Void Nail, Demigod Bloodshed

Leng Zhaoran was surrounded by blazing crimson Heavenly Phoenix True Fire. A pair of enormous phoenix wings slowly beat behind him, each flap stirring up a scorching wave of air. Battle intent burned in his eyes as he fixed his gaze firmly on Long Yeyue across from him.

Xiao Ran stood not far from Leng Zhaoran's side, his Azure Sky Divine Spear angled toward the ground as faint spatial ripples flowed around him. Although his aura was nowhere near as majestic as those of the two Demigods, the inscrutable spatial fluctuations surrounding him forced Long Yeyue to spare some attention for him.

Long Yeyue's face had darkened to the extreme.

She had thought her strength would be more than enough to handle Leng Zhaoran, yet his power had far exceeded her expectations. With Xiao Ran supporting him from the side, she had actually been forced into a somewhat miserable position!

What enraged her even more was that Xiao Ran's spatial rift strike had cut off part of her sleeve! To her, that was simply an unbearable humiliation!

"Good, good, good!" Long Yeyue laughed in fury. "Since you insist on forcing this old woman to get serious, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"

Before her words had faded, dazzling light abruptly erupted from her body!

Light and darkness, two utterly opposing powers, bloomed from her body at the same time! A magnificent set of Four-Word Battle Armor gradually emerged around her—

The Battle Armor was silver-white throughout, yet black-and-white radiance flowed across its surface. The breastplate bore the twin dragon totems of the Radiant Holy Dragon and Dark Holy Dragon, their heads meeting at her chest. Two fist-sized gemstones were embedded in their eyes: one emanated holy white light, while the other gave off profound black radiance. The shoulder guards, arm guards, leg guards, battle skirt... every part was carved with exquisite dragon patterns, as though formed from countless dragon scales. A pair of enormous Light and Dark Dragon wings unfolded behind her, blotting out the sky and releasing suffocating pressure!

Four-Word Battle Armor—Yin-Yang Vastness!

"Yin-Yang Vastness..." Leng Zhaoran's pupils contracted slightly, but a cold smile soon appeared on his lips. "Long Yeyue, you finally decided to put on your turtle shell? I thought you'd keep hiding it forever!"

Though he sounded relaxed, he had grown considerably more serious inside. The enhancement granted by Four-Word Battle Armor was immense. With Yin-Yang Vastness equipped, Long Yeyue's combat power had increased by at least thirty percent.

Still, Leng Zhaoran did not hesitate.

He took a deep breath, and the crimson flames around him suddenly surged! Another equally magnificent set of Four-Word Battle Armor emerged around him—

That Battle Armor was crimson throughout, as if woven from phoenix feathers. A soaring phoenix was carved into the breastplate, its head raised proudly and rendered with lifelike detail. Two flame-shaped feather ornaments extended from the shoulder guards, complementing the true phoenix wings behind him. The entire set radiated scorching heat like a burning inferno, dyeing even the surrounding clouds crimson!

Four-Word Battle Armor—Phoenix Soars to the Nine Heavens!

"Phoenix Soars to the Nine Heavens against Yin-Yang Vastness. That seems fair enough." Leng Zhaoran rolled his wrist, and his Battle Armor let out a crisp metallic clatter. "Come on, then. Let me see whether you're any stronger now that you've put on Four-Word Battle Armor."

"Arrogant!" Long Yeyue shouted. The phantoms of the Light and Dark Twin Dragons emerged behind her as she shot toward Leng Zhaoran like a meteor streaking with intertwined light and darkness!

"You can say the same for yourself. Since you want to play big, I'll see it through with you." Leng Zhaoran refused to be outdone. Heavenly Phoenix True Fire erupted at full force, transforming into a colossal fire phoenix that charged toward Long Yeyue!

Seeing that both of them had equipped Four-Word Battle Armor, Xiao Ran did not hold back either. A flash of azure light passed over him, and a set of azure Three-Word Battle Armor covered his body. Although the gap between Three-Word and Four-Word Battle Armor was immense, with the amplification of the Space-Time Divine Shuttle, he was still capable of interfering in this battle.

"Brother Xiao, fall back a little," Leng Zhaoran said. "The enhancement at the Four-Word Battle Armor level is not something Three-Word Battle Armor can compare with. You..."

"Don't worry, Brother Leng. I know my limits." Xiao Ran interrupted him, his gaze calmly settling on Long Yeyue. "Besides, that old sow dared to attack my son. If I don't leave her with a little memento, won't she think Xiao Ran is easy to bully?"

His tone was calm, but his words carried a chilling coldness.

Long Yeyue snorted disdainfully. "You? A level ninety-seven Super Douluo dares to act so wildly before me? Even with a divine weapon at your side, the gap between Three-Word and Four-Word Battle Armor is still beyond your reach!"

Although Long Yeyue's actual strength was nothing special, as deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion, her eye for such things remained sharp. She had already seen where Xiao Ran's current strength came from.

"How great that gap is, we'll find out if we try." Xiao Ran spoke blandly as azure light blazed from the Azure Sky Divine Spear.

"Courting death!" Long Yeyue shouted coldly, and the phantoms of the Light and Dark Twin Dragons roared as they lunged at Xiao Ran!

Naturally, Leng Zhaoran would not simply stand by. With a spread of his phoenix wings, Heavenly Phoenix True Fire turned into a wall of flame that blocked the Light and Dark Twin Dragons' path!

"Long Yeyue, I'm your opponent!" Leng Zhaoran roared. Light burst forth from the Phoenix Soars to the Nine Heavens Battle Armor, and the temperature of Heavenly Phoenix True Fire soared again, scorching the surrounding air until it twisted!

The two Demigod-level powerhouses clashed once more!

After putting on their Four-Word Battle Armor, both of their combat powers had risen to another level. Every collision produced thunderous booms, while terrifying energy shockwaves shredded the nearby clouds to pieces!

Xiao Ran waited for an opening at the side, azure light flowing over his Azure Sky Divine Spear.

However, the defensive power of Four-Word Battle Armor was simply too formidable. His ordinary attacks, even his once-famous and powerful Self-Created Soul Skill—Sub-Space Rift Slash—could only break through the outer layer of Soul Power defense enhanced by Long Yeyue's Yin-Yang Vastness Battle Armor and leave shallow marks upon it. They could not inflict any substantial damage at all.

This won't work. Xiao Ran frowned. I need something ruthless.

He took a deep breath, flashed away from Leng Zhaoran and Long Yeyue's battlefield, and opened up enough distance.

Then he closed his eyes.

Within his body, the Power of Empty Green circulated madly. The attributes of wind and space fused perfectly within him, transforming into a purer, deeper force. It flowed through his meridians and into the Azure Sky Divine Spear, causing the azure radiance on the spear shaft to grow brighter and more dazzling.

At the same time, the Space-Time Divine Shuttle trembled faintly within him, channeling a pure force of spatial laws into his body and merging it with his Power of Empty Green.

Xiao Ran slowly opened his eyes. A deep azure gleam flickered within them.

"Void Nirvana Nail."

He spoke softly, and the Azure Sky Divine Spear abruptly flew from his hand!

That strike carried no earth-shattering momentum, no dazzling brilliance, not even the sound of tearing through the air.

It was like an insubstantial shadow, silently crossing the sky as it shot toward Long Yeyue.

Yet anyone capable of sensing fluctuations in spatial laws would have discovered that space was silently collapsing wherever that spear passed! Fine spatial cracks spread around the spear tip, as though even the void itself had been torn apart by that strike!

Long Yeyue was fiercely battling Leng Zhaoran when she suddenly felt an intense sense of danger rush at her from the side! Instinctively, she tried to evade, only to discover that the attack had directly ripped through space and appeared before her!

"What?!"

Long Yeyue's pupils constricted sharply. It was already too late to dodge! She could only gather the power of the Light and Dark Twin Dragons before her chest and attempt to withstand the blow head-on!

However—

The moment that spear touched her Battle Armor, an eerie force abruptly erupted!

It was neither an ordinary physical attack nor an ordinary energy attack. It was an attack on the level of spatial laws!

At the spear tip, a tiny "spatial singularity" suddenly formed, then collapsed inward without limit! Under that collapsing force, the Four-Word Battle Armor on Long Yeyue's chest began to twist and deform!

Immediately afterward, the singularity erupted outward with an absolute force of tearing and severance!

Crack—!!!

A crisp shattering sound rang out!

A breach appeared in the Yin-Yang Vastness breastplate over Long Yeyue's chest!

Then the breach rapidly widened and spread outward! Pain shot through Long Yeyue's chest, and blood gushed from the wound, staining her Battle Armor red!

"Ah—!!!" Long Yeyue let out a shrill scream. The impact sent her flying backward, and she tumbled through the air several times before finally stabilizing herself!

She lowered her head toward her chest and saw a fist-sized hole in her breastplate. A trace of spatial law aura lingered around its edges, continuously eroding her Battle Armor. Beneath that hole, a chunk of her flesh had been gouged away as well. Blood dripped everywhere, leaving her in a pitiful state!

"You... you dare..." Long Yeyue raised her head, staring at Xiao Ran with disbelief and fury.

She had never imagined that a level ninety-seven Super Douluo could actually pierce her Four-Word Battle Armor and injure her!

It was simply inconceivable!

Long Yeyue looked down at the wound in her chest, then at the Azure Sky Divine Spear that had already returned to Xiao Ran's hand. Her eyes were filled with disbelief and boundless rage!

Xiao Ran retrieved the Azure Sky Divine Spear, his face somewhat pale. That Void Nirvana Nail had consumed more than half of his Soul Power, leaving him hollow inside.

Yet he still stood straight, calmly looking at Long Yeyue as he said, "I told you that anyone who dares attack my son must pay the price. This is only a small lesson. If you dare do it again, I won't mind opening a few more holes in you."

"You—!" Long Yeyue trembled with rage, but she had to admit that Xiao Ran's strike had indeed injured her.

The breastplate portion of her Four-Word Battle Armor, Yin-Yang Vastness, had already been severely damaged, and cracks had appeared in its core runes. If it was not repaired promptly, the armor's power would be greatly diminished.

Moreover, although the wound in her chest was not deep, injuries torn by spatial power were much harder to heal than normal wounds. If it was not treated quickly, it could easily leave lasting complications.

"Good, good, good! I will remember what happened today!" Long Yeyue said through clenched teeth. "Spirit Pagoda, just you wait!"

With that, her Light and Dark Dragon wings spread, and she turned to flee.

"Trying to run?" Leng Zhaoran sneered. He was about to pursue her when Xiao Ran stopped him.

"Brother Leng, don't pursue a desperate enemy." Xiao Ran shook his head. "Though she is injured, she still possesses seventy to eighty percent of her peak combat strength. It's nearly impossible for us to keep her here. Besides, Spirit Pagoda is not ready for an all-out war with Shrek Academy."

Leng Zhaoran was silent for a moment before nodding. "You're right. We'll let her go for now."

He looked at Long Yeyue's retreating figure and gave a cold laugh. "But by running away like this, Shrek Academy has lost all its face. A dignified deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion and Demigod-level powerhouse actually abandoned her own students and teachers to flee alone. Once word gets out, let's see how she'll have the face to walk the continent again!"

Xiao Ran smiled faintly but said nothing.

He lowered his gaze toward Heaven Dou City below, his eyes deep.

Although they had failed to keep Long Yeyue behind, this battle had accomplished his goal—letting the world know that anyone who touched Xiao Ran's son would have to pay the price.

On the ground, in Heaven Dou City's central plaza.

The audience looked up at the sky. Though they could not see the details of the battle, the crimson and silver-white flashes that erupted from time to time, along with the faint rumbling, let them feel just how fierce the fight was.

Suddenly, a figure entwined in black and white plummeted from high above, then turned into a speck of light at the edge of the horizon and vanished.

"Was that... the Light and Dark Douluo?"

"Why did she run?"

"Could she have lost?!"

An uproar erupted from the stands!

A short while later, Leng Zhaoran and Xiao Ran slowly descended onto the arena.

Although Leng Zhaoran's face was somewhat pale, he was in high spirits, his face bearing a satisfied smile. Xiao Ran's expression was calm, but closer inspection revealed a hint of weariness in his eyes.

"Everyone!" Leng Zhaoran swept his gaze across the surroundings and announced loudly, "Long Yeyue has been defeated and fled! Spirit Pagoda has won this battle!"

The Spirit Pagoda side of the audience erupted into cheers like a roaring sea!

"Long live Spirit Pagoda!"

"Long live the Seven Luminaries Team!"

"Tower Master Leng is mighty! Xiao Spirit Envoy is mighty!"

Leng Zhaoran smiled and waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down before continuing, "In addition, the teachers and students from Shrek Academy who came here to provoke us will be temporarily detained by Spirit Pagoda! If Shrek Academy wants them back, let them send someone to negotiate!"

As he spoke, he waved his hand. Several Spirit Pagoda stewards stepped forward and escorted away the Shrek Academy teachers and students—including Bai Xiao, Yu Momo, Ning Xia, and the others.

After the battle in Heaven Dou City, the entire continent was shaken.

News that the Spirit Pagoda Seven Luminaries Team had defeated Shrek Academy's first-year elites spread across every corner of the continent as if it had grown wings. The Demigod battle that followed pushed the incident to an even greater climax.

For a time, streets, alleys, teahouses, and taverns everywhere buzzed with discussion of that earth-shaking battle.

"Did you hear? Shrek Academy's Light and Dark Douluo, Long Yeyue, was beaten so badly by Spirit Pagoda's Heavenly Phoenix Douluo and that Xiao Spirit Envoy that she fled in disgrace!"

"More than just fled in disgrace! I heard Long Yeyue's Four-Word Battle Armor was pierced through! A piece of flesh was gouged from her chest, and she was covered in blood. It was awful!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Shrek Academy struts around all day, throwing its weight around and treating the other forces on the continent like dirt. This time they took a huge loss, didn't they? Hahaha!"

"And I heard that when Long Yeyue fled, she did not even care about Shrek Academy's students and teachers. She just ran off by herself! Tsk, tsk, tsk. A dignified deputy master of the Sea God Pavilion doing something like that... honestly..."

"Shh—keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish? You dare gossip about Shrek Academy?"

"What's there to fear? This isn't Shrek City! Besides, if Shrek Academy can do it, why can't others talk about it?"

Conversations like these played out endlessly throughout the continent.

Naturally, Spirit Pagoda would not let such a fine opportunity pass. They secretly added fuel to the flames, expanding the impact of their victory as much as possible. All sorts of versions of the story spread among the people.

Meanwhile, Shrek Academy was in a state of utter chaos.

Inside the Sea God Pavilion, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed water could drip from it.

Bei Dexun sat at the head of the table, his face frighteningly grim. Before him lay report after report, all containing detailed accounts of the battle in Heaven Dou City. Every one of them spoke of Shrek Academy's defeat and humiliation.

Long Yeyue sat beside him, pale-faced, with thick bandages wrapped around her chest. Her Four-Word Battle Armor, Yin-Yang Vastness, had been sent for emergency repairs, but its damaged core components could not be fully restored in a short time. This had greatly reduced her combat power.

"Speak. What exactly happened?" Bei Dexun's voice was calm, but anyone could hear the suppressed fury beneath that calmness.

Long Yeyue gritted her teeth and recounted the course of events in detail. Naturally, in her telling, she had acted only to "eliminate a budding Evil Soul Master," while Leng Zhaoran and Xiao Ran had "sheltered an Evil Soul Master" and joined forces to besiege her, forcing her into defeat and retreat.

"An Evil Soul Master?" Bei Dexun frowned. "Does that child named Xiao Cheng really show signs of becoming an Evil Soul Master?"

"Absolutely!" Long Yeyue said with certainty. "The power he used was clearly the Evil God Power of the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger! How could such an utterly evil power be controlled by an eight-year-old child? If he is allowed to continue unchecked, he will surely become a great threat in the future!"

Bei Dexun fell silent.

Of course, he knew what kind of existence the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger was. It was a legendary evil god beast feared even by gods, and its power was indeed filled with an aura of evil and destruction. If that child had truly inherited the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger's power, he was certainly a potential threat.

But...

"Do you have evidence?" Bei Dexun asked.

"Evidence?" Long Yeyue froze. "I saw it with my own eyes at the time..."

"Seeing it with your own eyes does not count as evidence." Bei Dexun interrupted her. "What we need is conclusive proof that the child truly has a tendency to fall into becoming an Evil Soul Master. Otherwise, if we rashly accuse Spirit Pagoda's genius of being an Evil Soul Master, outsiders will only think Shrek Academy cannot accept defeat."

Long Yeyue's face alternated between green and white, but she could not find any words to refute him.

"Furthermore," Bei Dexun continued, "you attacked an eight-year-old child in public. That alone has damaged Shrek Academy's reputation. Not to mention that you abandoned our academy's students and teachers and fled back alone..."

"I wasn't fleeing!" Long Yeyue argued. "That was a strategic retreat! My Four-Word Battle Armor was damaged at the time, and continuing to fight would only have put me at a greater disadvantage. So I chose to retreat temporarily and preserve my strength..."

"Enough." Bei Dexun waved his hand, a trace of exhaustion in his tone. "This matter ends here. I have already sent people to negotiate with Spirit Pagoda. We will redeem the detained students and teachers as soon as possible. As for Xiao Cheng... do not touch him for now. Just send people to observe him in secret."

Though Long Yeyue was unwilling, she did not dare say anything further and could only nod in assent.

However, the matter did not end there.

The War God Temple, another transcendent force on the continent, also paid close attention to this incident.

After reading the detailed report on the battle in Heaven Dou City, the master of the War God Temple, an unfathomably powerful old man, let out a meaningful laugh. He had an extremely poor impression of Shrek Academy, since it seemed that someone from Shrek Academy had stolen the heart of his heir.

"Interesting. Very interesting." He set down the report and looked at the several War God Temple elders below. "Spirit Pagoda's current generation has produced a few promising youngsters. Especially Xiao Ran. At level ninety-seven, he could injure a Demigod wearing Four-Word Battle Armor. That level of strength is already enough to warrant our attention."

"Temple Master, you mean..." an elder asked.

"Send someone to make contact." The master of the War God Temple said, "See whether we can recruit Xiao Ran into the War God Temple. Even if we cannot recruit him, we should maintain a good relationship. A talent like that is worth trying to win over."

"Yes!"

The Federation Government also paid close attention to this matter.

Although the Federation Government had always avoided directly intervening in disputes between Soul Master factions, the damage to Shrek Academy's reputation was good news to them.

After all, Shrek Academy's influence was too great—so great that even the Federation Government sometimes had to yield to it. Now that Shrek Academy had suffered such a major setback, the Federation Government was naturally delighted to see it.

There were even rumors that the Federation Government was already discussing whether to use this opportunity to strip Shrek Academy of some of its special privileges.

Of course, those rumors had not been confirmed. Do not believe rumors, and do not spread rumors.

Of course, the incident also had negative effects on Xiao Ran and Xiao Cheng. Some absolute supporters of Shrek Academy and the Tang Sect had turned their attention toward the father and son, but as a Spirit Envoy, Xiao Ran was not afraid of petty people targeting him. Within Spirit Pagoda, opposing Shrek Academy had already become political correctness. Combined with the victor's right to avoid blame, Spirit Pagoda would naturally shield Xiao Ran and his son from pressure from Shrek Academy.

Three days later, at Spirit Pagoda headquarters.

The seven members of the Seven Luminaries Team had gathered in a spacious meeting room.

After three days of recuperation, everyone had returned to peak condition. They were all in excellent spirits, their faces glowing with the joy of victory.

"I heard Shrek Academy has already sent people to negotiate," Leng Yaozhu said while eating fruit. "Apparently, they're willing to pay a large amount of compensation in exchange for those detained teachers and students."

"What kind of compensation?" Zhang Geyang asked curiously.

"I don't know the exact amount, but I heard it's extremely valuable," Leng Yaozhu said. "In any case, it hurts Shrek Academy tremendously."

"Then our hard work in that fight wasn't for nothing." Xiao Cheng smiled.

"Oh, and I also heard," Qiangu Dongfeng lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "that Spirit Pagoda's higher-ups have decided to take part of Shrek Academy's compensation, along with some rare resources from Spirit Pagoda's treasury, and use them as rewards for our Seven Luminaries Team."

"Really?!" Zhang Geyang's eyes lit up. "Doesn't that mean we're getting rich?"

"Look at your pathetic ambitions." Leng Yaozhu rolled her eyes at him. "Still, it really is quite a substantial reward. I heard each of us will receive at least one Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone. Though Spirit Pagoda will retain ultimate ownership of the Soul Bones, we'll have lifetime usage rights, along with some rare cultivation resources."

"A Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone?!" Zhang Geyang sucked in a sharp breath. "Spirit Pagoda is really being generous this time!"

"Of course." Leng Yaozhu said smugly. "We rendered a great service to Spirit Pagoda this time. Not only did we win the match, we also made Shrek Academy lose so much face. The Tower Master is happy, so naturally he'll reward us more generously."

Xiao Cheng was quite looking forward to it as well. He was also very eager for a treasure like a Soul Bone.