The Dumbfounded Trio

Qian Qizhou raised a hand, and a bolt of electricity shot out, but it struck only the afterimage the lightning marten had left behind.

This went on several times, yet he never managed to touch a single tuft of the lightning marten's fur. Instead, he blasted the surrounding ground until it was scorched black.

The man and marten fell into a clumsy chase, wasting their strength to no avail.

With the power Ei had left behind exhausted, he had no way to suppress the Soul Beast directly.

After missing again and again, Qian Qizhou's last shred of patience finally ran out.

He slowly rose into the air. Flames surged around him like a tidal wave, forming a blazing curtain that blotted out the sky and pressed down toward the ground.

"Rumble!"

When the lightning met the flames, explosions rang out one after another. The scorching waves of heat swallowed every plant nearby.

The lightning marten could no longer dodge. It let out a mournful cry as the violent impact sent it hurtling away.

Qian Qizhou's gaze turned cold. He flashed forward, transforming into a streak of lightning as he pursued it.

He raised a hand. A blazing fireball formed, and he hurled it viciously at the silver figure still suspended in the air!

Qian Qizhou slowly returned to the ground, wiped the fine sweat from his brow, and let out a long breath.

Looking at the lightning marten lying motionless on the ground and the purple Soul Ring gradually appearing above it, he couldn't help murmuring, "That thing was really hard to deal with."

Just then, Guang Ling landed beside him.

Only after confirming that Qian Qizhou wasn't hurt did he give a small nod. "You're fine. Just think of it as gaining battle experience."

He glanced at the purple Soul Ring, hesitated briefly, then said, "Absorb the Soul Ring first. Don't be afraid. If anything happens along the way, I'll step in."

It was a thousand-year Soul Ring, but Xiao Zhou had innate Soul Power at level 20, and with all the changes in him, he should be fine...

"Remember what I taught you. Still your breath and focus your mind. Draw the Soul Ring toward your Martial Soul slowly, with a single, unwavering thought."

Qian Qizhou gave a quiet assent, then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

As his breathing gradually slowed and his mind settled, the crown above his head began to emit waves of energy.

Three-colored streams of light, symbols of his own elements, appeared around him. They curled and flowed like wisps of ribbon, illuminating his focused profile.

The purple Soul Ring hovering above the lightning marten was drawn toward him as well. It slowly rose into the air and drifted toward Qian Qizhou.

Seeing that he had entered the proper state and that the Soul Power around him had steadied, Guang Ling's eyes flashed with approval.

He lightly tapped the tip of his foot and sat on a thick tree branch, letting his legs dangle and swing gently in the air.

"I wonder how long it'll take Xiao Zhou to absorb the Soul Ring. I hope everything goes smoothly."

At that moment, before the grand gates of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong stood at the forefront. Every sect disciple and elder gathered there wore the same dumbfounded, disbelieving expression.

What had left them so stunned wasn't an invading enemy, but the figure standing in the middle of the plaza—Ei.

She was boldly overhauling the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

At first glance, the sect's pavilions, towers, mountains, and streams seemed unchanged. Sunlight still fell on the glazed roof tiles, scattering brilliant colors.

Yet every Soul Master—and especially those of higher rank—could clearly feel something strange coming from the ground beneath their feet.

Gu Rong's expression was the most grave, with an unmistakable trace of shock.

He had secretly tried several times to summon his Soul Power, hoping to tear through space and make a short-range teleport as usual.

But each time, it was as if he had run into an invisible barrier that could never be crossed.

His ability hadn't failed. Rather, space itself had been taken away.

The original void had been completely sealed off, cut apart by a mightier and more domineering power.

In other words, as long as he was inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, he would never again be able to teleport through space.

"This... is the method Qian Qizhou mentioned?" Rarely had Ning Fengzhi's gentle face looked so unsettled.

Feeling the vast, unfathomable power beneath the sect, he sank into thought.

What could he say? Regret it? That powerful woman over there would probably cleave him in two.

Chen Xin said gravely, "Someone this powerful, who can even control space... I've never heard of her before."

Her aura was so overwhelming that if he faced her, he probably wouldn't even be able to withstand a single strike.

Still, no god had appeared on the Douluo Continent for tens of thousands of years.

They didn't think of Ei as a god. Nor did they imagine that she had split space open through sheer mastery of martial skill.

And so, several hours passed in silence. From Ning Fengzhi to the most ordinary disciple, everyone in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect could do nothing but wait.

At last, beside the sect's grand mountain gate, space rippled like water, and a huge vortex of energy appeared from thin air.

The vortex spun for a moment, then suddenly collapsed inward, condensing into a long, deep-dark rift that radiated a chilling aura.

Immediately afterward, the rift quickly sealed itself, becoming a vertical line that stood still in its place.

At the same time, a similarly dark rift opened silently before Ei, its edges far smoother.

She didn't look back or say a word. She simply stepped into it, calm and unhurried.

Her figure disappeared inside, and the rift closed in an instant, leaving no trace behind.

With Ei gone, that terrifying feeling faded too. Everyone let out a long breath in unison, their tense bodies relaxing.

The crowd glanced uneasily toward the place where Ei had vanished. Then they bowed to Ning Fengzhi and took their leave one after another. Soon, only Ning Fengzhi and the other two remained before the vast mountain gate.

Ning Fengzhi gazed at the now-sealed entrance to space. His gentle, jade-like face filled with complicated emotions, which ultimately became a deep sigh.

"Uncle Sword, Uncle Bone, this..."

The shock slowly faded from Gu Rong's face, replaced by a wry, complicated smile.

He shook his head, his voice a little hoarse. "That's enough, Fengzhi. Things have already come to this. There's no point dwelling on it."

He patted Ning Fengzhi's shoulder. "Look on the bright side. At least this proves our investment was worthwhile."

The main thing was, they couldn't restore things to how they'd been, and they couldn't beat that woman either.

At least the changes wouldn't affect the sect aboveground. They might as well let Qian Qizhou do as he pleased.

Chen Xin was silent for a moment before slowly speaking. "That person just now..."

He paused briefly, considering his words, but in the end only shook his head. "I wouldn't stand a chance against her."

Her aura was simply too powerful. Even without fighting her, he had the feeling that a single move from her would mean death.

Even if he set aside strength and relied on swordsmanship alone, he had no confidence.

Hearing this, Ning Fengzhi sighed. "Then we'll have to leave it at that."