Puni VS Sword Douluo!

Gu Sheng let out a cold snort, a flicker of disdain flashing through his eyes.

"That old fox Ning Fengzhi has always prided himself on his intelligence; it seems he truly believes he can see through everything."

"The fact that he hasn't come means he already suspects your identity, perhaps even believing you have usurped the throne."

Qian Renxue sighed helplessly, leaning into Gu Sheng's embrace.

"He taught 'Xue Qinghe' for many years, after all, and knows the habits of 'Xue Qinghe' like the back of his hand."

"Although my disguise is flawless, Emperor Xue Ye's sudden death and my hasty ascension to the throne—it would be strange if he didn't grow suspicious."

Gu Sheng gently stroked her long hair.

"So what if he is suspicious?"

"In the face of absolute power, all his little tricks are nothing more than a path to self-destruction."

At this moment, within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect not far from Heaven Dou City.

The atmosphere in the council hall was suffocating.

Ning Fengzhi sat at the head of the table, his expression grim and terrifying.

Seated to his left and right were Sword Douluo Chen Xin and Bone Douluo Gu Rong, respectively.

"Sect Master, news has arrived from Heaven Dou City. That 'Xue Qinghe' conferred the title of 'Saint Spirit King' upon that man in black during the grand morning assembly today."

Gu Rong's voice was low, his eyes filled with gravity.

Upon hearing this, Ning Fengzhi slammed his hand onto the tea table beside him, shattering the exquisite porcelain cup instantly.

"Absurd! This is simply absurd!"

"I watched Xue Qinghe grow up; he would never write such an edict, nor would he ever be so ridiculous as to confer the title of King upon a man of unknown origin, placing him on equal footing with the Emperor!"

Ning Fengzhi's voice was sharp, his chest heaving violently.

Chen Xin's eyes were half-closed, his Seven Kill Sword held in his arms, the sword intent around him flickering unsteadily.

"Fengzhi, are you suspecting that the person currently sitting on the throne is not Xue Qinghe at all?"

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"It is not a suspicion; it is a certainty!"

"Emperor Xue Ye died under suspicious circumstances, and after Xue Qinghe ascended the throne, he became a different person entirely. Even his appearance carries an air of artificiality."

"Most importantly, that Gu Sheng who appeared out of nowhere—his strength is too terrifying."

"Before Martial Soul Hall, he severely wounded Tang Hao with a single strike, and now he is manipulating the Heaven Dou Empire as he pleases."

"Behind this, there must be a shocking conspiracy!"

As he spoke, a flash of terror crossed Ning Fengzhi's eyes.

"If I am not mistaken, the real Xue Qinghe was likely murdered long ago."

"The one now controlling the Heaven Dou Empire is a monster who has usurped the throne, or perhaps even... Martial Soul Hall!"

Gu Rong's expression changed drastically, and he stood up in shock.

"What? Martial Soul Hall?!"

"If that is truly the case, then isn't our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect in danger?"

Ning Fengzhi gritted his teeth, his fists clenched tightly together.

"We absolutely cannot acknowledge this false emperor!"

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect has been loyal to the Heaven Dou Empire's royal family for generations; we cannot stand by and watch the empire fall into the hands of these monsters."

"Fengzhi, what do you intend to do?"

Chen Xin opened his eyes, a sharp edge glinting within his gaze.

A look of determination flashed across Ning Fengzhi's eyes.

"Notify the sect disciples to enter Level One alert immediately."

"At the same time, send people to secretly contact the generals at the Heaven Dou Empire's borders, especially those loyal to Emperor Xue Ye."

"Tell them that there has been a coup in Heaven Dou City, that a false emperor has usurped the throne, and order them to lead their armies back to the capital to protect the throne!"

"I refuse to believe that with the combined strength of our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and the empire's million-strong army, we cannot deal with these two usurping monsters!"

No sooner had Ning Fengzhi finished speaking than a hurried sound of footsteps echoed from outside the hall.

A disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect ran in, panicked and disheveled, tripping over the threshold in his haste.

"Sect Master! It's bad! It's bad!"

The disciple fell to his knees with a thud, his face deathly pale.

Ning Fengzhi frowned, an ominous premonition rising in his heart.

"What is the meaning of this panic? What has happened?"

The disciple swallowed hard, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"It's... it's the Saint Spirit King!"

"Saint Spirit King Gu Sheng is leading the empire's elite army; they have already left Heaven Dou City and are marching toward our sect!"

"What?!"

Ning Fengzhi stood up abruptly, his face etched with disbelief.

"How dare he? The Grand Court session only just ended, and he's already mobilized his troops?"

Gu Rong's expression shifted drastically as well.

"Sect Master, it seems that woman who usurped the throne never intended to let us go."

"They're striking first to gain the advantage, aiming to wipe out our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

Chen Xin stood up violently, the Seven Kill Sword in his arms emitting a sharp, resonant chime.

"Good!"

"I'd like to see exactly what kind of heaven-defying ability this so-called 'Saint Spirit King' truly possesses!"

Ning Fengzhi's expression flickered between shadow and light, but his years of experience as a leader allowed him to calm down quickly.

"Uncle Gu, Uncle Jian, immediately assemble all combat forces of the sect and meet the enemy at the mountain gate!"

"No matter who they are, if they want to swallow our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, they'll have to lose a few teeth in the process!"

"Understood!"

Following Ning Fengzhi's orders, the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect instantly sprang into action.

Countless disciples gathered at the mountain gate, the atmosphere tense to the breaking point.

At this moment, on a plain less than ten miles from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

A massive, dark mass of the imperial army moved forward slowly like a gathering storm cloud.

At the very front of the army was a luxurious chariot pulled by eight towering soul beasts.

Gu Sheng, dressed in black royal robes, sat quietly on the chariot, his expression calm as he gazed at the distant mountain range.

Beside him, Qian Renxue was also dressed in military attire, looking heroic and spirited.

"Husband, are we acting too quickly by striking so soon?"

Qian Renxue asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"The Heaven Dou Empire has only just stabilized; won't attacking the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect now trigger a backlash from other factions?"

Gu Sheng turned his head, smiled gently, and reached out to take her hand.

"Xue'er, to deal with these people who fancy themselves clever, one must use thunderous methods."

"The longer you delay, the more tricks Ning Fengzhi can pull."

"Only by crushing him with absolute power will those with ulterior motives truly feel fear and truly submit to you."

Hearing her husband's words, the worry in Qian Renxue's heart vanished, replaced by boundless trust.

"Mm, I will listen to you, husband."

The army moved at great speed, and before long, they arrived at the foot of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's mountain gate.

Looking at the disciples standing in battle formation above, Gu Sheng's expression remained calm, without a ripple of emotion.

He slowly stood up, walking through the air as if ascending an invisible staircase.

With every step, a powerful pressure radiated from him, making it difficult for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples below to even breathe.

Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong stood at the forefront, their expressions grave as they watched the young man in black walking through the sky.

"Gu Sheng!"

Ning Fengzhi stepped forward and shouted sternly.

"As the 'Saint Spirit King' of the Heaven Dou Empire, you are leading an army to attack a sect without authorization. You are openly trampling on the laws of the empire!"

"That woman sitting on the throne is not Xue Qinghe!"

"You band of usurping monsters, do you really think the world is full of fools?!"

Ning Fengzhi's voice was hoarse, echoing through the valley.

Gu Sheng stopped, looking down at Ning Fengzhi with a flash of contempt in his eyes.

"Ning Fengzhi, are you finished with your nonsense?"

His voice was soft, yet it reached everyone's ears with perfect clarity.

"I am the Saint Spirit King of the Heaven Dou Empire; my word is the law."

"As for usurping the throne?"

Gu Sheng smiled with disdain.

"In this world, the strong take what they desire."

"Since that old man Xue Ye cannot hold onto this empire, we shall take it for him. What is wrong with that?"

"You pride yourself on being clever, yet you jump out to play the loyal subject at a time like this. You truly do not know how to die."

Hearing Gu Sheng's blasphemous words, Ning Fengzhi trembled with rage.

"You... you traitor!"

"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, strike!"

As Ning Fengzhi's voice fell, the air before the mountain gate instantly solidified.

Chen Xin and Gu Rong did not hesitate; their spirit rings lit up simultaneously, and powerful spirit power fluctuations surged outward like a tidal wave.

Gu Rong stepped forward, his hands forming seals, and the void behind him began to fluctuate violently.

A massive bone dragon coalesced in mid-air, its hollow eye sockets burning with ghostly blue flames as it let out a deafening roar.

"Saint Spirit King, today let this old man test your high-level skills!"

Gu Rong struck first, the bone dragon's massive body swinging through the air, carrying a chilling aura of death as it dove toward Gu Sheng.

Facing this massive, imposing attack, Gu Sheng did not even lift an eyelid.

He stood silently in the void, hands behind his back, his black royal robes snapping in the gale.

"Is this all the skill you have to boast with before me?"

Gu Sheng watched the incoming bone dragon and struck out with a single palm.

There were no flashy spirit skills, nor any superfluous spirit power fluctuations, merely an extremely ordinary palm strike.

Golden light gathered in his palm, transforming into a golden handprint dozens of meters wide that collided heavily with the bone dragon.

BOOM!

The thunderous sound shook the heavens, and the intense energy shockwave turned into a gale, uprooting all the surrounding vegetation.

The bone dragon, which had looked so majestic, saw its entire skeleton crack the moment it touched the golden handprint, shattering into dust in the sky before Gu Rong's horrified gaze.

Gu Rong felt an irresistible force surge back through the spirit power backlash; he let out a muffled groan and retreated over a dozen steps before barely stabilizing his form, his internal blood churning.

"Uncle Gu!"

Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted as he raised his Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Glazed Tile Pagoda.

Seven-colored halos swirled around the divine pagoda, and a dazzling light enveloped the entire mountain gate.

"Seven Treasures Glazed Tile, one: Power! Two: Speed! Three: Spirit! Four: Defense!"

Four consecutive rays of colored light shot from the tip of the pagoda, precisely merging into the bodies of Gu Rong and Chen Xin.

Bolstered by Ning Fengzhi's full support, Gu Rong's pale complexion recovered significantly, and his aura climbed once more.

Chen Xin, who had remained still, finally opened his eyes at this moment.

A primitive longsword appeared out of thin air in his palm.

The blade was entirely clear blue, as if carved from crystal, engraved with strange runes that emitted a heart-stopping sharpness.

This was the top-tier tool spirit renowned across the continent: the Seven Kill Sword.

Chen Xin gripped the sword with one hand, his entire being seemingly merging with the blade.

"Many thanks for the support, Fengzhi."

Chen Xin exhaled, looking at Gu Sheng with a solemn expression.

"The Saint Spirit King's strength reaches the heavens. Today, this old man shall use this Seven Kill Sword to exchange a few moves with you."

Gu Sheng looked at the longsword in Chen Xin's hand, his expression remaining calm.

"The Seven Kill Sword is indeed a fine spirit."

"However, in the face of absolute power, your sword cannot save the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."

Hearing this, Chen Xin offered no further nonsense; the nine spirit rings at his feet lit up simultaneously.

His body left a lingering afterimage in place, and the next instant, he was already hovering above Gu Sheng's head.

"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect!"

Chen Xin's crisp shout echoed through the sky.

Countless clear blue sword energies condensed out of thin air, densely packed throughout the void like an ocean of blades.

Each strand of sword energy contained immense destructive power, tearing the surrounding space until it warped.

"Fall!"

Chen Xin pointed his fingers like a sword and gestured downward.

The sky full of sword energy, accompanied by sharp whistling, swept toward Gu Sheng like a deluge.

Standing below, Qian Renxue watched this scene, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly as her jade hands involuntarily tightened around the hem of her military uniform.

Although she knew her husband possessed immense strength, facing a full-force strike from Chen Xin, a level 97 Super Douluo, compounded by the extreme attribute amplification from Ning Fengzhi, she could not help but feel a twinge of worry.

"Xue'er, there is no need to worry."

Gu Sheng's gentle voice resonated in Qian Renxue's ear, causing her tense body to relax.

Suspended in mid-air, Gu Sheng watched the overwhelming rain of swords without moving a muscle.

A faint golden veil of light shimmered around him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Dense waves of sword energy slammed into the golden veil, triggering a continuous series of violent explosions that swallowed Gu Sheng's figure in a blinding glare.

"Did it work?"

Gu Rong wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes locked on the epicenter of the blast.

Ning Fengzhi held his breath as well.

However, before the dust could even settle, a calm voice drifted out from within the radiance.

"The sword momentum is decent, but unfortunately, the force is too weak."

As the words fell, a tyrannical wave of golden energy swept outward in a ring, clearing away the swirling dust and residual sword qi in an instant.

Gu Sheng stood quietly in place, his black royal robes devoid of even a single wrinkle, and the golden veil remained completely unscathed.

Chen Xin's pupils contracted sharply.

He knew the power of this move all too well; under the amplification of Ning Fengzhi, even a Titled Douluo of the same rank would never dare to take it head-on like this.

Yet, the young man before him hadn't even had his defense broken.