Just as the Snow Empress was frantic with worry and at her wits' end,
"Crack!"
A faint sound of something breaking rang out.
The space not far from Qian Qizhou suddenly split open without warning, like a shattered mirror, revealing a crack streaked with purple lightning.
Then, a figure dressed in a purple kimono and radiating an aura of annihilation stepped out of the spatial rift.
It was Ei!
Her deep eyes first flicked indifferently toward the Snow Empress nearby, then settled on the barely breathing Qian Qizhou.
Without a word, Ei slowly raised her hand toward Qian Qizhou.
"Humm—!"
An invisible ripple of law pierced through the raging lightning in an instant and acted directly upon Qian Qizhou.
The next moment, a sudden transformation occurred!
"Boom!!!"
The violent energy inside Qian Qizhou seemed to find an outlet. It surged wildly out of his body and burst forth!
Blinding purple lightning swallowed Qian Qizhou completely, transforming into a massive pillar of lightning that shot into the sky and tore through the clouds above.
A terrifying shockwave of destructive energy burst outward in a ring, heaving up layer after layer of earth and pulverizing it!
The Snow Empress's expression changed dramatically. She had no choice but to circulate her Soul Power with all her might to withstand the sudden shockwave, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.
Who was she? Was she trying to destroy Qian Qizhou completely?!
But soon, the pillar of lightning faded after a few seconds, resolving the Snow Empress's confusion as well.
Qian Qizhou's figure reappeared where he had been.
With Ei protecting him, the lightning couldn't hurt Qian Qizhou at all.
Though he remained unconscious, the heart-stopping energy that had been constantly destroying his vitality had vanished without a trace.
His body, charred black and covered in cracks, also began to heal at an exceedingly slow pace under the combined effects of the life force from the Blue Silver Emperor Soul Bone and his own Soul Power.
A flicker of understanding crossed the Snow Empress's eyes. She seemed to know where Qian Qizhou's heaven-defying talent came from.
Just as the Snow Empress was about to step forward, a somewhat disheveled figure flew swiftly over from afar and landed nearby.
It was Guang Ling. He was covered in blood, one hand pressed to his chest, and had clearly been badly injured.
As soon as he landed, his gaze locked onto Qian Qizhou, who lay on the ground.
Only after seeing that he was all right did Guang Ling let out a long breath, the tension in his expression easing.
Ei's gaze shifted from Qian Qizhou to Guang Ling, and she furrowed her brow slightly. "What happened to you?"
He hadn't fought anyone or taken a hit from the lightning, so how had he ended up like this?
At Ei's question, a hint of awkwardness flashed across Guang Ling's handsome face.
He hurriedly bowed respectfully to Ei. "Senior."
He wouldn't dare show the slightest disrespect in front of someone this formidable.
Then he quickly straightened up, his eyes darting away as he gave an awkward laugh.
He said nothing about how he'd run headlong into the spreading shockwave and been blasted away before he could react, leaving him in this state.
At his words, Ei merely gave Guang Ling a faint glance. She saw through his excuse but had no interest in pressing him.
Guang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, then hurried over to crouch on the other side of Qian Qizhou and carefully lifted him into his arms.
He turned to Ei and said respectfully, "Senior, Xiao Zhou is out of immediate danger. I'll take him back to recover."
Ei's gaze lingered for a moment on Qian Qizhou's pale face, then flicked to Guang Ling, who was holding him. She gave a slight nod.
Then, the space behind her silently split open, revealing a crack streaked with purple lightning.
After Ei left, Guang Ling let out a sigh of relief as he held Qian Qizhou. The pressure of being around her had been immense.
He looked toward the Snow Empress beside him. "You are... Lady Snow Empress..."
At the other end of the continent, the atmosphere was grim and tense to the extreme.
Outside the towering gates of the Clear Sky Sect, the greatest sect in the world, Soul Masters from the Spirit Hall had surrounded the place so completely that not even a drop of water could get through.
Thousands of Soul Masters stood in neat battle formations, the light of their various Martial Souls glimmering faintly.
Their powerful Soul Power auras converged into a suffocating, terrifying pressure that shrouded the entire mountain range.
More than ten figures hovered in the sky, radiating overwhelming auras.
At their head was a woman dressed in papal robes, her expression stern. She was Bibi Dong, who had succeeded to the position of Pope.
Beside her stood Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, along with several elders who were Titled Douluo.
Chrysanthemum Douluo stepped forward. His feminine, shrill voice, infused with surging Soul Power, rang clearly throughout the entire Clear Sky Sect. "People of the Clear Sky Sect, listen!"
"Hand over Tang Hao, the culprit who murdered His Holiness the former Pope, at once!"
"Otherwise, the Clear Sky Sect won't leave here unscathed today!"
"The Spirit Hall—!"
"The Spirit Hall—!"
The thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters behind him roared in unison.
Inside the gates, every Clear Sky Sect disciple turned pale. They gripped the Clear Sky Hammers in their hands, their eyes filled with anger, humiliation, and fear.
Deep within the sect, two equally powerful auras shot into the sky and clashed at a distance with the auras of the Spirit Hall's experts, producing a muffled rumble!
One of them was tall and powerfully built, with a resolute face. He was Tang Wei, the current sect master of the Clear Sky Sect and Tang Hao's father.
The other was an old man with a full head of white hair and beard, his figure still as straight as a pine.
He was the Clear Sky Sect's Great Elder, also a Titled Douluo.
At that moment, the Clear Sky Sect's only two remaining Titled Douluo had both appeared.
Tang Wei's gaze swept over the sea of Spirit Hall Soul Masters outside before finally settling on Bibi Dong, Chrysanthemum Douluo, and Ghost Douluo at their head.
"Don't you dare spout such nonsense!"
"Our Clear Sky Sect has stood tall on the continent for years. Who are you to threaten and humiliate us at will?!"
"What Tang Hao did was his own doing, and it has nothing to do with the Clear Sky Sect!"
"He left the sect long ago. The sect knows nothing of his actions and will take no responsibility for them!"
The Great Elder beside him also snorted coldly. "The Spirit Hall has brought such a massive force to our gates. Do you think the Clear Sky Sect fears you?!"
The two Titled Douluo took an exceptionally firm stance. Though they were at a disadvantage, they showed no sign of yielding or compromising.
In response to Tang Xiao and the Great Elder's defiant words, a cold voice rang out, dripping with undisguised contempt. "Heh..."
"What a fine display of self-righteous denial."
"His own doing? Left the sect? The sect knows nothing?"
"Then wasn't the unique secret technique of the Clear Sky Sect what Tang Hao used to detonate his rings and grievously injure His Holiness the Pope?"
"Isn't the Martial Soul in his hand the Clear Sky Hammer? Didn't the Clear Sky Sect provide the resources that cultivated his strength?"
"He brought disaster down upon himself, then ran off and left you so-called clansmen to deal with the mess. And now you think you can brush it all aside with a breezy claim that he left the sect? Where in the world is anything that convenient!"
"The Spirit Hall's dignity and the Pope's blood feud cannot be erased with a few words!"
Before you continue