BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!
High above, shockwaves rippled endlessly. Five supreme experts had clashed for long—but unlike Xuan Zi, Du Busi, Heavenly Sun Douluo, and Zhi Yong, Long Xiaoyao's condition was deteriorating.
Already wounded, he could barely match Du Busi and Xuan Zi at full strength. Now, with both enhanced and backed by two Level 97 Super Douluos, his situation grew dire.
Below, the palace battle had reached fever pitch. Initially one-sided, countless evil soul masters and Sun Moon soul engineers fell to the Three Great Empires' forces. Only the timely arrival of Grade-9 soul engineers guarding the armory and Mingde Hall stabilized the front.
Yet the invaders pressed inward. A streak of cyan light erupted—a pair of razor-sharp eagle claws blotted out the sky, hurtling toward Xu Tianran's location.
Layered soul-engineered barriers sprouted from buildings to intercept—but the cyan talons sliced through them like hot knives through butter.
Jing Hongchen, guarding the hall, instantly erected his defensive barrier, halting Elder Song's lethal strike. Light flared across his body—
WHOOSH—!
Cannon fire erupted skyward, meteor-like projectiles converging on Elder Song.
But she evaded every shot.
Jing Hongchen's face darkened. Though his strength rivaled Level 97 Greenshadow Douluo, pinned here, he couldn't effectively target the airborne Elder Song.
Just then—
"Hall Master Jing, pursue freely."
Unnoticed, Eunuch Li had wheeled Xu Tianran into full view of the battlefield.
Jing Hongchen opened his mouth to protest—
"Hall Master Jing—capture and eliminate that Super Douluo."
Xu Tianran's command cut through the air. His cold gaze fused with a surge of formidable aura erupting from his body—stunning Jing Hongchen. This new emperor hid depths unimaginable!
"Yes Your Majesty!" Jing Hongchen launched skyward on his personal flight soul tool, matching aerial assault specialists in speed, closing rapidly on Elder Song.
Above, Du Busi watched—and his lips curled into a grin that made Xuan Zi shudder.
"Old Poison, what scheme are you hatching now?" Xuan Zi whispered via soul-power transmission.
Du Busi's reply was blunt: "All of you—fully restrain Long Xiaoyao, then release him at the last moment."
He retreated a full mile.
Instantly, Long Xiaoyao's assault fell solely on the trio. Sensing opportunity—or dread—the Dark Holy Dragon, formed by his Martial Soul True Form, petrified layer by layer. Black flames engulfed the stone scales. A dragon's roar escalated in pitch—shattering the petrification into a transparent dragon phantom wreathed in black fire, surging toward Heavenly Sun and Zhi Yong to erase the two Level 97 Super Douluos.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Celestial Sun—Scorching Heaven with Blazing Fire!"
"Ninth Soul Skill: Azure Heaven—Piercing Earth and Sky!"
Their soul skills shot forth—only to be swallowed by the phantom's black flames.
"Long Xiaoyao!" Xuan Zi roared. Golden light erupted. His Taotie Divine Ox form reverted to human—only the ox horns remained prominent. Palms slammed together; nine soul rings blazed like ignited flames. A bizarre weapon coalesced in his hands—thick at the top, narrow below, chicken-leg-shaped.
ROAR—!
The demon tiger soul spirit fused with the weapon—its tip morphing into a snarling tiger head.
He swung—
CRASH—!
—smashing directly into Long Xiaoyao's attack.
But in that collision, all four felt a sudden chill.
Impossible. At their level, high-altitude conditions held no threat. This was genuine danger.
Their eyes snapped toward Du Busi.
He held a single artillery shell.
A Grade-9 fixed-load artillery shell.
"Old Poison! What are you doing?!" Xuan Zi shouted—yet still pinned Long Xiaoyao.
Du Busi didn't answer. He simply let go.
The shell plummeted like a falling star—straight toward Xu Tianran.
Panic seized every soul below. That lethal aura couldn't be hidden. Who's the idiot?! Curses erupted silently in every mind.
"Old Poison, you're insane!" ×3
Even the usually composed Zhi Yong and Heavenly Sun Douluo roared in fury.
Du Busi transmitted calmly:
"Xuan Zi—stop holding back!"
"I've no time to hold back!" Xuan Zi snarled, lunging to intercept the falling shell.
But someone moved faster.
Long Xiaoyao—decades deep in Limit Douluo mastery—though no match for Di Tian in spatial insight, surpassed all human soul masters of this era.
His claw tore space itself.
Nine rings whirled. His right hand transformed into a dragon's claw—a cage of pure force seizing the shell. He shot upward, carrying it far from the battlefield.
One breath later—
KABOOOM—!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted, deafening all.
"Old Poison! What is your goal?!" Xuan Zi no longer attacked—he demanded answers. That was a Grade-9 fixed-load artillery shell! One of the world's top three ultimate weapons!
"Obviously—to deal with that old dragon," Du Busi stated plainly.
Strike while he's down.
He aimed to cripple the already wounded Long Xiaoyao, eliminate a Limit Douluo rival, and secure tangible results for their diversionary operation.
Directly targeting Long Xiaoyao risked evasion. But aimed at others? Long Xiaoyao would intervene.
Not just because the evil soul masters below were his allies, or Sun Moon conspired with his Holy Spirit Cult. But because of his nature—
Du Busi saw it clearly: a man aiding tyranny yet clinging to righteousness. That's precisely what I exploit.
As for Du Busi? He never claimed virtue. Using underhanded tactics? So what?
Xuan Zi, Zhi Yong, and Heavenly Sun Douluo stood utterly speechless.
Meanwhile—
Cough… cough…
Long Xiaoyao reappeared—his aura visibly weakened, scorched by the blast.
The trio felt a pang of awkwardness. Now we look like the villains.
But Du Busi produced another shell—this time Grade-8.
Still equivalent to a Super Douluo's full-power strike.
But now—true lethality.
The shell fell—toward Xu Tianran.
All eyes locked on it.
"DUUUU—BUUUU—SIIII—!!!"
Jing Hongchen blocked Elder Song's assault and bellowed in anguish.
These fixed-load shells belonged to Mingde Hall! Now turned against Sun Moon—against their new emperor!
His heart bled.
But greater urgency seized him:
Even as a Title Douluo, the new emperor might not survive a Grade-8 shell!
He must reach him!
Before he could break away—
Countless feather-like cyan lights blanketed him.
Elder Song's voice cut coldly:
"You're not going anywhere."
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