Just as Li Yunming's ultimate clash with the three Limit Douluo erupted with world-destroying power, another crucial battlefield also reached its conclusion.
Li Tianwu, the Emperor Sword Douluo, faced a level-97 Super Douluo of the Qiu Family renowned for his defense and strength. His Martial Soul was the heavy Black Tortoise Carapace Shield. Though he had been suppressed by Li Tianwu's Emperor Sword all along, his formidable defense allowed him to endure stubbornly behind his tortoise shell, waiting for a chance to strike back.
After failing to break through for so long, a flicker of impatience and resolve flashed through Li Tianwu's eyes. He knew the pressure the Grand Elder was facing in the skies above. He had to finish this opponent quickly, even if it meant paying a price.
"Emperor Sword, Radiant Heavenly Might!" Li Tianwu let out a long cry. Golden light blazed from the Emperor Sword in his hand, transforming into a massive golden pillar that crashed down with the force of splitting heaven and earth, its power surpassing every strike that had come before.
The Black Tortoise Douluo did not dare be careless. With an angry roar, he poured all his Soul Power into his Martial Soul Avatar. The enormous Black Tortoise Carapace Shield shone with dark light, its patterns vivid as though alive. A thick, rock-like sheen even condensed over its surface as it prepared to withstand this supreme blow head-on.
However, just as the golden pillar was about to collide with the Black Tortoise Carapace Shield, Li Tianwu gave his wrist an almost imperceptible flick. The sword intent at the core of that beam, which appeared to contain all his strength, actually shifted ever so slightly and... dispersed? At the same time, the vast sword domain around him seemed to falter for a fleeting instant, as though he lacked the strength to follow through.
"A perfect opportunity!" The Black Tortoise Douluo possessed immense combat experience and instantly caught that fleeting "opening"! Ecstasy surged through him. He believed Li Tianwu had exhausted too much Soul Power after failing to break through for so long and had finally revealed signs of fatigue. How could he possibly let such a chance slip away?
Without hesitation, he abandoned pure defense. Countless sharp barbs suddenly sprang from the edges of the heavy Black Tortoise Carapace Shield. Tilting the shield slightly, he intended to block the attack while slamming it back at Li Tianwu. If he could seriously injure him, it would be a tremendous achievement!
Idiot! Li Tianwu sneered inwardly. The seemingly scattered sword intent instantly condensed once more, becoming even denser and sharper than before! The Emperor Sword's pillar of light had been a feint. The true killing move was a thread-thin sword light hidden beneath that Radiant Heavenly Might, faster than thought itself—an unparalleled flash of light!
"Emperor Sword Art, Thread of Heaven!"
At the very instant the Black Tortoise Douluo turned sideways to strike with his shield, slightly exposing the vital point beneath his ribs, that thread of sword light seemed to transcend the distance of space. Silent yet invincible, it struck the weakest point where his Martial Soul Avatar connected to his body!
"Pfft—!"
There was no deafening explosion, only a faint, strange sound like a bubble popping.
The Black Tortoise Douluo's forward charge suddenly froze. The wild delight on his face instantly turned into utter horror and disbelief. He lowered his head and looked at his chest. There was no gaping wound there, only a tiny red dot. Yet in the next instant, countless fine golden cracks spread from that red dot across his entire chest and even through the phantom image of the Black Tortoise Carapace Shield behind him!
"Crack... crash!"
Like an exquisite porcelain vessel struck by a heavy blow, the Black Tortoise Carapace Shield Martial Soul that had made his name suddenly shattered beneath the spreading golden cracks! It turned into black motes of light that scattered through the sky.
"Urgh..." He opened his mouth as though wanting to say something, but only spewed out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. The backlash from his shattered Martial Soul was devastating. The Soul Power around him instantly collapsed, and his aura withered like an avalanche. His eyes rapidly dimmed, and his massive body, as though every bone had been pulled out, limply fell from the sky. Though he had not died immediately, he had already fallen into a critically injured, near-death state.
A level-97 Super Douluo had actually been decisively defeated by Li Tianwu in a head-on clash through exquisite tactics and even greater offensive power!
Yet before Li Tianwu could even breathe a slight sigh of relief, and before the allied Soul Masters below could cry out in shock at what they had seen, an indescribably terrifying pressure erupted from the center of Li Yunming's battle zone. It mixed utterly different yet equally vast auras of purification, destruction, venom, deathly stillness, and more, sweeping across heaven and earth like a tsunami!
It was the mixture of residual energy and will left behind by the ultimate collision of four Limit Douluo!
Under this pressure, infused with ultimate power, the entire battlefield—whether in the sky or on the ground—seemed to have been struck by an invisible hand that pressed the pause button.
Everyone in the midst of battle, whether Titled Douluo or ordinary Soul Masters, involuntarily froze. Blades and halberds swung through the air solidified mid-strike. The light of Soul Skills gathered in their palms stalled in place. Even falling drops of blood and drifting dust seemed trapped in viscous amber, slowing to an extreme crawl.
Countless gazes, carrying shock, horror, fear, wild joy, and all manner of tangled emotions, turned in unison toward the core battlefield high in the sky.
What did they see?
Qiu Qiansha, another pillar-like Limit Douluo of the Qiu Family, had nearly half his body blasted apart. Like a rag doll, he was being held by his clan leader, Qiu Miehun, his fate unknown.
She Duyun, the fearsome Poison Venerable of Five Poisons Valley, had one arm twisted and hanging limp, blood streaming from it as his aura churned in disorder.
As for the equally terrifying Poison Venerable Xie Qiyan, he sat cross-legged in the air, his aura weak and blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He had clearly suffered serious internal injuries.
Only the figure standing at the center with a spear in hand—Li Yunming! Though a streak of fresh blood marked the corner of his lips and his face was slightly pale, his upright figure still resembled a backbone holding up heaven and earth. His gaze was calm and profound, and as it swept across the battlefield, not a single person dared meet his eyes!
One man had faced three opponents of equal rank and achieved such a result?!
"H-how is this possible?!" A Titled Douluo of the Qiu Family muttered in disbelief, his face filled with unacceptable shock.
"Sky-Piercing... Sky-Piercing Douluo... Is he, is he even human?" A Soul Emperor from Five Poisons Valley spoke in a trembling voice, his hand clutching his weapon shaking uncontrollably.
"The Grand Elder is mighty!" One of the Li Family disciples was the first to shout, his voice cracking with excitement.
Then, as though a fuse had been lit, earth-shaking cheers erupted from the city walls and from the Li Family Soul Masters holding the ground below. The waves of sound shot into the heavens as the previous oppression and despair were replaced by wild joy and exhilaration!
"Infinitely close to divinity... Is this the power of one infinitely close to divinity?" Dongyue Qing stroked his beard as he watched Li Yunming, his eyes filled with amazement and complicated emotions. He knew that if he had been in Li Yunming's place, merely holding on without defeat would already have been his limit. There was no way he could have achieved such a feat.
Chen Jianjun stood with his sword sheathed, watching Li Yunming. Even in his cold eyes flashed a trace of admiration that was difficult to detect. He had pursued the ultimate path of the sword all his life, yet even he had to admit that in terms of absolute power and realm, this Li Family Grand Elder who had suddenly returned had already surpassed him.
The joy Li Tianwu felt at defeating a powerful enemy was also washed away by this even greater shock. As he looked at Li Yunming, all that remained in his heart was admiration.
Under this invisible intimidation, the Titled Douluo of both the Qiu Family and Five Poisons Valley instinctively stopped attacking. They retreated one after another, quickly widening the distance between themselves and their opponents before returning to the front of their respective camps. Every face bore solemnity, uncertainty, and a trace of fear that could not be concealed.
A three-way standoff temporarily formed in the skies. On one side stood Li Yunming, lightly injured but still brimming with unstoppable momentum, along with Li Yuanhui, Dongyue Qing, Chen Jianjun, Li Tianwu, and the other experts of the Li Family and Dongyue Family who swiftly gathered behind him. On another stood Qiu Miehun, supporting Qiu Qiansha, his face livid and twisted with rage, together with the remaining Titled Douluo of the Qiu Family, whose morale had already plummeted to rock bottom. The last side consisted of She Duyun, his left arm severely wounded, and Xie Qiyan, whose aura had weakened, leading the Titled Douluo of Five Poisons Valley. Even the dark green poisonous mist around them seemed to have dimmed somewhat.
The battlefield fell into an eerie silence. Only the howling wind and the faint groans of the wounded below reminded everyone of the brutality of the battle that had just taken place.
Everyone's eyes were focused on that bloodstained figure in white robes.
Li Yunming slowly raised his hand, and the cheers behind him gradually subsided. His calm gaze swept over Qiu Miehun and She Duyun. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly carried across the entire battlefield:
"Will you continue?"
Before you continue