The Holy Spirit Cult, Body Sect, and Offering Hall Gather

Xu Tianyuan showed not the slightest anger at Xu He's hysterical roar.

That same hypocritical smile still hung on his face:

"First Prince, people strive upward, while water flows downward.

Don't you understand even such a simple truth?"

His voice was calm, utterly devoid of guilt:

"There's no point saying more. If you must blame someone, blame your father for being too weak.

He couldn't give the people of the Sun Moon Empire the future they wanted."

With that, he turned toward Xu Yan with a faint, ambiguous smile:

"Second Prince, do you have any last words before you die? I would be happy to hear them."

Xu Yan suppressed the murderous intent surging within him, his expression as calm as ever:

"No last words, but I do have an unreasonable favor to ask."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

Xu Tianyuan showed a little interest, then added indifferently:

"You're a clever man. If you're going to beg me to spare your life, don't bother."

Xu Yan shook his head slightly. "It's only the two of us brothers you want to settle accounts with.

These two beside me have nothing to do with the imperial family's struggles. Please let them live."

At those words, Yan Feng's and Ji Juechen's expressions changed simultaneously.

"Xu Yan, what the hell are you saying?"

Yan Feng immediately objected in a low voice. "If we die, we die together! I'm never going to save my own skin alone!"

Ji Juechen's gaze was firm, his voice steady but brooking no argument:

"I'm not in the habit of abandoning my companions."

Xu Yan ignored them both, keeping his eyes fixed on Xu Tianyuan as he waited for an answer.

Xu Tianyuan glanced at Yan Feng and Ji Juechen.

Neither had any reputation to speak of. To him, they were insignificant nobodies.

But he had always been ruthless.

He believed in tearing weeds out by the roots, never leaving any potential threat behind.

"Sorry, but there's a saying I've remembered ever since childhood.

Leave the roots when cutting weeds, and the spring breeze will bring them back."

The instant his words fell, Xu Tianyuan's gaze turned piercingly cold.

His figure vanished into thin air.

A moment later, he appeared five meters from the four of them.

He reached out with his right hand, vast, surging soul power abruptly gathering in midair.

It formed an enormous palm of soul power that blotted out the sky.

With the might to crush everything, it thundered down!

"Princes, I'll send you to reunite with your father right now!

With them keeping you company, you won't be lonely!"

Chilling killing intent, wrapped in tremendous soul power, sealed off every escape route for the four of them.

Their deaths had been decreed.

"Then let's die together!"

A ruthless resolve flashed in Xu Yan's eyes.

He was just about to activate his Soul Tool Ring and take out the Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell for a desperate last stand.

But at that moment, with their lives hanging by a thread,

a deep, commanding shout suddenly rang through heaven and earth!

"Stop!"

Accompanying the shout, a black-and-purple centipede of soul power, several dozen feet long, burst out of a ruined house to one side.

It slammed viciously into the enormous descending palm of soul power.

Violent soul power instantly exploded in midair.

The sky-shrouding hand Xu Tianyuan had formed immediately shattered and dissipated completely.

The centipede of soul power hissed menacingly at Xu Tianyuan.

But it did not pursue him.

"Who's there?!"

Xu Tianyuan's expression abruptly darkened, and nine Soul Rings instantly rose beneath his feet.

Two yellow, two purple, and five black.

The immensely powerful soul power of a Titled Douluo swept in every direction.

He spread his spiritual power to its fullest extent, instantly locking onto the mysterious newcomer on a distant rooftop.

Xu Yan took the opportunity to look up, also wanting to see who had saved them.

But when he saw the man's appearance, the corner of his mouth twitched.

His expression grew somewhat odd.

A tall figure stood quietly on the rooftop.

His entire body was shrouded in a loose black robe.

The robe was embroidered with sinister centipede patterns, and he wore a hood and a mask.

His appearance and aura were concealed completely, hidden in darkness.

But most shocking of all were the nine Soul Rings beneath his feet.

One yellow, three purple, and five black.

That configuration, far beyond the norm, proclaimed his strength.

Together with the martial soul he had just displayed, it allowed Xu Yan to identify him immediately.

Nangong Wan, Second Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult, leader of the Xishui Alliance, and Heavenly Centipede Douluo.

A Level 93 Titled Douluo.

I never expected this guy to be the one who stepped in.

Xu Yan marveled inwardly and could not help speculating:

Could he have taken a fancy to my talent and want to abduct me into the Holy Spirit Cult to train me?

As his thoughts raced, Xu Tianyuan had also recognized the newcomer.

"Nangong Wan, leader of the Xishui Alliance!"

Xu Tianyuan spoke in a low voice, his tone full of oppressive force:

"What? Are you planning to interfere in my imperial family's affairs?

Do you intend to make an enemy of the entire Sun Moon Empire?"

Both men were Level 93 Titled Douluos, but Nangong Wan's combat strength was considerable.

Moreover, the Xishui Alliance behind him had extremely deep ties to the Holy Spirit Cult.

Having only just seized power, Xu Tianyuan did not want to make enemies lightly.

He immediately put aside all contempt.

"Heh, Prince Xu, you exaggerate."

A deep, hoarse chuckle came from beneath the mask, carrying a sinister chill.

"I have no interest in the imperial family's power struggles.

I came only because a youngster caught my eye, and I wish to take him as my disciple.

Please do me this courtesy."

As he spoke, his gaze fell directly on Yan Feng.

Shit!

The corner of Xu Yan's mouth twitched. He had been getting ahead of himself.

But on second thought, he understood.

Yan Feng's bone dragon martial soul was extremely unusual, precisely the sort of sinister martial soul the Holy Spirit Cult favored most.

In the original story, Yan Feng had wandered onto the Sun Moon Continent, only to be spotted by Zhongli Wu.

He had been taken back to the Holy Spirit Cult and accepted as a disciple.

Xu Yan simply had not expected Nangong Wan, that turncoat, to take his place this time.

"Xu Yan, this guy doesn't look like a good person!"

Yan Feng frowned deeply, lowering his voice in warning.

"He certainly isn't."

Xu Yan urged him quietly, "But staying alive matters most right now. Don't act on impulse. Go with him in a moment."

"No!"

Yan Feng refused without a second thought. "If you hadn't saved me back then, I'd already be dead.

I'm not some coward who clings to life and fears death.

Besides, we already agreed: we live together or die together!"

Xu Tianyuan's gaze darkened slightly as he looked at Yan Feng.

He had no desire to let any of them leave.

But the Xishui Alliance had an established working relationship with Xu Tianlong's faction.

He had only just taken power, and his foundations were still unstable.

There was no need to tear apart their relationship and create a rift over this.

After weighing his options briefly, he feigned generosity and laughed heartily:

"Haha, since you've asked, Nangong, of course I must grant you this courtesy.

He's just a nameless junior. Let him go, then."

Nangong Wan nodded slightly. "Then until we meet again. I'll take my leave."

He did not wish to linger either, wanting to bring Yan Feng back to the Holy Spirit Cult immediately.

Before Yan Feng could resist, Nangong Wan's soul power swept out.

An overwhelming binding force instantly enveloped Yan Feng, forcibly lifting him into the air and carrying him away.

Before the strong, the weak could not even resist.

There was not even any need to ask for the weak's opinion.

"Fuck! Let go of me, you old bastard! I'm not going with you!"

Yan Feng struggled with all his might, but the enormous gap in their cultivation was undeniable.

The soul power restraining him did not budge. He could not break free at all.

"Hmph. Boy, rather than lose your life here, you should come back with me."

Nangong Wan snorted softly and offered a casual reassurance. "With my training, your future will be limitless."

"Piss off! You don't look like a good person at all! I'm not going with you!"

"Xu Yan!" he roared desperately, his heart filled with defiance.

"Yan Feng, stay alive! Don't squander this chance!" Xu Yan called back.

In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared over the horizon.

Xu Yan then turned to Ji Juechen and joked with feigned ease:

"What a shame, old Ji. Nobody's fighting to take you as a disciple, so you'll have to join us brothers on the road to the Yellow Springs."

The corners of Ji Juechen's mouth lifted slightly, his expression composed:

"Just what I wanted."

"Heh. Such deep affection and loyalty."

Xu Tianyuan sneered, his killing intent rising again:

"I'll grant your wish and send you all to reunite!"

With those words, he mobilized his vast soul power once more.

The sky-shrouding hand formed a second time and thundered down.

Xu Yan's nerves stretched taut as he secretly activated his Soul Tool Ring.

He was ready to detonate the Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Shell and take his enemy down with him.

The light between heaven and earth abruptly dimmed.

Terrifying soul power pressure enveloped the entire area. Their doom was sealed!

But in that lightning-swift instant,

two utterly terrifying surges of soul power suddenly erupted from the eastern and western horizons.

They swept forward with crushing force, slamming head-on into Xu Tianyuan's giant hand of soul power!

They sought to interrupt his attack.

From the east, billowing emerald-green soul power carried a raging blast of air.

A fierce streak of force split off from it and suddenly struck at Xu Tianyuan himself!

It was so fast that Xu Tianyuan had no time to react.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted.

The Level 8 Invincible Soul Tool Shield on Xu Tianyuan instantly shattered.

Like a kite with its string cut, he shot backward.

He slammed deep into the towering city wall in the distance.

Rubble flew, and cracks spread through the wall.

"Pfft—"

Xu Tianyuan spewed a mouthful of blood. Fighting through the agony, he gritted his teeth and roared:

"Bastard! Who the hell are you?!"

He had never been in such a wretched state before.

"Du Busi! You dare trespass into Mingdu!"

A thunderous roar suddenly rang out in midair, shaking the entire city.

A radiant silver moon slowly rose into the sky.

Dazzling moonlight poured down, forcibly eclipsing the light of the rising sun.

Boundless, berserk Soul Power surged freely from the silver moon.

It collided violently with the emerald Soul Power to the east, the two forces crushing against each other.

The roofs of every building in the surrounding blocks were ripped off and shattered by the ferocious shock waves.

"Hmph, Kong Deming, this is hardly my first or second visit to your Mingdu. What can you do to me?"

Du Busi's cold, arrogant voice resounded through heaven and earth.

As his words fell, the boundless emerald Soul Power behind him abruptly condensed.

It transformed into an immense beast poised to devour its prey and lunged straight at the silver moon in the sky!

At the same time, the phantom of an emerald giant several dozen feet tall soared skyward.

Like an ancient ferocious beast descending into the mortal world, it gazed down imperiously upon all of Mingdu!

An utterly domineering pressure swept in every direction.

It forced Kong Deming to retreat again and again, his expression darkening to the extreme.

A Level 98 Super Douluo was truly terrifying!

The Soul Power of two supreme Titled Douluos clashed wildly, tearing at each other.

Heaven and earth trembled, and the winds and clouds changed color.

At the center of the battle, Xu He stared blankly, utterly bewildered:

"Who is this powerhouse?!"

Ji Juechen's gaze grew grave, and he said in a low voice:

"The Body Sect!"

"Hahaha! Looks like we won't be dying today!"

Gazing at the phantom of the incomparably domineering emerald giant in midair, Xu Yan laughed without restraint.

His eyes brimmed with exhilaration and wild joy at having escaped death.

"Brother Yan!"

Just then, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.

Xu Yan turned to look and discovered that it was Yan Feng.

Two burly middle-aged men with powerful auras accompanied him.

One of them had quite a bit of blood on him and had clearly just been through a fierce fight.

But the blood was clearly not his.

[PS: My new book is still in its launch period. I'm begging all you handsome, wealthy big shots for some support.

Spare me a few recommendation votes and monthly tickets so I can get a taste.

If that's too much, just keeping up with the latest chapters would be fine too. I bow to you all in thanks!]