In just the blink of an eye, the battlefield ahead was torn open by a massive rift over a hundred meters long—a chasm of seething lava. Charred corpses littered both sides, their blackened remains filling the air with the stench of scorched flesh.
Only a few Spirit Masters remained standing, clad entirely in black. They struggled to maintain their Martial Soul Avatars, panting heavily and glaring at Ning Haiyan in disbelief and frustration.
"Spirit Hall again. Just how far are they going to go?"
The scorched air made Xu Yang frown. This was the fifth assassination attempt in four years, each more dangerous than the last. Based on the power of Uncle Ning's earlier strike, it was clear this ambush even included multiple Spirit Sages (Soul Saints).
All of this... for a Spirit Ancestor-in-training like him?
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
The sound of movement cutting through the air grew louder. More black-cloaked enemies appeared one after another. Within moments, over a hundred Spirit Masters surrounded them. Radiant spirit rings of all colors flared across the battlefield.
The weakest among them were Spirit Ancestors, most were Spirit Kings, and several were even Spirit Sages.
Though their faces were hidden under black cloaks, Xu Yang recognized their combat style and aura immediately.
"Seventh Spirit Ability: Flame Avatar!"
Ning Haiyan's face was solemn as his Martial Soul Avatar activated. A towering flame-clad figure wielding the Blazing Flame Blade erupted behind him, surrounding Xu Yang and Dugu Yan in a cocoon of scorching energy.
Dugu Bo, unmoving, stared coldly at the darkness ahead.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo, stop hiding. I smelled your flowery perfume the moment you arrived. Spirit Hall really goes all out—just to kill a junior, you've made multiple attempts, and now you even show up yourself, a Titled Douluo."
Clearly, Dugu Bo was already aware of Spirit Hall's pursuit of Xu Yang. He had even saved the boy from a previous attempt.
"You old freak… Haven't seen you in years, and you've improved quite a bit!"
A soft, effeminate voice floated out. A moment later, a flamboyantly dressed, heavily made-up middle-aged man in golden armor stepped out from behind a tree — Chrysanthemum Douluo: Yue Guan.
"Disgusting..."
Dugu Yan shuddered at the sight and instinctively moved closer to Xu Yang.
"If Chrysanthemum Douluo is here... Ghost Douluo must be close by too. Two Titled Douluo—that's bad."
Xu Yang's face darkened. Yue Guan and Gui Mei were notorious for acting together. Both were Rank 95 Super Douluo, and practically inseparable. Their teamwork was flawless.
On Xu Yang's side, they only had one Titled Douluo—Dugu Bo, who was just Rank 93. Even with his tools and trump cards, he couldn't face both Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo at once.
Ning Haiyan was strong, but only Rank 85, and couldn't possibly match a Titled Douluo. And with more than a hundred hostile Spirit Masters surrounding them, Ning Haiyan couldn't even break away to help.
Worse still, Ghost Douluo was still hiding in the shadows.
"Looks like this is going to be a fight to the death."
Xu Yang's expression hardened. His Sun Martial Soul floated behind his head as his second and third spirit rings glowed with unprecedented brilliance.
The Sun Martial Soul split into eight miniature suns, but instead of soaring skyward, they wrapped around his body—forming a set of radiant golden armor.
A pair of golden wings spread out from his back, and in his right hand appeared the Sun Sacred Blade. In his left, he drew a spirit power pistol from his storage-type soul device.
At the same time, he removed his gravity wristbands, instantly feeling light as a feather. But facing such an overwhelming enemy force, he had no idea how long he could hold out.
Over the past four years, Xu Yang had developed his third spirit ability to an astonishing degree. He could now shape his Martial Soul into various weapons, armor, and even rudimentary soul tools.
The wings on his back? Modeled directly after Dugu Yan's Wind Chime Wings.
Beside him, Dugu Yan also activated her Martial Soul Possession. Her Wind Chime Wings unfurled as she wielded a pair of soul pistols. Her poison-based abilities, infused with red, blue, and gray soul energies, coated her weapons as she aimed at the Spirit Hall encirclement.
"You—Land Dragon Golden Melon! You actually consumed the Land Dragon Golden Melon?! Why do I never find this kind of peerless immortal herb?!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo—Yue Guan—screeched with wild jealousy the moment he saw Dugu Yan complete her possession. A known connoisseur of rare flora, he had sought immortal herbs for decades without success—yet the granddaughter of his most hated rival had acquired one?
Dugu Bo laughed out loud, mocking, not even trying to hide his glee.
"Yue Guan, look at you! Is this how a Titled Douluo behaves? It's just the Land Dragon Golden Melon. What's so amazing about it?"
As he spoke, his seventh soul ring lit up. The Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor beneath him evolved into the Jade Phosphor Horned Dragon, which lifted his body into the sky.
The changes weren't massive, but to experts like Yue Guan, the transformation was unmistakable: the thick horns, the denser dragon aura—his Martial Soul had undergone a true evolution.
"Damn you… You ate the Land Dragon Golden Melon too?! No wonder! No wonder your power has advanced so much—it's because of that!"
"Kill them! I want them all dead!"
Blinded by jealousy, Chrysanthemum Douluo snapped. Pointing forward, he commanded the Spirit Hall forces to strike.
"KILL!!"
The battlefield erupted with killing intent. Spirit Hall's forces launched their soul skills, becoming streaks of radiant light as they shot toward Xu Yang's group.
"Sixth Spirit Ability: Flameblade Barrier!"
Ning Haiyan twisted his Blazing Flame Blade and plunged it into the ground. A barrier of compressed blade energy exploded outward, forming a protective dome ten meters in radius centered around the trio. It held off the first wave of attacks.
But suddenly—whoosh—a Spirit King from the Agility Attack System appeared inside the barrier, his claws slashing directly at Xu Yang.
"Teleportation skill?!"
Bang!
Xuyáng's eyes widened in surprise as the enemy suddenly appeared in front of him. He raised his gun and pulled the trigger..
Pfft—!
A bloody hole appeared in the enemy's chest. A heartbeat later, the intruder exploded into a cloud of gore—instantly killed.
The pistol in Xuyáng's hand was a level 3 Soul Tool, classified as a Fixed Soul Tool by the standards of the ten-thousand-years-later soul tool system.