"Bring it on!"
Chen Xuan heard him and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He didn't summon his Soul Rings or make any complicated movements.
He simply raised his right hand, slowly.
The next moment—
The entire Blue Silver Academy, along with the surrounding space, shuddered violently!
Rumble!
The ground began to shake fiercely, as if an earth dragon were turning over beneath it.
In the little courtyard before Gu Rong's enormous Bone Dragon True Body, a plant began to grow wildly!
A streak of purple-gold light burst from the ground. At first, it was only a seedling, but in the blink of an eye it shot upward at a speed that defied all reason!
Ten zhang!
Fifty zhang!
A hundred zhang!
In the time it took to blink, a gigantic Blue Silver Grass hundreds of zhang tall, blotting out the sky and sun, stood between heaven and earth!
Its vines were thicker than Gu Rong's Bone Dragon True Body, covered in mysterious purple-gold patterns. Each leaf was as huge as a canopy, and streams of life force flowed from them.
Before this enormous Blue Silver Grass, Gu Rong's massive Bone Dragon True Body looked as tiny as a child's toy.
"This... This is..."
The flames of Gu Rong's soul flickered violently. A fear that came from the depths of his soul spread through him, beyond his control.
He could feel a power in the Blue Silver Grass that made him tremble!
It was the power of life!
Pure, boundless, supreme life force!
Under its shroud, he felt the Soul Power within him grow sluggish.
Even the bones that formed his Martial Soul Avatar let out faint, mournful creaks, as if they could be assimilated and dissolved by this life force at any moment!
His life force was being stripped away!
This wasn't a Soul Skill!
This was a power close to the laws of nature!
Terrifying!
What kind of monster was this man?!
Daring no longer to be careless, Gu Rong's overwhelming sense of danger drove him to activate his strongest defensive Soul Skill without delay.
"Second Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Armor!"
The second yellow, hundred-year Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up. In an instant, a layer of incredibly thick bone armor spread rapidly over his entire Bone Dragon True Body, shielding him completely.
At that very moment, Chen Xuan moved his raised hand.
He pressed his index and middle fingers together and pointed toward the enormous Bone Dragon True Body from afar.
"Go."
The single word was light and easy.
The several-hundred-zhang-tall Purple Gold Blue Silver Grass seemed to have received its sovereign's command.
Its gigantic main vine narrowed at the tip, instantly transforming into a massive spear wreathed in purple-gold divine light!
Whoosh!
There was no earth-shaking commotion, nor a sonic boom tearing through the sky.
The enormous spear formed from Blue Silver Grass merely shuddered—and vanished from its spot.
It wasn't fast!
It had pierced straight through space!
By the time Gu Rong's mind registered what was happening, the spear, containing boundless life force, had already appeared before his chest!
The flames of Gu Rong's soul contracted to a pinpoint!
He didn't have time to dodge!
Thud—
A soft sound.
The Bone Dragon Armor he'd been so proud of, capable of withstanding a full-strength attack from a Titled Douluo of the same rank, was as fragile as paper before that purple-gold spear tip. It was pierced in an instant!
The spear continued onward, smashing through the Bone Dragon True Body's solid breastbone like a dead branch beneath a blade.
"Roar!"
A scream of unbearable agony burst from the Bone Dragon's mouth.
Soul Power scattered like sprays of blood, gushing from the enormous wound!
The massive Bone Dragon True Body could no longer hold together. It shattered piece by piece in midair, dissolving into points of light.
Gu Rong was blasted out of its center. A savage hole pierced through his chest, and blood poured out, staining the front of his clothes red.
"Ugh... Ah..."
Unimaginable pain swept through his entire body. His face twisted with agony, and his knees buckled. Unable to hold himself up, he fell to the ground with a thump.
But his mind kept replaying that scene.
The effortless grace of that pointing finger.
The spear that had pierced through space.
How had he attacked? What kind of Soul Skill was that?
Blue Silver Grass... How could a Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul possibly be this powerful?!
Just as pain and shock were about to consume his consciousness, that calm, gentle voice drifted down from the second floor once more.
"I haven't even used any strength. Why are you already on your knees?"
Chen Xuan leaned against the window, looking down at Gu Rong on the ground, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Do you want to keep going?"
The mild, refined voice sounded more terrifying to Gu Rong than a demon whispering from the depths of the netherworld.
Keep going?
What could he use to keep going?
His life?
Gu Rong had no doubt that if his opponent wished it, his head would be reduced to nothing the very next moment, just like the hole in his chest.
His Adam's apple bobbed. He struggled to swallow a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood, then forced a hoarse voice from his throat.
"N-no... I won't fight anymore."
"Your power is awe-inspiring, sir. This old man... admits defeat!"
Those few words seemed to drain every last bit of strength from him.
As one of the continent's top Titled Douluos, he'd never imagined he would one day lose so cleanly, so completely—not even touching the other man's sleeve.
Fear took root and grew wildly in his heart.
He had to get out of here at once!
This man's existence was beyond his understanding. He had to report back to the sect master immediately!
The thought flashed through his mind. Gu Rong secretly drew upon the Soul Power remaining in his body, hoping to use his spatial abilities to escape.
But he soon discovered, in despair, that although the purple-gold Blue Silver Grass that had pierced through his Martial Soul Avatar had vanished, an invisible, overwhelming pressure still shrouded the entire courtyard like the heavens themselves.
Beneath that pressure, his Soul Power flowed with unbearable sluggishness, while the spatial elements had fallen deathly silent. He couldn't stir them at all.
He was like a bug caught in a spiderweb, unable to move.
It was over.
Gu Rong felt a chill in his heart.
Not only had he lost—he didn't even have the right to escape.
What... did the other man want?
Had he seen through Gu Rong's identity and planned to kill him to silence him?
Just as Gu Rong fretted and let his imagination run wild, Chen Xuan's calm voice sounded again.
"You're Bone Douluo of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, aren't you?"
It wasn't a question. Chen Xuan was stating a fact.
Boom!
A clap of thunder seemed to explode inside Gu Rong's head, leaving him completely dazed.
He'd been recognized!
He really had been recognized!
He instinctively tried to deny it, but when he met Chen Xuan's tranquil, unreadable gaze, every lie caught in his throat. He couldn't utter a word.
Under those eyes, he felt as though he'd been seen through, inside and out. Any attempt to hide the truth seemed ridiculous.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
Gu Rong nodded stiffly and lowered his head, as obedient as a child caught misbehaving.
"Yes... This old man is indeed Gu Rong."
Before you continue