With Dragon Duke retreating, Chrysanthemum Douluo could finally focus wholeheartedly on dealing with Shrek.
Lor Diarra and the two Soul Sages all withdrew to the back. Now that Chrysanthemum Douluo himself had made a move, there was no need for them to step in.
"Alright, we've dragged this out long enough today. It's time to end it." Yue Guan glanced contemptuously at Shrek below. "Farewell, gifted child. Fifth Soul Skill: Gathering Cold Yin."
Countless petals turned into blades, flying toward the Shrek Seven Devils. He might have shown some restraint towards Ning Rongrong and Liu Erlong, but for Flender and Tang San, he had no such mercy. Nearly eighty percent of the blades were aimed at them.
After all, Flender had strength close to a Soul Douluo, and Tang San was his main target, so he naturally had to focus on them.
"Don't you dare hurt my Boss Flender!" The hot-tempered Liu Erlong didn't care whether Chrysanthemum Douluo was holding back against her or not; she still charged forward without hesitation.
Chrysanthemum Douluo glanced at a Soul Sage in the back. That person understood and immediately blocked Liu Erlong. "Considering you're from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon clan, don't charge forward. There's still a way out for you."
"Get out of my way! Explosive Fire Dragon Charge!" If Liu Erlong could be persuaded, she wouldn't be Liu Erlong. But her opponent was also a Soul Sage of equal rank, so it wasn't so easy to win.
Her Explosive Fire Dragon Charge was easily blocked.
"Sixth Soul Skill, Eagle Armor!" On Flender's side, knowing he couldn't possibly win against Chrysanthemum Douluo, he could only choose to strengthen his defense, shielding Tang San behind him. Every moment he could buy was precious.
But for an agility-type Soul Master, even with a defensive soul skill, how long could he last? Soon, the Eagle Armor on Flender began to crack.
"Heh, a mere Soul Sage dares to challenge a Title Douluo? Overestimating yourself." As Yue Guan's soul power surged, the Chrysanthemum bloomed even more brilliantly.
Just as Flender was about to fall, fireballs shot over from the distance, easing some of the pressure on him. "Fourth Soul Skill: Fireball!"
It was Qin Ming, who had rushed over desperately. Tianlin's guess had been correct. As Flender's student, he couldn't just watch his teacher die.
"Another nuisance, and a fire attribute Soul Master. Too bad, if you were a Soul Douluo, you might give me some trouble. But now, a Soul Emperor who hasn't even reached full power—no need to rush to your death," Yue Guan mocked.
"Qin Ming, what are you doing here? Go back! You've already graduated; you're no longer part of Shrek. Go back to your Heaven Dou Royal Academy," Flender said anxiously. Qin Ming was his proudest student; he didn't want him to die for his sake.
"Yeah, I'm no longer part of Shrek. So, I don't need to listen to the dean anymore, right?" Qin Ming didn't look back. The Inferno Grey Wolf let out a roar, declaring war on Chrysanthemum Douluo and showing his resolve to protect his teacher at all costs.
This scene somewhat moved Chrysanthemum Douluo. "Such touching teacher-student affection—makes me sick. Since you want to die together, I'll grant your wish. Sixth Soul Skill: Golden Stamen Flowing Mist!"
A sixth soul skill even stronger than Gathering Cold Yin, golden light blossomed across the sky—unusually beautiful, but beneath that beauty lurked endless killing intent.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Explosive Blaze!"
"Fourth Soul Skill: Eagle Claw Blade."
Neither Flender nor Qin Ming would sit and wait for death. Even if the opponent was a Title Douluo, they would fight to the end. Unfortunately, the gap in strength was too great.
As soon as the soul skills clashed, Flender and Qin Ming's attacks were dispelled, and the two were soon engulfed by golden light.
"Fourth Soul Skill: Glimmering Immortal-Slaying Slash!"
At that moment, a giant sword cut through the air, instantly severing the Golden Stamen Flowing Mist's light and saving the two who were about to die.
In terms of attack power, Tianlin still couldn't match a Title Douluo, but by cleverly using his magic sword's unparalleled cutting ability, he could directly sever energy-based attacks at their core.
"Who?" Yue Guan looked up and saw a young man holding a magic sword atop the mountain. Although he hadn't met him before, the youth's soul ring configuration—one yellow, two purple, two black—was unmistakable. "That must be Jun Tianlin, the prodigy who surpasses even our Spirit Hall's Golden Generation."
Tianlin glanced at the badly wounded Qin Ming, then looked coldly at Chrysanthemum Douluo. "Chrysanthemum Douluo!"
"What is it, Sword Prince? Do you have advice for me?"
"I wouldn't dare call it advice, but if you hurt my teacher Qin again, I'll kill you right now!" As Tianlin finished, he swung his magic sword, sending a powerful sword aura toward Meng Yiran.
It was a move called Endless Tribulation from the Seven Kill Sword technique. Under Tianlin's precise control, Meng Yiran was untouched, but all the Chrysanthemums surrounding her were cut down.
After all, she was already considered part of his sect. Even if it hadn't been publicly announced, he couldn't let anyone bully her.
"He could instantly break through my Chrysanthemum? This boy's swordsmanship is incredible! And why do I sense danger from him? Is it because I've used too much soul power?" Because of Tianlin's killing intent, Yue Guan became wary.
In reality, Tianlin could truly kill him now. Years ago, Yue Guan had been seriously injured by Dugu Bo and spent a whole year detoxifying himself. Although he'd removed about ninety percent of the poison and kept his life, his soul power had dropped to Rank 93. Since the remaining poison had penetrated his bones, he had to, like Dugu Bo once did, keep a portion of his soul power to suppress the poison and could never fight at full strength.
As a result, his true combat strength was only about Rank 91 now.
At that level, after consuming so much soul power, Tianlin was confident that if he summoned his Martial God to fight alongside him, he could kill Chrysanthemum Douluo.
However, doing so would surely expose the secret of his twin martial souls to the world, and perhaps it wasn't worth it just for Qin Ming.
But so what? Not everything has to be about worth. Tianlin's pursuit of strength was always to protect those important to him. Qin Ming had been with him for eight years, both teacher and friend—he could never just watch him die.
Moreover, if Qin Ming could risk his life for his teacher, and in the original story Dai Mubai could give up a god-bestowed soul ring for Tang San's trial, could Tianlin not show the same resolve?
If Spirit Hall insisted on killing him, he would rather forcefully unlock all the seals on his million-year soul ring and soul bone, risking brain death, and take them all down with his overwhelming spiritual power.
The only one he'd be letting down would be the Skydream Iceworm, who had placed everything on him.
Sensing Tianlin's thoughts, the Skydream Iceworm laughed indifferently. "Haha, Xiao Tian, don't worry so much. When I sacrificed myself for you, I was prepared to live and die together. Besides, if someone's willing to hide their strength and abandon their teacher, I wouldn't trust them either. Go all out today. Don't say it's just a Title Douluo—even if it were a god, I'd go crazy with you!"
"Thank you. Let's go, Brother Skydream!" Tianlin smiled. Light gathered in his left hand as the Holy Spirit Pearl prepared to appear in the world for the first time.
"A mere Soul King dares to speak so wildly to a Title Douluo!" Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't know where the sense of danger came from, but could he fear a Soul King? All the chrysanthemum petals turned into blades, pointing at Tianlin.
Just as the two confronted each other, a bold, hearty voice shattered the tension they'd built up.
"Haha! You say this kid is talking nonsense—then what about me? Chrysanthemum Douluo, you're getting worse with age, bullying children and using such deadly force against them!"