DD Black White [193-195] (Patreon)

Chapter 193: Jingliu Fandom

"Boy, you practice swordsmanship—who is your teacher??"

Though Ning Fengzhi was a bit curious about Lu Jingming, whom Xue Qinghe had brought along, he merely glanced at him with mild interest. Xue Qinghe had always had a habit of gathering and cultivating talent, so Ning Fengzhi only marveled at Lu Jingming's appearance and paid him no further attention.

However, Sword Douluo frowned deeply, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Jingming.

He sensed a sword intent from Lu Jingming that felt eerily familiar. He was certain Lu Jingming not only practiced swordsmanship but had achieved a significant level of mastery.

To produce such a young sword expert, his teacher must surely be a peerless master of swordsmanship. Sword Douluo already had a suspect in mind.

Upon hearing Sword Douluo's inquiry, both Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi looked surprised, their attention turning curiously to Lu Jingming.

For Sword Douluo to show such interest, Lu Jingming was clearly not ordinary.

"As expected of Sword Douluo—indeed, I do practice swordsmanship. As for my teacher, her title is Snow Moon."

Lu Jingming made no attempt to hide anything. In this world, he had nothing to fear, and no need to conceal.

As soon as he spoke, Sword Douluo's body trembled violently. In an instant, he appeared before Lu Jingming, excitedly asking: "Boy, quickly tell me, where is your teacher now?"

Upon hearing "Snow Moon," Xue Qinghe's eyes filled with confusion, while Ning Fengzhi and Bone Douluo looked at Lu Jingming in disbelief.

Sword Douluo's hunch had come true—there really was a Douluo titled Snow Moon? How had they never heard of her?

Though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's intelligence network couldn't cover the entire continent, they had many informants in the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires.

Yet, they'd never received a single report about a Snow Moon Douluo, rumored to be even stronger than Sword Douluo himself.

Titled Douluos were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; how could such a strong figure leave no trace?

"My teacher—you'll meet her sooner or later, but not now." Lu Jingming gently shook his head.

Jingliu would not be entering this world for a while, but as long as Sword Douluo didn't die unexpectedly, they were bound to meet someday.

"True enough." Sword Douluo nodded, a bit dejected.

He had always considered himself the continent's top swordsman, and had never heard of such a master before his encounter in the simulated universe. Only then did he realize there were always greater heights to reach.

A reclusive figure like Snow Moon Douluo was certainly not someone one could just meet at will.

Sword Douluo didn't doubt Lu Jingming's words. Not only had he named Snow Moon Douluo's title, but the sword intent he carried was unmistakable.

Though the sword intent differed from Snow Moon's, it was clearly of the same lineage.

As the owner of the Seven Kill Sword intent, Sword Douluo could sense this unique resonance between sword practitioners.

Having confirmed Lu Jingming's identity, the gazes of Ning Fengzhi and the others changed instantly.

Compared to being just Xue Qinghe's friend, they now regarded Lu Jingming with much more warmth and interest.

After learning the details from Ning Fengzhi, Xue Qinghe looked at Lu Jingming with a mixture of amazement and doubt.

Even Spirit Hall had no intelligence on Snow Moon Douluo, and even her own grandfather had never mentioned her.

Lu Jingming found it amusing. He hadn't lied, but had intentionally left things vague, letting Sword Douluo and the others fill in the gaps themselves—it was rather entertaining.

With this new identity, he received very different treatment.

Learning that Lu Jingming was traveling alone, Ning Fengzhi even warmly invited him to visit the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

The group took the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage, heading toward the outskirts of Heaven Dou City.

Along the way, they saw many people heading in the same direction, toward a point of contamination outside the city.

It was clear that with the Soul Master Tournament drawing academies to Heaven Dou City, the contamination spot had attracted much attention, and many wanted to join the fun.

Danger wasn't a concern; after all, three deans from the Royal Academy were present, along with many strong soul masters, and even Poison Douluo was rumored to have arrived. With such a strong lineup, what could go wrong?

With a month to go before the Soul Master Tournament, most people were idle. Visiting the contamination spot was just for excitement; if lucky, they might even slay a negative-energy monster and gain a treasure.

In the carriage, Lu Jingming recognized many familiar faces along the way.

Of course, he knew them, but they didn't know him.

"Brother Lu, you seem interested in the Soul Master academies. If you like, I could arrange for you to enter the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, or even become a main member of this year's Heaven Dou Team, to compete in the tournament a month from now," offered Xue Qinghe with a smile, noticing Lu Jingming's attention on the passing academies.

"No need, Brother Xue. For me to compete in this year's tournament would be bullying," Lu Jingming replied, shaking his head with a smile.

At his Soul Emperor level, joining the tournament would just be one-sided domination, like playing a game on easy mode—no fun at all.

Unlike in his original world, where representing St. Freya Academy in the tournament brought benefits and prestige to Haiyuan City, here, even winning the championship and a few soul bones meant little to him.

Thus, he wasn't interested in the tournament here.

As for the change in how Xue Qinghe addressed him, that was at Xue Qinghe's own request. Upon learning Lu Jingming had a powerful Titled Douluo behind him, Xue Qinghe became even more eager to befriend him.

At this moment, only Lu Jingming, Xue Qinghe, and Xue Ke were in the carriage.

Ning Fengzhi and the others were in another carriage—six people in one would be too crowded, though this carriage was large enough.

Ning Fengzhi thought the younger generation had more to talk about and supported Xue Qinghe's efforts to befriend Lu Jingming.

Xue Qinghe was his disciple and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's investment target; naturally, he hoped Xue Qinghe could gain more support.

"Simulated universe, contamination spot, Snow Moon Douluo, Sword Uncle, Bone Uncle... This world is becoming more and more unfamiliar. What path should our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect take in the future?"

In front of Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, Ning Fengzhi dropped his dignity as sect leader and revealed his vulnerability.

The pressure on him was immense.

Since Clear Sky sect withdrew from the alliance, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had suffered greatly under Spirit Hall's pressure.

Ning Fengzhi was capable, but even he was worn out.

The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon sect faced similar struggles.

Despite having the world's strongest beast and support-type spirits, as upper-tier sects, only they knew how difficult their true situation was.

"Don't worry, Fengzhi—we're still here," said Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, exchanging a glance and offering what comfort they could.

They could fight, but when it came to strategy and planning, that was up to Ning Fengzhi.

"Sigh, Spirit Hall... At least Rongrong's martial soul evolved, bringing renewed hope to our sect."

Just thinking about Spirit Hall gave Ning Fengzhi a headache.

As a top power, he didn't know Spirit Hall's full strength, but even the tip of the iceberg was terrifying enough.

His only comfort was that Ning Rongrong's martial soul had evolved into the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, breaking the old limit.

Even at Soul Sage rank, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could elevate Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo's power by a full level. If there was ever a Titled Douluo-level Nine Treasure Pagoda support, their strength would be unimaginable.

Martial Souls could be passed down by bloodline.

If Ning Rongrong could pass her bloodline on, the Nine Treasure Pagoda would one day fully replace the Seven Treasure Pagoda, raising the world's top support martial soul to new heights.

Thinking of this bright future, Ning Fengzhi felt his blood surge, and the pressure eased a bit.

"Speaking of which, this young Lu looks about Rongrong's age. I wonder how strong he actually is?" Ning Fengzhi mused aloud, as he was only a Soul Sage himself and couldn't gauge Lu Jingming's depth.

Bone Douluo frowned. "That kid is strange. Even with my cultivation, I can't see through him."

Sword Douluo said gravely, "I can't judge his specific level, but he's definitely a monstrous talent. As Snow Moon Douluo's disciple, and having grasped sword intent, I doubt any peer can match him."

Sword Douluo already revered Jingliu, becoming a Jingliu fan himself. Though he couldn't see through Lu Jingming's hidden cultivation, just knowing he was Jingliu's disciple convinced him Lu Jingming was no weakling, especially with sword intent.

That was the only clear advantage Sword Douluo could sense.

"Oh, Sword Uncle, how does he compare to the Shrek Academy's little monsters?" Ning Fengzhi asked, perking up.

After all, with the immortal herbs, the Shrek Seven Devils were undisputed geniuses of their age.

"At their current level, there's no contest—sword intent is on another plane," Sword Douluo shook his head.

Sword intent, once appearing at the early stages, was a dimensional blow to soul masters of the same level.

Even at his own level, using sword intent made a huge difference—let alone below Soul Sage.

"Looks like Rongrong and the others finally have a worthy opponent, but it's a pity Lu won't compete," Ning Fengzhi smiled, shaking his head.

"Speaking of Rongrong, Shrek Academy seems to be here too," Bone Douluo suddenly said, glancing out the window at a group also heading out of the city.

Chapter 194: Black Angel and Black March 7th

"Dean Flender, are we really going to join the fun? I heard this contamination spot is dangerous—didn't Skywater Academy lose a Soul Sage there?" Oscar asked nervously.

As a food-type soul master, he had no combat power and felt uneasy about going somewhere so dangerous.

"What's there to fear, Little Ao? So many people are going, and Teacher Erlong is with us," Dai Mubai laughed, patting Oscar's shoulder.

"Boss Dai, I'm not scared, just worried something might happen before the tournament," Oscar quickly retorted, catching Ning Rongrong's gaze. He didn't want to be seen as a coward.

"Mubai's right. Unless we run into a Titled Douluo, there's nothing to be afraid of with your Teacher Erlong here," said a voluptuous, Erlong, also patting Oscar's shoulder.

With the Golden Iron Triangle together, even a Titled Douluo wasn't impossible to handle.

"Hey, that's the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's carriage—my father and the others!" Ning Rongrong suddenly spotted two carriages in the distance, her eyes lighting up with delight.

The carriages approached.

"Rongrong!"

"Father, Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, you're all here!" Ning Rongrong cheered, flying into Ning Fengzhi's embrace.

"sect leader Ning, it's been a while," Yu Xiaogang and the others greeted Ning Fengzhi respectfully.

The carriages stopped. Hearing the commotion, Xue Qinghe opened the door and stepped out calmly.

"Rongrong, long time no see."

"Brother Xue, you're here too!" Ning Rongrong was surprised.

"My little sister wanted to see the excitement, same as you," Xue Qinghe explained with a smile.

"Xue Ke is here too?" Ning Rongrong looked toward the carriage. As the sect's beloved princess, she knew Xue Qinghe and was familiar with Xue Ke, though their personalities were too different to be close.

"It's you!" But when she saw Lu Jingming get off with Xue Ke, her eyes widened in shock.

Her exclamation drew everyone's attention.

They followed her gaze to Lu Jingming. Ma Hongjun and Oscar reacted the same, all looking stunned.

"What, you all know Brother Lu?" Xue Qinghe asked in surprise.

"I'm curious too—how do you all know me?" Lu Jingming feigned confusion.

He knew exactly how they knew him, but what did a virtual body in the simulated universe have to do with him? He had no intention of revealing his smurfing activities.

"This…" Ning Rongrong and the others were momentarily speechless, looking at Lu Jingming with mixed feelings.

Especially Yu Xiaogang, whose face turned pale as paper, looking like his worldview had shattered.

He had once convinced himself Lu Jingming only existed in the simulated universe, but now the real person was in front of him—meaning his cherished theories were about to be challenged.

With Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi watching curiously, Ning Rongrong explained everything that happened in the simulated universe.

When they heard how Lu Jingming's avatar had single-handedly defeated the Shrek Seven Devils, and had an abnormal soul ring configuration, Ning Fengzhi and the others looked at him in shock.

"Heh, looks like we're destined to meet," Lu Jingming chuckled, also sensing a hostile gaze.

He looked over to see Tang San staring at him, clearly still upset about what happened in the simulated universe.

Lu Jingming twitched—this guy really liked to hold grudges.

It was just an avatar in a simulation! And to them, it shouldn't have anything to do with the real him.

Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and even Xiao Wu had no hostility—only Tang San was different.

Tang San's personality really was vindictive.

Not only Lu Jingming noticed, but also Sword Douluo, Xue Qinghe, and the others.

Thinking of what Ning Rongrong had just said, they were speechless. Wasn't this a bit petty?

Ning Fengzhi frowned as well—he hadn't expected Tang San to be so narrow-minded.

If it weren't for Tang San's immortal herb gift that evolved Ning Rongrong's martial soul, he'd want her to stay away from Tang San.

Now, he hesitated about investing further in Tang San. Could his sect really benefit from someone like this?

Realizing everyone's gaze, Tang San quickly reined in his hostility and stopped looking at Lu Jingming.

Aside from the more sensitive few, others didn't notice the awkwardness.

Ning Rongrong went up to Lu Jingming, asking curiously, "Lu Jingming, is your soul ring configuration really the same as in the simulated universe?"

"The simulation creates data avatars based on the real person—what do you think?" Lu Jingming replied with a question.

"So it's true! How did you do it?" Ning Rongrong pressed.

Even with immortal herbs, none of them could match the ridiculous configuration he had.

Tang San's fourth ring was already miraculous at ten-thousand-year level, but Lu Jingming's avatar had two purple and one black.

"Rongrong!" Ning Fengzhi frowned, his tone stern.

Such things were core secrets, not to be casually asked.

"It's simple: just have a strong enough body and spirit," Lu Jingming replied easily.

Ning Rongrong rolled her eyes—that was no different from saying nothing. Everyone knew you needed strength and spirit to absorb soul rings.

She didn't pursue it further.

With Ning Rongrong's presence, Shrek Academy joined the group.

Given how much Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and Bone Douluo doted on her, they wouldn't let her out of sight in a dangerous place.

Shrek had too many people for the carriage, but soul masters could travel as fast as carriages anyway.

Soon, the group left the city and entered the wilds, where the trees grew thick and lush.

In the wild, the carriages couldn't continue, so everyone walked.

As they approached the target valley, a chilling, evil aura swept over them, making everyone shudder.

Arriving at the valley, shrouded in black mist, most were left speechless.

"So this is a contamination spot? Looks terrifying!" Ning Rongrong instinctively moved closer to Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo, feeling safest beside the two Titled Douluo.

"Something's not right!" Ning Fengzhi frowned. The sect had cleared contamination spots before, but none had ever felt this terrifying—not even those with a wider area or stronger monsters.

"How could this be? It wasn't like this when we left!" Not far away, Shui Bing'er and the Skywater group stared in shock—the contamination area had doubled in size in less than two days.

Something was very wrong; the spread was abnormal, unlike any other contamination spot.

"Whatever the cause, we must investigate—this valley is too close to Heaven Dou City," said Meng Shenji, the Royal Academy's dean, gravely.

"With Poison Douluo here, no monster can make trouble," said Bai Baoshan, the second dean, glancing at the white-haired old man escorted by a green-eyed, purple-haired girl.

Dugu Bo ignored the deans and turned to his granddaughter with a smile. "Little monster, I knew you wouldn't miss the excitement."

"You're no different, old monster," joked Tang San, stepping forward.

Many were shocked—Poison Douluo was notorious, yet here a Soul Ancestor joked with him as an equal.

The three deans looked grim. It was because of Dugu Bo that Tang San and the others left the academy.

Now, Dugu Bo's relationship with Tang San was even closer, while they looked like the villains.

"Your Highness, sect leader Ning—" the deans quickly greeted Xue Qinghe and Ning Fengzhi respectfully.

Although Ning Fengzhi wasn't as strong, his status was at least equal to a Titled Douluo, if not higher.

And Xue Qinghe was their rightful liege.

"Old poison, looks like your strength has grown!" Sword Douluo commented, noticing Dugu Bo's hair had turned from green to white, and his soul power was even stronger.

A group of notable figures now gathered to exchange greetings, while Feng Ying and Huo Lin from the other academies grew anxious but dared not interrupt.

They were desperate to find Shui Ming'er, but the valley looked like a devil's den, and they didn't dare rush in.

"Teacher, we must act quickly!" Xue Qinghe pointed to the rapidly withering plants.

The contamination area was expanding at a visible rate.

Staying in this zone, Xue Qinghe felt restless, almost compelled to release his spirit and purify everything.

But he knew he couldn't—making it hard to bear.

Others also noticed the alarming spread.

If left unchecked, in a few months, the contamination could reach Heaven Dou City.

If the capital fell, it would be catastrophic.

No one hesitated. They all released soul power for protection and entered the valley.

Xue Ke, though weak in battle, could use her soul power for resistance—as long as she avoided fighting, she'd last longer than those in the front lines.

Soon after entering, black-armored Golden Guards began to appear.

Most were weak and easily handled by academy students.

There were at least a hundred people present, the weakest being Soul Elders, so fighting these mindless creatures was no challenge.

The most aggressive were from Skywater, Blazing Fire, and God Wind academies, worried for their missing teammate.

Feng Ying and Huo Lin even joined in, eager to push forward.

As they pressed deeper, white-robed and black-robed figures appeared—ambush experts, causing some injuries among the unprepared.

Luckily, each academy had Soul Emperor or Soul Sage teachers, so there were no casualties yet.

Without the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Poison Douluo present, many would have already retreated.

After all, they were just here for excitement and possible loot.

Lu Jingming found the variety of monsters—black-armored soldiers, and others reminiscent of underworld spirits—rather amusing.

Suddenly, a strange but somewhat holy chant echoed out, and a massive angelic phantom appeared.

This angel was beautiful, but shrouded in black-red killing intent, the holy light forming a sharp Soul Douluost.

The paradoxical sight made everyone's pupils Soul Douluoct—someone exclaimed, "Angel Martial Soul!"

Xue Qinghe looked at the girl within the angelic light: golden armor, holy radiance, but blood-red eyes and a face covered in cracks—blonde, double-winged angel, likely from the angel legion.

She had two yellow, two purple, and one black ring—at about twenty years old, a Soul King. He couldn't recall such a person, especially from the angel clan.

But Lu Jingming recognized her instantly—wasn't that Yu Mengdi, now appearing as an elite monster!

A Soul King-level foe was too much for regular students. Huo Lin leapt forward, his Flame Lion martial soul roaring.

He punched, his fiery fist colliding with the angel's golden sword light in a deafening blast, the shockwave spreading.

Huo Lin held nothing back, his soul rings shining, his clawed hand piercing the angel's heart.

As the black mist dispersed, the angelic phantom collapsed.

Huo Lin now held a golden holy sword—a level-5 soul tool from Yu Mengdi's drop.

But at that moment, a black-red golden whirlwind roared in and trapped him.

On a nearby hill, a black-clad figure appeared—Hei Ye Wuqing, a Soul Emperor.

Feng Ying, surrounded by wind, drew his blade and launched a giant green wind slash at Hei Ye Wuqing.

"Brother, will Teacher Huo Lin be okay?" Huo Wu asked, worried, as she blasted an ambushing enemy.

The black whirlwind looked deadly—even Soul Sages would be hard pressed to survive.

"Roar, martial soul avatar!" Before Huo Wushuang could answer, Huo Lin roared—a giant flaming lion broke free from the whirlwind and attacked Hei Ye Wuqing.

Caught unprepared, Hei Ye Wuqing was engulfed in flame, leaving behind a glowing soul bone—a rare find.

Huo Lin, shocked at his luck, pocketed the soul bone. The find energized everyone—Soul Sages went wild seeking negative monsters, especially those above Soul King.

Among them were Flender and Zhao Wuji. Flender, especially, used his speed to grab the best loot, unchallenged due to his connections.

Liu Erlong stayed close to Yu Xiaogang, knowing his weakness.

Their aggressive hunt soon drew deeper threats.

A pink-haired girl appeared, six rings—two purple, three black, one red—and fired an icy blue arrow that exploded into a rain of ice.

A blizzard and hailstorm descended—most people panicked.

Even the strong struggled to shield their weaker comrades; some unlucky ones were frozen solid.

Chapter 195: Black Jinhsi

Booms echoed as the ice storm raged. The region was frozen over in seconds.

Academies suffered as even their strong struggled to defend.

Luckily, the attack was scattered, so only a few were frozen—fate unknown.

"A Soul Douluo-level skill from afar—could this be the core of the contamination spot?" Bai Baoshan shielded with his Sky Star Furnace, looking grave.

Such power from a distance meant the attacker was at least a Soul Douluo.

"That must be it—let's move quickly!" Meng Shenji decided, dark energy rising from his martial soul: Black Demon, a control martial soul.

But these mindless monsters couldn't be controlled, so he could only rely on raw power.

The three Royal Academy deans led the charge; the rest followed.

So far, none of the three Titled Douluo had acted, but with them present, everyone felt secure.

When Lu Jingming and the others reached the core, they found Meng Shenji and the others staring in shock.

They followed their gaze—and gasped.

The broad valley floor was filled with black-armored soldiers wielding soul tools, thousands at least, red eyes glowing in the gloom.

Even Dugu Bo frowned—if these were living people, he could slaughter them alone. But as negative-energy constructs, his poison was useless.

"Aunt?!" Shui Bing'er and the others soon spotted Shui Ming'er, encased in a black ice statue.

Her long blue hair had turned black; her eyes, once sapphire, were now voids.

Seven rings shone as she unleashed her martial soul avatar, transforming into a massive, black Phoenix.

Huo Lin and Feng Ying, restrained by emotion, were hard pressed against the merciless, blackened Shui Ming'er.

"Old monster, not joining in?" Tang San called, vines binding monsters.

"Fine, let's end this. Yan-yan, wait here—Grandpa's off to deal with the core monster, maybe grab a good drop."

Dugu Bo shot into the sky, his green aura clashing against a white-haired, twin-tailed girl—Black Jinhsi.

She radiated both holy gold and black mist, her six rings—two purple, three black, one red—shocking all.

"A hundred-thousand-year ring?!"

Even among the Titled Douluo present, none had such a ring.

"Die!" Furious, Dugu Bo unleashed his Titled Douluo power, the Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor manifesting and blasting green light at Black Jinhsi.

She responded with the power of time—her attack instantly reached its peak.

Gold and green light clashed, turning the sky gold and green.

"They're evenly matched!" Ning Fengzhi and the others were shocked.

Dugu Bo, not a strong attacker among Titled Douluo, had recently broken through, but still—fighting a Soul Emperor to a standstill?

Lu Jingming alone understood—it was Jinhsi's time manipulation and ultimate light that made this possible.

Dugu Bo's poison was useless, and his attack power was weak. This outcome was expected.

Others, ignorant of "ultimate attributes," only saw a Soul Emperor fighting a Titled Douluo evenly.

Thus, they looked at Black Jinhsi with awe and fear, and at Dugu Bo oddly.

The energy clash cleared the black mist, sunlight revealing everything—including a black throne with a white-haired, handsome youth sitting atop.

He lounged with eyes closed, face on hand, utterly at ease and arrogant, undisturbed by all the commotion.

Below the throne stood several figures, each radiating power equal to Black Jinhsi.

"Brother Lu!" Xue Qinghe's pupils contracted, then he looked at Lu Jingming in shock.

"Eh!" Xue Ke exclaimed, eyes darting between Lu Jingming and the throne—apart from the facial cracks, they were identical!

"Interesting, isn't it?" Lu Jingming smiled.

"It seems this contamination spot's core is modeled after you!" Ning Fengzhi quickly regained his composure.

It was rare, but not impossible—after all, even a Sword Douluo-based monster had appeared before.

Still, Ning Fengzhi looked at Lu Jingming with deep suspicion.

If the monsters were modeled after him, just how strong was the real Lu Jingming?

Lu Jingming himself was curious—if the black version had all his abilities, he'd be a perfect final boss.

He could attack, defend, heal, and control—a true all-rounder.

Even Sword Douluo could hardly kill him for good, especially with allies like Black March 7th, Black Jinhsi, Black Firefly, and especially Black Robin.

He doubted this impromptu team could pass the dungeon.

Others noticed too, glancing nervously at Lu Jingming—the mysterious youth always with the prince and sect leader.

But there was no time to ponder.

Black March 7th, with the same six-ring configuration, condensed a chilling ice arrow and fired at Bai Baoshan.

The air froze, a blue light flashed, then the delayed sonic boom.

Bai Baoshan reacted instantly, shielding with the Sky Star Furnace.

But it was like an asteroid hit—the impact hurled him into a cliff, and icy cold swept over, freezing him solid.

Meng Shenji and Zhi Lin, feeling the chill, turned and saw Bai Baoshan encased in a mountain of ice.

Everyone swallowed hard in fear.

Some instinctively shielded their teammates; some even turned to flee—they'd only come for loot, not to die.

"Sect leader Ning, please help!" Meng Shenji called in panic.

"Teacher!" Xue Qinghe's face darkened—he couldn't afford to lose his top aides.

Just then, a silver-haired girl, wrapped in black-red flames, appeared in midair.

She was encased in a fiery mecha, six rings shining.

"Bone Uncle!" Ning Fengzhi paled—if another dean died, relations with the empire would suffer.

With a thunderous roar, Bone Douluo intercepted, bone shield clashing with flaming fist, a shockwave surging out.

Bone Douluo was left with a burn on his hand—a trivial injury, but telling.

Even Ning Fengzhi gasped.

He knew how tough Bone Douluo was; their sect's prestige was built on Sword and Bone Douluo's power.

But now, even he was injured by a Soul Emperor—had that punch hit Meng Shenji, he'd be dust.

"Thank you for saving me!" Meng Shenji breathed a sigh of relief. He doubted his trump card could have saved him from that attack.