As Xu Sanshi shouted, his Black Tortoise shield shot out a black beam, instantly striking Lu Jingming.
Space twisted, and before everyone's eyes, Lu Jingming vanished from the sky, reappearing inside Shrek's formation.
"White Tiger Annihilation Slash!"
"Blazing Amidst Frost, Heaven Emperor's Hammer!"
In a split second, the battle shifted dramatically. Shrek's team launched a coordinated assault.
Dai Yaoheng's soul rings shone, as he unleashed three potent skills at once, aiming to finish Lu Jingming.
A blood-red "kill" character, brimming with murderous, destructive energy, raced toward him.
Bei Bei's thunder gathered into a massive ball as he charged in for a decisive blow.
Ling Luocheng's ice staff erupted with cold, trapping Lu Jingming in a prison of ice.
Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong unleashed their second martial souls—a giant Clear Sky Hammer entwined with the Ice Jade Scorpion, as a huge humanoid phantom appeared, resembling an older, more imposing Yuhao.
Lu Jingming's lips twitched—he had expected Xu Sanshi might use the Black Tortoise Switch but hadn't imagined Shrek would focus everything on eliminating him at once.
Even Ma Xiaotao, at full strength, would struggle to withstand such an onslaught.
The audience was stunned by the sudden turn—a moment ago, Ma Xiaotao was doomed; now, the crisis had shifted to Lu Jingming.
In Shrek's rest area, Wang Yan cheered—this was his carefully crafted plan: eliminate Lu Jingming first, then defeat the rest.
Xu Sanshi's Switch was the key. If it succeeded, Wang Yan was eighty percent sure they could win.
In his mind, Lu Jingming—though strong—was not a defense type; facing such an assault, he should have no escape.
Many shared Wang Yan's view.
On the main platform, Xu Jiujiu stood up in shock, her face full of concern for Lu Jingming.
Xu Jiawei frowned deeply, seeing the unfavorable turn.
But Duke Dai Hao, the veteran general, actually smiled faintly, clearly pleased with his son's performance.
Xu Jiujiu was anxious at first, but seeing Changli's calm smile, she felt reassured—Changli knew Lu Jingming's strength best; if she wasn't worried, Lu Jingming must have a plan.
She fixed her gaze on Lu Jingming, not daring to look away for even a second.
"Should I thank you for taking me so seriously? But you're underestimating me!"
Facing the siege, Lu Jingming laughed, his confidence unwavering.
His third soul ring flared, and his black spear flew from his hand.
It spun rapidly, splitting into five black beams that pierced through Huo Yuhao, Wang Dong, Dai Yaoheng, Bei Bei, and Ling Luocheng.
A strange scene followed.
Dai Yaoheng's blood-red kill skill, Bei Bei's thunder orb, and Ling Luocheng's ice prison all vanished like bubbles.
Only Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's Heaven Emperor's Hammer fusion skill continued to crash down on Lu Jingming.
"Almost forgot, that's a fusion skill!"
Lu Jingming watched the incoming hammer, calmly.
His fifth soul ring blazed with blood-red light—his hundred-thousand-year soul skill activated.
The black spear reappeared, a thick black light wrapping around Lu Jingming.
As black energy surged, the Heaven Emperor's Hammer smashed down.
A thunderous blast sent shockwaves outward.
Debris flew, dust rose, and the arena was shrouded in chaos.
As the dust cleared, Lu Jingming stood revealed.
He now wore pitch-black armor, sleek and radiating immense power, as if nothing could harm him.
He caught the Heaven Emperor's Hammer in one hand; apart from the ground beneath him caving in, he was unharmed—as if the world-shattering blow was nothing.
"How… how is that possible?" Wang Yan stared wide-eyed, stunned.
He never imagined Lu Jingming could withstand such a terrifying assault, especially the soul emperor-level fusion skill.
The crowd was equally shocked.
Everyone was confused—why did Dai Yaoheng and Bei Bei's skills vanish? They couldn't figure it out.
Lu Jingming caught the Heaven Emperor's Hammer, marveling at its power—a soul elder and a soul Grandmaster's fusion skill could reach soul emperor level!
Furthermore, he knew Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong had more than one fusion skill.
Clear Sky Hammer, Ice Jade Scorpion, Light Goddess Butterfly, and Spirit Eyes—four utterly different martial souls, all able to pair up for fusion skills, nearly all at perfect rates.
Lu Jingming was sure there was trickery here—Tang San, the Sea God, must have meddled to lock Huo Yuhao's fate.
But as powerful as Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong were, Lu Jingming was no ordinary person.
He had easily countered the attacks thanks to his third soul skill—End Echo.
This skill could virtualize the Black Abyss Spear, forcibly dispelling any triggered enemy soul skills and preventing their re-use for ten minutes.
Thus, Dai Yaoheng's Annihilation, Bei Bei's Thunder, and Ling Luocheng's Ice Prison were all instantly dispelled.
The black armor on Lu Jingming was his fifth soul skill—Holy Lance Reversal.
When activated, the Black Abyss Spear became invulnerable armor, massively boosting his stats and granting absolute defense.
The armor carried a withering power, destroying any attack that landed on it.
Lu Jingming, wreathed in black energy and armor, looked every bit the final boss.
He casually unleashed a wave of black lightning, shattering the huge phantom, revealing the battered Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong.
At the same time, the rest of the battlefield shifted dramatically.
Firefly seized the moment, burning with light, her silver-white mecha soaring upward, delivering a mighty punch to Ma Xiaotao's phoenix form and slamming it to the ground.
Jinhsi flashed to Bei Bei, a dragon phantom biting him and slamming him into the arena barrier.
Castorice appeared behind Dai Yaoheng, her scythe wreathed in death energy, slashing down with a chill that froze Dai Yaoheng's blood.
March 7th's fourth soul ring lit up as she used her fourth skill—Memory's Flowing Ice.
She teleported along Ling Luocheng's ice, appearing at her side and freezing her solid.
Gu Yue, holding her silver dragon spear, descended from the sky amid a whirlwind, tossing her spear to sweep Xu Sanshi into a tornado he could not escape.