Invincible Stance, Defeating Bone Douluo!

As Gu Rong unleashed his soul skill, a vast quantity of thick, sturdy bones erupted from the ground, forming a prison-like domain that trapped Xue Hen within.

Offending a young Super Douluo for the sake of a cousin with whom Ning Fengzhi shared little affection was, in truth, a poor bargain. However, neither Gu Rong nor Ning Fengzhi had a choice, for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was a family-based power.

Ning Pianpian was a member of the Ning family; if the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect did not step forward to protect her while she was being hunted, would the hearts of the sect members not scatter in the future?

They would all think: if the sect is willing to abandon Ning Pianpian today to avoid offending a Super Douluo, will they not abandon me tomorrow for some other reason? If the Sect Master is willing to abandon me, can I not also abandon the Sect Master?

In the end, if they abandoned one another and lost their unity, how could the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect continue to stand on the continent?

Therefore, they absolutely could not hand over Ning Pianpian; even if it meant fighting a desperate battle against a monster like Xue Hen, they would not hesitate!

Inside the Bone Prison.

Xue Hen looked at the bones trapping him on all sides, nodded, and said with an unchanging expression, "To have a hint of a domain in a thousand-year fourth soul skill—Bone Douluo, you are quite impressive."

As he spoke, he raised the Imperial Power Sword in his hand, pointing the tip toward him. "But if you choose to stand on the opposite side of me for the sake of that wicked woman, then I can only view you as an enemy and bestow upon you... my blade!"

"BOOM!" After speaking, Xue Hen's eyes turned sharp. He swung the Imperial Power Sword, and instantly, a golden, razor-sharp sword aura was unleashed. It struck directly at the bones in front. In a mere instant, the hard bones created by Gu Rong's fourth soul skill were shattered, and a breach was torn into the Bone Prison.

Xue Hen looked at the opening, raised his eyebrows with a hint of disdain, and then teleported. Whoosh! He passed through like a ghost, moving forward.

Gu Rong's pupils contracted violently, and he immediately shouted, "Amplify me!"

As he spoke, the fifth soul ring at his feet bloomed with a pitch-black light.

Fifth soul skill, Bone Tornado!

Gu Rong unleashed his fifth soul skill, summoning a massive tornado composed of dense bones to attack the oncoming Xue Hen. This move could exert a powerful suction force and continuous high damage on the enemy; it was one of his signature techniques!

"Yes, Elder!" Behind him, the twelve Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul emperors, protected by numerous war soul saints and war soul emperors, shouted in unison. Their soul rings bloomed with dazzling light as they simultaneously unleashed soul skills to amplify Gu Rong.

The soul skills they released included 'Strength Amplification', 'Speed Amplification', 'Defense Amplification', and 'Soul Power Amplification'.

Under the various amplifications of these twelve Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda soul emperors, the aura radiating from Gu Rong—who originally possessed only level 95 soul power—suddenly surged upward by a significant margin. At least on the surface, he appeared no weaker than the Xue Hen standing before him.

"Pointless resistance." Watching the incoming 'Bone Tornado' and sensing the surging aura from Gu Rong, Xue Hen's expression remained unchanged. His speed did not falter as he said quite casually.

As he spoke, the third soul ring at his feet bloomed with a purple light.

Third soul skill, Human Emperor Body Protection!

Hum~ A golden aura of humanity radiated from the long sword in his hand. Powerful sword qi circled his body, automatically blocking the damage from the Bone Tornado. Not only that, this formidable sword qi defense seemed to possess a rebounding effect, actually reflecting the numerous bones and the force of the hurricane within the tornado back toward Gu Rong and the others outside.

"Hm?" Gu Rong's pupils shrank instantly. How is this possible? Not only did he block my fifth soul skill with his third, but he can also reflect a portion of my soul skill's power?

There was no time to think further. Gu Rong let out a loud shout, his third soul ring flashed, and he immediately used his own third soul skill: White Bone Shield!

A defensive shield composed of thick bones appeared before him. This shield could effectively block various physical and soul skill attacks and was a core defensive technique for protecting himself and his teammates.

The power Xue Hen reflected was only a portion of his fifth soul skill; he could certainly block it with his third soul skill, not to mention that he hadn't been amplified when he first cast the fifth skill, whereas now, he had!

Gu Rong had absolute confidence in blocking the reflected attack.

However...

"Sixth soul skill, Sword Settles Mountains and Rivers!"

While Gu Rong was summoning the White Bone Shield, Xue Hen, protected by his third soul skill 'Human Emperor Body Protection', emerged unscathed from the massive tornado of dense bones. He waved his arm and threw the Imperial Power Sword. Target: Gu Rong!

The next second, the Imperial Power Sword, accompanied by the reflected bones and hurricane force, struck directly at the shield in front of Gu Rong. With the point of impact as the center, a wide-range air tremor and sword qi erupted instantly.

"RUMBLE!"

A deafening explosion rang out before the Seven Treasure Mountain Gate. The White Bone Shield created by Gu Rong's soul power turned to ash in the blink of an eye under the destructive force of Xue Hen's strike. Furthermore, the remaining destructive power after shattering the shield continued forward, sweeping away Gu Rong and the many Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect disciples behind him with an unstoppable force.

"Pfft!" As the one standing at the very front, facing Xue Hen's strike head-on, Gu Rong—despite being in the state of Martial Soul Possession and being hailed as the world's number one defensive Douluo—still vomited blood while flying backward. Like a kite with a broken string, he and the disciples behind him crashed heavily to the ground.

"How is it possible... that he is truly this strong? Pfft!" After falling to the ground, Gu Rong gasped for air, staring at the young figure who had stopped in place after unleashing his sixth soul skill. His old eyes were filled with disbelief, even tinged with a trace of fear, before his throat moved and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

Although he had seen Xue Hen use this move on the Sky Screen a month ago—a move that had single-handedly killed the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Life Giant Whale—Gu Rong still found it hard to accept. After all, he was the strongest defensive Douluo; how could his defensive power be compared to a soul beast like the Life Giant Whale?

Well, the Life Giant Whale had died instantly after taking this hit, and he was still alive.

But...

I had been amplified by twelve soul emperors possessing Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagodas!

And although I am still alive, I... I have almost no combat power left!

This guy, he is actually this strong. Looking at him, he clearly hasn't reached level 98 yet; how can he be this ridiculously strong?

"Bone Douluo, you have lost. Hand over Ning Pianpian and Xue Tian; otherwise, you will regret it." At this moment, Xue Hen raised the Imperial Power Sword again, pointed the tip toward Gu Rong, and said to him, word for word.

Gulp~ Faced with such a situation, even Gu Rong, who had seen his fair share of storms throughout his life, could not help but swallow hard.

He had seen many storms, but he had truly rarely encountered such life-threatening ones!