While Zhu Ziyang was toying with the Reaper's Envoy in the Hell Duel Arena, a fierce battle was also taking place in the grotto hall outside.
Although the Shrek main team seized the initiative and struck first, killing most of the bandit group, the main members of the bandit group, those Fallen Spirit Masters, still largely survived, numbering around twenty.
The strength of these Fallen Spirit Masters was generally that of a Spirit Elder, and among them were three Spirit King-level Fallen Spirit Masters, plus the unknown black-clothed Spirit Saint, making their overall strength in no way inferior to Ma Xiaotao's group of six. What's more, they still had over a hundred ordinary bandits, who, like puppets oblivious to life and death, desperately rushed at them, making everyone incredibly annoyed.
As captain, Ma Xiaotao unhesitatingly confronted the Spirit Saint.
The black-clothed Spirit Saint's strength was formidable; his super-configured spirit rings—three purple and four black—were shocking, and coupled with his bizarre and unknown Beast Spirit, he was actually able to fight Ma Xiaotao, who possessed the Ultimate Fire and was boosted by Gongyang Mo's six Spirit Abilities, to a standstill.
Ma Xiaotao was furious, because she had never imagined that she could fight an Evil Soul Master to a draw; to her, this was a great irony. Ma Xiaotao roared to the sky, her first spirit ring and third spirit ring lit up simultaneously, and at the same time, golden-yellow flames condensed on her right arm. The golden-yellow flames solidified into several long spears, carrying a vast aura, tearing through the air and piercing towards the black-clothed Spirit Saint.
Seeing this, the black-clothed Spirit Saint immediately raised two arms that resembled eagle talons but were covered in snake scales. Dark resentful Spirits swirled around his arms, attempting to block Ma Xiaotao's attack.
However, he ultimately underestimated Ma Xiaotao, this proud daughter of heaven whom the Shrek Inner Courtyard Disciple called the 'Flame Fiend'. The golden spears struck the black-clothed man's arms; the first was blocked, but the second arrived in an instant, causing the black-clothed Spirit Saint to take a step back. Following that, the third, fourth, and fifth spears, a continuous volley of eight spears, directly pierced through the black-clothed man's arms, and in his shocked and enraged gaze, directly punctured his right shoulder, nailing him firmly to the rock wall.
Ma Xiaotao was very satisfied with this outcome, a proud smile appearing on her pretty face.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Blazing Sky Eagle Right Arm Bone, Golden Nine Consecutive Strikes!
After successfully landing a blow, Ma Xiaotao did not hesitate. She immediately unleashed her fifth Spirit Ability, determined to slay this black-clothed Spirit Saint. The eerie blue flames transformed into a majestic phoenix soaring in the sky, like an envoy from a sacred land, diving down from above and charging directly at the black-clothed Spirit Saint.
The black-clothed Spirit Saint watched Ma Xiaotao's full-power attack and was immediately terrified. In a panic, he unleashed his seventh Spirit Ability, Martial Soul True Body. A strange creature appeared in everyone's sight: it had the head of a rat, but its body was like a snake, with two short claws on its belly, and at the end of its three-meter-long body, it had seven rat tails. The moment this creature appeared, the entire cave filled with a nauseating stench.
"Wh-what is that?" The seven members of the preliminary team looked at the bizarre creature, their faces extremely pale. The youngest, Xiao Xiao, even vomited directly.
Wang Yan, however, had a solemn expression. He recognized this Spirit and said, "This is the Corrosive Poisonous Snake, an abyssal creature that only exists in legends. I never expected someone would actually awaken such a Spirit! Legend has it that wherever the Corrosive Poisonous Snake passes, all things will rot, and life will be stolen by it. It is a complete life-thief!"
"This..." Huo Yuhao and the others had never heard of the Corrosive Poisonous Snake Spirit, but listening to Wang Yan's description, they all felt this Spirit was very evil, so they couldn't help but worry and asked, "Then, Teacher, Senior Xiao Tao won't be in any danger, will she?"
"No, Xiao Tao's Fiery Phoenix Spirit is the Ultimate Fire, which naturally restrains such evil creatures," Wang Yan said.
The facts were just as Wang Yan said. Ma Xiaotao's Phoenix Sky Blue Fire already possessed purifying power, and after she gained the Ultimate Fire, this purifying power was greatly enhanced. The eerie blue phoenix pounced on the Corrosive Poisonous Snake, and terror immediately appeared in the Corrosive Poisonous Snake's eyes as its body instantly ignited.
Ma Xiaotao pressed her advantage, her right arm once again gathering golden-yellow flames. The Hundred-Thousand-Year Blazing Sky Eagle Right Arm Bone was activated again. This time, it was another Spirit Ability of the Spirit Bone: Golden Burst Break.
A golden fire orb, gathering terrifying energy fluctuations, appeared in her hand. Within the fire orb, a majestic eagle seemed to soar. As the eagle's gaze became increasingly distinct, Ma Xiaotao instantly threw it out. The fire orb, with an invincible momentum, smashed towards the Corrosive Poisonous Snake, which was burning with eerie blue flames.
Just as the golden-yellow fire orb was about to land on the Corrosive Poisonous Snake and kill it, a sudden change occurred. The Demon Spirit Douluo Ai Zihao suddenly appeared in front of the Corrosive Poisonous Snake. A trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, his face was grim, and with a wave of both hands, he actually directly neutralized Ma Xiaotao's attack.
"As expected of the Gluttony Douluo. The grudge of today, I will surely repay!" The Demon Spirit Douluo's voice was full of malice. He then scooped up the Corrosive Poisonous Snake with one hand, while with the other, he threw out two dark black Spirit-guided cannonballs, saying hatefully, "These two big guys were originally trade goods, but now... Hehehe, let you taste the masterpiece of our Supreme!"
Xuan Zi, who appeared simultaneously with the Demon Spirit Douluo, saw the two Spirit-guided cannonballs he threw out. Although he didn't recognize them, the terrifying aura emanating from the cannonballs still made him react immediately. He shouted loudly, "Quick, evacuate immediately!"
At the same time, he didn't hesitate. While grabbing Ling Luochen and Gongyang Mo in his hands, he unleashed his Martial Soul True Body. A colossal Gourmand Divine Cow instantly appeared in the grotto hall.
Upon hearing Xuan Zi's shout, Ma Xiaotao and the other four also realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately rushed out of the grotto hall at full speed. Just as they reached Xuan Zi, the two dark black Spirit-guided cannonballs exploded.
A massive shockwave spread outwards from the two cannonballs, like a raging tide. Overwhelming energy rolled up countless shattered stones, flesh, and bones. The deafening roar of the explosion, like thunder, entered everyone's ears. The close-range sound waves made Xuan Zi and Ma Xiaotao's group of four all turn pale.
At the moment of the explosion, Xuan Zi immediately shielded everyone beneath him. The enormous Gourmand Divine Cow resisted nearly ninety percent of the explosion's power. The mountain in the cave instantly collapsed, and large chunks of rock fell onto Xuan Zi. The grotto hall, which could originally accommodate hundreds of people, vanished.
The explosion ended, but its effects were real and tangible.
"Th-this..." Wang Yan and the preliminary team members, being further away from the explosion's center and with Xuan Zi acting as a shield against most of the attack, were only thrown a few meters by the sound waves. Aside from being disheveled, they suffered no injuries. They stood up, looking at the ruins before them, their faces pale with fear.
"Se-Senior Cai Tou, th-those were Level Eight Spirit-guided cannonballs, right!" Huo Yuhao stammered, staring blankly at He Caitou, and asked.
"Y-yes!" He Caitou was also stunned. It wasn't that he hadn't seen Spirit-guided cannonballs before, but this was the first time he had seen Level Eight Spirit-guided cannonballs that could be detonated without a Spirit-guided cannon!
"Oh my god!" When Zhu Ziyang emerged from the Hell Duel Arena with the Reaper's Envoy's corpse, it was just after the explosion. The rampage of the Level Eight Spirit-guided cannonballs had left him trapped within a pile of shattered rocks. These rocks were extremely hot and carried a strong scent of spirit power gunpowder, making him immediately understand what had likely happened.
His face instantly turned pale, and he prayed in his heart that Jiang Nannan and Ma Xiaotao were safe. Then, without a moment's hesitation, he began to clear the shattered rock walls that had enclosed him. The Pacifying Life-Reaping Scythe was not very effective for clearing these obstacles, so he unhesitatingly switched Spirits. The Heavenly Frost Sacred White Dragon Spirit possessed him, and his strong dragon claws repeatedly smashed against the shattered rocks in front of him, pulverizing them all.
While Zhu Ziyang was clearing the obstacles, the other members of Shrek finally recovered from the shock of the explosion.
After repelling the Ghost King Douluo, Elder Lin was also startled by the sudden explosion. She immediately appeared inside the cave and then witnessed a scene that filled her with both worry and anger.
She saw a massive Gourmand Divine Cow crushed beneath the collapsed mountain, and beneath the Divine Ox were the shaken Shrek main team members.
Elder Lin immediately moved the main team members away from beneath the Gourmand Divine Cow, then instantly shattered the large rocks pressing down on the Gourmand Divine Cow. With no further concerns, the Gourmand Divine Cow finally couldn't hold on and collapsed to the ground. She saw that large patches of hair were gone from his back, his flesh was mangled, and a faint, charred smell emanated from him. He looked utterly miserable.
"Xuan Zi, are you alright!" Elder Lin immediately rushed to Xuan Zi's side and asked with concern. After all, Xuan Zi was someone she had watched grow up. Although he was over a hundred years old, he was still her junior!
"Cough, cough, I'm fine! Good thing I'm thick-skinned, otherwise I really would have kicked the bucket here!" The Gourmand Divine Cow shrunk into Xuan Zi. Xuan Zi was in a sorry state at this moment, his clothes were tattered, half of his hair was burnt off, and his back was even more bloody and mangled. His face was pale, devoid of any color, but he still forced a smile and said, "Haha, I never thought these Spirit-guided cannonballs would be so powerful. Thinking about it now, Elder Mu's decision was truly correct!"
"Don't laugh at a time like this!" Elder Lin was quite annoyed by Xuan Zi's reaction and said angrily.
"Alright!" Xuan Zi immediately became serious, ignoring his own injuries, and immediately looked at the students, saying, "How are Xiao Tao and the others? Elder Mu finally gave me a chance, I can't mess it up again!"
"Don't worry, with you as a meat shield, they're all fine!" Elder Lin said.