A few days later, in Spirit City,
inside the Worship Hall,
the air was thick with a violent Soul Power fluctuation that seemed ready to explode at any moment.
The secret chamber deep within the Worship Hall
had practically become a massive, active Soul Power volcano, ready to erupt at any moment.
If Qian Daoliu, the Level 99 Peerless Douluo, hadn't personally stepped in and sealed off the space with his overwhelming Soul Power,
the energy tides produced by those few Offerings breaking through would have been enough to send the roof flying.
"BOOM—!"
Accompanied by a deafening roar, a brilliant pillar of dark golden light suddenly burst through the edge of the barrier Qian Daoliu had erected and shot straight into the clouds!
Inside the secret chamber,
the bones throughout Golden Crocodile Douluo's body crackled like popping beans. Behind him, the already enormous phantom of the Golden Crocodile King
underwent a subtle transformation. Two protrusions resembling dragon horns sprouted from its head, while its dark golden scales turned into armor as real as solid gold.
Level 99—Peerless Douluo!
Golden Crocodile Douluo abruptly opened his eyes. Feeling the terrifying power within him, a force that seemed capable of ripping heaven and earth apart, this iron-blooded veteran who had lived for over a hundred years and clawed his way out of piles of corpses
now had reddened eyes, tears streaming without an ounce of dignity down his deeply wrinkled old face.
"Big brother... I broke through! I really reached this level!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo was as excited as a three-hundred-jin child, and he threw his arms around Qian Daoliu's leg.
"My life's been worth it! Even if you sent me to take on that mad old Tang Chen right now, I'd dare rip off two of his whiskers!"
"Get a grip."
Qian Daoliu scolded him with a laugh and kicked him, though he couldn't hide the smile at the corners of his eyes.
It wasn't just Golden Crocodile Douluo. The other Offerings in the secret chamber were also beaming, their auras as deep and vast as the sea.
The Immortal Herbs' domineering medicinal power, combined with the solid foundations they had spent years building, had brought this group of Offerings an unprecedented collective surge in strength.
The Third Offering, Azure Luan Douluo, had steadily advanced from Level 97 to the threshold of Level 98, just one step away from becoming a Peerless Douluo.
The Fourth Offering, Mighty Lion Douluo, the Fifth Offering, Guangling Douluo, the Sixth Offering, the Seventh Offering, and the others had all raised their Soul Power Levels without exception. Those who had been at Level 96 had directly shot up to Level 97.
Some might even reach Level 98 in a few years. In just a few days, the Elder Hall's overall high-tier combat strength had more than doubled.
Looking at these old brothers whose strength had surged, Qian Daoliu stood with his hands behind his back, his heart soaring with pride.
"What Upper Three Sects? What Two Great Empires..." Qian Daoliu scoffed, his eyes flashing brightly.
"With this divine blessing brought by Ji'er, from this moment on, Spirit Hall is the undisputed ruler of this continent!"
While the Elder Hall buzzed with an atmosphere of "excessive strength,"
the area outside Spirit City was also rife with turmoil.
For the past few days, the high-speed road leading to Spirit City had been nearly jammed with the most luxurious carriage caravans on the entire continent.
The letter Qian Xunji had sent out, announcing an "open auction,"
was like a bloody piece of meat tossed into a pack of hungry wolves, drawing out every prominent power on the continent.
The first to arrive was the wealthy Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Ning Zhen, dressed in luxurious brocade robes, entered the city in grand style with the young Ning Fengzhi, escorted by Sect Protecting Douluo Yuan Lie.
Inside the Storage Soul Tool were nearly half of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's liquid funds, along with all kinds of resources.
For the sake of this Twin Martial Souls prospect, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had truly brought out nearly all its reserve liquid funds, leaving only what it needed to maintain its daily operations.
Close behind them came the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, heralded by rumbling thunder that shook the heavens and earth.
Its Sect Master, Yu Yuanzhen, wore purple robes and strode forward with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, his eyes flashing with undisguised arrogance and domineering power.
As the head of the greatest Beast Martial Soul clan in the world, the moment Yu Yuanzhen received the letter,
he had already regarded the genius with Twin Spider Emperors as his own.
His son, Yu Xiaogang, had failed at Martial Soul Mutation, so he needed to find the child another path.
If he could bring in this genius and cultivate and teach her, she could at least protect the clan for a hundred years.
"Who in this world is more qualified to teach a top-tier Beast Martial Soul than my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
"And those weaklings from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, who can only provide support, dare to join the fray? What a joke."
Yu Yuanzhen sneered repeatedly at the city gate, his booming voice making the surrounding guards' eardrums ache.
The newly arrived Sect Master of the Clear Sky Sect, Tang Zhen, happened to hear him as he stepped down from his carriage. Tang Zhen gave a cold snort, his hand tightening slightly around the Clear Sky Hammer.
"Old Dragon Yu, don't speak too soon! With Twin Martial Souls, the highest bidder wins. This isn't mud in your backyard that you can shape however you please."
The younger generation of the sect was now full of talent, with both Tang Xiao and Tang Hao being geniuses.
It would be even better if the genius from Spirit Hall was a girl.
For a time, the air at the city gate was thick with tension.
Besides them, the emperors of the Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire had also arrived.
Xue Ye and Dai Tianfeng knew their chances were slim,
but they had to show respect for the Pope's invitation. Besides, even if they couldn't get the genius, they could at least learn more about the situation.
The Two Great Empires' high-tier combat strength was indeed inferior to that of the Upper Three Sects.
But this was a strategic genius who could change the future balance of the continent. Even if they couldn't win the bid, they absolutely couldn't let their rivals get their hands on her easily.
That evening, the reception hall of Pope Hall blazed with light.
To show Spirit Hall's "generosity" and "hospitality,"
Qian Xunji had specially arranged a grand banquet,
gathering all the fat sheep who had traveled from afar—cough, esteemed guests—under one roof.
In the great hall, the various powers raised their glasses and exchanged smiles on the surface, while beneath it, undercurrents surged. Their gazes clashed, seeming to spark at every turn.
Just then, the heavy bronze doors at the far end of the hall slowly swung open.
"His Holiness the Pope has arrived!"
At the red-robed cardinal's loud announcement, the noisy hall fell silent in an instant. Everyone's gaze turned toward the end of the red carpet.
There stood Qian Xunji, clad in a Papal Robe edged with dark gold and embroidered with intricate, sacred patterns.
However, when everyone saw what Qian Xunji looked like now, all the powerful figures present, including Yu Yuanzhen and Ning Zhen, watched their pupils contract as astonishment gripped their hearts.
This... was this Qian Xunji?
The brilliant golden hair that had symbolized the sacred bloodline of the Angel Clan was gone, replaced by long, snow-white hair that fell casually over his broad shoulders.
The kind, merciful, hypocritical smile that had once graced his incomparably handsome face had vanished, replaced by a deep, cold, and sinister expression.
More terrifying still was his aura.
Qian Xunji hadn't released his Martial Soul, or even deliberately let his Soul Power leak out. Yet merely walking toward them at an unhurried pace, the ultimate darkness and aura of judgment he kept restrained weighed on everyone present like an invisible mountain.
That was the suppression naturally radiated by the Twelve-Winged Original Sin Fallen Angel Martial Soul. It wasn't pressure from Soul Power, but the Martial Soul's own natural force of suppression.
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