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Watching Zhu Zhuqing, who was usually quite aloof, display this kind of expression, Huo Yu'er, hidden in the shadows, couldn't help but burst into laughter. The contrast was just too adorable.
However, after some thought, Huo Yu'er still asked Ye Wen:
"Husband, should we step in and help? Otherwise, Zhu Zhuqing's hard-earned authority might take a significant hit."
After pondering for a moment, Ye Wen shook his head and declined.
It wasn't that Ye Wen was heartless; rather, he wanted to repay this world by overthrowing the Douluo God Realm. After he left, this world would need a pillar to rely on.
And Zhu Zhuqing was the future God King Ye Wen had bet on to rule this world.
Though Zhu Zhuqing was still somewhat inexperienced and might face minor scrutiny for letting an enemy escape, if she couldn't overcome even this hurdle, then she wouldn't be worthy of becoming the future Empress of Douluo.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing realized she had been tricked by the Blood Fiend. Her face darkened with anger, but she didn't lose her composure. Instead, her eyes burned with even more killing intent as she locked onto the two imperial elders present.
In Zhu Zhuqing's mind, it was fine if one out of three enemies escaped—especially since she was dealing with three Title Douluos. No one below her would question it.
But with her overwhelming cultivation, failing to take down even one person would be a true disgrace!
So no matter what, Zhu Zhuqing was determined to kill at least one of these two Title Douluos—or both!
Feeling Zhu Zhuqing's chilling killing intent, the two imperial elders immediately paled. Seeing the Blood Fiend escape had reassured them, and now they also wanted to flee.
But at that exact moment, Zhu Zhuqing's eighth soul ring glowed brightly, and a blood-red light spread across the sky, blotting out the sun. In an instant, it transformed into an overwhelmingly radiant sacred light.
Zhu Zhuqing's eighth and ninth soul rings were both divine-bestowed soul rings, so unlike regular hundred-thousand-year soul rings, which typically grant two skills, these soul rings only provided one skill each.
But having only one skill didn't mean these soul rings were inferior. On the contrary, the description "the most suitable soul skill for one's martial soul" was enough to highlight the immense value of these singular skills.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing pushed her soul power to its limits, instantly enveloping the two imperial elders in an oppressive aura of terror.
"Eighth Soul Skill—Sacred Meteor Rain!!!"
The sacred light generated by Zhu Zhuqing began rapidly condensing in the air, forming thousands of glowing points. When fully formed, they transformed into sleek, white-golden sacred swords resembling wings.
Clearly, Zhu Zhuqing's eighth soul skill was an extremely powerful and rare large-scale group attack.
However, only the two imperial elders facing this skill truly understood that it wasn't as simple as it appeared.
Though the two elders weren't agility-type Title Douluos known for speed, even with such a wide-range group attack, they were confident they could escape before being hit.
Yet at this moment, they found themselves completely immobilized, unable to flee.
'No escape!'
Zhu Zhuqing smirked internally. 'Domain! I've infused this skill with a domain and mental lockdown! There's no way their inferior Evil-Eyed White Tiger martial souls can escape!'
The two elders' faces turned pale with horror. Neither had warned the other to be cautious because they both knew they were in grave danger. Their only hope for survival was to defend with all their might.
"First Soul Skill—White Tiger Protective Barrier!" ×2
"Third Soul Skill—White Tiger Vajra Transformation!" ×2
"Fifth Soul Skill—White Tiger Demon God Transformation!" ×2
At this moment, the two elders activated all their defensive and augmentative soul skills, maximizing their attributes.
Just then, the rain of sacred swords descended from the heavens.
The holy sword rain streaked across the sky, leaving trails of faint rainbow-like light. The distant soul masters fighting below paused in awe, mesmerized by the beauty of this spectacle. They stopped their battles and gazed in shock at the clash between Title Douluos.
On Zhu Zhuqing's side, reactions were muted, but among the Star Luo forces, many soul masters collapsed to their knees. One soul master muttered under his breath:
"Damn it, what's the point of fighting anymore? If this master attacks us with something like this, no number of soul masters will survive."
Many nearby Star Luo soul masters nodded in agreement. Having never witnessed a Title Douluo battle before, they had only known that Title Douluos were strong—but now, seeing the true extent of their power, they realized how insignificant they were, like fireflies gazing at the blazing sun.
Pfft!
The crowd of Star Luo soul masters who had just nodded in agreement suddenly gasped in shock. The head of the soul master who had spoken moments ago had vanished without a trace!
When they saw who had acted, their souls nearly fled their bodies. They hastily knelt and began kowtowing.
"A bunch of useless fools! Regroup! The enemy isn't dead yet!"
The Star Luo Emperor roared furiously. With a mighty step forward, he and the Grand Elder beside him unleashed surging auras, transforming into two massive Evil-Eyed White Tigers that charged straight toward Zhu Zhuqing.
Meanwhile, the third and fourth imperial elders, besides activating defensive and augmentative soul skills, unleashed all their offensive soul skills in an attempt to counter Zhu Zhuqing's assault.
But facing the absolute disparity in soul skill quality, martial soul suppression, and attribute advantage, their resistance was akin to a little girl futilely trying to harm a burly man—unable to even reach his vital points.
Thus, when they saw the Star Luo Emperor and Grand Elder step in, their eyes lit up with hope.
They're saved!
However, hidden in the shadows, Huo Yu'er frowned slightly and murmured:
"I found it strange earlier—where did the Star Luo imperial family find two Title Douluos? Now, upon closer inspection with my divine sense… Something's off. I can't believe the noble Star Luo imperial family has resorted to practicing the ways of fallen soul masters. Disgraceful."
Ye Wen remained calm. He had traversed hundreds of Douluo worlds and conquered hundreds of thousands of realms under his command.
Thus, he calmly remarked, "Power is like that—it's hard to let go once you've tasted it. And when rulers face the prospect of losing it, they often act desperately, resorting to any means necessary. It's a common reaction. Thankfully, this world hasn't developed anything like nuclear weapons; otherwise, they might have sought mutual destruction."
Huo Yu'er, who had also conquered numerous worlds—including those with advanced technology—nodded in agreement.
As the saying goes: 'Evil thrice empowered, righteousness diminished by three.'
Though fallen soul masters were despised by orthodox soul masters, their strength was undeniable. For instance, a Death Messenger with mediocre soul rings had managed to wipe out a group of elite Shrek Academy students whose average cultivation ranged from top-tier Soul Kings to Soul Emperors.
Thus, Huo Yu'er watched Zhu Zhuqing with some concern, fearing that her carefully nurtured future Star Luo Empress might stumble.
Seeing Huo Yu'er's worry, Ye Wen lightly patted her shoulder and reassured her:
"Don't worry. Even if you were to stumble, Zhu Zhuqing wouldn't. You shouldn't forget how relentless Zhu Zhuqing is in her pursuit of strength. Underestimating her opponents and stumbling in a ditch won't happen."
Huo Yu'er nodded in agreement but soon realized the implication in Ye Wen's words. She pouted angrily and smacked him playfully.
"What do you mean 'stumble'? When have I ever stumbled?"
Ye Wen chuckled but said nothing.
Huo Yu'er knew exactly what he was referring to—her past mishap with Bibi Dong—and it made her even angrier.
But as the two teased each other, Huo Yu'er suddenly furrowed her brow and glanced toward a nearby corner.
In the worlds ruled by Ye Wen or Huo Yu'er, fallen soul masters existed, but their numbers were pitifully low due to restrictions. Even those born with potentially evil martial souls weren't outright hunted, avoiding the extreme measures seen in The Unrivaled Tang Sect, where every evil martial soul inevitably became a fallen soul master.
Only soul masters who experienced extreme trauma might tread such a twisted path to power.
Thus, while Huo Yu'er didn't discriminate against soul masters with evil martial souls, she despised fallen soul masters.
Especially those who deliberately chose the wrong path despite having the option to walk the righteous one.
"Husband, this guy's blood energy has recovered, and there's an unsettling vibe. Do you think he sneaked off and massacred a village while we weren't looking?" Huo Yu'er asked, frowning.
Though Huo Yu'er had ascended to godhood and understood the separation between mortals and gods, she still couldn't bear to see ordinary people suffer because of powerful individuals.
"Don't worry. I used an illusion earlier to make him think he healed himself using dark arts," Ye Wen said nonchalantly.
Huo Yu'er understood the reasoning, and so did Ye Wen. But as a powerful being, Ye Wen was entitled to some capriciousness. If he didn't want to see tragedy unfold, he simply wouldn't let it happen. Saving a group of powerless civilians wouldn't cause any major disruptions in this extraordinary world.
At this moment, Ye Wen smirked mischievously.
"This fallen soul master really doesn't fear death. He barely escaped with his life earlier, and now he dares to return, thinking he can ambush Zhu Zhuqing from the shadows. Does he really think she's so preoccupied with four Evil-Eyed White Tigers that he'll get an opening!?"
Huo Yu'er caught the teasing tone in Ye Wen's voice and burst into laughter.
Although Zhu Zhuqing hadn't achieved a double kill due to the Star Luo Emperor's intervention, her Sacred White Tiger martial soul's absolute bloodline superiority not only overwhelmed the imperial family's Evil-Eyed White Tigers but also marked the four imperials as fallen soul masters due to their reliance on dark arts to break through the 90th level barrier. This further amplified Zhu Zhuqing's suppression and boosted her sacred power.
At this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's sacred attribute could only be described as radiating an almost sinister purity.
As for the even more malevolent Blood Fiend, if he dared to attempt another sneak attack, he'd likely be suppressed and injured before even getting close.
True to Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er's expectations, the Blood Fiend, hiding in the shadows, swallowed nervously but refused to budge.
Earlier, he had sensed something strange about Zhu Zhuqing's sound waves. Now, with her sacred attribute fully activated, even without directly attacking him, he could tell her power countered his far too effectively!
The Blood Fiend thought to himself: 'Going in now would be suicide. Plus, I tricked her earlier—I'm really afraid this seemingly calm but possibly deranged woman will give me a taste of her wrath. Then I'd really be done for! I came here for fun, not to die!'
As for why the Blood Fiend considered Zhu Zhuqing a seemingly calm yet crazed woman?
Anyone with a functioning brain could see it: what kind of young lady fights four-on-one, throwing herself into the fray with reckless abandon?!
But the half-baked Star Luo Emperor didn't care about such details. All he knew was that an extra pair of hands meant extra strength. That's why he ordered his subordinates to call back the wandering Blood Fiend.
The Star Luo imperial family had gone to great lengths to recruit the Blood Fiend years ago and had thoroughly studied his martial soul and abilities. That's why they urgently used poison to threaten him into returning.
During the battle, the Star Luo Emperor suddenly let out a loud roar—a signal he and the Blood Fiend had agreed upon earlier—to urge the latter to act quickly.
The Blood Fiend's face turned bitter. If he had a choice, he wouldn't have come out in the first place!
Who would have thought that Title Douluos, once rare and powerful on the Douluo Continent, would now seem so worthless? Especially the younger generation—one freak after another. He truly felt overwhelmed.
But just then, a spine-chilling voice came from behind the Blood Fiend.
"Never expected to find a fallen soul master at the Title Douluo level still wandering around the Douluo Continent. How curious."
Despite being imprisoned for years, the Blood Fiend remained as nimble as a cunning rabbit. He quickly distanced himself from the newcomer and attempted a counterattack during the process.
A blood arrow, capable of killing an ordinary Soul Douluo, struck Tang San's divine armor and shattered into pieces.
Seeing this, the Blood Fiend's pupils contracted sharply. He realized he couldn't overpower this opponent.
But before he could escape, he was instantly pinned in place.
A bead of cold sweat rolled down the Blood Fiend's temple.
'This disparity in strength! This guy's cultivation far surpasses that young woman! What's going on in this era? Why are all these young people so monstrously strong!?'
At this moment, Tang San's face showed slight displeasure. Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that someone like him, the ancestor of hidden weapons, would be ambushed with a hidden weapon. If his divine armor weren't a god-level item, he might have actually met his end in that ditch.
Hidden in the shadows, Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er burst into laughter: Pfft!!!
'Hahaha, the genius of hidden weapons almost got killed by his own invention! What kind of annual hellish joke is this?' Though Ye Wen and Huo Yu'er knew Tang San was relatively mediocre in many aspects, this scene was truly unexpected—even for them.
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