That was right. With no other choice, Dai Weisi had been forced to use his third Soul Skill: White Tiger Vajra Transformation! The transformation could last for up to half an hour. During that time, Dai Weisi's resistance to abnormal conditions, attack power, defense, and strength would all double!
Dai Weisi already had Soul Power at level thirty-nine. With the might of White Tiger Vajra Transformation added, his physical strength was temporarily enough to reach the Soul Ancestor level! But the skill itself consumed a great deal of Soul Power, and Dai Weisi had only barely managed to use it. Its power would still be formidable, but its duration would likely be cut short!
But that didn't matter. As long as he could withstand this round of Xu Mochen's attacks, he could find a way to gather his Soul Power again. He still had a chance to turn defeat into victory!
Xu Mochen had long expected that after this series of attacks, Dai Weisi would be forced to use his third Soul Skill! But so what? Dai Weisi had a trump card, but that didn't mean Xu Mochen didn't have one of his own! Xu Mochen pointed his right hand at Dai Weisi and murmured, "Chaos Curse! Sealing Technique!"
A purple energy tinged with ominous power shot from Xu Mochen's fingertip and landed on Dai Weisi in the blink of an eye! Dai Weisi suddenly felt his heart skip a beat, then was horrified to see his third Soul Ring turn from purple to a dim gray! At the same time, his White Tiger Vajra Transformation state vanished!
Dai Weisi jolted in shock, then immediately tried with all his might to activate his third Soul Skill again. But what terrified him even more was that no matter how he tried to pour Soul Power into his third Soul Ring, it was as if the ring had been locked. No matter how hard he tried, the gray aura surrounding it repelled his Soul Power!
"What trick did Xu Mochen use? How could he stop me from using White Tiger Vajra Transformation?" Dai Weisi was aghast. He had never seen anything like this before—not even heard of it! How could such a terrifying ability exist in this world?
Xu Mochen clearly wasn't going to explain any of it. He had already charged at Dai Weisi again! His dragon claw came crashing down once more, accompanied by a powerful aura! Dai Weisi had only just used his third Soul Skill, and he hadn't gathered enough Soul Power to use another skill.
With Xu Mochen pressing him relentlessly, Dai Weisi had no choice but to shout, "Stop, stop! I surrender!"
As soon as Dai Weisi's words fell, the aura around Xu Mochen's right-arm dragon claw vanished. Xu Mochen withdrew his arm, then smiled and cupped his hands toward Dai Weisi again. "Thank you for holding back, Brother Dai. I concede."
Xu Mochen had been able to seal Dai Weisi's third Soul Skill thanks to a little something on his right arm: the Right Arm Soul Bone of Chaos Curse! The source of this Soul Bone was beyond doubt. It had been a reward bestowed upon him alongside his Second Soul Ring after he passed the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King's First Trial! Its true age was unknown, but like an External Soul Bone, it could continue to grow in age! At present, its age was around a thousand years, just like his Soul Ring.
The ability this Soul Bone granted Xu Mochen was simple: it could seal a certain number of an opponent's Soul Rings, Soul Bones, and Domain abilities! As the Soul Bone's age increased, the number of Soul Rings, Soul Bones, and Domains it could seal—and the duration of the seals—would increase as well! At present, Xu Mochen could use the sealing ability at most twice a day, and each seal lasted only six hours.
Xu Mochen immediately stepped forward and helped Dai Weisi withdraw the Chaos Dragon Qi he had driven into him. Only then did Dai Weisi gradually catch his breath. He stared at the humble-looking Xu Mochen, but the astonishment on his face lingered.
Dai Weisi sighed. "Looks like I really did lose completely. Brother Xu, there's no need to be modest. I was the one who broke the rules first. I just didn't expect that even going all out wouldn't be enough to beat you. It seems my earlier offer to give you some pointers was laughable."
Hearing that, Xu Mochen could only sigh inwardly. The truth is, I won not because I have more battle experience than Dai Weisi, but because my various Martial Soul abilities are stronger than his.
The members of the Star Luo Empire's delegation looked equally solemn. They had thought that Dai Weisi, who was fifteen levels above Xu Mochen, would win easily, especially with a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and a top-tier White Tiger Martial Soul. But the outcome had been completely unexpected!
In less than five minutes, Xu Mochen had defeated Dai Weisi, who had even used his third Soul Skill! Although Dai Weisi's carelessness had played a part, there was no denying Xu Mochen's outstanding talent. It seemed the strength of the Sun Moon Empire's imperial family was well beyond expectations.
After exchanging pleasantries, Dai Weisi and Xu Mochen formally began their negotiations. Xu Mochen first demonstrated the power of various Soul Guidance Weapons, just as he had in Linghai City in the Heaven Dou Empire. This time, however, he didn't use a Titled Douluo from the Star Luo Empire as a target. Instead, he tested the weapons against rocks, targets prepared by the Star Luo Empire, and iron plates, explaining their power as he went along. He also shared the various test results they had obtained in the Heaven Dou Empire using Bone Douluo as a test subject.
The people of the Star Luo Empire had long heard about the formidable Sun Moon Empire's Soul Guidance Weapons and their test results, but witnessing them firsthand still left them deeply shaken! Their awe of the Sun Moon Empire rose another notch.
Perhaps Xu Mochen had completely won over the Star Luo delegation with his drinking capacity and combat talent. Perhaps it was because the weapons displayed by the Sun Moon Empire were truly astonishing! Most likely, it was a combination of both. In any case, the diplomatic negotiations that followed went unexpectedly smoothly!
Xu Mochen offered the same terms he had given the Heaven Dou Empire. Not only did he successfully establish diplomatic relations with the Star Luo Empire, he also secured a Concession of around sixty square kilometers in Starry Sky City!
After all, the Star Luo Empire's overall national strength was still greater than the Heaven Dou Empire's! Xu Mochen had already prepared to offer more in negotiations than he had in the Heaven Dou Empire, but it seemed that hadn't been necessary after all.
To thank the Star Luo Empire for its cooperation, and because Dai Weisi had indeed acted especially friendly, Xu Mochen stayed in the Star Luo Empire for another day. He knew Dai Weisi had an ulterior motive, but during his stay, he and Dai Weisi naturally took every opportunity to probe each other for information. Xu Mochen undoubtedly gained even more useful intelligence from Dai Weisi.
But when Xu Mochen mentioned that he would be heading to Spirit Hall next, Dai Weisi's expression immediately turned serious. He spoke earnestly. "Brother Xu, if you really intend to visit Spirit Hall, you must be cautious in every way! Don't be fooled by the fact that Spirit Hall seems to occupy only one city on the Douluo Continent and appears so mild-mannered. Its true strength and ambition are far more terrifying than they seem!"
"Spirit Hall is a religious organization of sorts, and the figure it worships is the symbol of Spirit Hall itself: the Angel God! Although probably no one on the Douluo Continent has ever seen a true god in the flesh, the history books say that gods definitely existed on the Douluo Continent in the past—and there was more than one! The Angel God worshipped by Spirit Hall was one of them!"
"This religion excels at brainwashing, so there's no shortage of fanatical Spirit Hall followers across the Douluo Continent! And Spirit Hall happens to control more Soul Masters than anyone else on the continent. Spirit City, where Spirit Hall is based, is teeming with powerful experts! If we look only at the number and quality of Soul Masters, neither our empire nor the Heaven Dou Empire can match Spirit Hall in the number we directly or indirectly control!"
"Of course, if you add together the Soul Masters under the control of both our empires, we could just barely surpass Spirit Hall. But even putting aside the centuries of irreconcilable enmity between our empire and the Heaven Dou Empire, there's no way we could truly work in perfect harmony to oppose Spirit Hall—unless both sides faced the threat of annihilation!"
"And the number of Spirit Hall Soul Masters we counted includes only those who work directly for Spirit Hall! We haven't even counted the far more numerous Soul Master followers of Spirit Hall! There are probably plenty of followers of Spirit Hall and the Angel God among the Soul Masters directly and indirectly controlled by the two empires, the various kingdoms, and the duchies!"
"If we removed all those followers from our ranks, then added every one of them to Spirit Hall's side, the number of Soul Masters controlled by all the countries on the Douluo Continent combined would probably still be less than Spirit Hall's! Neither we nor the Heaven Dou Empire knows exactly how powerful Spirit Hall has become, but I can say for certain that its special operation against the Clear Sky Sect six years ago shook the entire Douluo Continent!"
"The leader of the Upper Three Sects! Such a formidable force, and Spirit Hall wiped it out overnight! Before anyone had time to react, the Clear Sky Sect had become history! Looking at it now, Spirit Hall's ambition probably goes even further. It may already be planning to seize control of the world!"
"Your Sun Moon Empire's sudden arrival has become an unforeseen obstacle on Spirit Hall's path to world domination! And your Soul Guidance Weapons have greatly shaken the esteemed status of Soul Masters and powerful Soul Masters alike!"
"That's all well and good for a secular country like the Star Luo Empire, with its vast population of ordinary people. But the threat to Spirit Hall's position will be catastrophic! So I have reason to suspect that Spirit Hall may send its strongest fighters after you at any cost, and wipe you all out! That way, you won't be able to take any information back home. Take this advice from your elder brother: stay on your guard against Spirit Hall at all times!"
Dai Weisi's words were filled with murderous intent, and his expression was grim. An ordinary person hearing him might well have come away deeply wary of Spirit Hall and hostile toward it!
But Xu Mochen wasn't so easily fooled. He could hear that Dai Weisi had exaggerated quite a bit, but one thing was certainly true: Spirit Hall was no simple opponent! And his extensive demonstrations of Soul Guidance Weapons might also have made Spirit Hall's powerful Soul Masters uneasy or even hostile.
As for his upcoming visit to Spirit Hall, he would have to be more cautious than ever! He definitely needed to complete his Second Trial, but to ensure his absolute safety in Spirit Hall, he would probably need to come up with more careful plans!
Before you continue