Chapter 407: Dai Yao VS. The Grand Elder
"You're insane! The Grand Elder is a Super Douluo! Even if you managed to defeat the Star Luo Emperor, there's an unbridgeable gap between you and the Grand Elder. Taking him on is suicide!" Dugu Bo protested, both furious and worried.
"Grandpa Dugu, you're a master of poison and excel at large-scale battles, not direct duels. If the Grand Elder goes all out, he could easily take your life. For you, facing him would be true suicide." Dai Yao sighed, a trace of helplessness in his voice.
If anyone else could hold off the Grand Elder, Dai Yao wouldn't have to face him personally. But Dugu Bo confronting the Grand Elder would be like delivering himself to his death, and Dai Yao knew that would devastate Dugu Yan—something he couldn't bear to see.
Since arriving, Dai Yao had prepared for the worst. Though he knew he couldn't defeat the Grand Elder, he was confident he could at least hold him off for some time.
"But you shouldn't have to push yourself! You have no idea what it's like to face a Super Douluo. After level 95, each additional level increases one's spirit power by…" Dugu Bo said anxiously.
"Twenty percent, right?" Dai Yao interrupted calmly.
Dugu Bo blinked in surprise. "If you're aware of that, then why are you taking this on? Don't you see you're walking into certain death?"
Dai Yao took a deep breath, the cold air sharpening his focus as he replied, "I know what I'm doing. I wouldn't make this decision if I didn't have a chance of succeeding. Tell me, have you ever seen me take on something without confidence in the outcome? I'll make it out of this—I promise."
Dugu Bo looked at Dai Yao, his certainty and calmness unwavering. Dai Yao had achieved the impossible more times than he could count, but challenging a Super Douluo still sounded like a fantasy. Yet, somehow, seeing Dai Yao's determined gaze, Dugu Bo felt compelled to believe him.
"Fine. But if it becomes too much, you'd better tell me," he said, his voice softening with reluctant acceptance.
Dai Yao nodded. Nearby, the Grand Elder overheard their conversation and snorted with derision, almost as if he had just heard the most absurd joke.
"Dai Yao, you're truly deluded by your own success if you think you can challenge me," he sneered. "Confidence in youth is good, but arrogance leads to ruin. This will save me the trouble of holding your disciples hostage. Today, I'll teach you what it means to face a Super Douluo!"
Dai Yao's eyes flashed with fierce resolve as he met the Grand Elder's gaze. "And I'll show you what true talent is!" he shot back.
With that, Dai Yao's eight wings spread wide, and he rose into the sky, looking down at the Qinglian Sect disciples battling below. He shouted, "Qinglian Sect, retreat!"
With the Star Luo Emperor dead, Dai Yao's vendetta was half fulfilled. Though the Empress still lived, he couldn't afford to linger now. Qinglian Sect's disciples needed to escape safely first; the Grand Elder alone was a greater threat than anyone left on the battlefield.
Hearing Dai Yao's command, Qinglian Sect disciples hesitated for only a moment before beginning their orderly retreat, following the formation they had rehearsed. Meanwhile, the palace guards, fueled by either despair or fury, fought even harder to avenge their fallen Emperor, slowing Qinglian Sect's withdrawal.
Above the palace, the Soul Douluos continued their own fierce battle. The Zhu family elder, having opted out of the Dai family's feud, remained on the sidelines, easing some of the pressure on the Qinglian Sect's Soul Douluos. Still, their numbers were significantly fewer than those on Star Luo's side, and their sole aim was to prevent the Star Luo Soul Douluos from interfering with the ground battle.
The Seventh Elder turned to the Grand Elder and warned, "The 'Shura Emperor'—or rather, Dai Yao—has a spear martial spirit that can pierce through any defense as if it were nothing but paper. And he possesses an instantaneous teleportation skill that enhances the spear's advantage."
"Though if you're prepared, he's far less dangerous," he added cautiously.
The Seventh Elder had already learned this lesson the hard way; Dai Yao's spear had cost him an arm and his Title Douluo rank. Today, with both the Haotian Sect and the Dai family united by shared interest, it was essential to eliminate Dai Yao here and now to prevent any future bloodbath at his hands. He warned the Grand Elder to avoid making the same mistake he had.
The Grand Elder nodded and took note of his advice.
Seeing Dugu Bo watching him, the Seventh Elder smirked. The Clear Sky Hammer appeared in his grip, its dark surface glinting as nine spirit rings rose around him. The gray ninth ring drew particular attention.
Dugu Bo snorted; he would have avoided the Seventh Elder if he were still a Title Douluo, but with him now reduced to Soul Douluo rank, Dugu Bo had nothing to fear.
The two ascended into an open courtyard, facing each other in silence.
"Dugu Bo, since you insist on helping this traitor, don't expect to leave here alive!" the Seventh Elder snarled, his killing intent undisguised.
As he hefted the Clear Sky Hammer, his seventh spirit ring lit up, and a powerful aura began to fill the space around them.
Dugu Bo cast a glance at the Qinglian Sect disciples retreating below, and another at Dai Yao. With a sigh of relief, he turned back to the Seventh Elder. His pupils transformed into venomous green slits, giving him the appearance of a deadly serpent.
"If you were still a Title Douluo, I might have some concerns. But a Soul Douluo like you? I'll kill you first, then help Dai Yao!" he taunted, his seventh spirit ring glowing.
"Arrogant!" the Seventh Elder snapped back.
The two collided, releasing waves of spirit power that rippled out in all directions. Both used their Spirit Avatar transformations from the start, launching into a battle of devastating intensity.
Before the palace entrance, the Grand Elder glanced at the Star Luo Emperor's body, now cold and colorless as it lay on the ground, and sighed. He turned his gaze back to Dai Yao, his voice low and chilling.
"Let's see if you have anything left to surprise me with. If you're just bluffing, this is where it ends."
Though his tone was dismissive, his eyes betrayed caution. He was well aware of Dai Yao's abilities—Star Luo's fate served as a stark reminder not to underestimate him.
In response, Dai Yao smirked, raising his eyes to the dark sky, still charged with storm clouds from his earlier White Tiger Thunder God Strike. He nodded at the Grand Elder. "Let's take this to the sky."
With a single beat of his eight wings, he shot into the heavens, transforming into a streak of light against the stormy backdrop.
The Grand Elder looked at the brooding clouds and felt a sense of foreboding. He steadied his spirit power and took off in pursuit of Dai Yao.
High above, the aerial battleground offered both freedom and fewer prying eyes. Here, Dai Yao could unleash his full arsenal of spirit skills without worrying about their residual force harming his allies. It also meant he could reveal his trump cards more freely if the situation became dire.
The Chaos Green Lotus's spirit skills were his last line of defense. The skills—unlimited teleportation, space-time stasis, and boundless spirit power—were abilities Dai Yao preferred to keep hidden unless there was no other choice. His God-Slaying Spear and teleportation alone were enough to make even Title Douluo wary. If he began using his other abilities, he might be able to kill a Title Douluo outright! But this wasn't thousands of years in the future, where power leaps were commonplace like in Douluo II and Douluo III!
Moreover, the Grand Elder wasn't just any Title Douluo; he was a Super Douluo, a leader among Title Douluo. If Dai Yao managed to kill him, no place on the continent would be safe. Even the Spirit Hall elders would start viewing him as a threat. When you're weaker, they appreciate your talent, but once you have the power to threaten them, they grow uneasy.
Some would do anything to uncover the secret behind his boundary-breaking strength, risking his safety and, more critically, that of his friends and allies. Therefore, in this battle, Dai Yao resolved to rely only on his ring-based spirit skills and his self-created techniques. He was well-prepared for what it would mean to challenge a Super Douluo.
After some time, they slowed down, and below, the Star Luo capital appeared as small as pebbles.
The wind whipped past, ruffling Dai Yao's cloak and tossing his golden hair wildly. The Grand Elder, however, stood like a mountain, motionless, his robes and hair untouched by the turbulent air.
They both glanced down at the battlefield below. Qinglian Sect disciples were slowly retreating while palace guards attacked with renewed ferocity. It looked as if the retreat from Star Luo City would take at least half an hour.
"Half an hour? That's plenty of time," the Grand Elder calculated, his eyes flashing. He raised his head to look at Dai Yao with an icy glint and said, "At death's door already? Any last words?"
As he spoke, he kept a wary eye on Dai Yao, recalling how the Seventh Elder had lost an arm in an instant.
Dai Yao smirked. The Qinglian Sect still needed at least half an hour, so he knew he needed to hold out. But mere stalling wasn't enough; he had to display power that would give the Grand Elder real pause.
"Old man, enough talk. Let's fight!" Dai Yao shouted.
Spirit power surged from him as six spirit rings materialized. The third and fifth rings glowed simultaneously, triggering his White Tiger's Dark Gold Transformation and Titan Transformation, enhancing his strength. Compressing his spirit power into his right fist, he struck, splitting the air with a thunderous crack as he charged at the Grand Elder.
"Arrogant!" the Grand Elder growled, angered by Dai Yao's insolence. Nine spirit rings appeared around him—two yellow, two purple, and five black. The presence of such a powerful configuration spread an oppressive force through the air.
For anyone else at Dai Yao's level, this overwhelming pressure would render them motionless. But Dai Yao's relentless training under waterfalls had strengthened him against extreme pressures. Like a fish in water, he moved through the Grand Elder's aura as if unaffected.
Startled, the Grand Elder's seventh ring activated, and a blood-red tiger appeared in the air, confronting Dai Yao.
Dai Yao did not hold back, launching a fierce punch that clashed with the tiger's paw.
With a deafening boom, Dai Yao was sent flying like a cannonball.
The Grand Elder paused, feeling a strange force pulsing through his arm. He quickly circulated his spirit power to dispel it.
"What was that? An inner force? Weak at best. Dai Yao's strength is far below what he showed against the Emperor. What's he planning?" the Grand Elder thought, a flicker of doubt crossing his gaze.
Despite his superior power, he refrained from chasing Dai Yao, wary that this could be a deliberate show of weakness meant to lull him into a trap.
"My power is overwhelming. As long as I stay steady, he'll expose his weaknesses," the Grand Elder thought. "If I taunt him just right, he's sure to make a mistake."
Turning to Dai Yao, he sneered, "If this is all you've got, your boasts were laughable. Taking you down will be so easy, I'll have no appetite left to finish off your men afterward."
Dai Yao wiped the blood from his mouth with his left hand, mildly surprised that the Grand Elder hadn't seized the opportunity to pursue him.
"That old coward—he's so conservative, even with a huge advantage. It's no wonder the Council Elders are so cautious; their attitude must come from him!"
"But that works perfectly with my plan," he thought with satisfaction.
Shouting back, he said, "The battle has just begun! Let's go again!"
Once more, spirit power compressed in his right fist. With another strike, he rocketed toward the Grand Elder, aiming to harness his energy to complete his compression more quickly.
The Grand Elder's tiger-like eyes narrowed as he raised a massive claw to meet Dai Yao's fist again.
The collision sent a thunderous echo reverberating through the sky. The Grand Elder, slightly startled, watched Dai Yao fly back again, though this time he didn't travel as far—a sign that the power in his fist had already grown significantly.
The Grand Elder hesitated, uncertain whether he should pursue, and Dai Yao regained his stance before he could make up his mind.
With a sigh, the Grand Elder said, "Not bad. But if you think this will keep me at bay, you're dreaming."
Dai Yao ignored him, shouting, "Let's go again!"
…
Three more thunderous clashes echoed across Star Luo City as onlookers below tried to catch a glimpse of what was happening in the skies above.
By now, the Grand Elder felt pain radiating from his tiger claws with each impact. He stared at Dai Yao in shock, realizing that each punch had grown significantly stronger. His expression twisted as he finally understood. "You're using some self-made spirit technique, similar to the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer!"
After five compressions, Dai Yao's punches could already pressure the Grand Elder in his spirit avatar state. Beginning the sixth compression, Dai Yao sneered, "Old man, if you're only now catching on, it's too late! I didn't think this would go so smoothly."
Seeing his mistake, the Grand Elder's face fell, his eighth ring flaring to life. If Dai Yao's technique was anything like Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer, the final blow would be devastating. Even with Dai Yao's second martial spirit, he had no choice but to press forward and counterattack.
The Grand Elder growled, "Enough warm-up, boy. I'll admit I was careless, but this ends now! No more chances for you!"
With his eighth ring alight, a nearly tangible aura of pressure radiated outward as an enormous energy coalesced above. Though only an eighth spirit skill, it already surpassed the Emperor's by far.
Dai Yao felt his scalp tingle, sensing the overwhelming power even from afar. He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves. His only hope lay in a nine-fold compression of his Eight Extremes Collapse. But after the sixth compression, his spirit power had grown violently unstable. He would need complete focus, and any disruption might trigger an uncontrolled explosion.
Yet he was prepared.
With a single thought, he entered his inner world, where Xiao Wu was waiting for him.
He smiled and said, "It's your turn to step in."
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