Chapter 11: The Power of Illusion and Ice
Xiao Qiang slowly raised his hand, and a chilling energy began to gather on his right index finger—the original power of the Tianmeng Ice Silkworm. It glowed faintly, humming with an oppressive force that distorted the air around it.
This wasn't an ordinary strike.
It carried enough power to match a Title Douluo's full-strength attack, and it was this very confidence that allowed Xiao Qiang to face Yang Peng head-on instead of turning to escape.
Across from him, Yang Peng's expression twisted in shock. The terrifying pressure radiating from Xiao Qiang's fingertip triggered his instinctive survival response. He reacted immediately, unleashing his martial soul without hesitation—ready to strike first before he was struck down.
But the moment that thought surfaced in his mind, something didn't feel right.
Yang Peng took a closer look.
He was a six-ring Soul Emperor from Shrek Academy, possessing an optimal soul ring configuration: two yellow, two purple, and two black. A combination that made him one of the top young experts in the academy.
And yet the boy in front of him—Xiao Qiang—was only a three-ring Soul Master, with a configuration of two yellow and one purple.
Even if he was an evil soul master, the difference in soul power was a staggering 35 levels. It should have been laughable. There was no universe in which a three-ring Soul Master could pose any real threat to someone of his caliber.
Even within the legendary Shrek Seven Devils, such a feat had never occurred.
Even Zhang Lexuan, Shrek's revered eldest sister, couldn't threaten a Soul Emperor at the rank of thirty.
Xiao Qiang was far beneath that level.
And yet…
Yang Peng's heart pounded. That creeping sense of impending death—something he'd felt only during life-or-death battles—gripped him like a vice. No matter how much his mind tried to reason it away, his instincts screamed danger.
This isn't right.
There was no logic to it. No reason a boy like this should make him feel such mortal fear.
Unless—
"Hmph." Yang Peng narrowed his eyes. "Among spiritual soul masters, you really are something. Only three rings, and you've managed to influence the consciousness of a six-ring Soul Emperor like me. You actually made me feel like I was in danger."
His voice was cold, but there was a trace of admiration underneath.
"I'll admit—you're talented. But this? This is too fake. A mere three-ring Soul Master threatening a Soul Emperor like me? Nonsense. Anyone thinking logically would know something's off."
He straightened his posture, pride returning.
"Maybe others would be fooled by your tricks and flee in fear. But I am a Soul Emperor of Shrek, an inner court disciple of the strongest soul master academy on the continent. I won't be deceived by someone like you."
Yang Peng retracted his martial soul.
Instead, he activated only a portion of his soul power—just enough to generate a defensive barrier suitable for confronting mid-level soul masters.
"I don't even need my martial soul to handle you," he said confidently, layering his words with disdain.
Internally, he felt a wave of relief. For a moment, he'd almost believed Xiao Qiang's illusion and been tempted to retreat. That moment of hesitation could have cost him everything. If he, a Soul Emperor, had turned tail from a three-ringed opponent and that story reached Shrek Academy… he'd be a laughingstock.
Or worse—erased to maintain the academy's pride.
So, for the sake of his image and his future, Yang Peng chose to face Xiao Qiang's strike head-on.
He would not retreat.
Not even a step.
He braced himself.
Xiao Qiang's finger glowed icy blue, and he released the technique without hesitation.
Great Wilderness Prisoner Heaven Finger.
At first, Yang Peng felt… nothing.
But then—
Everything stopped.
The air thickened.
His thoughts froze—literally.
His brain halted, his nerves went silent, and his body was encased in crystal-clear ice. A chilling, ancient cold that seemed capable of freezing even fire itself.
This wasn't ordinary ice.
This was the kind of cold that could extinguish Ma Xiaotao's Evil Fire Phoenix.
And Yang Peng, despite being a Soul Emperor, wasn't even a top-tier fire-type soul master.
The result was instantaneous.
His body stiffened. His limbs froze.
And then—he was trapped, motionless, inside a coffin of ice.
From the side, the owner of the barbecue restaurant watched in stunned silence as the proud Soul Emperor of Shrek was frozen solid.
"What… is this the power of a three-ring Soul Master? Soul Masters are too powerful… I wish I had become a Soul Master too…"
He wasn't scared. He wasn't shocked.
He was still delusional.
After all, basic knowledge across the Douluo Continent taught that a six-ring Soul Emperor would always overpower a three-ring Soul Master. That was universal truth.
So in his mind, this was just a momentary setback. Yang Peng would thaw out, strike back, and reward him for staying out of the fight.
Maybe he'd even get a restaurant spot in Shrek City!
A brilliant barbecue joint. Young female soul master customers. A strong soul master son. A peaceful retirement as the father of a Title Douluo.
It was all coming together…
Until Xiao Qiang pulled out a hammer.
And smashed the frozen Yang Peng into two halves.
Crack.
The ice shattered into jagged, blood-tinted chunks.
Yang Peng's body was gone. Permanently.
The barbecue restaurant owner: "…"
He stared blankly.
This had to be a dream.
A three-ring Soul Master just obliterated a Shrek Soul Emperor.
Frozen. Smashed. Looted.
He watched as Xiao Qiang calmly took the storage soul guide from Yang Peng's corpse.
And then the boy's crimson Sharingan locked onto him.
That gaze…
It cut deeper than any blade.
"I was wrong! I was wrong!" the owner immediately dropped to his knees, his face pale as death. "He forced me! He said if I didn't help, he'd kill my whole family! I had no choice! Please, don't kill me!"
Xiao Qiang didn't answer.
He tossed aside a piece of burnt meat, then skewered a new slice and resumed grilling.
He needed to recover his strength.
Despite how it looked, the Great Wilderness Prisoner Heaven Finger wasn't an easy victory.
In the original tale, Tianmeng had killed Ma Xiaotao with ease—but that was only because she had lost her mind. Yang Peng had remained rational. Alert.
It wasn't that he couldn't withstand the technique—it was that he couldn't dodge it.
High-level soul masters like Yang Peng possessed acute danger instincts. Even if they didn't know what was coming, their bodies could react.
But Yang Peng didn't.
And that was due to Xiao Qiang's first soul skill, which carried powerful psychological suggestion.
With Tianmeng's incredible mental power flowing through him, Xiao Qiang—despite having only three soul rings—had mental energy comparable to a five-ringed spiritual soul master. And that level of spiritual strength was already on par with an ordinary Soul Saint.
By using his first soul skill, amplified by Tianmeng's power, he implanted a powerful suggestion into Yang Peng's mind:
Ignore the danger. Stand your ground.
And Yang Peng did exactly that.
It was this clever synergy—spirit and ice, illusion and attack—that allowed Xiao Qiang to achieve what should have been impossible.
After finishing his food, Xiao Qiang walked over to the restaurant owner who was still kowtowing, trembling in fear.
"Alright," Xiao Qiang said softly. "That's enough."
He reached into his sleeve.
Pulled out a knife.
And a piece of candy.
"Pick one."