Seahorse Douluo looked up at the golden lance and Azure Dragon charging straight toward him, a look of horror flashing in his eyes.
He kept twisting his limbs in an attempt to break free.
But the five small Azure Dragons binding him remained completely motionless, like chains holding him firmly in place while continuously absorbing his Soul Power.
Even Li Xun himself was surprised by the effect of this ninth Soul Skill.
This was his first time using this skill. For a long time, Soul Power had merely been a product he used to enhance his soul power and Martial Soul quality. Ever since activating his Spirit Avatar, he hadn't used a Soul Skill alone in quite some time.
Seeing that the Dragon Lance was about to pierce through Seahorse Douluo, Li Xun quickly redirected its course.
He only wanted to make things easier for Zhu Zhuqing and the others' mission; actually crippling or killing someone would be going too far.
Boom—
The Dragon Lance plunged into the Ring Sea, the tremendous impact churning up waves over a hundred meters high.
A wave splashed against Seahorse Douluo's face. Though the water was cold, it made him breathe a sigh of relief.
For a moment there, he had truly felt the danger of death.
Seahorse Douluo pursed his lips, tasting the bitter seawater, and said to Li Xun, "I've lost."
"You can let me down now."
In just this short time, one-tenth of his Soul Power had already been absorbed by the small Azure Dragons binding him. What's more, if he didn't struggle, the drain was manageable, but the more he struggled, the faster his Soul Power depleted.
"Senior Seahorse, it's not that this junior won't let you down, but this Soul Skill cannot be dispelled even by me until it has exhausted the Soul Power it's drawing upon."
Li Xun spoke with some apology in his tone.
Seahorse Douluo's eyes widened instantly. "Your Soul Skill is absorbing my Soul Power to reinforce itself. If you can't dispel it, then with the energy they already have plus what they're taking from me, won't they remain for a very long time?"
"Senior, perhaps I wasn't clear enough. What I meant is that when this Soul Skill has drained all the Soul Power from your body and deems you no longer a threat, it will automatically dissipate."
"..."
The atmosphere on the field grew awkward for a moment. Seahorse Douluo lowered his head, not wanting to say another word.
Losing to a junior was one thing, but to be left hanging in the air as a public spectacle after defeat—this kid's skill was truly ruthless.
After a while, as if struck by a thought, Seahorse Douluo began struggling violently. The Soul Power within him rapidly drained away, and in less than half an hour, it was completely depleted.
Just then, the twelve small Azure Dragons seemed to have had their fill. They slowly descended to the ground with Seahorse Douluo, then flashed with light, transforming into specks of golden radiance before vanishing.
Perhaps it had been too long since he last experienced the feeling of an empty body, Seahorse Douluo nearly lost his footing the moment his feet touched the ground.
His pride was wounded. Seahorse Douluo remained silent, turned, and walked to the Sacred Pillar. With great effort, he used his index finger to trace a peculiar pattern on its surface.
As the final stroke was completed.
The pattern suddenly burst with golden light, then shot into the golden mark between Li Xun's eyebrows.
Simultaneously, a prompt sounded in Li Xun's mind: [Seahorse Holy Pillar trial passed].
"You are quite strong, but the upcoming trials will be even more difficult. You may proceed to the next Sacred Pillar." Observing the mark between Li Xun's eyebrows, Seahorse Douluo thought for a moment before offering a polite remark.
"Thank you for your concern, Senior." Li Xun gave Seahorse Douluo an apologetic smile. "However, we still have some unfinished matters to attend to. I'm afraid we must trouble you further."
"What matters?" Seahorse Douluo looked puzzled.
"Zhuqing, Rongrong, Sister Yan, come quickly. It's your turn now." Li Xun waved cheerfully toward the three women in the distance.
Moments later, Zhu Zhuqing and the other two arrived at the circular island with lowered heads and flushed faces.
Even Ning Rongrong, who had the thickest skin among the three, appeared rather embarrassed by the situation.
"You... you..." Seahorse Douluo pointed at Li Xun in stunned disbelief, finally realizing the truth. "That Soul Skill of yours was just a decoy! You deliberately didn't dispel it to drain my Soul Power."
"Senior, you misunderstand. I truly cannot dispel that Soul Skill." Li Xun offered another apologetic smile.
"I don't believe you."
Li Xun merely smiled without responding.
Seahorse Douluo stared intently at Li Xun for a long while before shifting his gaze to Ning Rongrong and the other two. "You three are quite fortunate indeed."
Hearing this, the three women smiled and quickly bowed to Seahorse Douluo.
"Brother, Seahorse Douluo has been following us."
During their journey to the other Sacred Pillars, aside from Li Xun's group of four, Seahorse Douluo had inexplicably decided to tag along.
"It's fine. Don't mind him."
Seahorse Douluo's predicament wasn't unique, as Sea Spear Douluo and Sea Illusion Douluo would soon discover.
Against ordinary opponents, Sea Illusion Douluo and Sea Spear Douluo's Illusion Space might have been effective—for instance, making Tang San witness Xiao Wu's Sacrifice.
But against Li Xun, they seemed completely countered. Without even needing to lift a finger, Li Xun simply released Sky Dream Iceworm to resolve the battles.
Sea Spear Douluo, stripped of his reliance, was defeated in a single combo.
To make the trials easier for Ning Rongrong and the other two, Li Xun still used his ninth Spirit Ring skill to drain Sea Spear Douluo and Sea Illusion Douluo completely dry.
The consequence was that two more figures joined their growing entourage.
Li Xun resolved the battles swiftly, with the only delay coming from the little Azure Dragon absorbing the three Titled Douluos' Soul Power.
When he led the group to the Sacred Pillar guarded by Sea Witch, her surprised expression was clearly visible.
"What's going on with you all?" Sea Witch gently slapped the water's surface with her fishtail, looking curiously at Seahorse Douluo and the other two.
"You'll find out soon enough." Seahorse Douluo crossed his arms, pretending to be an expert, while the other two wore similarly amused expressions.
Having coexisted for many years as the Seven Sacred Pillars, Sea Witch immediately sensed something amiss.
Based on the time Li Xun had taken to clear the previous three Sacred Pillars, her initially playful expression grew noticeably more serious.
With a slight movement of her left hand, a black flute appeared in her grasp. She smiled charmingly at Li Xun. "You'll have to be gentle with me later. Don't hurt me, okay~"
As a mermaid, Sea Witch possessed perfect curves and breathtaking beauty, accentuated by the revealing black garment that barely covered her navel—an undeniably alluring sight.
The three women watching from behind couldn't help but frown at the display.
"Don't worry, Senior." Noticing the gazes from behind him, Li Xun tempered his smile and cupped his hands respectfully toward Sea Witch.
Sea Witch bloomed with a radiant smile, but the moment she announced the start, she joined the others in staring in shock at Li Xun's Spirit Rings.
Before she could even react, Li Xun closed in on her. After just a few brief exchanges, the Sea Witch was bound by the little Azure Dragon.
Ultimately, it was because she was being countered—Li Xun and Skydream Iceworm were not afraid of mental or environmental attacks.
"Attacking your elder sister by surprise isn't nice~" The Sea Witch twisted her waist repeatedly mid-air, tracing a captivating curve in the sky.
After futile struggles and the depletion of her Soul Power, the Sea Witch gradually revealed a pitiable expression: "You've won~ Quickly let me down."
Li Xun stole a glance at the several Title Douluo behind him, feigning difficulty: "Senior, I can't undo this skill."
Hearing this, the Sea Witch rolled her eyes and bit her lip: "If you want to keep watching me tied up, just say so~ No need for excuses~!"
Before Li Xun could respond to these words, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, and Dugu Yan's gazes toward the Sea Witch shifted.
Soon, the scene turned into a spectacle of three young girls beating up an old mermaid grandmother, making all the Sacred Pillars grimace.
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