High above the sprawling, snow-draped plains of the Frostfall Province, the freezing, relentless gales of the northern sky were violently, cleanly torn asunder. A mesmerizing streak of brilliant crimson and crackling azure light tore through the upper atmosphere, moving with a terrifying velocity that fundamentally defied the very limitations of the mortal realm. The dense, snow-filled clouds parted in its devastating wake, leaving a long, turbulent tunnel of displaced air that roared with the deafening sound of suppressed thunder.
This was absolutely not merely a fired projectile, nor was it a wandering avian spirit beast claiming the skies. This was the Blood Silver Mirage Clone of Zhang Tian, dispatched from the comfortable, opulent depths of Crimson Zenith City to ruthlessly enforce the unyielding, absolute will of his northern empire.
The clone's expression was an unreadable, flawless mask of icy determination, his dark aristocratic robes snapping furiously against the sheer friction of the wind. To travel at such an incomprehensible, mind-bending speed without utilizing a flying-type transportation tool, the clone was continuously, deeply drawing upon the profound, heaven-defying treasures integrated directly into his physical vessel.
Merely a month ago, Zhang Tian had undertaken a highly dangerous, excruciatingly painful internal operation within the absolute isolation of his deepest cultivation chamber. He had utilized his own groundbreaking, revolutionary Human Spirit Bone Condensation Method to fundamentally alter his own skeletal anatomy. Rather than simply allowing his two precious Spirit Bones to superficially graft onto his skeleton in the traditional, flawed manner of the Douluo Continent, he had forcefully broken them down and merged them completely, seamlessly with his true bones and living tissue. He had woven the crystallized laws of the fallen beasts directly into the very marrow and the intricate meridian pathways of his legs, creating an inseparable, organic, and entirely undetectable union.
The supreme treasure residing within his right leg was the legendary Hundred Thousand Year Old Spirit Bone originally belonging to Ah Yin when she reigned as the Blue Silver Emperor. By merging it thoroughly through the Human Spirit Bone Condensation Method, the bone had completely ceased to be a foreign, radiating relic and had become a true, biological extension of his body. Furthermore, just a few weeks prior to this aerial pursuit, Zhang Tian had taken the integration a monumental, unprecedented step forward. He had utilized the newly conceptualized Origin Blood Resonance Pact, seamlessly merging Ah Yin's current, incredibly potent Blood Essence as the Level 97 Blood Silver Empress directly into the integrated Right Leg Spirit Bone.
Because the foundational origin of the Spirit Bone and the provided, living Blood Essence were a flawless, identical match in terms of lineage, the resulting transformation within his body was staggering. The inherent, bloodline-driven abilities of the Spirit Bone had experienced a qualitative, massive evolution.
The primary healing ability, "Wildfire Cannot Destroy the Grass, It Grows Again With the Spring Wind," had reached a realm of restorative power that actively approached the domain of the gods. As long as Zhang Tian retained even a single spark of mental energy and a fractional reservoir of Spirit Power, this evolved ability could instantly, flawlessly regenerate a pierced heart, or even completely reconstruct half of his entire physical body from scratch if he were ever unfortunate enough to be cleaved in two during high-level combat. When combined with the endless, self-sustaining vitality of his Life Spirit Core and his emerald Life Spirit Energy, Zhang Tian had become an entity that was incredibly, frustratingly difficult to kill. Even for a seasoned, battle-hardened Limit Douluo, striking him down permanently would be a monumental, nearly impossible task, unless the assailant wielded pure Divine Energy or the direct, unmitigated power of a true God. That specific cosmic level of destruction was a threat Zhang Tian was not yet fully prepared to face head-on, but against mortal adversaries bound by the laws of the continent, he was practically invincible.
For his left leg, he had meticulously integrated the Hundred Thousand Year Old Spirit Bone acquired from the terrifying Thunder Hell Prison Vine. While he had not yet found a suitable, overwhelmingly powerful lightning-attribute Spirit Beast to form a second Origin Blood Resonance Pact and acquire the necessary Blood Essence to further evolve this specific bone, its original, foundational abilities were more than sufficient for his current tactical needs.
Right now, piercing through the freezing heavens, the clone was simultaneously channeling the active abilities of both seamlessly integrated Spirit Bones to achieve his current, terrifying flight speed.
From the Right Leg Spirit Bone, he activated the "Flight" ability. The power of the Blood Silver Empress flowed flawlessly through his lower meridians, granting him silent, high-speed aerial movement that propelled him forward without the need for physical wings or cumbersome, stamina-draining wind manipulation. To compound this velocity to an extreme degree, he continuously drew upon the first ability of the Left Leg Spirit Bone: the "Thunder Hell Phantom Step."
Traditionally, this specific ability allowed the user to cover a distance of one hundred meters in a mere blink of an eye, granting near-instant combat reflexes and leaving behind crackling lightning afterimages that could independently strike enemies. However, Zhang Tian did not require the offensive afterimages for travel in this instance. He was funneling the entirety of that intense, explosive burst of lightning-attribute speed into a continuous, linear propulsion. He boosted his forward momentum thoroughly with the raw, crackling power of the thunder element, turning himself into a literal, living bolt of crimson and blue lightning streaking across the dark sky.
He had reached a sustained velocity that pushed the very limits of what his physical avatar body could tolerate, covering hundreds of miles in mere fractions of the time it would take an ordinary flying Spirit Master. He was rapidly, inevitably closing the distance to the specific provincial town where the three invading elders of the Clear Sky Sect were currently waiting for their prey.
Meanwhile, nestled securely within the snowy valleys of the province, the bustling, highly active settlement of Snowfall Haven remained entirely, blissfully oblivious to the impending clash of supreme titans that was about to unfold above their roofs.
The sky above the sprawling city slowly transitioned from a crisp, pale blue into the deep, bruised purples and vibrant, fiery oranges of the late afternoon, signaling the steady approach of the freezing evening.
Inside the warm, smoke-filled, and incredibly loud interior of the Frost Boar Tavern, the three towering, incredibly powerful elders of the Clear Sky Sect—Tang Jianxing, Tang Boqin, and Tang Hongyi—sat quietly in their designated, shadowed corner booth. Their massive, heavily muscled frames were deliberately concealed beneath heavy, unassuming dark grey travel cloaks, their hoods pulled low to obscure their rugged, battle-scarred features from the prying eyes of the locals.
They were not in any particular rush to execute their mission. They sat with an air of relaxed, dismissive, and incredibly arrogant confidence, occasionally sipping from their large wooden tankards of heavily spiced ale.
Over the past few hours of their stakeout, they had discreetly, subtly utilized their vast, Titled Douluo-level spiritual perception to completely sweep the entire surrounding city. Their sharp senses had brushed past thousands of ordinary civilians, merchants, and hundreds of low-ranking Spirit Masters patrolling the walls. They had confirmed, with profound, smug satisfaction, that there was not a single individual within the entire settlement whose cultivation even approached the Titled Douluo stage. The strongest signature they detected was merely a mid-tier Spirit Emperor commanding the local garrison. Furthermore, they had carefully observed the behavior of the city guards and the local populace through the tavern windows. No one had made any suspicious, frantic movements. No one had rushed to the garrison to sound an alert, and no specialized elite patrols had been dispatched to randomly sweep the taverns or lock down the gates.
In their rigid, traditional minds, this lack of response absolutely confirmed that their covert infiltration had been a resounding, flawless success. Their true identities, their staggering cultivation levels, and their hostile intentions had remained entirely, perfectly concealed from the northern empire's supposedly formidable intelligence network. At least, that was the highly comforting, deeply ignorant illusion they chose to believe.
As the sun finally dipped below the jagged horizon, plunging the snowy streets outside into complete darkness illuminated only by the warm, flickering glow of spirit-lamps, the atmosphere inside the tavern shifted drastically. The evening rush officially began. The heavy wooden doors swung open frequently, admitting large groups of weary merchants covered in snow, laughing laborers seeking respite from the cold, and boisterous, low-ranking Spirit Masters seeking warmth and good cheer.
Among the arriving patrons was the specific, targeted group the three massive elders had been waiting for all afternoon.
A quartet of middle-aged men pushed their way through the swinging doors, forcefully shaking the fresh, powdery snow from their thick fur coats. They were loud, jovial, and clearly in incredibly high spirits after a successful excursion outside the walls. The man leading the group was a sturdy, broad-shouldered individual in his mid-forties with short, dark hair and a confident, powerful stride. This was Gu Chen, a relatively successful local mercenary who had recently achieved the rank of a Spirit Ancestor, his Spirit Power resting stably at level forty-five.
Flanking him were his three closest companions and sworn brothers: Li Wei, Fang Bo, and Chen Ding. They were all seasoned Spirit Elders, their cultivations ranging from level thirty-two to level thirty-seven. They had spent their entire lives taking on modest hunting commissions, escorting merchant caravans across the tundra, and battling low-tier spirit beasts, bound together by decades of shared, freezing hardship.
"Over here, lads! The usual table is open by the fire!" Gu Chen called out, his voice booming enthusiastically over the din of the crowded tavern.
The four men claimed a large, sturdy circular table near the roaring hearth fire. They threw off their heavy winter coats, rubbing their calloused hands together to ward off the biting chill that clung to their bones.
Old Ba, the grizzled, heavily scarred tavern keeper, immediately walked over to their table, a familiar, welcoming grin plastered across his weathered face. "Good evening, Gu Chen. You lads look like you've been marching through the deep drifts all day. The usual feast to warm the blood and celebrate a good haul?"
"You know it, Old Ba!" Li Wei laughed loudly, slapping his hand hard on the wooden surface. "Bring us three large platters of your famous Dragon Fire Pizza! Make sure the spirit-beast sausage is sliced thick, and don't skimp on the sun-peppers! We need the heat!"
"And a full box of the Cheese Mooncakes!" Fang Bo added eagerly, rubbing his stomach with a look of pure anticipation. "The ones made with the fermented frost-yak milk. I've been craving that rich taste since we crossed the outer ridge this morning."
"We will need two large pitchers of your strongest barley ale to wash it all down," Chen Ding finished the order, casually tossing a handful of gleaming silver coins onto the table to cover the entire cost. "Keep the ale flowing tonight, Old Ba. We have a lot to celebrate."
"Coming right up, lads," the bartender nodded happily, quickly gathering the silver coins and heading toward the busy, aromatic kitchens.
As Old Ba turned away from the table, his eyes briefly, subtly flicked toward the shadowed corner booth where the three cloaked giants sat in absolute silence. He gave a single, almost imperceptible nod of his head, secretly signaling to the foreign elders that the man sitting at the head of the table, Gu Chen, was the specific Spirit Master they were looking for—the man who had recently, successfully acquired the highly coveted Artificial Spirit Bone.
In the dark corner booth, Tang Jianxing's eyes narrowed dangerously beneath his heavy hood. He slowly, carefully set his wooden tankard down on the table, ensuring the sound was completely muffled by the surrounding tavern noise. He glanced at his sworn brothers, Tang Boqin and Tang Hongyi. No words were needed between them. A silent, deadly, and entirely arrogant consensus passed between the three Titled Douluos. The target was officially acquired. It was time to move.
Back at the circular table near the fire, the four friends were entirely, blissfully oblivious to the lethal apex predators stalking them from the shadows.
"I still can't believe the sheer, overwhelming power of it, Brother Gu," Li Wei said, leaning in close over the table, his voice filled with genuine, unadulterated awe as he looked at the Spirit Ancestor. "When we were clearing out those pesky ice-wolves near the gorge yesterday, your strikes were twice as heavy and devastating as they were last month. It's like you possess the pure, foundational physical strength of a Spirit King now. It's unbelievable."
Gu Chen smiled, a look of profound, humble gratitude crossing his weathered face. He flexed his right arm, feeling the dense, deeply integrated power of his Artificial Spirit Bone humming warmly beneath his skin, entirely free of any foreign rejection.
"It is a true miracle, Li Wei," Gu Chen replied earnestly, lowering his voice slightly so as not to boast too loudly to the entire room. "The Lord Marquis has bestowed a divine blessing upon us common folk that we could never, ever repay even in ten lifetimes. To grant us the foundation of a Spirit Bone without forcing us to risk our lives hunting an apex predator in the wild... it changes everything for people like us. My meridians feel completely unblocked. The energy flow is absolutely seamless."
"Do you really think the rest of us might get a chance to sign the contract?" Chen Ding asked, his eyes shining with desperate hope. "I heard the provincial administration is opening up a second wave of evaluations next month for Spirit Elders who have clean records and good service."
"You all have a very strong chance," Gu Chen encouraged his friends, clapping Fang Bo affectionately on the shoulder. He then leaned in, his expression turning remarkably solemn and serious as he imparted the most crucial knowledge he had gained from the process.
"But you must remember the most important rule," Gu Chen warned them softly, his eyes reflecting absolute sincerity. "You must treat the beast partner as an absolute equal, brothers. If you harbor even a single crooked thought in your mind, if you try to pull any cheap tricks or view the beast as a mere tool to be exploited for your own gain, the origin blood will violently reject you. It will tear your meridians apart and cripple you. You must respect the beast partner entirely. As long as your heart is clear and you focus your spirit power correctly during the condensation process, the Origin Blood Resonance Pact will definitely work."
Li Wei and the others nodded solemnly, absorbing the profound, spiritual requirement of the miraculous technique.
Just as the fragrant, steaming platters of spicy, meat-laden Dragon Fire Pizza and the rich, golden Cheese Mooncakes were being carefully carried out of the kitchen by the serving staff, the jovial atmosphere in the tavern violently shattered.
The three cloaked elders of the Clear Sky Sect did not bother summoning their towering, oppressive Martial Spirits. They did not cause the air to hum with the blinding, terrifying light of their high-tier, nine Spirit Rings. Against a mere level forty-five Spirit Ancestor and a room full of ordinary, weak civilians, utilizing their spirit abilities would be an incredibly insulting waste of energy and a needless, flashy escalation that could draw unwanted, immediate military attention from the city garrison. They relied entirely, arrogantly upon the terrifying, monstrous physical strength that came inherently with their Titled Douluo cultivations.
Tang Jianxing moved with a sudden, explosive velocity that was completely, utterly invisible to the untrained eyes of the patrons.
One moment, the three massive men were sitting quietly in their dark booth. The very next fraction of a second, the heavy, solid oak table in front of them was violently shoved aside, shattering against the wall, and Tang Jianxing materialized directly behind Gu Chen's chair like a teleporting demon.
Before Gu Chen could even register the sudden, violent displacement of air, before his newly acquired Artificial Spirit Bone could pulse with a warning of lethal danger, a massive, heavily scarred hand clamped down relentlessly over the top of his head and his face. The grip was like an unyielding iron vise, instantly crushing his jaw shut to prevent a scream and completely paralyzing his spinal column with sheer, overwhelming physical pressure.
"What the—?!" Li Wei yelled, jumping up in sheer panic from his chair, his hand instinctively reaching for the hunting dagger strapped to his belt.
He was far too slow.
Tang Hongyi and Tang Boqin seamlessly flanked their brother. Without uttering a single word, Tang Jianxing lifted the struggling, completely muffled form of Gu Chen entirely out of his chair with one massive arm. The three elders simultaneously bent their knees and unleashed the terrifying, explosive kinetic energy stored densely within their leg muscles.
BOOM!
The raw, concussive force of their physical leap shattered the sturdy, thick wooden floorboards entirely beneath their boots, creating a crater of splintered wood. They rocketed straight upward like three dark mortar shells fired from a cannon. They crashed violently through the thick, heavily reinforced wooden beams of the tavern's high ceiling, shattering the clay roof tiles and blasting a massive, gaping hole directly into the freezing, starless night sky.
They ascended instantly into the darkness in a chaotic shower of splintered wood, pulverized clay, and falling snow, carrying the captive Spirit Ancestor with them. Their trajectory immediately angled southward, aiming directly toward the distant, heavily fortified borders of the Star Luo Empire. Their intent was brutal and clear: to drag the man back to their stronghold, throw him into a dark dungeon, and meticulously, brutally interrogate him to extract every single intricate detail regarding the creation of the Artificial Spirit Bones.
Back inside the ruined Frost Boar Tavern, a suffocating, terrified silence descended upon the room, broken only by the sound of debris clattering to the floor and the howling, freezing wind rushing in through the ruined roof.
The serving staff dropped their platters in shock. The delicious Dragon Fire Pizza and the golden Cheese Mooncakes scattered across the dirty floor, entirely forgotten. Old Ba stood frozen behind the bar, his eyes wide with profound, unadulterated shock, his hand gripped rigidly on the handle of a wooden mug.
Li Wei, Fang Bo, and Chen Ding stood around their overturned table, staring up at the gaping hole in the ceiling in complete, paralyzing horror.
"They... they took him," Fang Bo whispered, his voice trembling violently, unable to process the sheer speed of the assault. "They just grabbed Brother Gu and broke straight through the roof."
"Did anyone feel Spirit Power from them or see a Spirit Ring?!" Chen Ding asked frantically, spinning around and looking at the stunned patrons. "Did anyone see their Martial Spirits?!"
The surrounding, low-level Spirit Masters slowly shook their heads, their faces pale as sheets. At that terrifying, lightning-fast moment, they had not felt any distinct Spirit Power fluctuations, nor had they seen the glowing aura of a Martial Spirit from those three cloaked giants. This chilling fact meant that the intruders had accomplished this astonishing feat of speed, strength, and structural destruction relying purely on their physical body's foundational strength, or perhaps utilizing some unknown, highly advanced secret technique that completely masked their energy.
Panic began to rapidly set in among the patrons. To think that someone, or a group of someones, had actually dared to brazenly, violently kidnap a citizen in the middle of a crowded tavern within the heart of the Frostfall Province... it was truly an unthinkable, suicidal act.
In the last few years, under the iron-fisted, omniscient rule of the Lord of the North, the crime rate in the Frostfall Province could easily be considered the absolute lowest across all territories in the entire Douluo Continent. The streets were immaculately safe, the trade routes were highly secure, and banditry was practically extinct. This unprecedented era of peace was maintained not just by economic prosperity, but by the profound, widespread, and bone-chilling terror of the consequences of breaking the law.
"The fools," an older, heavily scarred mercenary muttered from a nearby table, staring up at the snow falling gently through the ruined roof. "They have invoked the wrath of the Law Enforcement Force of the Frostfall Province. Do they not know the absolute laws of this land?"
"They must be arrogant foreigners," another patron whispered, his voice hushed with a mixture of awe and deep-seated fear. "The Law Enforcement Force isn't some ragtag, corrupt city militia. They are a highly structured, merciless military branch dedicated solely to capturing and judging criminals based exactly on the absolute seriousness of the crime committed. For minor thefts, it's brutal hard labor. But kidnapping? Murder? Rape? Those are classified as the most heinous, unforgivable crimes imaginable."
The murmurs grew louder, the patrons discussing the terrifying reality of the force the intruders had just provoked.
"Kidnapping a man within the Frostfall Province is an act of pure, unadulterated suicide," Chen Ding realized, his panic subsiding into a grim certainty. "The Law Enforcement Force is terrifyingly formidable. Their standard patrol captains are seasoned Spirit Kings. Their regional commanders are powerful Spirit Saints and Spirit Douluos. And the central division stationed in Crimson Zenith City? It is spearheaded by multiple Titled Douluos, with the Lord Marquis himself presiding as their ultimate Head Commander. There is absolutely nowhere to hide from them."
"And they say those who commit heinous crimes in the Frostfall Province face a fate far worse than a simple executioner's blade," the older mercenary added, his voice dropping to a terrified whisper, repeating the grim, horrific legends that circulated the province to keep the populace in line.
"It is said that the worst offenders are dragged deep into the lightless, subterranean pits of Rakshasa City. There, their spirit power is completely, permanently sealed. But death is a luxury entirely denied to them. They are subjected to torments that shatter the very concept of sanity."
The tavern patrons leaned in, shivering despite the roaring fire.
"It is said that prisoners are routinely boiled alive in massive vats of acidic sludge," the mercenary continued, his eyes wide. "Their flesh is left bubbling and peeling away from the bone, only to be miraculously, painfully healed by dark magic so the agonizing process can be endlessly repeated. They are thrown into pitch-black pits to be mauled, torn apart, and even raped by feral, corrupted shadow beasts. The Rakshasa Goddess herself presides over this subterranean hell, psychologically, mentally, and physically playing with their broken bodies. She tortures them repeatedly, meticulously breeding their absolute despair like a farmer harvesting crops, ensuring that living itself becomes a sickening, inescapable curse filled with all sorts of gruesome, unspeakable violations."
Old Ba nodded slowly from behind the bar, looking at the silver coins still resting on the table. "Those three cloaked men are already dead. They just don't know it yet."
Meanwhile, high above the snowy valleys, entirely ignorant of the horrific destiny they had just invited upon themselves, the three elders of the Clear Sky Sect were soaring through the freezing night air, maintaining a tight, rapid formation. Tang Jianxing held the unconscious form of Gu Chen securely under his massive arm, having applied a precise, localized strike to a nerve cluster on the man's neck to ensure he remained pliable and silent during the transit.
"Flawless execution, brothers," Tang Jianxing called out over the rushing wind, a confident, immensely arrogant smirk hidden beneath his hood. "No alarms were raised. No pursuit has been mounted from the city garrison. The northern defenses are as porous as a cheap sieve. They rely too much on their reputation and not enough on actual strength."
"We will be across the Howling Wolf Ridge before midnight," Tang Boqin rumbled, his eyes fixed on the distant southern horizon. "Once we reach the absolute safety of our sect's borders in the Star Luo Empire, we will pry the secrets of these artificial bones from this peasant's mind, piece by piece if necessary."
However, their arrogant, foolish assumptions of an easy, unhindered escape were about to be violently, catastrophically shattered.
Zhang Tian's Blood Silver Mirage Clone had been traveling at a sustained, lightning-enhanced velocity that defied physical reason. He was already remarkably close to the outskirts of Snowfall Haven when his vast, sweeping Mental Force detected a sudden, violent structural disturbance in the city below. He instantly sensed the forceful, explosive exit of those three distinct, powerful Titled Douluo auras rapidly leaving the city, carrying the faint, struggling life signature of a fourth, much weaker man.
The clone did not hesitate or slow his approach for a single second. His icy blue eyes narrowed into slits of pure, predatory focus. He instantly locked his overwhelming, Limit Douluo-level Mental Force onto the specific, shifting spatial coordinates of the three fleeing elders.
While still miles away, streaking across the dark horizon like a meteor, Zhang Tian utilized his supreme, long-range sovereign control over the plant kingdom.
He funneled a massive, highly concentrated surge of his Spirit Power straight down into the frozen earth directly below the elders' projected flight path. He did not aim to strike them with small projectiles. He aimed to completely alter the very environment they sought to traverse.
Beneath the three flying Titled Douluos, the snowy plains and the rocky mountain ridges suddenly convulsed violently.
With a deafening, terrifying rumble that sounded like the earth itself was splitting open, thousands upon thousands of massive, incredibly thick Blood Silver Vines violently erupted from the ground. They shot upward with explosive, terrifying speed, piercing cleanly through the thick snow and solid stone. These were not ordinary, fragile plants; they were deeply infused with the supreme, metallic resilience of the Blood Silver Emperor bloodline and powered by the vast, unyielding reserves of a Limit Douluo's intent.
The vines wove together rapidly in mid-air, forming a sprawling, inescapable crimson and silver net that stretched for hundreds of meters across the sky, completely, utterly blocking the elders' southern trajectory.
Before the three men could even process the sudden, massive botanical eruption blocking their path, dozens of the thickest, thorn-covered vines lashed out from the net like striking vipers. They whipped through the air with pinpoint, heat-seeking accuracy, aggressively grabbing hold of the three elders who were flying high in the sky.
The heavy vines wrapped tightly around their ankles, their waists, and their broad shoulders, arresting their forward momentum with a violent, bone-jarring jerk that nearly snapped their spines.
"What in the world?!" Tang Hongyi shouted, his eyes widening in sheer shock as his flight was abruptly halted, suspending him in the air.
The sudden appearance of the towering Blood Silver Vines from the frozen ground completely startled the three elders. They hung suspended in the night sky, caught securely in the grip of the crimson flora. Tang Jianxing, possessing a sharp memory of the intelligence reports from the previous year's failed siege on Seven Treasure City, immediately recognized the distinct, metallic sheen and the blood-red coloration of the plants.
"It is the Blood Silver Grass!" Tang Jianxing yelled to his brothers, tightening his grip on the unconscious Gu Chen to ensure he didn't drop the prize. "It is the Martial Spirit of that Zhang Tian! Ancestor was right! This monster really can use the Blood Silver Grass to monitor everywhere the weed grows! He can control them remotely from so far away in Crimson Zenith City!"
"Let's break them!" Tang Boqin roared, his legendary pride flaring, entirely unwilling to be captured by plants controlled from miles away. "They are merely weeds!"
The three elders flexed their massive, highly trained muscles, intending to simply snap the encroaching vines and shatter the net using their overwhelming, brute physical strength. They strained against the bindings, their muscles bulging against their thick cloaks, expecting the flora to give way.
However, they quickly realized with a mounting sense of pure horror that they couldn't accomplish it with their physical body's strength alone. The Blood Silver Vines possessed a terrifying, elastic density that absorbed their kinetic struggles effortlessly, the metallic thorns digging painfully into their thick garments and scraping against their skin.
"Physical force is insufficient! Channel your reserves!" Tang Jianxing commanded, panic edging into his voice.
The trio quickly unleashed a massive torrent of their dense, high-ranking Spirit Power, attempting to boost their internal strength to violently tear the flora apart. Their auras flared brightly, illuminating the night sky with brilliant flashes of wind, fire, and lightning. But the vines merely groaned under the intense pressure, the crimson and silver surface shimmering as it passively absorbed and dispersed a portion of their spiritual output. It still failed to break the bindings.
Realizing that stealth was no longer an option and that their very lives were in immediate, dire jeopardy from this long-range suppression, the three elders abandoned all pretense of a quiet escape.
They roared in perfect unison, their spiritual seas erupting with overwhelming power. They quickly unleashed their true, towering Martial Spirits.
A heavy, suffocating, and incredibly oppressive pressure descended upon the snowy mountains as three massive, dark, and intricately carved Clear Sky Hammers materialized in the hands of the bound men. The legendary weapons radiated the distinct, common attributes of their lineage: immense, crushing heaviness, and a profound, gravity-distorting presence that warped the air.
However, these specific hammers were uniquely terrifying due to the elemental affinities of their masters. Tang Jianxing's hammer was surrounded by a howling, localized vortex of razor-sharp wind. Tang Boqin's weapon blazed with a fierce, searing crimson flame that melted the snow below. Tang Hongyi's hammer crackled wildly with jagged, branching arcs of destructive dark blue lightning.
The sky lit up as their formidable spirit ring configurations manifested in full glory. Nine brilliant rings pulsed around each of their heavily muscled bodies: Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Black.
They did not hold back. They immediately drew upon their higher-tier, devastating elemental techniques to shatter their botanical prison.
Tang Jianxing, seeking to cleanly slice through the thickest vines binding his waist, channeled his immense energy into his sixth ring.
"Sixth Spirit Ability: Tempest Rend!" Tang Jianxing bellowed. He swung his heavy hammer in a tight, rapid circle. The howling wind attribute rapidly compressed into a series of massive, incredibly sharp blades of highly pressurized air that spun outward from the hammer's head. The attack acted like a colossal, invisible buzzsaw that began to rapidly, violently saw through the dense, metallic fibers of the Blood Silver Vines.
Tang Hongyi, seeking to violently shock the plant matter into submission and disrupt its control, poured his vast reserves into his eighth black ring.
"Eighth Spirit Ability: Thundering Sky-Shatter!" Tang Hongyi roared. He hoisted his lightning-wreathed hammer high and brought it down heavily against the thick vine wrapping his legs. A massive, blindingly bright cascade of highly concentrated, destructive dark blue lightning exploded from the point of impact. The electrical current surged violently through the moisture within the vines, causing the plant cells to superheat and burst, severely weakening the structural integrity of the bindings.
Tang Boqin, the eldest and most powerful of the trio, decided to unleash a localized catastrophe to burn their way to freedom entirely. His ninth, ninety-thousand-year-old black ring flared with an intense, blinding crimson light.
"Ninth Spirit Ability: Volcanic Annihilation Strike!" Tang Boqin shouted, his voice echoing like rolling thunder across the frozen valleys. He swung his blazing hammer with a devastating, two-handed grip, smashing it directly into the central nexus of the sprawling vine net obstructing their path. A colossal, concentrated eruption of liquid, searing fire exploded outward, creating a massive sphere of incinerating heat that rivaled the core of a volcano. The sheer, overwhelming temperature finally managed to burn through the incredibly resilient, moisture-rich defenses of the Blood Silver Grass, turning a large section of the net into falling, glowing ash.
Through the combined, devastating application of their high-tier elemental hammer techniques, the three Titled Douluos barely managed to deal with the relentless entanglement of the remote-controlled vines. They broke free from their immediate bindings, panting heavily, their auras blazing as they hovered in the sky amidst the falling ash and severed vines.
"We are clear! Keep moving south!" Tang Jianxing ordered, securing his grip on the hostage, feeling a surge of triumph that they had broken the Marquis's trap.
But their momentary triumph was instantly, permanently extinguished.
As they looked toward the northern horizon, intending to resume their rapid flight, their hearts plummeted directly into their stomachs.
Tearing through the night sky, moving at a speed that left a visible, burning trail of ozone and crimson light in its wake, a solitary figure was approaching them. The velocity was so immense that the very air seemed to scream in violent protest.
The blood-red streak closed the distance in the blink of an eye, coming to a sudden, perfectly controlled halt in the air mere dozens of meters in front of their formation. The displaced air washed over the three elders, forcing them to raise their massive arms against the gale.
As the glowing crimson and azure lightning surrounding the figure slowly dissipated, the face of their pursuer became terrifyingly clear in the pale moonlight.
They saw the dark, immaculate aristocratic robes. They saw the calm, chillingly handsome features. And they looked directly into the depths of a pair of icy blue eyes that held absolutely no warmth, only the cold, unyielding promise of a violent, merciless death.
It was none other than the feared Lord of the North, Zhang Tian.
The three formidable Titled Douluos of the Clear Sky Sect gripped their massive hammers, a profound, suffocating dread settling entirely over their souls as they realized they had not slipped past the monster's gaze, nor had they merely broken a remote trap; they had flown directly into his waiting, physical jaws.
~~
A/N: Check out my other novels [Villain: Manipulating The Heroines Into Hating The Protagonist] and [Harem Master: Seduction System].
Also, check out 20 Chapters Ahead for this fanfic on my P.atreon. [Check Out Art Of Characters On My Patreon. It's Free To View btw.]
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