The standoff did not last long.
Ghost Douluo subtly moved his finger, and three people in the team behind him moved simultaneously—two on the left and one on the right, forming a pincer movement towards Feng Qingxuan.
Feng Qingxuan did not retreat even half a step. When he raised his right hand, his Martial Soul had already appeared in front of him, and nine Soul Ring rose up from his feet one after another.
Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black, red—the aura rose higher and higher, until finally the red Soul Ring lit up, and the air in the entire courtyard seemed to be pressed down by something.
The three people hesitated for a moment when the red Soul Ring appeared, but the arrow had already left the bowstring, and they had no choice but to act. The three of them activated their Soul Skill at the same time and headed towards Feng Qingxuan.
Feng Qingxuan did not dodge. His Fifth Soul Ring lit up, and the azure vortex spun rapidly, deflecting the three Soul Skill. The three people were knocked back two steps by the aftershock, and their expressions changed from hesitation to solemnity.
Ghost Douluo remained standing still. When his gaze shifted from Feng Qingxuan's red Soul Ring, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
He pondered for a moment, then took a half-step to the side, bypassing Feng Qingxuan's front, and walked towards Dugu Bo.
Dugu Bo stepped out from behind Feng Qingxuan. He did not release his Martial Soul, but the faint serpentine aura around him made the air thicker.
Ghost Douluo raised his hand, and dark gray Soul Power condensed into a thin line that shot straight at Dugu Bo's chest with incredible speed. Dugu Bo dodged to the side, his fingers slightly curled within his sleeve—
Dugu Bo did not retaliate, but in the instant he dodged, his gaze passed over Ghost Douluo's shoulder and landed on two figures at the back of the group behind him.
When that thin line of Soul Power swept through the air, he smelled a familiar scent mixed in with the aftershocks of the Soul Power.
He had smelled that cold, damp smell, like it was seeping from rotten earth, before, near the Pill Pavilion branch in Godwind City.
Dugu Bo took a half step back, but his gaze never left the group behind the other person. He paused, as if confirming something, and then spoke, " Ghost Douluo, two of the people you brought aren't right, are they?"
Ghost Douluo paused slightly.
Dugu Bo didn't look at him; his gaze went over his shoulder and locked onto the two people behind him. "The one on the left in the gray robe, and the third one on the right, the shorter one."
The aura emanating from those two was completely different from the aftershocks of their Soul Power when they fought me earlier—that's a characteristic only Evil Soul Master possess."
The two people who were called out stiffened slightly at the same time, though only slightly, but everyone present could see it.
Ghost Douluo didn't turn around, but his movements paused for a fleeting moment—as if he hadn't expected to be singled out in this situation.
After Dugu Bo finished speaking, Ghost Douluo did not respond immediately. He did not turn around to confirm, nor did he order the attack to continue.
Although the two people behind him tried their best to remain calm, their body's instinctive reaction could not lie—all the Soul Master present could feel that the faint fluctuation of Soul Power was abnormal, and some people in the group had already begun to whisper among themselves.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through the courtyard. It wasn't a natural wind, but rather the aftershocks of the earlier collision of Soul Power.
A gust of wind ruffled the hem of someone's robe in the back row, and a bronze token slipped from his waist, landing on the stone slab, but it didn't attract much attention amidst the noisy discussions.
Dugu Bo glanced down, walked over, bent down, and picked it up. No one noticed his action, because everyone's attention was still on the two people from before.
Dugu Bo held the token in his hand, turned and stepped back to Feng Qingxuan's side. Taking advantage of this opening, he handed the token to Feng Lingtian, whispering two words: "Same."
Feng Lingtian took the token, his fingertip lingered on the engraving for a moment, and then he put it into his sleeve.
Following Dugu Bo's words, Feng Qingxuan took a step back, and the Soul Power of the Wind Wolf condensed into a cyan barrier in front of him, blocking the dark gray Soul Power of Ghost Douluo.
At that moment, a delicate balance was reached between the two sides—neither pressed forward nor retreated.
It was during this brief pause that Feng Lingtian emerged from behind Feng Qingxuan.
He bent down and placed the old token on the stone steps, then took out the one that Dugu Bo had just handed him from his sleeve and placed it next to him.
The two tokens are displayed side by side, with identical material, texture, and edge engravings, except for the serial numbers on the back, one old and one new.
"This token is one I brought back from a stronghold of Evil Soul Master," Feng Lingtian said, pointing to the one on the left and then to the one on the right. "This one was dropped by one of the people in your group that Senior Dugu Bo pointed out earlier."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over Ghost Douluo and the group behind him.
"Your Majesty Ghost Douluo, do you look familiar?"
After speaking, he straightened up, didn't say another word, took a step back, and stood back beside Feng Qingxuan.
Ghost Douluo never looked down at the two tokens, but his silence had lasted far too long.
No one spoke up for him, because among the row of people behind him wearing the Spirit Hall's standard armor, some had unconsciously taken a half-step back. It was the one in the gray robe and the one who was short.
Just then, footsteps came from outside the courtyard, unhurried and steady. A figure walked over from a distance, wearing the standard robe of the Spirit Hall Elder Hall, with a calm and composed gait.
He didn't look at Ghost Douluo, nor at the people behind Ghost Douluo who were clearly retreating, as if it all had nothing to do with him.
"The Third Elder Hall of the Spirit Hall is here," he said, stopping a short distance in front of Feng Qingxuan. "This matter ends here."
Feng Qingxuan didn't speak, but he didn't move aside either.
The Third Elder's gaze passed over Feng Qingxuan and landed on Feng Lingtian behind him.
The Third Elder glanced at it but said nothing more. He then turned to Feng Qingxuan and said, " Dean Feng, I don't blame your child for not knowing the rules. But some things can't be resolved with just two tokens."
Feng Qingxuan remained silent. The Third Elder, unperturbed, tilted his head slightly in the direction of Ghost Douluo: "Fall back."
Ghost Douluo turned around and took a step towards the group. Feng Qingxuan spoke up, " Ghost Douluo, you can leave, but some people can't."
The Third Elder stopped and turned around, finally looking directly at Feng Qingxuan: " Dean Feng, you are also Titled Douluo, you should know the difference between Level 96 and Level 92. You want to stop him, but can you really stop him?"
Feng Qingxuan did not answer. Behind him, Feng Lingtian took a scroll from his robes, unfolded it, placed it on the stone railing beside Feng Qingxuan, and then spoke:
" Salas's attempt to recruit Pill Pavilion was rejected a few days ago. The rumors spread across all three cities the very next day. Now, Ghost Douluo is leading his men to surround—"
Before he could finish speaking, the Third Elder's voice fell, cold as a knife. "A junior like you has no right to speak here."
As soon as he finished speaking, nine Soul Ring suddenly lit up, and the aura of Level 96 made half of the stone slabs in the courtyard tremble. Without saying anything more, he raised his hand, bypassed Feng Qingxuan, and grabbed directly at Feng Lingtian.
Feng Qingxuan reacted a beat too slow. His Soul Power had just clashed with Ghost Douluo's, and his aura hadn't fully subsided yet. The Third Elder's movements were too fast and too sudden. Feng Lingtian instinctively took half a step back, but there was a wall behind him.
Just as the Third Elder's fingertips were three steps away from Feng Lingtian, a hand reached out from the side and firmly grasped his wrist.
The Third Elder's released Soul Power was instantly suppressed, as if it had been forced back into his body by something.
By the time he realized what was happening, an old man was already standing between Feng Lingtian and Feng Qingxuan. He wasn't tall, but when he stood there, the light in the entire courtyard seemed to dim a degree.
The old man did not release his Soul Ring, but the residual Soul Power he emitted was enough to cause the stone slab at the Third Elder's feet to begin to crack under the pressure.
The Third Elder stared at the old man before him, his face ashen. He paused for a moment, then recognized the face. " Bai Yuanqi... when did you, a member of the Speed Family, start standing up for the Pill Pavilion?"
Bai Yuanqi did not answer, but simply stood there.
The Third Elder waited two breaths but received no answer, " The Wind Control Divine Sect has been dissolved for decades. What is your purpose in stepping forward today?"
Bai Yuanqi then spoke, "If you touch this child, I'll stop you. The rest is none of your concern."
The Third Elder stared at him for a long time without saying a word, his hand hovering in mid-air, not lowering it for a long time. He knew that Bai Yuanqi would not back down, and he also knew that he had no chance of winning if he took action.
The courtyard fell silent once more, but this time for a longer period than the previous two.