Master of Nine Stars

The two sides went back and forth, each displaying their Divine Techniques. Two were dueling on a spiritual plane while the other two scrambled to put out fires on the grassy field!

Each dragged along a "dead weight" as they engaged in a frantic, brilliant contest!

Rong Taotao stomped his foot and charged toward the tormented Yuan Tianri. At the same time, he swiftly severed the threads of Snow Fury, once again blasting its effect toward Gao Lingwei.

"You!" Yuan Tiancheng was both shocked and enraged—not only by Rong Taotao’s current attack, but also because his two consecutive Wind and Snow Blades had just accomplished nothing.

With his Snow Dance fully activated, Yuan Tiancheng rushed toward his brother, flinging a Snow-made Precepts Saber from one hand. It shot straight for the Snow Fury, and he actually managed to knock it away.

His other hand wasn’t idle, either. He formed another massive Wind and Snow Blade, which stirred the Shuangxue scattered across the field as it chopped down heavily!

Gao Lingwei’s fingers trembled. Having heard Rong Taotao’s command much earlier, she finally used Snow Fury. Her Butterfly Dual Sabers flew out silently, not to attack the enemy, but... to attack herself?

The sharp, spinning blades had only just flown out before they rapidly spun back around, one of them striking Gao Lingwei on the shoulder. The impact sent her snow-covered body sliding sideways into the distance.

People had never even seen such a method of self-rescue before. Gao Lingwei was so audacious! No wonder Tang Yang, the one with the Water Rhinoceros Armor, had been so arrogant and conceited back then, not taking Rong Taotao seriously in the slightest...

"Bring it on! If you’re coming for him, we’ll all go down together!" Rong Taotao leaped lightly—a low jump—then lunged forward and stomped heavily on the ground.

BANG!

Star-Stepping Split!

As shattered stars flew in all directions, Yuan Tiancheng actually chose to take the hit! An act of extreme recklessness! He shielded his brother and directly activated Ice Glass, bracing himself against the Starfield Soul Skill!

"CRACK!"

The Ice Glass shattered with a boom. From within the Yuan Brothers’ bodies, waves of mournful wails came from their Lifebound Soul Beasts.

Wielding his Heaven-piercing Halberd, Rong Taotao thrust forward fiercely. ’Strike while he’s weak!’

’Praise be to you, my Da Wei! That simple act of self-rescue completely turned the tide of this entire fight!’

In the Snow Prison Arena, the battle between the two Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists—both with astonishing willpower and an unstoppable drive for victory—was far more brutal and terrifying than the fight on the grassy field.

Fists met flesh and blades pierced through. In this Arena, where the very concept of defense was nonexistent, there were only two powerful souls, two Soul Martial Artists hell-bent on crushing one another!

"Pine Soul Soul Martial can give you Soul Skills, but it can’t give you victory! It can’t!" Yuan Tianri roared, his face twisted in a snarl, as his blade once again pierced through Gao Lingwei’s abdomen.

At this moment, wracked by excruciating pain, it was impossible for him to maintain his previous composure.

Gao Lingwei’s Great Xia Dragon Sparrow had likewise pierced Yuan Tianri’s lower abdomen. She twisted her wrist viciously and forced the words through her gritted teeth, "If I’m going to die, make sure it’s on the path to becoming number one in the Outer Region."

’I promise you, before you completely destroy me, you will never see me retreat even half a step!’

On the grassy field, Rong Taotao completely ignored Yuan Tiancheng as the younger brother stumbled backward. He lunged, thrusting his Heaven-piercing Halberd toward Yuan Tianri, who was lying flat on the ground.

"In your dreams!" Yuan Tiancheng obviously couldn’t stand by and watch his brother be stabbed. With his Snow Dance fully active, he moved with astonishing speed, intercepting the attack and swinging his saber at the Ironspear Point of Rong Taotao’s halberd.

At that very moment, Yuan Tiancheng’s eyes widened. It was as if, in that instant, the entire world had slowed to a crawl!

Rong Taotao’s thrusting Long Halberd actually stuck to the Precepts Saber, its momentum redirecting downward. It traced a graceful arc, swinging out in a beautiful Lance Flower, and was sent flying toward his brother Yuan Tianri once more?

’Such divine skill!’

’What... What kind of technique is this?’

SWOOSH~

To Yuan Tiancheng’s surprise, and to the surprise of everyone watching, a Soul Skill that Rong Taotao had never used since the start of the Outer League abruptly appeared on the battlefield.

Starfield Soul Skill, Excellent Level: Star Trace!

As Rong Taotao pushed his Long Halberd forward, a rapidly vibrating star shot out with it!

The brother, Yuan Tianri, wracked with pain, forced his eyes open and struggled to make his body retreat, but the astonishingly fast little star still slammed into his thigh.

BZZZZ... The brilliant star hummed, vibrating violently in an instant.

"Hiss..." Yuan Tianri sucked in a sharp breath of cold air, once again feeling the wail of the Lifebound Soul Beast inside him.

Yuan Tiancheng was shocked and furious. Pressing his Precepts Saber against the Ironspear Point, he used all his strength to slash sideways at Rong Taotao’s throat. "Go on, try another one of your little Lance Flowers!"

BANG! Rong Taotao didn’t even try to dodge, fighting with complete disregard for his own life! The instant his feet hit the ground, it exploded beneath him!

Starfield Soul Skill: Star-Stepping Split!

A shockwave of shattered stars erupted. The blast threw Yuan Tiancheng backward, and the tip of his Precepts Saber actually scraped right past Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple!?

If Rong Taotao had been the slightest bit slower, or if Yuan Tiancheng’s Precepts Saber had been just an inch longer, Rong Taotao would have been dead!

In an instant, a thin, red line appeared on Rong Taotao’s Adam’s apple, and beads of blood began to well up...

Absolutely reckless!

At this very moment, the audience finally realized just what kind of monsters Snow Realm Soul Martial Artists truly were.

It was no exaggeration to say that there had been more life-or-death moments in this single match than in all the previous matches combined!

Before, the crowd had been roaring about how thrilling it was, but now they watched with their hearts in their throats!

If one had to pick a single, most representative image from the countless life-or-death moments—one that best captured the fighters’ attitudes—it would have to be that slash aimed at the throat!