The Great Battle

Bibi Dong's voice rang out, thick with killing intent, putting an end to any possibility of peace talks. "Seize them."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Spirit Hall Soul Masters, already poised to strike, surged forward like a flood bursting through a dam and launched their full-scale assault!

"Kill—!!!"

A deafening roar of battle cries and violent Soul Power erupted!

In the sky, Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo turned into streaks of light and hurtled straight toward Tang Wei and the Great Elder in front of the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate!

They intended to use their overwhelming advantage to kill or cripple the enemy's strongest fighters first!

At the same time, on the ground, the battle formation of thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters launched its attack.

Countless Soul Skill lights swept toward the Clear Sky Sect like a violent storm, blanketing the sky!

"Rumble!!!"

Surrounded by several Titled Douluo, Tang Wei and the Great Elder looked grim.

"Clear Sky Sect disciples, heed my command! Fight to the death! Do not retreat!" Tang Wei roared, his Clear Sky Hammer instantly swelling in his hands. With an unstoppable momentum, he charged headlong at the oncoming enemies!

"Defend the sect!" The Great Elder's Clear Sky Hammer manifested. Back to back with Tang Wei, he faced the inevitable bloody battle!

Every Clear Sky Sect disciple had bloodshot eyes. Gripping their Clear Sky Hammers, they charged at the enemy.

The battle in the sky instantly reached a fever pitch!

The two Titled Douluo, Tang Wei and the Great Elder, were surrounded by several opponents of the same rank. They were almost immediately forced into a desperate struggle, utterly on the defensive.

"Sky-Surpassing Strike!" Tang Wei's eyes were bloodshot as he roared. The enormous Clear Sky Hammer in his hands blazed with dazzling black light.

"Hmph!" The giant phantom of the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum unfurled, its countless razor-sharp petals whirling as it prepared to meet the blow.

At the same time, Ghost Douluo appeared behind Tang Wei, his sinister ghostly claw reaching straight for his back.

"Get out of my way!" The Great Elder roared and swept his Clear Sky Hammer across the battlefield, forcing Ghost Douluo back. Back to back with Tang Wei, he held off attacks from every direction.

The Spirit Hall Titled Douluo each unleashed their powers, pouring down one mighty Soul Skill after another like a violent storm.

The sky vanished beneath the multicolored glow of Soul Skills, while deafening explosions rang out without pause.

Tang Wei and the Great Elder pushed the Clear Sky Hammer's overwhelming power and strength to the limit, managing to withstand the first fierce wave of attacks.

But two fists could not fend off four hands, especially when facing several opponents of equal rank.

Even if their opponents were weaker, their numbers alone could wear the two men down.

"Clinging to a hopeless cause!" A Spirit Hall Titled Douluo sneered as a giant sword of light came crashing down again.

Tang Wei roared and raised his hammer to block. The impact staggered him backward, throwing his breathing into disarray.

Another Titled Douluo seized the opening and sent a vicious Soul Skill at him.

"Sect Master, look out!" The Great Elder's eyes nearly split with fury. He shoved Tang Wei aside and took the blow squarely in the back.

"Pfft—!" The Great Elder spat out a mouthful of blood, his aura fading in an instant.

The Titled Douluo clashed fiercely in the sky, while the pressure on the ground reached its breaking point!

The battle formation of thousands of Spirit Hall Soul Masters was like a tireless war machine, relentlessly raining attacks down on the Clear Sky Formation held by the disciples.

Under such a dense barrage, the formation was already riddled with cracks. Its light rapidly dimmed as it groaned under the strain.

The Clear Sky Sect disciples were all deathly pale, blood trickling from their mouths, their Soul Power nearly exhausted.

But the worse things got, the less they could afford to let up; all they could do was cling on with every last ounce of strength.

"Boom—!!!"

At last, with a deafening crash, the formation's light barrier shattered completely.

"Pfft—!" The Clear Sky Sect disciples sustaining the formation below all spat out blood at once.

"Kill!" the Platinum Bishop in charge of the ground forces shouted from the Spirit Hall ranks.

"For the glory of Spirit Hall!"

Without the formation's protection, the Clear Sky Sect's line collapsed in an instant.

A sea of Spirit Hall Soul Masters and Soul Beasts surged into the Clear Sky Sect's mountain gate like a flood bursting through a dam.

"Clear Sky Sect disciples! Fight to the death with me!" The Clear Sky Sect's Soul Douluo elders charged toward the enemy with their disciples, their eyes bloodshot.

"Fight to the death! Never retreat!"

Every Clear Sky Sect disciple still able to stand, young or old, met the enemy—outnumbered several times over—with grim determination in their eyes.

Several days later, inside the Pure Land of the King.

Qian Qizhou sat at the table in a loose, plain-colored robe, sipping from a steaming bowl of... porridge?

Every so often, he rubbed his chest, which still ached faintly. The injuries from overloading had healed, but the pain would probably linger for a few more days.

Snow Empress sat quietly across from him, watching him without blinking. Her face, however, revealed nothing.

Under her gaze, Qian Qizhou swallowed another mouthful of porridge, his expression turning a little odd.

He hesitated, then set down his spoon and looked at Snow Empress helplessly. "Sister Snow... well, you really don't have to thank me. You've helped me a lot, too."

He paused, seeming to weigh his words, then finally forced them out. "You really don't have to cook for me yourself every day. There are professional cooks over at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and their food is actually pretty good..."

His tone carried a hint of pleading. There was no other reason.

The food Snow Empress cooked herself was simply far too... distinctive.

The bowl of porridge before him looked translucent, and the aroma of rice wafted from it, but every bite was a culinary adventure.

One mouthful might be sour, the next spicy, and the one after that bitter in a way he couldn't describe. Sometimes, an overwhelming saltiness even shot straight to the crown of his head.

He didn't know whether to call Snow Empress extraordinarily gifted or something else entirely for managing to pack so many complicated flavors into a single bowl of porridge.

At his words, Snow Empress tilted her head slightly and said, somewhat puzzled, "Humans need to eat to replenish their energy."

"What I make is better for you than what they make."

Her logic was simple. She had used the purest ice-attribute Soul Power to prepare the ingredients, removing all impurities and preserving their most fundamental energy. That was best for Qian Qizhou's recovery.

As for the taste? It had never crossed her mind. Or rather, she had no concept of what humans considered delicious.

Besides, she had heard that humans had many ways of repaying a favor, including taking care of someone.

"Eat up. It'll get cold."

Looking at Snow Empress's utterly matter-of-fact expression, Qian Qizhou felt utterly powerless—and his stomach hurt.

He managed a strained smile, resigned himself to his fate, and picked up his spoon again. "...Thanks for going to all the trouble, Sister Snow."

He took a deep breath, scooped up another spoonful of porridge, and forced it into his mouth.

The next second, Qian Qizhou's expression turned indescribable. He barely managed to stop himself from spitting it out.