Ning Rongrong was quite shocked by Xue Ke's choice. She knew when to advance and when to retreat, and she was extremely humble. No wonder Qian Renxue valued her so highly that she even threw the imperial throne to her.
Of course, part of that was probably because Qian Renxue and Spirit Hall already knew that the Angel God was dead, and usurping the country was no longer their top priority.
But whatever.
Qian Renxue's business had nothing to do with her, Ning Rongrong.
Why bother caring so much?
Ning Rongrong shifted her gaze away from Xue Ke and looked toward She Long and Ci Xue.
"Kurumi, that's enough. We're not here to start a war with Spirit Hall."
Although She Long and Ci Xue were still alive, their current state was truly miserable to behold.
Both had deep black circles around their eyes like panda eyes, their faces twisted from pain.
Ci Xue had a noticeable bruise on his forehead, blood slowly trickling down his cheeks with faint sounds. His eyes were so swollen he could barely open them, and the corners of his mouth twitched nonstop, as if he were having an epileptic seizure.
She Long was in an even worse state. After all, his ninth soul skill back then had caused Tokisaki Kurumi, who was still a Dark Devilgod Tiger at the time, considerable trouble.
His thin frame swayed like a bamboo pole, looking as if a single gust of wind could knock him over.
The left side of his face was covered in uneven patches of purple, bruised black and blue. A long, thin cut split the corner of his lips, and threads of blood slowly seeped from the wound.
Every time he tried to speak or breathe, the wound seemed to tear open again, his expression so exaggerated it gave off a strong "my pain surpasses yours" vibe.
Hearing Ning Rongrong's warning, Tokisaki Kurumi clapped her hands together and stopped her assault.
"Aww, that felt so good, but it ended too quickly." There was a hint of complaint in Tokisaki Kurumi's tone about Ning Rongrong making her stop, but she knew when to restrain herself; not everything could be done on a whim.
She slowly raised her left and right hands. Two identical black pistols gleaming with metallic luster appeared in her palms.
"Hmph. Next time I'll continue when I get the chance. You should thank my Master! Otherwise, it wouldn't have ended with just some superficial wounds."
Tokisaki Kurumi's face still carried the expression of someone who hadn't beaten them enough.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
Two consecutive gunshots rang out.
The bullets shot out instantly, burying themselves into the foreheads of She Long and Ci Xue at terrifying speed.
In that moment, a profound aura enveloped both of them.
"She Long! Ci Xue!" Azure Luan Douluo cried out in shock, never expecting Ning Rongrong to actually order their deaths. These two were no ordinary Title Douluo; to Qian Renxue, they were respected elders who had truly watched her grow up, practically family.
"Stop right there!"
Azure Luan Douluo's face twisted in fury as he began struggling desperately, trying to break free from Ning Rongrong's restraint.
The entire Tai Chi formation pattern shook violently.
"Stubborn fool."
The Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda appeared in Ning Rongrong's left hand.
"Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, suppress!"
"Arghhhhh—!"
In the end, Azure Luan Douluo still managed to break through Ning Rongrong's restraint.
Restraining a Level 97 Title Douluo was still somewhat difficult with her current strength.
Although she had the chance to kill Azure Luan Douluo, Ning Rongrong did not do so.
The reason was simple: she did not want to start a war with Spirit Hall. Just as Spirit Hall was unwilling to go to war with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda similarly had no reason to turn against Spirit Hall.
No matter what, Azure Luan Douluo was the Third Enshrined of the Enshrined Hall. If he accidentally died here, the Enshrined Hall would definitely explode with rage. She wasn't afraid, but she didn't want unnecessary trouble.
"Sword Technique — One Sword Frost Chill!"
Like a flash, Ning Rongrong appeared in front of Azure Luan Douluo, lightly swinging the Glazed Holy Sword in her hand.
Terrifying chilling intent condensed and burst forth from the blade.
In his panic, Azure Luan Douluo barely blocked it, but was still forced back by this strike that was no less powerful than an attack from a Super Douluo.
"Look clearly. Your people aren't dead."
"What!"
Azure Luan Douluo froze, instinctively turning to look.
She Long and Ci Xue were visibly recovering at a speed the naked eye could see. The bruises on their cheeks, the wounds at the corners of their mouths, even the panda eyes around their sockets—all were disappearing. And while Azure Luan Douluo was still stunned, both of them, including their soul power, had returned to peak condition.
"How is this possible? Even the Nine Heart Begonia couldn't…" Azure Luan Douluo didn't finish his sentence.
But everyone present was an old veteran; how could they not understand what he meant?
No healing-type soul master could restore a target's soul power. Not the Nine Heart Begonia, and not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda either.
"Alright, now behave and listen to me." Ning Rongrong looked calmly at Azure Luan Douluo.
"I have no intention of going to war with your Spirit Hall. As for what just happened, that was a certain disobedient kitty's personal grudge. I couldn't really stop her."
Azure Luan Douluo fell silent, somewhat confused about the situation.
In short, the bottom line was: they were currently not in danger.
Seeing Azure Luan Douluo wisely choosing to yield, Ning Rongrong smiled lightly and said:
"Not long ago, I slaughtered a Level 99 demi-god realm spirit beast on my side. Oh, and I also gave Bo Saixi and that bastard Tang Chen a good beating. Their injuries aren't light!"
"So, interested in that story?"
"What do you mean?" Azure Luan Douluo's brows furrowed tightly. He was extremely shocked inside, but his face revealed nothing. However, when Bo Saixi and Tang Chen's injuries were mentioned, his ears clearly perked up.
"No big purpose. I just suddenly remembered it and thought I'd mention it to you." There was no way Ning Rongrong would reveal her true intentions.
"Actually, I was kind of hoping you'd pass this message to Qian Daoliu."
"Your Great Enshrined, Senior Qian Daoliu, seems to have a thing for Bo Saixi. No, calling it 'a thing' is too mild. He's basically a simp!"
"It's just that Bo Saixi probably prefers someone a bit wilder."
"Like, say, the guy who swings a giant hammer—Tang Chen."
"As a junior, exposing a senior's private history might not be proper, but even though these are just rumors, they seem to be things that actually happened!"
"It's not good to say it directly, but for the sake of restoring historical truth and letting more people understand the past, I said it anyway."
Azure Luan Douluo: "…"
Aren't you afraid of getting beaten to death?
Azure Luan Douluo completely failed to understand Ning Rongrong's goal, but he did obtain useful information: Tang Chen and Bo Saixi were injured. This news had to be sent back.
As for Ning Rongrong "slandering" Qian Daoliu…
Since he was the weaker party, Azure Luan Douluo very wisely let it go in one ear and out the other, pretending he hadn't heard anything.
"Alright, now that the warm-up is over, it's time to talk serious business."
Ning Rongrong and Tokisaki Kurumi landed simultaneously not far from Xue Ke. Although the fight just now had been intense, the area where Xue Ke stood had been protected by Ning Rongrong the entire time.
After all, she was only a Soul Ancestor. If she got accidentally hurt, that would be troublesome.
Still, Ning Rongrong now understood clearly that Qian Renxue truly valued Xue Ke highly.
Ning Rongrong and Tokisaki Kurumi stood in front of Xue Ke. Azure Luan Douluo, She Long, and Ci Xue exchanged glances, then descended as well.
She Long and Ci Xue took protective positions on either side behind Xue Ke.
Well, that protection was useless, but it was still a gesture, right?
Azure Luan Douluo stood off to the side, his mind wandering, still recalling what Ning Rongrong had just said.
Killing a demi-god level spirit beast and severely injuring Bo Saixi and Tang Chen.
If this had nothing to do with Ning Fengzhi and the others, then the only possibility was…
Azure Luan Douluo remembered the Great Enshrined's instructions.
Do not clash with Ning Rongrong. It was best not to clash even with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.
At first he thought it was out of concern for Ning Fengzhi, but now it seemed that might not be the case. Defeating the Great Enshrined might actually be true.
If that were so, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan was utterly terrifying.
They had now bared their fangs and no longer intended to hide.
What exactly were they planning to do?