Is This All the Pope Can Do?

Chen Xilin followed the eighty-thousand-year Hell Demon Dragon out of the Core Zone.

The path the Hell Demon Dragon took was far more secluded than the one Zi Ling had led him through before. It was a narrow trail, and they hardly encountered any spirit beasts.

After escorting Chen Xilin out of the Core Zone, the Hell Demon Dragon gave him one of its scales.

"What does this mean?" Chen Xilin asked doubtfully.

Roar, roar.

Chen Xilin said, "You mean that next time I come, I should inject soul power into this scale outside the Core Zone, and you'll come pick me up and take me into your Clan Territory?"

Roar, roar—

Chen Xilin said, "Huh? How can I understand what you're saying?"

Roar!

The Hell Demon Dragon turned and left, leaving Chen Xilin with a head full of question marks.

Chen Xilin rubbed his head. It felt a little itchy, as though he was about to grow a brain.

"Why can I understand what it's saying? Weird."

Elsewhere, in the mixed zone of the Star Dou Great Forest.

A completely crimson spider had been subdued by Qian Xunji. Angel Light Swords were embedded all over its body, and the spider had only one breath left.

"Dong'er, hurry. This is a twenty-thousand-year Vampire Spider. Finish it off, then absorb its spirit ring," Qian Xunji called to Bibi Dong.

"Alright, Teacher!"

A sharp blade appeared in Bibi Dong's hand and plunged directly into the Vampire Spider's eye. A pitch-black spirit ring emerged.

Bibi Dong sat cross-legged beside the Vampire Spider and began absorbing its spirit ring. Qian Xunji smiled faintly as he watched his "disciple."

It's a pity Dong'er's attribute doesn't match the Angel martial soul. If she had another martial soul, perhaps Dong'er could make up for my lack of talent.

She could bear a descendant for my Angel Clan who can complete the Divine Ancestor's trial.

Still, with Dong'er's talent, she'll reach at least Level 98. Looks like I should start looking for a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast for Dong'er in advance. Father said there's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Level Death Spider Emperor in the Star Dou Great Forest.

Dong'er's main martial soul is the Death Spider Emperor. A Death Spider Emperor martial soul absorbing a Hundred-Thousand-Year Level Death Spider Emperor... unimaginable! Hmm?

While Qian Xunji was deep in thought, his spiritual power suddenly sensed something.

With a flick of his hand, a holy light sword shot toward a certain spot.

"Tsk, tsk. As expected of the Pope of Spirit Hall. Your perception isn't bad."

A young voice rang out. Qian Xunji focused his gaze and saw Chen Xilin emerge from the shadows beneath the trees. His dragon claw was gripping the light sword Qian Xunji had just fired.

"So it's you, you little bastard! You dare show yourself before me?"

Chen Xilin sneered. "Heh. Why would I need to fear trash like you, a Titled Douluo?"

Chen Xilin clenched his dragon claw and crushed the light sword. Then spirit rings emerged around him.

Yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, red.

That crimson spirit ring was incomparably eye-catching amid the forest. Even Qian Xunji was stunned.

Then Qian Xunji seemed to realize something. "Heh heh. You think a single 100,000-year Spirit Ring lets you stand against me? How can a mere Soul Saint like you cross the gulf to a Titled Douluo?

I'll be taking your Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone! First Soul Skill, Angel Assault!"

Qian Xunji condensed the holy energy of the Six-winged Angel into his fist and launched it. A golden light shield formed during the attack, combining offense and defense.

"Ridiculous!"

With a sweep of his dragon claw, Chen Xilin sent Qian Xunji's attack flying. Then he kicked off the ground and whipped his leg straight into Qian Xunji's face.

Qian Xunji immediately raised an arm to block Chen Xilin's kick.

"Hmph! You think blocking it helps?"

White currents swirled around Chen Xilin's leg and blasted directly into Qian Xunji's face, warping his features.

Qian Xunji was sent flying, blood spilling from his nose and the corner of his mouth. He had lived a smooth, unchallenged life; aside from Qian Daoliu, no one had ever laid a hand on him.

"Is this all the Pope of Spirit Hall can do?" Chen Xilin landed in a backflip and sneered, casually brushing nonexistent dust from his leg.

"You're courting death!" Chen Xilin had enraged Qian Xunji. His face burned with pain, and dark attribute energy was corroding it, sending Qian Xunji into a fury.

Besides, Qian Xunji himself was somewhat jealous of why Chen Xilin possessed such astonishing talent.

Why was it that he, Qian Xunji, possessed the Six-winged Angel martial soul and Innate Soul Power of Level 20, yet at the same age, he was inferior to some commoner brat?

This was simply intolerable!

"Ninth Spirit Skill, Angel's Glory!"

The Angel martial soul appeared behind Qian Xunji. He pressed his hands together before his chest in a prayer gesture, and golden light radiated from his entire body.

In the distance,

"This soul power... did something happen to Your Holiness the Pope? Leopard, hurry!" said a burly man in golden armor and a red cloak.

"Let's go!" Another figure answered. He was slender, clad in a black robe beneath golden armor.

The two people, both emanating extraordinary auras, flew rapidly toward Qian Xunji and Chen Xilin.

Watching Qian Xunji charge up his ultimate move, Chen Xilin grinned.

"So you're getting serious! Seventh Spirit Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"

The crimson spirit ring marked with a streak of gold around Chen Xilin flashed. Then his entire body changed.

Martial Soul Avatar: once a soul master's cultivation surpassed Level 70, regardless of what spirit ring they acquired, their martial soul would undergo a qualitative transformation, truly merging with their body and allowing them to unleash their Martial Soul Avatar.

Once activated, Martial Soul Avatar completely transformed the user into the form of their martial soul, causing their strength to soar.

Chen Xilin now transformed into a black dragon over ten meters long. Its horns resembled deer antlers, its head a camel's, its eyes a rabbit's, its neck a snake's, its belly a clam's, its scales a fish's, its claws an eagle's, its paws a tiger's, and its ears an ox's. Its whole body was jet-black.

What Chen Xilin had transformed into was precisely his Martial Soul Avatar—the Dark Holy Dragon Avatar.

Its body was enormous, covered in glimmering black scales that could reflect deep blue or green radiance beneath the sunlight.

"The real battle starts now!" Chen Xilin snorted, his dragon head fixed on the charging Qian Xunji.

"Ninth Spirit Skill, Angel's Glory! Ahhhhh—"

Qian Xunji thrust his praying hands forward, firing an enormous golden beam of light.

"Devouring Domain!" The Dark Holy Dragon's eyes flashed, and it opened its massive jaws, spitting out a sphere of purple-black light.

The purple-black sphere transformed into a massive vortex with devouring power, directly swallowing Qian Xunji's Angel's Glory.

"What! Impossible! How can you block my Ninth Spirit Skill?!" Qian Xunji was shocked. This made no sense!

"Return the favor! Go!" Chen Xilin hurled the purple-black energy sphere that had swallowed Angel's Glory back at Qian Xunji.

Energy leaked from it as it swelled, about to explode. Qian Xunji would get a taste of his own Ninth Spirit Skill's power.

"Impudent!"

"Don't get cocky!"

Two incomparably powerful auras positioned themselves in front of Qian Xunji. They were clearly Titled Douluo as well—one burly, one thin—and both possessed the optimal spirit ring configuration of two yellow, two purple, and five black rings.

"Martial Soul Avatar! Sixth Spirit Skill, Flame Meteor Fall!"

"Martial Soul Avatar! Sixth Spirit Skill, Nether Cold Light!"

The two Titled Douluo instantly activated their Martial Soul Avatars, transforming into an incomparably massive Blood Demon Mad Bear and a sinister, fierce Black Striped Ghost Leopard.

Working together, the two Titled Douluo neutralized the swelling purple-black energy sphere streaked with gold.

"Excellent. Elder Demon Bear, Elder Ghost Leopard, kill this wretch!" The arrival of the guardian Douluo greatly bolstered Qian Xunji's confidence.

"Tsk, reinforcements? Too bad. But you want to catch me? Try again next life." Chen Xilin immediately changed targets and attacked Bibi Dong, who was in the middle of absorbing her spirit ring.

"Sixth Spirit Skill, Apocalypse Dragon Claws!"

A black dragon claw that blotted out the sky crashed toward Bibi Dong.

"You dare!"

"Impudent!"