Douluo Continent: I, Long Aotian, will not be a supporting character.

The huge difference in soul power between Jin Ni and Ma Xiaotao, coupled with the fact that Jin Ni was not in her full state to begin with, ultimately led to her defeat by Ma Xiaotao.

Jin Ni smiled bitterly, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her voice was hoarse but still carried a hint of defiance: "I... my soul power is completely exhausted. I have lost this match."

As she finished speaking, Ma Xiaotao withdrew her martial spirit, and the fiery wings on her back slowly dissipated. She landed in front of Jin Ni, looking at this opponent who was younger than her but had displayed astonishing resilience, her eyes filled with admiration and respect: "Your Golden Dragon martial spirit is very strong, and that shield is even more remarkable. If you hadn't expended so much energy earlier, the outcome of that attack just now would have been uncertain."

The referee announced loudly, "Ma Xiaotao wins!"

Long Aotian immediately stepped onto the Soul Arena, anxiously checking on Jin Ni's condition. Jin Ni said, "It's alright, I'm just exhausted. The Golden Dragon Shield ultimately blocked Ma Xiaotao's sixth soul skill, and I'm not injured."

Long Aotian helped Jin Ni off the stage, instructed Vina to help Jin Ni recover, and then went back up to the Soul Battle Stage.

This was the first time Long Aotian had faced Ma Xiaotao directly, a character with a tragic backstory in the original work. However, Long Aotian didn't have much affection for her, mainly because he disliked Shrek Academy's style.

At this moment, Ma Xiaotao was radiating a chillingly high temperature, and the air around her was constantly distorting, like a live volcano that could erupt at any moment.

With the referee's whistle, the match officially began.

Ma Xiaotao's first spirit ring suddenly lit up, and a dazzling yellow light instantly illuminated her eyes.

"First Soul Skill, Phoenix Fire Line!"

A highly condensed crimson fireline shot out from her mouth with a piercing sonic boom, instantly traversing a hundred meters across the battle arena and heading straight for Long Aotian's face.

The fire was extremely hot, and the air it passed through was scorched and distorted, emitting a hissing sound.

Faced with this sharp start, Long Aotian slightly raised his eyes, his expression unchanged.

His first spirit ring shone brightly—"First Spirit Skill: Golden Frenzy!"

In an instant, the already abundant blood and qi within his body surged and boiled rapidly, and a faint dark golden hue appeared on the surface of his skin.

Facing the Phoenix Fireline, Long Aotian neither dodged nor avoided. He made a grasping motion in the air with his left hand, and the Heaven-Covering Shield appeared on his left hand.

With the shield covering the sky, Long Aotian rushed towards Ma Xiaotao.

"boom!"

The fire struck the shield, exploding into a shower of sparks. Long Aotian remained unmoved, but the ground beneath his feet instantly cracked, spreading outwards in a spiderweb-like pattern.

Having missed her first attack, a hint of surprise flashed in Ma Xiaotao's eyes, and then she leaped into the air.

Her third spirit ring shone brightly. "Third spirit skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring!" A pair of huge fiery wings unfolded behind her. With a gentle flap, countless tiny fiery blades poured down like a rainstorm, blocking all of Long Aotian's escape space.

Long Aotian snorted coldly, and with a wave of his left hand, the Heaven-Covering Shield rapidly enlarged.

At the same time, his third spirit ring lit up—"Third Spirit Skill: Dark Gold Protection!"

A thick, dark golden light shield instantly enveloped his entire body, essentially adding another layer of absolute defense on top of the shield. Fiery blades struck the shield and the shield, producing a continuous series of clanging and banging sounds, but they couldn't budge him in the slightest.

"You little brat, all you know is defense?" Ma Xiaotao snapped, her fourth spirit ring flashing brightly as she stood in mid-air. "Fourth Spirit Skill, Phoenix Roar Strike!"

A colossal phoenix phantom materialized behind her, unleashing a deafening cry that, accompanied by destructive sound waves and flames, hurtled towards Long Aotian. This was not merely a physical attack, but also a mental assault.

Long Aotian felt a roar in his mind, but he quickly regained his composure with his powerful mental strength.

The Heaven-Destroying Axe appeared in his right hand. With a single slash, a sharp golden axe light tore through the air, actually pulverizing the incoming phantom of the fiery phoenix.

At this moment, Long Aotian had already rushed to a short distance from Ma Xiaotao. He pushed off with his feet and leaped into the air, slashing down at Ma Xiaotao with his right hand, the Sky-Splitting Axe.

Ma Xiaotao's phoenix wings flashed, and she actually dodged the attack.

The two exchanged blows, exchanging dozens of moves in the blink of an eye.

Ma Xiaotao's attacks were like a tidal wave, with Phoenix Roaring Strike and Phoenix Piercing Clouds Strike being unleashed one after another, each move carrying the domineering power to burn everything.

Long Aotian, relying on the Heaven-Destroying Axe and the Heaven-Covering Shield, fought back with equal skill in offense and defense, remaining as steady as Mount Tai.

Although Ma Xiaotao was a six-ring Soul Emperor with profound soul power, Long Aotian, relying on his Martial God Body and the two divine weapons, the Heaven-Destroying Axe and the Heaven-Covering Shield, managed to fight her to a standstill for a time.

"Damn it! How could it withstand so many of my attacks!" Unable to break through my defenses, Ma Xiaotao's anger gradually flared up.

Her originally fair skin turned a strange dark red, and the savage aura in her eyes intensified, revealing the characteristics of "evil fire".

"I'll show you the true power of the phoenix!"

Ma Xiaotao suddenly roared to the sky, holding nothing back. She forcefully squeezed out the soul power within her body, and the amplification effects of her second soul skill "Phoenix Reborn in Flames" and her fifth soul skill "Phoenix Piercing Clouds Strike," along with the acceleration from her two leg soul bones and the explosive power of her right arm soul bone, all boosted her in an instant!

She transformed into a gigantic black phoenix, hovering in mid-air, her previously crimson flames completely transformed into black flames brimming with destructive power. Her sixth spirit ring blazed with dark light—"Sixth Spirit Skill, Phoenix Meteor Shower!"

The sky suddenly darkened, as if shrouded in a black curtain.

Countless fireballs burning with destructive black flames appeared out of thin air, carrying an aura that could seal off the heavens and the earth, and crashed down on Long Aotian.

Each meteor contained enough destructive power to instantly kill an ordinary Soul King. This rain of fire was an unsolvable dead end! The temperature of the entire Soul Arena instantly soared to its limit, and even the protective light screen began to tremble violently.

Feeling the terrifying, world-destroying pressure, a trace of seriousness finally flashed in Long Aotian's eyes. He knew that with his soul skills, the Heaven-Piercing Axe, and the Heaven-Covering Shield alone, he could not withstand this enhanced version of the Phoenix Meteor Shower. If he continued to conceal his strength, he would undoubtedly be defeated today.

"What a fiery phoenix! Then let me show you my true power."

Long Aotian took a deep breath, his soul power surging wildly within him. His right arm bone instantly shone with a dazzling golden light—"Soul Bone Skill: Blessing of Behemoth!" A surge of powerful soul power instantly flowed throughout his body, restoring his soul power and physical strength, which had been depleted in the fierce battle, to their peak state in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, a brilliant golden light shone from his spine, and an ancient and boundless aura surged into the sky. His external soul bone, "Golden Six Arms," ​​was activated!