The Might of the Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon, a Black Brother's Sudden Betrayal, and an Apology Too Late (4K)

Beneath the pitch-black night sky over the Jingyang Mountain Range, the Golden Sword Lion King clashed head-on with Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan.

As a white barrier rose before his eyes, the Golden Sword Lion King curled his lips into a contemptuous sneer and shook his shoulders and neck. His magnificent golden mane bristled like tens of thousands of steel needles, and his enormous shadow plunged down.

He raised a forepaw armed with hooked claws. Five golden claw shadows shrieked through the air, tearing it apart before crashing into the barrier.

In an instant, the Level 8 soul tool shield groaned under the unbearable strain. Through its torn seams, Zheng Zhan saw the Lion King's savage, bloodthirsty eyes!

An innate soul skill-Golden Lion King Shattering Claw!

Its shattering effect specialized in breaking defenses!

The Level 8 defensive soul tool shield collapsed on contact, as flimsy as paper before the Lion King's Shattering Claw. Zheng Zhan's expression grew increasingly grim. Hundred-thousand-year soul beasts were rare within Sun Moon territory, living almost exclusively in the Evil Demon Forest, the Jingyang Mountain Range, and a handful of other soul beast habitats.

The Golden Sword Lion King's fearsome reputation was widely known throughout the Sun Moon Empire's soul master world. Zheng Zhan had initially hesitated to fight precisely because he feared this hundred-thousand-year soul beast's shattering ability. Defensive soul engineers were naturally countered by the Golden Sword Lion King.

Yet the true essence of soul guidance technology lay in ceaseless progress. Zheng Zhan had distinguished himself among his fellow defensive soul engineers and taken "Unbreakable" as his title, proving that his understanding of defense was anything but ordinary. He had prepared for attacks that broke through defenses!

White light shimmered and surged, forming a circular shield. Unlike traditional defensive soul tools, this white round shield had no heavy, solid appearance. It looked like a flowing layer of white ripples.

Zheng Zhan drew a deep breath. Nine soul rings-two yellow, two purple, and five black-rose around him as his resolute eyes locked onto the Golden Sword Lion King charging toward him like a whirlwind!

Boom!

The claws slammed into the round shield, instantly stirring countless ripples. The white waves churned violently, yet showed no sign of shattering.

The Golden Sword Lion King opened his mouth in surprise. His Shattering Claw had always been unstoppable. Even powerful soul beasts that excelled at defense, such as golden bears and golden elephants, could only perish in bitterness before it.

Zheng Zhan's defense was different. Rather than blindly pursuing hardness to withstand attacks, this shield could absorb part of an attacker's strength, convert it, and reflect it. Its overall defensive capability surpassed even a Level 9 soul tool shield!

A Level 9 soul tool-the Unbreakable Divine Shield!

"Beast, tonight we'll see whether my Unbreakable Divine Shield is tougher or your Shattering Claw is sharper!"

His furious roar shook heaven and earth. The Unbreakable Divine Shield expanded with a rumble, its white ripples turning from soft to hard and becoming a shock wave that hurled the Golden Sword Lion King away. The latter twisted in midair and answered with a thunderous roar. Aiming his enormous jaws at the Unbreakable Divine Shield, he snapped his saber teeth shut!

Sword met shield. The two mighty combatants stared into each other's eyes, separated by nothing more than a shield and a pair of saber teeth.

Zheng Zhan smelled the bloody breath pouring from the Lion King's mouth. The Golden Sword Lion King likewise saw the blazing resolve in Zheng Zhan's eyes.

Both had reasons they could never retreat.

The Lion King swore to defend the supreme dignity of the Jingyang Mountain Range's ruler and slaughter every human invader. Zheng Zhan, meanwhile, bore a heavy responsibility. The sensors he had previously left on the two All-Terrain Detection Soul Tools told him that five people were moving rapidly toward the mountain range's outskirts.

Three of the five students had powerful backgrounds. Wang Shaojie carried imperial blood, Ju Zi had an immensely powerful prince behind her, and Lin Qing was Kong Deming's chosen direct disciple.

Nothing could happen to those three. Zheng Zhan had to buy them precious time to escape the Jingyang Mountain Range!

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! The lions are catching up!"

Seeing the pride pursuing them like a nightmare through the crystal window, Wang Shaojie's dark face turned deathly pale. He urged Zi Mu to make the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool run faster.

"This is its top speed!"

Zi Mu's nerves were stretched taut. This soul tool had been designed with mountain combat in mind, but Xuan Ziwen certainly had never envisioned a desperate flight for their lives through an entire mountain range!

There were too many lions. The silver lions' elemental attacks sealed off the entire sky, leaving them afraid to activate their flying soul tools and escape through the air.

Under such airtight covering fire, flying would make them living targets. The two could only flee in panic aboard the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool. But the pride had been ordered to pursue them by the Golden Sword Lion King, and every lion displayed a tenacity unmatched in its lifetime. The ten-thousand-year lions gradually caught up!

Bang! Bang!

Two powerfully built ten-thousand-year golden lions seized an opening and leaped onto the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool. Their forepaws smashed its soul tool shield, and horrifying tears appeared above the two students' heads. Two rows of gleaming white fangs thrust through the gaps!

"Roar!"

Soul beasts' hatred of soul masters ran deep in their blood and bones. Relying on bodies like steel sinew and iron bone, the golden lions intended to tear open this troublesome metal lump and devour the terrified humans inside alive!

Zi Mu clenched his teeth and worked the control stick, changing direction repeatedly in an attempt to throw the two golden lions off the soul tool's back. Unfortunately, things went against his wishes. Their sickle-like claws remained firmly embedded in the metal, and under their tremendous strength, the alloy slowly tore apart toward either side!

"Snake-Guide Bullet, Serpents Dance."

A clear voice rang out like a savior's call, followed immediately by a dense chorus of objects slicing through the air. Dozens of spirit snakes descended like a net spread across heaven and earth, binding the golden lions into two tightly wrapped bundles.

Their claws came loose, and the golden lions tumbled off. Wang Shaojie and Zi Mu slumped in their seats, hearts pounding wildly in their chests as despair and elation tossed them up and down.

Through the front crystal window, they saw another All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool.

Ju Zi was driving, while Keke's high-explosive rapid-fire soul cannon protruded from the rear seat. Confident in his skill, a silver-gray figure had left the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool's protection and chosen to fly openly through the air!

"Damn, things are a lot livelier over here than on our side!"

Keke squeezed the trigger and fired a shell, unable to stop herself from swearing.

The dozen or so lions they had encountered in the forest had been no more than a small squad, dispatched by the three of them in a few quick blows. Their teammates by the rock face, however, had unfortunately run into the main force. Golden Lions and silver lions blanketed the mountainside, their oppressive presence like towering waves in a raging sea!

"The pride has blocked the only way down the mountain. I'll clear a path. Follow me!"

Lin Qing took the lead alone. There was not a trace of fear or retreat in his silver-gray eyes. His gaze resembled a lion roaring in desperation more than those of the pursuing pride.

He curled one hand around empty air. Steel Machinery Domain activated, and an iron-wall environment descended!

The pride's speed plummeted. Reality proved that not every soul beast possessed talent on the level of the Bronze Hellfire Dragon or the Doom Spider. Though these lions ruled the Jingyang Mountain Range, they had still failed to awaken a domain soul skill.

These lions were metal-attribute soul beasts, and immediately suffered the superior suppression of Ultimate Metal. Those with less than ten thousand years of cultivation could barely move. The metal-attribute soul power within them stirred uncontrollably, as though it might burst out of their bodies at any moment and pledge allegiance to the sovereign of metal in the sky!

"Roar!"

A silver lion with over fifty thousand years of cultivation threw back its head and roared. It was the Golden Sword Lion King's most trusted subordinate and the pride's second-in-command. Struggling to resist the attribute suppression, it ordered the ten-thousand-year lions to deal with the troublesome Lin Qing first!

The silver lion spat out a ball of silver light. It burst apart, abruptly releasing energy formed from six mixed elements.

Ranged attacks from the silver lions behind it followed one after another. Countless wind blades, fireballs, light beams, and dark rays filled the sky. The overwhelming elemental barrage came like a violent storm, leaving no room to breathe!

Moonlight blossomed, and indigo radiance poured in every direction. The full-moon halo was incomparably magnificent. The Level 9 soul tool Azure Sky Jade Moon activated, standing like an insurmountable moon and shutting out every attack.

As the residual soul power dispersed, the pride saw Lin Qing standing unharmed, four soul rings flashing in succession, and an incandescent white, dragon-shaped cannon gathering energy.

Steel Machinery Domain, Zero Generation, Machinery Growth, Machine Combustion-even the abundant free gold element in the air of the Jingyang Mountain Range surged madly into the muzzle!

The Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon!

High temperature, high pressure, blazing heat! The Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon gathered metal-attribute energy without restraint. Its core array, engraved in red demon fine gold, burned with abandon, while its sunfire iron casing grew boiling hot. Amid the Jingyang Mountain Range's deep darkness, the Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon looked like a dazzling sun!

Boom!

A crimson-gold fire dragon burst from the muzzle and hurtled like a flaming meteor toward the panicking pride below. Ten-thousand-year lions were ultimately in the minority. Most were still struggling under the Steel Machinery Domain's suppression.

Facing Ultimate Metal head-on, a flicker of fear appeared in the silver lion leader's eyes. Silver lions lacked the thick hides and tough flesh of golden lions. The oppressive might of the Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon filled it with a sense of danger!

The silver lion leader roared, summoning its kin to intercept the Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon's blast, but it was already too late. The shot's timing was viciously precise. The pride's all-out bombardment had been blocked by Azure Sky Jade Moon, leaving them in the vulnerable lull before they could muster fresh strength.

The fire dragon plunged into the center of the pride with claws bared and jaws open, raising a cloud of incandescent white smoke. A shock wave swept outward from its center. Even the Golden Sword Lion King and Zheng Zhan, locked in fierce combat far away, witnessed the vast, magnificent spectacle!

"Aooo-aoooo-"

Cries of anguish filled the land. The air reeked of scorched flesh and blood. White, yellow, purple, and black soul rings rose as the pride suffered devastating casualties. Severed limbs and ruined remains littered the ground. Golden lions lay motionless, while the silver lions, with their weaker physical defenses, met an even more horrific end.

The silver lion leader was drenched in blood. At the sight of its kin's miserable fate, its eyes nearly split with rage. Lion after lion had been obliterated without even bones remaining. It wished it could swallow that damned human butcher in a single bite!

"Fall back!"

Having landed his blow, Lin Qing did not linger. He turned his flying soul tool around, knowing full well to quit while he was ahead.

Without Azure Sky Jade Moon's cover, the Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon would not get another chance to inflict mass casualties. Nor was this the time to fight soul beasts to the death. Slowing the pride's pursuit was enough!

The Golden Lions took over from the silver lions, pursuing the group relentlessly. These physically powerful creatures were the pride's main warriors. Running on all fours as fast as the wind, they closed in on the two fleeing All-Terrain Detection Soul Tools.

Seeing this, Lin Qing shouldered his responsibility as class monitor. Snake-Guide Bullets bound the golden lions, while Finger Guns swarmed out, their frenzied hornets devouring the lions' lives.

Both sides were seeing red. The pride's numbers, accumulated over tens of thousands of years, had plummeted in a single night. They would not rest until every enemy was dead.

Like a merciless judge of the underworld, Lin Qing used every method available to delay the ten-thousand-year golden lions. At the same time, he singled out the easy prey-the hundred-year and thousand-year lions-to kill, intimidating the pride and forcing them to abandon the hunt.

But the pride was clearly a pack of stubborn brutes, utterly unwilling to abandon the slaughter. After paying a grievous price, the silver lions also began to rally. The pursuing force grew larger and larger!

"Shaojie, I'll control the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool. You support Lin Qing!"

Whatever their disagreements, this was a life-or-death chase, and Zi Mu calmly proposed a plan. Lin Qing was bound to struggle against such a large pride. Wang Shaojie and Keke excelled at using heavy artillery, making them the best suited to provide him with ranged support!

"Zi Mu, do you want to spend your whole life beneath him?" Wang Shaojie suddenly asked darkly.

"What do you mean?"

"Black is the true color of the Sun Moon Empire."

Wang Shaojie stared at Lin Qing intercepting the pride and Keke doing her best to share the burden. "Noble Sun Moon imperial blood flows through my veins," he said coldly. "I cannot accept an inferior Douluo native becoming the light of Sun Moon, much less a pillar holding up the Sun Moon Empire for a hundred years-even if he possesses Ultimate Metal, a talent seen once in a thousand years!"

Zi Mu shouted. Only today had he seen clearly that his closest friend was a knight of pure-blood racism!

"At that Hongchen Class selection tournament, Lin Qing destroyed my dignity in front of every teacher and student in the academy!"

The idea of exploiting the situation arose naturally. Wang Shaojie's face twisted savagely. "Our All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool was badly damaged by the golden lions. We're far slower than Ju Zi and the others. One careless mistake from Lin Qing, and we'll die in the lions' jaws!"

"The pride will catch up sooner or later, and they'll stay on guard against Lin Qing's aerial bombardment. If we want to survive, we have to find a way to escape faster than the others.

"Zi Mu, forget Ju Zi. Once we make it back to the academy alive, I'll help set you up with Princess Tian Zhen!"

The crushing pressure of mortal danger reverberated through his mind. The anger Wang Shaojie had bottled up for so long erupted alongside his desperate desire to survive. He shoved open the crystal window and swung his Level 5 armor-piercing cannon around like a madman, aiming at his teammates' All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool and firing without hesitation!

With an earthshaking blast, the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool's shield shattered. Ju Zi and Keke were thrown out, watching in disbelief as their teammates sped past.

Then they witnessed another blast hurtling over. The Giant Spear Dragon Devourer struck Wang Shaojie and Zi Mu's All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool with pinpoint accuracy.

The two stumbled out of the explosion, covered in dust and soot, bending over as they clutched wounds that would not stop bleeding. They had not expected Lin Qing's retaliation to come so swiftly and fiercely. Even while holding off the pride alone with barely a stain on his clothes, he had remembered to turn around and fire another Dragon Devourer shot. Their actions had truly killed eight hundred enemies at the cost of a thousand of their own.

The pride's main force remained entangled with Lin Qing. With all trust shattered, the team split in two, both sides deploying their flying soul tools and flying in different directions.

Naturally, the silver lion leader had no intention of letting any culprit escape. It dispatched two squads to hunt them down, each containing powerful golden lions and silver lions capable of long-range ground-to-air attacks. At the four students' flying speed, they could not shake off the pursuing pride.

"Roar-"

The Dragon Gland Thermonuclear Cannon's surprise attack had wiped out years of the pride's accumulated strength. If they could endure this, what could they not endure?

The silver lion leader gathered energy a second time. It believed this strike would surely extinguish the vicious human's life. A beam of six mixed elements shot into the heavens. The lions widened their eyes, eagerly awaiting the moment Lin Qing exploded into dust across the sky.

"Third Soul Skill, Elemental Transformation."

Before the entire pride's eyes, Lin Qing lit up his third soul ring and transformed into an elemental state. His physique, strengthened by the Three-Headed Blood Wyrm's brain core, helped him withstand the residual force of the silver lion leader's beam. He then calmly fled into the distance!

Crunch, crunch-

Blood surged through the silver lion leader's body, turning it into a "blood lion" in a second. Every lion present could sense their second-in-command's fury. Without needing orders, they obligingly began a sweeping search. Alive, they had to find him; dead, they had to find his corpse!

Once Elemental Transformation ended, Lin Qing retracted his flying soul tool and landed somewhere in the mountain forest. He drew on a Level 5 Milk Bottle to replenish his soul power. The continuous fighting had brought his reserves to the brink of exhaustion, urgently requiring replenishment.

"I thought I would have to save your life," Electrolux's aged voice rang out.

"It wasn't too bad. I saw Unbreakable Douluo stop that hundred-thousand-year Lion King. The remaining lions are countered by Ultimate Metal. They can't threaten my life," Lin Qing said calmly.

"The Lion King's attribute suits yours. Why don't I capture him and make him your soul ring?"

After absorbing a year's worth of the Netherworld's reincarnation aura, along with Nine Netherworld Soul-Nourishing Grass, Electrolux once again had enough strength to fight.

"Forget it." Lin Qing declined Elder Yi's tempting offer. "Unbreakable Douluo is nearby, and I don't want him to learn of your existence. Besides, having a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring as my fifth ring would be too fantastical. The Golden Sword Lion King isn't going anywhere. I can come back and settle accounts with him later."

"All right. It's your decision," Electrolux replied.

As the old man and the youth finished their conversation, a figure zigzagged across the sky and happened to crash down toward Lin Qing.

"Ow!"

Wang Shaojie rose painfully, clutching his head. Without the All-Terrain Detection Soul Tool's protection, he and Zi Mu had been blasted out of the sky by the pride and fallen in different directions.

"The road really does narrow when enemies meet. That saying never lied."

A familiar voice sounded behind him. Wang Shaojie's hot blood instantly ran cold. He slowly turned and saw Lin Qing studying him with a faint, ambiguous smile. He hurriedly forced an ugly grin. "Class monitor, brother! For the sake of us both being from the Sun Moon Empire, help a brother out! I lost my mind for a moment!"

Lin Qing remained unmoved and continued wiping his cannon's muzzle. This execution countdown shattered Wang Shaojie's composure. He shook his head incessantly, babbling incoherently, "What are you doing? Have you gone mad?"

"The Sun Moon Empire is a civilized nation, not the barbaric Douluo Three Kingdoms!"

"All right, I apologize! I'm willing to apologize to Ju Zi and Keke too! I know I was wrong, and I'll change. Please spare me this once!"

In the final moments of his life, Wang Shaojie watched helplessly as the cold cannon barrel spat searing fire. An indifferent voice reached his ears.

"Who cares about an apology afterward?"