But just as everyone's eyes were fixed on this Douluo confrontation and their nerves were strained to the limit...
At the center of the Soul Fighting Platform, a scene far more tragic and shocking than the confrontation was unfolding.
The remaining members of the Star Luo National Academy, led by Huang Heyun, had long been surrounded by the Evil Soul Master team led by You Ya, with no chance of breaking out.
You Ya and the others had sinister gazes and acted with ruthless cruelty, unleashing various Evil Spirit Abilities containing powers of darkness, corrosion, and extraction without reservation.
The various Evil Spirit Abilities coiled around every member of the Star Luo National Academy like venomous snakes, instantly swallowing them whole.
"Argh—!"
One after another, shrill and agonizing screams echoed across the Soul Fighting Platform.
Huang Heyun and the others were completely unable to withstand such insidious Evil Spirit Abilities, their bodies trembling incessantly under the erosion of dark spirit power.
Huang Heyun and his teammates lost their combat capability one by one, falling heavily to the ground, curling up and rolling in constant, agonizing wails.
Their voices were hoarse and broken, making one's skin crawl.
What was terrifying was that You Ya and the others did not take their lives, but their current state was ten thousand times more painful than dying outright.
The Evil Spirit Abilities You Ya and the others were using were frantically extracting the Origin life force from their bodies.
In just a short moment, the originally jet-black hair of Huang Heyun and the others turned gray at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning completely white.
Their faces were instantly covered in wrinkles, and their complexions became as pale as paper, devoid of any blood.
They seemed to have aged decades in an instant, their bodies so weak they didn't even have the strength to lift a hand, only able to lie there enduring endless pain.
Seeing his team members meet such a tragic end, Xu Jiawei in the stands could no longer remain calm; his face was pale and his eyes were bloodshot.
He suddenly stood up and shouted at the Soul Fighting Platform with all his might, "Stop! Star Luo National Academy forfeits! We concede!"
This admission of defeat was filled with Xu Jiawei's endless frustration and anger, yet he was helpless.
If the competition continued, the participating members of the Star Luo National Academy would likely have their life force completely drained, ending in death and the dissipation of their Dao.
It wasn't until Xu Jiawei personally spoke the words of surrender that Cult Leader Zhongli Wu slowly withdrew the Super Douluo pressure enveloping Huang Jinxu.
A cold, disdainful chuckle came from beneath the bone-hand mask.
Cult Leader Zhongli Wu's Aura also retracted slightly, and this one-sided crushing and confrontation finally came to a temporary halt.
The moment the pressure dissipated, Huang Jinxu could no longer care about confronting Cult Leader Zhongli Wu.
He didn't care about the rules of the arena either, with only one thought in his mind.
His figure instantly turned into an afterimage, rushing desperately toward the direction where Xu Jiujiu was located.
In his heart, even if something happened to everyone else in the Star Luo National Academy, it could be set aside for now.
But Xu Jiujiu, the princess of the Star Luo Empire and the one Xu Jiawei placed high hopes on, absolutely could not have any mishaps!
In an instant, Huang Jinxu rushed to Xu Jiujiu's side.
But when he saw Xu Jiujiu's current appearance, his heart tightened suddenly, and the anger in his heart surged like a volcano, nearly breaking through his reason.
At this moment, Xu Jiujiu no longer had her usual pride and composure as a princess.
Her eyes were completely red, filled with bloodshot veins, her gaze was unfocused, and she was frantically curling up and rolling on the ground.
Xu Jiujiu gripped her head tightly with both hands, her fingers almost digging into her flesh.
She seemed to want to tear her own head open; she was currently enduring the extreme pain of her Sea of Consciousness being eroded and her Soul being torn apart.
"Argh—!"
Xu Jiujiu let out a heart-wrenching, shrill scream, her voice hoarse and broken, her body twitching incessantly.
Her originally exquisite face was distorted beyond recognition, clearly injured by an extremely insidious mental-type Evil Spirit Ability, and her Soul had suffered irreversible, severe damage.
Seeing Xu Jiujiu's agonizing state, Huang Jinxu's fists were tightly clenched, his knuckles turning white, and a monstrous rage burned in his heart.
But seeing her tragic state, he momentarily lost his composure, not knowing where to even begin to save her.
Huang Jinxu suddenly turned his head and roared at the medical team already on standby at the edge of the arena, his voice full of urgency and fury:
"What are you still standing there for! Save her! Save her immediately!"
The medical team was startled awake by this roar and hurriedly rushed up, quickly surrounding Xu Jiujiu and the other injured members.
Not far away, Huo Yuhao took all of this in, a cold and indifferent sneer still lingering on his lips.
Xu Jiujiu had already been severely injured by him, her Soul and Sea of Consciousness completely ruined.
Even if she were lucky enough to survive, she would never again have her former talent and combat power.
Whether she lived or died was no longer important.
It wasn't until the medical team hurriedly carried all seven members of the Star Luo National Academy off the Soul Fighting Platform for emergency treatment...
...that Huang Jinxu slowly calmed the rage in his heart, turned around, and looked coldly at Huo Yuhao, Cult Leader Zhongli Wu, and the others with eyes as cold as ice and full of killing intent.
After a long silence, Huang Jinxu gritted his teeth and spoke slowly, word by word, his voice hoarse and heavy:
"In this team battle, Mingluo Sect versus Star Luo National Academy, the final winner is—Mingluo Sect!"
This declaration of victory completely settled the outcome of the match.
Upon hearing this, Huo Yuhao and the others quickly reverted to their previous states of being weak, heavily injured, and devoid of combat power.
Their steps were unsteady, their bodies covered in wounds, and they limped along, supporting each other as they slowly walked off the Soul Fighting Platform.
They still looked like a team that had undergone a bitter struggle and suffered a great loss of Origin Qi, with no trace of the dominance they had just shown in crushing their opponents.
Xu Tianhao, sitting in the VIP seats watching the match, saw all these changes on the field.
Looking at Huo Yuhao's group feigning weakness, and then at the carried-away, now completely ruined Xu Jiujiu and her teammates, he inwardly gave the members of the Mingluo Sect a thumbs up.
After this battle, not only were Xu Jiujiu and the others severely injured, but their Origin life force had also suffered a devastating blow.
Their cultivation in this life would likely never progress again; they were completely crippled.
At the same time, the strange Rakshasa Mark faintly appearing on Xu Jiujiu's forehead was also firmly remembered by Xu Tianhao, and his gaze darkened slightly.
This mark must be closely related to Qiu Hetian.
If he were to face this deeply resentful opponent on the field in the future, he would have to be extra careful and guard against such insidious methods.
Meanwhile, in Shrek Academy's rest area.
Ma Xiaotao, Dai Yueheng, Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, and the others had witnessed the entire thrilling match.
At this moment, everyone's faces were filled with shock and disbelief, unable to recover for a long time.
Ma Xiaotao's brows were tightly furrowed, her eyes full of astonishment, and she couldn't help but be the first to speak, breaking the silence of the rest area: "How could the Mingluo Sect suddenly possess such terrifying strength?"
"They were clearly severely injured and their spirit power was overextended in their previous match against the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy."
"How could they have the strength to crush the Star Luo National Academy in such a short time?"
Dai Yueheng's gaze was fixed on Xu Jiujiu, who was surrounded by the medical team and acting like a demon in the distance, his eyes gradually becoming cold and sharp.
He said in a heavy tone, "This match is too strange. The Mingluo Sect's abnormal performance is suspicious in every way."
Gongyang Mo stood to the side, frowning slightly, and spoke weakly with a hint of uncertainty:
"Do you think... is it possible that the Mingluo Sect's previous severe injuries and weakness were all intentionally faked?"
"They were showing weakness from the very beginning, just to take everyone by surprise in this match?"
Ma Xiaotao heard this and subconsciously looked toward the rest area of the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy ahead.
Her gaze fell on Xu Tianhao and the others, and the same doubt arose in her heart.
If the members of the Mingluo Sect were never truly injured from start to finish...
...then why would Xu Tianhao and his group, who had fought against them, really have to recuperate for five days and still be exhausted with their spirit power not fully recovered?"