At the same time, in the imperial palace of Heaven Dou City.
Inside the emergency shelter, Ning Rongrong was throwing a tremendous fit.
Only now realizing that her Shrek teammates had abandoned her and sneaked away, she immediately wanted to go after them.
But, as expected, Ning Fengzhi stopped her. At that moment, father and daughter faced each other, both wearing grim expressions.
"Don't worry. They went through Spirit Hall's back door. They'll definitely be fine."
Ning Fengzhi was already in a foul mood, and seeing his daughter make a fuss for no reason, he swallowed his irritation and tried to soothe her.
As he spoke, he reached over and patted the little girl's head. He was just about to continue when Sword Douluo Chen Xin came over.
His expression was unusually serious. He leaned close and whispered something in Ning Fengzhi's ear, and Ning Fengzhi's face changed at once. He glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was pouting.
"Be good and hurry back to your room to rest."
"War is imminent. There's no time for you to throw a tantrum."
"You all listen carefully. Don't let her run off anywhere. Understood?"
The guards were Soul Masters from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Hearing their sect master's order, they immediately stood at attention and responded.
Ning Fengzhi was clearly in a hurry. He waved his hand without saying more, then hurried off with Sword Douluo.
Before long, the two of them reached the palace courtyard. To their surprise, Yu Yuanzhen was there, along with Qian Jun, Jiangmo, and the others.
"Is the information accurate?" As soon as they met, he asked bluntly.
"Of course. It's a secret method of Spirit Hall," Qian Jun explained on their behalf.
It turned out that Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo's operation had not been kept from the Worship Hall. After all, they still needed Qian Daoliu's cooperation.
As a result, Qian Renxue had been monitoring the situation the whole time. After learning that they had spoken with Shrek, she knew they had set out for the Star Luo Empire.
But just now, an emergency signal from Yue Guan had been relayed to the nearest Spirit Hall branch. It meant they had encountered a powerful threat.
"It's not very far from the imperial city. They probably hadn't gone far before they walked straight into an enemy ambush."
"I suspect it may have something to do with the [Holy Demon Federation]. I hope you'll come and take a look with me. Will you?"
At present, Qian Renxue was still disguised as Xue Qinghe.
So Qian Jun spoke on her behalf.
Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Yu Yuanzhen furrowed their brows deeply, unsure what to make of it.
Given the current situation, splitting up was indeed unwise, but they were also reluctant to place their full trust in Spirit Hall.
As they were silently considering whether to agree, a clap of thunder suddenly sounded from the distant sky, accompanied by a powerful surge of Soul Power.
This seemed to confirm Qian Jun's words. Only a Titled Douluo-level expert could cause such an astonishing phenomenon. Could someone really be fighting?
"There's no time to lose. Let's go take a look!"
Ning Fengzhi exchanged a glance with Chen Xin and made up his mind.
Seeing this, Yu Yuanzhen had no choice but to go along, despite his reluctance.
Six Titled Douluo, with one "super auxiliary" tagging along, flew toward the source of the energy.
Without a doubt, this was the commotion Tang Hao had made on his entrance. He had deliberately made it earth-shaking, all to draw more people's attention.
He had no confidence in defeating Long Xingyu.
He could not even guarantee that he could buy enough time.
After warning Tang San, he immediately went on high alert.
The Clear Sky Hammer was already in his grasp, while the thick, bloody [Divine Slaughter's Domain] unfurled to protect him.
"F-Father? What are you doing here?"
Tang San stared blankly, asking without thinking.
Before the words had even left his mouth, he realized this was the wrong place for a conversation and hurried to flee with the Shrek team.
At this level of battle, there was no point in staying behind. He would only get in his father's way.
"I didn't expect you to be his father. The Divine Slaughter's Domain, huh? Then let's see what you've got!"
Noticing that Shrek was still fleeing, Long Xingyu raised an eyebrow but did not recklessly pursue them.
He could clearly sense that Clear Sky Douluo Tang Hao was no weakling. The threat he posed was far greater than that of Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo.
It seemed that if he wanted to complete His Majesty's mission, he would first have to thoroughly defeat the man in front of him.
The same [Divine Slaughter's Domain], the same crimson killing intent—the two energies, born of the same source, clashed fiercely in midair.
Long Xingyu had the higher cultivation and was in excellent condition, but he had only learned the technique recently. Tang Hao was the opposite: his old injuries had not healed, and his aura was unsteady, but he had the advantage in mastery.
For a while, they were evenly matched.
A complete victory was out of reach, and the fight instead became a contest of endurance.
Shock waves spread outward, destroying vast stretches of forest and sweeping across the immense sky above.
The terrifying commotion drew the attention of Ning Fengzhi and the others as they approached, and deeply shook Yue Guan, who was not far away.
"T-Tang Hao? How could it be him? Damn it! I've run into one monster after another today. I can't stay here any longer."
With his best friend Gui Mei dead, Yue Guan had lost heart.
The sight only filled him with more dread. How could he dare linger?
He hoisted Dai Mubai onto his back, turned, and flew off, unleashing a speed he had never reached before.
To improve his odds of survival, he even deliberately flew in the opposite direction from Shrek. That way, even if one side won, Long Xingyu wouldn't come after him.
With that thought, he was soon far off in the distance.
The two locked in battle clearly noticed Yue Guan's movements.
They simply had no time to deal with him for now; all their attention was fixed on each other.
The two [Divine Slaughter's Domains] pressed against each other. They seemed evenly matched, but in truth they were not entirely alike.
Long Xingyu's cultivation had just advanced, and he was still on an upward trajectory. Even after spending some energy against Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo, his essence, energy, and spirit remained exceptionally vigorous.
Tang Hao, by contrast, had never recovered from his old injuries. He had also spent years drowning himself in alcohol and indulging himself. His physical condition was far from its peak, and even his technique had grown a little rusty.
So even though their [Divine Slaughter's Domains] were the same,
the condition of the two users was worlds apart.
At first, things were fine, but as they remained locked in stalemate, the difference became increasingly obvious. Long Xingyu immediately picked up on the change.
"Your true ability should be greater than this. I'd feel a little ashamed to win like this."
"It's a pity. In another setting, I'd love to have a fair fight with you, but not today."
Long Xingyu acknowledged Tang Hao's strength, but that did not make him let his guard down. Instead, he suddenly unleashed his power, and his inner spiritual energy surged like a tide.
It poured into his domain, resonating with the intense killing intent. In an instant, it surged toward Tang Hao's domain, shattering a large section in the blink of an eye and making Tang Hao spit out a mouthful of blood.
He hung in midair, stumbling backward.
Tang Hao's face was pale, and terror flickered in his eyes.
He had expected that he wouldn't be able to maintain his domain for long, but he hadn't expected this formidable opponent to break it outright!
His spiritual power quietly kept watch over the area behind him. The Shrek group had gone a long way, but not far enough. He had to hold out longer.
"I can only use that move..."
Tang Hao drew a deep breath and let out a low growl, his face dark.
The Soul Rings layered beneath his feet suddenly began to shine, giving off wildly unstable fluctuations.
He raised the Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul in his hands before him and began to perform the Clear Sky Sect's secret technique right in front of Long Xingyu.
With a bang, the lowest Soul Ring shattered, turning into pure, surging energy that poured straight into the Clear Sky Hammer.
This move was called [Ring Detonation], an esoteric technique of the [Great Sumeru Hammer]. By detonating Soul Rings, it allowed the user to obtain immense power for a short time.
"If you want to kill my son, you'll have to get past me first."
Sorry, my first day back at work after the holiday was so busy that I could only post this one chapter tonight.
Updates will return to normal tomorrow. I beg you all, amid your busy schedules, to take a moment to read every day. I'm still a little short of qualifying for the full attendance bonus (many thanks).
Before you continue