(Heads up: This chapter ends with some mild NSFW content!)
Word Count: 3,544 Words
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The Seven-in-One Fusion Skill had granted Yan Feng unprecedented power, yet his heart now brimmed with terror.
So what if his spirit power rivaled a Titled Douluo's?
The Evil Douluo who had died beneath the Angel Sword couldn't be counted on one hand!
BOOM—
Gale-force winds whipped across the sky as thunder and lightning raged. Endless killing intent saturated the air, automatically triggering the Spirit Barrier.
In that instant, Yan Feng felt his heart skip a beat. Helplessness engulfed him, the helplessness of an ant cowering beneath heaven's fury. Dragon-shaped thunder, radiant with golden divine might, consumed his terrified gaze.
Radiant Thunder Hell Dragon Spirit Bone Skill, Radiant Thunder Dazzles the World!
The sky blazed brilliant gold. Dragon-shaped lightning poured down in torrential sheets, instantly transforming the dark, cloud-shrouded heavens into a golden world of infinite thunder!
The Radiant Thunder Hell Dragon's light-attribute lightning was the bane of Evil Spirit Masters, and this particular skill was released by Ling Bai himself, amplified by the Seraphim's Ultimate Holy and Ultimate Light attributes and bolstered by the full support of Ning Tian's Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.
Countless dragon-shaped bolts exploded within the Angelic Domain like celestial flowers scattered by a goddess, tearing rifts through the air with piercing shrieks as they plummeted earthward with lethal precision.
Bone Dragon Yan Feng was undoubtedly the primary target. The churning vortex above converged into a colossal thunder dragon, its momentum vast and dragon might surging in all directions as it crashed toward the pitch-black bone dragon like divine retribution from the heavens!
The bone dragon that Yan Feng had become released a hoarse dragon cry. Soul fire blazed wildly in its eye sockets as ice-blue light surged across its entire body. A torrent of Ice-Evil Power erupted upward to meet Radiant Thunder Dazzles the World head-on.
The collision of two Titled Douluo-level forces scraped away layer after layer of the competition platform's metal surface, exposing the brown earth beneath.
Floating metal fragments twisted into a metallic dragon that crashed against the Spirit Barrier, dyeing it brilliant gold mixed with icy blue. Ripples of light spread outward in expanding rings. The Spirit Barrier groaned under the strain before finally buckling and exploding, unable to withstand the onslaught.
Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan watched the scene in shock, his pupils contracting violently. True, he was a Class 9 Spirit Guidance Master, but he was merely a Titled Douluo who had forcibly attained his rank through medicinal pills!
The instant Radiant Thunder Dazzles the World and Ice-Evil Power ground against each other, goosebumps erupted across Zheng Zhan's entire body. He wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead, privately shuddering at the thought.
Thank heavens Xu Tianran had instructed him to deliberately slack off when refereeing this match. If he had actually rushed in to save anyone, the first casualty of that calamity would have been himself.
Dragon roars faded and smoke dispersed. The Angelic Domain's golden light gradually withdrew, revealing both teams on the platform. Spectators craned their necks, unwilling to miss the final act of this clash between holy and evil.
Angelic Sanctuary stood unharmed. Ling Qiuxi and Wu Feng, the two Ultimate Attribute Spirit Emperors, had shielded the front line from the attack's aftershocks. Ning Tian's jade-like hand gently cradled the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda as she silently observed the two figures facing off at the center.
"I… I hate…"
Yan Feng's voice was hoarse. His scarred dragon body trembled as he tried to speak, but Ling Bai gave him no chance. The Angel Sword traced a streak of Holy Sword Energy through the air.
The bone dragon brightened for an instant. Then, starting from the skull, bones began collapsing one by one. Amid a series of ear-piercing explosions, the entire form shattered into thousands of bone fragments.
Ling Bai gazed skyward as spirit power accumulated further within him. One of the Seraphim's talents, Holy Purification of Evil, returned a portion of spirit power after killing Evil Spirit Masters.
The feedback depended on two factors: the Evil Spirit Master's spirit power and their degree of evil.
The more heinous and powerful the Evil Spirit Master, the greater the spirit power the Seraphim received upon killing them.
As one of the two leading figures of the Holy Spirit Cult's younger generation, an Evil Spirit Saint under twenty years old, Yan Feng had countless innocent lives on his hands. The Seven-in-One Spirit Fusion Skill had elevated his spirit power to Titled Douluo level, so the benefits Ling Bai reaped from killing him were substantial.
The Holy Spirit Cult only had a dozen or so Titled Douluo left, and some of those Worships weren't even proper Evil Douluo. Dragon Emperor Douluo and Scorpion Tiger Douluo, for example.
Every single Evil Douluo was a non-renewable resource!
Ling Bai would never deliberately manufacture Evil Douluo for cultivation purposes. But when a little maneuvering let him slay them this effortlessly, why pass up the opportunity?
His gaze shifted to the remaining six Evil Spirit Masters, their spirit power nearly exhausted. The Angel Sword spun a graceful flourish. One sword, six slashes!
The Yin-Yang Complement's second spirit ring demanded massive amounts of spirit power. Ling Bai understood the principle well: every grain came from hard toil. Not a single one could go to waste!
"Referee, we forfeit!"
Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng's eyes nearly split with fury. Bone Dragon Yan Feng had fallen, consumed by hatred. If six more genius Evil Spirit Masters died on top of that, Zhang Peng as team leader could hardly escape responsibility. Zhongli Wu would not forgive him easily!
"No, Xiao Ya!!!"
Bloody tears seeped from Bei Bei's eyes. Ignoring his unhealed wounds, he struggled toward the competition platform, desperate to save the woman he loved, even though Tang Ya had fallen to become an Evil Spirit Master and had nearly killed him with a single strike!
"Teacher Xiao Ya!"
Huo Yuhao and the others stared in disbelief. They knew Ling Bai was acquainted with Tang Ya, so why was he treating her exactly like the other Evil Spirit Masters, showing no mercy whatsoever?!
Because she was an Evil Spirit Master!
Ling Bai's answer would be that simple. Her situation was fundamentally different from Ma Xiaotao's, whose Martial Spirit awakening naturally carried Evil Fire. Tang Ya had deliberately activated the devouring power of the Dark Blue Silver Grass, willingly stepping onto the path of evil.
Once that door was opened, even without Masquerade Douluo forcefully taking her to the Holy Spirit Cult, she would have degenerated into an Evil Spirit Master step by step all the same. The only difference was that her strength wouldn't have grown as rapidly outside the Holy Spirit Cult.
Ling Bai wasn't close to Tang Ya. He wasn't her boyfriend or a Tang Sect disciple. The Seraphim's duty was to purge all evil from this world!
At the very least, Ma Xiaotao had exhausted every possible method to resist the Phoenix Evil Fire. Tang Ya had embraced evil just to destroy the Ironblood Sect, a sect whose master was merely a Spirit Emperor.
Falling into evil was the path Tang Ya had chosen, and she should bear its consequences!
Referee Zheng Zhan heard Scorpion Tiger Douluo Zhang Peng declare forfeiture. By rights, he should have intercepted the Holy Sword Energy. Instead, he deliberately slowed his movements, his excuse for Zhang Peng's inevitable protest already prepared.
Oopsie~ so sorry, a step too slow!
The six had poured almost all their spirit power into Yan Feng. Their last reserves had gone toward resisting the shockwaves. They had no strength left to block the Holy Sword Energy unleashed by the Angel Sword.
The Braineater Spirit Emperor followed Bone Dragon Yan Feng onto the road to the Yellow Springs. His body exploded into fragments, yet not a single drop of blood sprayed from that shattered form, nor was there any splash of gore. Everything burned to ash beneath the blinding golden light.
Buzz—
A resonant hum shook the air. A jet-black dragon claw, dark as ink, descended from the sky and clamped around Tang Ya. Dark energy extinguished the Holy Sword Energy as a tall, imposing figure stood suspended in midair. It was none other than Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao!
Long Xiaoyao watched indifferently as the other five perished beneath the Angel Sword. He saved only Tang Ya.
Ling Bai's eyes narrowed. Long Xiaoyao had appeared at the tournament's opening to lend the Sun Moon Empire his prestige. His presence at a clash between the Holy Spirit Cult and Angelic Sanctuary was hardly unexpected. What surprised Ling Bai was that he saved Tang Ya alone while allowing six genius Evil Spirit Masters, Bone Dragon Yan Feng included, to die.
A single stone stirred a thousand waves. Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao's reappearance triggered an uproar.
In Shrek Academy's rest area, Taotie Douluo Elder Xuan's expression grew grave. Over at the Snowdemon Sect, several cloaked figures materialized as well.
Sun Moon Regent Xu Tianran's brow furrowed deeply, unable to read this Limit Douluo's intentions. He had tacitly allowed Zhongli Wu to seize military authority precisely out of fear of Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao and Death God Douluo Ye Xishui's combined might.
"Long Xiaoyao, have you no shame?"
A thunderous shout split the air, sending ripples through the void. Jianmu Douluo Zhou Jiren stood proudly above the arena. He had secretly guarded Angelic Sanctuary during every match. Today, sensing Long Xiaoyao's aura fluctuations, he never expected the man to actually intervene in the competition.
"She shouldn't die," Long Xiaoyao said simply.
Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao was complex and contradictory. Unable to restrain Ye Xishui's evil ambitions, he knew full well that the Holy Spirit Cult's atrocities made them the continent's unforgivable public enemy, yet still aided their tyranny.
On the other hand, Long Xiaoyao understood he was a sinner against the continent. Deep in his heart, he longed for someone to stop Ye Xishui, destroy the Holy Spirit Cult, and bring a definitive end to his wretched existence.
He expected nothing in return for saving Tang Ya. Those six were the worst of the worst among Evil Spirit Masters; their deaths were entirely deserved. Tang Ya, however, still held a sliver of hope for salvation. This was the last act of kindness a Limit Douluo could offer when his fate was no longer his own.
Long Xiaoyao tossed Tang Ya to Zhang Peng, turned, and left. His departing silhouette somehow seemed desolate.
Jianmu Douluo shook his head. The old guard of his era was gradually withering away. Watching Long Xiaoyao's lonely figure recede, he released a quiet sigh.
"Thank goodness… as long as Xiao Ya is alive, that's enough…"
Bei Bei wiped his tears. Relief flickered across his face as he glanced at the unharmed Tang Ya beside Zhang Peng, but his gaze quickly turned toward Ling Bai, complicated emotions swirling within.
Tang Ya was an Evil Spirit Master, and Evil Spirit Masters deserved death at everyone's hand. Ling Bai had done nothing wrong; anyone would agree her death would have been more than deserved. Anyone except her old friends. Bei Bei was her boyfriend. His desire to save her wasn't wrong either.
Since that first journey together through the Star Dou Forest, the distance between them had only grown, wider and wider, until they finally stood on opposing sides.
"We withdraw from the tournament!"
Zhang Peng left those cold words behind and hurried away with Tang Ya in tow.
The Holy Spirit Cult's withdrawal was absolute. Their people were nearly all dead; continuing served no purpose. All of the Holy Cult's previous match records were wiped clean, and the Red Group would only tally results between the remaining seven teams.
Zhang Peng and Tang Ya returned to the underground chambers beneath the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters. The former paced back and forth in anxious dread, fretting over how to preserve his own skin once Zhongli Wu flew into a rage. The latter moved with clear purpose, heading straight for Death Abyss Douluo.
Tang Ya's dark blue eyes fixed on the smiling Death Abyss Douluo. Her voice was ice. "You deceived us. The Evil Bone Dragon Transformation was nothing more than an unconventional Seven-in-One Fusion Skill. Yan Feng never received your power. You sent them to die at the Seraphim's hands..."
"Blue Silver Saintess, please don't throw around wild accusations."
Death Abyss Douluo raised an eyebrow. "Creating a secret technique is very difficult, you know. How exactly did I deceive you? Reflect on yourselves first. Did you fully master it? Did you fight with everything you had?"
"Death Abyss Douluo, I will report this to the Cult Leader," Tang Ya said through gritted teeth.
"The Cult Leader?"
Death Abyss Douluo rose slowly. His pitch-black eyes, deep as a fathomless abyss, settled on Tang Ya. Her delicate frame trembled. For one horrifying instant she glimpsed a hideous, malevolent bone dragon, and the moment it fully spread its wings, the sun-drenched sky plunged into darkest night!
"The Cult Leader is fighting for our Holy Cult's future in the Sun Moon military district. Everything here falls under my control. The Blue Silver Saintess would do well not to disturb him."
A bony hand, its knuckles sharply defined, pressed down on Tang Ya's shoulder. She struggled with everything she had, dark blue spirit power flaring in fierce defiance, but it burned itself out all the same. Her voice softened despite herself:
"Deputy Leader, I... I can write a letter to Teacher, accusing Yan Feng of willfully dragging us into the match...
The... the condition is that you help me investigate who that Tang Sect man was—the one crying tears of blood. He suddenly rushed toward me at the registration area before, too."
"You're remembering?" Death Abyss Douluo asked, interest flickering in his gaze.
"Please help me investigate, Deputy Leader," Tang Ya repeated stubbornly.
"No need to investigate. His name is Bei Bei. Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Spirit. Shrek Inner Court student... and Tang Sect's Big Senior Brother."
"Bei Bei... Bei Bei..."
Tang Ya murmured the name over and over, then looked up. "Did I know him before?"
"Think about it slowly. Starting today, you won't be setting a single foot outside the Holy Cult."
"Yes, Deputy Leader..."
Tang Ya bit down hard on her red lip. She vaguely sensed the wolfish ambition lurking behind Death Abyss Douluo's smile. He controlled the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters; from top to bottom, everyone around him consisted of obsequious flatterers who hung on his every word. Was he trying to seize power?
Zhongli Wu had the Limit Bone Dragon King at his side, backed by two Limit Douluo. He would return sooner or later. A power grab would be pointless. When that day came, Death Abyss Douluo was a dead man walking.
Tang Ya couldn't puzzle it out and simply stopped trying. She returned obediently to her room, her mind filled with nothing but Bei Bei's image.
Death Abyss Douluo stretched lazily. Calling Tang Ya a Saintess was putting it nicely; in truth, she was just a little sprout Zhongli Wu kept around. As long as he fancied her, she was the Holy Spirit Cult's high and mighty Blue Silver Saintess. The moment he grew tired of her, she would become a dual cultivation furnace for anyone's use.
No need to waste effort dealing with her. A casual brush-off sufficed.
As for whether Zhongli Wu would suspect him of harboring ulterior motives...
As long as the future payoff was large enough, he didn't care if the 'Death Abyss Douluo account' got deleted entirely.
Everything took second priority to condensing Yin-Yang Complement dual spirit cores and breaking through to Titled Douluo.
...
Three nights later, on the top floor of the Bright Moon Hotel, inside Angelic Sanctuary's sky villa.
Ling Bai and Ning Tian lay tangled together on the wide bed, bodies pressed close, breaths mingling. The silk sheets beneath them had long since fallen into hopeless disarray. Ning Tian straddled his waist, her fair skin flushed a deep crimson from chest to ear tips. Platinum-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders like liquid moonlight, its cool luster only heightening the heat radiating from her body.
"Nn... ah..." Soft, breathless sounds slipped from Ning Tian's lips despite her efforts to muffle them against his shoulder. Her hips followed a slow, intimate rhythm that grew increasingly unsteady as pleasure mounted. Ling Bai's hands traced the graceful line of her back before tightening at her waist, guiding her movements to match his own.
The room filled with ragged breathing and the faint creak of the bed. They had long since lost count of how many times she had come apart over the past two hours. This time, when Ning Tian arched her back, every muscle drew taut. A long tremor ran through her as molten heat surged from deep inside, swelling and then breaking in a blinding rush. A low, helpless sound escaped her throat and rose into breathless, half-sobbed cries:
"Bai-ge... Bai-ge, I love you... I love you...!"
Her nails dug crescents into his shoulders. For long moments she could only cling to him, trembling as aftershocks rippled through her body.
Gradually, her breathing steadied. Strength drained away and she slumped bonelessly forward against his chest, heart hammering in wild unison with his own. Ling Bai wrapped an arm around her slim waist and gently stroked her damp back while her lashes fluttered against his skin.
"Can't move anymore?" he murmured beside her ear, warmth and quiet laughter threading through his voice.
Ning Tian buried her face against his neck, cheeks burning hotter still. "It's all your fault, Bai-ge... you keep bullying me like this..."
Ling Bai chuckled and brushed a kiss over the corner of her eye. "Didn't you say you wanted to go twice as long tonight? We've only just started."
Heat flooded Ning Tian's face again. Her long lashes quivered as she pushed halfheartedly at his chest, but the strength in her fingers dissolved into a clinging caress. "Let me rest a bit first. Then we can start round two."
Her shy, satisfied tone carried a faint coquettish warmth. Ling Bai answered with another gentle kiss, his hand already sliding lower in silent agreement.
Knock, knock, knock!
Ning Tian froze, a small frown creasing her flushed brow. Her body still quivered faintly. She pushed at his chest again, but her arms had no strength left:
"They... they don't usually disturb us when we're together. Go see who it is. We can... continue after."
"Mm."
Ling Bai pressed one last kiss to her forehead before reluctantly rolling away. He grabbed a loose coat and threw it on without bothering to fasten it, then padded toward the door.
He opened it a crack to find Wu Feng with her head practically jammed through the gap, eyes darting past him. Ling Bai kept his voice low:
"Don't peek. And let's be clear. If you don't have actual business today, you won't get to taste anything for a week."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
Wu Feng puffed up like an indignant pufferfish. He made it sound like she was addicted to it!
Well... she actually did love the taste, but still!
"Someone's here to see you," Wu Feng said plainly.
"Who?"
"You'll know when you get there."
Ling Bai headed for the villa's main hall. Behind him, Wu Feng latched both hands onto the doorframe and peered through the crack like a peeping thief, her gaze fixed on Ning Tian's fair skin still tinged with that hazy, intimate glow. A foolish grin spread across her face.
Hehe, Ning Tian... so pretty... hehe...
"You two?"
Ling Bai reached the main hall and stopped dead, genuinely stunned for two and a half seconds. The visitors were actually Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong Er!
Rare guests. Truly rare guests!
He sat down across from them. Since he wore only a loosely draped coat, the hickeys scattered across his neck were plainly visible. Huo Yuhao showed no particular reaction, but Wang Dong Er suddenly found herself unable to look away.
"No one visits a temple without a reason. Out with it."
Huo Yuhao cleared his throat. "It's like this. Regarding your previous attack on Teacher Xiao Ya, we can let bygones be bygones."
"Hm?" Ling Bai's eyebrow arched.
Let bygones be bygones. What a novel phrase!
Never heard that one before!
Huo Yuhao's expression turned serious. "However, Angelic Sanctuary has to do one thing.
With the Holy Spirit Cult's withdrawal, only seven teams remain in the Red Group. Angelic Sanctuary sits firmly in first place with unshakeable points. Shrek Academy and Sun Moon Imperial Academy are fighting for second.
Both teams have lost one match. Sun Moon Imperial Academy surrendered to you, while Shrek Academy lost to Sun Moon Imperial Academy.
Tomorrow is the Red Group's final round, and Shrek Academy's opponent happens to be Angelic Sanctuary.
Shrek currently trails Sun Moon Imperial Academy by a slim margin, but the gap isn't insurmountable.
If Angelic Sanctuary surrenders, Shrek claims the full twelve points and stands a strong chance of overtaking Sun Moon Imperial Academy to advance to the top eight.
Ling Bai, you wouldn't want to see your alma mater humiliated, would you?"