Even as the crisp clang was still echoing in the air, Qian Renxue's people had already arrived.
With a flap of its twelve wings, the golden light emanating from the Angel True Body flowed down from the wingtips, as thick as melted red gold, splashing onto the black stone surface and creating a series of fine sizzling sounds. The sweet and pungent smell of burning flesh wafted over along with the heat wave.
The stone beneath her feet was scorched white, cracks spreading outwards in circles, and the air was drawn out in crooked dark lines where her wingtips swept across, so much so that even light could not travel in a straight line.
Qian Daoliu still held the Great Luo Sword Embryo between his two fingers.
With a slight turn of the palm.
This force is long and gentle, yet it cannot be moved at all.
It rolled down the blade, and Su Zui's entire right arm went numb at first. Then the force exploded at his shoulder blade, and he was pushed backward.
The soles of their shoes carved two shallow grooves into the black stones, and they slid for four or five zhang before finally coming to a stop.
Su Zui felt his tiger's mouth split open, and beads of blood trickled down the hilt of the sword, dripping onto the stone surface. The residual holy light scalded them, causing a wisp of white smoke to rise.
The sword embryo trembled in his hand.
It wasn't from the shock; it was the sword itself that was shaking—the blade, pressed against the finger, recoiled as if burned, causing Su Zui's palm to go numb as well.
The old man let go.
As soon as the sword was freed, it bounced back into Su Zui's palm with a whoosh.
Su Zui's wrist sank slightly before he regained his balance. The tremor within the sword hadn't dissipated; it trembled as if he hadn't yet recovered.
Qian Daoliu pressed his hand down in front of him.
Golden light condensed into a translucent shield in his palm. It was a thin layer, looking no different from a sheet of paper.
Boom.
Qian Renxue crashed into it.
The sound was muffled and deep, not the crisp clang of metal striking metal, but more like a boulder sinking into deep water.
The shockwave swept outwards in all directions, clearing away the dust that had accumulated on the stone platform for countless years, and tearing down the Angel banners hanging on the pillars, causing them to frantically tumble and flutter.
Ripples spread across the surface of the light shield, growing denser with each ripple.
But it just won't crack.
Qian Renxue was thrown backward by the reaction force, and her twelve wings flapped three times in mid-air before she regained her footing.
She hung there, her chest heaving, and glanced down at the shield.
There wasn't even a scratch on the shield.
She didn't attack immediately. She remained suspended for a few breaths, her gaze fixed on the shield.
In that collision, she pulled out everything she could. Grandpa didn't even have to lift his hand a second time.
Su Zui steadied himself, and the gold and silver patterned Soul Bone armor on his right arm lit up inch by inch, with flames climbing along the patterns from his shoulder to his fingertips.
He took a couple of breaths and forced down the throbbing, aching pain in his arm.
One hundred and twenty-eight times Divine Speed, you'll be in debt every time you use it.
Right now, my meridians are burning with a dull ache, my bones are aching, and my fingertips are trembling slightly—the tremors are faster than my body is reacting, and I have to use my breathing to slowly bring them back down.
He looked up at the sky.
Qian Renxue also happened to be watching it.
Their eyes met, but they didn't exchange a single word.
Su Zui gestured with her chin, the meaning clear: Try again, or try a different method?
Qian Renxue didn't nod, she just tucked her chin in.
She understood Su Zui's meaning. She also knew that even if she tried to break through the shield by herself until her Soul Power was exhausted, she still wouldn't be able to break it.
But she still wanted to crash. She couldn't tell if this thought stemmed from pride or resentment. Ever since she could remember, her grandfather had been the measuring stick she used to measure things. Now that she had reached so close, she was unwilling to back down.
Su Zui understood why she tucked her chin in.
He didn't try to persuade her. Some things are beyond persuasion, and there's no need to try.
Su Zui raised her hand and pressed it against her chest.
The three contractual light patterns lit up simultaneously.
The air in the training ground smelled different first.
The ground moved first. A very faint green layer rose from the surface of the black stone, and fine roots emerged from the cracks in the stone, one, two, and in the blink of an eye they joined together. The Myriad Demon King rose up from the ground.
The tree trunk was so thick that it would take several people to encircle it, and its branches spread outwards in layers, enveloping half of the training ground in its shade.
It didn't make a sound.
He just stood there, and the atmosphere of the entire place seemed to sink.
The light dimmed under the shade of the trees, and a damp, earthy smell mixed with the pungent odor of grass and trees rose in the air, Sisi seeping into people's collars.
Several guards with lower cultivation levels on the stone platform involuntarily bent their knees, as if something had pressed them down out of thin air.
Then came a heavy, muffled thud, like the turning of an old wooden door hinge.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle floated up from beside Su Zui.
The dark golden tortoise shells overlapped one another, and when the four claws stomped on the ground, the black stone beneath their feet sank an inch, and fine stone powder squeezed out from the cracks.
It stretched its neck slightly, and a layer of warm, jade-colored life energy spread out, just enough to cover Su Zui and Qian Renxue's sides.
The light was dim, even somewhat lukewarm.
But as soon as it was spread out, Su Zui felt the tearing pain in her chest ease a little—as if a warm hand was gently pressing inside, pushing the exposed wound back in.
A final roar erupted from underground.
The sound was so loud it made your eardrums feel stuffy.
The Three-Headed Scarlet King landed.
In that instant, the entire row of Titled Douluos on the stone platform simultaneously took a half step back.
The lava-like patterns on the crimson fur shone brightly, and waves of heat pushed outwards from the ground, filling the air with the pungent smell of sulfur.
Its three heads were tilted to one side, and its six vertical pupils were fixed on Qian Daoliu at the same moment. The stone surface beneath its feet was scorched by it, and the edges were still slowly turning red.
The stone platform was eerily quiet.
Golden Crocodile Douluo leaned his whole body forward, pressing his hands on the stone railing, his knuckles turning white.
He had only come to watch the spectacle after hearing that the two children were going to spar with the deity. But now, he was finding the spectacle anything but relaxing. His breathing was so heavy he could hear it himself.
The usual gentleness on Yue Guan's face was completely gone.
He turned his head to look at the Gui Mei, Gui Mei was looking at him too. They both had the same expression in their eyes—"I can't be mistaken, can I?"
Bibi Dong didn't move.
Her hand holding the scepter was steady, and the light reflected from the amethyst on the scepter rose and fell with her breath.
Her gaze slowly moved over the three Soul Spirits, then settled on the back of the boy carrying the sword on the field, but her mind wasn't on the outcome of the sparring match.
What exactly is this?
Bibi Dong could clearly sense that these were all Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Why were they here?
"The Myriad Demon King, the Golden Hawksbill Turtle, and the Scarlet King."
Qian Daoliu withdrew his gaze from the three Soul Spirits one by one.
The casualness in his tone was completely gone.
"It seems your trip to the Star Dou Great Forest has yielded unexpected results."
Qian Daoliu released his fingers from the sword blade, took a half step back, and the hem of his white robe swept across the ground.
"Come on. Let me see what you're capable of. Let me see how long your Soul Power can sustain their presence."
That was said very lightly.
Su Zui skipped a beat.
The old man saw through it at a glance. No matter how strong the Soul Spirit was, its power was being drawn from him and Qian Renxue.
As expected of Qian Daoliu!
"Superior."
Su Zui let out a low shout, his knees sank, and he raised his hand to wave towards the Myriad Demon King.
The branches of the Myriad Demon King moved first.
This was truly overwhelming. Dozens of thick vines were lashed out simultaneously, fast and heavy, tearing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Each lash left a deep ditch in the ground, and pebbles flew up along with the tips of the vines, some hitting the edge of the stone platform and shattering into powder.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle shell opened its mouth, and several barriers of jade-colored spiritual light condensed, forming a barrier around Su Zui and Qian Renxue's flanks. The light was very thin, but it exuded an aura of "you can't get through."
The Scarlet King opened all three of his heads at once.
The lava flows intertwined into a net, flanking from the side and rear, completely blocking any escape routes the Qian Daoliu could take. The flames skimmed along the ground, and the dry soil in the cracks of the rocks crackled and popped as they burned.
Qian Renxue wasn't idle in mid-air either.
She clasped her hands together, and then the Eighth Soul Ring beneath her feet shone with a dazzling light.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Angel's Funeral."
The holy light didn't emanate from her body; it poured down from above her head.
A layer of extremely bright platinum poured down from the sky, covering the entire area and seeping into the cracks in the black stone. The moment it seeped in, the ground began to heat up.
The next instant, fire erupted from the crack in the rock.
Crimson fire rose from the ground, intertwining with the holy light in the air, creating a vast field of interwoven light and fire.
The area beneath Qian Daoliu's feet trembled as it was struck by the holy light, and he visibly sank downwards.
The fire didn't rise directly up. It crawled along the ground, licking its way up to his heels.
Hmm.
Qian Daoliu glanced down at the fire beneath his feet and shifted his toes.
That half-step was very light, but Su Zui could tell—he was moving slowly.
Holy light pressed down, earth fire scorched, and an invisible force weighed down on my legs.
Qian Renxue could control the power of earth and fire within, and with gravity locking her in place, even the fastest person would be dragged along.
Qian Daoliu's leg, which was usually as steady as the bridge of his nose, was slightly slower when he lifted it this time.
This one line alone is enough for Qian Renxue to catch.
The orange-red hue on the Eighth Soul Ring suddenly shone brightly.
"The Explosive Flame Berserk."
A ring of crimson-gold light surged from her feet to the top of her head, enveloping her entirely. Her aura instantly surged, and her twelve wings vibrated, causing the air to whistle.
But the color drained from her face.
All five attributes tripled simultaneously, but the cost was that Soul Power burned out like water.
In the blink of an eye, Qian Renxue's lips lost all color.
With a flash of light in her hand, Qian Renxue swooped down.
Su Zui moved at the same moment.
He didn't rush in.
The seventh crimson Soul Ring lit up, and a circle of pale golden light rose from beneath his feet and converged above his head.
"Absolute Defense."
The light shield expanded, enveloping Su Zui, the Myriad Demon King, and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle Shell.
This is Su Zui's second Soul Skill from his Seventh Soul Ring. It possesses 100% defensive power and will not break until Su Zui's Soul Power disappears. It is unbreakable by anyone other than God Rank.
Qian Daoliu casually flicked out an Angel Light Blade, which slashed diagonally at the shield.
Bite.
The light blade shattered, but the shield didn't even ripple.
The old man raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at the cover for the second time.
As the light shield solidified, the vertical pupil between his brows slowly opened.
A pale silver light swirled inside.
"Myriad Manifestations."
The silver mist was very faint.
It was as faint as the cool air on the surface of water in the early morning, seeping in little by little through the cracks of the Angel's Funeral, clinging to the Divine Soul of Qian Daoliu.
Qian Daoliu's gaze wavered slightly.
The pages in front of him began to turn.
All those blurry shadows from bygone years surged up: the lingering light of the fallen Angel God; the bells that resounded throughout the halls when the Spirit Hall was at its most prosperous; and the shadow of a little girl with pigtails running around his knees.
He paused for a moment in front of the shadow.
Just this once.
Qian Daoliu lowered his wrist and pressed his fingertips into the air.
No other actions were taken.
A faint silver-blue light rippled out from beneath his feet, Myriad Manifestations's layers of illusions dissolved like ink being washed away by water. His eyes flickered slightly, but he regained his senses.
"This illusion is well done," he said softly. "It lets me see something old."
He paused.
"Unfortunately, looking at old things doesn't help."
Su Zui's heart sank.
He had thought he could gain a breath or two, but he didn't even get half a breath.
Moreover, Su Zui felt that his Soul Power was almost exhausted!