Ma Hongjun watched as flames surged violently in Ye Zhiqiu's eyes. Behind him, a purplish-red phoenix phantom suddenly spread its wings, causing heat waves to roll so intensely that even the air seemed to ignite.
"First Spirit Ability—Phoenix Fire Line!"
He took a deep breath, his chest and abdomen swelling slightly, then spat out a concentrated stream of fire.
The purplish-red flames writhed like an agile fire serpent, hissing through the air as they carried scorching heat waves straight toward Ye Zhiqiu's face.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu revealed a trace of disdain. "Is this all the firepower you've got? And you still dare to boast?"
Before his words faded, the third yellow Soul Ring at his feet suddenly lit up.
As Soul Power surged, a jet-black stream of water gushed from his mouth:
"Third Spirit Ability—Dark Water Surge!"
The dark water rushed out, carrying a chilling aura, and collided head-on with Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line in mid-air.
"Sizzle—"
The clash of water and fire instantly produced a large cloud of white mist. Amid the billowing steam, the purplish-red flames were partially suppressed by the dark water.
However, Ma Hongjun's flames didn't extinguish. Instead, they clung like maggots to bone, burning the dark water and emitting sharp, piercing sounds.
"It's not over yet!"
A fierce glint flashed in Ma Hongjun's eyes as he pushed his Soul Power to the limit. The Phoenix Fire Line suddenly swelled, forcefully breaking through the dark water's barrier and charging toward Ye Zhiqiu.
"Brat! Don't be so impatient! I'll show you what I'm capable of right now!"
Ye Zhiqiu puffed out his cheeks, channeling his Soul Power to its peak. The jet-black Dark Water surged out like a bursting flood, so dense it nearly formed a continuous curtain of water.
Faced with such an overwhelming torrent of dark water, Ma Hongjun's Phoenix Fire Line was quickly suppressed and extinguished. The purplish-red flames struggled briefly before dying out completely.
With the flames gone, the dark water, as if alive, shifted direction and lunged toward Dai Mubai and the others.
"Watch out!"
Dai Mubai shouted low, raising his palm along with Tang San and Oscar as they activated their Soul Power to defend.
Yet the dark water proved exceptionally cunning. Instead of attacking their upper bodies, it deftly bypassed their defenses like a living entity, targeting their lower limbs.
With several crisp "crack" sounds, the dark water instantly solidified into ice, firmly freezing Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Tang San's feet in place.
Standing his ground, Ye Zhiqiu caught his breath and glanced at the frozen group, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, though he made no further move.
He had a clear plan in mind—as a level fifty-three Soul King, it was beneath him to take a few youngsters too seriously.
Moreover, the two who had revealed their Martial Souls both possessed top-tier abilities.
With rare beast spirits like the White Tiger and Phoenix, they undoubtedly had influential backers. Giving them a lesson to teach them respect was enough.
"Well? Learned your lesson now?"
Ye Zhiqiu crossed his arms, looking at the immobilized youths with a tone of arrogance.
"Young people, don't be too arrogant. There are always greater heights and stronger individuals."
Dai Mubai tried smashing the ice around his legs with his tiger claws, but the ice layer was extraordinarily hard, remaining completely undamaged.
His expression darkened as he gritted his teeth. "Damn it, this old turtle has some skill. We underestimated him!"
At that moment, Tang San stared at the not-yet-vanished phoenix phantom behind Ma Hongjun, a sharp light flashing in his eyes. He suddenly called out to Ma Hongjun:
"Ma Hongjun, quickly spray fire at our feet! Your Evil Fire can counter the chill of this Dark Water!"
Ma Hongjun was momentarily stunned, then quickly reacted. He lowered his head, gathered Soul Power within his body, and spat out a purplish-red flame.
"Sizzle—"
The moment the flame touched the ice layer, white mist instantly billowed up. The hard ice visibly melted at a rapid pace, emitting faint cracking sounds.
Although the ice formed by Dark Water was resistant to cold, it couldn't withstand the scorching heat of the wicked fire phoenix.
Especially since Ma Hongjun's flame carried a trace of overbearing evil force, which happened to perfectly counter this Yin-cold Dark Water.
"It's working!" Dai Mubai's eyes lit up with joy as he immediately circulated his Soul Power to cooperate, attempting to shatter the loosened ice layer.
Seeing this, Ye Zhiqiu slightly furrowed his brows but didn't intervene to stop them again.
He never intended to go for the kill in the first place. Since the other party had found a solution, he might as well give them an way out.
Pushing these youngsters with powerful backings too far would bring no benefit to himself.
Moments later, the ice layer completely melted, and the group finally broke free from their restraints, stepping back several paces while warily watching Ye Zhiqiu.
"You're ruthless!" Dai Mubai flexed his newly freed ankles, joints emitting soft clicks. The defiance in his eyes hadn't diminished in the slightest; instead, being restrained earlier had added a touch of ferocity.
"We were careless just now! You old turtle, take another one of my moves!"
He suddenly stepped forward, Soul Power surging violently around him. His purplish-gold third Soul Ring abruptly lit up: "Third Spirit Ability - White Tiger Vajra Transformation!"
An ear-splitting white tiger's roar emanated from behind him as the hair all over his body instantly stood up like steel needles.
His entire aura became several times more formidable than before, even his eyes taking on a wild tint.
In the next instant, Dai Mubai had already transformed into a golden blur, fists tightly clenched as he smashed toward Ye Zhiqiu.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Ye Zhiqiu paused his steps and slightly turned.
His seemingly slow movement precisely avoided Dai Mubai's fist, his feet planted as if rooted firmly to the spot.
"Stubborn fool!"
Seeing Dai Mubai still pressing relentlessly, Ye Zhiqiu also grew angry, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
He had originally intended to let things be, never expecting this youngster to be so unreasonably obstinate.
"Since you insist on asking for a beating, this old man will oblige you! Second Spirit Ability - Dark Water Ice Seal!"
Ye Zhiqiu no longer dodged, sharply turning around as he spat out a wave of piercing white mist.
Driven by Soul Power, the white mist instantly transformed into an icy cold current rushing toward Dai Mubai.
Dai Mubai's fist, only halfway to its target, was suddenly enveloped by this unexpected cold air. He felt his entire body instantly freeze, his movements abruptly halting.
The white mist, upon contact with his body, visibly condensed into ice at a remarkable speed.
In the blink of an eye, it froze his entire person, turning him into an ice sculpture maintaining his punching posture, rigidly standing in place.
"Big Brother Dai!" Ma Hongjun and Tang San exclaimed simultaneously.
Ye Zhiqiu had already clenched his right fist, swinging it with a sharp gust of wind toward the ice sculpture that was Dai Mubai.
This punch clearly carried genuine anger. If it landed solidly, the ice sculpture shattering would be the least concern - Dai Mubai frozen inside would likely suffer serious injuries.
At this critical moment, Tang San's Soul Power suddenly erupted, his yellow first Soul Ring lighting up at his feet:
"First Spirit Ability - Blue Silver Entanglement!"
Tang San slapped the ground with both hands, and several thick strands of Blue Silver Grass burst through the soil, splitting into two groups—one heading toward Ye Zhiqiu and the other toward the ice-encased Dai Mubai.
One group of Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Ye Zhiqiu's punching wrist, firmly restraining his arm and forcing his fist to halt abruptly in mid-air.
The other group coiled several times around the frozen Dai Mubai, pulling him in front of Tang San and Ma Hongjun.