The Tide of Offense and Defense Had Turned

His withered hand suddenly clenched!

The enormous bone claw, already split with cracks, erupted with an even more intense, dark glow. The suction force from the collapsing space surged several times over!

The Ice Fire Storm, which had been raging wildly, seemed to be seized by an invisible giant hand. Its spinning speed visibly slowed!

"Now, shatter!" Gu Rong growled.

Crack! Boom—!

The enormous bone claw suddenly closed!

Under the terrifying Soul Power of a Super Douluo, the fearsome Ice Fire Storm burst apart like fragile glazed glass!

Countless scattered ice crystals, sparks, and fragments of wind blades shot in every direction, blasting countless craters into the platform, but they could no longer threaten the bone claw.

The claw that had shattered the storm continued unabated, carrying an even chillier aura as it reached for Xiao Yu at the storm's center!

It was so fast that it nearly sealed off every avenue of escape!

"Water Curtain Heaven Splendor!" Xiao Yu reacted instantly, and a barrier of pure flowing water gathered before him.

Bang!

The bone claw slammed into the watery barrier! It rippled violently with a muffled boom as the pure water swirled furiously, trying to withstand the blow.

However, the force behind Gu Rong's claw far exceeded that of Dugu Bo's sneak attack!

Though the water barrier was resilient and especially effective at resisting energy erosion, the gap between them was too great. It held for only an instant before spiderweb cracks spread across it, like glass struck by a heavy hammer!

"Can you stop this?!" Gu Rong sneered, pouring in more Soul Power!

Crack—!

The water barrier shattered on cue and dissolved into a shower of droplets!

Though the barrier had absorbed most of the impact, the remaining force still slammed hard into Xiao Yu's huge wings, crossed in front of his chest to block the attack!

Thud!

A muffled impact! Xiao Yu's massive body shuddered as if struck by an invisible hammer, and he flew backward against his will!

He crashed heavily into a thick branch at the edge of the platform before managing to steady himself. His blood and vital energy churned within him.

Thanks to the Spirit Feather Divine Guard's formidable physique and the water barrier's cushioning, he had avoided serious injury. But the attack's power had made him feel, with absolute clarity, just how terrifying a Super Douluo could be!

The gap was enormous! Even with Ice Fire power fused within him, even in the powerful form of the Spirit Feather Divine Guard, he was still at an overwhelming disadvantage in a head-on clash with a level-95 Super Douluo!

Gu Rong had yet to even use his true killing move or Martial Soul Avatar!

Titled Douluos were like heaven and earth compared to other Soul Masters, and there were differences among Titled Douluos as well. Super Douluos were powerful Soul Masters who stood above ordinary Titled Douluos.

"Beast, prepare to die!" Gu Rong gave a cold snort and pressed his advantage, the largest black Soul Ring beneath his feet lighting up. A hint of dark red even edged its rim, marking its astonishing age.

Yet Xiao Yu was not afraid in the slightest. Instead, he wore a calm expression, as if everything were under his control. Chen Xin, watching from nearby, couldn't make sense of it.

"Is this Soul Beast out of its mind? At a time like this, it still looks unafraid. Could it have some trick up its sleeve?" Chen Xin muttered.

Ning Fengzhi was equally puzzled. "Hard to say. In any case, stay on guard, so we can prevent the beast from striking back."

Facing this impending disaster, Xiao Yu spoke leisurely. "Sect Master Ning, I once heard that your cultivation has been stuck at a bottleneck for some time."

At those words, Ning Fengzhi's pupils contracted sharply. Could it be that this Soul Beast knows something?

"What are you babbling about? Die!" Gu Rong hadn't understood the deeper meaning behind Xiao Yu's words and raised his hand to strike.

But just then, a long sword cut through the air and stopped in front of Gu Rong.

"Sword Man! What are you doing? I'm about to kill him!" Gu Rong frowned in confusion at Chen Xin, who had blocked his way.

Chen Xin shook his head without explaining, then turned to Xiao Yu. "What do you know?!"

"Cough, cough!" Xiao Yu watched the scene and coughed a few times, then managed a faint smile. He'd known his gamble would pay off. Compared to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, his Martial Soul Evolution mattered more.

"That depends on what you're willing to offer." Though Xiao Yu was injured, he showed no sign of being on the back foot. Chen Xin frowned repeatedly; this Soul Beast was far too brazen.

But the matter concerned the method of Martial Soul Evolution that Ning Fengzhi had spent years searching for, so Chen Xin couldn't let his anger show. He could only hold it in.

"Is your life not enough?" Chen Xin asked coldly.

Xiao Yu merely smiled. "Believe me, Sword Douluo, you don't dare take that gamble. After all, this is the one and only chance in the world."

Seeing Xiao Yu's confidence, Chen Xin found it even harder to lose his temper.

"Fengzhi, what do you think?" With nothing more to say, Chen Xin turned to Ning Fengzhi, who was walking over.

"If you, Holy Wing King, can truly give me what I seek, I can make the decision: our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will stop interfering in this matter involving the Heaven Dou Empire." Ning Fengzhi fell silent for a moment before answering Xiao Yu.

He believed this offer would come as a timely lifeline to Xiao Yu. In the entire Heaven Dou Empire, aside from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, no other force could bring two Super Douluos to hunt down a single Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast at once.

In other words, as long as the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stopped pursuing him, Xiao Yu would have nothing left to worry about.

Xiao Yu smiled. "That's a very good offer, but I think we can raise the stakes a little. After all... this concerns the secret of Martial Soul Evolution, doesn't it?"

"Beast! Don't push your luck. You should be grateful we're sparing your life. Don't be so ungrateful!" Gu Rong had already been annoyed that he couldn't take Xiao Yu down. Hearing Xiao Yu's words now only fanned his fury.

Xiao Yu paid Gu Rong no mind and stared intently at Ning Fengzhi. He was certain Ning Fengzhi would agree, because he wanted this far too badly.

Ning Fengzhi was clearly the strongest auxiliary Soul Master on the continent, yet he could cultivate only to level seventy-nine. How could he give up this chance to overcome such an injustice?

"State your terms." Ning Fengzhi was displeased too, but thinking of his own predicament, he had no choice but to agree.

At that moment, the tide of offense and defense had turned.

"Don't worry. My request is simple." Xiao Yu shifted his injured body, frowning slightly, then said, "I want you to help hold off Spirit Hall. How does that sound? It should be a simple enough request."

Though the problem with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been settled, Spirit Hall remained a major concern. Rather than waste time worrying about it himself, he'd let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect handle it.

"Spirit Hall?" Ning Fengzhi's brows knitted deeply. He looked at Xiao Yu in surprise. He'd never seen a Soul Beast with such intelligence; it had even anticipated that Spirit Hall might come after him.