After confirming that the three Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters were completely dead, Zhang Lexuan finally felt a wave of relief wash over her.
She couldn't help but sigh, "Yuhao, this time it's really thanks to you. Otherwise, for Ruoruo's safety, we would have had no choice but to temporarily cooperate with them."
If Huo Yuhao hadn't taken the initiative, the outcome would have been entirely different. Despite only having eight rings, Zhang Lexuan alone possessed the ability to contend with an ordinary Titled Douluo.
The abilities of evil soul masters were not only sinister but also incredibly difficult to defend against. Without knowing their specific skills, it was easy to be caught off guard and overwhelmed.
Although Zhang Lexuan typically wielded the combat power of a Titled Douluo, she had just used her Seventh Soul Ring Silvermoon True Body, and her martial soul avatar was now in its cooldown period.
Additionally, she had to protect Han Ruoruo, who was in the process of absorbing a soul ring.
Under these circumstances, it would have been extremely challenging for her to handle the situation alone.
"If I hadn't come, maybe you wouldn't have encountered so many things," Huo Yuhao said, shaking his head.
This time, his primary goal had been to obtain soul rings.
Yan Shaozhe had arranged for two core disciples from the outer courtyard who were also seeking soul rings to accompany him. Generally, the soul ring hunting expeditions for the outer and inner courtyards were conducted separately due to the vast difference in soul power levels, which affected teamwork.
For safety reasons,Vice Dean Cai had taken a few people away temporarily. After all, she hadn't anticipated that Xuan Zi would also be occupied with other matters.
If only the inner courtyard group had been present and Huo Yuhao hadn't joined, Shrek Academy would have arranged for Cai Meier to protect him alone.
Huo Yuhao couldn't help but feel that it might have been better if Xuan Zi hadn't come. That old man had been absent for a long time, and no one knew where he had gone off to.
Huo Yuhao could only hope he hadn't caused any major trouble.
Although the frozen field had dissipated, the ice and snow within a 100-meter radius remained, and Huo Yuhao didn't have the time or energy to remove the extreme cold.
At this moment, less than 10% of his soul power remained.
The third-level Tianyuan Treasure Lotus Gu was continuously providing a blue recovery effect, and he was also meditating to restore his soul power.
Meanwhile, in Huo Yuhao's Spiritual sea, Skydream and Bingdi ( Ice Empress), who had been observing the battle, were utterly stunned by the incredible feat they had just witnessed.
"Soul Ancestor counterattacks Soul Douluo! What an extraordinary battle! What precise timing! What terrifying combat talent!" Skydream exclaimed, clapping his hands excitedly and bouncing up and down. "Yuhao, you're truly exceptional!"
Ice Empress also sighed, "It's a pity that the soul skills I brought don't include the ice explosion technique. Otherwise, the battle just now would have been much easier."
Although the battle had proceeded smoothly, it had been fraught with danger.
Setting aside the Gu worm for a moment, after breaking through to the Soul Ancestor level, Huo Yuhao's soul power, bolstered by his extreme attributes, was on par with that of a Soul King. Combined with his robust physical fitness, he could withstand soul rings of nearly 50,000 years, rivaling even a Soul Emperor.
Moreover, when both of his martial souls were activated simultaneously, with the Ice Empress's Pincer and the Ice Empress's Armor, Huo Yuhao's strength and speed were not inferior to those of a Soul Saint.
The only area where he fell short was the total amount of soul power. Although Huo Yuhao had few serious attacking soul skills, in terms of raw attack power, he could surpass even a Soul Saint.
Of course, this was under the condition of a head-on confrontation. In reality, duels between soul masters also heavily emphasized strategy. Huo Yuhao, blessed by the Gu worm, would never act recklessly.
First, Huo Yuhao had feigned inexperience, showing weakness to lull the enemy into a false sense of security. Then, he had Zhang Lexuan act as the main force to draw the attention of the three opponents.
Under the cover of his Imitation soul skill, he relied on the unique nature of his spiritual soul skills to execute the first kill.
The subsequent multi-domain cooperation was primarily to create opportunities for Zhang Lexuan to unleash her full power.
Dealing with the remaining two opponents had been somewhat challenging for Huo Yuhao. After all, it wasn't a genuine ice explosion technique, nor was it a rule-based attack capable of freezing and killing instantly.
Even if Huo Yuhao had used the ice explosion Gu, he could only have severely injured the two evil soul masters at most, far from killing them outright.
This was how the final outcome of the battle had been achieved.
[Achievement Triggered!]
[Achieved Zhang Lexuan's "Big Sister's Duty" achievement. Reward: Blood Moon Gu.]
[Blood Moon Gu: A fourth-level Gu worm. When activated, it forms a blood-red moon blade attack. If it causes a wound, it induces bleeding.]
[Evaluation: Protecting the team members is my duty…]
"Lexuan, Yuhao, are you both alright?" A gentle voice called out from not far away.
Vice Dean Cai Meier had arrived, albeit a bit late. Her pace seemed slow, but she appeared to teleport, covering the distance in just a few steps and standing beside Zhang Lexuan.
Zhang Lexuan shook her head and explained, "We just encountered three Soul Douluo's level evil soul masters. They targeted us, but we managed to resolve the situation."
Cai Meier's eyes widened as she took in the scene of the battle. "Evil soul masters? Three of them? And they were at the Soul Douluo level?!" She had too many questions, but the most pressing one was, "Where is Elder Xuan? Why can't I sense his presence?"
"Elder Xuan? Was he supposed to accompany us on this mission?" Zhang Lexuan asked, puzzled. If Elder Xuan had been here, why hadn't he intervened?
Hearing this, Cai Meier frowned. "Before I left, I specifically entrusted you to him. But now, I have no idea where he's gone."
"Forget about him for now. Have you all acquired your soul rings?" Cai Meier asked, her tone urgent.
With Soul Douluo-level evil soul masters appearing, she planned to take the three of them away immediately. She couldn't risk Shrek's future being destroyed here.
"We've all absorbed our soul rings. Only Sister Ruoruo is left," Huo Yuhao replied.
"That's good. Let's leave directly afterward. I have a bad feeling about this place," Cai Meier said, her expression uneasy.
Indeed, on her way to meet Huo Yuhao and the others, she had vaguely sensed the soul power fluctuations in the core area.
The core area was now extremely dangerous. Perhaps Elder Xuan was there? However, she wasn't overly concerned about his safety. If nothing else, he could at least protect himself.
...
Two hours later, Han Ruoruo had completed the fusion of her soul ring. Her eight soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and four black—pulsed with a rhythmic frequency. As she slowly opened her eyes, they radiated an imposing aura.
Zhang Lexuan smiled and nodded at her. "Congratulations, Ruoruo."
"Congratulations on your official advancement to Soul Douluo, Sister Ruoruo. It seems the soul ring from the Azure Sky Lion Beast was indeed a perfect match for you," Huo Yuhao added.
Han Ruoruo stretched happily. "Yes, I've also absorbed the Azure Sky Lion Beast's strongest control-type soul skill as I had hoped. I've named it Golden Skysurge!"
Cai Meier clapped her hands. "Excellent! We'll test the soul skills and such when we return to the academy. For now, let's examine the soul beast's corpse."
"Understood, Vice Dean Cai."
At that moment, everyone's attention turned to the Azure Sky Lion Beast.
Previously, due to the influence of Han Ruoruo's martial soul and soul power aura, no one had noticed it. But as Han Ruoruo retracted her martial soul, the strange soul power fluctuations emanating from the corpse became apparent to everyone.
It was a soul bone!
…
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