When the Myriad Demon King's vine whip lashed out for the third time, Su Zui sensed something was wrong.
The first round of whipping down those dozens of vines was like a fully drawn bow.
The second round of vine tips began to tire, and when they struck the ground, they no longer shattered into pebbles, leaving only a shallow ditch.
By the third round, the outermost strands had turned yellow, and each one curled up halfway through its growth, as if something had drained the water from its inside.
Su Zui could feel his Soul Power being drawn out one strand at a time.
The Scarlet King's fire weakened, and Qian Renxue's Soul Power gradually dwindled.
The Golden Hawksbill Turtle's case is the most obvious, since the Soul Power required to maintain Absolute Defense is astronomical.
Su Zui saw all of this and clenched her teeth even tighter.
Qian Daoliu looked at all of this without saying a word.
He merely raised his eyelids slightly.
Then the left hand, which had been hanging by its side, moved.
There was no gathering of strength, nor was there any raising of the hand overhead; it was just a casual pull forward.
A very thin golden light slipped from his fingertip.
It's not thick. It's thinner than a little finger.
The beam of light didn't strike anyone; it went straight for the Scarlet King's net of fire. Everyone then realized: he wasn't taking the attack; he was testing it.
The lava spewed from the first head of the Scarlet King was pierced through by the golden light, splitting it in two like someone cutting tofu with a knife. The fiery stream hadn't dissipated; it was cut in half by the line and flipped to both sides. The second head of the Scarlet King followed closely behind, but the line merely turned and passed through it again.
Both flames vanished.
The golden light didn't stop; it slowly drifted towards Su Zui's protective shield.
Bite.
It hit the cover and broke apart.
The cover wobbled slightly. Just once.
Su Zui felt a tightness in his chest, as if someone had pressed a hand on his chest through a veil. He took half a step back on the stone, and only after he had done so did he realize that the impact hadn't even caused a ripple.
That concludes Qian Daoliu's probing.
He withdrew his left hand and hummed in agreement, which was his assessment.
"That's right," he said, "It won't last long."
Su Zui didn't reply, only gave a bitter smile.
Qian Renxue crashed down from mid-air, her light spear heading straight for Qian Daoliu's shoulder.
Qian Daoliu slightly to the side.
It was only tilted by half a foot.
The spear grazed his white robe, tearing a hole in it, and a section of the robe fluttered out.
A sound of "uh" came from the throat of someone on the stone platform.
Qian Renxue, her knee sinking slightly, the light spear pausing on the ground. She looked up and saw the torn white robe; something flashed in her eyes.
It was torn open. Grandpa's robe was ripped open by her.
Even if it's just a small corner.
The blood rushed to her chest, and before she could even catch her breath, she heard Qian Daoliu speak.
"This is finally getting interesting." The old man glanced down at the torn corner of his robe, his tone flat. "Don't let your hands shake."
Qian Renxue's breath hitched.
The Scarlet King's fire had lost its strength. Qian Renxue's light spear was sheathed in her hand, unable to be raised. Su Zui's light shield was still there, but his own Soul Power was depleted, and the finest line on the shield's surface had begun to fade.
Only then did Qian Daoliu make a move.
He slowly raised his hands.
The Divine Power that had been emanating from the training ground suddenly began to recede.
It wasn't that they were sucked back. They gathered around him on their own, like the wind finding its outlet.
The white robe billowed up first, and halfway in, it snapped open at the shoulder.
Golden light surged from his body, soaring into the air and turning the entire ceiling of the training ground golden.
"Now that you've revealed all your cards," the old man's aged voice echoed in the light, "I'll also have to stretch my muscles a bit."
Buzz.
Six enormous wings of light slowly unfurled from his back.
Those weren't Qian Renxue's twelve light wings.
These six thick, ancient wings have light patterns on their surfaces that are as deep as if they were carved by a knife, layer upon layer, all accumulated over the years. When the wings spread, the sky above the entire training ground seems to drop by half a foot.
The nine Soul Rings, eight black and one red, rose up in circles, becoming heavier as they went higher.
Seventh Soul Skill: Angel True Body!
The moment that aura spread out, everyone in the room sensed something was different.
It's not about being strong.
The word "strong" cannot suppress it.
It's the kind of thing that makes you feel ashamed and unable to hold your head up.
Several young guards couldn't hold on and their knees slammed directly onto the stone platform; they didn't even know how they ended up kneeling.
Qian Renxue's Angel's Funeral Domain was trembling.
The subterranean fire was suppressed, clinging to the stone surface and daring not to rise. The heavy force of the earth pressing down on Qian Daoliu's legs was also gradually loosening.
Su Zui stood inside the light barrier, his chest tightening suddenly.
He understood. The rule of this barrier was that "it cannot be broken by anyone but God Rank."
But the old man in front of him was already standing on the threshold. He could step over it at any moment.
He turned his head to look at Qian Renxue.
The girl's forehead was covered in sweat, a few strands of hair clung to her face, and the red light from her Explosive Flame Berserk had faded to almost invisible. Her twelve wings drooped half an inch, a sign that her Soul Power was running low. Her hand holding the light spear was still trembling.
The light of the three-headed Soul Spirit was also fading. The branches of the Myriad Demon King began to close, the spiritual light of the Golden Hawksbill Turtle thinned, and the Scarlet King's anger was not as intense as before.
The three Soul Beasts stared blankly at Qian Daoliu.
The Scarlet King and the Myriad Demon King, in particular, were acutely aware of just how terrifying this human was.
Their leader is called Di Tian, who calls himself the Beast God, and this old man is already able to stand shoulder to shoulder with his leader.
Su Zui was also aware of this.
Even after exhausting all their cards and methods, they still couldn't overcome that hurdle.
He glanced sideways at Qian Renxue.
She stared intently at her grandfather, whose six wings were spread wide across from her, her eyes showing no sign of backing down.
Su Zui spoke, her voice low, meant only for her to hear. "That's enough."
Qian Renxue remained motionless.
"Grandpa wasn't using his full strength just now. You've already proven yourself, you don't deserve to keep dragging this on."
Su Zui spoke with some difficulty, then took out the Chaos Wine Gourd and drank large gulps of wine to relieve the pain in his meridians.
Qian Renxue's shoulders stiffened slightly.
After two breaths, she closed her eyes.
The twelve wings slowly closed, and the light spear scattered into a shower of gold fragments, which fell all over the ground.
Su Zui raised her hand.
The Myriad Demon King and the Golden Hawksbill Turtle transformed back into specks of light, disappearing into the mark on his heart. Qian Renxue also retrieved the Scarlet King.
The Angel's Funeral rites were the slowest to subside. The subterranean fire gradually sank back into the earth, the holy light receded upwards, and in the end, only a patch of cratered black stone remained.
The protective barrier dissipated. The Heavenly Eye closed. The Great Luo Sword Embryo returned to its sheath.
The two stood side by side in the center of the room, panting heavily, neither of them speaking first.
After a while...
Qian Renxue raised her head.
"Grandpa, we lost."
She spoke very decisively, without any ambiguity.
Su Zui bowed slightly and said, "Great Enshrined, we concede."
The six giant wings behind Qian Daoliu slowly folded, and the golden light that filled the sky gradually subsided. The oppressive aura that had silenced everyone present also receded like the tide.
He stood there, still the same old man wearing a half-tattered white robe.
The smile in his eyes deepened slightly.
He nodded slowly, his voice not loud, but loud enough to be heard throughout the entire training ground.
"Very good."
He paused, then added another sentence.
"Your strength is truly beyond my expectations."
On the stone platform, Golden Crocodile Douluo let out a long breath, his voice low, as if talking to himself.
"Incredible... These two kids, working together now, are more than qualified to challenge me."
He paused, his gaze falling on the old man standing motionless in the center of the room, whose white robe remained largely undisturbed.
"But compared to my older brother, I'm still a long way off."
"The difference isn't huge. But that gap is like heaven and earth."
"Big Brother's strength remains as terrifying as ever!"