Xiao Qiang raised his hand, gathering the origin power of the Tianmeng Ice Worm on the index finger of his right hand. That power was equivalent to an ordinary attack from a Titled Douluo, and it was also the source of confidence that allowed Xiao Qiang to stand up to Yang Peng rather than look for a way to escape.
Seeing the terrifying aura gathering on Xiao Qiang's finger—an aura so powerful that it made him feel his life was in mortal danger—Yang Peng's expression changed drastically. He instantly released his Martial Soul, preparing to strike first and gain the upper hand.
Yet almost the moment that thought crossed his mind, he felt something was amiss.
He, Yang Peng, was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor of Shrek Academy, possessing the optimal soul ring configuration of two yellows, two purples, and two blacks. Across from him, Xiao Qiang was merely a Spirit Ancestor with two yellows and a purple. Even if the boy were an Evil Spirit Master, with a gap of over thirty-five ranks in soul power, how could he possibly pose a threat to him?
The notion that a Rank 30 Spirit Ancestor could possess strength capable of threatening a Six-Ring Soul Emperor had never happened, not even among the Shrek Seven Monsters. Even Shrek's Senior Sister, Zhang Lexuan, had not possessed the power to threaten a Six-Ring Soul Emperor when she was at rank thirty.
Moreover, Xiao Qiang was only a low-level Spirit Ancestor, while he himself was a high-level Soul Emperor. Such a completely overwhelming gap in soul power made it impossible for Xiao Qiang to threaten him, let alone threaten his life.
Yet this feeling that he was on the brink of death was entirely real—it was the sensation that had saved him countless times, appearing only right before he narrowly escaped death.
Faced with a Three-Ring Soul Elder, it was impossible for him to experience this feeling, even if the person opposite him were a genuine Evil Spirit Master. The only thing that could give him such a sensation was...
"Hmph, I must admit that among mental-attribute soul masters, you are indeed quite remarkable. Being merely three-ringed, you managed to affect the consciousness of me, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, and make me feel in danger."
"I have to say, you are quite impressive. But what a pity—for a mere Three-Ring Soul Elder to threaten a Six-Ring Soul Emperor and make a Six-Ring Soul Emperor feel in danger is simply too absurd. Just think about it, and the flaws become obvious."
"Perhaps others might be fooled by you and choose to run away, but I am a soul emperor of Shrek, an inner court disciple of the continent's strongest soul master academy. I will never be hoodwinked by a mere soul ancestor like you."
As he spoke, Yang Peng reined in his Martial Soul, utilizing only a fraction of his soul power—just enough to block a high-level Spirit Ancestor—to cast a protective barrier around his body.
"To deal with you, I don't even need to use my Martial Soul."
Yang Peng said with absolute confidence, while at the same time rejoicing that he hadn't let himself be fooled just now. If he, a Six-Ring Soul Emperor, had been bluffed by a Three-Ring Soul Elder and chosen to flee simply because of a sudden sense of danger, the moment word of that got back to Shrek Academy, he would be packing his bags and getting out.
This wasn't even a matter of being ridiculed. For a Six-Ring Soul Emperor to turn coward before a Three-Ring Soul Elder—not even a second-rate academy had soul emperors that pathetic, let alone Shrek Academy, which claimed to be the number one in the continent. As likely as not, he would be regarded as a stain by Shrek and chosen for erasure.
Therefore, to salvage his image, he had withdrawn his Martial Soul, relying solely on basic soul power for defense, and chose to take Xiao Qiang's Great Desolate Prisoner Finger head-on.
At first, Yang Peng didn't feel anything, but very soon, Yang Peng felt even less.
Extreme cold instantly stripped him of the ability to think. This was a power capable of freezing even an evil fire phoenix like Ma Xiaotao. Yang Peng himself was not a soul master with a top-tier fire attribute, so his entire body was frozen solid in an instant.
"So this is the power of a Three-Ring Soul Elder! Soul masters are truly too powerful. If only I were a soul master too."
The barbecue stall owner watched Xiao Qiang freeze Yang Peng without the slightest bit of worry. A Three-Ring Soul Elder and a Six-Ring Soul Emperor—he didn't know just how strong a Three-Ring Soul Elder could become, nor did he know the limits of a Six-Ring Soul Emperor's strength.
Yet he knew that a Six-Ring Soul Emperor was definitely stronger than a Three-Ring Soul Elder; this was basic knowledge known to anyone on the Douluo Continent who knew about the profession of soul masters. Precisely because of this, he wasn't worried about Yang Peng at all.
Watching Yang Peng get frozen, he even found himself wondering how Yang Peng would deal with Xiao Qiang afterward, and what reward he would receive once Xiao Qiang was taken care of. Would he use the reward given by Yang Peng to enter Shrek City, open a barbecue stall inside Shrek City, have his barbecue stall become wildly successful, catch the eye of a young and beautiful female soul master, and then have a child who was a soul master, cultivating him into a Titled Douluo and enjoying a leisurely retirement?
Come to think of it, this was entirely possible!
Just as the barbecue stall owner was happily daydreaming, Xiao Qiang silently produced a hammer, then brought it down heavily on the frozen Yang Peng. Yang Peng's frozen body was instantly shattered into two halves, along with numerous reddish ice shards.
The barbecue stall owner: "..."
A dream! He must be dreaming! A Three-Ring Soul Elder fighting a Six-Ring Soul Emperor—and a Six-Ring Soul Emperor from Shrek at that—only to end up frozen solid and smashed to pieces.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Shrek claimed to be invincible among peers; how could one of them be defeated by a Three-Ring Soul Elder?! Such were the thoughts of the barbecue stall owner until Yang Peng's body was thoroughly pulverized, his storage Soul Tool was taken away by Xiao Qiang, and then Xiao Qiang's crimson Sharingan swept a glance his way, making the barbecue stall owner instantly sense that things were going poorly.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! This humble one was forced into this by circumstances, please spare my life, my lord! He forced me into it! If I hadn't agreed, he would have killed my entire family!"
Xiao Qiang glanced at him, discarded the charred meat, and then began grilling the rest of the meat, eating to recover his physical strength.
That Great Desolate Prisoner Finger from a moment ago looked simple and effortless in instantly killing Yang Peng, but in reality, the feat was far less simple than it appeared.
In the original story, Tianmeng killed Ma Xiaotao in an instant because Ma Xiaotao had already lost her mind at that point, but Yang Peng had not lost his.
A soul emperor who hadn't lost his mind might not be able to withstand Tianmeng's version of the Great Desolate Prisoner Finger, but he might not fail to dodge it either.
When a person is in danger, they possess a sixth sense, especially someone cultivated to the level of a soul emperor; it made no sense for him to feel not even a hint of impending danger.
The reason Yang Peng sensed danger yet still chose to take the attack head-on was because of the first soul skill Xiao Qiang had used: Psychological Suggestion.
Thanks to the immense power of Tianmeng, even though Xiao Qiang was only at the third ring, his spiritual power was no longer inferior to a five-ringed mental-attribute soul master. And the spiritual power of a five-ringed mental-attribute soul master could directly match that of an ordinary Spirit Saint.
Precisely because of this, Xiao Qiang was able to leverage Spirit Saint-level spiritual power to drive his first soul ring—which had been upgraded by Tianmeng to the two-thousand-year level—to impose an irresistible psychological suggestion on Yang Peng, causing him to ignore the danger himself and take Tianmeng's version of the Great Desolate Prisoner Finger head-on.
The combined use of these two forces was the fundamental reason Xiao Qiang managed to kill Yang Peng; Tianmeng's attack and Xiao Qiang's soul skill were both indispensable.
Before long, Xiao Qiang finished the remaining roasted meat and approached the barbecue stall owner, who was currently kowtowing and begging for mercy.
"Alright, stop kowtowing. I'm not some kind of demon. Come on, I have a knife here, and a piece of candy. Take your pick."