"So, you mean to tell me you're not backing down, young man?" Dugu Bo asked again.
"I will not retreat!" Behind Li Chang'an, seven soul rings began to glow, slowly releasing their majestic aura—instantly blinding everyone with their brilliance.
[Zhang San, points +4]
[...]
The military surrounding them easily numbered in the thousands. With so many onlookers, Li Chang'an's points skyrocketed. In the blink of an eye, he'd already racked up over ten thousand points!
That was one of the main reasons why Li Chang'an refused to back down this time. He was here to make a grand show of force in Heaven Dou City. Even if the Emperor himself showed up, nothing would stop him from pulling this off!
After all, Heaven Dou City had a population in the millions. It would be a breeze to earn back all the points he'd spent advancing to Spirit Sage. Why waste the opportunity?
More importantly, the further he progressed, the more soul power and points he'd need. A chance like this was rare, and he intended to milk it for all it was worth.
"Then forgive me, Your Highness!" Dugu Bo's heart sank the moment he saw the rings behind Li Chang'an. But he had no choice—he owed a debt of gratitude and was acting under orders. He had to protect Xue Xing.
No matter how strong a Spirit Sage was, in the end, he was still just a Spirit Sage. Or so Dugu Bo kept telling himself.
Two yellow, two purple, five black—a total of nine soul rings rose beneath his feet. The trademark of a Titled Douluo!
A piercing howl escaped from Dugu Bo's mouth as an emerald glow erupted from within his body. His figure expanded in the wind, the first seven soul rings lighting up in unison. Then, his tall and lean frame swelled and shot into the sky.
A dense coating of diamond-shaped emerald scales covered his body, each one gleaming like embedded jade. His human form vanished as Dugu Bo transformed into a massive green serpent. In mere moments, the snake's body stretched to over 30 meters long and as thick as a water tank.
Indeed, Dugu Bo had released his Martial Soul True Form right from the start. He wasn't one to show off unnecessarily. Since he wasn't particularly skilled in direct combat, he had to go all in from the beginning!
Li Chang'an, of course, didn't back down either. His seventh soul ring lit up, and the Pangu Axe instantly grew to over 50 meters in length, its blade spanning more than 20 meters across.
Pangu Axe—Martial Soul True Form!
At this point, Prince Xue Xing and the surrounding troops began to retreat. This level of battle was far beyond anything they could get involved in. After all, the strength of an army didn't lie in individual heroism.
Suddenly, the enormous green serpent opened its jaws wide. A glowing green energy ball began to condense in its mouth, its serpentine tongue flickering menacingly.
"Come on then!"
Li Chang'an showed no fear as he swung the massive Pangu Axe toward the glowing green sphere—without even using a soul skill.
Yes, he chose to clash head-on using pure martial soul against Dugu Bo's soul skill!
Although the green energy orb was overwhelmingly powerful, it was still no match for the raw might of the Pangu Axe. However, it did manage to halt the axe's downward swing.
"You little brat, are you trying to die!?"
Twin beams of pale light shot out from the transformed serpent's glowing white eyes, hurtling directly toward Li Chang'an.
His heart skipped a beat. He could tell—this wasn't a soul skill from Dugu Bo's soul rings. The transformation of the snake's head was unmistakable—this was the power of a soul bone.
Among the six primary soul bones, the skull and torso were undoubtedly the most valuable. And what Dugu Bo was using now was clearly a skull-type ability.
Titled Douluo—there truly wasn't a single one to be underestimated. A soul bone, which most spirit masters would never even see in their lives, was just another weapon in his arsenal.
What's more, Li Chang'an recognized the origin of this particular bone. It was a terrifying one—believed to have come from Medusa, the so-called Serpent Queen. It had to have been shed from a Medusa that had cultivated for at least ten thousand years.
The ability's name?
Medusa's Gaze!
Li Chang'an didn't dare slack off. His sixth soul ring began to glow. Oceanic Domain—activated! It was the skill attached to a 720,000-year torso soul bone, increasing his power sixfold. Right arm, empowered!
The twin beams of white light slowed down slightly the moment they entered Li Chang'an's domain. At the same time, the Pangu Axe gleamed with a purple light!
It was now a direct clash between soul bone abilities. While Li Chang'an's soul bone might not have looked as flashy, in terms of age and raw power, it utterly crushed Dugu Bo's!
Pfft!
The massive serpent's body vanished in an instant. Dugu Bo's true form dropped from the sky, blood spurting from his mouth!
Poison Douluo—defeated!
---
"Attack! Kill the one who dares challenge the authority of our Heaven Dou Empire!" Prince Xue Xing roared from within the military formation, his voice laced with panic. He was terrified—truly terrified now.
If there were any blame to be assigned later, he knew he wouldn't be able to escape. At this point, the only way out was to kill Li Chang'an and force a total break between the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall. Only then could he shift the blame.
Soldiers lived by the code of obedience. The now-evacuated street quickly filled with movement again. Countless arrows and ballista bolts were launched, and even Grade One Soul Cannons were brought into position.
"Fire!"
A sky-darkening volley of arrows shot toward Li Chang'an midair. The sky was dense with projectiles—there was barely any space between them—and the thunder of cannons roared alongside.
Li Chang'an responded with a simple motion—he unleashed the Donghuang Bell. An ancient, mysterious glow enveloped him, blocking all incoming attacks effortlessly.
At the same time, far off on the horizon, an old man soared toward them—riding on a sword!
He had snow-white hair and beard, yet a face smooth as a child's.
Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—Sword Douluo!
As a longstanding ally of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile clan couldn't sit idle in the face of such chaos. Sword Douluo had arrived on the battlefield in record time.
In fact, the Clan had already intervened, temporarily restraining Salas and the others. They wanted to use this chaotic situation to find some dirt on Li Chang'an!
They didn't dare kill him—after all, the consequences of killing the Holy Son of Spirit Hall would be catastrophic, far beyond what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan could handle.
But they could use this opportunity to tarnish his image. With that, voices inside Spirit Hall itself might start calling for his removal.
The Heaven Dou Empire and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan already had extensive information on Li Chang'an. Many of the policies he had championed clashed with their interests. If there was a chance to force him out, they would seize it.
From the initial storefront smashing to this city-wide brawl—no one had expected things to escalate this far. But now, both sides were playing to maximize their own gains.
Li Chang'an narrowed his eyes, sensing the terrifying and sharp sword intent approaching from the skies. He gripped the Pangu Axe a little tighter.
This kind of razor-sharp pressure—he had never felt it before. Sword Douluo was a man who had devoted his entire life to the sword, making his presence overwhelming. He was without a doubt one of the strongest among all Titled Douluo.
And if Ning Fengzhi, the greatest support-type Spirit Master, was nearby too, then Sword Douluo's power could rise even further.
____
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