Grand High Priest!

A thunderclap seemed to erupt between heaven and earth.

Centered on the point of impact, the bluestone ground for dozens of zhang in every direction shattered and buckled, leaving a crater several zhang deep in the heart of the Martial Soul Hall ruins.

The shockwave surged wildly in all directions, sending debris flying like a torrential downpour; three Martial Soul Hall deacons with weaker cultivation were swept away by the blast, landing a hundred zhang away, unconscious.

Gui Mei clutched Yue Guan, tumbling through the shockwave a dozen times before barely managing to steady himself.

That massive crater lay right in the center of the Martial Soul Hall ruins, large enough to swallow the entire side hall whole.

If they hadn't escaped in time...

Gui Mei dared not think further.

The dust and smoke gradually settled.

Er Ming slowly retracted his fist, a flicker of surprise flashing in his bell-like eyes.

That Ghost Douluo actually managed to save someone from his Thunderlight Fist?

It seems that punch earlier today didn't knock him senseless, but rather taught him a lesson.

No matter, another punch will do.

Er Ming raised his right arm, and blinding lightning began to dance between his fingers once more.

But just then, a golden figure descended from the sky, landing steadily on the edge of the crater.

It was an old man with white hair and beard, his face lean and his spine straight as a rod.

He wore a simple grey robe without any Martial Soul Hall insignia, yet an aura of natural authority radiated from him.

Nine soul rings circled slowly beneath his feet.

Two yellow, two purple, four black, one red.

The moment that red soul ring lit up, the air across the entire battlefield seemed to freeze in an instant.

Golden Crocodile Douluo.

The second-in-command of the Worship Hall, a level 98 Titled Douluo.

Facing Er Ming, he chose to engage once again!

Golden Crocodile Douluo's gaze swept across the crater before finally settling on Er Ming.

"You seem to have grown stronger after returning?"

Golden Crocodile Douluo was somewhat astonished; he had lived for over a century and fought countless soul beasts.

For a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, strength usually hits a bottleneck, and it might take centuries or even millennia to make the slightest progress.

Yet this Titan Giant Ape before him had merely made a trip to the Star Dou Forest, and in the span of an hour or so, his strength had surged again.

Such a thing was completely beyond his comprehension.

However, Er Ming had no intention of explaining, so Golden Crocodile Douluo did not press the matter.

The seventh soul ring beneath his feet suddenly flared, golden light shooting into the sky.

Golden Crocodile King Avatar!

The ferocious phantom of an ancient golden crocodile manifested once more. Golden Crocodile Douluo's body merged with the martial soul phantom; his hands transformed into golden claws covered in scales, and the five-zhang-long golden crocodile tail behind him whipped through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle.

He took a step forward, his level 98 Titled Douluo soul power spreading out without reservation.

The bluestone slabs beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and the Martial Soul Hall deacons who had just climbed to their feet were forced back onto their knees by the sheer pressure.

Er Ming moved as well.

He never relied on flashy tactics, nor did he need intricate footwork.

His Dark Gold Bone Wings snapped open to their full extent behind him, lightning slithering wildly across the surface of the wings like snakes.

His massive body charged toward Golden Crocodile Douluo like a meteorite, his two fists—each larger than a millstone—swinging in tandem, every strike imbued with the power of ten thousand thunders.

Fist and tail collided.

BOOM!

Another barb on Golden Crocodile Douluo's tail snapped off.

But this time he was prepared; the moment his tail was deflected, his left claw lashed out, aiming straight for Er Ming's throat.

Er Ming did not dodge or evade, taking the strike head-on with his chest.

A teeth-grinding sound of metal scraping against metal rang out.

Three gashes were torn into the black fur on Er Ming's chest, and blood began to seep out.

Yet he didn't even frown, backhanding a palm toward Golden Crocodile Douluo's face.

How could mere claws pierce the defense of the Demon Emperor Bone?

Golden Crocodile Douluo's expression shifted, and he hurriedly retracted his claw to retreat.

But the wind from Er Ming's palm grazed his temple, pulverizing a ruined wall dozens of zhang behind him into dust.

The two fought from the ruins to the plaza, and from the plaza to the crumbling walls of the side hall.

Thunderlight and golden radiance collided frantically, each clash erupting in blinding sparks.

Everything in their path was ground into dust; the side hall buildings that had barely survived the beast tide during the day now collapsed one after another in the wake of their battle.

Ghost Douluo, Bai Changhe, and the others watching the battle could only retreat continuously, lacking even the qualifications to approach the battlefield.

Golden Crocodile Douluo grew more alarmed the longer they fought.

Something was wrong.

Completely wrong.

Although he was no match for this Titan Giant Ape during the day's battle, he had at least been able to fight to a draw.

While his crocodile tail had lost three barbs, the giant ape's fist had also been cracked and bloodied.

Yet, as he clashed with the ape now, the opponent's fists were three parts heavier and his reactions half a part faster than during the day, and even the lightning flowing over those Dark Gold Bone Wings was more intense than before.

What on earth had this giant ape experienced since returning?

What Golden Crocodile Douluo did not know was that although Er Ming had fought satisfyingly during the day, it was his first time integrating the Demon Emperor Bone into his body, and the fusion with his own skeleton was far from complete.

After the emergency reinforcement Jiang Li had performed in the courtyard, combined with the practical combat experience in Martial Soul City, the compatibility between the Demon Emperor Bone and his own body had reached a level higher than it was during the day.

His combat power had naturally surged.

Golden Crocodile Douluo gritted his teeth, and his ninth soul ring suddenly lit up.

That red hundred-thousand-year soul ring emitted a suffocating light, the barbs on his crocodile tail stood on end, and the golden light condensed into a blinding sphere at the tip of the tail.

Ninth Soul Skill—Golden Crocodile God-Slaying Tail!

This was his trump card, a full-force strike powered by a hundred-thousand-year soul ring, with enough power to kill an ordinary Title Douluo instantly!

Er Ming took a deep breath and clenched his right fist.

Thousands of lightning bolts struck down from the nine heavens simultaneously, all pouring into that fist.

The lightning dancing on the surface of his fist turned from silver-white to a blazing purple-gold, the sign that Thunderlight Fist had been pushed to its limit.

One fist.

One tail.

Collision.

BOOM—!!!

This collision was more terrifying than any before it.

The ground within a hundred zhang radius sank by a foot and a half, and all remaining broken walls and ruins were completely pulverized by the shockwave.

The shockwave continued to spread for hundreds of zhang before gradually dissipating.

Golden Crocodile Douluo's figure slid back dozens of zhang, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the ground.

The Golden Crocodile King phantom behind him dimmed slightly, and two more barbs had snapped off his prized crocodile tail.

A bloody gash split the web of his hand, and blood dripped one by one from his fingers onto the shattered bluestone slabs.

Er Ming's massive body also swayed, a deep, bone-reaching crack appearing on his fist, with a trace of dark golden blood seeping from beneath the Demon Emperor Bone.

He looked down at his fist, then at Golden Crocodile Douluo opposite him, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his bell-like eyes.

To be able to crack his Demon Emperor Bone, this old fellow truly had some skill.

But that was as far as it would go.

Golden Crocodile Douluo steadied himself, his aged face full of gravity.

He had seen clearly that even if they continued to fight, he could not take down this giant ape.

Instead, Martial Soul Hall would be demolished once more, with the remaining halls that hadn't collapsed during the day being sacrificed here as well.

He took a deep breath, turned slowly, and looked toward the direction of the Worship Hall.

A hint of complexity flashed in his dark green eyes.

It seems... he would have to ask the Grand High Priest to intervene!