The three Evil Soul Masters looked up at Mu En in midair, their pupils abruptly shrinking.
Two yellow, one purple, three black, and three red.
He was clearly a nine-ringed Titled Douluo, and his soul ring configuration far surpassed the norm.
Before they could think further, the layers upon layers of halos behind that aged figure made their scalps tingle.
"He is... the Bright Sacred Dragon... Mu En!" The thin man in black trembled as he spoke.
Within the Holy Spirit Cult, this name was no secret.
Long Xiaoyao, the honorary consecrator known as the Dark Sacred Dragon who had once stood alongside Mu En, would occasionally mention this old rival.
Whenever he did, his tone was complicated—there was hatred, respect, and something else that could neither be named nor understood.
But no matter what, Mu En's strength was beyond doubt.
A level ninety-nine Limit Douluo, one of the three remaining pinnacles of the age—he was not someone a few Soul Sages could provoke.
Run.
The three made their decision almost simultaneously. Their soul rings flashed wildly as dark-red evil soul power surged forth, and they shot off in three separate directions.
One went east, one west, and one north. They had resolved to scatter and flee; if even one survived, it would be enough.
Yet they had barely rushed ten zhang when they slammed into an invisible wall.
The air had become like solidified cement, trapping them tightly within. No matter how they struggled or attacked, the wall did not budge.
Mu En stood where he was without even raising a hand.
From the moment he landed, he had already sealed off the area with the power of light.
Let alone a few Soul Sages—even Titled Douluo would not be able to break through this barrier anytime soon.
The three despaired.
They were now like turtles trapped in a jar.
Cowering within that ever-shrinking space, they no longer bore the greedy, arrogant look they had worn while draining the soul beasts' blood.
Mu En raised a hand. A golden light gathered in his palm, eventually forming a light blade no larger than his palm.
With a casual wave, the blade flew from his hand, splitting into three in midair, then nine, then twenty-seven... They blanketed the sky as they shot toward the three men in black.
Every blade precisely targeted a vital point on their bodies. The angles were vicious, sealing off every possible escape route.
The three turned ashen. They could not even summon the thought of dodging and could only stand there awaiting death.
Just as the blades were about to strike, a jet-black beam descended from the sky and crashed precisely into that golden rain of light.
Boom!
The two forces collided, erupting with a deafening explosion.
The shockwave churned wildly, uprooting the surrounding trees and blasting a deep pit several zhang wide into the ground.
Mu En's light blades were all shattered by the black light, turning into countless golden motes that scattered through the air.
The three Evil Soul Masters were flung away by the shockwave. They hit the ground and rolled several times, covered in wounds, but their lives were spared.
A bold voice came from afar, rich and powerful, carrying a touch of teasing, a touch of nostalgia, and several strands of indescribably complicated emotion.
"Mu En, I truly never expected to encounter you here."
Upon hearing that incomparably familiar voice, Mu En's pupils narrowed slightly.
Mu Tianyi also turned curiously toward the source.
A black figure swept in from the horizon at astonishing speed.
One moment, he had been several li away. The next, he landed steadily in the middle of the clearing.
The newcomer was an old man dressed in black, with black hair, a resolute face, and a burly build. Faint black qi coiled around him.
He did not even glance at the three trembling Evil Soul Masters on the ground. His eyes remained fixed on Mu En.
The Dark Sacred Dragon—Long Xiaoyao.
The moment Mu Tianyi saw the black-clad figure, he guessed his identity.
In the original work, this man was a Limit Douluo whose name stood alongside Mu En's.
Mu Tianyi also knew that there was an indescribably tangled grudge between him and Mu En.
Of course, the most crucial cause of it all lay with that bitch, Ye Xishui.
Reading about someone and seeing him in person were entirely different things.
Long Xiaoyao now stood only a few dozen paces away. The oppressive pressure washing over Mu Tianyi was no less formidable than what he had felt when facing Di Tian.
Mu En lowered his hand and looked at Long Xiaoyao, his expression unchanged. "Long Xiaoyao, you old bastard, you're actually still alive?!"
"What? Are you choosing to stand against me and protect those Evil Soul Masters?"
Long Xiaoyao lowered his head and glanced at the three battered Evil Soul Masters on the ground, his brows creasing slightly.
But the next moment, his expression relaxed. He raised his head to meet Mu En's gaze, his tone neither warm nor cold.
"They are not my people, but I promised to protect them." He paused. "Give me some face. Spare their lives this time."
Mu En said nothing and simply looked at him.
Long Xiaoyao was in no hurry either. He merely stood there.
Several dozen paces separated them, yet the air seemed to have frozen solid.
Standing behind Mu En, Mu Tianyi could feel two entirely different yet equally terrifying auras colliding soundlessly.
Light and darkness, the two forces clashed in midair.
Mu En and Long Xiaoyao probed each other, but neither truly erupted.
The three Evil Soul Masters on the ground were so frightened that they did not dare breathe loudly. They wished they could bury themselves in the earth.
Long Xiaoyao's gaze shifted away from Mu En and swept over Mu Tianyi beside him.
The boy before him bore an exact resemblance to Mu En in his youth, as if carved from the same mold.
He had lived for so many years and had seen Mu En when he was young. He could not possibly be mistaken.
At that thought, a trace of complicated sentiment rose within him.
With a single glance, he saw through Mu Tianyi's cultivation. At only around twelve years old, he was already a five-ring Soul King.
Even in their era, such cultivation speed had been unheard of.
Once this boy matured, he would likely be even more terrifying than Mu En had been in his day.
Mu En could be considered to have a worthy successor.
Mu En stopped and tilted his head toward Long Xiaoyao, his tone turning cold. "After all these years apart, have you forgotten that I am from Shrek?"
"Scum like this deserve to die!"
Long Xiaoyao met his gaze. The smile on his face faded somewhat, and his voice deepened. "I have already made myself clear. I will protect those three."
The two stared at one another, neither showing any intention of backing down.
The air grew taut once more, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.
The next instant, two figures shot into the sky at the same time, one gold and one black.
They halted in midair, dozens of zhang apart, facing each other from afar.
Behind Mu En, the phantom of the Bright Sacred Dragon condensed into form. Its entire body was pale gold, and dazzling flames burned within its dragon eyes.
Behind Long Xiaoyao, the phantom of the Dark Sacred Dragon appeared as well, black as ink, as though it would devour every ray of light around it.
The two Sacred Dragon phantoms threw back their heads and roared, their dragon cries shaking the mountains into rumbling.
The next moment, the golden and black figures both shot forward, colliding in midair.
There were no flashy moves, no feints to test the other.
Fist against fist, palm against palm—every blow was solid and real, shaking heaven and earth as golden light and black radiance flew in all directions.
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