Chrysanthemum Douluo's Crushing Defeat Shocks the Entire Crowd (Part 1)

Countless Pink-Purple Chrysanthemum Phantoms gathered before him, transforming into a massive Petal Storm. The storm contained razor-sharp force capable of tearing through anything—this was his strongest offensive soul skill. He had once used it to shatter the defenses of a level 96 Titled Douluo. Now, to save his life, he did not even bother charging it up and unleashed its full power directly.

On the square, every Soul Master stared at the image within the light screen, their breathing halted. Ning Fengzhi clenched his Jade Folding Fan until his knuckles turned white; Flender's eyes widened, and he did not even notice his pipe falling to the ground; the Spirit Hall disciples clenched their fists even tighter, anticipating the sight of Moon Guan crushing the puppet.

But the next second, everyone froze.

On the arena, the Pale Red Orb in the puppet's palm suddenly burst apart, turning into an invisible wave of air. It carried no earth-shaking momentum, yet it was like an invisible blade, instantly slicing through the Pink-Purple Petal Storm—the Petal Storm did not even last a second before being torn to pieces, while the air wave continued without pause toward Moon Guan.

"Impossible!" Moon Guan's eyes filled with despair. He wanted to retreat, but he discovered that his body had been locked onto by the air wave. He could not even move a finger. He could only circulate his Soul Power with all his strength, forming three Soul Power shields before himself. Yet the instant the air wave struck the shields, they shattered like glass.

"Bang!"

A dull, thunderous impact rang out from the light screen as the air wave struck Moon Guan squarely in the chest. He flew away like a kite with its string cut, his pink-purple Soul Power instantly scattering. His Bone Staff slipped from his hand and fell to the ground, his robe was ripped apart by the air wave, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from his lips. He crashed heavily onto the arena and struggled to rise, only to find that the impact had thrown all the Soul Power in his body into chaos, even leaving his soul rings dim and lusterless.

"Challenger Moon Guan has lost his ability to fight. Challenge failed." The system notification sounded. The puppet withdrew its fist, and its scarlet eyes returned to calm, as if it had merely swatted away a fly.

A deathly silence fell over the square.

Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at the image in the light screen with blank minds. A level 95 Titled Douluo—Chrysanthemum Douluo Moon Guan—had actually been instantly defeated by the puppet in a single move? And this was after he had unleashed his ninth soul skill, without even having a chance to resist?

"Th-that... what kind of combat skill was that?" a Spirit Hall elder asked in a trembling voice, his tone filled with terror. He had lived his entire life, yet had never seen a skill capable of instantly defeating a Titled Douluo of the same realm— not even Qian Daoliu of the Worship Hall could do so with such ease!

"It can even ignore a ninth soul skill... just how strong is this puppet?" Ning Fengzhi muttered, his eyes full of shock. He finally understood that the "warning" on the light screen had not been exaggerated. It had truly been warning them—this puppet was simply not something Soul Masters of the same realm could contend with.

The Spirit Hall disciples had completely panicked. Their reverence from moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by deep fear. Moon Guan had been the benchmark of strength in their hearts, but now that benchmark had been knocked down with a single finger. They did not even dare imagine whether Spirit Hall could stop this puppet if it appeared in reality.

Tang San stood among the Shrek group, his fists clenched until they turned white. He could clearly see that the puppet's Qi Wave Palm had not wasted the slightest bit of Soul Power. Every strand of energy had precisely struck a weak point in Moon Guan's defenses—this level of control over energy far surpassed any soul skill on Douluo Continent, and was even more precise than his Hidden Weapon Techniques. Otherworld combat skills... were actually this powerful? A powerful longing rose within him—not fear, but yearning for this kind of "precise power."

On the arena, Moon Guan was sent back to the square by a Dark Purple Light Pillar. The moment he landed, he dropped to his knees with a thud, his face as pale as paper, while even his breaths carried the scent of blood. Bai Feng and the other Spirit Hall masters hurriedly rushed over, supporting him as they fed him Recovery Potions. But Moon Guan merely stared at the light screen, his eyes filled with confusion and terror as he kept muttering, "Impossible... how could it be so strong... that wasn't a soul skill... it was a monster..."

On the second floor of the auction house, Lin Yue stood by the window and watched the chaos in the square, a faint smile appearing on his lips. This level 95 puppet was an "Otherworld Combat Skill Template" he had specially summoned from the system. Though the Qi Wave Palm it wielded was merely a Mysterious Tier Intermediate Combat Skill, it excelled in extreme energy compression and precise control—this kind of efficiency-focused skill inherently countered Douluo Continent's soul skill system, which relied on overwhelming opponents with sheer quantities of Soul Power.

"Master, the puppet's performance has exceeded expectations. The reactions of the major factions have been even more stunned than anticipated," Mo Chen reported quietly from beside him.

"Good. The more shocked they are, the better." Lin Yue picked up the teacup on the table and took a light sip. "Only when they realize the 'gap' will they crave the auction house's resources even more. Next, it is time to put the auction of high-tier treasures on the agenda."

The chaos in the square continued. Elders from the major factions gathered together, discussing the battle just now with grave expressions. Low Grade Soul Masters looked at the Black Jade Main Building of the auction house with reverence, no longer daring to show the slightest contempt. The Spirit Hall group, meanwhile, hurriedly left the square with Moon Guan, without saying a word—they needed to report the situation here to Bibi Dong as soon as possible.

As the sun set, the Golden Light Screen gradually dimmed. Yet the shock brought by the high-tier puppet was like a boulder cast into a lake, stirring up Tidal Waves across Douluo Continent. Everyone understood that from this day onward, the status of the Otherworld Auction House would be completely transformed—it was no longer merely a place that sold treasures, but a mysterious existence that possessed power beyond Douluo Continent.

Tang San stood at the edge of the square and watched the gradually darkening light screen, a trace of determination flashing in his eyes. He knew that the puppet's combat skill might be the key to breaking through his current bottleneck. And if he wanted to obtain such power, he would have to accumulate more points and unlock higher-level permissions at the auction house.

"One day, I will uncover the secrets of Otherworld combat skills," Tang San said softly, tightening his grip on the Point Voucher in his hand. His gaze turned toward the auction house's main building, where a key to a stronger realm seemed to be hidden.

News of Chrysanthemum Douluo Moon Guan being instantly defeated by a level 95 puppet in one move spread like a hurricane carrying shards of ice, sweeping across every inch of Douluo Continent in just three days. In Spirit Hall's Worship Hall, Qian Daoliu crushed the glazed cup in his hand, golden tea dripping through his fingers; in Soul Master taverns in remote towns, bartenders slapped their tables and enthusiastically retold the scene of the Qi Wave Palm tearing apart the ninth soul skill again and again, embellishing it each time; even in the hidden valley of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Hao gripped the Clear Sky Hammer and remained silent for a long while—how could the full-force strike of a level 95 Titled Douluo be so utterly powerless? This had long since overturned everyone's understanding of "strength."