Two Damn Offerings

Several days later, solemn silence enveloped the Worship Hall deep within Spirit Hall.

Overhead, the gilded relief of a six-winged angel gleamed coldly in the candlelight. Twelve pillars carved with coiling dragons encircled the hall, each inscribed with ancient soul incantations.

The five Offerings wore black-and-gold robes, the angel crests embroidered along their hems rising and falling faintly with their breathing. They knelt on one knee in unison and called out, "Greetings, Great Enshrined!"

Qian Daoliu stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his white hair frosty. The pressure of his rank ninety-nine soul power bore down like an invisible sledgehammer, making even the air tremble.

He slowly turned, his aged gaze sweeping over the other five Offerings before settling on the vacant seat of the Fourth Offering in the northwest corner.

A thin layer of dust covered the cushion there. The flame in its crystal candlestick had long since died, leaving only congealed tears of wax.

"Where is Fourth?" Qian Daoliu's voice was low and hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone.

The Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo, stepped forward. His metal bracers clinked crisply as he cupped his fist in salute. "Last month, Fourth said he wished to break through his cultivation bottleneck, so he entered a secluded chamber to cultivate. He has yet to emerge. May I ask why you summoned us today, Eldest?"

Behind him, the Third Offering, Azure Luan Douluo, narrowed his eyes slightly, while the Fifth Offering, Guanglin Douluo, unconsciously rubbed the soul tool at the waist.

Qian Daoliu sighed softly and swept his sleeve. A ring of golden runes suddenly appeared on the floor.

The runes rotated slowly, projecting the scene of Qian Fan's breakthrough: a blood-red pillar of light pierced the clouds, seven soul rings circled in the air, and the blood-colored markings on his fallen angel martial soul writhed like living creatures.

"You may find this hard to believe," Qian Daoliu said, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor, "but my grandson, Qian Fan, broke through to the Soul Saint realm just a few days ago. Moreover, his soul ring configuration is five black and two red."

Gasps immediately filled the hall. The Third Offering, Azure Luan Douluo, said, "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Xiao Fan is only sixteen, yet he has already reached the pinnacle of rank seventy, becoming a Soul Saint. With such world-shaking talent, he is certain to become a peerless powerhouse who sweeps across the continent!"

The Fifth Offering, Guanglin Douluo, frowned, fingertips unconsciously tracing divination runes in the air.

Qian Daoliu cleared his throat. The golden runes suddenly dissolved into countless motes of light, reassembling in the air into the outline of Zeus's phantom. "I haven't finished. During his breakthrough, Xiao Fan awakened a mysterious martial soul. Its pressure... suppressed even my six-winged angel."

Qian Daoliu's pupils contracted slightly as he recalled that day. When Zeus's phantom appeared, even the dome of the Worship Hall had trembled. The angel divine power within him had surged uncontrollably, as though it had encountered its true sovereign.

The five Offerings' expressions instantly grew grave.

Golden Crocodile Douluo tightened his grip on the battle-axe at his waist. "With talent like that, if the other factions learn of it..." "Precisely."

Qian Daoliu cut him off, his aged voice carrying unquestionable authority. "From today onward, you will all serve as Xiao Fan's Dao guardians. Remember, his safety matters more than any secret of Spirit Hall."

The Offerings bowed their heads to the floor in unison, their voices ringing throughout the hall. "From this day onward, we shall serve as Holy Son Qian Fan's Dao guardians and defend his safety unto death. Our hearts shine clear, with the sun and moon as our witnesses!"

Meanwhile.

Inside Qian Fan's bedchamber, the crystal chandelier suddenly burst with an ear-piercing crack.

Having just regained consciousness, Qian Fan bolted upright, his forehead covered in cold sweat. The relentless electronic notifications ringing in his head gave him a pounding headache.

"Ding! Emotional fluctuations detected in Azure Luan Douluo, Guanglin Douluo, Golden Crocodile Douluo... and other Douluos. Awarded 2,000 points and unlocked a legendary reward-[Shadow Divine Axe]."

A translucent status panel unfolded before his eyes. Qian Fan rubbed his eyes and muttered, "System, can you act normal for once? How am I getting rewards just lying here?"

Before he finished speaking, a crow's piercing cry suddenly rang out beyond the window.

The entire room plunged into darkness. The temperature plummeted, and even his breath condensed into white mist.

Qian Fan alertly rolled out of bed. Seven soul rings lit up around him, and the instant his fallen angel martial soul unfurled, the gust stirred up by its black wings overturned the tea set on the table.

"Who's there?!" Two dark figures burst through the window, the glow of nine soul rings faintly visible beneath their black cloaks. Qian Fan's pupils contracted sharply-two Titled Douluos! One raised a hand and immediately unleashed an enormous claw formed from soul power. The air warped around its tips, and it left scorched-black trails in its wake.

"Damn you! Mere Titled Douluos dare run wild before your granddaddy, the Free-and-Easy Immortal Venerable?!"

Qian Fan roared, and his first soul skill, Angel Shield, formed before him.

Yet the enormous claw pierced the shield effortlessly, grazing his shoulder before gouging five bone-deep claw marks into the wall. Qian Fan pressed his back against the wall, cold sweat soaking his clothes.

The effortless composure of his opponents' every movement made him realize these were no ordinary Titled Douluos.

His second soul skill, Angel Light Slash, sliced out with a sharp whistle, only to be easily neutralized by a soul tool the other black-clad figure casually tossed out.

"I can't keep this up!" Qian Fan gritted his teeth. Soul power surged wildly around him as his sixth soul skill, Fallen Domain, erupted.

Space throughout the room began to distort, and gravity abruptly increased tenfold.

Yet the black-clad figures' response defied his expectations-they exchanged a glance and burst out laughing together. One raised both hands, and an enormous sword of soul power slowly formed, blotting out the sky and sun.

Dark purple patterns flowed along the blade, each containing power capable of destroying heaven and earth. Qian Fan's throat tightened. The pressure left him barely able to breathe.

"I'll have to stake everything!" Qian Fan roared, and the Shadow Divine Axe appeared in his hand.

Eerie runes flowed across its pitch-black blade. Chains wound around the shaft, with several skulls glowing dimly at its end.

He poured all his soul power into the divine axe and hurled it! The axe became a streak of black light, cleaving straight through the enormous soul-power sword before hurtling toward the pair without losing momentum.

Yet the black-clad figures neither dodged nor evaded. Golden shields lit up around them as they laughed arrogantly. "Come on! Give us your best shot if you've got the guts!"

A moment later, two agonized screams tore through the night sky.

The shields shattered like glass. Both figures flew backward, smashing through three carved windows.

Having exhausted his last trace of soul power, Qian Fan collapsed to the floor. His mind went blank as he stared at the devastation before him.

When the smoke cleared, Azure Luan Douluo clambered up, rubbing his lower back with an embarrassed smile. "Xiao Fan, I only meant to test your strength..."

Before he could finish, Guanglin Douluo dragged him away, leaving Qian Fan sitting amid the fragments scattered across the floor, wanting to cry but unable to shed a tear.

Meanwhile.

In the imperial palace of the Dark Domain, two billion light-years from the Douluo Continent, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was difficult to breathe. Countless bones formed an enormous throne. Seated upon it was an old man in purple-black robes, black mist coiling around him. Distorted human faces flickered faintly within every strand.

"Divine envoy, have you located that other fragment of my incomplete soul?" The old man's voice seemed to come from the abyss of the Nine Hells, every word laden with pressure that made others tremble.

Below him, the divine envoy shook all over, forehead pressed to the floor. "Your Majesty, while observing the stars last night, I discovered that your soul fragment lies within a plane called the Douluo Continent. The power of its Plane Core may help you break through to the Great Dao Realm!"

The old man's eyes snapped open, blazing with scarlet light. The bones surrounding the throne groaned beneath the unbearable weight.

He rose, and the entire palace trembled. "Attend me! Lock onto its location immediately. All forces, march! Within thirty thousand years, I will seize the power of that plane's core!" Outside the palace, countless warships slowly ascended, the savage beast maws carved into their bows breathing dark purple energy. A war spanning planes was quietly brewing in the darkness...