Huuuum—!
The moon above shimmered, casting down silvery radiance.
Translucent silver silk descended—deceptively delicate yet unbreakably resilient—drifting toward the falling Grade-8 fixed-load artillery shell.
Like a gentle breeze stirring threads, the shell's descent slowed to that of an autumn leaf.
Simultaneously—
A towering elder with ash-white hair materialized before Xu Tianran. His bright yellow imperial robes marked him unmistakably: Kong Deming, the Silver Moon Douluo—Sun Moon Empire's sole guardian of royal blood.
"Senior Kong," Xu Tianran breathed, relief flooding him.
His regicide and fratricide had not repulsed this pillar of the empire. His stolen throne was secure.
Kong Deming sighed. "I wished to avoid mass slaughter… but trespassing the palace demands retribution." He raised a finger—
Buzz—!
A golden beam shot forth. One meter from the shell, it split into a radiant halo that encircled the projectile.
Under its glow, the shell vanished without trace.
But next second—BOOOOM—!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted high above!
Five figures descended upon the palace—Long Xiaoyao gravely wounded, the other four (Xuan Zi, Du Busi, Heavenly Sun Douluo, Zhi Yong) disheveled yet unbroken.
"You're the Silver Moon Douluo," Du Busi's eyes narrowed, assessing.
Rumors spoke of him—but his true power? Only now revealed: unfathomably deep. Though his soul power registered merely Level 94, the pressure he exuded rivaled a Limit Douluo. A Super Douluo's instinct confirmed it.
"The Sun Moon's imperial family actually hides such a monster," Heavenly Sun Douluo muttered, face grim.
They'd aimed to eliminate Long Xiaoyao tonight—crippling the enemy's Limit Douluo count. But this unforeseen reinforcement shattered their plan.
Limit Douluo-level power…
So close, yet untouchable.
"We withdraw," Zhi Yong signaled, subtly activating a rune on his palm.
Their true mission was diversion—to buy Chen Junting time. Initial success had tempted them to target Long Xiaoyao and Xu Tianran directly. But Kong Deming's arrival demanded course correction.
"Old Poison!" Xuan Zi caught the cue.
A roar echoed—"Holy Spirit Cult—retreat!"—as a golden flare shot skyward like fireworks.
The Three Great Empires' forces disengaged instantly.
But Sun Moon and Holy Spirit Cult fighters froze in fury.
Using our Cult's name to cover your retreat?!
This was psychological warfare at its cruelest.
"You think escape is so easy?!" Jing Hongchen's eyes blazed crimson.
Hatred for the Body Sect burned hottest in him. To let them slip away after catching them red-handed? Never!
Crimson light surged toward Body Sect disciples—
Elder Song intercepted instantly.
A black soul ring flared—cyan shadow tearing through space.
Above, Du Busi shielded his Cult. Seeing Jing Hongchen target his disciples, he swung his wolf-tooth club downward—
"You dare, toad?!"
Terrifying force fused with the Grade-9 soul tool's might—violet-black lightning coiling around it, gravity warping reality, air exploding, space tearing—
But a silver barrier materialized—halting the club dead.
A faint silver thread shot forth like lightning. Du Busi instinctively dodged, golden light flashing across his body—
Hiss—!
The thread pierced his defenses.
"Jing Hongchen speaks the truth," Kong Deming appeared before Du Busi, finger raised. A silver moon shimmered behind him. "Since you came… don't leave."
"Hmph." Du Busi sneered, unafraid. "So the great Silver Moon Douluo is this benighted? Acknowledging a patricidal, fratricidal wretch who consorts with evil soul masters as emperor? Pah!" He spat downward.
"Sun Moon Empire's all cut from Xu Tianran's cloth! An emperor who murders kin yet keeps his throne? Your ethics are nonexistent. 'Sun Moon'? You disgrace those characters. Better rename yourselves the 'Empire of Livestock'!"
Venomous!
Truly venomous!
The Three Great Empires' fighters winced. He'd slandered the entire nation.
The Sun Moon's forces turned livid. Xu Tianran's knuckles whitened on his wheelchair arms—robes billowing without wind, destruction aura erupting around him.
Collusion with Holy Spirit Cult? He could purge them later as "victory."
But patricide/fratricide—witnessed by hundreds—would stain his reign forever.
He'd only meant for his father to die naturally!
Now, the calculating Xu Tianran snapped.
"I'll flay him alive! Devour his flesh, wear his skin—I'll exterminate the Body Sect to the last soul!"
Eunuch Li trembled in silence.
Yet Kong Deming, though grim-faced, retained a master's composure.
"Your mouth lives up to your name—truly toxic. But…" His gaze turned glacial. "This is the Sun Moon Empire's internal affair. Outsiders have no say. As guardian of the royal bloodline, I ensure only one thing: the throne bears Sun Moon's blood. Morality? Irrelevant to imperial rule!"
No further debate—he struck.
The silver moon behind him blurred—martial soul? Soul tool? Irrelevant. Its power was undeniable.
Like a galaxy descending, a heavenly blade cleaving the sky!
Hah—!
Du Busi roared, club meeting the strike.
"Old Poison!" ×3
Xuan Zi's trio attacked—targeting the moon, Kong Deming, or both.
But Long Xiaoyao's presence foiled them—bolstering enemy morale!
As chaos swirled—
BOOOOM—!
A tyrannical aura erupted. All light vanished—swallowed by absolute darkness. Even Kong Deming's silver moon flickered like a guttering candle.
The Sun Moon and Holy Spirit Cult forces froze in confusion.
Only the Three Great Empires' elites recognized the presence.
No—
Not just them!
"Disaster! It's Di Tian!" Long Xiaoyao's voice cracked—memory of that wound searing fresh.
A low voice echoed—intentionally audible only to Sun Moon forces:
"It seems my last strike left an impression. Since you recall it… you know how inconvenient it was when two flies escaped me last time. Today, with only one present… stay. Permanently."
Only Long Xiaoyao was addressed. Kong Deming? An ant to be crushed without notice. A mere Level 94 soul master held no weight in Di Tian's eyes.
Crack—!
The dark sky split—not with moonlight, but a spatial rift tearing open.
ROAR—!
Long Xiaoyao unleashed a heaven-shaking dragon's cry!
Ignoring his wounds, he activated his Martial Soul True Body—Dark Holy Dragon coiling through the nine heavens, straining against the darkness.
But a more majestic dragon's roar drowned his—crushing every soul master's breath.
A colossal dragon claw erupted from the rift—its power making space itself tremble.
Spatial shackles clamped onto Long Xiaoyao—already wounded, his martial soul suppressed, he could not move.
Alongside the claw, a figure solidified at the rift's edge—
Alone, as if standing atop a mountain peak.
Golden eyes blazed—like sun and moon shining as one in utter darkness!
Beast God Di Tian—makes his dazzling entrance!
As for why Di Tian appeared despite Chen Junting's absence…
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