Three!
For Su Jiu, who had just advanced to the limit of the quasi-demigod realm, the model data A-Qi had trained showed that lighting the first three Soul Rings of his Flame Demon Roar Martial Soul was already his limit.
The improvement in Su Jiu's physical constitution as his cultivation rose and the growth rate of Flame Demon Roar were on entirely different levels.
In terms of growth patterns, the former was merely a steady, quadratic-function-like rise. Even if its rate of increase was impressive, it had already far surpassed that of ordinary people;
the latter, however, grew in an exaggerated, explosive, exponential surge. The gap widened rapidly as his cultivation advanced—a world of difference!
Su Jiu gave a faint smile. His second set of Four-Word Battle Armor, Phantom Night Wanderer, shimmered with light and instantly covered his entire body. His aura surged with a roar, climbing all the way until it nearly reached the peak of the quasi-god level!
He slowly closed his left eye, leaving only his right eye open. Deep in his pupil, the scope's glow reflected what looked like liquid magma, churning and flowing.
A blood-red reticle locked firmly onto the pitch-black "vacuum zone" in the center of the Golden Ancient Tree.
Deep within that "vacuum zone," most likely lay Ah Yin's dantian—and the place where her Divine Core was housed.
Ri Tian, I can't find you. Surely I can find your wife?
This shot was guaranteed to make your wife, Ah Yin, feel like she was soaring!
As the first three orange-gold Soul Rings lit up in succession, the demon head at the muzzle of Flame Demon Roar abruptly awoke. Its lifeless eyes blazed with bloody light, while the cracks in its dark brown barrel pulsed and gaped like a living thing. Along with the "magma" within the gun, wisps of suffocating volcanic ash poured out.
The surrounding temperature soared by dozens of degrees in an instant. Heat waves distorted the air, and strands of ominous, forbidden aura spread around them. A heavy pressure came crashing down from every direction, making hearts tremble and breaths catch...
"Boom!!!"
Without the slightest warning, a low yet exceptionally thunderous gunshot suddenly exploded. It was like a million-year thunder tribulation bursting apart, or the vast sky collapsing and shattering. The terrifying report tore through Shrek City's lazy, peaceful afternoon nap.
The city's inhabitants jolted awake, their hearts pounding. They thought Evil Soul Masters had launched a large-scale attack, or that a high-grade Soul Cannon shell had accidentally gone off.
In a panic, they threw open their windows and leaned out, gazing up at the sky in terror.
Beneath the clear blue sky, a blindingly bright crimson trajectory tore across the heavens, ripping through the clouds.
The shot had erupted from the southeastern corner of Shrek City, streaking through the air for nearly fifty kilometers until it reached Shrek Academy, at the city's center!
But the sight that shook everyone to their core was the enormous wound blasted into the trunk of the Golden Ancient Tree, which had stood for ages.
Nearly thirty meters in diameter, the charred hole pierced straight through the massive trunk, its grotesque interior exposed for all to see.
Vast quantities of blue-green sap gushed from the scorched, ruined opening, streaming down until the thick trunk was smeared with it.
That attack had surpassed the level of a Third-Level God!
Was this a dream?
That was the first thought that surfaced in the minds of Shrek's people.
Shrek City was said to be the safest place on all of Douluo Planet, the place where Evil Soul Masters were least likely to appear, and a city teeming with powerful experts from across the land. How could something like this—something that should never happen—happen here?!
This was the Golden Ancient Tree, a symbol of Shrek's spirit and glory!
For such a thing to happen was tantamount to blasphemy against Sea God Tang San, God of Emotion Dai Yuhao, and all the other gods who had emerged from Shrek. It was the ultimate humiliation of their two thousand years of supreme divine authority!
Who was it?!!!
But it was far from over. Yun Ming had arrived, bearing the wrath of Shrek's entire academy!
"Na'er, close your eyes. Don't look!"
Su Jiu quietly sent her a telepathic message. Na'er could clearly hear the thread of urgency he could barely conceal in his voice.
Na'er was worried about Su Jiu, but she understood that she absolutely couldn't hold him back or cause him more trouble right now. All she needed to do was obey him.
Thinking this, she obediently shut her eyes.
Su Jiu barely had time to catch his breath before his throat turned sweet and he suddenly spat out a large mouthful of blood.
The recoil from three Soul Rings was no joke!
He clenched his teeth, endured the pain, and forcibly reset his dislocated right arm. Then his bitter gaze fell on the right side of his chest.
The Four-Word Battle Armor there had just absorbed most of the terrifying recoil. Now it was completely shattered.
Just as A-Qi had said earlier, if he had rashly lit one more Soul Ring, he might not have died on the spot, but he certainly would have been close to it.
Two ribs were broken, his Soul Power had been thrown into turmoil, and his breathing was weak and ragged. You could say he was lucky.
As for Yun Ming, who was coming next?
Lighting one Soul Ring for him was already showing him respect.
Su Jiu endured the pain wracking his body and once again managed to raise Flame Demon Roar. His heavy gasps came in ragged bursts as his fingers struggled to pull back the cold, angular bolt.
The red reticle slowly shifted. It no longer targeted Yun Ming, who was hurtling toward him through the air. Instead, it aligned with the blade of the Sky-Propping Spear in Yun Ming's hand.
"Boom!!!"
The funeral bell of hell once again rang across heaven and earth. Thirty-three kilometers away, a second red muzzle flash tore through the sky.
The dazzling blood-red trajectory cut across the heavens. Its crimson bullet hurtled forward at a terrifying speed no mortal could track, slamming into the tip of the Sky-Propping Spear Yun Ming had thrust at him!
"Bang—crack!"
The crimson bullet collided with the dazzling spear-light. An overwhelmingly domineering force erupted, surging forward with irresistible momentum—and pierced straight through the Sky-Propping Spear in Yun Ming's hand!
The bullet bored through the shaft from its tip to its end, punching a tunnel right through the middle of the entire spear.
The Sky-Propping Spear, feared across the continent, had just become a Heaven-Propping Water Pipe!
The violent backlash traveled up the shaft. Yun Ming felt his entire arm go numb and tremble. His mind was still reeling, and he had yet to notice that his Martial Soul had been gravely damaged. He continued forward, carried by his momentum.
In an instant, his organs churned violently. His throat turned sweet, and a huge mouthful of blood burst uncontrollably from his mouth.
The damage to his Martial Soul Origin had inflicted grievous wounds on both his soul and body. Pain swept through him, and Yun Ming, high in the sky, suddenly saw black. His Soul Power spiraled out of control, and he could no longer stay aloft. He plummeted toward the ground.
In the distance, Su Jiu's paper-white face twisted into a bitter smile. He could no longer hold Flame Demon Roar, and it clanged to the ground. Then he spat out another mouthful of blood, his body going limp as he collapsed.
Na'er had witnessed it all with her own eyes. She stared wide-eyed as blood sprayed before her, panic and terror filling her gaze.
But there was no time to think. Na'er immediately contacted Leng Yaozhu through her Soul Communicator and told her what had happened. Then she rushed to Su Jiu.
Without hesitation, she bit into her slender wrist. Silver Dragon Blood, rich with Creative Divine Power, ran down Na'er's fingers and dripped into Su Jiu's mouth.
"Brother Su, you're such a fool. How can you expect Na'er to look at you like this and live with herself..."
Sea God Street.
Watching the two crimson trails cut across the sky, Gu Yue suddenly found the food she'd been devouring completely tasteless.
She knew this had been Su Jiu's doing. He had to have used that big sniper rifle again.
Whenever she thought of that big sniper rifle, stars sparkled in Gu Yue's eyes. She wanted one too!
One shot, one map-wide blast, killing enemies from a thousand miles away. This thing was much better than the Silver Dragon Spear.
Su Jiu: So you only care that it's useful, huh? You're not saying a word about its life-threatening side effects...
"Hmph! Old Su, you idiot. You only ever keep Na'er company and take her out to have fun. You don't even spend time with me, even though she only has most of Gu Yuena..."
"Hm? A-Jiu? A-Jiu! Why'd you disconnect?"
"Hm? Why is my cheap master here too?"
A Sky Phoenix wreathed in flames streaked across the sky, spreading its wings and stirring up waves of scorching heat. Following the location Na'er had provided, it sped toward the bell tower in the southeastern part of Shrek City.
Before long, Leng Yaozhu descended. The first thing she saw was the wreckage all around them. Su Jiu lay unconscious on the ground, while Na'er, her face as pale as snow, was desperately feeding him her blood.
"Little sister, stop!"
Hearing Leng Yaozhu's familiar voice, Na'er could no longer fight off her exhaustion. She too collapsed.
Leng Yaozhu caught Na'er just before she hit the ground. When she looked at Su Jiu again, she couldn't see a single wound on his body—not even a scrape or bruise.
Apart from his somewhat pale face, he looked no different from a perfectly healthy person. Could it be...
Leng Yaozhu immediately understood everything.
Na'er, you silly girl...
She picked up the unconscious Su Jiu from the ground again, a faint smile on her lips.
Well, from now on, A-Jiu and I will take good care of Na'er. I promise we won't let her suffer even the tiniest bit!
Before you continue