Shi brothers summoned their Black Tortoise again to shield everyone. Tang San activated Blue Silver Hurricane Array, wrapping the team in a cocoon.
Ye Lingling radiated green light, desperately healing everyone.
Yang Xiong, however, stood at the storm's eye, facing both Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu's attacks alone. Even the spectators held their breath for him.
Then, a massive golden Rasengan appeared in Yang Xiong's hand, fifty centimeters in diameter, glowing with terrifying power.
He knew his level 39 soul power wouldn't last against two top-tier fourth soul skills. So he chose to go all-in, smashing the golden Rasengan forward without fear.
The resulting explosion shook the entire arena. A crater formed at the center, with Feng Xiaotian lying inside, bleeding heavily.
Yang Xiong stood nearby, only slightly scorched and scratched. After receiving Ye Lingling's healing light, even those minor injuries vanished.
The rest of Shrek, having avoided the brunt of the blast, remained mostly unharmed.
Ye Lingling, however, looked drained, healing so many had taken a toll.
In contrast, the New Divine Wind Team was in shambles. Feng Xiaotian was down, Huo Wu and the support members had exhausted their soul power, and only Huo Wushuang and two others had any fight left.
Feng Xiaotian looked at Yang Xiong, unwilling to accept defeat. "You really think your technique is stronger than mine?"
Yang Xiong sighed. "Why go through all this? If your team stuck with your original formation, defeating you would've been nearly impossible. Why use such a mismatched lineup?"
Feng Xiaotian gave a bitter smile. "I see that now. Maybe I was wrong from the beginning... but I don't regret it. Next time, I'll challenge you one-on-one. I won't lose again."
With those words, Feng Xiaotian collapsed unconscious on the stage.
Huo Wushuang and the others still wanted to fight, unwilling to accept defeat.
But aside from Ye Lingling, Shrek's members were mostly fine. Even the Shi brothers still had some strength after being healed.
Soon, the rest of the New Divine Wind Team was knocked off the stage. Even the proud Huo Wu was slapped unconscious by Dai Mubai.
The crowd was in an uproar. Yang Xiong's strength was unbelievable, a mere Soul Elder standing up to Feng Xiaotian and Huo Wu.
Shrek's strategy had clearly succeeded: wear down the enemy with impenetrable defense.
Most shocking of all was Ye Lingling's healing power, it was the backbone of the entire match.
The most brilliant stars of the fight were undoubtedly Yang Xiong and Ye Lingling.
For Yang Xiong himself, this battle was nothing special, he had only used about 70% of his power, not even revealing all his cards.
As a transmigrator, though he preferred to keep a low profile, who wouldn't want to show the world their true strength?
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