I Was Waiting for Reinforcements. What Were You Waiting For?

The one who spoke was a girl with pink hair tied up in two buns.

She taunted him with a haughty air, showing not the slightest hint of fear.

On the contrary, her fighting spirit seemed especially fierce, and her spiritual power surged rapidly as she spoke.

She was Chen Ying'er, a Summoner from the Soul Temple and a member of Dawn of Light.

"Gate of Life!"

The little girl let out a sharp cry.

In an instant, the ground began to tremble violently, and a massive gate appeared out of thin air.

The energy was so overwhelming that even Gu Rong furrowed his brow, sensing trouble. He immediately chose to strike.

The moment his Soul Ring lit up, he vanished from where he stood. The move was called Space Shuttle, and as the name suggested, it was a space-type skill.

In the blink of an eye, he was right beside Chen Ying'er.

Just as he was about to raise a hand and stop her summoning, a sudden pang of unease struck him.

His instincts drove him to make the right call: he pulled back and dodged at once.

The next second, Long Haochen was already standing in front of her. His golden greatsword, called the Sword of Kings, came crashing down where Gu Rong had been.

If he had kept attacking just then, he would have taken the blow head-on. Even with a defensive Martial Soul, he would have been in for a rough time against a divine weapon.

"Nice teamwork. You've got some skill."

Gu Rong looked surprised, but not rattled.

He activated Space Shuttle again and blinked to the other side, preparing to strike a second time as he spoke.

This time, someone else stood in his way. Sheng Cai'er was like a specter from the underworld, gripping her dagger as she waited for a chance to lunge.

At the same time, the shield warrior Wang Yuanyuan and the brawny priest Sima Xian each guarded Chen Ying'er and Lin Xin, who was silently chanting a spell, within their defensive range.

In the span of a few breaths, the six had coordinated with exquisite precision. Even Gu Rong, a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo, couldn't find an obvious opening, so he retreated to put some distance between them.

"Stay sharp. This guy's nothing like Dugu Bo!"

Long Haochen, their captain, lowered his voice to warn them.

Chen Ying'er grinned apologetically, then scratched her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I didn't expect the old geezer to be so underhanded. He has no manners at all—he actually tried to sneak up on us!"

As she spoke, she didn't interrupt her summoning. The Gate of Life opened behind her, and several magical beasts flew out, each comparable to an eighth-rank human.

Even Gu Rong was startled.

He mistakenly thought Chen Ying'er had summoned Soul Beasts.

On the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters and Soul Beasts were practically locked in a fight to the death.

He had never seen anyone control them and make them obey willingly. This little girl was quite something.

And... just like Dugu Bo, Gu Rong noticed that the six young men and women before him hadn't activated their Martial Souls in battle, yet had unleashed extraordinarily powerful abilities.

"What in the world is going on with these brats?"

Gu Rong wondered to himself, suppressing his shock for the moment.

Hearing Long Haochen's words, he realized his guess had been right: they were connected to Dugu Bo's disappearance.

Could these six brats really have taken him down? The old poisoner might be useless, but he couldn't be that pathetic, could he?

The superiority he'd felt because of the gap in their cultivation was quickly replaced by uncertainty. He stared at them and finally began taking them seriously.

"Who are you people? What have you done to Dugu Bo?"

Gu Rong deliberately asked, though he didn't expect an answer.

Before his words had even faded, he used Space Shuttle again, but this time he was much more cautious.

His target was Lin Xin, at the very back and protected on all sides. The energy radiating from the mage was intense. He looked like he was "cooking up something nasty."

"Spinning Sword of Combat!"

Long Haochen didn't fall for it.

He reacted at once, spinning around with his sword in hand.

He used holy spiritual power to hold off his opponent, attacking and defending in one smooth motion.

Clang! Gu Rong's steel-like arm collided with the golden greatsword, and both of them grunted.

Long Haochen retreated in pain, dissipating the force of the blow. He was still a whole rank behind; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and his aura dimmed slightly.

Gu Rong, on the other hand, seemed far more at ease. Though his attack had been blocked again, he'd already reached a conclusion and wore a calm, faint smile.

These young ones were truly gifted, even capable of challenging opponents above their rank.

Against someone like Dugu Bo, a bottom-tier ninth-rank fighter who wasn't suited to one-on-one combat, they might really have a chance to turn the tables.

But Gu Rong was a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo. No matter how dazzling their teamwork was, they couldn't overcome the gap in cultivation.

Perhaps they could hold out a little longer, but the outcome wouldn't change. That thought restored Gu Rong's confidence, and terrifying Soul Power radiated from his entire body.

"You're all very impressive. It'd be a shame to die without knowing why."

"Tell me what happened, and I can spare your lives."

"Otherwise, you've just seen for yourselves. You can't break through my defense."

Gu Rong watched Long Haochen wipe the blood from his mouth with interest, carefully studying everyone's reactions.

To his surprise, his words had no effect at all. Not one of them seemed nervous or panicked; they remained steadfast.

Even the pink-haired girl who looked so haughty, along with the brawny bald fellow beside her, seemed disdainful and scornful.

This both irritated Gu Rong and made him feel that something was seriously off. These brats were clearly confident—but where was that confidence coming from?

Reinforcements? Or elders? There was no one else nearby!

Before revealing himself, Gu Rong had already searched the area thoroughly.

The uncertainty left him in a foul mood. He gave a cold snort and decided to use his full strength.

His Martial Soul Avatar blazed with light, and the shadow of a Bone Dragon slowly overlapped with him, the two strangely fusing as one.

Since he couldn't figure things out, he would capture all six first. Perhaps he could even use them as bargaining chips to get Dugu Bo back.

"Bone Dragon Transformation!"

This was Gu Rong's ninth Soul Skill.

He transformed into a Bone Dragon, greatly boosting his offense and defense and sending his combat power soaring.

As soon as he used it, Long Haochen and the others grew alert. Their auras remained steady as each of them revealed their trump cards.

"Tch, you think you're the only one with a dragon? I've got one too!"

"Come out! My strongest pet! Ice Dragon!"

Chen Ying'er pouted and summoned an Ice Dragon, though it was smaller than Gu Rong.

Lin Xin also unleashed the magic he'd been preparing for a long time, hurling it through the air in a wave that blotted out the sky.

"Our opponent's a real tank! Go with Plan Two!"

"By my count... His Majesty should be ready too!"

Long Haochen quietly gave his instructions, not revealing their plan in front of their opponent, but his teammates understood.

This mysterious ninth-rank expert was far stronger than Dugu Bo, and the six of them would have a hard time dealing with him.

They could fight with everything they had, and might even win, but they would certainly wreck the surrounding area and destroy all the formation marks.

So they focused on keeping his attention. They only needed to stall for a little while. The Special Operations Team they'd mentioned before ending the call would be here by teleportation any moment!

Chen Ying'er's Ice Dragon, Lin Xin's forbidden magic, and everyone else's ultimate moves were all meant to serve that purpose, but Gu Rong had no idea.

Convinced that victory was in his hands, he recklessly traded blows, relying on the Bone Dragon Martial Soul's formidable defense. He even planned to grievously wound Long Haochen and the others, then capture them alive.

"Hmph. I'm running out of patience."

"This is your last chance. Are you surrendering or not?"

In dragon form, Gu Rong swung his tail hard at the Ice Dragon, crushing Chen Ying'er's contracted beast.

His tone was clearly impatient. His massive eyes looked down at the ground, gazing at Dawn of Light with the air of a superior being.

Just then, a faint ripple of spatial energy appeared out of nowhere at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. Both sides noticed it.

Gu Rong didn't understand what was happening and failed to react at once. Long Haochen and the others, however, let out a huge sigh of relief, and Chen Ying'er flashed a brazen grin.

"Hey, you shameless old bastard!"

"I was waiting for reinforcements. What were you waiting for?"

"You didn't finish us off just now. Now... it's your turn to get pummeled!"