The Sea God Pavilion Elders stared warily at the black-robed man before them. They had only ever felt such terrifying might from one person.
Dragon God Douluo, Mu En.
"Your Excellency, as a venerable Limit Douluo, may I ask how Shrek Academy has offended you?" Elder Zhuang asked with a bow.
His voice was hoarse, with a slight doubled undertone that Huo Yuhao keenly picked up on.
The undertone trailing Elder Zhuang's voice was exactly the same as the screams from the Deity Slave Seal.
"As expected, the corruption runs deep..."
Huo Yuhao lowered his voice, gazing at the enormous Golden Ancient Tree as he muttered to himself.
He had nothing left to say to these puppets of the gods.
Dark purple Soul Power erupted. The longsword in his hand gathered power, and Sword Qi shot into the sky!
"Why waste words on him? Just five people and a hundred-odd ants. Kill them outright!"
Elder Lin could no longer hold back. Nine Soul Rings rose around her-two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red. Her rank-ninety-seven cultivation filled her with confidence as she charged straight at Huo Yuhao.
Helpless, Elder Zhuang raised his nine Soul Rings. His fifth ring lit up, sending several streams of life force directly into Elder Lin ahead and the several Elders nearby.
The other Elders also revealed their Martial Souls. Every one of them was a Titled Douluo. Vast quantities of power gathered in their hands as they unleashed their Soul Skills, accompanying Elder Lin in a fierce assault on Huo Yuhao.
"I don't know who you are! But since you've come, you're staying here for good!"
Elder Lin clamored, sweeping straight toward Huo Yuhao with terrifying Soul Power pressure.
Huo Yuhao's eyes shifted. His longsword swept out, its edge stirring up a terrifying hurricane that dismantled every attack from the Elders and hurtled onward with fierce Sword Qi.
Utterly unafraid, Elder Lin blasted out a Soul Skill to meet the Sword Qi before her.
Countless currents of air instantly swept outward!
Huo Yuhao turned his wrist and stepped forward, his figure flashing out. Under cover of the Sword Qi, he appeared directly behind Elder Lin.
Elder Lin's eyes widened in disbelief, and she was just about to turn and attack.
A bloody line abruptly appeared on her forehead, running straight down as beads of blood seeped out!
"You..."
Elder Lin's voice trembled. Before she could finish, the bloody line slowly split open, and she was cleaved into two halves!
The two slabs of aged flesh fell straight down, stirring up clouds of dust.
Huo Yuhao flicked his longsword, sending several dark red beads of blood flying onto Sea God Lake with a crackling hiss!
The lingering force of the Sword Qi had yet to disperse and continued toward the other Elders.
The four shadows behind him immediately grew vigilant. Their Martial Souls possessed them, and their Soul Rings rose.
"Joy"-Eight Spider Lances sprang from Tang Ya's back like blades, and three Soul Rings rose, two yellow and one black. Countless dark red stalks of Blue Silver Grass emerged from the ground beneath her. Thick branches reached under her feet, lifting her body behind Huo Yuhao as she poised herself to strike.
"Sadness"-two soft rabbit ears grew atop Jiang Nannan's head, and a fluffy rabbit tail behind her looked exceedingly cute. Her eyes turned pink, brimming with allure. Four Soul Rings appeared, one yellow, one purple, and two black, hovering quietly in midair.
"Nu"-fiery red phoenix wings grew from Ma Xiaotao's back, and a heaven-shaking phoenix cry rang out. Blazing flames heated the surrounding air as six Soul Rings appeared, two purple and four black. Ultimate Fire churned ceaselessly, dyeing half the sky red.
"Sorrow"-Zhang Lexuan's eyes were cool and clear. An ivory crescent moon slowly appeared behind her, shedding light into the darkness as a chilly presence continually circled her. Eight Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet-two yellow, two purple, three black, and finally a streak of scarlet.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring! An Eight-Ring Soul Douluo!
Elder Zhuang's pupils contracted sharply!
Elder Lin, who had been infinitely close to a Limit Douluo, had been killed in an instant!
Just how powerful was this leading black shadow?
And the people behind him clearly lacked the strength of Titled Douluo, so why could they hover in the air, and why did they possess the Soul Power pressure of Titled Douluo?!
"Xiaotao, Lexuan! What are you doing?!"
A furious roar suddenly rang out, and a disheveled old man flew out from behind the Elders.
The old man held a glistening chicken drumstick in one hand and a small vermilion gourd in the other. His clothes had been washed until they faded, and even bore several patches, but he paid it no mind.
He extended one hand, and a barrier abruptly rose, blocking Huo Yuhao's sword light.
Zhang Lexuan and the others no longer concealed their identities. One by one, they removed their hoods, revealing stunning faces.
"Xuan Zi, the Golden Ancient Tree has already affected everyone. You are the only one who still retains reason. Please don't stand in our way," Zhang Lexuan replied coolly.
Brimming with fighting spirit, Ma Xiaotao shouted urgently, "Xuan Zi, get out of my way! Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to fight!"
Xuan Zi scrutinized them before finally looking at Huo Yuhao, who stood amid the four women.
"You're their leader? You're the one who bewitched them, aren't you?" Xuan Zi rebuked him, his brows tightly furrowed.
Huo Yuhao's bangs swayed gently in the wind, his dark purple eyes flickering in and out of view. Rather than answer, he turned his head.
"'Sorrow,' the Deity Slave Seal on his head is about to take shape. You've already seen that through my Spiritual Detection, haven't you?" Huo Yuhao said calmly.
"Lord Shadow, I understand! Please act without worry. Leave anyone who gets in your way to the four of us."
Zhang Lexuan answered respectfully, determination flashing through her eyes. She looked at the dozens of figures ahead, her killing intent soaring!
Huo Yuhao moved his hand, casually flicking his longsword through the air. Several terrifying streaks of Sword Qi surged out, their overwhelming might sweeping toward the Elders like a flood.
Xuan Zi raised his hand to block. Before the Sword Qi arrived, countless fine streaks of sword light slashed through their sleeves in the blink of an eye, catching them completely off guard.
The Sword Qi crashed into Xuan Zi's barrier, erupting in dazzling light as terrifying power continually arose from the collision.
Crack!
The faint tearing sound was deafening!
The Sea God Pavilion Elders' expressions suddenly filled with panic. The center of the barrier had already split open, and countless cracks spread outward.
Immense power pressed against Xuan Zi as he defended. His aged face was squeezed wildly, and the cracks before his eyes sent fear creeping into his heart.
He had thought these were merely a few unremarkable streaks of Sword Qi that a barrier would easily defend against. He had never expected their terrifying nature to reveal itself only once they were right before him!
"Taotie! Possession!"
Xuan Zi's grayish-white robe exploded. His muscles rippled wildly, blood-red lightning flashed around him, two horns extended from his head, and his eyes became vertical pupils.
Xuan Zi snorted coldly and circled his hands before his chest. A Godly Taotie Bull appeared directly behind him and abruptly unleashed a heaven-shaking roar.
Immediately afterward, a dense sphere of earthen-yellow light appeared above Xuan Zi's hands.
The sphere was exceedingly strange. Its interior seemed solid, yet separate pieces of terrain floated upon it, each giving off a peculiar radiance. Through the haze, the whole of Sea God Island seemed to have shrunk into the sphere.
Specks of yellow light began rising from the surrounding ground, shooting toward Xuan Zi in the air.
In an instant, as far as the eye could see, the earth seemed to awaken, releasing dense earth-attribute power that surged wildly into the sky.
The barrier before Xuan Zi instantly solidified. Its cracks vanished in the blink of an eye, and earthen-yellow radiance shone from it, blazing brilliantly!
Huo Yuhao swiftly slashed his longsword downward. The sword light resembled a Moon Blade, purple lightning flickering around it. At that moment, four dark streaks separated from the black barrier enveloping Sea God Island and merged directly into the sword light, dyeing it completely black as black currents swirled around it.
Before the earlier streaks of Sword Qi could disperse, it crashed straight into the barrier!
An air of destruction swept outward. The towering killing intent hidden within the sword light instantly spread, directly affecting several Sea God Pavilion Elders and leaving them frozen in place.
"Everyone, lend me a hand!"
Xuan Zi grunted, forced half a step backward as a rusty taste rose in his throat.
His spiritual power carried his Soul Power directly into the Elders, jolting them awake. They immediately poured Soul Power from their hands straight into Xuan Zi.
What Xuan Zi failed to notice was that all the dozens of figures behind him wore eerie smiles, and their Soul Power carried a faint white glow.
Watching the nearly formed seal on Xuan Zi's forehead, Huo Yuhao held back no longer. His longsword instantly vanished, and invisible threads shot from all ten of his fingertips.
In the blink of an eye, the threads sealed off the space occupied by Xuan Zi and the Elders, densely blocking every escape route like a birdcage.
Xuan Zi watched warily and acted with a thought.
A monster appeared out of thin air, with a goat's body, eyes beneath its armpits, tiger's teeth, human claws, and a pair of enormous bull horns.
Intense yellow light burst forth. Nine Soul Rings transformed into halos, moving up and down between the enormous horns, each over five meters long.
He activated his Taotie Avatar at once. Xuan Zi no longer harbored any of his earlier contempt.
Only then did he realize with a start that the black figure before him had not used a single Soul Skill. Even those streaks of Sword Qi had been released with casual swings!
Soul Power flowed along Huo Yuhao's fingertips, dyeing every thread dark purple.
"Seal!"
The countless threads instantly tightened, winding straight around the Elders' hands and feet, sharp threads covering all their vital points.
Even Xuan Zi's Martial Soul Avatar had no power to resist. There was no telling what these fine threads were made of.
He tugged hard several times. The threads did not snap; instead, his own hands and feet were instantly cut, spilling bright red liquid.
Even more shocking to Xuan Zi, the earthen-yellow sphere before him had already changed color and shape, becoming a black cube, exactly like the current barrier around Sea God Island.
The longsword reappeared in Huo Yuhao's hand. Looking at the Elders before him, he laughed maniacally.
At that very moment, the Deity Slave Seal on Xuan Zi's head finished forming, and Huo Yuhao's killing intent surged!
Within the gloom, his dark purple eyes were exceptionally clear as he swung his plain, unadorned swordsmanship.
"Even ten thousand rays of divine light shall be devoured by my darkness!..."
Vast Sword Qi soared into the sky, then abruptly smashed down with overwhelming might.
Jiang Nannan watched Huo Yuhao's back, her cheeks flushed and her face intoxicated. The recording Soul Tool in her hand ceaselessly captured Lord Shadow's heroic bearing.
Tang Ya stood to the side, her gaze hazy and entranced. Yuhao's strength truly left her unable to stop herself...