Chapter 18: The Gap Between Heaven and Earth
A pillar of power, so dense it felt solid, erupted from the Elder Palace. It was a pressure that did not just push, but displaced.
The very air over Spirit City seemed to congeal. Commoners fell to their knees, gasping for breath. Spirit Masters below the Spirit King rank fainted outright, their spirit power instantly suppressed by an authority they couldn't even comprehend.
"Level 97... No, it's already very close to Level 98."
At this moment, all the Titled Douluo and stronger individuals within Spirit City clearly felt this immense, god-like Spirit pressure. They all turned their heads in the same direction, their faces pale with shock and awe.
...
In the Supreme Pontiff Palace.
Qian Xunji was reviewing a document when the teacup on his desk began to tremble. A golden, sacred aura lit up the sky outside his window, flooding the hall with divine light.
"Supreme Pontiff, what is that…?" One of the Douluo guarding him peered through the skylight, his eyes fixed on the Elder Palace, his face a mask of horrified reverence.
The other Douluo guarding the Supreme Pontiff swallowed hard, his hand instinctively gripping his weapon. "There's no mistake. That spirit power fluctuation…"
Qian Xunji himself had stood up, his expression one of disbelief, which quickly melted into unrestrained joy.
"It seems one of the Uncles has broken through."
He possessed a head Spirit Bone from the Angelic Raiment, and he himself was a Titled Douluo. His mental force was at the forefront even among Titled Douluo of the same level, and he quickly judged the strength of the fluctuation.
It had definitely reached Level 97. It was even brushing the barrier of Level 98.
Looking across the entire Spirit Hall, and even the entire Douluo Continent, only the first four Consecrated Elders, including his father Qian Daoliu, had reached Level 97 or above—besides Tang Chen, who had been missing from the Clear Sky Sect for many years.
He hadn't been born when his father and the Second Consecrated broke through, but he clearly remembered the day the Third Consecrated and Fourth Consecrated Elders broke through to Level 97.
The scene was exactly the same as just now.
No, he corrected himself, it was even more powerful than when the Third and Fourth Consecrated Elders broke through back then. This aura was more vibrant, more domineering.
He ran through the candidates. "I just don't know if it's Uncle Guang Ling, Uncle Qian Jun, or Uncle Jiang Mo. I think it should be Uncle Guang Ling; after all, he was the first among the three to break through to Level 96."
Although the power of the Consecrated Elders could technically restrain the Supreme Pontiff, it was a minor political inconvenience.
Every Consecrated Elder was loyal to Spirit Hall and, more importantly, loyal to his Angel lineage.
The stronger the Consecrated Elders, the deeper the foundation of Spirit Hall. And the deeper the foundation, the more stable his position as Supreme Pontiff would be for his grand ambition.
"Haha! Come on, you two. Follow me to the Elder Palace to congratulate him!"
Sensing that unique, overwhelming aura, Qian Xunji was convinced one of the old pillars of the hall had taken another step toward the divine.
He laughed heartily and strode out of the Supreme Pontiff Palace, his purple robes sweeping behind him, his mind already calculating the new political weight this breakthrough would grant him.
The two Douluo guarding him exchanged bitter smiles and followed closely. Amidst their envy, their eyes couldn't help but show a hint of profound reverence.
This was not only for the Consecrated Elders but also for the Supreme Pontiff and for Spirit Hall itself.
With such a foundation, why would Spirit Hall not prosper? Why would it not be strong? And why would Supreme Pontiff Qian Xunji not, one day, rule the entire world?
They knew their Supreme Pontiff's 'great ambition'. It was not limited to Spirit Hall and the Two Great Empires, but the entire continent. This breakthrough was just another step toward that unification.
Elsewhere, the Elders in their various rooms in the Elder Palace also thought that a Consecrated Elder had broken through. It was only because they had received orders from the High Priest beforehand not to be disturbed that they did not go out to offer congratulations.
As for those below Titled Douluo, this spirit power fluctuation simply exceeded their understanding. They could not judge how strong it was; they only knew it was divine.
...
Inside the central hall of the Elder Palace.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei were already dumbfounded, staring blankly at the tall man in red who stood where Qin Xuan and Jiang Mo had been. They didn't even dare to breathe loudly.
The man was over 3 meters tall, clad in crimson armor that seemed forged from fire and light. In his left hand, he held a massive, crimson-gold spear—a perfect fusion of the Changming Sword and the Coiling Dragon Rod. His face was a mask of angelic, cold beauty, yet his eyes burned with the fire of the Vermillion Bird.
And the Six Consecrated Elders, led by Qian Daoliu, looked at this fused being with undisguised curiosity.
The Third Consecrated, Qingluan Douluo, a woman of ethereal grace, smiled softly and murmured, "A truly good Martial Soul Fusion Technique. To be able to fuse with Jiang Mo and reach such a level with just a Level 50+ Spirit King... even I feel a lot of pressure from that."
Her eyes shone. "It seems we've hit the jackpot."
"Hmm." The Second Consecrated, Gold Crocodile Douluo, nodded in deep agreement, his ancient, reptilian eyes unblinking. "Even I feel a hint of a threat. I'm afraid that when Qin Xuan himself advances to Titled Douluo, this Martial Soul Fusion Technique will be able to reach the height of the High Priest."
"Perhaps," Qian Daoliu stroked his beard, "even more than that…"
He uttered this profound statement that made all the Elders present thoughtful. He then glanced at the two stunned Spirit Douluo.
"Regarding this matter today," Qian Daoliu said in a deep voice, "once you leave this door, I don't want an eleventh person to know."
"Do you two understand what I'm saying?" Qian Daoliu narrowed his eyes, his expression no longer as amiable as before. It was a command, backed by the authority of a Level 99 Limit Douluo.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei swallowed hard. Yue Guan, Chrysanthemum Douluo, hesitated, asking, "High Priest... if the Supreme Pontiff asks, can we not tell him either?"
"As for the Supreme Pontiff, I will explain it myself," Qian Daoliu was silent for a while, considering his son's dignity as Supreme Pontiff, and answered tactfully.
"Yes." Yue Guan and Gui Mei bowed respectfully and silently stood aside, their clothes soaked with cold sweat. The High Priest wouldn't let them leave, so they didn't dare to move.
"Jiang Mo, how do you feel now?"
Qian Daoliu retracted his gaze, his face returning to its usual gentleness. He walked up to the towering man in red with the other Consecrated Elders and asked with a smile.
"Uh, right now I feel like I could punch a 10,000-Year Soul Beast to death. It's... not bad…"
The man in red held the spear, clenched his right fist, and answered in Qin Xuan's voice.
"That voice... are you Qin Xuan?" Qian Daoliu and the six Elders were all greatly surprised.
They hadn't expected that this Martial Soul Fusion Technique was actually dominated by Qin Xuan.
Didn't this mean that Jiang Mo Douluo—a majestic, Level 96 Super Douluo—had lost to a Level 54 Spirit King in the struggle for dominance of the fused soul?
Just then, the voice of the Elder Palace guard knight sounded from outside the hall door. "High Priest! The Supreme Pontiff and his two personal guard Douluo have arrived!"
Qian Daoliu glanced towards the door, did not answer, and said to the fused form, "Xuan Er, release the Martial Soul Fusion Technique first."
[Inorin's Note: "Xuan Er" is an affectionate nickname, shortening "Qin Xuan." This signifies a change in Qian Daoliu's intimacy and approval.]
Because of the success of this heaven-defying technique, Qian Daoliu's address to Qin Xuan had changed from "Qin Xuan" to "Xuan Er." This was currently how only his two teachers would call him.
Although Qin Xuan felt very awkward about it.
"Oh." Qin Xuan lightly responded.
With a flash of blinding white light, the 3-meter-tall man in red disappeared. In his place, Qin Xuan and Jiang Mo Douluo returned to their original forms, standing side-by-side.
The difference in their reactions was stark.
Qin Xuan's demeanor remained natural and calm, as if he hadn't just wielded the power of a near-Limit Douluo. He merely brushed a speck of dust from his red robe.
Jiang Mo Douluo, however, blushed, his old, stern face burning fiercely red.
To think that he, a dignified Level 96 attack-system Titled Douluo, possessor of the top-tier Tool Spirit Coiling Dragon Rod, had actually lost. Lost the battle of wills to a Spirit King. And the other party was also his own disciple.
Damn, it was too embarrassing!
He wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Gold Crocodile, Qingluan, Xiongshi, Guang Ling, and Qian Jun, the five other Consecrated Elders, saw Jiang Mo's shameful, mortified state. Their ancient, stoic faces twitched. Their mouths curled up, and they more or less showed playful, schadenfreude-filled smiles towards him.
They were all Titled Douluo, and moreover, Consecrated Elders who were above ordinary Titled Douluo, with high status and inherent aloofness.
They generally didn't laugh... unless they absolutely couldn't help it.
If it weren't for Qin Xuan, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei being present, and Supreme Pontiff Qian Xunji waiting right outside the hall door...
They probably wouldn't have been able to stop themselves from bursting out laughing at the sight of the famously taciturn Jiang Mo looking like a scolded child.
However, some of them would soon not be able to laugh.
"Let them in."
Qian Daoliu waved his hand at the two guards and looked at the Elder Palace door. Qin Xuan, understanding the protocol, moved to stand beside Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
Jiang Mo Douluo, on the other hand, said nothing, his face bitter and still flushed. He stomped over and stood beside his brother, Qian Jun Douluo.
Both brothers had the habit of always holding their Coiling Dragon Rods.
This was also the reason they were able to develop the ability to jointly contend with a Level 98 Peak Douluo. But right now, Jiang Mo looked like he wanted to use his rod to dig a tunnel and escape.
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