Nine Compressions, Final PreparationsUnder the cover of night, the sea was as black as ink, seemingly capable of swallowing all light. Standing on the beach, watching the ebb and flow of the tide, and feeling the salty sea breeze blowing in his face, Dai Yao felt a sense of gloom in his heart.
"If only I had a little more time. After obtaining my sixth spirit ring, I stopped cultivating to adapt to the surge in spirit power. Now, I have already reached level sixty-nine. If I absorb the spirit bone of the Blue Silver Emperor, I will definitely be able to break through to level seventy."
"Absorbing the seventh spirit ring would allow me to unleash the most powerful skill of a beast spirit master: the True Spirit Body. My strength would skyrocket, giving me power comparable to an ordinary titled Douluo. Unfortunately, those guys didn't give me that much time."
Dai Yao had long planned for his seventh spirit ring, which would be the spirit ring of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger.
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had coveted him for a long time, and he, in turn, coveted the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's spirit ring. But now time was of the essence, and he simply couldn't spare the time to go to the Star Dou Great Forest to hunt down the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Moreover, whether he could even kill the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was a question in itself.
In the original novel, Tang San, who had become a Title Douluo, finally suppressed the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and defeated it in the battle of rejuvenation.
Dai Yao, currently only a Soul Emperor, may not be able to defeat the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger. Moreover, if the Soul Beast race discovers that Dai Yao has come to the Star Dou Great Forest, they will not allow him to leave again.
Dai Yao let out a soft breath and thought to himself:
"Now, there are only three days left. Within these three days, I must unleash the Ninth Compression, otherwise, if we encounter danger in the Star Luo Empire, I will have no choice but to expose the Chaos Azure Lotus Martial Soul!"
Prematurely revealing the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul was something Dai Yao didn't want to see. As Dai Yao's strength increased, his understanding of the Chaos Green Lotus's terrifying nature deepened.
Although exposure was inevitable, delaying it would give Dai Yao more initiative.
Taking a deep breath, the salty, humid air entered his lungs. After clearing his mind of distractions, Dai Yao slowly gathered his soul power in his right fist.
Buzz—
Dai Yao skillfully compressed his soul power into his right arm time and time again. As the number of compressions increased, his right arm gradually swelled up, and his skin turned red.
When the seventh compression was completed, a burst of energy created a hurricane on the beach. Countless grains of sand flew into the sky, forming a brownish-yellow tornado.
The seventh compression had reached the limit of Dai Yao's body, and he had to use his soul skill to continue.
"Third Soul Skill - White Tiger Dark Gold Transformation! Fifth Soul Skill - White Tiger Titan Transformation!"
With a loud shout, six spirit rings suddenly appeared around Dai Yao. The third purple spirit ring and the fifth black spirit ring lit up sharply. Although Dai Yao's appearance and physique did not change, the feeling he gave off was completely different from before. He was more solid, more imposing, and more terrifying.
It has a kind of back-to-basics feel to it.
"The eighth compression!"
Thump—
As if hearing his heart beating, Dai Yao's soul power in his right fist began to compress once more.
After a few breaths, the eighth compression was finally completed. Around Dai Yao's right fist, it seemed as if space was beginning to crack, with air currents surging and making a hissing sound.
Dai Yao was panting heavily, veins throbbing on his forehead. The power after the eighth compression was comparable to the ninth soul skill of a Title Douluo, but it was still too much for Dai Yao, who was only a Soul Emperor. However, Dai Yao was already familiar with this state and could still barely control it.
Feeling the explosive soul power in his right fist, Dai Yao's expression darkened slightly as he thought:
"The eighth compression is complete. Now we're trying the ninth compression. I tried it a long time ago, but it always ended in failure. I've reached that bottleneck, the limit of the human body. The ninth compression is only possible within the body after the eighth compression, unless the body explodes and I die."
"But after Sword Douluo's reminder, I realized a new method."
"That is to use this world as my body and undergo the ninth compression!"
With this in mind, Dai Yao began a frantic experiment, letting wisps of soul power seep through his skin and into the air around his arm.
Upon entering the air, Dai Yao clearly felt that the flow of his soul power became extremely sluggish. After leaving the human body, the control of his soul power by his mental power was significantly weakened due to the obstruction of the air.
"In other words, to compress soul power using the power of heaven and earth, one must possess powerful spiritual energy?"
Dai Yao's gaze was somewhat gloomy. He was indeed very strong among his peers, but he lacked in mental strength. There were still a few Soul Masters who could rival him in mental strength, such as Tang San and Hu Liena.
However, with such mental strength, it is certainly beyond their ability to compress such terrifying energy.
"Damn it, if I had enough time to absorb the seventh spirit ring, I might have enough mental power to compress the ninth one! Or if I wait a few more days and absorb the Blue Silver Emperor's spirit bone, I can also increase my mental power by a lot!"
Dai Yao cursed under his breath.
I took a deep breath and calmed myself down:
"Now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to use you. Qingguang, restore me!"
In the spiritual world, the Chaotic Azure Lotus swayed gently, and countless azure rays of light flowed along the meridians into the brain, replenishing the depleted spiritual energy. The spiritual energy, barely depleted, was immediately replenished. Although Dai Yao's spiritual energy couldn't meet the demands of compressing his soul power, the continuous, almost limitless replenishment from the azure light made it possible to satisfy his needs.
Sensing the anomalies in their spiritual world, Lei Ming, Yan Yuteng, and Xiao Wu both awoke with a start, staring in shock at everything happening in the real world.
"Dai Yao, what are you doing?"
Lei Yuteng exclaimed in surprise.
Xiao Wu was utterly horrified. The aura emanating from Dai Yao's attack was already close to that of Da Ming and Er Ming's ultimate soul skills. If this guy were to become a Title Douluo, even if Da Ming and Er Ming joined forces, they might not be a match for him!
But Dai Yao was so engrossed in his own world that he didn't notice Lei Yuteng's shouts.
He gritted his teeth, focusing intently on feeling the compression of soul power around his arms. Large beads of sweat dripped down his face, but as soon as they left his chin, they were blown away by a strong wind and dissipated into the air.
"It's already compressed by half, keep going..."
Dai Yao gritted his teeth and thought to himself.
However, compressing soul power is not something that can be done overnight. Dai Yao had only compressed it by more than half when the raging compressed soul power began to go out of control. Sensing something was wrong, Dai Yao immediately activated his Chaos Azure Lotus Martial Soul and teleported away.
The instant he left, a dazzling light burst forth on the beach, followed by a tremendous explosion. The sand melted, and a violent gust of wind pushed the seawater backward, revealing reefs that had been hidden on the seabed for years.
A moment later, Dai Yao returned to the spot. Looking at the huge crater that had suddenly appeared in the ground, he swallowed hard, still shaken.
"The compressed soul power is truly violent; if one is not careful, it will explode. If I hadn't reacted quickly, I would have already perished here. However, the power of this move is beyond my expectations. The ninth compression was only half completed, yet its power far exceeded that of the eighth compression."
"I made the right choice to compress my soul power for the ninth time! With this move, even without using the Chaos Green Lotus Martial Soul, I will have no fear of death on my journey to the Star Luo Empire!"
"As long as a peerless Douluo doesn't appear, even if I encounter a Super Douluo, I will have the power to fight back!"
Dai Yao thought excitedly.
"The reason I failed just now is that my sensitivity to the changes in compressing soul power decreased significantly after it entered the air. As a result, I have to try many times and accumulate more experience before I can complete the ninth compression when I go to the Star Luo Empire!"
After a moment of contemplation, Dai Yao flapped his eight wings and went elsewhere to continue training for the ninth compression.
He only had three days. After that, he would set off for the Star Luo Empire, so he had to cherish every minute and every second.
······
Although the place where Dai Yao practiced was far enough away from Hanhai City, the powerful energy fluctuations could not be hidden from the titled Douluo of Hanhai City.
Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo both looked toward the spot where the explosion had occurred, their expressions solemn.
Ning Fengzhi, seated at the head of the table, asked with some confusion:
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, what's wrong with you?"
Bone Douluo's expression was solemn as he said to Sword Douluo, "If I'm not mistaken, it was that kid who caused the commotion."
Sword Douluo nodded:
"It must be him. The aura he just exuded was extremely similar to Dai Yao's self-created soul skill called 'Eight Extremes Collapse.' He must have been attempting the ninth compression after his enlightenment. What a terrifying little guy. The power of this move seems to be only slightly inferior to your ninth soul skill."
Bone Douluo nodded solemnly. Even he felt a chill run down his spine from the aura of the explosion.
"This little guy is a monster."
Bone Douluo said with emotion, then turned to Tuo and explained to Ning Fengzhi and Ning Rongrong:
"Just now, an extremely powerful aura erupted north of Hanhai City. Its power was no less than my ninth soul skill. The owner of that aura should be Dai Yao."
Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi gasped. To be able to unleash a soul skill comparable to a level 95 Douluo at the Soul Emperor level was simply unbelievable.
Ning Rongrong stood up in surprise and said:
"Grandpa Bones, are you telling the truth?"
Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo exchanged a helpless glance, and Sword Douluo laughed:
"It is indeed true, but at present, that aura is too violent. It seems that Dai Yao has not yet mastered it perfectly. It is probably still a long way before he can use it in battle."
Upon hearing this, a faint look of disappointment appeared on Ning Rongrong's pretty face.
Ning Fengzhi gently stroked Ning Rongrong's hair comfortingly and smiled:
"Alright, Rongrong, don't worry. Dai Yao is doing everything he can to save his uncle, and we won't stand idly by. Uncle Jian, you and Rongrong should go to the outskirts of Wuguan City and wait for their return. If anything happens to them, you should intervene and enter the Star Luo Empire."
"Even if we can't rescue Dai Yao, we can still relieve a lot of their pressure."
"Although Rongrong is still a Soul Emperor, the amplification effect of the Ten Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda is no less than that of me as a Soul Douluo. With Rongrong's amplification, you can safely escape even if you encounter a level 98 Title Douluo."
Sword Douluo nodded:
"Fengzhi, I understand."
Hearing Ning Fengzhi's instructions, Ning Rongrong's pretty face still held a hint of worry. But she knew that this was the limit of what the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School could do. Once Sword Douluo made a move, it meant that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School had intervened, and the so-called neutrality would cease to exist.
Having left the vortex of the mainland, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School will once again be drawn into it.
······
Three days later.
Inside the Azure Lotus Sect's residence, three rows of people stood in neat formation. There were a total of five hundred experts at the Soul King level or above, each an elite member of the Azure Lotus Sect. The combined aura of these five hundred men was enough to rival even an army of tens of thousands.
"The Ministry of Construction is ready."
Niu Gao stepped forward and shouted.
"The Information Department is ready."
The white crane echoed.
"The medical department is ready."
Yang Wudi stroked his goatee and laughed.
"Our Ministry of Science and Technology is also ready."
Lou Gao patted his big belly and laughed loudly.
Looking at the spirited group of over five hundred people, Dai Yao suppressed the gloom in his heart caused by the unfinished task and, with renewed vigor, shouted:
"Everyone, our purpose in going to the Star Luo Empire is to rescue people, but you must also protect yourselves. You are the pillars of the Azure Lotus Sect."
"I promise you all that if you return alive, you can choose one spirit ring. Any spirit ring you have before becoming a Title Douluo is yours to choose from. And it's guaranteed to be a spirit ring over 30,000 years old! If any spirit beasts develop spirit bones, those belong to you all!"
Upon hearing this, everyone gasped for breath. A spirit ring over 30,000 years old was a coveted treasure for ordinary spirit masters. If they could use the sect leader's promise at the spirit saint level, they could save a lot of effort.
Before joining the Azure Lotus Sect, they lived in constant fear, even just to obtain a soul ring that lasted ten or twenty thousand years. The sect leader's promise made them no longer complain about venturing into the Star Luo Empire.
A bold Soul Master said:
"Sect Master, if I become a Title Douluo, will I no longer be able to choose?"
Everyone looked at the person who spoke, and Dai Yao laughed loudly:
"If you become a Title Douluo, the sect will have already mobilized all its elite forces to hunt down the ninth spirit ring! If you can become a Title Douluo, it's equivalent to having two choices!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh, amused by the Soul Master's naive question. If he could become a Title Douluo, he would be the pillar of the sect, and the sect would spare no expense to prepare perfect soul rings for him. Why would he need the sect leader's promise?
However, a deep longing also welled up within them. Becoming a Title Douluo would be equivalent to having two optimally configured spirit rings, placing them at the very top of their level among spirit masters!
Several elders at the Soul Douluo level couldn't help but breathe heavily. They were the ones with the best chance of becoming Title Douluos in the sect!
They had initially worried that their limited social network would prevent them from hunting the most suitable spirit rings when they became Title Douluos. But with the sect leader's promise, their worries disappeared!
As for whether the sect leader can actually do it, are the titled Douluo like Poison Douluo, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo just for show?
After speaking, Dai Yao said solemnly:
"Everyone, if anyone sacrifices themselves in the Star Luo Empire, their offspring will be raised by the sect free of charge. The sect will also be responsible for their spirit rings up to the sixth spirit ring. Does anyone have any objections?"
Upon hearing this, the last trace of doubt in everyone's hearts was dispelled.
Everyone said in unison:
"No objections!"
Seeing this, Dai Yao roared:
"Okay, let's set off immediately!"
Three rows of people boarded the prepared carriages one by one. The carriages, like dragons, kicked up billowing dust as they headed south towards the Star Luo Empire.
Dugu Yan stood silently atop the city wall of Hanhai City.
Dai Yao had a private carriage. Inside, he sat with Dugu Yan, while opposite them sat Sword Douluo and Ning Rongrong. The two would accompany Dai Yao, but would wait for him outside Wuguan Pass.
Dai Yao stared blankly at his right hand, thinking to himself:
"It's still not working. The ninth compression can only go up to 99%, but I just can't get the last 10% done. Damn it, what am I lacking? Why can't I finish it?"
"Dai Yao, don't worry. Even if something happens, Grandpa Jian will definitely come to save you."
Ning Rongrong looked at Dai Yao with some concern.
Dai Yao looked up, smiled at Ning Rongrong:
"Yes, I know, I'm thinking about something else."
Immediately, Dai Yao gazed at the scenery flashing past the window and made up his mind:
"Since I can't complete nine compressions, when faced with an unavoidable battle, I can still deliver a fatal blow to my opponent using this uncontrollable explosion! Even if I suffer severe injuries, as long as I have the Chaos Green Lotus, I can recover!" (End of Chapter)