Star Dou Great Forest,
At the edge of the core region.
Li Chen and Kong Deming collected all the Soul Bones, then patiently waited for Ji Juechen to finish absorbing his.
An hour soon passed.
Ji Juechen opened his eyes. A red Soul Ring appeared beneath his feet, while the Hundred Thousand Year Sky Azure Bull Python Right Arm Bone manifested over his right hand.
He had finished absorbing both the Soul Ring and Soul Bone.
Ji Juechen's aura rose to another level.
"This Sky Azure Bull Python packs some strength!"
Ji Juechen clenched his right hand hard.
The Sky Azure Bull Python's Soul Spirit appeared.
This was naturally Li Chen's doing. Ever since helping Huo Yuhao absorb the Silver Moon Wolf King's Soul Spirit last time, he had become quite familiar with Soul Spirit absorption.
The Sky Azure Bull Python naturally had no desire to become Ji Juechen's Soul Spirit, but Li Chen had bluntly declared, "You wouldn't want anything to happen to Xiao Wu, would you?"
The Sky Azure Bull Python agreed.
As for Er Ming,
That big, stupid ape had gone straight to his grave.
"Sky Azure Sluggish Divine Claw, Sky Azure Annihilation Divine Thunder... the two Soul Skills from this Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone really are pretty good."
Ji Juechen smiled.
His Hundred Thousand Year Soul Skill was Sky Azure Divine Sword, which remained a Soul Skill that simply enhanced his sword energy and destructive power.
"This Soul Spirit really is a curious thing."
Ji Juechen turned to look at the floating Sky Azure Bull Python Soul Spirit.
This was the first time Ji Juechen had ever seen something like a Soul Spirit.
"Indeed. Like that Silver Moon Wolf King last time, this Sky Azure Bull Python is dead, yet not dead. Even I can't make sense of it."
Kong Deming spoke with a smile.
Kong Deming reckoned that,
If Li Chen's Soul Spirit Method could someday be made available for all Soul Masters to use on their own, hunting Soul Rings would become much easier.
After all, if Soul Beasts knew they would not die, their will to resist would certainly be much weaker.
"You...!"
The Sky Azure Bull Python Soul Spirit gritted his teeth.
He had been blown to death without even knowing what was happening. At least he still had a Soul Spirit body now, whereas Er Ming, that big fool, was already gone.
"You what? The weak are meat for the strong. What's there to complain about?"
Ji Juechen snorted and drew him straight into his Sea of Spirit.
Outside the blast radius,
Chen Xin had already approached. Hidden behind a large tree, he watched the scene from afar.
"They're from the Sun Moon Sect!"
Chen Xin was stunned.
Once he made out the faces of Li Chen and the others, his eyes went wide.
"Could it be that the Sun Moon Sect caused this explosion...?"
"This is bad!"
"The Sun Moon Sect deceived the Heaven Dou Empire, and they deceived Spirit Hall too! They... they clearly have Soul Tools capable of threatening Titled Douluos!"
Chen Xin's pupils contracted, and his heart raced.
He understood in an instant.
The Sun Moon Sect's people clearly harbored the ambitions of wolves!
They were pretending to cooperate with Spirit Hall and the two great empires, even pretending to send Titled Douluos to guard the Thunder Hand Cannons. In reality, however, those Thunder Hand Cannons were utter trash compared to the Sun Moon Sect's true weapons!
Keeping this shocking discovery to himself, Chen Xin quietly backed away. He had to return to Heaven Dou City immediately and tell Fengzhi and the others!
When Chen Xin thought of Ning Fengzhi's plan to adopt Li Chen and Huo Yuhao, using a tiger to swallow the wolves, he was terrified.
Since the Sun Moon Sect possessed such devastating Soul Tools, whether they could defeat Spirit Hall was another matter, but they certainly had more than enough firepower to destroy the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!
He had to get back at once!
Just as Chen Xin quietly retreated,
Kong Deming suddenly said with a smile, "Sword Douluo, since you're here, why leave without saying hello?"
Chen Xin's pupils contracted.
With no time to wonder how that old fellow Kong Deming had discovered him,
Chen Xin turned and fled at full speed!
"Running? Sky Azure Sluggish Domain!"
Ji Juechen flew after him, and a terrifying Gravity Domain instantly bore down on Chen Xin.
The pressure made him stumble, but he was a Super Douluo, after all. He immediately gritted his teeth and drove his Soul Power, forcing his way out.
Just then,
Kong Deming flew ahead of Chen Xin and activated the [Silver Moon Divine Light Shield] with a smile!
A huge silver bowl descended over Chen Xin, trapping him beneath it.
"Damn it! Seven Kill Sword Avatar!"
"Ninth Soul Skill, Ten Thousand Swords as One!"
Chen Xin gritted his teeth and unleashed his full strength.
Now that he had stumbled upon the Sun Moon Sect's secret, he knew that if he could not escape, they would surely kill him to silence him!
Boom!
The enormous Seven Kill Sword Avatar appeared. At the same time, countless smaller Seven Kill Swords combined and fused with the avatar, concentrating their power at a single point as they attacked Kong Deming's silver shield!
"Hmph!"
"You're no swordsman at all! There's no skill in your attacks. You just rely on your Martial Soul and swing wildly!"
Ji Juechen snorted, drawing Demon Sword: Thousand Blades.
After advancing to Titled Douluo,
Ji Juechen had condensed his first Soul Core. Coupled with his understanding of swordsmanship, which far surpassed Chen Xin's, his combat strength was now every bit a match for Chen Xin's.
Ji Juechen flashed inside the silver shield and struck at Chen Xin!
His terrifying edge was several times sharper than it had been during their last sword duel in Heaven Dou City!
"You...!"
Chen Xin was scared out of his wits and hastily pulled back his Seven Kill Sword Avatar to block in front of him.
Bang!
The two swords collided.
To his horror, Chen Xin found himself knocked back to the ground!
"You... you only just broke through? How can you be so strong?!"
Chen Xin clutched his chest, despair clouding his eyes.
Ji Juechen stood high above him, looking down alongside Kong Deming.
"I have a Soul Core, and you don't. That's my first advantage."
"I have a clear sword heart and have never feared death. That's my second advantage."
"I have those first two advantages. That's my third advantage."
"So this time, you won't be able to stop me."
Ji Juechen spoke coldly.
The corner of Chen Xin's mouth twitched.
A Soul Core? He had never even heard of such a thing. But right now, the most important question was how he could get out alive and deliver the information!
Chen Xin hurriedly shouted:
"Friends from the Sun Moon Sect, we can talk this over!"
"Our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is your Sun Moon Sect's partner!"
"Why... why are you trying so ruthlessly to kill me?"
Kong Deming sneered. "Sword Douluo, surely you're joking with me? From the moment you saw the three of us, did you think we could let you leave?"
Chen Xin gritted his teeth. "I... I swear I won't tell anyone! You... you can imprison me! I... I could even join you!"
Li Chen flew into the air and shook his head.
"If you'd stayed stubborn to the end, we might actually have accepted you. But since you sold out the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect so easily, I think you're better off dead."
Chen Xin was dumbfounded.
"You! No matter what, I'm still a mighty rank-96 Super Douluo! If you insist on leaving me no way out, I'll take one of you to the grave with me, even if it costs me my life!"
Chen Xin's face twisted savagely. Faced with death, his aura abruptly surged. With the Seven Kill Sword in hand, he was ready for a desperate fight.
"What a joke!"
Kong Deming sneered. "I'm not even afraid of Xuan Zi. You're only rank 96, and you're not even his equal. Die!"
Chen Xin said no more and frantically drove his Seven Kill Sword into a flurry of slashes.
The Silver Moon Divine Light Shield shone, absorbing every attack. After half an hour passed,
Chen Xin stopped, panting for breath, while Kong Deming merely smiled and shook his head.
"How pathetic. Looks like you don't know that fellow Tang Hao's Ring Detonation. Then you're truly doomed today."
Kong Deming had not counterattacked immediately because Tang Hao's Ring Detonation last time had left him a little wary.
He worried that if Chen Xin escaped, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy would probably have to go to war ahead of schedule.
Now, it seemed,
He had worried for nothing. That Ring Detonation trick was probably known only to the Clear Sky Sect. Chen Xin did not know it.
"You...!"
Chen Xin coughed, breaking out in a cold sweat.
It was over.
This time, it really was over!
He, the mighty Sword Douluo and an elder of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, was actually going to die here today!
Just then,
A brawny man with black hair and golden eyes walked out.
"So you were the ones who caused the explosion?!"
He had come.
Di Tian had come.
Kong Deming's and Ji Juechen's pupils contracted, and both turned around.
Only then did they see that Di Tian had somehow already arrived nearby.
Kong Deming inwardly cursed.
Why had Di Tian actually come?!
Ji Juechen was equally grave. Although this was ten thousand years in the past, the oppressive weight of Di Tian's strength was no different from that of the Peerless Tang Sect era.
Kong Deming narrowed his eyes, prepared to sacrifice the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield to win the three of them a chance to escape Di Tian.
At that moment,
Chen Xin also looked toward Di Tian.
"Who are you?"
Chen Xin's brow twitched wildly. Di Tian's gaze alone made him feel an immense pressure.
That feeling was even more terrifying than Qian Daoliu!
It was as though the brawny man before him was not human, but a Ferocious Beast!
Di Tian scoffed and casually walked barefoot into the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield.
"I am Beast God Di Tian!"
"It seems you human Soul Masters have come up with something new. What is this? And that massive explosion, which killed so many of my subjects—was that your doing too?!"
Di Tian stamped his foot.
The surroundings immediately shook, and the phantom of a Golden-Eyed Black Dragon loomed over the four of them.
"What?! You're a Soul Beast?"
Chen Xin was horrified.
What Soul Beast could take human form and possess such terrifying strength?!
"I asked you a question!"
Di Tian demanded fiercely.
"It was them! They did it! I was only passing through. It has nothing to do with me!"
Chen Xin hurriedly spoke up. At this point, he no longer cared that Di Tian was a Soul Beast. As long as he could leave this place alive, anything was negotiable!
Di Tian raised his head and looked at Kong Deming and the other two.
"This is bad. It seems the modified Soul Tool Cannon shell was still too powerful. It alerted Di Tian after all."
"I'll keep Di Tian occupied in a moment. You two leave first."
Kong Deming spoke solemnly.
He had already prepared for the worst.
"There's no need. Elder Kong, I have a way."
Li Chen stepped forward.
The Auspicious Beast Soul Spirit manifested.
"Hm? This is... the Auspicious Beast? Why is the Auspicious Beast with you?!"
Di Tian was stunned.
Some time ago, the Emperor Auspicious Beast had vanished without a trace.
Stranger still,
he, the mighty Beast God Di Tian, had no idea who had taken the Auspicious Beast.
That person's fortune was even stronger than the Auspicious Beast's, leaving him no way to sense them.
The Auspicious Beast's Soul Spirit appeared and immediately greeted Di Tian with a smile.
"I'm doing great!"
The Auspicious Beast quickly told him what had happened and explained Li Chen's Soul Spirit Method. At the same time, the Sky Azure Bull Python's Soul Spirit appeared beside Ji Juechen.
"So you developed the Soul Spirit Method?"
Di Tian asked.
"Yes. And the Emperor Auspicious Beast and I now share one body with two souls. If you kill me, he'll die too."
"Let me keep refining the Soul Spirit Method. I'm confident I can spread it across the entire continent before I leave."
Di Tian considered this.
"Fine. I'll trust you for now. But if you fail, I'll slaughter your entire family!"
With that, Di Tian turned toward Chen Xin.
"You Titled Douluo aren't innocent either. You killed several of my Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. Today, I'll take your head as an offering to them!"
Chen Xin's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"They killed more than one of your Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts! I only led some people to kill a few Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, yet you, the Beast God, are going to kill me instead?"
Chen Xin was genuinely dumbfounded.
"Enough talk. Die!"
Di Tian raised a hand and seized at Chen Xin.
Chen Xin stared in shock at Di Tian's overwhelming Heavenly Might. He fought for his life, unleashing every killing move he had, but still fell in moments!
Di Tian held Chen Xin's head aloft and crushed his body to dust beneath one foot.
"Li Chen. That's your name. I'll remember it. If you break your promise, you'll meet the same end!"
Leaving that threat behind, Di Tian walked into the depths of the forest.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin had fallen!
Before you continue