This novel has been finished on Patreon! Over 1000 Chapters đź‘€available! Thank you to all my Patrons for the support over this and the other novels <3
------------------------------------------------------
As Huo Rui's right fist began to gather soul power once more, it seemed another deadly blow was about to be unleashed.
"Stop!"
At that moment, a shout rang out from afar. In the next instant, emerald vines stretched across hundreds of meters, instantly enveloping Huo Rui.
A flicker of irritation crossed Huo Rui's eyes—another meddler had arrived.
However, releasing a soul skill from such a distance meant that even a Soul Douluo-level attack would have little effect on someone like Huo Rui, a top-tier power-type Soul Douluo.
"Die!"
Huo Rui swung her fist, infused with an unyielding will to kill.
Boom!
But as her attack landed, Huo Rui noticed something amiss. Upon closer inspection, she realized a massive iron wall had blocked her strike!
No—iron wall wasn't quite accurate. After breaking free from the vines' restraint, Huo Rui saw that it wasn't an iron wall at all but rather an enormous incense burner-shaped martial soul.
With vines and an incense burner involved, Huo Rui vaguely guessed the identities of the newcomers.
"Countess Tianxin, please show mercy. Though we don't know why you're causing trouble here, please calm your anger. Everything can be resolved by His Majesty afterward."
An elder gracefully appeared—it was Zhi Lin, the second-ranking Elder of the three-member council of the Heavenly Dou Imperial Academy. His martial soul was the Sky Azure Vine, a control-type Soul Douluo.
As for the owner of the colossal incense burner, it was none other than Bai Baoshan, one of the three Elders, whose martial soul was the Celestial Furnace.
Huo Rui recognized them because, as a high-ranking noble, her descendants had once studied at the Tian Dou Imperial Academy, so she was no stranger to these three figures.
Suddenly, Huo Rui narrowed her eyes and swung her fist toward her side without hesitation.
Though she hadn't used her full strength, the shockwave alone gouged a deep trench into the ground.
"So the three Elders always stick together. Meng Shenji, how underhanded of you to try ambushing me from the shadows!" Huo Rui said coldly.
Where Huo Rui had just attacked, black smoke billowed and slowly coalesced into a human-like shadow nearby. It looked sinister and grotesque.
Behind the shadow, another figure emerged. He appeared even older than Zhi Lin and Bai Baoshan, but unlike his martial soul, his demeanor was kind and grandfatherly.
"Huo Rui, stand down. You've caused too much commotion. If you have any grievances, you can report them to His Majesty, and he will handle them for you. Acting this way is unbecoming."
The same old persuasion tactics. Huo Rui sneered.
"Seek justice for me? Do you think I'm still a naive three-year-old who can be easily deceived?
In the end, this world respects only power. I don't believe Xue Ye would offend a Title Douluo just for the sake of a mere Soul Douluo like me!"
With that, Huo Rui's aura surged once more.
"This is my final warning. If you three old fools dare interfere again, I won't hesitate to kill you all!"
Feeling Huo Rui's chilling killing intent, the three Elders furrowed their brows, their eyes flashing with deep apprehension.
After all, none of them could match Huo Rui's feat of taking down over a dozen Soul Sages in the blink of an eye.
But as servants of the state, they couldn't back down. After exchanging glances, they solemnly nodded, and Meng Shenji coldly declared:
"Since you remain obstinate, Huo Rui, don't blame us for being merciless."
A mocking gleam flashed in Huo Rui's eyes, but she remained silent, choosing instead to let her actions speak for her resolve.
At this moment, Huo Rui unleashed speed akin to teleportation, arriving before Meng Shenji in the blink of an eye and throwing a punch.
Though the punch appeared simple, Meng Shenji didn't dare underestimate her after witnessing her earlier feats. Almost instantly, he activated his seventh soul ring.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Black Demon True Body!"
Dream God Ji instantly transformed into an elemental form, causing Huo Rui's punch to pass through him harmlessly.
If Meng Shenji had remained in human form, he might have been sweating profusely, but as the Black Demon, his confidence soared to unprecedented heights.
The reason? Unlike ordinary beast-type martial souls, which become physical entities when activating their True Body, Dream God Ji's Black Demon True Body assumed a unique elemental state. Unless countered with special means, ordinary soul masters were powerless against him.
"Behave yourself, Huo Rui!
Fifth Soul Skill—Nightmare!"
Relying on his elemental form and proximity to Huo Rui, Meng Shenji wasted no time in unleashing this spirit-control-type soul skill. Once trapped in his Nightmare Domain, even Title Douluos of higher ranks would be temporarily affected—let alone Huo Rui, a mere 82-level Soul Douluo.
Having not actively fought in years since becoming an Elder, many had forgotten the terrifying nature of Meng Shenji's Black Demon martial soul.
Seeing Huo Rui's dazed expression, a flicker of triumph crossed Meng Shenji's eyes.
But just as he signaled Zhi Lin to step forward and restrain Huo Rui completely, clarity returned to Huo Rui's eyes.
At that moment, the black soul ring representing Huo Rui's eighth soul skill lit up!
In the next instant, roaring flames erupted, and Meng Shenji let out a blood-curdling scream as he hastily detached himself from Huo Rui's body.
Witnessing this, Huo Rui smiled confidently.
As expected, no martial soul was without its weaknesses. There was no such thing as a martial soul that could completely ignore attacks.
Though Huo Rui had been caught by Meng Shenji's soul skill, her battle-hardened spirit was far too resilient to succumb easily. Had she lacked such mental fortitude, she would have long given up training and focused on retirement instead.
Thus, Meng Shenji's mental attack barely affected her—much like how Tang San had turned the tables on Shi Nian in the original story, despite the latter's Brutal Dream martial soul and Soul Sage cultivation. In the end, it was all about whose mental strength was superior.
But Huo Rui didn't rush to counterattack. Instead, she contemplated how to break the deadlock—and breaking it required landing a hit on Meng Shenji.
So Huo Rui thought: 'If the opponent is in elemental form, why not fight poison with poison?'
She decided to test her only element-based ability—her eighth soul skill. As expected, it worked.
Huo Rui's eighth soul skill originated from a fire-attribute True Dragon spirit beast, recommended to her by Ye Wen. According to traditional Chinese medicine theory, the heart corresponds to fire, and since Huo Rui's other skills leaned heavily toward pure physical combat, having some elemental capabilities in Douluo was essential.
Thinking of this, Huo Rui's rage burned even hotter, and the flames surrounding her blazed with greater intensity.
Though her eighth soul skill possessed fire-element properties, it wasn't an offensive skill but rather another augmentation-type ability.
------------------------------------------------------
Support my writing journey: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
40+ Chapters Ahead Guaranteed.