What's wrong? Not going to attack?
Fourth Woll looked at the frozen Xu Yucheng and casually waved her hand.
"Though the ending won't change, you could at least struggle a little. Otherwise, it'll be boring for me."
"Huuu…"
Hearing her words, Xu Yucheng took a deep breath, forcing down the shock in his heart at seeing her four ten-thousand-year soul rings.
Looks like I really might lose this time.
The moment he saw Forth's four black soul rings, and the way she had killed his two teammates with nothing more than a glance, Xu Yucheng already knew—he was no match for her.
Even so, he gripped his Dark Demon Scythe tightly. Even if defeat was certain, he would still fight. That was his final pride. What if he lost? Facing such an opponent head-on was the only way to truly grow.
Swish!
The sound of wind breaking came from behind. Xu Yucheng sidestepped just in time as a long blade slashed through his previous position, followed by an eruption of fiery energy. Two Soul Masters with Crimson Flame Lion martial souls slashed at him with their claws.
Clang!
Xu Yucheng swung his scythe to block, but the powerful force drove him sliding backward several steps.
"What? Weren't they almost out of stamina? How can they still fight like this?"
It didn't make sense.
These three Soul Masters were the same heavily wounded ones among the twelve who had been teleported here earlier. Xu Yucheng had already fought them once and nearly finished them off—only to be interrupted by the teleportation.
By his estimation, their soul power should have been nearly drained. Yet now, they were bursting with vitality.
Something's wrong.
Their movements were far too smooth, like triplets moving with a shared mind. Their strength was still inferior, but their eerie coordination closed the gap.
"But just that much still isn't enough to beat me."
With a shout, Xu Yucheng's four rings lit up. His entire body seemed empowered, and he swung the Dark Demon Scythe in a fierce counterattack, pressing the three back.
One by one, the scythe reaped them like wheat. This was the difference in sheer strength.
Even so, Xu Yucheng was breathing heavily afterward. These three had used desperate, suicidal tactics—"trading life for injury"—and even against him, they had cost him stamina.
"Come on then!"
He turned back toward Forth, preparing to advance—only to find she wasn't even looking at him.
And suddenly… his body stiffened.
"What?!"
He strained, but even lifting his arm became impossible.
"Don't waste your strength. You're under my control now."
The voice came from beside Forth. Xu Yucheng turned his eyes and saw a handsome young man with slightly pale skin under the sunlight—Nan Fusheng.
So it's his ability… Damn it. That explains those three fighting like they were one body. They must've been under his control as well.
Even paralyzed, Xu Yucheng's mind kept racing. He tried to surge his soul power, attempting to break the control.
But no matter how he struggled, he couldn't move. In truth, Nan Fusheng's third soul skill had already been spreading into him during his earlier battle.
Now he could only watch helplessly as Nan Fusheng spoke with the others.
"You all can come at me together."
Fourth placed her hands on her hips, arrogant as ever, staring at Tang Wulin's team of four.
"Wulin, what do we do?" Xie Xie whispered.
Tang Wulin had just opened his mouth to reply when he noticed Gu Yue already stepping forward alone toward Forth. He gave a wry smile.
"Leave Forth to Gu Yue. You know her temper—once she decides something, even a herd of oxen couldn't pull her back. As for us, our job is to handle Forth's companions."
As he said this, his gaze flicked toward Nan Fusheng.
"Perfect! Let's deal with this traitor." Xu Xiaoyan's eyes lit up. She gripped her Starwheel Ice Staff, her delicate face full of eagerness.
Xie Xie's lips twitched, and he glanced at Nan Fusheng with pity. Win or lose, after this battle, the poor guy's work-study student life was doomed to misery.
Nan Fusheng noticed the three moving toward him. His brow twitched slightly. So they're targeting me, huh? Fine. Let them taste my third soul skill.
He deliberately distanced himself from Forth, putting space between them. When far enough, he called out:
"Wulin, you—"
"You traitor! Eat my Ice Wheel!"
Before he could finish, Xu Xiaoyan had already launched her first soul skill. The icy disc shot straight at him.
She knew Nan Fusheng had space-related abilities; the attack wouldn't threaten him much. But this wasn't about damage—it was about venting her anger.
"Harsh, aren't you?"
Nan Fusheng stood still, not dodging, watching the Ice Wheel fly at him. Just as it was about to strike—
A shadow loomed in front of him.
The massive scythe swept down, shattering the ice wheel.
"Xu Yucheng?!"
Tang Wulin's trio exclaimed.
The one who had blocked the attack for Nan Fusheng was none other than Undying Xu Yucheng. But why would he help Nan Fusheng?
Though they'd been classmates for over three years, Tang Wulin's group had never truly understood Nan Fusheng's third soul skill. In combat, they had only ever relied on him for minor control or spatial transfers.
Now, seeing Xu Yucheng shielding him, their shock was natural.
"Something's wrong."
Quickly, they noticed Xu Yucheng's expression. His face was twisted with unwillingness—he clearly didn't want to protect Nan Fusheng.
"That's right," Nan Fusheng explained helpfully. "Xu Yucheng is under my third soul skill. So this isn't three versus one—it's three versus two."
"Hah, three versus two? Numbers are still in our favor. Captain, you take Xu Yucheng. Xie Xie and I will beat this traitor into the ground!"
Before Tang Wulin could answer, Xu Xiaoyan had already blurted it out.
It was the plan they'd discussed earlier when they first saw who was present. Gu Yue would take Forth; Tang Wulin would fight Xu Yucheng; Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan would focus on Nan Fusheng while guarding against ambushes.