The Tide of Offense and Defense Has Turned

He clenched his withered palm abruptly!

The massive bone claw, already torn with fissures, suddenly erupted with an even more intense, gloomy light, and the suction force of the collapsing space increased several times over!

The originally violent and raging ice-fire storm seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand, its rotation speed slowing down visibly to the naked eye.

"Break for me!" Gu Rong let out a low growl.

Crack! BOOM!

The massive bone claw slammed shut!

That terrifying ice-fire storm, under the crushing force of a Title Douluo's immense soul power, shattered instantly like fragile glass!

Countless scattered ice crystals, sparks, and wind blade fragments shot out in all directions, blasting numerous craters into the platform, yet they could no longer pose a threat to the bone claw.

The bone claw, having shattered the storm, continued its momentum, carrying an even colder aura as it lunged toward Xiao Yu at the center of the storm!

Its speed was so fast that it practically sealed off all room for evasion!

"Water Curtain Heaven Splendor!" Xiao Yu reacted with lightning speed, a barrier of pure water instantly condensing before him.

Bang!

The bone claw slammed fiercely against the water curtain barrier! The barrier fluctuated violently, emitting a dull, thunderous sound as the pure water flowed frantically, attempting to resist the strike.

However, the power contained in this claw from Gu Rong far exceeded the sneak attack from Dugu Bo!

Although the water curtain barrier was resilient and had a miraculous effect on energy erosion, the gap between them was too vast. It held for only a single instant before, like glass struck by a heavy hammer, it became covered in spiderweb-like cracks!

"Can you block it?!" Gu Rong sneered, pushing his soul power further!

"Crackle—!"

The water curtain barrier shattered upon impact, dissipating into a sky full of water droplets!

Although the barrier neutralized most of the impact, the residual force still slammed heavily against the massive wings Xiao Yu had crossed in front of his chest!

"Bang!"

A muffled thud! Xiao Yu's massive body shook violently, as if struck by an invisible giant hammer, and he was sent flying backward uncontrollably!

He crashed heavily into a thick branch at the edge of the platform, barely managing to stabilize his form as the blood within him churned.

Although he had not suffered heavy injuries thanks to the sturdy physique of the Spirit Feather Divine Guard and the cushioning of the water curtain, the power of this strike made him clearly realize the terrifying strength of a Title Douluo!

The gap was too great! Even if he fused the power of ice and fire, and even if he possessed the powerful form of the Spirit Feather Divine Guard, he remained at a complete disadvantage when facing a level 95 Title Douluo head-on!

Gu Rong hadn't even used his true killing move or his Martial Soul Avatar yet!

A Title Douluo was as different from other soul masters as clouds are from mud, and there were gaps even among Title Douluo; a Title Douluo was a powerful soul master who stood above ordinary Title Douluo.

"Die, you beast!" Gu Rong let out a cold snort and pressed his advantage, the largest black soul ring at his feet lighting up, its edges even tinged with a dark red—a sign of an incredibly high age.

But at this moment, Xiao Yu was not afraid; instead, he wore a calm expression, as if everything were within his grasp, leaving Chen Xin, who was not far away, feeling confused.

"Has this soul beast lost its mind? It's still looking so fearless at a time like this. Could it be that it has some trick left up its sleeve?" Chen Xin muttered.

Ning Fengzhi was also puzzled: "It's hard to say. Regardless, stay on guard to prevent this beast from launching a desperate counterattack."

Xiao Yu, facing this impending doom, spoke leisurely: "Sect Master Ning, I have heard that your cultivation has always been stuck at a bottleneck, hasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's pupils shrank sharply. It can't be, does this soul beast know something?

"What are you babbling about? Die!" Gu Rong, failing to grasp the hidden meaning in Xiao Yu's words, prepared to strike him down.

But at that very moment, a long sword pierced through the air, blocking Gu Rong's path.

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

Chen Xin shook his head without explanation and turned to look at Xiao Yu: "What do you know?!"

"Cough, cough!" Xiao Yu coughed at the sight, a smile tugging at his lips. He knew he had bet correctly; compared to a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, his own Martial Soul Evolution was far more important.

"That depends on what you are willing to offer." Although Xiao Yu was injured, he showed no signs of being at a disadvantage, which made Chen Xin frown repeatedly. This soul beast was being far too presumptuous.

However, as it concerned the method for Martial Soul Evolution that Ning Fengzhi had been seeking for years, he could not lash out and had to endure it.

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

To this, Xiao Yu simply smiled: "Believe me, Sword Douluo, you wouldn't dare to gamble. After all, this is the one and only chance in this world."

Seeing Xiao Yu's confident demeanor, Chen Xin found it even harder to lash out.

"Fengzhi, what do you think?" Unable to say more, Chen Xin looked toward Ning Fengzhi, who was walking over slowly.

"If you, Holy Wing King, can truly provide me with what I desire, I can make the decision that the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect will no longer interfere in this matter regarding the Heaven Dou Empire," Ning Fengzhi said to Xiao Yu after a moment of silence.

He believed this deal was a timely rain for Xiao Yu. Within the entire Heaven Dou Empire, apart from their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, no other faction had the ability to mobilize two Title Douluo at once to hunt down a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

In other words, as long as their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stopped intervening, Xiao Yu would have no further worries.

Xiao Yu smiled at this: "A very good condition, but I believe we can add a bit more to the stakes. After all... this concerns the secret of Martial Soul Evolution, doesn't it?"

"Beast! Don't push your luck! You should be grateful that I'm sparing your life; don't be ungrateful." Gu Rong was already annoyed that he hadn't been able to take Xiao Yu down, and hearing Xiao Yu's words now made his anger flare up.

Xiao Yu ignored Gu Rong's words, his eyes locked firmly on Ning Fengzhi. He was certain that Ning Fengzhi would agree, because he was far too desperate.

As the strongest support-type soul master on the continent, yet only able to cultivate to level 79, how could Ning Fengzhi possibly give up such an opportunity in the face of such injustice?

"State your terms." Although Ning Fengzhi felt somewhat displeased, he had to agree when he considered his own affairs.

At this moment, the roles of the attacker and the defender had shifted.

"Rest assured, my request is very simple." Xiao Yu moved his injured body with a slight frown and then said, "I want you to help me hold off Martial Soul Hall. How about that? Such a request should be quite simple, right?"

Although the problem regarding the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had been resolved, Martial Soul Hall remained a major issue; therefore, rather than wasting time worrying about it himself, it was better to let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect deal with them.

"Martial Soul Hall?" Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi's brows furrowed deeply, and he looked at Xiao Yu with some surprise, having never seen a soul beast with such intelligence that it would even anticipate Martial Soul Hall making a move against it.