Xiao Wu's Sacrifice, an Enormous Windfall!

Spirit Hall was their faith, and the Holy Son was the man who would lead them to greater glory.

They still could not make sense of what was happening, but one thought filled their minds: stop the Titled Douluo from the Clear Sky Sect.

As for the twelve Soul Douluo, they were powerless to stop them.

After all, they were the ones being held back now.

And even without that Titled Douluo, they were outnumbered. Their enemies could still send several Soul Douluo in pursuit.

Elsewhere, Bai Ye knew twelve Soul Douluo were chasing him. He fled at top speed with Xiao Wu, but he was only a level-fifty Soul Ancestor who had yet to obtain his fifth Soul Ring.

Even with a 210-percent boost to all his attributes, he could not outrun Soul Douluo who could fly.

A gap of more than thirty levels was too much for that boost to overcome.

Worse, some of those Soul Douluo had long-range Soul Skills, and they had already unleashed them.

Bai Ye sensed the powerful surges of Soul Power.

These were nothing like the attacks his eight allies had thrown at him earlier. There was nothing half-hearted about them.

Every strike was meant to kill him.

The attackers held back only because they feared killing the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast outright. Otherwise, they would have shown no mercy.

Bai Ye had already layered dozens of Holy Light Protections over himself and Xiao Wu, but more than one attack was coming from behind.

Each carried the power of a Soul Douluo. The Holy Light Protections, each capable of withstanding only one blow from a Soul King, shattered on contact.

Boom!

Dozens of protective barriers around Bai Ye broke in an instant. The blast knocked him to the ground, and Xiao Wu tumbled from his arms.

Bai Ye knew Xiao Wu might have seen through his Sacrificial Operation, but right now, aside from protecting her as best he could until she willingly completed the sacrifice, he had no better option.

"Pfft!"

Bai Ye spat out a mouthful of blood. Xiao Wu, whom he had shielded, was unharmed.

The twelve Soul Douluo seized the chance and closed in. Bai Ye did not dare waste a moment.

He activated his fourth Soul Skill, Rapid Healing.

In an instant, Bai Ye was fully healed. He scooped up Xiao Wu and sprinted onward, never noticing the way she looked at him.

The sight left the twelve Soul Douluo stunned.

This was Spirit Hall's Holy Son?

This was the man they had been ordered to kill?

How the hell was he this formidable?

Surviving attacks from several Soul Douluo was bad enough, but he had healed completely and run off in the blink of an eye?

He had to die!

If he lived, the Clear Sky Sect would never rise again!

Before the operation, Ning Fengzhi had made Bai Ye's terrifying abilities clear. Having never seen them for themselves, the Soul Douluo had not quite believed him.

Now they felt Ning Fengzhi had been far too conservative.

What Soul Ancestor could survive attacks from several Soul Douluo?

"Kill him! Stop holding back! If the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast dies too, so be it!"

One Soul Douluo, his eyes bloodshot, shouted himself hoarse and burst forward in pursuit.

The others snapped out of their daze and accelerated after him.

They were out for blood now. They would not stop until Bai Ye was dead.

Bai Ye was fast, and the Soul Douluo had lost time in their shock, but they soon caught up. All twelve locked on to him again and unleashed their powerful eighth Soul Skills!

This time, no one held back. Every one of them attacked.

Intent on killing him, they pushed their strength beyond its limits.

Twelve attacks struck toward Bai Ye's back almost at once.

"Damn it!"

Bai Ye's face changed. The surge of Soul Power behind him was far stronger than before. He poured eighty percent of his Soul Power into eighty layers of Holy Light Protection.

He did not know if they would hold, but this was everything he could do.

If he survived, he could use Rapid Healing again and return to full strength.

But the Soul Douluo would not stand there stunned a second time.

By the time he healed, they would be right in front of him.

Then he would have no say in what happened.

Spirit Hall's people were all pinned down, and he could not turn back to cast Honor Blessing on them. Otherwise, he would not be in this position.

For now, he could only put himself in danger and gamble.

He had to bet that Xiao Wu did not care about his proposed Sacrificial Operation.

So he hurled Xiao Wu away and shouted with all his strength.

"Xiao Wu, run! I'll hold them off!"

As he spoke, he stopped, turned around, and gripped the Apocalypse Hammer.

The twelve Soul Douluo were surprised, but smiles spread across their faces.

As far as they were concerned, the mission was about to be a complete success.

Spirit Hall's Holy Son would die, and the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast would not escape either.

They all ignored the second half of Bai Ye's shout.

I'll hold them off!

Bai Ye was not joking. His physical strength was not far short of a Titled Douluo's.

He was a support-type Soul Master, yes, but the Apocalypse Hammer could do more than support. It could attack.

The DNF Support Dad Template had given him offensive skills as well as support skills.

In simple terms, they were equivalent to Self-Created Soul Skills.

And compared with the Clear Sky Hammer, the Apocalypse Hammer was the true greatest tool-type Martial Soul in the world.

He was level fifty now and had mastered every skill available to the support class up to that level. Against a killing blow from twelve Soul Douluo, his best option was to meet it head-on.

After all, they had locked on to him. He could not escape.

"Hammer of Repentance!" Bai Ye roared. The Apocalypse Hammer swelled rapidly in his hands, reaching roughly ten meters in the blink of an eye. Sacred Runes flowed across its head.

The giant hammer slammed into the Soul Douluo's attacks.

Boom!

A deafening blast rang out. Smoke billowed, and towering trees nearby were caught in the shock wave and toppled.

Bai Ye had not managed to stop the twelve Soul Douluo's attacks. The Hammer of Repentance had weakened them, and his Holy Light Protections had absorbed part of the force, but he was still gravely wounded. His consciousness blurred.

Less than a tenth of his Soul Power remained. He could no longer use Rapid Healing.

Nor did he intend to.

When the smoke cleared, the twelve Soul Douluo were already standing before him.

Their arrival did not surprise Bai Ye. But when he saw someone else appear, he knew his gamble had paid off.

"Xiao Wu, why did you come back?" Bai Ye forced himself to stay conscious, his voice urgent. "Run... They're after me... not you..."

Then his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open.

Beyond his fading sight, Xiao Wu shook her head. Two trails of bloody tears ran down her cheeks.

As a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, she was nowhere near as innocent as she looked. She had also spent years living among humans.

The moment the pursuit began, she had sensed something was wrong, though she had not dwelled on it. Only when that Soul Douluo called Bai Ye the Holy Son did she understand.

No wonder Bai Ye had brought her to Sunset Forest instead of Star Dou Forest. He had been wary of Da Ming and Er Ming.

The realization had hurt more than she could bear.

After the time they had spent together, she had not wanted to believe it was true.

From then on, she had watched Bai Ye's face as he carried her. She saw nothing out of the ordinary.

But that in itself was suspicious.

Deep down, she knew it was all an act. He had done it to make her sacrifice herself.

Even so, she could not hate Bai Ye. She could not summon even the slightest trace of hatred.

Now, seeing him covered in blood, she felt only an even sharper ache for him, as though she had suffered those wounds herself.

Her reason told her it was all false.

Yet it had all felt so real.

At last, Xiao Wu understood.

Real or not, she knew she had fallen for him. From the moment Bai Ye shielded her behind him and faced three Titled Douluo, her heart had belonged to him completely.

"Brother, you're such a fool..." Xiao Wu whispered. If Bai Ye had simply asked, she would have sacrificed herself without hesitation. Without him, she would already have become a Titled Douluo's Soul Ring and Soul Bone.

Even if Bai Ye asked her to die, she would not hesitate.

As Xiao Wu finished speaking, a dazzling red light spread from the center of her forehead.

The twelve Soul Douluo sensed something was wrong and moved to strike Bai Ye down.

But it was too late.

Even if they had tried to stop her sooner, even if Xiao Wu had not reached Bai Ye, they had lost their chance the moment she made up her mind.

It had all happened in a flash.

Whether Bai Ye's feelings were real no longer mattered to Xiao Wu. With her heart set on him, she had only one thought: Bai Ye, the man she loved, had to live.

The red light became a crimson ring that expanded in an instant. Everything it touched turned blood-red, and at that moment, everything stopped.

It was absolute stillness. The twelve Soul Douluo could not move a fraction of an inch. Even their minds fell still.

Only Xiao Wu could move, her clothes reduced to ash and her body bare.

But no one could see her.

This was the power of a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast burning her own life force.

Xiao Wu held Bai Ye in her arms. "Brother, you really are a fool. Everything I have has belonged to you for a long time."

Blood-red flames began to burn around Xiao Wu. As they blazed brighter, her body grew more transparent, like red crystal.

The enormous ring of red light slowly contracted around Xiao Wu and the man she loved, though he had never truly been hers.

As it did, the absolute stillness gradually weakened. The twelve Soul Douluo regained consciousness, but they still could not move or see Xiao Wu and Bai Ye.

The light radiating from Xiao Wu was too intense.

But they had guessed what she was doing.

A hundred thousand years of cultivation!

That was a hundred thousand years of cultivation!

The twelve Soul Douluo's hearts bled. They bitterly regretted not striking without hesitation.

For now, though, all they could do was watch.

Each resolved to kill Bai Ye with overwhelming force and seize the Soul Bone the instant he could move again.

At the same time, Yue Guan and the others noticed the red ring. Spirit Hall's six Titled Douluo and Dugu Bo were overjoyed.

There had been problems along the way, but they had gotten the result they wanted.

Their expressions remained grave, however. The threat from the Clear Sky Sect was still there. Unless they dealt with it, they would have little chance of leaving Sunset Forest alive.

Bai Ye regained consciousness when the Soul Douluo did.

The moment Xiao Wu called him a fool, he knew his gamble had paid off.

But the sacrifice was not over. Xiao Wu might not care what had been real and what had been false, yet his eyes were filled with anguish.

Some of it was an act. Some of it was genuine.

His heart was not made of iron.

Xiao Wu could not speak now, but she could read something in Bai Ye's eyes. She smiled at him as though to say,

Brother, it's all right...

That smile shook Bai Ye. Suddenly, his Sacrificial Operation felt cruel to Xiao Wu.

She knew it had been a deception, yet she had chosen to sacrifice herself without looking back.

But the thought did not last long.

Xiao Wu was sacrificing both her life and her soul. She was giving herself to Bai Ye completely.

Bai Ye still felt that humans and Soul Beasts did not belong together, but in the end, he decided to give Xiao Wu the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

The flower had already accepted Xiao Wu as its master, and it was of little use to him.

Star Dou Forest.

Roar~~~

The Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python both sensed that something had happened to Xiao Wu.

The two beasts were frantic with worry.

But they did not know what had happened to her, let alone where she was.

Xiao Wu had told them Bai Ye treated her well and had several Titled Douluo protecting him.

With that in mind, both Soul Beasts arrived at the same plausible conclusion.

Someone coveted her and had tried to kill her for what they could gain!

But they could not help her in time, especially when they did not even know where she was.

Xiao Wu had said she would be studying at Shrek Academy, though.

And so the two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, the King of the Forest and the Forest Emperor, left Star Dou Forest.

"Sister Xiaowu, if you're safe, all is well. But if you're..."

In Sunset Forest, Xiao Wu's sacrifice ended. She turned into a rabbit and landed on Bai Ye, along with the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

Bai Ye immediately fed Xiao Wu the Lovesick Heartbreak Red.

He still felt that humans and Soul Beasts did not belong together, but he chose to do it anyway.

The flower had already accepted Xiao Wu as its master, and it was of little use to him.

The twelve Soul Douluo had no idea what was happening, and the scene moved them. But the moment Absolute Stillness ended, they showed no mercy. Having learned from their earlier failure, they struck to kill at the same instant.

But Bai Ye was no longer helpless, no longer someone they could slaughter at will.

Xiao Wu had become his fifth Soul Ring, bringing his Soul Power to level fifty-eight.

He had also gained a left arm bone, with two Soul Bone Skills: Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body.

The boost from his first Soul Skill, Honor Blessing, had risen from 210 percent to 250 percent across all attributes!

And that was far from all he had gained.

His fifth Soul Skill was called Divine Light. Its effect was astonishing: it reduced damage taken by 99 percent!

It lasted thirty minutes and consumed ten percent of his Soul Power.

In other words, even if he could not kill all twelve Soul Douluo before him, he could certainly protect himself.

And he had gained something else of enormous value.

That single rise in level had awakened his Innate Domain.

Apocalypse Domain!

Its effect kept his first Soul Skill active indefinitely and strengthened Holy Light Protection.

At level fifty-eight, Bai Ye was a Soul King. Normally, Holy Light Protection made him immune to attacks from Soul Kings and vanished after blocking one attack from a Soul Emperor.

But with his domain active, Holy Light Protection made him immune to every attack from a Soul Emperor and vanished only after blocking one attack from a Soul Sage.

His fourth Soul Skill had improved too. Even if he lost an arm or a leg, he could recover instantly.

Enemies within the domain also suffered a ten percent reduction to their attributes.

The domain's range depended on Bai Ye's mental strength. Right now, his Apocalypse Domain could cover one-fifth of the Sunset Forest.

He could grant boosts to allies within it.

His Soul Bone Skill, Teleportation, had improved as well. If he wished, he could teleport anywhere within the domain.

Of course, reaching level fifty-eight had also given Bai Ye several new Self-Created Soul Skills.

One of them was the Apocalypse Orb.

"So... all of you can die."