Both Sides' Trump Cards

A fierce, overwhelming spear intent and the force of Titan God Fist descended at the same time, tearing through the sky as they slammed into the Three-Headed Giant Dog protected at the center.

Thick smoke billowed up, instantly blocking everyone's view.

"Did it work?"

Yuanen Zhentian asked, his tone tinged with uncertainty and anticipation.

Xie An furrowed his brow. His spiritual power had reached the Spirit Origin Realm, and as he extended it outward, the information he received made his heart sink. The Demon Monarch was unharmed, and his aura was still steadily growing stronger.

His World-Breaking Spear and Yuanen Zhentian's Titan God Fist had failed to break through the defense.

A gust of wind swept through, and the smoke finally dispersed.

Three Hell Three-Headed Dogs stood in a triangular formation. A deep-purple barrier, shaped like a purple pyramid, shielded the Demon Monarch at its center.

Only then did Xie An realize that the specks of light weren't merely flying toward the Demon Monarch—they were reinforcing the barrier as well.

Xie An looked at the Three-Headed Giant Dog. Its six eyes held no fear or anger, only something close to calm mockery.

Xie An took a deep breath, then turned to the two behind him.

"Ao Rui, Mo Zihong." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried unquestionable authority. "Stop holding back. Let's try that."

No further explanation was needed. The First War God and the Fifth War God exchanged a glance, both understanding what the other meant. They were going to use a Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Ao Rui made the first move.

Haori Douluo Ao Rui pressed his palms together in front of him. The instant they touched, his eyes flashed, and his deep-black pupils turned golden red.

Then the Seventh Soul Ring around him burst into brilliant light.

The great sun overhead rapidly descended. It seemed to come alive, opening a huge mouth of flame and swallowing Haori Douluo whole.

As it did, the sun continued to swell.

This was his Martial Soul Avatar: Haori Descent!

At the same time, Magic Zither Douluo Mo Zihong hurled the Magic Zither in his hands toward the descending sun.

A strange smile appeared on his face. His Seventh and Ninth Soul Rings pulsed, unleashing astonishing Soul Power.

The thrown Magic Zither began to glow. Its body gradually vanished as its strings stretched longer and longer, drawn out into a white line.

The line stretched across the sky, but when it touched the sun, the sun suddenly began to change.

The once perfectly round sun stretched out on both sides, becoming an oval. The white line lay across it like a bridge.

The line didn't stop there. At a speed visible to the naked eye, it split into seven, while the oval sun shifted shape and fused seamlessly with the lines.

At last, a gigantic golden-red zither took shape, hovering in midair.

"A Martial Soul Fusion Skill?"

Yuanen Zhentian exclaimed in shock. As a Demigod, he could clearly sense the power of the zither. If he tried to take its attack head-on, he wouldn't stand a chance.

However, he also noticed a flaw in the Martial Soul Fusion Skill: it took too long to prepare.

The Hell White Tiger and other common Martial Soul Fusion Skills might not be instant, but they never took more than ten seconds to activate.

This one, however, took a full minute just to prepare.

If they had been targeting him, he would have attacked before they could finish.

But against the Demon Monarch, who was protected behind the barrier, it was perfect.

The zither strings stirred without a breeze, then gently plucked themselves.

A devastating wave of sound surged out, carrying destructive force as it hurtled toward the Demon Monarch.

The Demon Monarch's expression shifted. All three heads looked solemn.

He quickened the rhythm of the incantation he was chanting. Purple lights gathered in a steady stream, both condensing his own power and strengthening the barrier.

The light across the barrier grew brighter, almost solid.

"Boom!"

A tremendous wave of sound rolled outward. Trees within dozens of yards were uprooted and swept into the raging currents, where they were shredded to pieces.

Flames surged higher and higher, radiating a scorching heat that made it hard to breathe.

Flames and smoke once again obscured everything.

"Well? Did it work?"

Yuanen Zhentian couldn't help asking again. He knew that, speaking frankly, he could never have withstood that attack.

People said that the Second War God, Long Tianwu, and his wife, the Thirteenth War God, Su Mengjun, had a Martial Soul Fusion Skill that rivaled the Limit.

But Su Mengjun was only a Titled Douluo at Rank 91.

Haori Douluo and Magic Zither Douluo, on the other hand, were both Super Douluos, and Haori Douluo was even hailed as the strongest beneath the Limit.

The attack the two of them unleashed was already comparable to a Quasi-God's strike, perhaps even stronger.

The flames finally died down. When everyone saw the aftermath of the explosion, their expressions changed.

Only two of the three guarding Three-Headed Giant Dogs remained. Both lay in pools of blood, barely alive, their auras so faint they were almost impossible to detect.

The purple pyramid barrier had shattered, dissolving into specks of light.

As for the Demon Monarch at the center, by the standards of the Douluo Plane, his strength had now reached the level of the most powerful being beneath God Rank.

He had yet to break through, but in a one-on-one fight, no one present except Xie An could likely defeat him.

Even Xie An wasn't certain he could win.

"It took so much effort, and this is all I managed to achieve?"

"Still, this will be more than enough to deal with you."

"Humans, come and fight!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Three-Headed Giant Dog flashed forward and reappeared in front of Yuanen Zhentian.

Its enormous jaws snapped open. Yuanen Zhentian couldn't dodge in time, and could only raise his left arm to block.

With his other hand, he gathered the power of Titan God Fist and struck directly at the dog's head.

But the dog seemed not to feel a thing. One head continued biting down savagely, while another swallowed the Titan God Fist whole.

Yuanen Zhentian was utterly shocked. Worse, he felt his life force draining away, sucked into the dog along with the flesh torn from his wound.

This couldn't go on.

Yuanen Zhentian acted at once, turning his right hand into a blade and chopping at the part being devoured.

With a wet splat, a huge chunk of flesh was sliced away, exposing white bone.

Blood sprayed out, staining the ground red.

Seizing the opportunity, Yuanen Zhentian quickly retreated, watching the Three-Headed Giant Dog warily.

The Three-Headed Giant Dog didn't pursue him. Instead, it chewed on the flesh, as though savoring a rare delicacy.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. From the Three-Headed Giant Dog's attack to Yuanen Zhentian's retreat, less than five seconds had passed.

The World-Breaking Spear suddenly appeared before the Three-Headed Giant Dog, and Xie An, clad in Four-Word Battle Armor, appeared alongside it.

"You all leave first. I'll fight him."

"Hall Master!"

Haori Douluo and Magic Zither Douluo had already ended their Martial Soul Avatars.

Their faces were pale and their auras weak, yet they still desperately wanted to step forward.

As the ones who had unleashed the Martial Soul Fusion Skill, they understood better than anyone how powerful the Three-Headed Giant Dog was now.

"It's fine. With the Douluo Plane suppressing him, he still isn't at God Rank."

Xie An shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the enemy ahead.

"You'll only distract me if you stay. Once you're gone, I can fight without holding back."

The people from the War God Temple wanted to say more, but in the end, they could only offer one sentence: "Hall Master, please be careful!"

The five War Gods exchanged a glance with Yuanen Zhentian.

Yuanen Zhentian then took his son and daughter-in-law with him and left with the War God Temple group.

"Hmph. You think you can leave? Not a chance."

A ball of energy several times stronger than the previous one shot from the Three-Headed Giant Dog's mouth. But in the blink of an eye, the World-Breaking Spear swept across and blocked the attack.

The Three-Headed Giant Dog froze for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Human, you're strong. Give me your name!"

"You're only on Yun Ming's level. There's no need to waste words on someone who's about to die."

Xie An replied casually, sweeping the World-Breaking Spear toward the Three-Headed Giant Dog.