Upheaval at the Ancestral Rite: The Dark Angel's Descent and Counterattack
The instant black wings spread across the altar, a suffocating pressure swept over the entire imperial palace square. Black Soul Power surged around the false crown prince-or rather, Spirit Hall's carefully groomed heir to the Dark Angel. His once-sacred Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul now resembled a demon that had crawled out of hell, every feather gleaming with an ominous, ghostly light.
"Wretch! How dare you defile the Angel God's inheritance!" Yu Yuanzhen of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan roared. Blue-violet lightning exploded around him, and a spectral dragon appeared as he charged the altar. As a veteran Titled Douluo, he could never tolerate a light Martial Soul being sullied like this.
"Old fool, you're courting death!" The false crown prince sneered and swept a black wing forward. Dozens of black blades of light shot out like scythes, slashing precisely at Yu Yuanzhen.
Boom!
Lightning and black light collided in a blinding flash. Yu Yuanzhen was driven three steps back. To his surprise, his opponent's Soul Power was no weaker than his own, and it contained a strange corrosive quality that could even eat away at his lightning.
"So this is the tainted power of an angel..." Ning Fengzhi's expression was grave. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda floated above his head, pouring brilliant light into Yu Yuanzhen. "Brother Yu, be careful! There's something wrong with his Soul Power!"
Empowered by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Yu Yuanzhen's lightning power soared instantly, and he launched another fierce assault on the false crown prince.
The battle in the square reached a fever pitch. Though the alliance's Soul Masters had the advantage in numbers, Spirit Hall's black-clad Soul Masters fought without fear of death. The three ministers who had been bought off were especially ruthless: they unleashed evil Soul Skills unique to Spirit Hall at the same time, attacking the unarmed civil officials and sowing chaos.
"Protect the ministers!" Meng Zhi roared, leading the imperial guards into a human wall to block the evil Soul Skills. His Martial Soul was the Vajra Giant Bear, and his defenses were astonishing. He took the attacks with his body, shielding the officials behind him.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wove a vast network across the square, like an exquisitely precise command system. Some of the grass coiled around the black-clad Soul Masters to restrict their movements; the rest formed shields to protect the civilians and civil officials. His All-Encompassing Heavenly Net Soul Skill activated at full force, and the trees around the square grew wildly, forming green barriers that divided the battlefield into several areas and kept the chaos from spreading.
"Lin Ye! The left flank is yours!" Tang San shouted, his Blue Silver Grass pointing toward the left side of the square, where a group of black-clad Soul Masters were trying to break through the defenses and support the false crown prince.
"Leave it to me!" Lin Ye answered. The spectral form of the Three-Legged Golden Crow spread its wings, and golden flames surged toward the left like a tide. Black-clad Soul Masters burned by the Golden Crow Fire let out piercing screams. Their black Soul Power sizzled in the flames, melting away like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun. The Golden Crow Fire's power of purification was the very bane of such sinister Soul Power.
Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu, meanwhile, swooped down on the three traitorous ministers like a pair of daggers. Dai Mubai's Hell Spirit Cat was incredibly fast, its sharp claws gleaming coldly as they broke through Soul Skill defenses. Xiao Wu's Teleportation and Soft Skill were even harder to guard against, always interrupting their opponents' Soul Skills at critical moments. The two worked together seamlessly, soon keeping all three ministers too occupied to turn their attention elsewhere.
Oscar and Tai Long stood guard beside Xue Qinghe. Oscar kept tossing out various sausages, bolstering the alliance Soul Masters around him, while Tai Long transformed into a Great Strength Gorilla. Like a moving fortress, he blocked every attack that came near Xue Qinghe.
"Your Highness Xue Qinghe, what do we do now?" Oscar asked as he handed him a Recovery Sausage.
Xue Qinghe took a deep breath as he surveyed the chaotic battlefield, determination filling his eyes. "I'm going to the altar! The false crown prince stole my identity and sullied the dignity of the imperial family. I have to expose him myself!"
"No! It's too dangerous!" Tai Long hurriedly tried to stop him. "There's a Titled Douluo-level battle on the altar. Going there is suicide!"
"I have to go." Xue Qinghe shook his head. "Only if I stand on the altar will everyone believe that I'm the real crown prince! It's my responsibility!"
Just then, a black blade of light broke through Yu Yuanzhen's defenses and shot toward Xue Qinghe-the false crown prince clearly meant to kill him to silence him!
"Watch out!" Tai Long roared and stepped in front of Xue Qinghe, taking the blade with his body. Black Soul Power instantly invaded him. He grunted, black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. His massive frame swayed, but he remained firmly in front of Xue Qinghe.
"Tai Long!" Oscar cried. He hurriedly pulled out an Antidote Sausage and stuffed it into Tai Long's mouth.
Xue Qinghe looked at the wounded Tai Long, and a flicker of resolve passed through his eyes. He pushed Tai Long aside and raced toward the altar, shouting, "People of Heaven Dou City! I am Xue Qinghe! The man standing on the altar is a spy from Spirit Hall! He wants to seize our country and enslave our people!"
His voice was not loud, but Tang San's Blue Silver Grass carried it throughout the square. The Soul Masters fighting and the civilians watching were all stunned, and they turned to look at Xue Qinghe and the false crown prince on the altar.
The false crown prince's expression changed drastically. He had not expected Xue Qinghe to be so bold. With a roar, he forced Yu Yuanzhen back for the moment and swept his black wings again. An even thicker blade of light shot toward Xue Qinghe. "Die!"
"Don't even think about hurting him!" Tang San reacted swiftly. His Blue Silver Grass instantly formed a huge shield in front of Xue Qinghe.
Bang!
The blade struck the shield, and the Blue Silver Grass shuddered violently. Tang San grunted as more than half his Soul Power was consumed in an instant. But he did not retreat, continuing to hold the shield firmly in place.
Seeing this, Lin Ye immediately sent a portion of his Golden Crow Fire snaking toward the false crown prince's wings as a line of flame. Forced to defend himself, the false crown prince saw the power of his blade of light immediately weaken.
Xue Qinghe seized the chance to rush to the edge of the altar. He pulled a golden token from his robes-the crown prince's personal troop-command token, engraved with the Heaven Dou Empire's national emblem.
"Do you see? This is the real crown prince's token!" Xue Qinghe held it high. "The false crown prince's token is a forgery. It doesn't have the crescent mark on the back of the national emblem!"
Everyone looked at the token on the false crown prince's waist. Sure enough, it had no crescent mark!
"It's true! He's the crown prince!"
"Spirit Hall's spy! Kill him!"
"Protect His Highness the Crown Prince!"
The civilians in the square and some of the Soul Masters who had originally remained neutral instantly sided with Xue Qinghe. Their shouts shook heaven and earth. The alliance Soul Masters' morale soared, and their attacks grew fiercer.
The false crown prince looked down at the furious crowd, and a flicker of panic in his eyes was swiftly replaced by madness. "A pack of foolish mortals! Once I inherit the Angel Godhood, the entire continent will bow before me! Your resistance now is all in vain!"
He jerked his head up. Black Soul Power erupted like a fountain, and the Six-Winged Angel's spectral form grew more solid. There were even faint signs that he was about to break through the Titled Douluo level.
"He's going to force a breakthrough!" Ning Fengzhi's expression changed drastically. "We can't let him succeed! Otherwise, the consequences will be unthinkable!"
Yu Yuanzhen, Sword Douluo Chen Xin, and Bone Douluo Gu Rong charged the false crown prince at once. The full-force attacks of the three Titled Douluo instantly whipped up a storm of energy on the altar.
The false crown prince fought back wildly. His black wings were struck again and again by lightning, sword Qi, and bone whips, yet he held on tenaciously. A scarlet light flickered in his eyes; he had clearly been consumed entirely by the power of darkness.
"Tang San! Use the Life Soul Bone!" Ning Fengzhi shouted. "Only the Chaos Azure Lotus's life force can suppress his dark energy!"
Tang San understood at once. The seven-colored Soul Bone on his back shone brilliantly, and the Life Soul Bone's power flowed through the Blue Silver Grass into Yu Yuanzhen and the other two without cease. The lightning, sword Qi, and bone whips, which had been corroded by black Soul Power, instantly regained their brilliance and even took on a hint of green vitality.
"Aah!"
Life force clashed with dark energy, and the false crown prince let out a piercing scream. His black wings began to shatter inch by inch, and the Six-Winged Angel's spectral form grew unstable as well.
"No! I can't fail!" Despair flashed in the false crown prince's eyes. He began to burn his own life force, and his black Soul Power surged once more. "Let's die together!"
His body became like a black sun, radiating an air of destruction.
"Look out! He's going to self-destruct!" Sword Douluo Chen Xin's expression changed drastically. "Get back!"
The three Titled Douluo immediately retreated. Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda shone brilliantly, forming a huge dome of light over the square.
Tang San also controlled his Blue Silver Grass to shield Xue Qinghe and their companions around him beneath it.
Boom!
An earth-shaking explosion rang out as the false crown prince's body blew apart. Black Soul Power spread like a shock wave, striking the dome of light and the Blue Silver Grass shields. The entire imperial palace square trembled violently.
When the dust cleared, the altar had been reduced to rubble. The false crown prince was nowhere to be seen; all that remained was a black stain giving off a pungent stench.
Yu Yuanzhen, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo had all suffered injuries of varying severity, and their faces were pale. The light of Ning Fengzhi's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had dimmed; he had clearly exhausted a great deal of power.
The square was a scene of devastation. Seeing that the battle was lost, the surviving black-clad Soul Masters scattered and fled, only to be captured one by one by the alliance's Soul Masters. The three traitorous ministers were also subdued by Dai Mubai and Xiao Wu and brought before Xue Qinghe.
Xue Qinghe looked at the devastation before him, and a flicker of grief passed through his eyes before they hardened with resolve. He walked to the center of the square and addressed the surviving civilians and Soul Masters in a clear voice. "From this day forth, the Heaven Dou Empire and Spirit Hall are irreconcilable enemies! All subjects of our empire may join the alliance and stand together against Spirit Hall! I, Xue Qinghe, swear here and now that I will root out every spy and restore a bright, clear sky to the continent!"
"Root out the spies! Restore our clear sky!"
"Long live His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Long live the alliance!"
Cheers swept across the entire square like waves and continued for a long time.
Tang San, Lin Ye, Dai Mubai, Xiao Wu, Tai Long, and Oscar stood among the crowd. Looking at Xue Qinghe's resolute figure, they all breathed a sigh of relief. The battle at the heart-stopping ancestral rite had finally ended in their victory.
But they all knew this was only the beginning of their fight against Spirit Hall. Though the false crown prince was dead, the mystery of the Angel God's inheritance, the scattered Soul Bone fragments, and Pope Bibi Dong, hidden behind the scenes, remained sharp swords hanging over their heads.
The sun sank in the west, its golden afterglow falling over the scarred imperial palace square and lending the victory a tragic grandeur. The alliance's banner snapped in the wind, as if heralding the arrival of a new era-one they would create with their own hands, full of challenges and hope.
Tang San clenched his fist, Blue Silver Grass swaying gently in his palm. He knew the road ahead was still long and perilous, but as long as his companions remained by his side and the faith in his heart never died, they would surely make it to the end, dispel the darkness completely, and welcome the true light.