Sensing the change in Yang Wushuang and Niu Yue, Demon Bear Douluo finally showed a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes. He slowly rose from his chair, undisguised contempt written all over his face as he looked down on the two men.
"What, do you two have a problem?"
Yang Wushuang stepped forward, making the floor tiles tremble beneath his feet. His gaze was icy, his voice hard. "Although our two clans once stood on the opposite side from Spirit Hall, our conduct has always been worthy of heaven, earth, and righteousness. Please watch your tongue, Elder!"
"Watch my tongue?"
Demon Bear Douluo looked as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. He suddenly grinned, the thick flesh of his face quivering. The next second, his massive body gave a slight shudder, and terrifying pressure erupted like a tsunami, sweeping through the entire hall!
The air seemed to freeze in an instant. Tables, chairs, and benches creaked under the crushing force, and fine cracks began spreading across the walls.
Yang Wushuang's and Niu Yue's expressions changed sharply. Their Soul Power surged madly through their bodies, and dazzling light erupted from both of them. Seven Soul Rings rose one after another beneath each man's feet, and two powerful Soul Saint auras soared skyward as they fought with all their strength against Demon Bear Douluo's terrifying pressure.
But the difference between a Titled Douluo and a Soul Saint was that between clouds and mud, heaven and earth!
The terrifying pressure crashed down like a boulder weighing ten thousand pounds. Both men felt their chests tighten as they were forcibly driven back more than a dozen steps. Their heels carved two deep furrows into the hard bluestone floor before they barely managed to steady themselves.
Demon Bear Douluo showed no surprise at seeing them withstand his pressure. Yang Wushuang and Niu Yue had decent talent and formidable martial souls. There was nothing strange about their enduring the pressure he had released.
"What? Two insignificant Soul Saints dare dream of challenging a mighty Titled Douluo?" Demon Bear Douluo sneered, his gaze turning vicious.
"Believe it or not, with a single word from me, your Yang Family and Niu Family could be slaughtered from top to bottom-not even a chicken or dog would survive!"
The moment those words fell, bone-chilling murderous intent enveloped the entire hall. The temperature plummeted, as though everyone had fallen into an ice cellar.
Niu Yue's face flushed scarlet, his expression twisted with fury yet filled with helplessness.
As a Titled Douluo of Spirit Hall, Demon Bear Douluo was ruthless enough to do exactly what he threatened! Their Yang Family and Niu Family were merely two surrendered clans. Before a Titled Douluo, they were no different from ants.
Even if Yang Chang'an possessed exceptional talent, that was a matter for the future, which was full of uncertainties no one could predict. Demon Bear Douluo, however, was already a Titled Douluo-a Titled Douluo standing before them right now, capable of annihilating both clans with a wave of his hand!
Fury and fear churned inside Niu Yue. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, yet he dared not say another word.
But just then, Yang Wushuang suddenly gave a mocking laugh. He raised his head, his gaze cold and sharp, and stared fixedly at Demon Bear Douluo as he pronounced each word:
"You-wouldn't-dare!"
Those three words exploded like thunder!
Demon Bear Douluo's eyes instantly turned bone-chillingly cold, and his murderous intent erupted without restraint! Light flashed beneath his feet as nine Soul Rings-two yellow, two purple, and five black-suddenly appeared, spinning wildly around him and radiating a terrifying aura that seemed to change the very color of heaven and earth.
At the same time, the phantom of a savagely ferocious Demon Bear thundered into existence behind him. Its roar shook the entire hall violently, and the pressure pouring from his body instantly surged.
The air itself warped beneath that pressure. Yang Wushuang and Niu Yue felt every bone in their bodies groaning, as though they would be crushed in the next instant!
Clang!
Roar!
A piercing spear cry rang out from Yang Wushuang as his Soul Breaking Spear unleashed its full power; Niu Yue let out a deafening rhinoceros roar as well.
Two Soul Saint auras soared skyward as they desperately resisted, but they could not withstand the terrifying power of a Titled Douluo. Dense cracks instantly covered the room's walls and floor, as though everything might collapse at any moment!
Crack-crack-
The walls, floor, and supporting pillars of the Yang Family's entire hall were instantly riddled with cracks, as though the whole building might crumble at any moment!
"Two dogs with broken spines dare spout such arrogance before me?!" Demon Bear Douluo roared, his voice booming like a great bell and making their eardrums ache.
A resolute, mocking smile curled Yang Wushuang's lips. Even with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth beneath the crushing pressure, he showed no fear. Instead, he shouted, "Then do it! We already snatched these lives back from death. Trading them for your entire future, Demon Bear Douluo, would be one hell of a bargain!"
The Seven-Colored Splendor concerned Spirit Hall's grand plans for the future, and only he and Yang Wudi could produce it. If he died or refused to make any more, that major undertaking of Spirit Hall's would suffer a devastating blow, perhaps even grind to a halt.
Although Spirit Hall had been learning over the years, it still needed more time. He had remained the one producing the Seven-Colored Splendor all these years, and that was ironclad proof!
As for Yang Wudi, after the Four Single-Attribute Clans escaped Spirit Hall's pursuit back then, Spirit Hall had publicly declared that it would let bygones be bygones. If it dared seize Yang Wudi now, it would break its word before the world, and the losses would only outweigh the gains.
Most importantly-Yang Chang'an had caught Light Feather Douluo's eye!
Even as a Titled Douluo, Demon Bear Douluo would not lightly offend an Enshrined of the Worship Hall. Light Feather Douluo held an exalted position and possessed terrifying strength.
If Demon Bear Douluo truly dared kill him and Niu Yue, Light Feather Douluo naturally would not kill him outright, given his status and strength. But unless Demon Bear Douluo broke through to become a Peak Douluo, Light Feather Douluo would target and suppress him for the rest of his life!
At the level of an Enshrined, what mattered was face. Killing them would be an outright slap to Light Feather Douluo's face-and to the face of the entire Worship Hall!
From then on, even if Demon Bear Douluo could still move within the Worship Hall's faction, every step would be a struggle.
Unless he could break through to become a Peak Douluo. But with his abilities, was that even possible?
As Demon Bear Douluo listened to Yang Wushuang, his eyes grew colder and colder, his face so dark it seemed water might drip from it. Yet his clenched fist never came down.
He knew perfectly well that everything Yang Wushuang had said was true. Judging by this latest matter involving the Worship Hall, the Yang and Niu families had clearly caught the attention of an Enshrined.
Even the combined lives of the several hundred members of the Yang Family and Niu Family mattered less than his own future. Ruining his lifelong prospects over two insignificant families was a losing bargain no matter how he calculated it.
Demon Bear Douluo's face alternated between livid and pale. After a long silence, he suddenly burst into laughter, his voice steeped in malice.
"Fine! You're right! I indeed won't kill you. But though you may escape death, you won't escape punishment! Today, you two little wretches will learn what happens when you offend a Titled Douluo!"
As his words fell, the enormous Demon Bear phantom behind him instantly merged into his body.
The next second, his third Soul Ring erupted with blinding light. Dense black Soul Power condensed into an enormous bear paw, which smashed savagely toward Yang Wushuang and Niu Yue.
Yang Wushuang's and Niu Yue's pupils contracted sharply. Without the slightest hesitation, their Seventh Soul Rings erupted simultaneously with dazzling brilliance!
"Martial Soul Avatar!"
Two furious roars rang out together. Two enormous martial soul phantoms shielded them as they poured every last scrap of Soul Power into meeting that massive bear paw head-on!
Boom-!!!
A deafening explosion instantly echoed throughout the entire street!
The Yang Family's hall was blown to pieces. Tiles, stones, and pillars flew in every direction amid billowing dust, and in the blink of an eye, it became a heap of ruins!
Meanwhile, in a courtyard not far away within the Yang Family's grounds, Yang Chang'an and Niu Wenchuan heard the earth-shaking blast. Their expressions changed drastically, and without another word, they raced toward the hall!
"Grandpa!"
"Clan Chief!"
They had barely taken two steps before Yang Xue seized them both in a desperate embrace. Tears streamed down her face as she held them back with all her strength, shouting through her sobs, "Don't go! It's too dangerous! He's a Titled Douluo! You'll only be throwing your lives away!"
Yang Chang'an struggled desperately, his eyes bloodshot, but Yang Xue held him firmly in place, leaving him unable to move.
Before long, the dust cleared. A tall, powerfully built, black-bear-like man hovered above the ruins, like a demonic god descending upon the world.
His gaze was utterly cold as he looked down at Yang Wushuang and Niu Yue, who lay amid the rubble, coughing up blood and badly injured.
Demon Bear Douluo spoke coldly, his voice carrying throughout the Yang Family's grounds. "Yang Wushuang, remember this! The dignity of a Titled Douluo is not yours to challenge! If there's a next time, don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
With that, he swept a contemptuous glance over the members of the Yang Family. An arrogant smile on his face, he swaggered away through the air above their grounds.
Only after Demon Bear Douluo's figure vanished completely into the distant sky did the terrifying, suffocating pressure slowly dissipate.
Yang Chang'an remained tightly embraced by Yang Xue, but he no longer struggled. His once-clear eyes simply stared fixedly in the direction Demon Bear Douluo had departed.
He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles white and his nails digging deep into his palms, utterly unaware of the blood seeping out.
"Demon-Bear-Douluo!"