A massive rumbling sound echoed for hundreds of miles, and the trembling of the earth continued unabated. Rocks shattered and giant trees were sent flying. The small town not far from this place was inevitably affected, with some less sturdy houses beginning to collapse, and residents who had been watching in the streets all scrambled to lie flat on the ground.
Oscar watched the fist shadows raining down like raindrops, banishing any thoughts of escape from his mind. Faced with such mighty power, he didn't think his body could withstand it.
Moreover, Li Xun was only a Soul Saint now. If he were to rise two more levels to become a Title Douluo, Oscar couldn't even imagine how monstrous his strength would become.
By now, Dugu Bo had moved past his initial shock. Watching the Thousand-Hand Buddha Statue still pummeling away, he began to calculate Li Xun's current strength in his mind.
After a moment, he was stunned to realize that even if he attacked head-on, he might not be a match for Li Xun. Firstly, he couldn't resist the speed and density of the statue's attacks. Secondly, he was a poison user - direct combat simply wasn't his forte.
"But an 80th-rank power attack system is already enough to destroy the Buddha statue. The only difficulty is how to withstand this barrage of attacks."
Dugu Bo stroked his chin, pondering to himself: "Extreme attacks like Sword Douluo's might be able to break through with sheer force. As for me, I should be able to give it a try if I maneuver around a bit."
Li Xun was unaware that Dugu Bo was studying how to counter his technique. He dispersed the True Several Thousand Hands and slowly descended to the ground.
Seeing no trace of Liu Erlong on the ground, he sighed inwardly, but felt no regret. He only lamented that another familiar figure had disappeared from the river of this history.
But their positions were different, with no connection between them. Once confirmed as enemies, they had to fight to the death, and he had shown enough respect for his opponent.
Heavenly Dou City was now the safest place in the entire Heaven Dou Empire.
After nearly two years of development, this place had become even more prosperous, with bustling crowds everywhere. The streets were filled with the laughter and chatter of ordinary people without soul power.
When Li Xun and Dugu Bo brought Oscar back, it was the busiest time of day in the capital.
Seeing the genuine smiles on people's faces and some respectful greetings, Li Xun felt deeply satisfied.
Unlike conquering the world through force, touching people's hearts through charisma and good deeds was truly precious. Of course, Li Xun planned to pursue both approaches.
After leading Oscar into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School's residence and instructing someone to send him to Yang Wudi's command, Li Xun and Dugu Bo went straight to Ning Fengzhi's room.
"You're back." Ning Fengzhi had been frowning with worry, but still managed a smile when he saw Li Xun. "How did things go?"
"The area around Balak Province has been completely cleared, and I've already issued martial law orders to the troops in the border regions," Li Xun said, sitting down casually and draining a cup of water in one gulp.
His trip to Balak Province wasn't just to deal with the Shrek Academy group. It was also to make some preparations for the impending war.
Once people number in the tens of thousands, they become boundless - this isn't just an empty saying, let alone when it involves a war between two great empires with millions of troops. To maintain regional stability, one can't act blindly, and there's still some time now.
Of course, the reason the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School wanted to push for war early was to seize enough territory in Star Luo before Spirit Hall could dominate the war. Then they could let Bibidong and Qian Renxue, mother and daughter, bicker amongst themselves, disrupting or delaying Bibidong's plan to become a god.
People often overlooked Bibidong, only knowing her as the Pope, and rarely seeing her take action. But Li Xun had a general idea of this mad woman's strength.
Even without becoming a god, Li Xun felt that Bibidong was no weaker than the other three supreme beings, let alone now that Bibidong's god trial had been underway for a long time.
There was another point - to prevent Qian Renxue from acting rashly or reconciling with Bibidong.
"Why is Teacher frowning?" After putting down his cup, Li Xun noticed the fleeting worry on Ning Fengzhi's face.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo came from Spirit City the day before yesterday," Ning Fengzhi sighed.
The rapport between master and disciple had long since formed. With just half a sentence, Li Xun already understood what was going on. After pondering for a moment, he asked: "Does our Emperor Qian Renxue know about this?"
"She probably doesn't know yet. Chrysanthemum Douluo is very clever. He knows he can't get any favors from Xiaoxue, so he's just been pressuring me," Ning Fengzhi shook his head.
Li Xun was puzzled: "Why bother with him? The Heaven Dou Empire has its own emperor to make decisions. To the outside world, we're just advisors. Why not push it onto Qian Renxue?"
"I've already tried that tactic, but Chrysanthemum Douluo won't fall for it. He's fixated solely on me," Ning Fengzhi smiled bitterly. How could he not have thought of strategies Li Xun could come up with?
Li Xun thought for a moment, then a mischievous smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: "Teacher, have you considered more underhanded tactics?"
"What?" Ning Fengzhi was startled, then followed Li Xun's gaze towards Dugu Bo.
After a while, Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up, but he still hesitated: "It is a bit underhanded, but there are two risks. First, can Poison Enshrined defeat Chrysanthemum Douluo? Second, I'm afraid it might backfire, and Bibidong might send someone to forcibly interfere in Heaven Dou's internal affairs."
Dugu Bo, hearing the two mention him, paused with his teacup in hand: "Are you talking about whether I can beat Chrysanthemum Douluo?"
Li Xun nodded: "Grandpa Dugu, now there's an opportunity for you to take revenge personally. It just depends on your own strength."
Ning Fengzhi also perked up his ears curiously. He could no longer fully understand the strength of his own people; they had all reached levels beyond his comprehension.
Dugu Bo crossed his arms and carefully calculated. After a while, he spoke to Ning Fengzhi: "Sect Master, has Ghost Douluo come?"
"No, Chrysanthemum Douluo came alone this time," Ning Fengzhi's face broke into a smile upon hearing this.
"Then there's no problem. You tell me when, and I'll go rough up that little chrysanthemum," Dugu Bo laughed heartily.
In the past, it was only when facing both of them that he repeatedly suffered losses. Now his soul power was at the 95th level, and he had been refined by an Immortal Herb and an Ancient Beast Inner Core. His weaknesses had long been compensated for.
Without Ghost Douluo, Chrysanthemum Douluo might still be strong, but he was like a tiger without teeth. He himself was also a tiger, so why should he fear the other?
Seeing Dugu Bo's confident demeanor, Li Xun brought up the second point: "Teacher, since we're now Qian Renxue's faction, we shouldn't fear Bibidong. Hesitating and flip-flopping will only make both sides look down on us."
"We're now also part of Spirit Hall's forces. If things really become irreconcilable, I believe Qiandao Liu will step in to mediate for Qian Renxue's sake. But now that Qian Renxue's situation is very favorable, I guess Qiandao Liu will at most tell both sides not to interfere with each other."
"Mainly, we don't have a life-and-death grudge with them. The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School now has three Super Douluos. Even Bibidong has to consider the consequences."
Li Xun pondered for a moment: "However, to avoid accidents, I suggest Sword Grandpa try to break through to the 98th level. This way, we'll be more secure."
After speaking, Li Xun took out the long-idle Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower from his Soul Guiding Device.
He hadn't known who to use this Immortal Herb on since obtaining it, but now it finally had a purpose.
Although it wasn't very compatible with Sword Douluo, given his peak 97th-level cultivation, it shouldn't be a problem to break through to the 98th level by borrowing the herb's potency after consuming it.
By then, with a 98th-level Sword Douluo, a peak 96th-level Bone Douluo, and a 95th-level Dugu Bo in the sect, plus Ning Fengzhi's support from behind, it would absolutely be an extremely strong deterrent force.
(End of Chapter)