Douluo Continent: My name is Lu Mingfei, and my martial soul is Lu Mingze.

Huo Yuhao gritted his teeth and remained silent.

Lu Mingfei wanted to speak, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

"Damn, it hurts so much!"

In the sea of ​​spirit, the Snow Emperor's voice was already icy cold.

"Lu Mingze, get out of the way."

This time, her tone was not only cold, but also carried an uncontrollable anger.

Lu Mingze stood in front of her, still showing no intention of moving aside. He crossed his arms, tilted his head, and looked at his brother outside, who was covered in injuries and coughing up blood. His expression was unusually calm.

"Wait a little longer."

"Waiting for what?" Ice crystals had already formed on the tip of Xue Di's right finger, her voice dropped to freezing point, and a blizzard seemed to be brewing in her icy blue eyes.

"He hasn't reached his limit yet," Lu Mingze said.

"His soul power is completely exhausted. Tell me what you mean by not having reached his limit yet?"

"Exhausting soul power does not mean reaching the limit."

Lu Mingze's voice was as calm as a mirror, without a ripple, completely inconsistent with his appearance. His eyes were looking at Lu Mingfei, who was covered in injuries, with a deep gaze as if he possessed experience beyond the reach of time.

He turned to look at Xue Di, his tone soft, but every word was resolute.

"You've lived in the far north for so long. When do you think a person truly grows and breaks through their limitations? It's not when someone protects them or provides a safety net; it's precisely when no one can help them."

"If he thinks he can handle it, then let him handle it. If he can handle it, then he'll take a big step forward."

Lu Mingfei used the stones behind him to stand up, his left arm hanging limply and unable to exert any strength.

Seeing this, Huo Yuhao turned around and called out, "Senior, you rest! We'll take care of it—"

"Stop taking a break my ass."

Lu Mingfei spat out the bandage from his mouth, his voice hoarse and his steps still a little unsteady, but he had already walked to Huo Yuhao's side, and pulled the Tang sword stuck in the mud with his right hand.

"Your senior isn't dead yet."

Huo Yuhao was about to say something when Lu Mingfei pushed him aside with his elbow.

Lu Mingfei stood at the very front of the three, facing the three Soul Kings who had pounced on him again.

He gripped the Tang sword, its tip dragging on the ground, and his left leg wobbled slightly as he stood.

Wang Dong suddenly asked, "Is this for real or just for show?"

Lu Mingfei didn't turn around, but a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth: "This time it's for real."

"You—" Wang Dong's voice trembled.

"You bunch of lunatics, don't you know we're from Shrek Academy?!"

"It is precisely because I know you are from Shrek Academy that I must kill you swiftly today." The Black-Clad Soul Emperor's voice was as calm as still water.

He raised his palm, and his powerful soul energy condensed once more.

Lu Mingfei stared at the hand gathering power, his mind racing—run or fight.

We can't win.

You can't outrun them.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong rushed to his side, one on each side, and the three of them stood side by side again, covered in injuries and mud, looking utterly disheveled.

"Listen up, you two. I'll go first and distract him while you two run away."

"What did you say?" Wang Dong suddenly turned to look at him.

"I've run out of soul power, so I can't run fast. You guys run first, I'll buy myself a second."

"Didn't you just say this time it was for real?!" Wang Dong's voice rose.

But at that moment, a streak of fire rapidly approached from the distant horizon, leaving a long fiery tail in the night sky.

The scorching heat could be felt from a distance, and the air was filled with steam. The flames contained an extremely powerful suppression of soul force, which made everyone present feel a chill in their hearts.

The three Soul Kings' expressions changed simultaneously.

The expression on the face beneath the mask of the black-clad Soul Emperor also changed.

Within moments, the flames crashed onto the battlefield.

A ball of red flame suddenly swooped down from the sky, the flames spreading out in mid-air to reveal a slender figure inside.

She spread her phoenix wings on her back, which were five or six meters wide when spread out. Each feather was made of pure flame, shining brightly in the night sky and turning the entire lake surface crimson.

She had a stunning figure with defined curves, and her black hair was faintly reddened by the flames, making her look like a goddess statue born from the flames.

But as her fierce and wild aura exploded from her body, the scorching pressure instantly overwhelmed everyone.

The air around the lake suddenly became tense, as if even the wind dared not breathe.

Ma Xiaotao stood amidst the phoenix flames, looking down and scanning the entire scene. Her gaze swept over the bloodstains on the ground, over the three wounded individuals, over the corpses of the Soul Kings, and finally landed on the black-clad Soul Emperor and the three Soul Kings behind him.

Her eyes were cold, but beneath that coldness burned an undisguised, violent rage.

Her Phoenix Martial Soul possessed extraordinary perception, and her spiritual power, far exceeding that of a Soul Emperor, allowed her to have a clear understanding of the situation across the entire lakeshore.

"Let's see who dares to attack someone from Shrek Academy!"

Ma Xiaotao's voice exploded in the night sky, carrying an undeniable pressure.

Her phoenix wings suddenly unfurled, flames pouring down from their tips, burning a crimson line across the lake's surface. The lake water hissed and steamed from the intense heat, white mist spreading outwards.

The black-clad Soul Emperor's pupils contracted slightly.

He recognized the woman.

Ma Xiaotao, from Shrek Academy's inner courtyard, is the owner of the Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul.

"Retreat." The black-clad Soul Emperor shouted, his figure already drifting backward.

The three Soul Kings behind him reacted quickly, turning around almost simultaneously, and the four black shadows scattered in different directions.

"Trying to run?" Ma Xiaotao's lips curled into a cold smile.

Her figure vanished from the spot, and the next instant she appeared behind a Soul King.

The phoenix's wings, formed from flames, swept across the area. Before the Soul King could even scream, he was engulfed by the flames and transformed into a fireball that plunged into the lake.

A cloud of white steam burst forth from the lake water.

The second Soul King had run less than fifty meters when Ma Xiaotao caught up with him.

She brought her right hand together, and flames condensed at her fingertips into a crimson longsword, which she then slashed down.

The Soul King barely managed to turn around and unleash his defensive Soul Skill, but his protective Soul Power was as fragile as paper in front of the Phoenix Flame, and was instantly burned through.

The flaming longsword slashed diagonally down his left shoulder, cutting him in two.

The remains were burned to ashes before they even hit the ground.

The third Soul King was so frightened that he scrambled into the woods. Ma Xiaotao didn't even glance at him. With a wave of her right hand, a ball of phoenix flame flew out and blasted towards his back.

The flames exploded at the edge of the forest, and the Soul King's figure disappeared into the flames, never to reappear.

It took less than ten seconds.

All three Soul Kings were wiped out.

Ma Xiaotao stood on the lake, the water beneath her feet hissing as her flames steamed, and white mist swirled around her body.

She turned to look at Lu Mingfei and the other two on the lake shore, her brows furrowing slightly.

Lu Mingfei leaned against a rock, blood still seeping from the wound on his left shoulder, his face as white as paper.

Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong stood guard on either side of him. Both of them had bruises, but much lighter than Lu Mingfei's.

"Not bad?" Ma Xiaotao asked.

"Not bad." Lu Mingfei forced a smile, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was grinding wood.