Your So-Called Pride Is Not Worth Mentioning Before Me

Gu Rong felt the golden halo ripple past his feet, and his body stiffened slightly.

He glanced down, then looked back up, his brows furrowed tightly.

What is this thing?! And how does he possess a hundred-thousand-year spirit ring?!

His voice carried a hint of shock, yet he showed no sign of fear.

Regardless, he was a Titled Douluo, a peak powerhouse standing at the very pinnacle of the continent. If he were to feel fear when facing a mere Spirit Saint, how could he ever hope to improve himself in the future?

"No!"

Gu Rong's expression shifted abruptly. After the golden domain enveloped him, he discovered with astonishment that his strength had been forcibly suppressed by twenty percent!

Furthermore, it was an all-encompassing suppression—speed, power, reaction, and perception were all affected!

His brows knitted into a tight knot. Just as he was about to carefully sense the peculiarities of this domain, Yan Lingji made her move.

She spread her arms wide like a phoenix unfurling its wings, her entire body wrapped in a layer of translucent white flames.

"Mystic Bird Vermilion Bird—Descend!"

Her voice was cold and ethereal, as if it had drifted down from beyond the heavens.

A phantom of a Mystic Bird Vermilion Bird with a wingspan exceeding a hundred meters instantly emerged from behind Yan Lingji.

The giant bird was vermilion throughout, every feather rendered in exquisite detail. Its eyes, like two burning white flames, were deep and majestic, overlooking the world below as if scrutinizing all things unclean.

Two points of translucent white fire ignited in Yan Lingji's eyes, mirroring the gaze of the Vermilion Bird behind her.

Her voice was majestic and cold as she commanded:

"Vermilion Bird Burning Heaven Domain!"

"Skree—!"

The Mystic Bird Vermilion Bird let out a long cry toward the sky. The sound was clear and resonant, piercing the heavens and tearing a fissure through the clouds above.

It gently flapped its wings, and countless specks of translucent white flame drifted down like snowflakes, enveloping all three people present.

A flame domain formed in an instant!

Within the domain, Gu Rong's body stiffened violently, and his spirit power was suppressed once again.

This time, the suppression was more intense and more thorough.

With the two domains overlapping, he could only exert fifty percent of his peak strength.

"Why is this happening?!"

A trace of panic finally crept into Gu Rong's voice.

He could not comprehend how the two people standing before him, who were merely Spirit Saints, could possibly suppress the power of a Titled Douluo.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, yet none could explain what was happening before his eyes.

"Something is strange."

He muttered under his breath, the urge to retreat already budding in his heart.

Having lived for so many years, he had seen too many geniuses meet their downfall. Those talented youngsters often died precisely because they did not know when to advance or retreat; he was not that kind of person.

"Sixth Spirit Skill—Bone Needle Array!"

Gu Rong let out a cold shout, and his sixth spirit ring flashed instantly.

He slammed his hands onto the ground, and a frigid surge of spirit power poured from his palms into the earth.

The ground beneath Zhao Linchuan and Yan Lingji suddenly shook. Countless fine bone spikes erupted from the soil like bamboo shoots after a rain—dense, sharp as needles, and gleaming with a chilling luster.

The bone spikes struck from all directions, sealing off every path of retreat.

Zhao Linchuan reacted with lightning speed. He knelt on his left knee, raised his right hand high, gripped the hilt of the Supreme Ease Golden Edge in reverse, and plunged the longsword into the ground!

"Boom—!"

Golden spirit power poured from the tip of the sword into the earth, like a giant golden dragon burrowing underground.

The ground began to crack irregularly like a spiderweb. The sound of shattering bone intertwined with the clashing of metal, ringing out incessantly.

A massive amount of golden radiance surged from the fissures in the ground, illuminating the surrounding hundreds of feet as if it were broad daylight.

Suddenly, the rising radiance seemed to be under invisible control, rapidly converging toward a single point.

The golden specks gathered, growing brighter and brighter until they condensed into a miniature sun upon the ground.

The light was so blinding that Gu Rong could not help but squint.

Immediately following, a golden phoenix with a ten-meter wingspan took shape in an instant.

The Golden Phoenix was composed entirely of pure golden spirit power. Its eyes, like two golden gemstones, were sharp and icy, locking firmly onto Gu Rong in the distance.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhao Linchuan gripped the hilt with both hands, pouring his golden spirit power into the earth as if it were inexhaustible. His robes whipped violently in the shockwaves, and the stray hairs on his forehead danced in the wind.

In an instant, a golden path of light, ten yards wide, surged from the ground and extended straight into the distance.

The path radiated a scorching glow, plating everything in its wake with a layer of gold.

And the destination of that path was none other than the Bone Douluo—Gu Rong!

"Phoenix Cry—Heavenly Light Guidance!"

"Skree—!"

As Zhao Linchuan's voice fell, the Golden Phoenix instantly tilted its head and let out a piercing cry. Its entire body seemed to transform into a streak of golden sword energy, hurtling toward Gu Rong along that golden path!

The speed was pushed to the absolute limit, as if even light could not catch its wake.

Wherever it passed, the air was torn asunder, and the ground was plowed into a deep trench. Gravel and dust were swept up by the shockwave, forming a golden tornado in the air.

Seeing this, Gu Rong did not dare to be the least bit negligent. He let out a cold shout, and his seventh soul ring suddenly flashed—

"Seventh Soul Skill—Bone Dragon True Body!"

"Roar—!"

A low dragon roar erupted from above Gu Rong's head. A massive phantom of a bone dragon descended instantly, enveloping Gu Rong's entire body within it.

The bone dragon was composed entirely of ghastly white bones. Its head was held high, and two clusters of ghostly green flames burned in its eye sockets, staring fixedly at the incoming Golden Phoenix.

"Clang—!"

The Golden Phoenix and the Bone Dragon collided head-on, and a deafening sound like metal striking metal exploded across the heavens and earth.

Ripples of soul power spread out from the point of impact, sweeping in all directions like waves on a lake.

Wherever those ripples passed, trees were snapped at the roots, rocks were ground into powder, and the ground was shaved away layer by layer.

The Golden Phoenix pushed forward inch by inch; its beak, like a blade of peerless sharpness, was ceaselessly grinding down the Bone Dragon's defense.

For every inch it advanced, a multitude of golden light particles flaked off the Golden Phoenix, dissipating into the air.

Meanwhile, fine cracks appeared all over the Bone Dragon, with ghostly green light seeping from the fissures like flowing blood.

Gu Rong pushed his hands forward, bracing his Martial Soul True Body. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face was filled with an expression of utter disbelief.

His Bone Dragon was the number one defense-type Martial Soul in the world, hailed as the "World's Greatest Defense."

Yet, the attack from this Soul Saint before him was actually tearing his defense apart bit by bit, wearing down his Martial Soul True Body!

This was irrational; it was completely irrational!

In the instant he was lost in thought, Zhao Linchuan had already straightened his posture.

He held his sword horizontally before his chest, his left hand's sword fingers gently stroking the blade of the Supreme Ease Golden Edge, and said in a low voice, "Your so-called pride is not worth mentioning before me."

"Fifth Soul Skill—Sharp Arrow!"