Seeing that Xuanzi was about to leave just like that, Lin Xiao slightly raised his head and met the Snow Empress's gaze.
The night wind blew the chill from the Snow Empress onto Lin Xiao. This coldness did not make him feel the slightest discomfort; having absorbed the Snow Silkworm's body, he actually quite liked this icy aura.
The Snow Empress slightly raised her hand and placed it over her chest, as if she could feel the beating of her heart at the center of her chest. Having died once already, she now understood even more how precious this pulsation of "life" truly was.
"I know you still want to stay a bit longer, but right now we have other matters to attend to."
Lin Xiao spoke softly, drawing the Snow Empress's attention back to himself. "If you like, in the future, when there's a chance, I can let you come out more times."
"Of course, not just you, also the other souls following me."
The Snow Empress was slightly stunned, then gently nodded without speaking. Her body gradually turned illusory.
The surrounding chill instantly dissipated completely. The Snow Empress had returned to her soul state. Only the tiny ice crystals floating in the air proved that, for that brief moment just now, she had truly been "alive" once.
Seeing the Snow Empress return to her soul form, Lin Xiao's expression turned solemn. He suddenly removed all the soul tools from his body, withdrew his martial soul, and allowed his body to naturally fall from high in the sky.
Dark Lightning Douluo, with the help of a ninth-level soul engineer, was currently engaged in fierce battle with Yan Shaozhe. Suddenly, he felt a chill at his back. His seventh soul ring lit up, and his figure instantly transformed into a streak of lightning and vanished from the spot.
In the next instant, Xuanzi, shrouded in dazzling golden light, came rushing from afar and shattered several of Dark Lightning Douluo's soul tools in an instant.
"Elder Xuan!"
"Retreat quickly!" Yan Shaozhe turned to look, but before he could say more, he heard Xuanzi shout.
Seeing Xuanzi in this state, Yan Shaozhe instantly understood. He nodded and said no more.
Ever since he had touched that mysterious "wine gourd," Xuanzi seemed like a completely different person. His strength faintly approached the level of a Limit Douluo. In just a few breaths, he had already repelled several ninth-level soul engineers one after another.
He glanced toward the high sky, then led the Shrek Academy group away without looking back.
It wasn't that he didn't want to use this burst of power to eliminate Lin Xiao, but this power of his could not last long.
That "wine gourd" was made from a branch shed by the Golden Tree of Shrek Academy. Mu En had left a strand of the Light Holy Dragon's aura within it, which could activate the dragon clan power in Xuanzi's Taotie Divine Ox bloodline, greatly increasing his strength.
This had originally been prepared as a measure against Long Xiaoyao. If they entangled and consumed too much power against Lin Xiao, once Long Xiaoyao appeared, all of them would likely be left here.
On the other side, Dark Lightning Douluo reformed his body. Feeling the terrifying power Xuanzi had erupted with just now, he let out a breath of relief with lingering fear. Suddenly, he remembered Lin Xiao again.
Earlier, Xuanzi had taken Lin Xiao up into the high sky. For a moment, he hadn't known exactly what had happened there, but with Xuanzi possessing such power, how could Lin Xiao possibly resist?
Just as Dark Lightning Douluo was pondering, something fell from the sky. Fluttering clothes slapped against the air with a rustling sound.
"Old Eight!"
Dark Lightning Douluo cried out in alarm and flew upward. He saw that Lin Xiao had already fallen into a complete "coma." He didn't know what injuries he had suffered; his face was deathly pale, and his body fell uncontrollably.
Dark Lightning Douluo sped up even more. With a wave of both hands, a large net flew out through the air and caught Lin Xiao.
"Old Eight!"
Dark Lightning Douluo checked Lin Xiao's breathing. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his expression flickered through various changes.
A moment later, as if having thought of something, he gently exhaled and slowly descended to the ground while carrying Lin Xiao.
The competition venue had already been destroyed beyond recognition. Some spectators who had fainted early could no longer withstand the aftershocks of a Title Douluo battle and had completely lost all signs of life.
Even some who had fled far away earlier had been stunned into unconsciousness by the battle's aura from a great distance.
On the other side, although the president of the Alto Chamber of Commerce, An Litong, had slightly weaker cultivation and had soul tool assistance, he was still defeated by Shangguan Weier amid the chaos.
However, Shangguan Weier's expression did not look good. The grand performance she had meticulously prepared had been ruined by the people from Shrek Academy. She didn't know how she would explain things to Xu Tianran.
The two ninth-level soul engineers they had brought had already died at the hands of Shrek Academy's people. After all, there were four Super Douluo; the others were in no better state, some unconscious, some injured.
"Roar—"
Just as Dark Lightning Douluo was deep in thought, another fierce dragon roar suddenly rang out, echoing continuously through the night sky.
In the direction where the Shrek Academy group had left, a dazzling light suddenly flared up. Clearly, they had been blocked by people coming out of Mingdu. But the distance was too great, and Dark Lightning Douluo could no longer see clearly what was happening there.
Not far away, two figures were approaching closer and closer. When Dark Lightning Douluo saw them, his face lit up with joy. "Old Five, Old Six, over here!"
In the distance, Myriad Souls Douluo and Abomination Douluo heard the call and changed direction, soon landing in the competition venue.
"Third Brother!" Myriad Souls Douluo called out. "The Cult Master and Vice Cult Master have already gone to intercept those attackers. How's the situation here?"
"You can see for yourselves," Dark Lightning Douluo said with a darkened face, sighing.
Abomination Douluo had already stepped toward the crowd lying on the ground. Dark Lightning Douluo's two disciples, Huang Zheng and Mo Ke, lay unconscious with traces of blood seeping from their mouths and noses. Even Huo Yuhao had collapsed beside Huang Zheng, his condition unknown.
Myriad Souls Douluo smacked his lips. Suddenly, soul power surged as he took out a black flag. Immediately, many remnant souls drifted toward the flag. "Looks like the situation is bad. So many experts… It's impressive that Third Brother managed to hold them off."
Dark Lightning Douluo's face darkened at the words. "All my soul tools have been destroyed. If my martial soul weren't special, I'd probably be heavily injured too. But holding off the people from Shrek Academy… it was mostly thanks to Old Eight…"
Myriad Souls Douluo licked his lips. "The Cult Master gathered us all in Mingdu and forbade the participating teams from leaving. He had already prepared for a great battle. With Shrek Academy causing such a disturbance, I'm afraid it won't be easy to wrap things up."
Dark Lightning Douluo shook his head and glanced from afar toward the direction where the Shrek Academy group had gone. Light continued to flash there; clearly, it wouldn't end anytime soon.
"Let the Cult Master and the others worry about those matters. Once the cult disciples arrive, we'll first take the people back."
As he spoke, Dark Lightning Douluo walked to the edge of the competition venue. He glanced back at Shangguan Weier on the other side of the field. "What a pity for this Soul Engineer Competition. After we return tonight, there will probably be quite a lot to deal with."
With An Litong dead and Shangguan Weier having defected to Xu Tianran, the underground market affairs would likely keep Dark Lightning Douluo busy for quite a while.
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