"Elder Ju, Elder Gui, well done!"
"Leave the rest to me!"
Seeing Lin Mu trapped within the golden-silver domain, Lor Diarra laughed triumphantly. His seventh soul ring lit up instantly.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Golden Eagle Avatar!"
A gigantic golden eagle materialized in mid-air. Its massive wings spread wide, condensing countless sharp golden feathers that shot toward the immobilized Lin Mu in an instant!
Seeing this, the Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart tightened. He immediately prepared to sever the connection to the 'Bipolar Static Domain'.
Since Lin Mu had treated them with sincerity, they could not be ungrateful.
Moreover, the pills Lin Mu gave them were indeed effective, saving them several months of bitter cultivation, this was their chance to advance further!
In their Martial Soul Fusion state, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos were of one mind. They needed no verbal communication to instantly reach a consensus.
Just then, a green figure quietly appeared behind Lor Diarra.
The figure instantly turned red, and simultaneously, the "Lin Mu" trapped inside the domain vanished.
In the blink of an eye, Lor Diarra had no time to react before the real Lin Mu appeared behind him and sent him flying with a single punch. He didn't even need to use a soul skill; Lin Mu shattered the Golden Eagle Avatar with sheer physical force!
"Pfft!!"
The moment his Martial Soul Avatar shattered, Lor Diarra coughed up a mouthful of blood. Utterly powerless to resist, he slammed heavily into the ground, creating a crater.
At this moment, Lor Diarra's mind went blank.
He had thought that as a fellow Soul Douluo, he could at least withstand two or three rounds from Lin Mu. He hadn't expected to be unable to withstand even a single blow!
What was most incomprehensible was that Lin Mu was merely a Soul Douluo. How could he break free from the Martial Soul Fusion Technique of two Titled Douluos so easily?
However, all of this was a carefully planned scheme by Lin Mu.
He did it to avoid putting the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos in a difficult position, and to test one of the skills from his Hurricane Armor's eighth ring.
This soul skill could dispel all strong control effects and leave behind an energy clone, while the main body instantly teleported a thousand meters away, a technique he temporarily named "Golden Cicada Sheds its Shell."
In Lor Diarra's eyes, Lin Mu had been successfully controlled by the Bipolar Static Domain, but through some unknown, heaven-defying method, he had broken free.
This would absolve the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos of any responsibility for the failure.
Just as Lor Diarra collapsed unconscious in the crater, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos dispelled their Martial Soul Fusion Technique.
Seeing their seriously injured and unconscious colleague, they breathed a sigh of relief. They immediately dropped their pretense and became even more respectful to Lin Mu.
"Lord Lin Mu, we were very rude just now. Please forgive us!"
"You two don't need to be like that; I didn't take it to heart."
Lin Mu waved his hand, his gaze turning to the unconscious Lor Diarra. "This person witnessed the battle; now you'll have something to report back to Bibi Dong."
"You're so considerate of our position... it's truly shameful compared to how we've acted."
Understanding Lin Mu's intentions, the Chrysanthemum Douluo's face showed genuine shame. Bibi Dong had never considered their well-being so thoughtfully.
Immediately, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos began to communicate using their soul power.
Not long after, the Chrysanthemum Douluo made up his mind and transmitted his voice: "Lord Lin Mu, we two wish to serve you. What do you think?"
After some discussion, both of them felt that following Bibi Dong was becoming pointless. It would be better to switch sides and serve Lin Mu, a man with a limitless future.
After all, Lin Mu possessed the art of alchemy, and the pills he refined were beneficial even to Titled Douluos. In addition, Lin Mu treated people well, and following him offered the hope of reaching higher realms of power.
"You want to join me?"
Lin Mu was taken aback at first, then began to ponder.
To be fair, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos weren't particularly strong in one-on-one fights compared to top-tier Titled Douluos, but their Martial Soul Fusion Technique was invaluable, offering unparalleled control capabilities. It would come in handy later when hunting for his ninth soul ring.
After careful consideration, Lin Mu shook his head and transmitted his voice back:
"No. You are, after all, Elders of Spirit Hall. If you rashly defect, it will definitely damage Spirit Hall's prestige. Not only will Bibi Dong not agree, but the Worship Hall (Douluo Palace) will not let you off the hook."
Upon hearing this, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos' pupils suddenly shrank.
Leaving aside the Worship Hall, if they truly defected, Bibi Dong, with her ruthless methods, would undoubtedly eliminate them at all costs.
At this moment, Lin Mu suddenly changed the subject, continuing, "How about this: you two stay in Spirit Hall and continue to observe the situation. Furthermore, I will give each of you a bottle of pills every six months, so you can receive two salaries simultaneously."
Upon hearing this, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos exchanged a glance, surprised that Lin Mu was so considerate of them.
Most importantly, Lin Mu didn't question their loyalty at all and wasn't worried about them betraying him in the face of danger. Compared to Bibi Dong's suspicion and differential treatment, Lin Mu was far superior!
'A scholar dies for one who understands him!'
At this moment, Lin Mu's position in their hearts far surpassed that of Spirit Hall. As for that certain madwoman Pope, there was no need to say more.
"Lord Lin Mu, if there is anything you need us for, please just give the order, and we will not refuse!"
With that, the Chrysanthemum Douluo bowed respectfully to show his reverence for Lin Mu.
The same was true of the Ghost Douluo beside him. For him, as long as he was with his old buddy, it didn't matter who he served.
Seeing this, Lin Mu nodded slightly. The value of the Chrysanthemum-Ghost duo far exceeded that of the Poison Douluo.
Although he had no ambition to rule the world, having more reliable teammates would help him deal with various emergencies.
After a moment, the Chrysanthemum Douluo glanced at the still unconscious Lor Diara and said solemnly, "Lord Lin Mu, although Lor Diarra is unconscious, we must sustain some injuries. Otherwise, returning unscathed will definitely arouse Bibi Dong's suspicion."
"Lord Lin Mu, Old Chrysanthemum is right."
The Ghost Douluo echoed, then explained, "Bibi Dong listened to Yu Xiaogang's slander and already harbors suspicions about us. If this operation fails but we return unharmed while the Bishop is half-dead, she will definitely become even more suspicious."
"That's true."
Hearing their words, Lin Mu hesitated. He had just subdued the two, and he really didn't want to hurt his new subordinates.
"Lord Lin Mu, please do it!"
The Chrysanthemum Douluo's expression was calm, already prepared to take Lin Mu's soul skill head-on, as was the Ghost Douluo beside him.
"Alright then."
Lin Mu sighed helplessly, and his fourth soul ring suddenly lit up.
The next moment, a giant lava axe appeared in his right hand. As his fiery soul power surged, a large amount of Qilin Fire gathered on the weapon.
"Just a fourth soul skill?"
The Chrysanthemum Douluo breathed a slight sigh of relief. If it were a hundred-thousand-year soul skill, even if he and Ghost defended together, they would probably be seriously injured.
However, the next second, his eyes widened.
Lin Mu raised the giant lava axe high, and the originally imposing Qilin Fire was compressed into a giant flame blade over ten meters long, looking even more terrifying than before.
Although the age of the fourth soul ring had only been increased once, after several overall enhancements to Lin Mu's power, the intensity of the flame was now on a completely different level!
"Slash!"
As the giant lava axe fell, the giant flame blade slashed toward the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos.
At this moment, the two abandoned their initial relief and used their martial souls in perfect unison to defend themselves. If they took this attack carelessly, they would likely suffer far more than minor injuries.
They only wanted to avoid Bibi Dong's suspicion; they weren't masochists!
"BOOM!!"
With a deafening roar, the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluos, who hadn't fully prepared for the intensity of the blow, simultaneously coughed up blood and were knocked backward.
Just then, Lor Diarra, who had briefly regained some consciousness, witnessed this scene through blurry eyes. Before he could process it, he was thrown back by the shockwave of the flames and fell unconscious again.