The ancient Sunset Forest was shrouded in a thin mist, its towering ancient trees forming an intricate web of intertwining branches. The sudden sound of air being sliced through startled flocks of cold crows into flight. Dozens of figures clad in silver-lined armor leapt between the treetops, their movements accompanied by the fluttering of the Tian Dou Imperial banners in the morning breeze.
"Chase!"
The sound of a white deer's hooves trampling moss echoed like thunder. It leapt over a hundred meters in one bound, and seven-colored rainbows radiated from its twisted antlers. Along the way, herds of startled soul beasts raised their iron hooves to encircle and protect the multicolored deer.
From the pursuing group behind, someone shot an ice chain at the white deer, but it was torn apart by the swarm of soul beasts that surged forward.
The seven-colored deer had lived for eighty thousand years, yet its combat strength was only comparable to that of a fifty-thousand-year-old soul beast. Its true power lay in the seven-colored light emitted from its antlers, which could enhance the abilities of other soul beasts and possessed remarkable healing capabilities.
Its powerful healing ability inspired many soul beasts to protect it willingly.
As for the Xue family's Swan martial soul, it could follow two paths—either as an agility-focused attacker or as a support-type soul master. While the latter lacked direct combat ability, its potential was no less than that of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda, given that the swan martial soul could reach the level of a nine-ring Title Douluo.
Once Xue Ye broke through as a support-type Title Douluo, his formidable auxiliary abilities would boost the combat effectiveness of the imperial elders and the military guards by an entire rank. Unless more than a dozen Title Douluos ambushed him, no one could assassinate him.
To date, there had been no support-type Title Douluos on the continent. Only when Oscar broke through to level ninety would this record be shattered.
This alone demonstrated Emperor Xue Ye's extraordinary cultivation talent. If not for a lack of opportunities, he wouldn't trail far behind Oscar.
Dugu Bo hovered mid-air atop the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor, with dark green poison mist curling around his fingertips like living tendrils.
When three thirty-thousand-year-old Golden-Eyed Black Tigers broke through the defensive line, he flicked his fingers lightly, and the poison mist instantly transformed into giant serpents that coiled around the tiger bodies.
The sound of corrosion hissed loudly as the steel-hard fur visibly rotted away, and the ferocious roars of the beasts quickly turned into pitiful wails.
"Overestimating themselves," Dugu Bo commented indifferently, earning the awestruck gazes of the imperial elders.
The reason Xue Ye had invited Dugu Bo was precisely to deal with the soul beasts enhanced by the seven-colored deer. Under the corrosive poison, even fifty-thousand-year-old soul beasts couldn't withstand the assault for more than ten seconds.
"Close the net!"
At the command of one of the elders, eight chains of black iron erupted from the ground, followed by dense layers of azure vines that bound the limbs of the white deer.
The formation created by the control-type Soul Douluos was airtight. The silver-white chain wielded by the lead elder bore ancient runes, possessing formidable sealing capabilities.
The rainbow light of the eight-thousand-year-old soul beast flickered dimly. Though the seven-colored deer charged toward one of them in a final desperate attempt, it was already a lost cause.
More than fifty Soul Sages surrounded the perimeter, using their soul skills to wear down the white deer, ensuring absolute success.
For the sake of the ninth soul ring, Emperor Xue Ye had brought nearly all of his resources. He could not afford failure!
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The seven-colored deer was soon reduced to critical health, restrained by the control-type Soul Douluos, and dragged out of the Sunset Forest.
The bluish-green brick floor of the Sunset City lord's residence bore traces of bloodstains. The seven-colored deer was locked in a cage of cold iron, bound by silvery chains. Its rainbow glow had dimmed, yet it stubbornly continued to heal its bone- deep wounds.
Emperor Xue Ye and his convoy arrived in Sunset City just moments after the deer. The entire city was under lockdown, with soldiers patrolling the streets, allowing not even a fly to enter.
Xue Ye brushed his hand over the gem-encrusted hilt of his sword and suddenly turned to look at the shadow beneath the eaves. "Master Dugu Bo, I must trouble you to guard me during this critical time."
"No need for formalities. The Tian Dou Empire once protected me; now I repay the favor."
Dugu Bo responded indifferently. If not for repaying a debt, he wouldn't have cared about the "treasures" Xue Ye offered—they weren't even worth a fraction of what he possessed.
Familiar with Dugu Bo's eccentric personality, Emperor Xue Ye didn't take it to heart. After slaying the seven-colored deer, he began the process of fusing the soul ring.
As the eighty-thousand-year-old soul ring began to emit fluctuations of soul power, a golden-armored guard on the street narrowed his eyes. This was none other than the disguised Porcupinefish Douluo.
He remembered Qian Renxue's instructions clearly—to find a way to cripple Xue Ye and extinguish his hopes of breaking through.
"The fusion of soul rings is most vulnerable to interruptions, especially the ninth soul ring. A slight disturbance can trigger a backlash. If we simultaneously ignite the Ten Thousand Purple Red Poison within Xue Ye's body using Yang Wushuang's specially prepared incense, the backlash from the soul ring will drive the poison deep into his martial soul, making it nearly impossible for him to cultivate in the future."
The Porcupinefish Douluo reviewed his plan once more, ensuring every detail was accounted for.
His martial soul countered Dugu Bo's. While other Title Douluos would need to use soul power to neutralize the poison of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent, his pufferfish martial soul was itself toxic and could ignore most of Dugu Bo's poisons.
Nearby, more than ten Soul Douluos and two teams of Soul Sages were hidden, providing enough distraction to give him an opening.
Thus, fifteen minutes after the soul power fluctuations appeared and Xue Ye had begun the initial fusion of the soul ring, the Porcupinefish Douluo no longer waited.
"It's time!"
"Fifth Soul Skill, Pufferfish Bone Spikes!"
The Porcupinefish Douluo unleashed his martial soul. The round surface of his pufferfish bristled with poisonous spikes, and in an instant, hundreds of bone spikes fanned out in a spray. The nearest three Soul Sages didn't even have time to activate their defenses before they were corroded into skeletons.
Those from the Spirit Hall had anticipated the attack and remained unharmed.
The other imperial guards weren't so lucky. Most fell victim to the attack. The fifth soul skill of a Title Douluo, combined with the deadly toxins of the pufferfish martial soul, killed off several Soul Emperors instantly and incapacitated half of the Soul Sages. Over a dozen Soul Douluo elders took to the sky.
"Insolent traitors!"
The Soul Douluo perched high on the roof was the first to notice something amiss and launched an attack at the Porcupinefish Douluo. However, masked members of the Spirit Hall intercepted him, and the others engaged their respective opponents. Due to the Porcupinefish Douluo's surprise attack, the Spirit Hall, despite being outnumbered, managed to suppress the imperial elders.
"Protect His Majesty!"
In the courtyard, eight elders simultaneously released their true martial souls. The spectral forms of snow owls, ice bears, and black tortoises intertwined to form a barrier in front of Xue Ye.
The Porcupinefish Douluo sneered disdainfully. The gap in strength between a Title Douluo and Soul Douluos was immense—eight Soul Douluos couldn't hold him back.
"Hiding in shadows."
Dugu Bo soared into the sky above the small courtyard, gazing at the nine soul rings beneath the Porcupinefish Douluo. "Who sent you? To assassinate the emperor is a grave offense—are you not afraid of being hunted down by the Tian Dou Empire's army?"
The Porcupinefish Douluo sneered contemptuously. While his martial soul required poison needles to release toxins, unlike Dugu Bo's convenient poison mist, it was still capable of overwhelming large numbers of soldiers. He feared no siege.
"Xue Ye's ambition will surely spark a war across the continent. We are merely acting on behalf of heaven to maintain peace."
"Nonsense."
Dugu Bo felt he was being mocked and grew impatient. Without wasting words, the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor surged into the sky, enveloping the Porcupinefish Douluo in emerald poison fog.
The Porcupinefish Douluo didn't bother wasting soul power on defense. As the poison touched his pufferfish martial soul, the blood-red liquid reacted violently with the fog, producing a sizzling sound akin to hot oil splashing onto snow. The phantom forms of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor and the pufferfish wrestled fiercely within the toxic haze.
The sixth soul ring lit up, causing the pufferfish martial soul to grow larger. In secret, the Porcupinefish Douluo crushed the incense prepared by Yang Wushuang.
"Blood Essence Gathering!"
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