"You dare, boy!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo gritted his teeth. The situation, which had been firmly in their favor, had been turned on its head in an instant by Tuoba Xuan's move.
He had to know that Dugu Bo's display of strength just now had already left both Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo shaken.
The blood-red flower in Dugu Bo's hand was especially terrifying—a veritable weapon of mass destruction.
Chrysanthemum Douluo had only been touched by a tiny amount of Jade Phosphor Poison, yet he had already felt damage to his Soul Power.
Ghost Douluo was in no better shape. At that moment, his body was already being eroded by the dark green poisonous fog.
And Tuoba Xi was watching them like a hawk from the side.
Tuoba Xi was a Level 90 Quasi-Titled Douluo, someone an ordinary Soul Douluo like Chen Ming could not hope to compare with.
If Tuoba Xi advanced to Titled Douluo as well, this place would likely become their burial ground.
"Why don't you guess?"
Tuoba Xuan sneered, tightening his grip.
Hu Liena's throat bobbed, but the Dragon Tiger Hook held her fast, and she couldn't make a sound.
"I'll count to three. Let us absorb that Golden Earth Dragon King, or she dies!"
Tuoba Xuan's tone left no room for argument.
Like a cold-blooded viper, Dugu Bo stared fixedly at Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo couldn't find any way to save Hu Liena.
Chrysanthemum Douluo drew a deep breath. His resolve had already begun to waver.
Even if they fought with everything they had and managed to kill the people on the other side, they would gain nothing. They might even lose a Holy Maiden.
It simply wasn't worth the price.
Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo exchanged a glance, each seeing the struggle in the other's eyes.
"Humph!"
Tuoba Xuan snorted and tightened the Dragon Tiger Hook.
Hu Liena's throat was constricted so badly that she unconsciously let out a few soft gasps.
Hu Liena's eyes were full of disbelief. At last, she was certain that the man behind her really would kill her.
Her desire to live overwhelmed the restraint expected of the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall.
Hu Liena struggled to raise an arm, trying to plead for help from the two grandfathers before her who had watched her grow up.
The air grew heavy with tension.
Chrysanthemum Douluo furrowed his brow, but in the end, he nodded.
"Fine. As long as you promise not to hurt Nana, we'll pretend none of this ever happened today. How about it?"
Dugu Bo and Tuoba Xi both felt their hearts ease at this.
If the standoff continued, no one would come out ahead.
"Since we've agreed, boy, let Nana go. Now."
Ghost Douluo urged him angrily.
"What's the rush? Wait until my grandfather finishes absorbing the Soul Ring!"
Tuoba Xuan wasn't a fool.
"Hurry, Grandpa."
Tuoba Xuan spoke in a low voice.
"All right, Xuan. Half an hour will be enough!"
Tuoba Xi agreed and immediately sat cross-legged to begin absorbing his ninth Soul Ring.
The atmosphere fell silent.
A subtle tension hung in the air.
Tuoba Xuan stood rigidly, holding Hu Liena in place.
Dugu Bo held the Blood Swan Kiss in his hand, watching Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo with cold eyes.
The two Douluo wore sour expressions.
Chen Ming and Yan stood rooted to the spot, unsure what to do as they waited for Tuoba Xi to finish absorbing the Soul Ring.
"Um..."
Suddenly, a delicate voice rang out faintly.
"Could you loosen your grip a little? I can't breathe."
It was Hu Liena. Her once-soft lips had already turned completely purple.
Her expression was strained, and her face was ashen.
Everyone looked at Tuoba Xuan.
But Tuoba Xuan didn't move at all.
"Boy, don't push your luck!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo furrowed his brow and snapped.
"Compared to you, what I've done hardly counts as going too far."
Tuoba Xuan's voice was cold.
"Um... I... I promise in the name of the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall that we won't come after you again."
Hu Liena's voice came in broken gasps.
Tuoba Xuan's eyes flickered, and he finally loosened his hold a little.
After all, Hu Liena was on the verge of being strangled to death.
If that happened, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo wouldn't be the only ones going berserk.
"Thank you."
After all this time, Hu Liena finally managed to draw in a little air.
Her body went limp, and she fell uncontrollably into Tuoba Xuan's arms.
"Nana!"
Yan felt his fury surge up in an instant.
He had never been this physically close to Hu Liena in all his life.
And now some bastard who had held a blade to Hu Liena's neck dared to touch Nana.
"Move, and you can start picking out her burial clothes."
Tuoba Xuan had no interest in Hu Liena at all. He simply shoved her away with his elbow.
Yan gritted his teeth in fury.
But Hu Liena's eyes were complicated.
Why did this feel like a scene from a NTR story?
The group remained locked in their standoff until Tuoba Xi successfully finished absorbing his ninth Soul Ring.
"Congratulations, Grandpa."
"Congratulations, Brother Tuoba, on advancing to Titled Douluo."
Tuoba Xuan and Dugu Bo congratulated Tuoba Xi at the same time.
"Now will you let Nana go, boy?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo gritted his teeth as he spoke. Now that Tuoba Xi had advanced to Titled Douluo, they could no longer do anything to Tuoba Xuan today.
"Of course. I keep my word."
Tuoba Xi and Dugu Bo exchanged a glance, then instantly appeared behind Tuoba Xuan.
The Dragon Tiger Hook around Hu Liena's neck slowly loosened. Tuoba Xuan gave her a gentle push, sending her straight to Chrysanthemum Douluo's side.
In an instant, the two sides faced off again.
"Boy, fine. Very fine. I'll remember you."
Knowing there was no point in staying, Chrysanthemum Douluo could only leave him with a threat before taking the still-shaken Hu Liena away.
Tuoba Xuan and the other two finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Though they had made an enemy of Spirit Hall this time, they had successfully secured a suitable Soul Ring for Tuoba Xi.
"Grandpa, Old Poison, let's go back."
After giving the Golden Earth Dragon King's corpse a brief inspection, the three of them left.
"Hahaha, Brother Tuoba!"
"Oh, no. I should call you Sacred Dragon Douluo now."
Dugu Bo was in high spirits. Not only had his friend advanced to Titled Douluo—
He had also just made his two old rivals suffer a crushing defeat.
He knew Spirit Hall wouldn't let this go.
But so what? When soldiers came, he'd send a general to stop them; when floods came, he'd hold them back with earth.
"Xuan, I never imagined that you could defeat Spirit Hall's Golden Generation with a single move."
Remembering how Tuoba Xuan had moved like a ghost just now, Dugu Bo couldn't help but let out a series of sighs.
"That's right, Xuan. Your talent is far greater than that of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation."
Tuoba Xi said, beaming.
The two exchanged glances, each seeing the plans in the other's eyes.
"What are your plans from here? Do you want to keep training at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well?"
Dugu Bo asked.
Tuoba Xuan shook his head and pondered for a moment.
Dugu Bo thought it over, then spoke.
"I heard the champions of this Continental Advanced Spirit Master Elite Tournament will receive three Soul Bones."
"Xuan, with your strength, winning the championship should be a piece of cake."
"If you want, I can get you into the Heaven Dou Royal Academy Team."
Tuoba Xi nodded, showing his agreement with Dugu Bo's suggestion.
Now that he had advanced to Titled Douluo, he had gained a certain amount of influence on the continent.
Although they had just clashed with Spirit Hall, nothing had happened that couldn't be undone.
Spirit Hall probably wouldn't make a public move against Tuoba Xuan over what had just happened.
Besides, he and Dugu Bo were both still here.