"Hmph."
Xuanzi snorted coldly, the battle intent in his eyes growing fiercer as his body gradually expanded due to the power of the earth.
Just from the martial soul possession alone, Xuanzi's height had already reached about three meters, an effect that ordinary martial soul possession could never achieve.
For Xuanzi, even if Zhongli wasn't an evil soul master, it was still necessary to test his combat strength.
Such a soul ring configuration, such a coercive martial soul... it was truly terrifying.
But it was better to know the depths of his power.
The frustrating thing was that such a powerful individual wasn't from Shrek!
Xuanzi was surrounded by earth elements, the power of the earth itself. His martial soul was the Godly Taotie Bull, with the bloodline of a glutton, and his strength was not to be underestimated.
If it weren't for the fact that his soul ring configuration wasn't exceptional enough, Xuanzi's strength could have been even greater.
This was the advantage of a top-tier martial soul.
How could a weak martial soul ever hope to reach such heights?
Secretly, Mu En frowned. He wasn't optimistic about Xuanzi's chances in this battle, even though Xuanzi's soul power had reached level ninety-eight.
The aura Zhongli exuded, even if it wasn't directed at him, still made Mu En, a level ninety-nine Peerless Douluo, feel a sense of shock and pressure.
Level ninety-nine wasn't the end.
Mu En had forced his way into this realm with the help of the Dragon Pill.
Although his strength was formidable, he wasn't invincible.
If the ninety-ninth level were divided into stages: pseudo-demigod, demigod, and quasi-god, Mu En was currently, at most, somewhere between a pseudo-demigod and a demigod.
He couldn't reach the realm of a true demigod.
Judging from the "divinity" emanating from Zhongli's body, Zhongli had likely reached the realm of a demigod, or even a quasi-god.
Not to mention Xuanzi, even if Mu En were to make a move himself, he wouldn't be a match for Zhongli.
This was just based on the aura alone.
Mu En couldn't even begin to gauge Zhongli's true strength.
"Terrifying..."
"Judging from the calmness of his aura, Zhongli isn't an evil soul master. The soul power of an evil soul master couldn't be so thick and steady."
"And where did he come from?"
Mu En couldn't figure this out.
Becoming a powerhouse always required a process, starting as a genius, emerging into prominence, honing one's skills, and finally becoming a peerless expert.
But Zhongli's appearance had skipped all those stages.
He had directly stepped onto the world stage as a peerless powerhouse, with no trace of his past to be found.
That was truly bizarre!
Mu En also analyzed Zhongli's soul rings.
He speculated that Zhongli must have completed multiple divine trials; otherwise, his soul rings wouldn't be so perfectly aligned.
The Divine Trials were recorded in Shrek Academy's archives.
Completing them would grant corresponding rewards: soul rings, soul ring age increase, soul power levels, and so on.
Xuanzi roared in anger, no longer hesitating. His body, wrapped in the power of the earth, charged toward Zhongli.
Even without using his martial soul's true form, Xuanzi's strike was like a Taotie Bull charging.
Whether it was defense or raw strength, it had reached a peak that ordinary Title Douluo could never hope to achieve.
As the soul power erupted, the surrounding area began to tremble, and Shrek City immediately started to collapse.
Wherever Xuanzi passed, earth elements surged, and the sheer volume of these elements shook the foundations of the buildings, making their collapse inevitable.
Zhongli held an amber spear in his hand, his gaze slightly tilted as he observed Xuanzi.
Before he could even make a move, Shrek City was already in chaos due to their own people.
After the battle, they would likely blame all of this destruction on the "invaders."
Shaking his head, Zhongli didn't dwell on it.
He held the spear in his right hand and, with his left, delivered a swift slap toward Xuanzi.
"Using the power of the earth against me?"
"I forbid it!"
Zhongli spoke without a change in expression, his voice calm and steady, showing no emotional fluctuation.
In his left hand, amber light condensed.
If anyone were observant enough, they would notice the faint flicker of the "braid" behind Zhongli.
In the next moment, Zhongli's left hand struck Xuanzi's body.
Neither of them moved, and neither retreated even an inch.
But as the amber energy in Zhongli's palm exploded, the earth elemental power surrounding Xuanzi rapidly dissipated.
The earth elemental energy within his bloodline was instantly sealed, as if it had never existed.
It was as if Xuanzi had been born without any connection to the earth element.
"???"
As the shield formed by the earth element vanished, Xuanzi was momentarily stunned, his mind blank.
Zhongli's palm strike had seemed light and effortless, causing no visible damage.
At first, Xuanzi had thought Zhongli's attack was useless.
But before Xuanzi could feel any relief, the shield around him dissipated completely.
What terrified him even more was that he could no longer summon the earth element!
The Godly Taotie Bull relied primarily on the earth element, with strength as a secondary attribute.
Without the ability to summon the earth element, wasn't half of his power rendered useless?
Although his cultivation level remained intact, he could no longer exert his full strength.
"What... what did you do to me?"
"What kind of evil sorcery is this?"
"Why can't I summon the power of the earth anymore?"
Xuanzi instinctively took a few steps back, his expression shifting rapidly, from fear to anger, and then from anger to hesitation.
Humans always fear the unknown.
As soon as Xuanzi spoke these words, even Mu En couldn't remain seated.
Although Zhongli's earlier words had been calm, Mu En had heard them clearly!
"Using the power of the earth against me?"
"I forbid it!"
Just a dozen words, but the implications behind them were utterly terrifying.
Xuanzi was a level ninety-eight Super Douluo.
Even Mu En would have a hard time defeating him.
Yet, Zhongli had sealed Xuanzi's earth elemental power with a single, effortless strike.
But Zhongli made it seem effortless, rendering Xuanzi unable to use the power of the earth.
Even though Xuanzi's soul power level remained intact, his strength was reduced by more than half!
The power of the earth was the foundation of Xuanzi's abilities, and now he couldn't use it...
"How on earth did he do that?"
Mu En was puzzled, deeply puzzled.
"Hehe, I've seen this trick before... back then..."
Suddenly, Paimon seemed to recall something and fell silent.
Raiden could "seal" the Thunder Elemental Vision, and Zhongli could "seal" the power of the earth.
It all seemed very reasonable, didn't it?
Paimon's voice was quiet, and amidst the chaos of the battle, no one paid attention to her, so no one heard her remark.
"Damn Zhongli! He's using some kind of evil power! Hurry, support Elder Xuan!"
A bright aura erupted from Shrek Academy, followed by the piercing cry of a phoenix.
The person who appeared was Yan Shaozhe, the dean of the Martial Soul Department of Shrek Academy, a level ninety-five Title Douluo with the title: Bright Phoenix.
Yan Shaozhe could be considered a prodigy, but this was to be expected, as he was a descendant of Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Yao and Death God Douluo Ye Xishui.
Seeing this, Mu En frowned.
"Shaozhe is still too inexperienced. Zhongli has only sealed Xuanzi's power for now and hasn't taken his life. His intervention..."
"Is this really necessary for our Shrek?"
Mu En sighed, feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over him.