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Buzz!
As the sound echoed, Bibi Dong's two arms underwent a terrifying change. They turned into two massive black scythes surrounded by a thick, dark mist known as Death Qi. The blades shone with a cold light that felt like it could tear a person's soul apart. A second later, she crossed the twin scythes and swung them with a power meant for reaping lives. They met the tip of the golden dragon spear with perfect accuracy.
Clang!
This was not an explosion of energy but a direct clash between ultimate sharpness and raw power. The sound of metal hitting metal was so loud it nearly broke everyone's eardrums. However, the standoff did not last long.
Puff!
The Golden Giant's huge body shook violently as if hit by an invisible hammer. The golden light on its body flickered wildly, turning dim and then bright. Finally, it could not hold back any longer. The giant opened its mouth and coughed up a large amount of golden blood.
The difference in their strength was now very clear. Even with the help of Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and even with Tang Chen and Xiao Ruier using their Martial Soul Fusion Skill to reach the level of a Titled Douluo, they were still outmatched.
They were facing Bibi Dong, a Peak Douluo at Rank 98 who possessed twin spirits, a full set of spirit bones, and massive combat experience. Next to her, they seemed far too young and simple.
The power coming from Bibi Dong's Death Scythes was like a falling mountain or a tsunami. The Death Qi was strong enough to rot a soul. The golden dragon spear was being pushed down by the scythes, and the Golden Giant's light was fading fast. It looked like they were about to lose.
Just as the Golden Giant spit blood and its light began to break apart under Bibi Dong's attack, something happened.
"Roar!"
"You stinky woman! If he dies, who is going to buy me bones to eat?" a voice yelled.
"Take this claw!" another shout followed.
A blood-red figure full of violent energy appeared behind Bibi Dong as if it had used teleportation. It was the Vicious Beast, Red King. He swung a massive, dark-red scaled claw with enough force to tear through the air itself. He aimed it right at Bibi Dong's back without any fancy moves. The physical power of the strike was so great that the space behind Bibi Dong began to bend.
"What?" Bibi Dong's cold face changed slightly. "I didn't think a beast like you could hide and wait this long to move.".
She felt the deadly attack behind her. She was now stuck between the golden dragon spear in front and Red King's surprise strike from behind. She seemed to be in a real crisis. However, Bibi Dong showed why she was the Supreme Pontiff. She reacted with incredible speed.
Her eighth spirit ring, a black ten-thousand-year ring, lit up at her feet.
"Eighth Spirit Ability, Spider Emperor Clone!".
A purple-black light flashed, and a clone that looked exactly like her Death Spider Emperor form split away from her body. This skill created a clone with 100% of her power. It had no mind of its own and had to be controlled, but it was just as strong as she was. While it could use her first seven spirit abilities, it could not use the eighth or ninth.
The clone appeared and turned around instantly. Its eight spider legs gathered thick Death Qi and acted like a shield. It blocked Red King's giant claw head-on.
Boom!
The explosion from the claw hitting the clone was even louder than the previous ones. The shockwave blasted a huge pit into the ground. While the clone was busy blocking Red King, Bibi Dong's main body released even more Death Qi. With a loud clang, she forced the injured Golden Giant and its spear back dozens of meters, ending the stalemate.
In that small moment of peace, Bibi Dong shifted her power again. Her ugly Death Spider Emperor form vanished like a ghost. It was replaced by a more compact, dark-green spider phantom that felt like it could eat souls. This was her second spiritāthe Soul Eating Spider Emperor. She had switched her twin spirits in the blink of an eye.
"It's over, kid!" Bibi Dong sneered coldly.
Her sixth spirit ring, a blood-red hundred-thousand-year ring, started to glow.
"Sixth Spirit Ability, Eternal Scar!".
Bibi Dong raised her two emerald-colored scythes and slashed a green, cross-shaped wave of light toward the defeated Golden Giant. The dark-green blade of energy was made of pure resentment and tore through space. It was too fast to see and ignored physical defense. It was designed to hit the very core of a person's life.
Eternal Scar was one of her most dangerous attacks. Physical armor did nothing against it, and energy shields were only half as effective. If it hit, the wound would never heal and would keep spreading until the victim ran out of spirit power and died.
As Tang Chen watched the green blade fly toward him, his pupils shrank. He knew he couldn't avoid it and he couldn't block it directly. If they stayed fused, both he and Xiao Ruier would be badly hurt or killed by the curse. He had to make a choice. He could use teleportation to dodge, but then Xiao Ruier would be hit.
In a split second, he made a crazy plan.
"Damn it, Bibi Dong! I'll fight you to the end!".
He let go of the fusion. The Golden Giant fell apart, and the light scattered as Tang Chen and Xiao Ruier appeared again. Xiao Ruier was pale and barely able to stand because she had used too much spirit power. Tang Chen didn't run. Instead, he jumped forward to meet the Eternal Scar energy blade himself.
His eyes were full of determination. His sixth spirit ringāa red hundred-thousand-year ringālit up. At the same time, a red light came from his right arm.
"Sixth Spirit Ability, Void!".
"Hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone Skill, Paragon Golden Body!".
He used his two best defensive skills at once. His body turned into a bright, golden figure that looked like it was made of solid metal. The Paragon Golden Body was the strongest barrier in the world.
Boom!
The Eternal Scar blade hit his golden body. Sparks flew everywhere as the energy rubbed against the barrier. The green blade, which usually ignored defense, was actually stopped for a moment by the golden light. However, the Paragon Golden Body only lasts for three seconds. Once the time was up, the golden light shattered.
The moment the gold broke, Tang Chen's body became see-through and red like a ghost. His Void ability was now active. The green energy blade passed right through his ghostly form.
Puff!
Even though he was immune to physical hits, some of the soul-level curse power from Eternal Scar still got through. It hit Tang Chen's soul directly. His ghostly body became solid again. He turned pale and coughed up blood and bits of his internal organs. He fell from the sky like a broken toy and crashed into the dirt. He lay there, unconscious, and no one knew if he was still alive.
"Tang Chen!" Xiao Ruier screamed. She was heartbroken. She didn't expect him to use himself as a shield. He had combined two great skills to survive the hit, but the price was terrible. Seeing him like that made her feel like her own heart had stopped.
Her golden eyes turned blood-red with hatred and tears. Even though she was exhausted, she rushed to him and stood in front of him to protect him from Bibi Dong.
"If you want to kill him, you have to go through me first!" she cried, pointing her trembling spear at Bibi Dong. She was shaking with grief, but she wasn't afraid.
"What a pair of sad lovers," Bibi Dong sneered. The phantom of the Soul Eating Spider Emperor moved behind her. "Since you want to die so much, I'll let you join him.".
She raised her hand to finish Xiao Ruier with a simple blast of purple energy. But just as she was about to fire...
Boom!
The sky suddenly changed. The clear air was replaced by heavy, dark clouds that looked like black ink. It became hard to breathe. Lightning flashed like silver snakes through the clouds, lighting up the ground in scary patterns. Thunder rolled like the roar of an ancient beast. This wasn't normal weather. The clouds were filled with a Dragon's pressure that was ancient and more powerful than anything else.
The pressure was much stronger than Red King's. Even Bibi Dong felt her heart shake. She stopped her attack and looked up at the sky. She looked very serious and even a little scared.
"This is...?" she whispered.
From the middle of the dark clouds, a massive black Dragon head appeared. Its eyes burned with golden flames like giant stars, looking down at the people below as if they were tiny ants.