Meng Shenji: Fifth Ring, seventy thousand years? Please be cautious, Your Excellency! Dugu Bo: Scram!

In their impression, although Dugu Bo was eccentric and neither fully righteous nor evil, he cherished this only granddaughter as if she were something precious that might melt in his mouth or shatter in his hands.

But now?

To let a Soul Ancestor who had just reached level fifty absorb a seventy-thousand-year soul ring?

How was this affection? This was clearly murder!

"Your Excellency Dugu!

Please forgive this old man for speaking out of turn!"

Meng Shenji took a deep breath, braced himself against the suffocating soul power pressure exerted by Dugu Bo, and stepped forward.

His voice turned sharp with anxiety:

"You are a Title Douluo, and your knowledge far exceeds our own.

But have you forgotten the ironclad laws of the soul master world?"

"The limit for a fifth soul ring, verified by the blood and tears of countless predecessors, is no more than twelve thousand years!"

Meng Shenji pointed at the corpse of the Medusa on the ground, which radiated a monstrous, ferocious aura; his finger was trembling:

"This is seventy thousand years!

It exceeds the limit by more than five times!"

"The energy impact alone is enough to instantly burst the body of a Soul Saint!

Not to mention the soul shockwave left behind by a seventy-thousand-year fierce beast; it would directly destroy Yan Yan's Sea of Consciousness!"

"What you are doing is not helping Yan Yan; you are pushing her into a pit of fire!"

Meng Shenji was heartbroken; had he not feared Dugu Bo's strength, he would have likely rushed forward to pull Dugu Yan away.

Behind the three committee members, Qin Ming, who had remained silent until now, could no longer hold back.

As the lead teacher of the Imperial Fighting Team, Dugu Yan was one of his most prized students.

How could he stand by and watch his student walk to her death?

"Your Excellency!"

Qin Ming suddenly rushed out from the crowd and, with a thud, knelt on one knee directly in front of Dugu Bo!

This action stunned everyone present.

"Teacher Qin!"

The students of the Imperial Fighting Team behind him cried out in alarm.

Qin Ming raised his head, looking at Dugu Bo with burning eyes, his tone sincere and urgent:

"This junior, Qin Ming, dares to offer a word of advice!"

"Yan Yan is the vice-captain of the Imperial Fighting Team and a pride of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.

Her future is limitless; as long as she cultivates step by step, she will surely become a Title Douluo in the future!"

"There is absolutely no need to take such a suicidal risk!"

Qin Ming turned his head to look at Dugu Yan, who stood behind Dugu Bo with an expression so calm it was eerie, and shouted:

"Yan Yan!

Say something to your grandfather!"

"Have you been blinded by the temptation of this soul ring?

That is seventy thousand years!

Not seven thousand!

You will die!

You will truly die!"

However, facing Qin Ming's heart-wrenching cries, Dugu Yan only pursed her lips slightly.

A trace of apology flashed in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by determination.

She could not explain.

She could not explain the existence of Yu Nan, nor the mysteries of the Ice and Fire Golden Body.

"Teacher Qin, thank you for your concern."

Dugu Yan finally spoke, her voice so calm it was frightening:

"But my mind is made up.

Grandfather is not crazy, and neither am I.

I am determined to obtain this soul ring."

"You..." Qin Ming was stunned; he had not expected Dugu Yan to react this way.

"They're mad... everyone's gone mad..."

From the crowd, a tall, handsome youth with a face pale as paper stumbled out.

It was Yu Tianheng.

Yu Tianheng stared fixedly at the ten-thousand-year black spirit ring hovering over the corpse of the Medusa.

He then looked at Dugu Yan, who wore an expression of absolute resolve, and his eyes instantly turned bloodshot.

"Yanyan! What on earth are you thinking?!"

Yu Tianheng lunged forward, attempting to grab Dugu Yan by the shoulders, but was ruthlessly repelled by a barrier of spirit power erected by Dugu Bo.

"Ugh!"

Yu Tianheng let out a muffled groan, a trace of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but as if he could not feel the pain, he scrambled up and continued to roar:

"That is a seventy-thousand-year Medusa!

Even my grandfather wouldn't dare attempt a spirit ring of that age for his fifth!"

"Are you so desperate for power that you'd throw your life away?!"

"If you die, what am I supposed to do?

What is the Imperial Fighting Team supposed to do?!"

There was a hint of a sob in Yu Tianheng's voice; he was truly terrified.

The fear of losing his beloved was so great that he cast aside all thoughts of family etiquette and the majesty of a Title Douluo.

Behind him, the other members of the Imperial Fighting Team were equally pale.

Ye Lingling covered her mouth, her eyes filled with terrified tears;

The Shi Brothers exchanged glances, their bodies trembling slightly from fear;

Yu Feng and Osler were so frightened they didn't even dare to breathe.

In their eyes, Dugu Bo was no longer the protective grandfather they knew, but a demon forcing his own granddaughter to commit suicide!

"Enough!"

Watching this chaotic scene, Dugu Bo's last shred of patience was exhausted.

Although he knew these people meant well and were concerned for Yanyan, time was of the essence. The energy of the spirit ring was dissipating with every passing second; he had no time to explain the nature of miracles to a group of "frogs in a well."

BOOM!

A terrifying, frigid, emerald-green storm of spirit power erupted, centered on Dugu Bo!

The surrounding temperature plummeted to freezing, and the air became thick with a suffocating, cloying stench of poison.

"Ugh..."

The expressions of Meng Shenji and his two companions shifted drastically. They hurriedly joined forces to release their spirit power, erecting a barrier to shield Qin Ming and the students behind them.

Yet, even so, under the absolute pressure of a Title Douluo, their barrier groaned with the sound of cracking under an unbearable load.

"When this old man acts, why should I have to explain myself to you?!"

Dugu Bo's hair whipped about, his eyes glowing with a sinister green light, resembling an enraged god of poison:

"In consideration of the fact that you are Yanyan's teachers and classmates, I will not hold your insolence against you."

"But if you dare to utter another word of noise and delay Yanyan from absorbing this spirit ring..."

Dugu Bo took a sudden step forward, his killing intent locking onto the group like a physical weight:

"This Sunset Forest shall be your burial ground!"

"GET OUT!!!"

The command to "get out," infused with immense spirit power, exploded in their ears like a thunderclap.

The weaker members, such as Yu Tianheng, were struck by a surge of roiling blood and nearly fainted on the spot.

Even the three committee members, Meng Shenji among them, turned deathly pale and were forced to retreat several steps before they could steady themselves.

The scene fell into instant, deathly silence.

Only that black spirit ring continued to pulse slowly above the Medusa's corpse, radiating a luster that was as alluring as it was lethal.

Swept up in that terrifying storm of spirit power, Meng Shenji and his companions felt a deep, gnawing reluctance.

Yet, they understood that if they did not retreat now, this temperamental Poison Douluo might truly begin a massacre.

"Retreat! Retreat at once!"

Meng Shenji gritted his teeth, suppressing the blood roiling in his chest.

With a wave of his hand, his spirit power enveloped Yu Tianheng and the others—who were already so frightened their legs had turned to jelly—and he dragged them back in a pathetic, hurried flight.

It was not until they had retreated several miles that the deathly threat, which had felt like a needle pressed against their backs, finally began to wane.

"Committee members!

We cannot leave!

Yanyan, she..."

The moment they touched the ground, Yu Tianheng struggled to rush back, his eyes bloodshot and his demeanor bordering on madness.