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Within Tang Wulin's body, Tang San was also observing the battle. Though he possessed only a wisp of divine sense, Bai Xu's unrestrained combat style quickly revealed something unusual to him.
"That's... How could this be?!" Tang San was utterly shocked, losing his composure for the first time.
Bai Xu's fighting technique did not rely on soul power. In Tang San's perception, the mysterious radiance surrounding Bai Xu originated from his own body, containing vast amounts of energy foreign to this world. Moreover, it seemed Bai Xu had already mastered this power to perfection, allowing him to contend evenly with a 98th-ranked Title Douluo.
"He hasn't even released his martial soul... Is he another outsider like me?"
Given Tang San's insight, he could discern Bai Xu's origins. The most classic example was the Mysterious Heaven Technique, widely circulated within the current Tang Sect. Before Tang San had crossed over to the Douluo Continent, no one had ever heard of such a heaven-defying cultivation method—one that could enhance a soul master's training efficiency to an astonishing degree.
There were also his other Tang Sect secret techniques: the Mysterious Jade Hands, Purple Demon Eyes, and more.
But Bai Xu was different. Tang San had arrived in this world with auxiliary cultivation techniques. The Mysterious Heaven Technique, for instance, only facilitated soul power circulation and improved cultivation efficiency—it was ultimately a supplementary skill.
Tang San immediately recognized Bai Xu's uniqueness. What Bai Xu possessed was an entirely different cultivation method—one that refined the body rather than soul power.
"But how can someone on the Douluo Continent not have a martial soul? If he truly lacks one, shouldn't the rules of this world reject him? Has Father not noticed?" Tang San frowned deeply.
A voice echoed in Tang Wulin's mind as Tang San asked, "How much do you know about this Bai Xu? Does he have a martial soul?"
"Old Tang!" Since the incident of the Golden Dragon Bloodline's rampage had not yet occurred, Tang San had not yet revealed his true identity to Tang Wulin.
"I don't know much about him. He has twin martial souls—the Heavenly Eye and a form of gold-element control," Tang Wulin replied truthfully, then asked in confusion, "Old Tang, is something wrong?"
"Nothing. Just observe carefully. Bai Xu's identity is far from simple."
After leaving this cryptic remark, Old Tang withdrew completely.
Within the Sealed Space
Tang San's expression twisted with conflict. The appearance of another "Otherworldly Demon" like himself was entirely unexpected. Moreover, this outsider seemed to possess methods capable of shielding himself from the perception of Tang San's father, Tang Hao. If left unchecked...
If Bai Xu harbored goodwill toward the Douluo Continent, all would be well. But if he bore ill intent and coveted this world, then the Golden Dragon King bloodline within Tang Wulin, the plane lord Tang Hao, and the life core—Tang San's mother, Ah Yin—would all be in grave danger!
"Damn it. The return of the Divine Realm will take at least several thousand years, and who knows how much time has passed within the black hole... But I've already used my first two chances—one to imprint a divine mark in the Silver Dragon King's spiritual sea, and another to save Wulin from the hands of the Abyss Sage. This last chance... must be used in coordination with Father to kill that Sage. Without my divine sense assisting, Father's battle against the Abyss Sage—a first-rank deity—could go either way. But if this outsider interferes in secret... It seems I must contact Father."
"Now it's clear—the divine mark I left in the Silver Dragon King's spiritual sea must have been erased by this outsider using some method. So, they've long been colluding. Otherwise... how could the Silver Dragon King, who has been recovering for tens of thousands of years, resist a mark left by a God King like me?"
Tang San's eyes dimmed once more as he glanced at the figures battling in the sky. It was time for him to act.
Outside.
Bai Xu and Zhang Geyang clashed in the skies a thousand meters above. Crimson and dark blue seas of flames collided repeatedly as soul skills and divine abilities were unleashed. From a broader perspective, the Hell Flame Douluo was clearly outmatched.
"That lightning-attributed soul spirit severed ties with Tower Master Zhang, and his foundation was damaged during his battle with Sect Master Tang. That's why he's struggling now," En Ci, the Star Luo Empire's Guardian Douluo, analyzed quietly from the shadows alongside Emperor Dai Tianling.
Dai Tianling's expression was conflicted. He wished to offend neither Bai Xu nor Zhang Geyang—one was the Star Luo Empire's Spirit Pagoda Deputy Tower Master, while the other possessed the strength of a Limit Douluo. If they failed to kill Bai Xu today after siding with the Spirit Pagoda, the Star Luo Empire would face calamity in the future.
"Master En Ci, is there any way to capture that villain?" Dai Tianling asked.
En Ci shook his head. "Judging from his combat style, this man controls spatial elements—teleportation and spatial traversal. Without thorough preparation, I cannot guarantee his capture."
Dai Tianling sighed. "Then let us mediate. After all, this battle is taking place in the capital during the Five Gods' Duel. If we don't intervene, the imperial family will lose face."
"Your Majesty, let Tong Yu handle it."
"As you advise."
High in the Sky
The battle raged fiercely. Bai Xu's fire element held the upper hand, but at the critical moment, he halted his assault and smiled. "Deputy Tower Master, it's time to end this!"
Zhang Geyang's heart sank with foreboding.
"Die! Ninth Soul Skill—Emerald Demon Piercing Strike!"
The attack was so fast it was nearly invisible to the naked eye. But as space rippled faintly, Bai Xu vanished, reappearing elsewhere.
"Inverse Flame Control."
With a series of hand seals, Bai Xu transformed Zhang Geyang's dark blue sea of flames—spread across a thousand meters of sky—into a colorless void before dispersing it entirely. Even the massive Avatar manifestation seemed to freeze before dissipating.
Within the Five Elements, Bai Xu reigned supreme.
Truthfully, he found Zhang Geyang's soul spirit configuration puzzling. Despite having a fire-attributed martial soul, the man possessed soul spirits like the Thunderclap Nethervine (lightning) and the Emerald Demon Bird (speed/attack). Though powerful, they were incompatible with his core abilities.
Not to mention one had already betrayed him, damaging his foundation.
As a colossal shadow loomed over Zhang Geyang's face, his life flashed before his eyes—his glorious upbringing as a scion of one of the Spirit Pagoda's backing families, his rise to Deputy Tower Master under the patronage of Qiangu Dongfeng...
But their behind-the-scenes dealings...
BOOM!
The flashback shattered as a towering figure over three meters tall intercepted the fatal strike.
Nine red soul rings materialized, unleashing the oppressive aura of a Limit Douluo.
The opponent's strength wasn't as overwhelming as expected, but within their power lurked a strange energy—like a vortex that absorbed and then expelled force.
This power wasn't traditional elemental energy but an arrangement of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—the Five Elements. While water, fire, and earth were common, metal and wood were exceedingly rare.
The Five Elements cycled in mutual generation and restraint, producing other forces.
Tong Yu's martial soul was the Five Elements Qilin.
Simultaneously, he marveled at the five-colored radiance surrounding Bai Xu. Upon contact, he instantly grasped its principles—though both utilized the Five Elements, their applications were fundamentally different.
For the first time, excitement flickered across Bai Xu's face. "Since we've met, let's compare notes."
"Very well," Tong Yu replied.
Bai Xu's eyes burned with fervor. He could feel it—the final meridian of the Three Yin Foot Channels, the Greater Yin, was loosening! Coming here had been the right decision. Only by confronting another master of the Five Elements could his own attain sublimation.
Vortices of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth unfurled around them.
"True Flame of the Five Elements."
"Flame Dominion."
Once more, scarlet flames engulfed the skies above the Star Luo capital, stretching across a thousand meters. The two figures stood opposed within the inferno, though Bai Xu's flames burned brighter and wider.
"Your Five Elements emphasize perpetual cycles—internal generation and external restraint. Even your fists embody this principle," Bai Xu remarked after probing exchanges. "But in my view, the Five Elements' cycle of generation and restraint should form a reincarnation. Though I've yet to fully realize it, observing you has given me inspiration."
Tong Yu responded in kind, "You've advanced far in individual elements, but their interconnected rotation remains incomplete. In terms of holistic unity, I surpass you."
As he spoke, the Five Elements' rotation manifested visibly, gradually balancing the sea of flames until neither held an advantage.
"Is that so? Perfect—that's precisely why I came. But... our interpretations of the Five Elements differ too greatly. Only through battle can we determine the truth."
Five-colored radiance enveloped Bai Xu's body as he entered a transcendent state—his entire being pulsed with the flow of the Five Elements, even his hair shimmering with energy, his robes billowing in the wind. (Reference: the divine technique state of the Lawless Demon Monarch)
Tong Yu's expression turned grave. Sensing imminent danger, he declared without hesitation, "Five Elements Qilin Transformation!"
Taking a deep breath, Tong Yu's bloodline surged as a five-colored halo erupted from his body, coalescing beneath his feet into five massive elemental sigils—gold, green, blue, red, and brown—representing metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Their emergence created five colossal whirlpools in the sky.
With a shake, Tong Yu transformed into a ten-meter-long Five Elements Qilin, its majestic form radiating the profound mysteries of elemental interplay.
"This sensation of rotation... Translated into my framework, it resembles reincarnation!"
Tong Yu's Five Elements Qilin wielded the most fundamental five elements, yet it couldn't embody the cosmos. Bai Xu's Five Elements, while superficially elemental, internally represented the language of universal order—their mutual generation and restraint mirrored the cyclical laws of creation. Though Bai Xu had conceptualized this before, it lacked substance. Now, the opportunity stood before him...
This chance couldn't be missed!