"A fox?"
When they approached the dying spirit beast, Xingbu Ji frowned. Her original form was a white fox, so watching Lin Xuan prepare to use a fox as his spirit ring naturally made her uncomfortable.
"Trouble."
Lin Xuan didn't notice her expression. He walked directly up to the Three-Tailed Purple Fox and ended its life, then sat down to absorb the spirit ring. Ning Qin sighed—the world now had one less Three-Tailed Purple Fox. This was an extremely rare type of spirit beast. Its lifespan only reached a thousand years, and it was extremely difficult to breed, but its ability was incredibly powerful—it could seal an enemy for three seconds, regardless of level. Though the duration wouldn't increase with soul power, the skill itself was extraordinary.
"Although your attack capabilities are still limited now, you'll be near-invincible in the future."
Three seconds might seem short for Spirit Elders or Kings, but at the level of a Title Douluo, those three seconds could be fatal hundreds of times over. The only drawback was that the Three-Tailed Purple Fox never lived beyond a thousand years.
The group fell back into silence. This time, it was Lin Fan who was feeling the worst. He wanted to spend these hours cultivating, but with Qing Qing sitting together with Tuo Dun, he couldn't help glancing over at them again and again.
"!"
Ning Qin, who was leaning against a tree thinking about their next move, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his head. A sense of dread caused cold sweat to break out all over his body—someone was coming.
"The Seven Treasures are wondrous and glazed! Teacher Xingbu Ji, we have enemies incoming!"
Ning Qin released his Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda martial soul. Six soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and two black—circled the pagoda. Though Xingbu Ji was slow to react, she instinctively released her martial soul too. The two of them rose into the air to face the approaching enemies. Compared to the incoming threat, a Soul Sage and Soul Emperor pairing was simply not enough.
"Everyone, get over here!"
On the ground, Qian Mo Shang called out gravely. Even Lan Luoluo didn't argue with him at a time like this. Everyone quickly gathered in front of Lin Xuan, eyes fixed nervously on the six black-cloaked figures appearing in the sky.
"Traitor Ning Qin! You've finally crawled out of Spirit Hall!"
One of the black-robed men shouted at him in rage. Ning Qin's expression didn't change. The word "traitor" might shake others, but it meant nothing to him. He held no love for the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect—only hatred. On the day he defected, his parents' corpses had been dug up and desecrated. Hearing that news had broken him. He vowed that he would destroy the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect one day.
"Alright, Brother Feng, we don't have much backup for this mission. Let me kill him myself."
From the group, a towering man stepped forward. In his right hand appeared a massive black hammer the size of his body. Behind him, nine spirit rings glowed—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red. Ning Qin instantly recognized him—Tang Tie, the current Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect. Against him, the two of them probably wouldn't last a single exchange.
"Kill them. Today, we've brought experts from the Upper Three Sects and the two empires. Even if the Pope shows up, they may not escape alive."
Feng Zai Xiao said confidently to Tang Tie. The others laughed as well—they weren't the only ones present. The Pope couldn't possibly arrive in time. This was a trap meant to kill. If Spirit Hall weren't suppressed now, the two great empires would face dark days ahead.
"Tsk! So dignified, aren't you, 'elders'?"
Senior Brother Tian Xing and his group stepped out, mocking the six attackers. He emphasized the word "dignified," and the six men blushed. They were of the same generation as the Pope. It was clear that this was a case of the strong bullying the weak.
"Still a show-off, aren't you, Tian Xing? Say whatever you like. Today, either you die, or we do."
One of the black-cloaked men removed his hood and addressed Tian Xing. The senior brother didn't reply but stared indifferently at the blue-eyed man before him—Yu Batian, the head of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan. Despite his aggressive name, he looked more like a scholar, dressed in blue robes and glasses, his outfit was nearly identical to Tian Xing's.
"Enough pleasantries. White Tiger Possession!"
A muscular man stepped forward. His eyes were of different colors. The woman next to him said nothing but nodded and released her martial soul at the same time. Behind them, nine rings appeared: two yellow, two purple, and five black.
"Junior brothers and sisters, release your martial souls! The Pope spent so much effort nurturing us—we can't let it be for nothing. These five old dogs are all above rank 96! Are we afraid?"
Tian Xing smiled as he addressed his five juniors. The six of them exchanged looks and shouted in unison, "No! Martial soul possession!"
Behind them, spirit rings appeared—two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red. Only Second Senior Sister Lan Xin lacked a hundred-thousand-year ring. Due to her martial soul's nature, she didn't want her teacher to go through the effort of hunting a ten-thousand-year spirit beast for her.
"Haha, old dogs! Take this—Phoenix Meteor Shower!"
The Fire Phoenix Douluo roared. His fifth soul ring lit up, summoning a downpour of flaming meteors. Yu Batian frowned and released his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul. His ring configuration matched: two yellow, two purple, four black, one red. He activated his sixth skill, unleashing countless thunder dragons to clash with the phoenix meteors. The two forces collided evenly, despite being three levels weaker, the Fire Phoenix Douluo's Extreme Fire attribute kept him from falling behind.
"Martial Soul Avatar: Nine-Hearted Begonia!"
"Martial Soul Avatar: Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda!"
Lan Xin and Feng Wuxiao simultaneously activated their seventh rings. Lan Xin transformed into a giant nine-hearted begonia flower; Feng Wuxiao became the Glazed Pagoda. A rank 79 Seven Treasures support-type joining the battle among the Title Douluos would tilt the balance instantly. He had to be dealt with first.
"Third Brother, can you handle those old couples from Star Luo Empire?"
Tian Xing asked. Third Brother, wearing a white lab coat, frowned but nodded. His martial soul was indeed suited to stall them. With that confirmation, Tian Xing felt more confident.
"The Seven Treasures shine brightly: First, Strength; Second, Speed; Third, Soul; Fourth, Defense; Fifth, Attack; Sixth, Resistance!"
Feng Wuxiao activated all six of his enhancement skills at once. His five allies instantly received boosts—each of their capabilities increased by nearly a whole rank. This was the terrifying strength of a Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Soul Master: supporting five Super Douluos simultaneously.
"Initiate Formation Alpha!"
Tian Xing shouted. His martial soul was an ordinary iron sword, but due to its mutation, he had been discovered by the Pope. Without that, this hidden gem would've remained buried. Now at a hundred years old, his soul power had reached rank 98.
Third Brother's martial soul was Medusa, a poison-control type that should only belong to a female. The fourth brother, despite his youthful appearance, had the Black Tortoise Shield, an evolved form of the Xuanwu martial soul. Fifth Brother's martial soul was Taotie, one of the nine sons of the dragon—its ability was to eat and sleep due to its nature.
"Prepare to be slain!"
Tian Xing charged at Feng Wuxiao. Second Brother immediately activated his ninth soul ring. The crimson light didn't explode outward, but instead rushed into his eyes. At the same time, Fire Phoenix Douluo activated his ninth skill. A shrill sonic wave enveloped the seven enemies. Tang Tie sneered and activated his seventh ring. The Clear Sky Hammer, once man-sized, has now expanded into a small mountain. It smashed down toward the sound wave and also toward the senior brothers and Lin Xuan, who was still absorbing his spirit ring.
"Hahahaha! Devour Heaven and Earth!"
Fifth Brother laughed wildly. His seventh and eighth soul rings activated, and with his Martial Soul Avatar released, he transformed into a colossal Taotie. His massive mouth became a black hole, ready to swallow the Clear Sky Hammer whole.
"Yu Batian! Fight me!"
"Bring it on!"
Fire Phoenix Douluo shouted at Yu Batian, who didn't back down. The two transformed into a giant fire phoenix and a thunder dragon, battling fiercely in the sky. Still recovering from using his ninth skill, Fire Phoenix Douluo was slightly at a disadvantage.
"Then I'll protect Second Sister and Qian Mo Shang."
Fourth Brother didn't rush forward. He was better suited for defense and disliked fighting. Second Sister nodded in approval.
Tian Xing's ambush was blocked by two Star Luo Empire experts, but he wasn't worried. As long as Third Brother's control technique worked, he could safely finish off Feng Wuxiao.
"White Tiger Barrier!"
"White Tiger Meteor Shower!"
"Nether Slash!"
The two Star Luo experts coordinated perfectly. Tian Xing frowned—he hadn't wanted to waste too much soul power, but now he had no choice. Suddenly, waves of sword aura burst from his body. The battlefield around him darkened, and only the white glow of the sword energy could be seen. The White Tiger couple felt a chill in their hearts. This was Tian Xing's trump card—Sword God Domain. Unless he deactivated it himself or one side won, there was no escape.
Boom!
The clash between Taotie and Clear Sky Avatar ended abruptly. Taotie's enormous mouth was shattered, and he lost control of his Martial Soul Avatar. He was embedded into the ground like a nail. But the Clear Sky Hammer's attack had also been interrupted.
Second Sister, in her begonia form, frowned. A petal fell into the crater where Fifth Brother lay. His mangled mouth quickly regenerated. Though his soul power wasn't replenished, his injuries vanished entirely. This was the absurd power of the Nine-Hearted Begonia—as long as you weren't dead, you could fully heal.
Fifth Brother immediately reactivated his Martial Soul Avatar and rejoined the battle beside Tang Tie.
"Something's wrong. There's no way they would send just five Super Douluos to fight Tian Xing's team… Unless!"
Down below, Ning Qin's body tensed. He suddenly realized that this entire battle was meaningless. The enemy wouldn't go to such lengths just to clash with Spirit Hall.
(End of Chapter)