Let's rewind a bit.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan, with a delicate, flamboyant smile, pointed at Blazing Sun Douluo.
"Old man Blazing Sun, why aren't you retired to the Clear Sky Sect? Why are you getting involved in this mess? His Holiness the Pope is merciful; he let your Clear Sky Sect off once, but he won't let you off a second time."
What a sissy!
Blazing Flame Douluo, his eyes filled with apprehension, snorted coldly, "Yue Guan, you don't need to worry about us. The Clear Sky Sect fears no one's threats. The world has changed drastically; the Spirit Hall should mind its own business first."
The two sides were nearly at loggerheads. The Clear Sky Sect had suffered heavy losses under the Spirit Hall's pursuit, and after more than ten years of recuperation, it hadn't recovered its strength. The Spirit Hall didn't want to see the Clear Sky Sect, with nearly ten Title Douluos, rise again. The conflict between the two was irreconcilable.
"Old Ghost, is Chen Xin nearby?"
Yue Guan transmitted his voice to Ghost Douluo. Each of them was as strong as Blazing Sun Douluo. The reason they hadn't made a move was because they were wary of Sword Douluo, who had entered the dungeon ahead of time. Although the saying that the three upper sects were of one mind was just empty talk, Chen Xin wouldn't give them the chance to defeat him one by one.
Yes, after the class enhancement in the dungeon, they were confident that they could defeat Sword Douluo.
Ghost Douluo, his face shrouded in a black robe, replied telepathically, "There's a very strong life force ten miles away; it should be Chen Xin. My Soul-Hooking Skill might not be able to capture his soul."
Yue Guan's expression darkened. "It's alright. We have to fight this battle eventually. This dungeon takes a long time to open; His Holiness the Pope will arrive soon after receiving the message. We just need to stall for time and prevent the Clear Sky Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School from clearing it."
While the two were chatting and discussing, Blazing Sun Douluo found himself in a difficult position. He knew his own limitations and was certain he was no match for Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo. The Clear Sky Sect's Ring-Exploding Secret Technique was originally a top-tier Soul Master technique on the continent, but with the emergence of dungeon classes and its synergy with Martial Souls, the Ring-Exploding Secret Technique inevitably lost its luster.
He secretly telepathically inquired of the Clear Sky Sect disciples if they had any clues on how to clear the dungeon, urging them to do so as to avoid continuing to confront the Spirit Hall head-on.
Upon receiving a negative answer, Blazing Sun Douluo's heart sank. He glanced at his disciples beside him, thinking he'd protect as many as he could.
"They're here,"
Ghost Douluo suddenly spoke, a sharp aura rapidly approaching from afar.
Everyone looked over, seeing Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi arriving together from the sky. Many Soul Masters showed reverence and hurriedly made way.
"Blaze, long time no see,"
Sword Douluo spoke first, immediately stating his position, which also represented the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's stance.
"Senior Sword Douluo, Sect Master Ning,"
Blazing Sun Douluo breathed a sigh of relief and greeted them amicably.
Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi nodded slightly, both looking at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
"Gentlemen, the Clear Sky Sect has already yielded; why be so aggressive?"
The Clear Sky Sect's early emergence was not only because they could no longer hide, but also a public apology and admission of Tang Hao's mistakes to the Spirit Hall.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon School, and the two great empires implicitly supported the Clear Sky School. The Spirit Hall had no choice but to back down; otherwise, the Clear Sky School wouldn't be able to operate openly in the outside world.
Chrysanthemum Douluo snorted coldly. He was fully aware of the behind-the-scenes power struggle and couldn't stand Sword Douluo's feigned ignorance. More importantly, the two of them, working together, weren't afraid of Chen Xin. He
sent a telepathic message to Ghost, but Ghost didn't respond.
He turned to look at Ghost, whose telepathic message finally arrived: "Chen Xin's aura is incredibly strong, four or five times stronger than ours. He might have broken through."
Chrysanthemum Douluo was startled. Chen Xin was already a Title Douluo of level ninety-seven; another breakthrough would bring him to level ninety-eight, just one step away from the limit of a Soul Master.
"Are you sure?"
"You know, my profession is extremely sensitive to life force; I won't misjudge. This news must be told to His Holiness the Pope. So, should we still fight?"
Ghost Douluo countered.
Chrysanthemum Douluo pondered for a moment, his effeminate face revealing a resolute gaze: "Of course we should fight. Otherwise, what kind of Soul Master would we be if we didn't even dare to exchange blows?"
Ghost Douluo let out a strange, cackling laugh. "Alright, if we're no match for them, I'll extract the souls of these two hundred Soul Masters. I doubt Chen Xin would dare do anything to us then."
"Not bad."
Chrysanthemum Douluo nodded, revealing a captivating smile, his body emanating a faint fragrance. The Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum in his hand bloomed, his eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Overestimating themselves.
Sword Douluo's face showed a faint disdain. Before his breakthrough, he hadn't taken Chrysanthemum Douluo and his companion seriously, and after his breakthrough, he felt even more so.
Chen Xin gripped the Seven Kill Sword, lightly swinging the longsword. His incomparably powerful Soul Force, through his Martial Soul, transformed into a hundred-meter-long, blood-red sword aura.
He didn't use any soul skills. At his cultivation level, soul skills below 100,000 years old were almost useless except for status-enhancing soul skills; simple ordinary attacks were far more effective.
Seeing Chen Xin's arrogance, Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyes revealed a faint mockery. A layer of dense golden light enveloped his body, making even the Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum more dazzling, and a sharp aura filled a radius of a hundred meters.
"Retreat!"
"Ah! It hurts! Run!"
Cries of agony rose and fell, neither of them caring about the safety of the onlookers.
Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't care, while Sword Douluo was retaliating for the soul masters' subtle coercion of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School yesterday.
Sword energy and chrysanthemum petals flew wildly, killing intent overflowing. It was as if cannons were raining down all around, and dirt was constantly flying. This was only the outer perimeter; the center of the battle between titled cultivators was where the energy conflict was most intense.
"Not bad killing intent, great improvement."
In the midst of the battle, Sword Douluo still had time to evaluate Chrysanthemum Douluo's attack.
After calming his surging blood and qi, Ju Dou spoke, "Sword Douluo's cultivation has greatly improved, even more so."
He was secretly wary; the power he had just used was close to seventy percent of his full strength, yet he had almost been unable to withstand Chen Xin's simple sword strike—the difference between them was too great.
Ghost Douluo saw his old friend's predicament. Under his black robe, he flicked his wrist, transforming his entire hand into a chain and hook. Blue flames burned under his hood. He spun and threw the hook, aiming directly at Sword Douluo Chen Xin. Chen Xin
was incredibly experienced in combat, his eyes and ears alert, constantly on guard against Ghost Douluo's sneak attack. However, he hadn't expected the agile Ghost Douluo to attack directly instead of using speed. The
hook, forged from soul energy and radiating blue flames, made him feel his mind wavering and unable to control himself when it came within ten meters of Sword Douluo. His soul felt as if it were about to leave his body.
Chen Xin's heart tightened, and he quickly focused his mind, entering a state of perfect harmony with his sword. His soul power connected with the primordial energy of heaven and earth, his sword intent protecting his spirit. He raised his hand, and the Seven Kill Sword unleashed a cross-shaped slash, striking the Blue Flame Soul Hook.
However, the professional talent that Ghost Douluo had gained at the cost of his inhumanity was not so simple. The Blue Flame Soul Hook remained unscathed under the sword energy, completely ignoring physical attacks.
(End of Chapter)