Their battle had reached a stalemate.
Sword-light crisscrossed the main road, while golden petals danced through the air.
Elsewhere.
"Kid, this old man won't bully someone younger than himself. If you come with me quietly, I won't lay a finger on you. But if you resist..."
"Then don't blame this old man for showing you no mercy."
Gu Qingshan looked at him and spat out the Blue Silver Leaf in his mouth.
"Enough blathering."
Gu Rong's face darkened.
He didn't want to wait any longer. The kid had a vicious tongue.
He spread his right hand. Five bone spikes sprouted from his fingertips, each half a foot long and sharp as a knife.
He didn't use a Soul Skill. In his eyes, using one against a twelve-year-old child would be a waste.
He reached for Gu Qingshan's shoulder.
Gu Qingshan didn't dodge.
"First Soul Skill: Copper Wall and Iron Bastion."
"Fifth Soul Skill: Defensive Stance."
The shield in his hand rapidly expanded, forming a defensive barrier that completely hid Gu Qingshan behind it.
Gu Rong's right hand struck the barrier. It shuddered violently, then shattered after a single breath.
His hand passed through the barrier and struck the Thorn Shield. In the end, the shield stopped Gu Rong's ordinary attack without suffering a scratch.
As for Gu Rong, he was sent flying.
His body shot back more than thirty meters and crashed into the road. Dust billowed upward like a mushroom cloud.
"Wah!" He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Gu Rong's right arm hung limp, drenched in blood.
Lying sprawled on the ground, Gu Rong was stunned.
What had just happened?
He'd grabbed that kid once.
Just once, and he hadn't even broken the shield.
Yet his right hand was ruined, and his internal organs had been displaced. He was gravely injured.
What kind of bizarre power was that kid's damage reflection?
He'd let his guard down and failed to dodge!
Gu Qingshan tilted his head to glance at the Thorn Shield. Seeing it remained intact, he gave a faint smile.
"That's it?"
At those words, Gu Rong's face first flushed bright red, then turned livid. The veins at his temples throbbed.
Humiliation!
The mighty spatial and defensive Bone Douluo had just been sent flying by a boy!
"Martial Soul Avatar!"
In an instant, a layer of gray-white bone armor appeared over Gu Rong's body, covering every inch of skin from head to toe.
Behind him, the enormous phantom of the Bone Dragon became fully corporeal. Its wings spread wide, blotting out the sky.
That kid's damage reflection was bizarre.
Now he would get serious!
Gu Rong rose from the ground. The earth beneath his feet cracked and sank. His eyes turned gray-white, filled with murderous intent that seemed to destroy everything.
"You little bastard, you're asking for death."
If he couldn't bring him to heel, he would kill him.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Bone Transformation Divine Dragon."
The corporeal Bone Dragon behind him instantly grew a hundred meters long and charged at Gu Qingshan.
This was Gu Rong's strongest attack, and it also had the effect of spatial confinement.
Gu Qingshan watched the vast silhouette blot out the sky, still not dodging.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Gu Rong's attack to hit him.
"Defensive Stance."
BOOM!!!
Dust surged into the air, obscuring the view. Through it, a massive crater could just be seen in the ground.
"Your Highness the Holy Son!" Chrysanthemum Douluo used "Myriad Rays of Flowing Light" to break free of Chen Xin's entanglement and raced toward Gu Qingshan.
As he passed Gu Rong's position, he spotted a headless corpse lying on the ground.
It was Gu Rong!
His head had been blasted apart, and unidentifiable fluids had splattered everywhere.
At the moment of his death, Gu Rong finally understood just how monstrous Gu Qingshan's damage reflection was. Even after he had used the Space Gate to redirect the attack beforehand, it had made no difference. He could only watch as the reflected energy passed through the Space Gate and struck him.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's eyelid twitched. Gu Rong was dead?
There was no time to worry about that. Without the slightest hesitation, he plunged straight into the crater.
Amid the swirling dust, Gu Qingshan was on one knee, bracing himself with his shield and breathing hard.
"Your Highness the Holy Son, are you all right?"
Gu Qingshan raised his head and looked at Yue Guan expressionlessly. "It's nothing serious."
"Third Soul Skill: Indomitable Will."
Then he activated the Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone in his right leg to heal his injuries.
In just three breaths, his wounds had mostly healed, and his health bar was back to full.
"I'm fine now."
Yue Guan: "..."
Gu Rong was a defensive Soul Master, but he was still a level-ninety-five Titled Douluo. Their level-seventy Holy Son hadn't just blown him apart—he had recovered from his injuries in the space of a few breaths.
All that worrying had been for nothing!
Then came the delight. The Holy Son was simply too monstrous, even more abnormal than Bibi Dong, a possessor of Twin Martial Souls!
Elsewhere.
Chen Xin found Gu Rong's mangled corpse.
"No... Old Bone!"
Chen Xin's eyes reddened. He could hardly believe it. His old friend, who had bickered with him every day, was dead—killed by a twelve-year-old boy.
"Gu... Qingshan!"
"Die!"
"Seven Kill Domain."
"Ninth Soul Skill: God and Demon Dual Slash."
Two enormous black-and-white swords crossed, bearing energy enough to destroy the heavens and earth as they descended toward Gu Qingshan.
"Holy Son, look out!"
"Chrysanthemums wither, petals litter the ground; blossoms fall, and hearts break."
Countless petals transformed into crescent blades, forming a massive golden whirlwind. Caught off guard, Yue Guan could only use his Ninth Soul Skill defensively to block Chen Xin's God and Demon Dual Slash.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Screee!
Chen Xin truly lived up to his name as Sword Douluo. On top of that, the Seven Kill Domain weakened Yue Guan, and his golden whirlwind was torn to shreds.
The remaining force of God and Demon Dual Slash struck Gu Qingshan's Thorn Shield.
BANG!
For the first time, the Thorn Shield was broken through, and Gu Qingshan was flung away.
At the same time, a blade-shaped wave of energy shot out toward Chen Xin.
Chen Xin's eyelid twitched.
"Spirit Sword Guard."
Countless sword auras formed a barrier around him.
But it was no use!
Screee!
The blade-shaped energy passed straight through the barrier without the slightest hindrance.
Chen Xin's right arm was severed at the shoulder. He'd begun life as a cripple ahead of schedule!
"Arghhh!!!"
That Holy Son of Spirit Hall was a monster!
Old Bone was already dead. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect couldn't lose everyone here!
Suppressing his shock, Chen Xin didn't even bother with his severed arm. He turned and fled, shooting into the sky and vanishing above the main road.
"Cough, cough..."
Gu Qingshan struggled to his feet. This was the first time he'd suffered such a serious injury. Even the Thorn Shield had been cleaved apart.
"Indomitable Will."
"Blue Silver Emperor Leg Bone."
A moment later, Gu Qingshan had recovered, and his injuries were no longer serious.
There was no denying it—the healing power of the Blue Silver Emperor Leg Bone was truly heaven-defying.
Yue Guan looked at the ravaged main road, then at the severed arm and Gu Rong's corpse on the ground. His mouth opened and closed.
The famed Sword and Bone Douluo had been left one dead and one crippled by His Highness the Holy Son. He, Elder Chrysanthemum of Spirit Hall, had done nothing but stand by and watch.
If he told anyone, even Bibi Dong probably wouldn't believe him!
Gu Qingshan glanced at the carriage. Amazingly, it had survived completely unscathed.
"Elder Chrysanthemum."
"Your subordinate is here."
"Set out for Shrek Academy."
Before you continue