"Boom!"
Lu Yuan's sword suddenly trembled violently. Dark ripples pulsed outward from the blade, spreading like waves across the air.
And then—a bizarre sight unfolded.
The instant those black ripples brushed against Ghost Douluo's aura, they merged seamlessly into it, as if darkness itself had found its home.
The golden thread etched across Lu Yuan's blade blazed with piercing brilliance, almost blinding to the eye. At the same time, a sinister black pattern emerged from the center of his forehead, its meaning unknown yet drenched in ominous dread.
In the span of a single breath, the earth within a hundred-meter radius scorched black, the ground hissing as though flames licked its surface. A towering tree, thick as a water tank, burned to ashes in the blink of an eye.
"Control him!"
Yueguan and Guimei exchanged a grim look.
Both could feel it—something inside Lu Yuan had shifted.
Something overflowing with an evil that rattled their bones.
Why was his power so twisted now?
"It's the Pole Limit Realm!" Guimei gritted his teeth as the two of them moved into position.
Back-to-back, their bodies radiated a flood of light. Eighteen rays burst forth, intertwining as halos enveloped them. The ground trembled. For a chilling moment, time itself seemed to freeze.
"Boom!"
Far away, Chen Xin's body slammed into the ground with a bone-deep thud. His sword shook violently in his grasp as he steadied himself, his eyes snapping back up only to see Lu Yuan trapped amidst a web of attacks.
He thought about rushing in…but hesitation proved fatal.
Bibi Dong's figure flickered, sharp and merciless, seizing the opportunity to suppress him once more.
With Ning Fengzhi's support, Chen Xin and Tang Hao barely held the line—but even combined, they were being crushed under the weight of suppression.
Now, all Chen Xin could do was hang on with sheer willpower.
"Uncle Jian!" Ning Fengzhi's voice trembled from behind, panic shining in his eyes.
"Chen Xin…"
Bibi Dong smirked. Her smile carried no warmth, only domination born to reign. "Perhaps you should worry about yourself instead of others."
Her red lips curled as her hands moved.
"The Eighth Spirit Ability: Move Mountains and Fill Seas!"
Chen Xin roared in defiance, both hands sliding across the blade of his sword. His aura pierced the skies like lightning.
"Twelve Sword Lights, break!"
The tip of his blade flared as twelve beams of icy light erupted upward, surging forth like a torrent.
"Drink!" he bellowed.
But Jiang Mo Douluo had already moved. The instant Chen Xin unleashed his strike, Jiang Mo stepped forward, his sixth spirit ring shining.
The Panlong staff whirled in his hands like a dragon coming alive, spinning wildly before striking down. A pale barrier materialized out of nothingness, blocking the sword light.
The forest echoed with metallic clanging.
"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding—"
The barrier trembled fiercely—until, with a resounding crack, it shattered beneath the eighth sword strike.
But Qianjun Douluo stepped forward with flawless timing. His fifth spirit ring gleamed, and in the next instant, shockwaves rippled from his Coiling Dragon Staff.
Layers of force crushed down, scattering the remaining sword qi into fragments of light.
"Boom!"
Tang Hao's body trembled. He swung the Clear Sky Hammer down, smashing the earth to absorb the impact of the backlash.
His face darkened, drenched in sweat from the endless pressure.
Bibi Dong's goal was clear—Tang Hao.
Ning Fengzhi's support only allowed him two or three moments of survival—yet even then, he was being relentlessly pushed back.
If this continued, he and Xiao San would inevitably become prey, nourishment for the forest itself.
"Rumble…"
The sound was deafening.
And then it came—a scream so mighty it made the heavens quake.
The heads of every powerhouse snapped around, eyes wide.
"Titan Giant Ape!"
The words spilled from countless mouths at once.
Shock rolled through their hearts like thunder.
The King of the Forest appeared—the Titan Giant Ape itself!
And with it, the power of a soul ring and soul bone that countless cultivators dreamed of!
For a single heartbeat, greed and awe warred in their minds.
But reality was not so kind. Right now, neither faction had the strength to take down this giant.
So then… why had the King of the Forest come here of all places?
The question shook everyone, unanswered.
Yet while most were burdened with confusion, Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin felt a spark of hope ignite in their hearts.
Because at this moment, the Titan Giant Ape's arrival tilted the balance. And it was not aligned with Spirit Hall—it was striking at Ghost and Yueguan!
A temporary ally born in desperation.
The sudden arrival shattered the Martial Soul Fusion of Yueguan and Guimei in an instant. Their halos dissipated like smoke under a storm.
Lu Yuan staggered free.
"Could it be…?" Ning Fengzhi's eyes trembled with realization.
He remembered clearly. Not long ago, Lu Yuan had released a hundred-thousand-year-old rabbit.
Could it be that this Titan Giant Ape—a beast of at least that same realm—had come for him?
The thought was insane. Incomprehensible.
And yet, watching the way the forest king's rage turned directly on Yueguan and Guimei, Ning Fengzhi could only conclude—yes. It was here for Lu Yuan.
"Rumble!"
The Titan Ape's colossal fist crashed down. Yueguan and Guimei were both sent flying, their bodies reduced to specks against the backdrop of the forest.
Another monstrous palm swept back through the air, catching Lu Yuan. Instead of crushing him, it gently flung him tens of meters away.
"Uncle Jian! Don't worry—he's not hurt!"
Ning Fengzhi's voice broke through Chen Xin's instinctive panic.
The Titan Great Ape's strike appeared brutal, but its force was oddly restrained. There was no killing intent—only protection.
Lu Yuan was safe.
For now.
"The road is far!"
The cry pierced through chaos.
Lu Yuan froze, his gaze turning toward the voice.
"It's me!"
Qian Renxue rushed forward, her sharp eyes fixed on him.
Everything had changed too quickly. The competition was far from finished, yet all calamity now pointed solely at Lu Yuan.
She couldn't just sit still. She couldn't just watch.
She had made her choice the moment she arrived.
"Prince?" Lu Yuan blinked, dazed, recognition piercing through his fog.
Ning Fengzhi hurried forward. "Your Highness, please—take Lu Yuan and go! Quickly!"
He didn't understand why Xue Qinghe had appeared in such a place.
But right now, the Heaven Dou Empire's crown prince was their only chance to get Lu Yuan out alive.
"Don't worry."
Qian Renxue clasped Lu Yuan's hand firmly. No hesitation, no extra words—only action. She pulled.
The moment their palms touched, needles of pain stabbed through her arm, scorching even her bones.
Her teeth clenched. She refused to let go.
Through the forest they ran, leaves cracking beneath their feet. Every heartbeat brought more pursuers.
And when Spirit Hall powerhouses saw Xue Qinghe suddenly appear alongside Lu Yuan…
Their faces warped in disbelief.
Because they knew the truth.
The Heaven Dou prince… was Qian Renxue herself.
But why was she here, now of all times?
"I'll chase them!" Qianjun Douluo thundered, surging after the two without hesitation.
One mission: capture Lu Yuan.
Another: protect Qian Renxue.
"Leave me!" Lu Yuan barked hoarsely, his vision flickering in and out. "While I'm still myself—you must leave!"
He finally understood what Mie Li had said before.
That there was power in him… power even he could not control.
"Be quiet!"
Qian Renxue's voice cracked, fierce with desperation. "I will take you out. Whether you want it or not!"
The agony spread up her arm, burning hotter, threatening to tear her apart. But she only gripped tighter, refusing to yield.
"Boom!"
A violent eruption tore their hands apart.
Black miasma wrapped around Qian Renxue's palm, hissing like poison.
Her heart stuttered.
"Lu Yuan—!"
He swayed on the verge of collapse, lost in the storm his own power had birthed, deaf to her cries.
"No… I won't accept this!" she shouted, her voice trembling.
Golden light burst from between her brows.
The mark of the Seraph shone, a divine flame igniting. From her back, radiant golden wings unfurled, stretching wide with holy brilliance.
She rose, a flawless vision of supremacy—no longer the disguised Xue Qinghe, but the true Qian Renxue.
At this moment, she was breathtaking. Peerless.
Qian Renxue descended, cradling Lu Yuan's face with both trembling palms. Her brow mark touched his, divine and dark clashing in silence.
Her nose nearly brushed his—his hot, ragged breath mixed with the faint scent of alcohol.
She poured the sacred power of the Seraph into him, desperate to pull him back from the abyss.
But then, a storm erupted.
From Lu Yuan's brow surged a terrifying force, raw and domineering, blasting her away with irresistible might.
And Lu Yuan collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Lu Yuan!"
Qian Renxue's voice shook, breaking with despair.
"Don't you dare scare me like this!" she yelled, holding onto him with all her strength. "Don't leave me!"
But no matter how she cried, her hands trembled helplessly.
She wanted to save him—yet at this moment, she was powerless.
--
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