Uh...
The confidence on Dugu Bo's face crumbled in an instant.
His hunched body wavered, struggling to withstand the Soul Power pressing down on him from Qian Renyu.
Dugu Bo took a deep breath and raised his Soul Power considerably, which let him straighten up a little.
Even so, the pressure remained immense. He couldn't move freely, and his plan to take Tang San and the others away amid the chaos had been dead on arrival.
Clang—
A sharp sword intent suddenly shot in from the side.
The Seven Kill Sword hovered before Dugu Bo and the others, its powerful aura shaking off much of the Soul Power Qian Renyu had brought down upon them.
With the pressure easing, Dugu Bo straightened fully and looked toward Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo.
Sword Douluo stood with one hand behind his back, the index and middle fingers of his other hand pointing toward them.
At the same time, Ning Fengzhi stepped out from Sword Douluo's side.
"His Holiness the Pope, you say Xiao Wu is a Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast, but no transformed Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast can conceal its presence from a Title Douluo!"
"At present, not a single Title Douluo here can sense the aura of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast on Xiao Wu. His Holiness the Pope, is it not unfair of you to so hastily seize Xiao Wu and the others?"
Ning Fengzhi spoke steadily, showing no concern for Qian Renyu's status as Pope. He remained neither servile nor overbearing.
As he spoke, he glanced anxiously at Ning Rongrong, who stood beside Tang San and the others.
Sword Douluo was the same, controlling the Seven Kill Sword with two fingers.
His aura was as imposing as a rainbow, his stance as unshakable as a mountain.
Qian Renyu looked down at Ning Fengzhi. "Sect Master Ning, my words remain the same as before!"
"I would never falsely accuse a little girl of being a Soul Beast and then slaughter her. If you insist on obstructing me, then from this day on, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will be an enemy of Spirit Hall!"
"When this matter is settled, I won't hesitate to personally lead Spirit Hall's army and storm the gates of your Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
Ning Fengzhi's face turned ashen.
Beside him, Sword Douluo's expression also radiated a chilling killing intent.
Qian Renyu's words were a blatant slap in the face to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
For all its shortcomings, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was still one of the Upper Three Sects—and ranked second, not last.
Who had ever dared to openly declare that they would lead an army to storm the gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
Even though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was an auxiliary sect, with many disciples whose Martial Souls were geared toward support, it was by no means so easy to slaughter at will.
Seeing Ning Fengzhi remain silent and sensing the killing intent radiating from Sword Douluo, Qian Renyu raised a finger slightly.
At once, Porcupinefish Douluo, Snake Lance Douluo, Yue Guan, and Gui Mei all locked their auras onto Sword Douluo.
At the same time, two more auras burst forth from the Worship Hall.
Their owners were nowhere to be seen, but their terrifying auras made their strength unmistakable.
Having made these arrangements, Qian Renyu let his calm gaze settle on Dugu Bo once more.
His Soul Power surged again, pressing down on Dugu Bo with its full force.
The body Dugu Bo had just managed to straighten began to hunch again. His aged face was drawn tight with frustration.
"Qian Renyu! Spirit Hall!"
"You think you can keep this old man down with your aura alone?"
"This old man isn't afraid of Spirit Hall!"
Dugu Bo roared.
As his voice fell, emerald poison began to spread.
His Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul appeared at once, and the Martial Soul's power straightened his hunched body.
He pressed both hands down, and his aura surged higher and higher.
"Among Title Douluo, this old man is indeed weak!"
"But don't forget, my Martial Soul is the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor!"
"If I truly stopped caring about my life, there's no one I'd be afraid of!"
Dugu Bo shouted furiously.
The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul began to solidify.
Standing atop the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head, Dugu Bo rose higher into the air.
The poisonous mist spreading around him carried a foul stench as it rolled in every direction.
The ordinary Spirit City soldiers rushing toward the competition grounds staggered, unable to withstand the poison emitted by the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor.
Only Tang San and the others remained unaffected; Dugu Bo had deliberately shielded them from the poisonous mist.
Dugu Bo let out a long breath. Seeing that his Martial Soul had made a real difference, he felt a little less constrained.
"Tang San, Xiao Wu, all of you, get onto my Martial Soul!"
"Spirit Hall has gone too far today. I'll get you all out of here safely!"
"If this Pope, Qian Renyu, really insists on stopping us, then I'll show him the force befitting a Title Douluo!"
"Few in all of Spirit City can withstand the poison of my Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor. Not everyone is a little monster like you. We'll see whether this Pope, Qian Renyu, can withstand the destruction I'll bring to the city!"
With that, Dugu Bo lowered the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head, gesturing for Tang San and the other three to climb aboard so he could take them out of Spirit City.
As he signaled for them to do so, Dugu Bo looked defiantly at Qian Renyu.
"Qian Renyu, I admit I'm not as strong as the Title Douluo in Spirit Hall. I also admit there aren't many in this world who can stop your Title Douluo!"
"This old man may not be able to deal with Spirit Hall, but I'm confident I can make sure not a single one of the others in Spirit Hall survives!"
"If I want to, I can turn Spirit City into an empty city!"
Tang San and the others climbed onto the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head.
Dugu Bo controlled the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor, raising its head again.
After making his threat, Dugu Bo's entire spirit soared to its peak.
Ning Fengzhi also let out a long breath of relief. Dugu Bo's show of strength somehow eased his mind.
Sword Douluo felt the same. He drew his fingers in slightly, and the Seven Kill Sword hovering before the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor returned to a position behind him.
Dugu Bo's words had struck a chord with him.
In terms of strength alone, any one of the many Title Douluo in Spirit Hall could easily crush Dugu Bo.
But when it came to the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's poison, those below Title Douluo were indeed vulnerable to being wiped out in droves.
However, seeing Qian Renyu remain completely unruffled, Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo fixed their gazes on him.
Not a trace of panic appeared on Qian Renyu's face.
Their eyes narrowed slightly, thoughtful.
Just as Ning Fengzhi wondered what Qian Renyu would do, and Dugu Bo secretly gathered his strength, ready to risk everything, Qian Renyu sat on his Throne and swept his hand out, summoning streaks of orange-red Light of Judgment.
"Dugu Bo, you want to slaughter your way through Spirit City."
"Then go ahead. Let's see you do it!"
"I'd like to see what you can do, beneath my Throne, to harm even one person in Spirit City!"
Before you continue