The Grandmaster and the Supreme Pontiff

"You've already used your fourth Soul Skill. What else have you got?" Dugu Bo stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at him. "Relax. As long as you tell me all your secrets, I'll give you a quick death."

"And what if I don't?" Xiao Ran looked at Dugu Bo confidently.

"Then prepare to face my wrath." Dugu Bo attacked again.

Dugu Bo gathered his poison gas and sent it surging toward Xiao Ran, trying to force it into his body.

"Old man, do you really think I'm afraid of your poison? This Martial Soul Armor is completely sealed. If you can get your poison inside, I'll admit defeat." With that, Xiao Ran simply stood still.

The poison gas gathered around Xiao Ran, unable to find any opening to seep through.

"What?! What kind of Martial Soul do you have, brat? A Martial Soul and its Soul Master are one. How could you possibly be immune to my poison?" Dugu Bo stared straight at Xiao Ran, his mouth hanging open.

"Trash is still trash. Galaxy Form!"

Xiao Ran immediately switched to his Ultraman Ginga form.

"Did you really think I was just playing around with you?"

"Zero Wide Shot!"

Xiao Ran crossed his arms into an L, firing a powerful blue-white beam from his forearm.

"Hmph! I'm a Titled Douluo! Why would I fear a mere brat like you?"

"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"

Dugu Bo unleashed his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor Martial Soul without hesitation, dramatically boosting all his skills. The serpent spat a green beam of poison that collided with the incoming Zero Wide Shot.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

Powerful as Xiao Ran's beam skill was, it could not overcome the enormous gulf between his Soul Power and Dugu Bo's.

Dugu Bo's poison beam was greatly weakened in the clash, and Xiao Ran nimbly dodged it.

"The gap between us isn't something a single beam can bridge." Dugu Bo seemed to take great pride in bullying a child.

"Time to end this, brat."

"Ninth Soul Skill, Jade Phosphor Divine Light!"

This was Dugu Bo's ultimate killing move: a blast of jade-green, lethally poisonous divine light, so corrosive that its toxins dissolved everything in its path. During the battle at Jialing Pass, this move had poisoned and corroded the entire city.

"So this is your ninth Soul Skill? Nothing special."

"Paladji Shield!"

Blue light burst from the bracelet on his wrist. Silver-white armor rapidly spread up his arm and across his body, while a massive sacred shield unfolded behind him. His ultimate form was complete in an instant.

"Ultimate Ginga Arrow!"

Xiao Ran drew the bowstring all the way back, blue light gathering into an arrow. The moment he released it, the arrow tore through space as it shot forward.

"Argh!" Dugu Bo gritted his teeth and held on, bracing both hands in front of him.

"Just what the hell is this brat?!"

But the arrow was devastatingly powerful. As their attacks clashed, it ripped open the void, sucking all of Dugu Bo's Jade Phosphor Divine Light into an alternate dimension.

"What?!" Dugu Bo stared at the sight before him, his face filled with shock.

"You can even control spatial power? Then I definitely can't let you live!"

"Medusa Head Soul Bone skill—Medusa's Gaze!"

Dugu Bo leaped onto the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head. Green light flared in the serpent's eyes, and two petrification rays shot straight at Xiao Ran, who kept dodging with nimble footwork.

Damn it, that arrow used up a lot of my Soul Power. I can't keep using it, Xiao Ran thought.

Dugu Bo did not spare even the nearby trees or the ground. Everything the rays touched turned to stone.

"Keep shooting. I know you're panicking. There's no pattern to your attacks anymore."

Dugu Bo had completely lost his rhythm, and anxiety churned inside him.

Seizing the gap before Dugu Bo's next attack, Xiao Ran unleashed a beam skill.

"Caught your windup! Zeperion Ray!" With zero startup, Xiao Ran fired straight at Dugu Bo.

"Hyah!"

"Take this!"

Dugu Bo took the full force of the scorching purple-white beam and fell from the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor's head.

He braced one hand against the ground, panting heavily as he glared viciously at Xiao Ran.

Pressed for time, Xiao Ran had not charged the beam, greatly reducing its power.

"Now the tables have turned!" Xiao Ran said excitedly.

Looks like the continent's famous Poison Douluo is going to fall at my hands. People will laugh themselves silly when word gets out.

"Hahahahaha..."

"Don't get cocky, brat! Tang San and I are brothers now. If you kill me, his father won't let you off! His father is Tang Hao, the man whose very name once terrified your Spirit Hall!" Dugu Bo shouted.

"Tch, Tang Hao isn't worth shit. Don't think dropping his name will scare me. If he's so powerful, let him come destroy Spirit Hall right now! Coward!" Xiao Ran rolled his eyes.

"Give yourself up!"

"Ultraman Gaia's beam skill: Photon Stream!"

Xiao Ran pressed his palms together, gathering photon energy, then shifted his right hand aside. A scorching orange-red stream of light blasted out.

Boom!

When the black smoke cleared, a formation of black bones stood directly in front of Dugu Bo.

"Gu Rong! He actually followed us here? Then where's Senior Chrysanthemum Douluo?" Xiao Ran exclaimed in surprise.

"You little bastard. I never imagined you'd improve this quickly. All the more reason not to let you live!" Wasting no more words, Gu Rong prepared his ultimate move.

"Ninth Soul Skill, Bone Dragon Transformation!"

Gu Rong gave a low shout. White bones surged, countless bones winding around his body as a gigantic dragon took shape! He charged straight at Xiao Ran.

"Shit!" Xiao Ran fled at full speed.

"You think you can touch someone from Spirit Hall? Not a chance!"

"Two Extremes Stillness Domain!"

Spectral Soul Power mingled with chrysanthemum-colored Soul Power and spread outward, freezing both Gu Rong's body and his Soul Power in place.

"Huh? Chrysanthemum Douluo? Ghost Douluo?" Xiao Ran saw hope.

"Xiao Ran, get Yan back to Spirit Hall, quickly." A hint of urgency laced Ghost Douluo's grim voice.

Yan lay half-conscious on the ground where Ghost Douluo had brought him. Without another word, Xiao Ran scooped him up and sped away.

"Gui Mei, you can't hold me for long!" Gu Rong's voice rumbled like muffled thunder from within the domain.

Seeing that Xiao Ran was already far away, Ghost Douluo prepared to leave as well.

His expression dark, Ghost Douluo barked at Chrysanthemum Douluo, "Old Chrysanthemum, withdraw the domain. We're leaving!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan's Soul Power was nearly exhausted. He gritted his teeth and nodded. The Two Extremes Stillness Domain abruptly contracted, and an instant before Gu Rong broke free, the two men shot into the sky as streaks of gold and black light.

Once the domain vanished, Gu Rong landed with a livid expression. Dugu Bo was kneeling beside the poisonous mire, gasping for breath. His left shoulder was charred black, and traces of jade-green blood still clung to the corner of his mouth.

"Old Poison, you're a disgrace to the title of Titled Douluo. You couldn't even handle a rank forty-five brat!" Bone Douluo said harshly.

Dugu Bo struggled to his feet. "There's something seriously wrong with that brat. His Martial Soul can resist my poison, and he can even control spatial power. Gu Rong, are you just going to let them leave?"

Gu Rong gave him a cold look. "Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo are working together. In our current state, chasing them would be suicide."

Dugu Bo fell silent.