Three Dou Zong Battle Wu Ying

"Wu Ying!"

Yun Shan's expression changed drastically. The people atop Misty Cloud Mountain stared at the black fog shrouding the surroundings, unable to make out what lay within, and gradually fell into a panic.

"Yun Shan, it seems you don't wish to accept this Protector's kind offer!"

Wu Ying let out a cackling laugh. He had sent Soul Envoys to investigate the Jia Ma Empire for a long time, and at last, the day had come when the empire's higher-ups had gathered in one place.

"You're all here. That saves this Protector the trouble of hunting you down one by one. Heh heh heh..."

Wu Ying clenched his hand. Streaks of black qi surfaced on the bodies of several clan heads from the Jia Ma Empire, including those of the Hao Clan and the He Clan, and even on the Misty Cloud Sect elders.

Amid their anguished cries, they transformed into flaming figures shrouded in black fog. After wounding the people beside them, they darted beneath Wu Ying, who hovered in midair.

Yun Shan shifted his hand seals several times, suppressing the clan heads and elders who had not yet been completely controlled. He sighed inwardly. Wu Ying had indeed tempted quite a number of people over to his side!

"Where is the Law Enforcement Team?!"

Yun Zimo shouted. The Punishment Hall Master's robe draped over his shoulders, and the Judgment Sword slid slightly from its sheath. Yun Yin stepped up beside him, seeming to shield him. Yun Zimo felt a little warmth in his heart, but seeing Yun Yin's worried gaze, he could only nod.

"Here!"

Many Misty Cloud disciples swiftly took up their positions. With swords in hand, they moved in front of the disciples and the stone platform, shielding them.

"Yun Zimo, they say you're the second Yun Potian. I've heard quite a bit about your reputation."

Wu Ying watched the Misty Cloud disciples standing at the ready. A glint of red flashed in his eyes. His primary target had been Yun Zimo all along, the man who seemed to have a chance of reaching Dou Zun!

"Xiao Yan, a Da Dou Shi after three years, and Yun Zimo, a Dou Emperor at twenty-one. Would you two be willing to join my Soul Hall?"

Wu Ying asked. If he could recruit such promising talents into the Soul Hall, heh heh heh...

A wisp of pale flame flickered across the Bone Flame Ring. Pain shot through Xiao Yan's finger. He paid no attention to what Wu Ying had said and hurriedly called out to Yao Lao in his heart.

Yun Zimo, meanwhile, was taken aback for a moment before the corners of his mouth lifted. It seemed Wu Ying still didn't know Xiao Yan's identity!

"Misty Cloud disciples, heed my command! Form the Cloud Smoke Covering Sun Formation!"

Yun Zimo's answer was the Judgment Sword leaving its sheath. The Misty Cloud disciples shouted as strands of white energy rose from their heads and poured into the white clouds above. The mountain mists surged, and the sea of clouds gathered across the sky, surrounding Misty Cloud Square.

"So you refuse to appreciate a good offer!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's casual expression and Yun Zimo's cold smile, Wu Ying immediately cursed them contemptuously.

"Dou Zong..."

Feeling the energy pouring into his body, Yun Shan watched white mist rise from his palm. With the Cloud Smoke Covering Sun Formation's help, he had temporarily broken through the barrier and reached the level of a Dou Zong.

"Oh? This formation was left behind by Yun Potian. Just how long can you maintain that Dou Zong cultivation?"

The aura of a Seven-Star Dou Zong spread from Wu Ying. The sea of clouds shuddered, and patches of mountain mist burst apart.

"What if you add this queen to the fight?"

A cool voice rang out. Queen Medusa, dressed in a brilliant red robe, hovered in midair. The sea of clouds rolled aside, revealing ranks of Snake-Person guards. The Four Great Elders stood solemnly behind her, while a tiny snake coiled on her shoulder, flicking its tongue.

Just as Wu Ying had expected, Yun Zimo had also worried that someone might cause trouble with all the Jia Ma Empire's higher-ups gathered here. That was why he had specifically gone to the Snake-Person Tribe to invite Queen Medusa.

"Medusa!"

"Three-Star Dou Zong!"

Wu Ying's expression shifted slightly, then he cackled again. One makeshift Dou Zong and one early-stage Dou Zong—he had the advantage in a one-on-two fight!

"Whoosh!"

A black figure flashed by, a palm strike howling straight toward Wu Ying.

"Who's there?!"

Wu Ying dodged the strike and stared at the Black Robe man stepping out of the sea of clouds, his expression turning thoroughly grim.

"And who are you?!"

Wu Ying asked in a low voice. The Black Robe man showed no intention of answering. His black-gloved hand clenched into a fist, and he shot toward Wu Ying as a streak of darkness once more.

"Attack!"

Medusa's red figure flashed as she joined Yun Shan in surrounding Wu Ying.

"Everyone, this man is from the Soul Hall, the ones who destroyed the Jielan Imperial Family. If we don't keep him here today, he'll become a calamity for us all!"

Good thing I invited them all in advance...

Yun Zimo shouted. His Dou Wings spread as he flew into the sky, and a sword-light that seemed to reach the heavens slashed toward Wu Ying.

The several Dou Emperors of the Jia Ma Empire exchanged glances. Seeing that the Snake-Person elders and guards had already joined the fight, they gritted their teeth and soared into the sky. After phantoms flickered behind them, several dozen-foot-long Dou Techniques blasted toward Wu Ying.

"Deal with the Soul Envoys first. Our main task is to keep Wu Ying occupied and stop him from building up power for high-level Dou Techniques. Leave the offense to the three seniors!"

Yun Zimo gave another order, then pointed his sword at the Dou Wang- and Dou Emperor-level Soul Envoys. As he directed everyone to fight the Soul Envoys, he kept looking for openings to fire various Dou Techniques at Wu Ying. Their attacks weren't very powerful, but they were enough to vex him endlessly.

"Damn it!"

His Dou Technique had been interrupted yet again, and he had also taken a direct hit from Medusa's beam of energy. Wu Ying suddenly slapped his chest. A shrill, piercing shriek rang through the sky!

Dense black fog poured out, covering Wu Ying like a black robe. Streaks of pitch-black humanoid creatures flew from it. The auras of more than ten Dou Emperors and even one or two Dou Zong surged forth. Everyone's expressions changed abruptly!

"To force this Protector to release the Heaven and Earth Soul Envoys—you can all go to your graves in peace!"

Wu Ying spoke with a strange, confident laugh.

"Ten Thousand Sword Art!"

Yun Zimo's shout answered him. Countless soul-light swords appeared across the sky, instantly drowning the so-called Soul Envoys.

The Dou Wang- and Dou Emperor-level Soul Envoys couldn't withstand them at all. They screamed as they vanished into the mist.

"You damn brat! I'll make your soul pay for my losses!"

Fury burned in Wu Ying's eyes. He immediately ordered two Dou Zong Soul Envoys to swoop down and kill Yun Zimo. What a joke of a genius—he would refine him into a Soul Envoy!

Blue flames and waves of cloudlike fire and water surged out, blotting out the sky. Their scorching heat halted Wu Ying's two Dou Zong Soul Envoys. Wisps of black fog rose and evaporated, accompanied by faint, intermittent screams.

"What a heartless bastard."

Gu He's flaming Dou Wings beat behind him. The fury in his eyes nearly made him lose his reason. He paid no heed to the gap between himself and a Dou Zong and, clad in Dou Qi armor covered by Fire Cloud Water Flame, sought out one of the Dou Zong Soul Envoys and fought it head-on.

Perhaps Heavenly Flames, those rare treasures of heaven and earth, were especially effective against soul bodies. The Dou Zong Soul Envoy hesitated to advance, while Gu He seemed to have the upper hand.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan stood on the ground and controlled the Green Lotus Core Flame. Working with the father and son, Yun Yin and Yun Zimo, he slaughtered the other Dou Zong Soul Envoy. The black fog around them slowly dispersed.

"How could a remote place like this have two Heavenly Flames?!"

Distracted by the Heavenly Flames, Wu Ying was caught off guard and took a whipping kick from Medusa. The black fog burst apart, revealing his ugly, slightly illusory face.

"How dare you let your attention wander while fighting this queen!"

Queen Medusa said coldly. A massive purple palm smashed through the air and struck the black fog cloak, nearly blasting it apart.

"Wind Brake Annihilation Gang!"

Borrowing the power of the sea of clouds, several enormous swords, each several yards wide, appeared in midair. Spinning wildly, they shot forth.

"Extreme Wind: Sunset Meteor Kill!"

Before the swords could arrive, a brilliant sword-star dozens of yards across had already descended from the sky, trailing a long tail of sword-light and radiating razor-sharp sword qi. The surrounding space groaned under the strain, its creaking swallowed by the violent sonic boom.

"Seven-Colored Heaven-Swallowing!"

Queen Medusa transformed into her Heaven-Swallowing Python form as well. Her mouth opened slightly, as though she could swallow everything between heaven and earth. The light dimmed before everyone's eyes, and then they saw a massive, seven-colored beam streak across the sky and crash toward Wu Ying.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Wu Ying, who had been pinned down by the Black Robe man, could no longer laugh. Just as the three Dou Techniques reached him, the Black Robe man abruptly withdrew from the battle and vanished. Before leaving, he struck Wu Ying with a palm, making him stagger. Wu Ying had no time to dodge before the Dou Techniques crashed into him!

"You're Su... Boom!"

The explosion drowned out Wu Ying's words. The Black Robe man appeared at a distance, standing quietly as if nothing that had happened had anything to do with him.

"Cloud Smoke Sky Curtain!"

The sea of clouds surged upward from the ground. A colossal white curtain of light enveloped the earth-shaking explosion. Waves of energy churned within it, and Wu Ying, at the center, bore the full brunt of it!

"Kh... ngh!"

Yun Shan secretly swallowed the blood that had turned bitter in his mouth. As the formation's main caster, he had naturally borne most of the energy backlash as well!

"Soul Chain Locking Heaven!"

The shockwaves from the explosion gradually faded, and Wu Ying's frenzied cry suddenly rang out. More than a dozen icy chains shot forth with a clatter. They swept past Yun Shan and Medusa, plunging into the bodies of the Soul Envoys who were not quite dead yet and devouring them in an instant.

The black fog cloak suddenly swelled. Amid the sky-filling black mist, the battered Wu Ying, with only half his body remaining, turned into a black mass. Chains shot out in every direction, coiling as they sought to cover the entire summit of Misty Cloud Mountain. The corrosive, devouring black fog began to spread as well!

"Don't hold back! He's trying to devour everyone!"

Yun Shan shouted as Dou Qi surged from him, ready to unleash another high-level Dou Technique!

"Whoosh!"

A pale figure, however, shot past everyone as fast as lightning. A giant flaming palm appeared in midair and struck. In an instant, it stopped Wu Ying's attack.

Pale flames surged out, and the chains turned into crystal-clear blocks of ice that crashed to the ground.

"Bone... Spirit Cold Fire! You... you're—"

Before Wu Ying could finish his fearful words, the pale flames engulfed the entire black mass. A shrill scream rang through the sky. The flames spread through the black fog, burning across the heavens in a sea of fire, while waves of piercing cries and sizzling sounds echoed overhead.

"Master Gu He, lend me your Heavenly Flame!"

Xiao Yan's voice rang out. A mass of Fire Cloud Water Flame shot into the sky, beyond Gu He's control, while a blue flame suddenly appeared in Xiao Yan's left palm.

The three Heavenly Flames formed a triangle around the black mass, pinning it in place. "Xiao Yan" formed a mysterious hand seal and forcibly sealed the black mass inside a jade bottle.

Wu Ying's cries gradually faded. The black fog vanished completely beneath the pale flames, and the sea of clouds rolled away. Sunlight once more scattered over the summit of Misty Cloud Mountain.

"Xiao... Xiao Yan?"

Everyone stared in shock at the slender figure in the sky. The Soul Hall Protector that three Dou Zong had failed to defeat had been taken down by this inexperienced youth?!

The weariness faded from his eyes. Xiao Yan put away Wu Ying's Storage Ring and the jade bottle containing him, then flew before everyone with a smile.

"Thank you, Sect Master Yun Shan. Thank you, Queen Medusa!"

"Thank you, Mr. Xiao Yan!"

Whether Xiao Yan had won through cleverness or some secret technique, the fact remained that he had captured a Dou Zong and saved everyone. So they all bowed to him.

"Everyone, there's no need for that!"

Xiao Yan, the Heavy Black Ruler on his back, hurriedly lifted a hand to stop them. It had all been Yao Lao's doing. He couldn't accept such a grand gesture!

"Finally, we're safe for now!"

Yun Zimo let out a breath of relief in his heart. Given how much the Soul Hall valued the Northwest Continent, as long as Wu Ying didn't die, it would take at least several years for them to discover his disappearance. Now came a period of steady development!