When two great energies collided, Xu Mingxi, who was not far from the center of the explosion, only felt his internal organs begin to shake and shatter, and blood continued to flow from the corner of his mouth.
Enduring immense pain, he used the force of the explosion to break deeper into the Evil Soul Forest. Only there could he avoid Xu Zilong's pursuit.
Seeing that his full-force Sky-Shattering Strike failed to kill the opponent, Xu Zilong tried to chase after him, but was blocked by two enraged Evil-Eyed Tyrants.
His mental strength was not as strong as Xu Mingxi's. Under the mental interference and influence of the One-Eyed Beast, he couldn't even control his flying soul guide. He could only watch helplessly as Xu Mingxi's figure disappeared into the depths of the Evil Soul Forest.
Xu Zilong's face turned extremely ugly, but facing the attack of two two-hundred-thousand-year-old evil-eyed tyrants, he had no choice but to temporarily retreat from the forest to avoid their deadly force.
The three elders in the cave heard the noise gradually fade. The eighth elder wanted to go out and see what was happening but was stopped by the grand elder.
"Grand Elder, Mingxi's life or death is unknown. How can we just sit here calmly?"
"Yes, the Eighth Elder is right. Mingxi is of utmost importance."
The Grand Elder was also deeply worried. Besides being the hope of the sect, Xu Mingxi was his beloved grandson for many years. However, common sense told him that recovery was the best option for now.
The battle was over, and even if they went out now, they could change nothing. If Mingxi managed to escape, that would be ideal. If not, they would stake their lives for revenge and bring chaos to the Sun and Moon Empire.
"Rest and recover. After that, we will go to Haidu to wait for him, as agreed between the Eighth Elder and Mingxi."
Worried about their safety, Xu Mingxi fled from the explosion with all his strength, rushed into the Demon Forest, and struggled to find a large tree.
He hollowed out the tree trunk, pulled nearby bushes as cover, then crawled inside. He then lost all his strength and consciousness, and completely passed out.
In Xu Mingxi's sea of consciousness, the two fragments of divine power left by the Star God seemed to sense his current physical condition and instantly dissolved.
The fragments turned to dust, some falling into his sea of consciousness, beginning to repair his soul that had just been damaged by the two-hundred-thousand-year-old evil-eyed tyrant, while others seeped into his limbs and bones, slowly healing his severely injured body.
After the three elders recovered from their wounds, they disguised themselves, formed a large formation, and left the Evil Forest from a different direction, heading toward Haidu.
Back at the palace, Xu Zilong was increasingly furious. He had let the other party escape right under his nose. It was a deep humiliation in his life.
However, he also recognized Xu Mingxi's strength. If the other party became a Titled Douluo, even with a level-nine soul guide at his side, he might not be his match.
He must not be allowed to become a Titled Douluo. Xu Zilong slammed the table and stood up, frightening the nearby attendants into kneeling one by one, not knowing what was happening.
But soon he sat back down, slumped in frustration. Who knew how many hundreds of thousands of soul beasts were hiding in that vast evil forest? Even he didn't dare venture too deep. Searching for someone there was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"Come, pass the order—let the mayors of every city watch out for outsiders, and report immediately if there is any news about the appearance of the four wanted fugitives."
Due to Xu Zilong's orders, a new wave of chaos erupted in the Sun and Moon Continent. He was unaware that reports from town leaders near Yuesheng City indicated that more and more nearby villages were being destroyed by soul beasts.
Meanwhile, beneath the calm surface of the Douluo Continent, undercurrents were also stirring. After personally escorting the three elders of the Xingguan Sect out, Ning Fengzhi sat in the lobby deep in thought.
Not long after, Sword Douluo received the news and rushed over. He looked at Ning Fengzhi sitting silently in the lobby, then glanced at Bone Douluo beside him, who had his eyes narrowed.
"Old Bones, what happened? Why did you ask me to come here?"
"Ask Fengzhi. I don't know about these complicated matters."
Ning Fengzhi raised his head, his face full of fatigue. His hair, which was usually neatly combed, looked slightly disheveled, and even as a Soul Saint, he had dark circles under his eyes.
"Uncle Jian, you're here."
"Fengzhi, what's going on? Did the Xingguan Sect make unreasonable demands?"
"No, on the contrary, they gave us a new option."
Ning Fengzhi recalled the conversation with the people from the Star Crown Sect, and a hint of longing even flashed in his eyes. Those who came to deliver the letters were all Titled Douluos, clearly meant to showcase their strength—a true show of power.
According to Bone Douluo, the person who came today wasn't one of the two titled experts from the Star Crown Sect he had met before.
At this moment, the disciple he had sent out came in and delivered important information.
Ning Fengzhi carefully read the intel in his hand several times, finally sighed, and handed the message to Sword Douluo.
There was only one piece of information: After leaving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the leader of the Star Crown Sect had gone directly to the Dugu residence and taken Poison Douluo Dugu Bo and his family away from Heaven Dou City and toward the Star Luo Empire.
Ning Fengzhi couldn't think of any other reason Dugu Bo would leave, except to join the Star Crown Sect. He didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. He was glad that the Star Crown Sect was a powerful ally, but also worried because they were so strong.
Including Dugu Bo, the Star Crown Sect now had four titled individuals. Even if Spirit Hall didn't fully grasp the situation, they wouldn't easily provoke such a formidable force. So, if not the Star Crown Sect, who would be the next target—if not the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?
"Uncle Jian, Uncle Gu, His Majesty has just expressed his wish for us to visit the Star Crown Sect. It seems our allies are quite shrewd."
"Fengzhi, it's your decision. Old Bones and I support you."
"Jianren is right, Fengzhi. Don't worry. There's still time. You can think it over slowly."
Ning Fengzhi naturally wouldn't accept the Star Crown Sect's invitation so easily. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect would not bow to others, but when it truly came down to life and death, it was also an option.
However, Emperor Xue Ye now had plans for him to take Crown Prince Xue Qinghe as a disciple. He wanted the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect to become the guardian sect of the Heaven Dou Empire and fully integrate with it.
Ning Fengzhi agreed to accept Xue Qinghe, but he was still weighing the pros and cons of protecting the state. This brought both advantages and disadvantages to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Once they became a state-protecting sect, they could no longer act independently and would have to contribute to Heaven Dou. However, the upside was that Spirit Hall would not easily target a sect that protected one of the two great empires on the continent—unless they were ready to make enemies of the entire land.