After its ascension, the Seven Kill Sword's original blue radiance had completely vanished, replaced by a long sword shrouded in black and crimson, engraved with demonic patterns. Both longer and broader than before, it exuded an oppressive sense of raw power.
Not only that—due to the increase in the soul ring years, the sword's weight had risen sharply. In a battlefield melee, throwing it casually could probably smash an entire group of enemies to death.
Soul power surged, and within the carriage, the air roiled as if a storm had been trapped inside—something extraordinary was taking place.
Dustwind's original seven soul rings seemed to be drawn out, dissolving into seven beams of alternating black and crimson light, which merged into the Seven Kill Sword.
On the blade, already covered in dark red magic lines, seven small stars appeared.
Black, black, black, black, black, red, red.
Each star resonated with the soul ring it represented.
Dustwind took a deep breath—he felt incredible. A vast, boundless force filled his body, and instead of dread, he found himself anticipating the arrival of the Spirit Hall army.
His sixth and seventh rings—both hundred-thousand-year soul rings—were enough to multiply his strength several times over. Combined with the Shura God's trial rewards and the power gained from sacrificial blessings, Dustwind couldn't even be sure how far his power had truly reached.
Right now, the Seven Kill Sword could no longer be classified as a mere top-tier tool-type martial soul—it was verging on the level of a semi-divine weapon.
All of this transformation happened quietly within the carriage, veiled by an invisible force, unnoticed even by Sword Douluo, who was stationed just nearby.
Meanwhile, the return convoy to the Heaven Dou Empire pressed forward slowly—until, suddenly, the five hundred Royal Knights at the head of the column came to a halt.
Before them loomed a mountain pass, with towering peaks to either side and only a narrow path ahead. On the far side lay Heaven Dou Empire's borders.
A chill seeped into the air at some unknown point, causing the warhorses to hesitate, stamping and snorting. The column halted completely.
"Full alert!"
Sensing something was wrong, the captain of the Royal Knights bellowed, "There's a situation ahead!"
Nearly a thousand people—combining the Royal Knights with the academy teams—stood in stark contrast: the knights stood rigid, swords flashing from their sheaths; the academy side looked relaxed, even careless.
With so many prodigy soul masters here, what was there to fear?
And besides, every advanced academy had instructors who were at least Soul Kings, with more than a dozen Soul Sages or stronger among them.
A force like this could face a conventional army of tens of thousands head-on without fear.
Trouble? That thought hadn't even crossed most minds.
But the captain of the Royal Knights looked grim. He was a soul master himself, but his mission was to protect all the participants. Years of military service had made him far more cautious than the rest.
He dispatched a ten-man scout team to investigate ahead, while his eyes scanned the cliffs above the pass.
"This is a deathtrap…" he muttered under his breath.
If enemies were lying in wait, entering the pass would mean certain death—rolling boulders from above could crush everyone, soul masters included, sparing perhaps only Soul Sects and above.
And then—it happened. The scout team suddenly burst into a spray of blood.
Puff, puff, puff…
Ten soldiers and their mounts were instantly pulverized into chunks of flesh by some unseen force.
A burly figure leapt down from above, slamming into the ground with a booming impact that shook the earth.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, purple, black, black, black, black.
The captain's pupils contracted sharply—a Titled Douluo!
"Enemy attack—!"
He roared at the top of his lungs.
The Titled Douluo, expressionless, swung his arm forward and barked, "Kill them all!"
In the next instant, over a thousand figures surged from the treeline on both sides, soul rings glowing yellow and purple as skills erupted—an entire army of soul masters.
Boom, boom, boom!
Massive boulders rolled down the cliffs, gaining such momentum that they hurtled like missiles into the Royal Knights and academy formations.
The battlefield was thrown into chaos—men and horses overturned.
The academy instructors scrambled to lead their students back.
Thankfully, because the Royal Knights had halted early, no one had entered the narrow pass yet, allowing them to retreat quickly out of the rockfall's range. Had they gone in blindly, the casualties would have been catastrophic.
But relief was short-lived.
"Kill—!"
The cry rose from the enemy ranks as the thousand-strong soul master army charged like a flood.
At the very front strode six terrifying figures, each surrounded by nine rings—their full Titled Douluo pressure unleashed.
"Six Titled Douluo!"
Despair swept the Heaven Dou forces. Even before they reached the lines, the suffocating pressure forced all soul masters below Soul Sect level to their knees, unable to move.
"Spirit Hall… so, you finally couldn't resist making your move!"
In the chaos, Prince Xue Xing stared at the six terrifying figures, his face pale as snow.
If not for Poison Douluo Dugu Bo standing beside him, even he wouldn't be able to move under the crushing aura.
"Dustwind was right… Spirit Hall's ambitions truly know no bounds. But who would have thought they'd strike so ruthlessly—six Titled Douluo at once…"
His gaze darkened with a mix of fear and resignation. Their only hope now lay with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
And as if in answer, from the rear of the academy formation, a streak of azure light suddenly ripped through the air.
Its speed was so great that ordinary eyes could barely track it—only the flash of blue remained before one of the Spirit Hall Titled Douluo, the same one who had slaughtered the scouts, was struck and hurled away like a cannonball.
The shockwave from the collision alone sent the charging soul master army sprawling, and weaker soul masters close to the impact were crushed into dust by the sheer killing intent.
"Sword Dao Chen Xin…"
The remaining five Titled Douluo stood with calm expressions.
The Sword Douluo's name was legendary in the soul master world—but against six Titled Douluo together, no matter how fearsome his sword, what was there to fear?