Feeling the overwhelming pressure from the three soul beasts, Ma Xiaotao was certain—they were not mere illusions but real soul beasts!
She had no idea how Zhou Sichen had acquired three soul rings, all close to the 10,000-year level, but since the duel had already begun, she had no intention of backing down.
Even though the terrifying aura emitted by these three soul beasts made her feel slightly pressured, who was she? She was the Flame Demon of the inner court, feared far and wide!
A mere trio of thousand-year soul beasts—what could they possibly do to her?
The observing inner court disciples were already dumbfounded. The moment these three powerful soul beasts appeared, even those at the Soul King level among the spectators fell into stunned silence.
Zhou Sichen did have the right to be arrogant.
With just these three terrifying beings, he was already qualified to hold a place in the inner court.
Xuanzi, who had been lounging on his side, suddenly sat up. He stopped drinking, stopped eating his chicken drumstick, and stared at Zhou Sichen with sharp eyes.
"This boy is destined for greatness," Xuanzi murmured.
At that moment, the three powerful soul beasts roared in unison and launched their attack on Ma Xiaotao.
The Ice Jade Scorpion's long tail shot out an ice-blue beam, while the Hellflame Bird dove toward Ma Xiaotao from above. Meanwhile, the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear, still guarding Zhou Sichen, slashed its claws together, sending out ten dark-golden energy blades.
Ma Xiaotao instantly took to the air, activating her second soul skill, Blazing Phoenix, and her third soul skill, Phoenix Wings Ascension, to evade the Ice Jade Scorpion's freezing attack and the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's assault. At the same time, her fifth soul ring lit up as she transformed into a fiery phoenix and charged toward the Hellflame Bird.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Phoenix Cloud-Piercing Strike!"
A flaming phoenix shot upward, colliding directly with the Hellflame Bird.
But Ma Xiaotao was no ordinary opponent—at rank 63, she was far beyond the Hellflame Bird's level.
At its current strength, the Hellflame Bird could easily handle an average Soul King, but against a prodigy like Ma Xiaotao, it was clearly outmatched.
Of course, if the Hellflame Bird had reached the 10,000-year level, it would have been a different story!
Upon impact, the Hellflame Bird was sent flying backward. If not for its protective Phoenix Hellfire, it would have been seriously injured by that strike.
Realizing it couldn't win in a direct clash, the Hellflame Bird turned and fled. Seizing the opportunity, Ma Xiaotao pursued it, attempting to eliminate them one by one.
However, the Hellflame Bird wasn't foolish—it knew it couldn't win alone, but it still had allies.
With a swift dive, it flew back toward the Ice Jade Scorpion and the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear.
Neither of these two beasts could fly, but their strength was undeniable.
Especially the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear—with its power nearing the 10,000-year level, even a Soul Emperor like Ma Xiaotao wouldn't dare underestimate it!
Now that all three soul beasts had regrouped, Ma Xiaotao could only hover in the air, feeling frustrated. She was confident in a one-on-one fight against any of them, but three against one...
Zhou Sichen raised an eyebrow, taunting slightly. "Senior, are you planning to just hand me thirty points?"
If Zhou Sichen had stayed silent, it might have been fine. But the moment he spoke, Ma Xiaotao snapped.
"Arrogant!" she snorted coldly as her sixth soul ring lit up.
She wasn't holding back anymore. Against a mere three-ring Soul Elder, she was even using her strongest sixth soul skill.
Her black soul ring gleamed as she unleashed a terrifying blaze, her phoenix form bursting into a storm of fireballs raining from the sky.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
This was Ma Xiaotao's most powerful area-of-effect soul skill. With the amplification from her second soul skill, its destructive power was multiplied several times over.
A barrage of flaming meteors engulfed Zhou Sichen and his three contracted soul beasts!
At this sight, Duguyan's heart nearly leaped out of her chest.
In her opinion, even a single meteor from this attack could heavily injure Zhou Sichen!
However, on the high platform, Xuanzi and the others didn't move at all. They simply watched intently.
Zhou Sichen also remained completely calm, as if he weren't facing a Soul Emperor but a mere minor obstacle...
The next moment, A-Da (the Ice Jade Scorpion) shone with an icy-blue glow. Its long tail was surrounded by an intense chill.
As it unleashed Ultimate Ice at full strength, the falling fire meteors were gradually frozen before they could reach the ground, turning into harmless chunks of ice.
Ma Xiaotao's phoenix flames were indeed powerful, nearly at the level of an Ultimate Fire, but the gap between them was still like a chasm.
Ultimate Ice had an absolute suppressing effect on her flames. Combined with A-Da's cultivation, which was close to the 10,000-year level, her strongest attack was completely neutralized.
The next moment, the Hellflame Bird rushed at Ma Xiaotao, but instead of engaging in close combat, it breathed out Phoenix Hellfire, which could burn souls.
After taking a direct hit from Ma Xiaotao's fifth soul skill earlier, the Hellflame Bird had been injured—and now it was looking for payback!
Meanwhile, the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear, though unable to fly, unleashed ten dark-golden energy blades straight at Ma Xiaotao.
Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao clenched her teeth in frustration. Ultimate Ice restrained her too much. If not for that, she would have given Zhou Sichen a proper beating by now.
Letting out a sharp phoenix cry, she condensed her flames to the extreme, sending out fire blasts to counter the Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear's energy blades.
At the same time, her first soul ring lit up, and she breathed out Phoenix Flames to clash directly with the Hellflame Bird's Phoenix Hellfire.
She could easily defend against Zhou Sichen's soul beasts' attacks—but because of Ultimate Ice's suppression, she couldn't land a decisive blow on Zhou Sichen.
She had even considered closing the distance and taking him out in a single strike. However, with the Hellflame Bird constantly harassing her and the Ice Jade Scorpion and Darkgold Dreadclaw Bear providing support, she simply had no opportunity.
A Soul Emperor like her couldn't do anything to a mere Soul Elder?!
On the observation platform, Ling Luochen, who had been watching silently, couldn't help but take greater interest in Zhou Sichen.
It wasn't just because of his looks or talent—what caught her attention was the Ultimate Ice that completely suppressed Ma Xiaotao!
She wondered, If I were to find a 10,000-year Ice Jade Scorpion as my own soul ring, could I also evolve my ice element?
After all, Zhou Sichen's contracted soul beast wasn't even at the 10,000-year level, yet it had already mastered Ultimate Ice.
Zhou Sichen smiled at Ma Xiaotao's frustrated expression. "Senior, you must be running low on soul power by now, right?"
Ma Xiaotao snorted coldly. "So what?"
She was running low. Having already consumed over thirty percent of her soul power when she fought Ling Luochen earlier, and with only her fourth soul skill unused, her energy had dropped to less than thirty percent.
Zhou Sichen smiled faintly. "Since senior is hesitating to attack... it's my turn now."
Has this kid lost his mind?
A mere rank-38 Soul Elder taking the offensive against her?
If it weren't for those three powerful soul beasts, she could easily crush him with one hand.
But then, Zhou Sichen's smile deepened.
His right hand flashed with silver light—a soul tool.
A shoulder-mounted soul cannon resembling a Type-40 Fire Cannon appeared on his shoulder.
On the high platform, Qian Duoduo and Xian Lin'er narrowed their eyes.
"This is... a Grade-4 Soul Cannon?"
Qian Duoduo's tone was filled with disbelief. Zhou Sichen's contracted soul beasts had already amazed them, and now he had pulled out a Grade-4 Soul Tool?
This Grade-4 Soul Cannon had been modified by Zhou Sichen based on a standard Grade-4 Soul Ray Cannon. Not only did it have tracking capabilities, but it also required very little soul power to operate.
Its power was formidable enough that even a Soul King might struggle to withstand it.
Of course, Zhou Sichen knew very well that this weapon wouldn't be able to harm Ma Xiaotao—but it was more than enough to annoy her.
Besides, his goal wasn't to defeat Ma Xiaotao with this.
His real objective was to show off to the figures watching from the high platform.
This clearly modified soul tool was undeniable proof that he was a Soul Engineer, and not just an average one.
There was no way they could have imagined that he was already a Grade-4 Soul Engineer.
But that didn't matter—soon enough, they would ask him themselves.
And when they did, he would openly admit it!
Zhou Sichen pulled the trigger.
The soul cannon shell blasted forward, leaving a fiery trail as it locked onto Ma Xiaotao.
"A mere Grade-4 Soul Cannon shell? I could destroy it with a flick of my fingers..."
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