Chapter 616: As Long as Elder Xuan Returns, Everything Will Be Fine!
He never expected things to escalate to this extent.
Whether it was the empire or the academy, nurturing a Titled Douluo or a Super Douluo was no easy feat. It required not only an immense amount of time but also a substantial investment of resources.
Yet just now, five of these carefully cultivated powerhouses had perished!
This was an enormous loss, and it filled him with guilt.
Had he listened to Xu Jiujiu's advice and spent more time scouting the enemy, perhaps things would have turned out differently. But there were no "ifs" in this world. The dead could not be brought back to life.
Of course, he knew now was not the time for sorrow escaping from here as quickly as possible was the top priority.
Even with his dwindling lifespan, he decided to take a gamble. After all, only by surviving could he have a chance at revenge!
Silently, he ignited his life force, his aura skyrocketing to a level capable of contending with an Ultimate Douluo.
Having already burned his life force twice before, doing so again was an extremely dangerous move. But if he didn't go all out now, he might never get another chance to fight for his life.
He could clearly sense the distinct aura of a Rank 98 Super Douluo emanating from Kong Deming.
What baffled him was that the last time he saw Kong Deming, the man had only been a Rank 95 Super Douluo. How had he advanced to Rank 98 in such a short time?
The further a Soul Master progressed, the harder it became to advance. Otherwise, he himself wouldn't have been stuck at Rank 98 for so many years, unable to become an Ultimate Douluo.
Naturally, advancing from Rank 98 to Rank 99 was far more difficult than going from Rank 95 to Rank 98.
But Kong Deming's rapid improvement was still far too suspicious.
Taking a deep breath, he pushed these thoughts aside. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters.
Xuanzi flew to Xian Lin'er's side, his body radiating a thick yellow light as he blocked incoming soul cannon blasts and soul ray attacks that had pierced through the barrier.
He looked at Elder Song. "Xiao Song, we have to strike together. No matter what, we must tear through this barrier and escape. Otherwise, we'll all die here today!"
Barely conscious, Elder Song struggled to lift her eyelids, her eyes burning with boundless hatred.
If Xuanzi hadn't arrogantly led them deep into Sun-Moon territory, perhaps they wouldn't have ended up in this desperate situation.
Even her own daughter if not for Elder Song's protection might have died in the last attack.
But Xuanzi had a point. No matter what, she couldn't let Lin'er die here.
After all, Lin'er was her only child!
"Xuanzi, my life force is critically wounded I won't last much longer. I'll believe in you one last time and use my life to clear a path. You take Lin'er and go!" Elder Song gritted her teeth.
Then, she ignited her life force once more.
Earlier, to preserve a sliver of hope, she had voluntarily ceased burning her life force due to her severe injuries.
But now, for the sake of her daughter's survival, she was willing to pay the ultimate price.
The next moment, she leaped from Xian Lin'er's arms, transforming into a cyan Shadow Godhawk, and charged toward the barrier. Cyan and silver light clashed violently, the screeching sound of metal reverberating throughout the barrier.
Though her attacks were mostly absorbed into space, they still added pressure on Kong Deming, creating an opening for Xuanzi. After all, with his life force burning, Xuanzi could now be considered an Ultimate Douluo!
Soon, Elder Song collapsed into a cyan soul core, radiating a devastating aura.
A Rank 97 Super Douluo's self-detonation, while not quite reaching the power of a Rank 10 Fixed Soul Cannon Shell, was still formidable.
"Mother!" Xian Lin'er cried, tears streaming down her face.
Kong Deming sighed. The blood moon reappeared as he prepared to redirect some of the explosion's force to an unoccupied area, minimizing the impact.
With a thunderous explosion, Elder Song's soul core detonated, releasing a torrent of cyan energy. A series of silver doors, each inscribed with blood moon patterns, emerged, pulling in the cyan energy.
The barrier trembled violently.
Seizing the moment, Xuanzi grabbed Xian Lin'er's hand and roared, his silver bull horns gleaming as he charged at the barrier. Cracks appeared, and dark spatial fissures swirled around his horns.
Although his control over spatial power was mediocre, with his temporarily enhanced strength, he posed a significant threat to the Silver Moon Divine Light Barrier.
Kong Deming felt the immense strain on the barrier. If this continued, it would soon shatter.
Without hesitation, he manipulated the silver light and let Xuanzi and Xian Lin'er pass through.
Xuanzi didn't look back he took Xian Lin'er and fled immediately.
Kong Deming made no move to stop them. He was fully focused on handling Elder Song's self-detonation. In truth, even after mitigating the explosion, he had no intention of chasing after Xuanzi.
He wasn't particularly concerned about Xuanzi escaping if anything, he preferred it.
After all, Huo Yuhao had placed a soul core seal on Xuanzi. According to Huo Yuhao, with just a single thought, he could detonate Xuanzi's soul core.
A time bomb like that was best left to explode within the enemy ranks, taking out as many of them as possible, rather than dying here.
As for Xian Lin'er, she was also allowed to leave.
For one, if she hadn't escaped, Xuanzi might have gone completely berserk, choosing to fight to the death. Given that her mother had just sacrificed herself for Xuanzi, it was unlikely that he would abandon her.
After all, Xuanzi wasn't an evil Soul Master.
Secondly, with so many powerful figures lost, Shrek Academy and the Star Luo Empire were bound to hold a meeting.
To prevent Xuanzi from falsely blaming the Sun-Moon Empire, they needed survivors who could relay the truth.
Meanwhile, on another battlefield…
The Star Luo army and the Heavenly Soul reinforcements had yet to reach the other side of the Ming Dou Mountain Range, as their march was slower than Xuanzi's team.
At this moment, they were ambushed from behind by the Evil Sovereign Soul Engineer Regiment and the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Regiment.
They quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.
The roar of artillery filled the air, smoke and fire spreading across the battlefield, turning it into a river of blood.
Xu Jiujiu frowned. "Both of these soul engineer regiments contain Rank 9 Soul Engineers it seems the Sun-Moon Empire's Beast King-level Soul Engineer Regiment has flanked us. We're being pushed back for now, but this is only temporary.
As long as Elder Xuan and the others return to reinforce us, everything will be fine.
Right now, our priority is to hold our ground and endure the attack until they return. We must not allow a full retreat!
Relay my order anyone who deserts in battle… will be executed!"
"Yes!" The powerhouses near Xu Jiujiu responded in unison.
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