Su Ling's Moment of Crisis, Xuan Zi's Fury!

"Xiao Ling!"

"Seventh Soul Skill—Silver Moon True Body!"

Zhang Lexuan stepped forward and shielded Su Ling behind her. A bright silver moon hung overhead as she hastily unleashed her Martial Soul Avatar.

Sword light howled past alongside lightning.

Against Zhang Lexuan's full defensive power, the blade slowed for only an instant before a shattering sound rang out.

Zhang Lexuan's Martial Soul Avatar had been broken!

"Pfft—"

Zhang Lexuan gripped the blade tightly with both hands, blood running down from her elbows. Yet the blade had already pierced three inches into her chest.

Too fast. The entire exchange had taken less than a second!

With a single strike, the short-haired elder had instantly shattered Zhang Lexuan's Martial Soul Avatar. If she had not defended with all her strength, that sword would likely have pierced straight through her!

Furthermore, the sword in the short-haired elder's hand was no ordinary weapon. Its entire body was pitch-black, dark purple arcs of electricity coiling around its blade as waves of baleful aura radiated from it.

"Sister Lexuan!!"

"Sister Lexuan!"

Su Ling was the first to react. Lightning erupted all over his body as two thousand-year Soul Rings suddenly lit up.

"First Soul Skill—Prison Breaker!"

"Second Soul Skill—Truth-Breaking Eye!"

Behind Su Ling, the Truth-Breaking Eye abruptly opened. Its pupil trembled, and a beam of lightning as thick as a washbasin burst forth, blasting toward the elder like a rapid-fire laser cannon!

"What terrifying thunder might!"

The short-haired elder's eyes widened. He chose to avoid the attack, slapping Zhang Lexuan away with one palm as his figure flashed away. The pitch-black Thunder Sword wreathed in baleful aura also turned into a dark purple-black gleam and disappeared into his palm.

Su Ling leaped into the air and steadily caught Zhang Lexuan as she flew backward, helping her beneath a nearby tree.

Looking down, he saw Zhang Lexuan's face was deathly pale. Black blood continuously seeped from her wound, while a mass of black baleful aura lingered there, devouring her life force!

At that moment, five Inner Court disciples charged forward with their Martial Souls unleashed. Yellow, purple, and black Soul Rings shone together as all manner of Soul Skills poured toward the elder.

Seeing this, the short-haired elder snorted contemptuously. He raised his muscular arm and pressed it down, and a dark purple, sinister Thunder Bead suddenly appeared in his hand.

Dark purple lightning descended from the heavens, forming a massive electric net. A cold, eerie aura spread outward, and the five Inner Court disciples' Soul Skills melted away in an instant like snow beneath the sun.

As the lightning net descended, all five screamed at once. Their Martial Souls were damaged and shattered, and they collapsed unconscious onto the ground.

"Mere ants dare shake a tree?"

The short-haired elder swept them a disdainful glance before flying straight toward Su Ling.

The commotion just now had been far too great. That old Taotie Douluo must have noticed, and he might already be rushing back.

This had to end quickly!

"Xiao Ling... don't worry about me. Run!"

Zhang Lexuan clenched her silver teeth and forced herself to rise.

She had to buy time. As long as she held on until Xuan Zi returned, Xiao Ling would be safe!

"Heh heh, none of you are getting away!"

The short-haired elder had already arrived overhead. Without another word, nine Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet—two yellow, two purple, and five black. Then, his fifth ring lit up.

"Fifth Soul Skill—Hell Thunder Roar!"

With a raised hand, bolts of near-solid Nether Thunder rapidly gathered, condensing into an enormous thundercloud. The night sky was instantly swallowed by dark purple lightning.

The short-haired elder gave a vicious grin and pressed down with one hand. Wrapped in hellish shrieks, the thundercloud crashed down toward Su Ling and Zhang Lexuan.

Seeing the nine oppressive Soul Rings in the sky and the overwhelming dark purple lightning, the color drained even further from Zhang Lexuan's bloodless face.

A Titled Douluo...

Zhang Lexuan gave a miserable smile. At that moment, everything around her seemed to slow.

Scenes flashed through her mind: enemies coming to her door, her parents dying tragically, her hiding beneath the bed and narrowly escaping disaster, then being discovered by a Shrek teacher and brought back to the academy, where she became Mu En's registered disciple...

Every little memory swept past her mind like a revolving lantern.

Then there had been just a few hours ago, when Su Ling lay quietly on her lap beneath flickering orange-red firelight, the boy's eyelashes trembling faintly.

Her face had actually reddened, and she had developed thoughts she should not have.

No!

Xiao Ling was Shrek's future, the future of Douluo Continent! Nothing could happen to him!!

At that thought, blood energy suddenly ignited around Zhang Lexuan. Her gaze turned sharp, and just as she moved—

A warm, large hand suddenly caught hers and gently pushed her backward.

In Zhang Lexuan's stunned gaze, Su Ling stepped forward. Behind him, his two thousand-year Soul Rings shone with a brilliance they had never displayed before.

"Protect yourself."

He turned his head slightly. His face still bore that gentle smile, but his eyes were filled with resolve.

Turning around, he stared into the sky. Soul Power surged through his body at full force as pitch-black lightning shot skyward, making his yellow robe billow violently.

Prison Breaker's amplification had reached its limit. The Truth-Breaking Eye burst with radiant light, and the Firmament Thunder Leopard Soul Bone skill, Startling Thunder, activated!

"Ha!!"

Wrapped in lightning, Su Ling shot up from the ground. The Truth-Breaking Eye fired forth, and the phantom of the Thunder Prison Qilin Emperor faintly emerged.

The Qilin raised its head and roared toward the heavens, colliding violently with the short-haired elder's fifth Soul Skill, Hell Thunder Roar.

Both sides wielded black lightning.

The short-haired elder's Nether Thunder was layered with cold, sinister baleful aura.

Su Ling's Ultimate Thunder was solemn and murderous, carrying an immensely dense aura of Destruction along with the divine Qilin's power, which specifically suppressed evil spirits!

"What incredible Ultimate Thunder!"

"What an incredible Qilin Martial Soul!!"

Watching his Nether Thunder be visibly devoured by Su Ling's lightning, the short-haired elder was both shocked and enraged.

A mere Soul Grandmaster had forcibly blocked the fifth Soul Skill of him, Ming Lei Douluo!?

If word got back to the Holy Spirit Cult headquarters, would he, the Third Elder, not become a complete laughingstock?

At that moment, Su Ling, bathed in Nether Thunder, was not doing well either. "Pfft!" He could no longer hold back a mouthful of blood.

Although the Thunder Prison Qilin Emperor Martial Soul gave him extremely strong lightning resistance—one could even call it lightning immunity—

In the end, the essence of a Soul Skill was Martial Soul plus Soul Ring plus Soul Power. He could neutralize the thunder might and baleful aura of Hell Thunder Roar, but against the Soul Power impact from a sixty-level gap between himself and the short-haired elder—

He had to endure it with his physical body!

"Boom—"

All the lightning dissipated.

Su Ling suddenly glanced to his left, drew a deep breath, then withdrew his Martial Soul. He staggered to the ground, clutching his chest as he stared directly at the short-haired elder.

"This brat must not be allowed to live!!"

The short-haired elder gave a savage grin and clenched his palm in the air, summoning that Thunder Sword once more.

This was a Rank 9 Soul Tool he had personally crafted, named the Underworld Thunder Sword. It complemented his Martial Soul, the Underworld Thunder Bead.

"Brat, this ends here!"

A cold gleam flashed as the short-haired elder raised his sword and slashed down.

"Xiao Ling!!" Zhang Lexuan cried out in despair, tears rolling uncontrollably down her face as her vision blurred so badly that she could barely keep her eyes open.

The Nether Thunder Evil Qi had already invaded her meridians and internal organs. Let alone circulate Soul Power, she could not even stand steadily. She could only watch helplessly as the short-haired elder struck at Su Ling.

"Firmament Thunder Leopard Right Leg Bone Soul Bone Skill—Firmament!"

Su Ling's entire body instantly became illusory.

The Underworld Thunder Sword seemed to slash through empty air, passing directly through Su Ling's body.

"What?!" The short-haired elder quickly steadied himself and turned around in shock.

Lightning surrounded Su Ling, whose body had already transformed into countless particles of lightning element.

"A Soul Bone skill! It can actually rival my ninth Soul Skill! It must be a top-grade lightning-attributed Soul Bone!! Hahahaha! Such a blood treasure is destined to belong to me, Ming Lei!"

The shock on the short-haired elder's face instantly turned to delight, his gaze toward Su Ling filled with greed.

Just then, a vast stretch of trees on the left collapsed with a thunderous crash, and the entire forest suddenly began to tremble.

"Holy Spirit Cult scum!!!"

"Stop right there, you bastard!!!"