[During her time undercover, Qian Renxue had repeatedly drugged Emperor Xue Ye to seize control of the Heaven Dou Empire as quickly as possible, leaving his health in a steady decline.]
[She had even plotted to kill the other imperial princes.]
[Xue Beng had survived by pretending to be a fool.]
Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Emperor Xue Ye spat out a mouthful of blood and pointed at the empty air, his body trembling.
"Ah... Spirit Hall! So you really were harboring sinister ambitions. No wonder even Dugu Bo's treatment couldn't help me. So it was... it was... Cough!"
"Father!!!"
The only surviving imperial prince rushed into the palace.
"Father, you have to hold on! I'll go fetch Poison Douluo at once!"
"..."
Sunset Forest.
At the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Eye, where poisonous miasma filled the air, Dugu Bo gazed up at the Sky Screen and leaped into the air. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "No wonder Emperor Xue Ye's condition never improved, making me doubt my own skill with poison. Now it's clear: that bastard Porcupinefish Douluo was behind it all!"
"He tarnished my reputation. Pufferfish, today I'll see for myself what you're made of!"
With that, he vanished in a flash.
Mountain peak.
Li Xuan rocked his chair and said leisurely, "Looks like there's going to be quite a show."
When compiling the Secret Ranking of Douluo Continent, he had deliberately included this secret. If it came to light, the impact would be considerable.
Especially while Emperor Xue Ye was still alive.
The Heaven Dou Empire was quite powerful at this point. It still had the strength to fight Spirit Hall, especially with all three great sects within its borders.
How could they possibly stand by and do nothing?
And judging by its impact, this secret certainly deserved eighth place on the Secret Ranking.
The higher the ranking, the greater the change it would bring to the current balance of power on Douluo Continent.
As for first place?
Li Xuan smiled and said nothing.
Boundless wilderness.
Two flying soul beasts pulled a carriage through the sky.
Inside, Qian Renxue's face was deathly pale.
"Damn it! The Sky Screen exposed me. They're not leaving me any way out!"
As they sped onward,
the space ahead suddenly twisted, and a massive black Space Black Hole appeared.
Porcupinefish Douluo and Snake Lance Douluo stopped at once, their faces blanching in alarm.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!"
"Damn it! We were so close. Another hundred li and we'd have been out of Heaven Dou territory!"
"Heh."
Ning Fengzhi's laughter came from the twisting Space Black Hole as he stepped out, with Sword Bone Douluo close behind.
"Your Excellencies, I need an explanation from you today."
"An explanation?"
Snake Lance Douluo glanced back at Porcupinefish Douluo and shouted, "Get the Young Master out of here!"
With that, he activated his Martial Soul Possession, and nine Soul Rings appeared.
"An explanation? You can shove it up your ass! Today, I'll see just how powerful the Number One Spear Under Heaven and the Number One Shield Under Heaven really are!"
Boom!
Snake Lance Douluo took a swig of Muddled Wine, and his Soul Power erupted.
He shot forward like a meteor, shattering space in his wake. His immense aura sent the temperature soaring for miles around.
"Bold!"
Sword Douluo pressed two fingers together like a sword and pointed ahead.
Clang!
Countless strands of Sword Intent swept forth like a breeze, then surged together like rivers flowing into the sea. Bearing the force of a hundred streams, they crushed Snake Lance Douluo's attack inch by inch.
"Chen Xin, don't look down on me!!!"
Snake Lance Douluo's Soul Rings blazed. The tip of his spear shone like a star, its light blazing across the wilderness. A trace of destructive power gathered around it as he struck, piercing through the layers of Sword Intent like crashing waves.
"Not bad..."
Sword Douluo's long hair fluttered as he stood in midair.
In an instant, Soul Power erupted from within him, and a tangible Killing Intent surged forth. As wave after wave of Soul Power gathered, the winds and clouds above shifted dramatically.
Chen Xin balanced on the tip of his sword. The shadows of the Seven Kill Sword appeared behind him, suspended like a string of stars and brimming with immense power. Even the slightest movement seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth.
"Seven Kill Sword Shadow!"
Clang!
He pointed with two fingers, and sword shadows flew in every direction.
The sword shadows around Chen Xin fell like meteors, making the sky tremble and shattering the sea of clouds.
Boom!!!
Sword shadows and spear flashes blazed like the sun.
For a thousand zhang around them, it was as though a great sun had risen. The clash could be seen from a hundred li away.
Shock waves rolled outward from the battlefield. The scattered edges of Soul Power tore through everything in their path, shattering the sky, reducing the ground to dust, and pulverizing anything they touched like wisps of smoke... This battle truly shook heaven and earth!
"Snake Lance, give it up."
After hundreds of exchanges, Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back and swept Snake Lance Douluo with a cold gaze.
"If you insist on standing in my way, today will be the day you die!"
Snake Lance Douluo's eyes had darkened to pitch black. His strength had reached its absolute peak, leaving him no choice but to hold nothing back. The Soul Rings behind him immediately blazed as he swung his spear, gathering Soul Power from every direction.
He roared, "Once the spear is thrust, how can it be taken back?!"
"Chen Xin, show me what you can really do!"
"Roar!!!"
His berserk Soul Power tore his skin and vaporized his clothes in an instant, but nothing could shake Snake Lance Douluo's resolve.
"Why go so far?"
Sword Douluo's nine Soul Rings appeared, and the Seven Kill Sword quivered like thunder.
"Old Bone, seal off the space!"
Bone Douluo grinned. "Don't worry. I won't let that fellow escape."
With that, his Bone Dragon Martial Soul slipped into the void.
Chen Xin narrowed his eyes. "Fengzhi, even if we can't keep Qian Renxue here today, we must cut off Snake Lance's head. Give me your boost!"
"Uncle Jian, fight without holding back!"
Hum—!
Chen Xin rose into the air, a Great Sun above his head. His Ninth Soul Ring blazed, and a flood of murderous aura surged toward him and gathered around his body.
The next moment—
"Slash!!!"
Rumble—!
The dark clouds parted. A ten-thousand-zhang sword beam tore through the heavens and slashed downward.
Compared to it, Snake Lance Douluo's attack was not merely an insect trying to shake a tree—it was an insect trying to challenge the bright moon.
"So what?!"
Snake Lance roared and shot upward with the force of a breaking army, meeting the sword beam head-on.
"Enough."
Just as the sword beam was about to cleave through Snake Lance Douluo's head, a weary sigh rang across the battlefield.
In the next instant,
an even more brilliant sword beam appeared, imbued with the power of judgment. It easily scattered the energy gathered across a hundred li and met Chen Xin's attack head-on.
Hum!
"Not good!!!"
Bone Dragon and Sword Douluo's faces changed drastically. They immediately poured all their Soul Power into defending against the blow.
Rumble—!
The attacks collided, and heaven and earth trembled.
The ground sank, mountains collapsed, rivers broke, forests were destroyed... Beneath that single blow, everything crumbled in an instant, as fragile as tofu.
Whoosh!
A hundred-zhang crater appeared in the wilderness.
The dark clouds dispersed, leaving behind only an endless deep blue sky.
At that moment, the world fell eerily silent. Everyone who witnessed the scene stood dumbstruck.
One strike—
the true power to destroy heaven and earth!
Among the ruins,
Bone Douluo coughed up blood as Ning Fengzhi rushed to heal him.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin, covered in sword wounds, stared blankly ahead, seemingly lost in a state of sudden enlightenment.
"Hiss—!"
Dugu Bo had just arrived. At the sight before him, a chill ran down his spine.
"Is... is this the strength of the legendary Great Enshrined of Spirit Hall?"
"Truly terrifying!"
Dugu Bo sighed. "Good thing I didn't join the fight. Otherwise, I'd have been seriously wounded at best."
He gazed into the sky, murmuring to himself.
"If the Great Enshrined can wield such power to destroy heaven and earth, what kind of being could the one behind this Sky Screen be?"
Boom!
As he watched the Sky Screen,
the image changed once more.
The previously calm Sky Screen displayed another line of large text.
[Secret Ranking Eighth: Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Transformation!]
Before you continue