Conflict Reemerges

"Ha ha ha!" Zhao Wuji let out a wild laugh, so deafening it seemed ready to overturn the entire Peace Hotel. Disdain and fury flashed in his eyes, as though he were saying, "I, the mighty Demon King, have only been retired for a little over a decade, and someone already dares to provoke me!"

He rubbed his fists hard, his knuckles cracking loudly as if challenging his enemy. Then he stretched his limbs, and the eagerness in his expression made everyone shudder.

"Then let me see whether your fists are harder than mine! Martial spirit—Mighty Vajra Bear, possess me!" Zhao Wuji's voice boomed like thunder throughout the inn.

In an instant, seven Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black—rose from beneath Zhao Wuji's feet, dazzling like a rainbow. Every ring gleamed brilliantly, as though declaring Zhao Wuji's strength.

"Wow! A Soul Sage!"

"I'd say the Peace Hotel is in serious trouble this time."

The diners on the second floor cried out in amazement, their faces filled with awe and fear.

"Hmph! Then let's see!" Tie Hong refused to back down, a trace of ferocity and resolve in his eyes. He took a deep breath, then suddenly opened his mouth and let out an enraged roar.

A giant blood-red wolf appeared behind Tie Hong. Its body was as massive as a mountain, and its crimson fur burned like flames. Bloodthirsty light flickered in the Blood Wolf's eyes, as if it yearned for a bloody slaughter.

"What a Blood Wolf martial spirit! But it's not as if I've never fought a Soul Douluo before. Besides, you only just broke through to Soul Douluo." Zhao Wuji secretly praised him, but his movements did not hesitate in the slightest. He shouted, "Seventh Soul Skill—Beast Spirit Avatar!"

The deep-black seventh Soul Ring on Zhao Wuji's body suddenly erupted. Powerful energy surged and flowed across him like raging waves. His body began undergoing enormous changes, his muscles hardening like steel as they continuously swelled. In an instant, he grew to five meters tall, standing before everyone like a giant.

Thick, hard yellow-brown fur began covering his entire body like sturdy armor. His hands became enormous bear paws, their sharp claws glinting coldly as if capable of tearing apart anything.

At that moment, Zhao Wuji resembled a true Mighty Vajra Bear, brimming with boundless power and majesty. His roar boomed like thunder, shaking everyone to their core.

On the other side, Tie Hong's body trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, then abruptly unleashed his Spirit Avatar. Yet to everyone's surprise, Tie Hong's seventh Soul Skill, Spirit Avatar, did not transform him into a Blood Wolf for battle. Instead, the Blood Wolf martial spirit behind him opened its huge maw and swallowed him in a single bite with lightning speed.

Gu Hengzhi's eyes widened in shock. "Can this still be called a Blood Wolf? I think it should be called a Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf. This martial spirit is far too dangerous. It might devour its master in the future. Before long, a demon wolf may emerge into the world. I need to ask the four senior gods whether there's any solution."

After swallowing Tie Hong, the Blood Wolf's body began convulsing violently, as if controlled by some mysterious power. An unusual glimmer appeared in its eyes, which were filled with slaughter, savagery, and bloodlust. It was like a cunning fox and a sinister viper—the smug look of a scheme that had succeeded. Yet none of it escaped Gu Hengzhi's sharp gaze.

Once the convulsions ended, the Blood Wolf's body began expanding at an astonishing speed. Its muscles tightened, its bones cracked, and it seemed about to burst through its own skin. The killing aura swirling around it formed a surging black vortex, nearly tangible, as if it would devour the entire world. In a few years, or perhaps a dozen, this killing aura would likely condense into a Slaughter Domain and become one of the most terrifying existences in the world.

At last, the Blood Wolf's size stabilized at ten meters long. Its body was hard as steel, its fur burned like flames, and it radiated a suffocating presence. For a moment, Gu Hengzhi could not tell whether this Blood Wolf was Headmaster Tie Hong or the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf.

The Blood Wolf threw back its head and howled. The sound echoed between heaven and earth like thunder, as though announcing its arrival to the entire world. Its eyes were filled with greed and desire, as if calling for its wolf pack.

Immediately afterward, the sixth black Soul Ring on the Blood Wolf's body lit up. Its radiant glow shone as brilliantly as the sun. Behind it appeared eight Blood Wolves, each one a size smaller than it. Their figures drifted like ghosts, radiating a chilling aura. This was Tie Hong's sixth Soul Skill—Wolf Pack Summoning.

Every Blood Wolf radiated powerful soul power fluctuations. Each possessed forty percent of the original body's strength, and under the Spirit Avatar state, that power doubled once more. The Blood Wolves coordinated with flawless understanding, as though their souls had long fused into one.

Under the Spirit Avatar, the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf could not only use its other Soul Skills without restriction and double its attributes, but also enter a bloodthirsty state. It could consume any blood through bloodsucking, blood-burning, and other methods to enhance itself to varying degrees. However, as its power increased, its rationality gradually declined, consumed by endless desire for slaughter.

Watching the eight Blood Wolves pounce toward him, Zhao Wuji's lips curled slightly, and a flash of disdain crossed his eyes. His body stood as steady as a mountain, as if he did not consider these Blood Wolves worth his attention at all.

As his fourth Soul Skill—Lock-On Tracking—was activated, his gaze became sharp as an eagle's, locking firmly onto the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf. Then his first and second Soul Rings shone together, and his bear paws enlarged once again like two small mountains. Using the damage-reflection effect of his first Soul Skill—Immovable Bright King Body—he easily knocked the Blood Wolves aside. His figure flashed like lightning, and with a single leap, he arrived before the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf.

Seeing that its summoned Blood Wolves were useless, the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf howled furiously at the sky. Its deafening roar seemed poised to tear heaven and earth apart. Its eyes brimmed with resentment and unwillingness, as if cursing its useless Blood Wolf subordinates.

Yet before its howl could fade, Zhao Wuji's bear paw came crashing down like Mount Tai crushing an egg. The Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf did not dare delay for even a moment and immediately unleashed its first Soul Skill—Bloodshadow Flash. Its body moved like a ghost, instantly appearing behind Zhao Wuji and successfully evading the fatal blow.

Zhao Wuji's strike missed, and he was secretly startled. However, his reactions were extremely swift, and he immediately turned around to face the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf's next attack. At that moment, the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf's second Soul Skill—Blood-Rending Claw—was already slashing toward his back like lightning.

That claw was like the fangs of an evil ghost, carrying a fierce gust of wind as it went straight for Zhao Wuji's vital point. Yet Zhao Wuji's martial spirit was the Mighty Vajra Bear, and its defensive power was terrifying. Although Blood-Rending Claw was incomparably sharp, it only left a thin bloody mark on his back, like an insignificant scratch across his indestructible body.

However, the true terror of Blood-Rending Claw lay in its bleeding effect. As long as it broke through someone's defenses and drew blood, the wound would become difficult to heal and bleed continuously. Zhao Wuji felt the stabbing pain from his back, and his heart tightened. He quickly leaped away, widening the distance between himself and the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf.

He took a deep breath, determination flashing in his eyes as he unleashed two more Soul Skills. "Third Soul Skill—Gravity Enhancement! Fifth Soul Skill—Gravity Compression!" Both Soul Rings came from the Titan Giant Ape and possessed powerful, domain-like strength. They could force opponents to endure extreme gravity, greatly affecting their power, speed, and movements.

For a time, the entire space seemed shrouded beneath an invisible crushing pressure. The Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf's body became extraordinarily heavy, and its movements slowed. Yet there was not a trace of fear in its eyes, as if it had not realized the danger it was about to face.