Word Count: 2,687 Words
******
After the initial terrifying explosions, the Illustrious Virtue Hall Spirit Guidance Masters desperately resisted. The Body Sect had deployed nearly all their forces this time, stationing a Titled Douluo in each direction to suppress their opponents. These Class 7 and Class 8 Spirit Guidance Masters were beaten back step by step, suffering countless casualties within moments.
The Body Sect began their violent destruction once they saw their side firmly in control. Those Illustrious Virtue Hall Spirit Guidance Devices, each worth millions of spirit gold coins, continuously shattered into metal fragments. The losses inflicted in mere moments could be calculated in the hundreds of millions.
Ning Tian remained motionless under the experimental table, maintaining her Class 8 Spirit Barrier. She gripped Wu Feng tightly with one hand while clutching the Storage Spirit Guidance Device with the other.
If any Body Sect expert attacked them, she would instantly detonate the Class 9 Stationary Spirit Guidance Device Ling Bai had given her. The Golden Tortoise would then release its Innate Spirit Skill, Invincible Barrier, to protect them.
The outside situation seemed far from the worst-case scenario, so she didn't need to reveal her ultimate trump card. As the continent's foremost Spirit Guidance Device research and development center, Illustrious Virtue Hall was by no means a pushover. The Spirit Guidance Masters activated the defense system.
Massive Spirit Guidance Devices emerged from the metal dome above. These spiral-shaped devices exceeded five meters in length and resembled sharp talons. Blue-purple light swirled around them as purple beams shot from their tips, bombarding the Body Sect experts.
The descending purple light struck the Body Sect members and erupted with powerful electrical currents instantly. Illustrious Virtue Hall's defense system featured tracking capabilities and specialized in breaking through Spirit Masters' protective spirit power. The Body Sect experts couldn't block the penetrating lightning. Even a Titled Douluo, caught off guard and hit by over ten consecutive purple beams, found himself immobilized.
It was at this moment that a figure burst onto the scene. His entire form seemed to turn illusory as he dodged and flickered amidst the countless pursuing purple lights, and not a single beam could touch him.
The silver-gray dome turned completely green wherever he passed. Under that eerie green corrosion, all the Class 9 Spirit Guidance Devices on the dome melted into drops of dark green liquid.
"Little brats of Illustrious Virtue Hall, taste this old man's Body Innate Poison!"
The figure cackled and waved his hands. The falling green droplets scattered in all directions, flying toward the surrounding Spirit Guidance Masters. The liquid contained deadly poison… touch it and die!
"Du Busi, stop right there!"
Four figures rushed from the depths of Illustrious Virtue Hall's underground base. They were the Sun Moon Imperial Academy's four Class 9 Spirit Guidance Masters, and the one roaring was none other than Illustrious Virtue Hall Master Jing Hongchen!
A layer of crimson light expanded horizontally, managing to block the massive spray of green liquid just before it could cause irreparable damage.
Jing Hongchen's forehead instantly bulged with cross-shaped veins when he saw the devastation in the underground base. Illustrious Virtue Hall had stood for a hundred years; when had it ever suffered such a grievous blow!
Spirit Guidance Device wreckage and Spirit Guidance Master corpses lay everywhere he looked. His eyes turned blood red as he roared:
"Leave none alive! Kill!"
Jing Hongchen's short, stout body erupted with intense red light. A mass of metallic light resembling a red lotus rapidly spun and combined. In an instant, countless finger-thick red metal tubes aimed at the Body Sect Master, Du Busi!
"Interesting..."
Du Busi felt slightly surprised. He actually sensed a hint of threat from Jing Hongchen, despite being a Rank 98 Super Douluo while Jing Hongchen only possessed Rank 93 spirit power!
A third leg emerged from behind Jing Hongchen. His Martial Spirit was also the Three Legged Golden Toad. Back when Xiao Hongchen was at the Spirit King rank, he could simultaneously operate one hundred twenty-eight Class 5 Spirit Cannons. The limit for 9-ringed Titled Douluo Jing Hongchen was one thousand twenty-four—one man equivalent to an entire Spirit Guidance Master regiment!
The Body Sect's surprise attack on Illustrious Virtue Hall was no different than Du Busi taking a dump on Jing Hongchen's head.
The fully unleashed Jing Hongchen now wore a crimson helmet. A metal mask covered his furious face as countless red beams blasted toward Du Busi in the air.
The three Class 9 Spirit Guidance Masters who arrived with Jing Hongchen also deployed their signature Spirit Guidance Devices, launching powerful counterattacks against the Body Sect experts.
The Body Sect had eleven Titled Douluo. Except for Vice Sect Master Golden Body Douluo who remained to guard the sect, all ten other Titled Douluo deployed, along with seventy percent of their elite Spirit Saints and Spirit Douluo. They faced off against Illustrious Virtue Hall's four Class 9 Spirit Guidance Masters, high-level Spirit Guidance Masters rushing in from all directions, and an endless stream of powerful Spirit Guidance Devices.
Both sides engaged in fierce collision. Spirit power crisscrossed throughout the entire underground base. At one battlefield, a Class 8 Spirit Guidance Master gritted his teeth, barely holding off a Body Sect Titled Douluo with his arsenal of Spirit Guidance Devices.
The next moment, a hoarse roar came from above. Both combatants instinctively looked up to see a blood-red dragon claw tearing through the hard mixed metal. The metal dome shattered with a thunderous crash under extreme violence. Dust shot skyward, and through the haze, they could only vaguely make out the silhouette of a pale bone dragon!
"Someone from Illustrious Virtue Hall?!"
"Someone from the Body Sect?!"
Both simultaneously assumed the bone dragon was the other's reinforcement. However, they had no time for further thought because the bone dragon was charging straight at them!
The Death Abyss Bone Dragon's crimson eyes spewed icy light. Both men felt as if those bone-spiked dragon claws were squeezing their hearts. The Death Abyss Bone Dragon then crossed its two claws, and a hundred-meter, cross-shaped blood blade slashed out!
Eternal Scar!
"Ring of Teleportation!"
The Class 8 Spirit Guidance Master proved more clever. He unhesitatingly activated his single-use Class 8 Spirit Guidance Device, the Ring of Teleportation, to escape Eternal Scar's attack range. At the same time, he witnessed the miserable fate of the Rank 91 Body Sect Titled Douluo!
Exploded into a rain of blood!
With just one strike!
The dragon's shadow-like majesty enveloped the entire Illustrious Virtue Hall underground space, attracting countless gazes from experts on both sides and even silencing the roaring sounds for a second.
The pale giant dragon descended to the ground. One blood-red claw, curved like a sickle, extended forward, while the other front claw pressed against the ground to support its body. Its dragon eyes, burning with blood-red soul fire, gazed down upon these insignificant humans.
Ling Bai stood proudly atop the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's head. Nine shocking spirit rings—gray, black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red—slowly rose. He surveyed Illustrious Virtue Hall and the Body Sect. As if sensing something in his heart, the corners of his mouth naturally curved upward:
"Jie Jie Jie!"
"A bone dragon... He's the Death Abyss Douluo who defeated Taotie Douluo in Star Luo City!"
The evil, sinister laugh echoed through the air, piercing through some people's psychological defenses. Someone screamed out Death Abyss Douluo's identity.
"Is your Body Sect colluding with Evil Spirit Masters?" Jing Hongchen roared, taking the initiative to accuse.
"Bullshit!"
Du Busi glared with eyes as big as copper bells and roared back: "That bastard Death Abyss Douluo killed three Body Sect members before! The Body Sect issued a kill order for him long ago!
Besides, we're not the Body Sect at all!"
Doing something and admitting it were two different matters. Even if it meant telling barefaced lies, Du Busi would never personally admit they were the Body Sect.
"Rank 96. This demon has become even stronger..."
Jing Hongchen burned with anxiety. The records showed Death Abyss Douluo's Martial Spirit was a Bone Dragon, Rank 95 with the Ultimate Death attribute. During the last Continental Elite Spirit Master Academy Tournament, he had fought above his rank in Star Luo City, defeating the Rank 98 Taotie Douluo, Elder Xuan, damaging his mental state and causing his cultivation to drop. He then heavily injured Juli Douluo Cheng Gang with one strike before breaking through the encirclement and escaping.
Now Death Abyss Douluo's cultivation had advanced another level, and he had appeared at Illustrious Virtue Hall's most critical moment. Jing Hongchen felt his heart turn half cold!
Adding frost to snow!
It's over, completely over!
Jing Hongchen's strength fell short of Du Busi's. The overall strength of Illustrious Virtue Hall's Spirit Guidance Masters also couldn't compare to the Body Sect members. They could only stubbornly resist with various Spirit Guidance Devices. The sudden appearance of Death Abyss Douluo made them smile bitterly, already prepared for the worst.
However, Death Abyss Douluo surprisingly did not kick Illustrious Virtue Hall while they were down. Instead, he pursued and killed Body Sect members, even cunningly avoiding Titled Douluo to specifically target Spirit Saints and Spirit Douluo who were easier to kill. Every attack inevitably claimed several Body Sect lives!
"Death Abyss Douluo, this old man is irreconcilable with you!"
Du Busi transformed into a hundred-meter giant, roaring repeatedly while entangled with Jing Hongchen.
Vast Body Sect resources had been invested in every member. Now Death Abyss Douluo was slaughtering them like chickens, one slap per person. Du Busi's heart bled with pain.
"I understand now! Death Abyss Douluo is on that side!"
Jing Hongchen "understood"!
He had heard that Crown Prince Xu Tianran had privately allied with an Evil Spirit Master force. Illustrious Virtue Hall was the Sun Moon Empire's talent cultivation base and technology research center. No matter which prince ascended the throne, they would need Illustrious Virtue Hall's support.
Death Abyss Douluo belonged to the Evil Spirit Master force. Discovering Illustrious Virtue Hall was in trouble, he came to help out of friendship. This was Crown Prince Xu Tianran showing goodwill!
This was not adding frost to snow; it was purely sending charcoal in snowy weather!
"Illustrious Virtue Hall members, ignore Death Abyss Douluo! Just kill the Body Sect!"
Jing Hongchen grinned. With the addition of the Rank 96, Ultimate-attribute Death Abyss Douluo, the situation suddenly reversed. The Spirit Guidance Masters, who had suffered heavy losses, launched a frenzied counterattack against the Body Sect, and Body Sect members fell continuously!
Ling Bai rode the Death Abyss Bone Dragon, charging left and right through Illustrious Virtue Hall with overwhelming dominance, beating the Body Sect members until they suffered unbearably.
After battling the 100,000-year Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, the Death Abyss Bone Dragon seemed to have received a heavy blow. It converted grief and anger into motivation, cultivating non-stop in the Spectral Demiplane, training so relentlessly that other spectral creatures called it the 'King of Grinds.'
Hard work paid off for the determined dragon. After leaving Jialing Pass, the Death Abyss Bone Dragon successfully broke through its realm, advancing to become a Rank 96 Titled Douluo.
Ling Bai found Ning Tian and Wu Feng hiding under a table. As new Illustrious Virtue Hall students, their assigned experimental table was in a relatively remote location. Few Body Sect members were near the two young women, making them quite safe at the moment.
Under the Death Abyss Bone Dragon's bloody slaughter, the Body Sect members lost nearly half their numbers and gradually shifted from offense to defense, centering their defense around several Titled Douluo against the bizarre Spirit Guidance Devices.
Although he greatly desired to uproot the Body Sect in this one battle, continuing the slaughter would cause them to collapse. Ling Bai still had unfinished business; he could faintly detect the sweet, bloody aura emanating from the Bloodsea Heart and, following the scent, charged into the underground depths.
"Damn, where's Death Abyss Douluo?"
Jing Hongchen caught a glimpse in his peripheral vision and suddenly had an ominous premonition. Death Abyss Douluo's disappearance made him tremble even more than his appearance had. Over a thousand Spirit Cannons fired simultaneously to force Du Busi back, and he turned to rush toward the underground secret chambers.
"Thinking of leaving? Dream on!"
A green storm descended from the sky. Du Busi didn't hesitate to expend his own origin spirit power, his brilliant momentum clearly indicating his intent to kill Jing Hongchen.
Jing Hongchen was forced to turn back and fight. He relied only on numerous powerful Class 9 Spirit Guidance Devices. In terms of true combat power, he fell far short of Du Busi.
Du Busi was also helpless. Ostensibly, the Body Sect attacked Illustrious Virtue Hall to kill and burn, but in reality, they came to steal things, and not just one item!
The Body Sect's hidden agents had already infiltrated. He could not let Jing Hongchen reach the secret chambers. They became each other's stumbling blocks. As for a certain Death Abyss Douluo, neither had the energy to concern themselves with him.
Without Death Abyss Douluo's interference, Illustrious Virtue Hall and the Body Sect did not cease fighting. Both sides were already incensed, their hands stained with each other's blood. With bloodshot eyes, they were determined to fight to the death.
…
Illustrious Virtue Hall, Underground Secret Chamber Number Three.
An extremely burly figure rummaged through a large pile of blueprints, muttering:
"Class 9 High-Altitude Aerial Surveillance Spirit Guidance Device, Class 9 High-Energy Compression Array Spirit Guidance Device, Class 9 Multi-Person Linked Spirit Guidance Device, Class 9 Stationary Spirit Cannon shell 'Metal Destroyer,' Class 9 Defense Spirit Guidance Device 'Hongchen's Blessing'... What a load of nonsense! This old man can't understand any of it!
Whatever, if the Heavenly Soul Imperial Family wants them, I'll just take them all..."
He took out a Storage Spirit Guidance Device and swept all these top-secret Class 9 Illustrious Virtue Hall blueprints into it with a clatter. Then, he blasted open Secret Chamber Number Three's door with one punch; the treasures of two more chambers ahead awaited his harvest.
The moment he left Secret Chamber Number Three, the entire ground shook violently. A large section of the ceiling in the underground chamber corridor collapsed with a boom, and heavy earth mixed with dust rushed toward this Body Sect expert.
"Not good!"
The Body Sect expert exclaimed under his breath. The battle outside was probably too fierce, causing the underground passages to collapse. The entire underground base was shaking, and the surrounding earth and stones swayed as if ready to topple at any moment.
Just then, the ceiling suddenly exploded, and a massive figure descended before the Body Sect expert.
"Who!"
He lowered his stance and roared. Powerful black and white dual-colored light bloomed from his body. Nine optimally configured spirit rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, black—appeared around him, clearly marking him as a Titled Douluo.
This Body Sect Titled Douluo possessed a pair of exceptionally thick arms. Black and white, dual-colored demonic tiger tattoos constantly moved on his arms, emanating a beast-like, fierce aura.
"So it's you, Tiger Arm Douluo..."
The ice-cold voice contained a bone-chilling coldness. The pearls hanging in the corridor fell, their brilliance still dazzling, yet darkness extended toward Tiger Arm Douluo Chen Hu, reaching all the way to the space behind him. It was the massive projection of a ferocious giant dragon!
"Death Abyss Douluo, why are you here!" Chen Hu's eyes looked as if they would split from rage.
Death Abyss Douluo had killed his only direct disciple, Chen Yu, and his two most loyal Spirit Douluo subordinates. Chen Hu wished he could eat Death Abyss Douluo's flesh and sleep on his skin. When the iconic bone dragon appeared, he immediately recognized Death Abyss Douluo's identity!
"This is Illustrious Virtue Hall, not the Body Sect. If you are here, why can't I be?" Ling Bai's smile held no warmth.
"But to meet even in Illustrious Virtue Hall shows we truly are...
Enemies on a narrow path."