Little Demoness, I'm Coming In

"If you lose, you will lead the Strength Clan to submit to me."

Bai Ye's words overflowed with absolute confidence.

This time, the onlookers did not voice any doubt; instead, they all felt it was only natural for Bai Ye to possess such confidence.

After all, the vast majority of them had yet to recover from the shock of moments before.

"What if I win?" Tai Tan's eyes flashed with a sharp glint. He did not deny Bai Ye's formidable strength, but previously it had merely been due to his own carelessness. In the clash to come, he would hold nothing back; such an attack was enough to make even a Titled Douluo need to evade its edge.

He refused to believe Bai Ye possessed the strength of a Titled Douluo.

Tai Tan stared at Bai Ye, ready to strike the instant the other agreed.

Yet Bai Ye did not grant his wish, responding only with a mocking smile.

Anyone with an ounce of intelligence could understand the meaning behind it.

You, who have already been killed by me once, are even qualified to bargain with me?

Tai Tan's expression shifted. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Bai Ye cut him off.

"I won't lose. Begin."

As his voice faded, Bai Ye placed one hand behind his back and crooked a finger at Tai Tan.

The more nonchalant Bai Ye appeared, the more solemn Tai Tan's expression grew. He had no idea where Bai Ye's confidence came from.

He only knew that after his own full-powered strike, Bai Ye would certainly no longer look like this.

Tai Tan let out a loud shout, once again unleashing eight soul rings. Without a moment's delay, he activated his Martial Soul Avatar, then launched his ultimate strike straight at Bai Ye.

The onlookers could clearly sense that this punch from Tai Tan carried far greater might than the one before it.

Yet Bai Ye's confidence did not wane in the slightest, nor did his expression change at all.

Through the reinforcement of Xiao Wu's hundred thousand year soul ring and soul bone, the Eight Spider Lances had evolved once more, and the toughness of his physical body had already reached an immensely formidable level.

This was precisely why he believed he could absorb a hundred thousand year soul ring under normal circumstances.

Right now, the number of individuals across the entire continent whose physical toughness surpassed his could be counted on one hand.

Just as Tai Tan's attack was about to land on him, Bai Ye's right hand already gripped the Apocalypse Hammer, meeting Tai Tan's fist head-on.

This maneuver left everyone dumbfounded.

Facing a blow from a Power Attack System Soul Douluo, he was dealing with it in such a casual manner?

Panic instantly surfaced in Dugu Yan's eyes, while a flash of panic crossed Tai Tan's eyes as well. He felt that Bai Ye, facing his attack in this fashion, was about to be blasted into smithereens.

He considered whether he should pull his punch. After all, Bai Ye held a noble status; if an accident occurred, his entire Strength Clan would be buried along with him.

Yet by the time he decided to rein in his power, it was already too late.

His fist slammed into the Apocalypse Hammer.

Boom!

A deafening sound rang out, accompanied by billowing clouds of smoke kicked up by their collision.

As the smoke gradually dispersed, the onlookers who caught sight of the two figures felt their minds go completely blank.

For Bai Ye still held the hammer in one hand with the other behind his back, and remarkably, his position had not shifted by even a fraction of an inch.

Meanwhile, the Soul Douluo Tai Tan, patriarch of the Strength Clan, had been jarred back several steps by the recoil of the collision, a trail of bright red blood staining the corner of his mouth.

"I lost," Tai Tan muttered. The next instant, he collapsed onto the ground, utterly dejected and devoid of any will to live.

Not only had his unreserved, strongest strike failed to injure Bai Ye, but he had instead been injured by the counter-shock.

Anyone watching would have thought Bai Ye was the Soul Douluo and he the Soul King.

Witnessing this scene, Bai Ye surprisingly refrained from disturbing him, merely gazing at Tai Tan with a look of keen interest.

After all, the weight of his Apocalypse Hammer was approaching ten thousand catties, falling little short of Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer, which weighed over thirteen thousand catties.

Though he had merely stood his ground with the hammer raised without launching an active attack, Tai Tan had still sustained injuries, while he himself had naturally suffered some backlash as well.

Yet after a single Rapid Healing, he stood safe and sound right where he was, looking down imperiously at Tai Tan.

Seeing that enough time had passed, Bai Ye spoke indifferently: "You lost."

Yet Tai Tan acted as though he had heard nothing, still plunged in deep self-doubt.

Was he truly a Power Attack System soul master?

Frowning slightly, Bai Ye repeated himself. Dugu Yan chimed in with a shout as well, and someone in the crowd took the lead in calling out to Tai Tan.

Only then did Tai Tan snap back to his senses, scanning his surroundings before rising to his feet.

"Actually, losing to me is nothing to be ashamed of. I know you acknowledged Tang Hao as your master because of his Clear Sky Hammer and his strength, but right now..."

Before Bai Ye could finish, Tai Tan instantly grasped the implication. Hesitant and conflicted a moment before, he dropped directly to his knees.

"Greetings, Master!" Tai Tan bowed his head in reverence.

"Get up," Bai Ye said with a slight smile.

Tai Tan stood, the gaze he directed at Bai Ye filled with uncontainable fervor. Compared to Tang Hao, the Spirit Hall Holy Son before him was the true embodiment of strength.

He dared to say that let alone Tang Hao of the same era, even Tang Chen of the same era fell far short of Bai Ye.

"Master, my son and grandson..." Tai Tan said with a hint of embarrassment.

Bai Ye instantly cast Rapid Healing and Purification on both Tai Nuo and Tai Long. Not only were the two freed from their dizziness, but their physical conditions were also restored to their absolute peak.

"Grandfather."

"Dad?"

Tai Nuo and Tai Long wore faces of utter bewilderment. The next moment, Tai Tan instructed them to pledge allegiance as well. Having previously stood in terror of Tai Tan, and now realizing they didn't have to die, the two naturally dropped to their knees before Bai Ye without a moment's hesitation.

"Master."

"Mm."

Just like that, Bai Ye effortlessly subdued the Strength Clan. Led by Tai Tan, he and Dugu Yan entered the clan's grounds for a tour.

"Master, are you really a Support System soul master?" Tai Tan asked with utmost sincerity, while Tai Nuo and Tai Long, standing by his side, looked at Bai Ye with undisguised curiosity.

By this point, the two of them had already learned what had transpired while they were unconscious.

They could never have imagined that Tai Tan could be defeated by Bai Ye in a rapid succession of instant kills.

"Of course," Bai Ye said.

"But those massive pillars..." Tai Tan trailed off hesitantly, having clearly witnessed Bai Ye unleash an immensely powerful attack at the time.

Bai Ye explained with a smile: "That's because my supporting abilities are exceptionally strong, though it's also related to my own inherent power. While my skills are all supporting in nature, I also possess a self-created soul skill. That soul skill is called the Apocalypse Orb, and even a Titled Douluo cannot withstand it. It's only natural that you couldn't take it."

As those words fell, Tai Tan and the others sucked in a sharp breath of cold air.

"A self-created soul skill?"

"He can create his own soul skill at age twelve?"

Tai Tan felt that his current master was vastly superior to Tang Hao.

If he had to put it into words, Tang Hao was merely the light of a grain of rice, while Bai Ye shone with the dual brilliance of the sun and moon.

Dugu Yan's heart, moreover, was filled entirely with Bai Ye, leaving no room for anyone else.

After all, having witnessed a soul master of such peerless caliber, she could no longer muster any interest in others.

As for Yu Tianheng, she had no idea who that was.

Following that, Bai Ye informed Tai Tan of his intention to proceed with subjugating the remaining three clans.

"Master, you are completely capable of pulling this off. The Defense Clan enjoys a good relationship with my Strength Clan. As long as I go and do some persuading, that old bull will definitely be willing," Tai Tan said excitedly, viewing this as an opportunity to render service.

"The Breaking Clan harbors immense resentment toward the Clear Sky Sect. The miserable state of the Clear Sky Sect is common knowledge nowadays, and Yang Wudi is probably overjoyed. If Master goes there, he will certainly know how to act sensibly."

"As for the Speed Clan..."

At this point, Tai Tan paused.

Bai Ye naturally understood the reason behind it, prompting him to speak: "Although the Speed Clan has close ties with the Breaking Clan and has received rescue and aid from them over the years, their decision-maker happens to be related by blood to the Clear Sky Sect. Making them submit might not be so easy."

"However... it's of no consequence. If they won't submit, death will be their only option."

As he spoke, a smile played across Bai Ye's face. To him, wiping out an enemy clan was nothing worth mentioning; otherwise, those people would only come after him later on.

He held this exact attitude toward all four attribute clans.

"I recall that your four clans hold a gathering every two years. Four months from now should be the time for this gathering, right?" Bai Ye looked at Tai Tan.

"Master, even this is within your knowledge?" Tai Tan was stunned.

"Heh, I told you that Spirit Hall's intelligence network far surpasses your imagination," Bai Ye said.

Tai Tan indeed found it unimaginable; he could only feel that Spirit Hall was terrifyingly formidable, and that in front of them, no secrets existed under heaven.

"Does Master mean..." Tai Tan asked.

"I will accompany you there when the time comes, and simply take down the remaining three clans all at once, sparing me the trouble of running back and forth."

"Understood, Master!"

Soon after, a high-spirited Bai Ye left the Strength Clan with Dugu Yan and boarded a prepared carriage bound for Suotuo City.

Because Ning Rongrong was being detained at the Spirit Hall branch there, he needed to go release the little demoness and make her atone for her father's sins.

Inside the carriage, Bai Ye contemplated the future.

Once he subdued the remaining three clans over the next four months, his soul power would likely break through to the seventieth rank in one go after absorbing the Titan Giant Ape's soul ring and soul bone. Following that, by absorbing the Sky Azure Bull Python's soul ring and soul bone, his soul power would advance even further.

Bai Ye projected that after absorbing both hundred thousand year soul rings, his soul power would hover around the seventy-fifth rank.

At that time, he would be merely thirteen years old!

A seventy-fifth rank Soul Sage at thirteen years old!

This was far more terrifying than being a Soul King at twelve, considering that the higher the rank, the more arduous every step of advancement became.

"Master, what are you thinking about? Why are you smiling so happily?" Dugu Yan asked.

"Naturally, I was thinking of how wet you were just now." Bai Ye wore a grin.

Dugu Yan instantly flushed with shame, burying her face in Bai Ye's chest. "Master, you're so bad."

With that, she raised her head again to look into Bai Ye's face. "Still, I like it so much."

Bai Ye laughed heartily and lifted the curtain to look out the window, watching a vast maple forest enter his field of vision.

Seven days later, Bai Ye and Dugu Yan arrived in Suotuo City by carriage.

The branch master, having received word well in advance, waited at the city gates. Upon seeing Bai Ye's carriage arrive, he immediately escorted Bai Ye into the city and straight to the Spirit Hall branch.

Entering the branch, Bai Ye instructed Dugu Yan to go rest first, while he himself followed the branch master to the room where Ning Rongrong was being held.

Indeed, Spirit Hall lacked a conventional holding cell for prisoners, so Ning Rongrong had naturally been assigned to a proper room, with her accommodations maintained at the highest standard.

After all, upon seeing Ning Rongrong, they had already begun to comprehend why the Holy Son wished to keep her separately.

Of course, to prevent Ning Rongrong from committing suicide, they had bound her and fed her regular, measured meals.

Yet Ning Rongrong, bent on seeking death, refused to eat cooperatively, leaving female soul masters to force-feed her on schedule.

"Lord Holy Son, this subordinate will take his leave." After handing over the intelligence concerning Ning Rongrong, the branch master sensibly withdrew.

"Little demoness, I'm coming in." Bai Ye walked straight into the room where Ning Rongrong was imprisoned.