The Fall of a Titled Douluo, Tang San Has Returned

An hour later, one hundred miles outside Nuoding City, within a desolate rift valley.

Gu Rong leaned against the steep rock face, his breathing slightly ragged, his ornate robes marred by several tears.

Although he was the world's foremost defensive Title Douluo, being pursued, harassed, and subjected to probing attacks by four powerhouses of the same rank had drained him significantly.

Now trapped in this dead end, his expression was grim.

The two Haotian Sect Elders blocked his path to the left and right, their gazes fierce.

Yue Guan and Gui Mei hovered slightly further away, appearing to be mere bystanders, but their energy was surging, ready to strike at any moment.

"Gu Rong, hand over the spirit bone. Out of respect for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, we may spare your life!" The Haotian Sect Second Elder's voice was hoarse and filled with menace.

"Bah! Treasures belong to those with the virtue to hold them! You want it? Win against this old man first!" Gu Rong spat, a phantom of a bone dragon flickering behind him as he prepared to fight to the death.

The battle was on the verge of erupting!

Just at this moment of tense confrontation—

A faint, deep blue light flickered in the eyes of Yue Shen, high above.

Below, Yue Guan and Gui Mei experienced an almost simultaneous, infinitesimal lapse in their focus. They recovered their clarity instantly, but a powerful and "logical" thought inexplicably surged within their minds.

This was the perfect opportunity to severely wound or even kill a Haotian Sect Elder!

The Upper Three Sects were allies; today, they would sever one of their arms!

Meanwhile, under Yue Shen's exquisitely precise mental interference, the Haotian Sect Fourth Elder's five senses suffered a momentary delay and misjudgment.

He "saw" Gu Rong suddenly expose a flaw in his direction, while the energy of Yue Guan and Gui Mei seemed to lock onto the Second Elder.

An opportunity!

In a flash, Yue Guan and Gui Mei moved in perfect, silent unison!

"Ninth Spirit Skill: Chrysanthemum Remnants, Wounded Earth, Petals Fall, Heartbreak!"

"Ninth Spirit Skill: Hellish Specter!"

A brilliant, lethal storm of golden chrysanthemum blades and countless ghostly hands reaching from the shadows tore through the air. They did not strike at the "flawed" Gu Rong, but instead descended with thunderous force upon the Haotian Sect Fourth Elder, who stood momentarily frozen by his misjudgment!

The Fourth Elder's pupils contracted, a lethal sense of crisis making his hair stand on end. "No—! Second Brother, save—"

BOOM—!!!

An earth-shattering explosion erupted within the narrow rift valley!

The dazzling light of the spirit skills, mixed with turbulent, chaotic spirit power, completely engulfed the area.

Rocks shattered, the earth cracked, and the entire canyon trembled violently before collapsing!

Gu Rong was stunned by this sudden turn of events, but his reactions were lightning-fast. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone's attention was drawn to the explosion—with the Second Elder rushing toward the center in a frenzy and Yue Guan and Gui Mei fully occupied with maintaining their skills—he accelerated to his limit, transformed into a blur, and fled without looking back.

The moment Gu Rong escaped, Yue Shen's fair hand made a gentle grasping motion in the void.

An invisible spatial ripple swept past, and the spirit bone Gu Rong had hastily stuffed into his robes appeared silently in her pale palm.

"Young Master." She handed the spirit bone to Zhao Linchuan.

Zhao Linchuan glanced at the spirit bone, which still carried the warmth of Gu Rong's body. He did not take it, saying indifferently, "Keep it. Perhaps it can be used to cultivate our own core forces in the future."

He cast his gaze toward the smoke-filled ruins of the valley below, listening to a shrill, sorrowful roar of "Fourth Brother—!!" echoing from within, and the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Alright, the show is over. Let's head back." Zhao Linchuan turned, then added, "By the way, when you tease Yan Fei in the future, remember what I said: mind your limits."

"She is a partner, not an enemy."

Yue Shen gripped the spirit bone and replied obediently, "Yes, Yue Shen understands."

Deep blue moonlight surged once more, ripples stirred in the space, and the two figures vanished quietly, as if they had never been there at all.

In the ruins below, the smoke began to clear.

The Haotian Sect Second Elder cradled the corpse of the Fourth Elder, whose body was nearly obliterated, leaving only a charred half-torso. Tears streamed down his face as he let out a beast-like howl toward the heavens.

He snapped his head up, his blood-red eyes locking onto Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who were not far away, retracting their spirit skills with excited expressions after successfully killing a Title Douluo.

Gu Rong had escaped, taking the spirit bone with him.

Yet his own brother had truly died under the sneak attack of these two bastards from Spirit Hall!

"It was you! You colluded with the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! You set this trap!"

The Second Elder's voice was hoarse, filled with hatred. "Gu Rong lured us in, and you ambushed us! What a vicious scheme!"

Yue Guan and Gui Mei were stunned for a moment, then exchanged glances, both seeing the coldness in the other's eyes.

Gu Rong had escaped and the spirit bone was lost, but killing a veteran Haotian Sect Elder was still a monumental achievement!

Besides, it seemed this blame could be pinned on the fleeing Gu Rong and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

"Hmph, remnants of the Haotian Sect deserve to die!" Yue Guan flicked his orchid-shaped fingers and gave a feminine smile, his and Gui Mei's energy locking onto the grief-stricken Second Elder once more.

Two against one, with the opponent's state of mind in shambles—this was the perfect chance to root out the problem entirely!

The Second Elder felt a chill in his heart. Sensing the undisguised killing intent from the two before him and glancing at the mangled remains of his brother, his reason instantly overcame his grief and rage.

He could not die here!

The message must be brought back!

The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had actually colluded with Spirit Hall to plot and kill the Fourth Elder!

This grudge could not be shared under the same sky!

"Spirit Hall! Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! Gu Rong! You all just wait for me!"

He roared, wrapped the Fourth Elder's remains in his soul power, and pushed his soul power to the limit. Transforming into a streak of pitch-black light, he ignored everything and charged toward the outside of the rift, pushing his speed to the absolute limit and fleeing for his life at any cost.

Yue Guan was about to pursue, but was stopped by Gui Mei.

"Do not pursue a desperate foe. Killing an elder of the Haotian Sect is already a great achievement."

Yue Guan nodded, watching the direction in which the Second Elder had disappeared, a satisfied smile appearing on his effeminate face. "Not bad. Besides, it looks like the feud between the Haotian Sect and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is now well and truly set."

"Interesting, truly interesting..."

Seven days later, Nuoding City gradually returned to its usual rhythm and bustle. The spies and powerhouses from all sides, for reasons unknown, retreated silently like a receding tide, leaving not a single person behind.

Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, who had been missing for many days, finally returned to Notting Academy.

However, the two were in a rather strange state. Their bodies appeared exceptionally haggard and weak, and their walking posture revealed an indescribable awkwardness—their legs were slightly splayed, their steps slow and staggering, as if they had suffered severe trauma to their crotches, each stride accompanied by a hint of suppressed pain.

After returning, they kept to themselves, staying in Yu Xiaogang's room and rarely appearing except for necessary outings.

It wasn't until an afternoon seven or eight days later that Zhao Linchuan, who had not been seen at the academy for a long time, finally wandered over.

He had just reached the academy gate when he was blocked head-on by Yu Xiaogang and Tang San, who had been "lying in wait" there.

--

About that, the book was almost banned. Thanks to the editor's mercy, some of the previous content had to be changed. Let me know if there's anything you don't understand.

By the way, I'd like to ask if anyone likes Yan Lingji (please keep reading).