At this moment, Dugu Yan suddenly recalled her grandfather's warning in her mind.
Poison-type Soul Masters were indeed feared, but they had many weaknesses — especially against Soul Masters with fire or lightning attributes. High temperatures could neutralize toxins, and electrical stimulation could force the body to expel them.
"First Soul Skill — Black Tortoise Shield!" ×2
From a distance, the Shi brothers — Shi Mo and Shi Mo — acted quickly after Yu Feng cleared the area with his wind. They each activated their first soul skill, summoning large tortoise-shell shields with sharp blades along the edges. Without hesitation, they threw the shields straight at Xu Yang, who was still fighting Yu Tianheng.
"First Soul Skill — Ghost Shadow Strike!"
Simultaneously, Oslo launched his attack, his figure transforming into a streak of black lightning as he charged straight at Xu Yang.
The three of them had chosen their moment well — Xu Yang was fully occupied and had no time to respond. Dodging all three attacks would be incredibly difficult.
The massive shields sliced through the air in graceful arcs from left and right, locking in on Xu Yang's position.
From behind, Oslo's claw — gleaming with a cold light — was poised to strike Xu Yang's waist. Above, Yu Feng flapped his wings, activating his First Soul Skill — Wing Blade, his wings flashing with cutting wind blades.
Multiple wind blades rained down from above, sealing Xu Yang's last potential escape route.
Five attackers, striking from all directions — Xu Yang had nowhere to run and could only brace for impact.
"It's over for you, Xu Yang!"
"Second Soul Skill — Thunderclap!"
To ensure victory, Yu Tianheng released his second soul skill. Lightning coiled around his body, crackling and sparking as it rapidly burst forth, closing the gap between them. If the lightning paralyzed Xu Yang even for a moment, the other four would be able to overwhelm him instantly.
But Xu Yang's eyes remained calm, unshaken.
"Didn't learn your lesson? You think that's enough to defeat me?"
"Second Soul Skill — Solar Flare Split!"
"Solar Fireline!"
"Flame Barrier!"
Faced with the coordinated assault, Xu Yang didn't panic. With his split-type soul skill and ability to divide his focus, large-scale encirclement attacks were the least of his concerns. A mere thought triggered his Solar Martial Soul — his second purple soul ring burst into light as eight miniature suns appeared around him.
These miniature suns instantly positioned themselves around Xu Yang — one each to his left and right, and six more covering the front, back, and above in pairs, all radiating a golden glow and rapidly gathering soul power.
In the next instant, the two suns to Xu Yang's sides shot out piercing solar firelines, instantly piercing through the oncoming Black Tortoise Shields, dispersing them into pure soul power midair.
Meanwhile, the other six miniature suns unleashed their energy in three synchronized bursts. Golden flames connected them, forming three layers of blazing flame barriers, completely surrounding Xu Yang.
The moment Oslo's claws touched the outer flame barrier, a searing pain shot up his fingertips. Glancing down, he realized the tip of his claw had already been vaporized, sending chills down his spine. He immediately altered his trajectory, narrowly avoiding direct contact and shooting past Xu Yang's side.
Above, Yu Feng's wind blades hadn't even reached the barrier before the rising heat distorted the air and scattered them. Caught in the strong updraft, his flight turned erratic and unstable — he could barely maintain altitude, let alone aim a precise attack.
Yu Tianheng was in the worst position. Being the closest to Xu Yang, he was immediately engulfed by the searing heat of the flame barrier. Not only did his lightning fail to penetrate the wall of flame, but the intense heat made it hard for him to even stand his ground.
"You were too eager to win, and you forgot — I still have another teammate!"
"Not good! Oslo, save Lingling!"
Yu Tianheng's expression changed drastically. He had been trying to lock Xu Yang in place with lightning, but now he shouted urgently to Oslo, realizing the danger too late. He turned to look toward Ye Lingling — but it was already over.
At some point, Dugu Yan had silently appeared beside Ye Lingling. Her long serpentine tail wrapped tightly around her opponent and, with a powerful swing, threw Ye Lingling off the stage.
Oslo, who had been about to rush to Ye Lingling's rescue, froze the moment he met Dugu Yan's cold, reptilian eyes. A chill crept down his spine. He dared not approach — the memory of her terrifying poison was too vivid.
"Still too naïve. You dare to get distracted against me?"
At that moment, Xu Yang grinned. The flame barriers dissipated instantly. He condensed his remaining soul power into his fist and punched straight at Yu Tianheng.
Yu Tianheng only had time to feel a massive force slam into his chest. It exploded like a bomb, shaking his internal organs violently. His soul power collapsed. His body flew backward, helpless against the surge of raw power.
He tried to stabilize himself midair with soul power, but the previous blow had shattered his focus. With no strength left to control his descent, he crashed outside the ring.
But Xu Yang didn't stop there. While his soul power was nearly depleted, he used what little remained to launch into the air, charging toward Yu Feng.
"Come down here!"
With a loud shout, four miniature suns followed Xu Yang's ascent and locked onto Yu Feng. They pinned him in place from all directions, except the side facing Xu Yang.
Yu Feng, an agility-type soul master, had speed as his strength — but weak physical power as his flaw. Now immobilized, he had no chance against Xu Yang, a power-type Soul Master.
Bang! Bang!
Two punches. That was all it took. Yu Feng fell to the ground beside Yu Tianheng, utterly defeated.
In just a few breaths' time, the battlefield was quiet. Only Xu Yang, Dugu Yan, and the brothers Shi Mo and Shi Mo remained.
Xu Yang landed steadily in the center of the arena. He turned toward the brothers with a relaxed smile.
"Now there's only two of you left. Want to keep going?"
Beside him, Dugu Yan's eyes were icy. A swirling red and blue poisonous mist billowed around her. The message was clear: unless they wanted to be poisoned, they'd better surrender.
The two brothers, both defense-type Soul Masters, were built for durability and had massive frames. But they lacked any way to resist poison. Against Dugu Yan, they were effectively helpless.
"Sister Yan, we surrender!"
The brothers immediately raised their hands, grinning sheepishly. They chose surrender without hesitation.
"Thank goodness, I thought I'd have to keep fighting. I'm completely out of soul power."
Xu Yang, who had been smiling confidently just moments ago, visibly relaxed and spoke casually. In truth, he was utterly drained. As just a Great Soul Master, to stand alone against multiple opponents of the same rank had already pushed him to the edge. His last attacks against Yu Feng had exhausted the last of his strength.
That confident speech to the brothers? Just forced pretense. If they hadn't surrendered, the rest of the fight would've had to fall entirely on Dugu Yan.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin