Chapter 408: Xiao Wu's Betrayal and Unexpected Aid
Before arriving in the Star Luo Empire, Dai Yao had prepared for a showdown with the Grand Elder. He knew that to continue compressing his spirit power beyond the fifth compression, he would need an ally to fend off the Grand Elder—an ally who would be none other than Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu's ten-thousand-year spirit ring granted her two powerful skills: "Ethereal" and "Eight-Stage Throw." In the original story, her Eight-Stage Throw had heavily injured Yang Invincible, so even without an exact measure of its power, it was clear the skill was highly formidable.
Dai Yao had promised Xiao Wu he would revive her in the future and give her freedom. Once revived, she could choose her path freely, even if it meant opposing him—though if she did, he would not hesitate to retaliate. Reviving Xiao Wu was a small concession compared to the enormous risk of revealing the Chaos Green Lotus's secrets.
Initially, Xiao Wu had hesitated, but once they arrived in Wuguan, she agreed to his terms.
Now, back in his spiritual world, Dai Yao found Xiao Wu staring at him with a faint smirk. As if understanding the situation instantly, she looked at him with mockery in her eyes.
"Seems like you're in an unsolvable crisis?" she asked, a taunting smile on her face.
Dai Yao's brow furrowed, sensing an ominous shift. "What do you mean by that?"
With a victorious gleam in her eyes, Xiao Wu's expression shifted. She hadn't agreed to his conditions to help him but to exact revenge. She had waited for this moment when Dai Yao would be most vulnerable, intending to deal him the final blow and sever his hope for survival. He had inflicted suffering upon her and Tang San. If not for him, she and Tang San wouldn't have been torn apart, and she would never have become his spirit ring!
How could she, bearing such deep hatred, truly help him? Her earlier compliance was only a facade for today's revenge.
"I'm telling you plainly—I will not help you! You're the reason I was forced away from Brother San, the reason I now have to watch him marry someone else. I'd rather die with you than lend you a hand!"
Xiao Wu's face was icy, her words filled with long-suppressed anger. Seeing Dai Yao's expression turn stormy, Xiao Wu felt a surge of satisfaction.
Dai Yao's face darkened immediately. He had offered her such generous terms, yet she had still tricked him. He barely had time to fume, though, as the Grand Elder's spirit skill was nearing completion. He had to figure out a way to hold off the Grand Elder and buy time to finish compressing his spirit power.
"Guess I'll deal with you later."
Though furious, Dai Yao had no time for revenge now. He glared at her with chilling contempt before exiting his spiritual world, silently vowing to settle the score when this battle was over.
Xiao Wu's heart skipped a beat under his malevolent gaze. Had she underestimated him? Was he truly on the verge of death, or had she misjudged? If Dai Yao survived this crisis, she feared he would indeed retaliate against her and Tang San. Her confidence wavered, and she clung to the hope that he was genuinely in desperate need of her help.
"No, impossible. Dai Yao wouldn't seek my help unless he had no choice… He must be facing a life-or-death situation. That has to be it!" she muttered, clutching this fragile hope.
Returning to reality, Dai Yao sensed the tremendous power of the Grand Elder's eighth spirit skill. He frowned deeply.
"This is troublesome. Xiao Wu's betrayal really put me in a bind. Poison Douluo is held up by the Seventh Elder, and Yang Invincible can't leave the Spirit Douluo battlefield. My fusion skill with Zhuqing is strong, but her spirit power isn't enough to maintain it for long," Dai Yao mused, quickly assessing his options.
"Is it time to reveal the Chaos Green Lotus?"
The thought crossed his mind, but he dismissed it. "No, the Chaos Green Lotus is my last resort. The Grand Elder isn't worthy of seeing it yet. I'll have to take his attack head-on."
With a fierce resolve in his eyes, Dai Yao focused on his right fist, feeling his compressed spirit power surging. As he continued compressing, six spirit rings emerged, surprising the Grand Elder. Then the red glow of his sixth ring—his ten-thousand-year spirit ring—lit up with an unsettling aura.
His ten-thousand-year spirit skill: Ethereal.
This skill would render Dai Yao immune to physical attacks and reduce the impact of spirit power attacks by 50%. However, the Grand Elder's eighth spirit skill was a powerful energy-based attack, so Dai Yao could only reduce half of its power. Even so, he would still need to withstand an assault as potent as the Star Luo Emperor's eighth spirit skill.
"Reducing the attack by 50% might be enough. With the White Tiger's Dark Gold Transformation and the Titan Transformation, my defense will be strengthened. Plus, I still have the healing power of the Chaos Green Lotus's emerald glow if needed," Dai Yao reasoned.
Though the Ethereal skill granted immunity to physical damage, it was only usable with his Sacred White Tiger martial spirit and not the Chaos Green Lotus's spirit skills. However, the Green Lotus's healing was not technically a spirit skill, so he could benefit from its restorative power even now.
The Grand Elder's face grew serious as he observed the blood-red ring, which emanated a powerful energy. "Ten-thousand-year spirit skill…"
The weight of that phrase was immense. Only those with a ten-thousand-year ring could hope to rank among the continent's strongest. Tang Hao had defeated a Pope, and Bibi Dong ruled with might, all thanks to their ten-thousand-year spirit rings. Dai Yao's ten-thousand-year spirit skill left the Grand Elder visibly cautious.
Below, several powerhouses felt the energy's pulse and looked up.
"Is that… a ten-thousand-year spirit ring?"
Dai Yao's spirit skill hadn't yet released an overt power surge, but his body grew faintly translucent.
The Grand Elder frowned, unsure if Dai Yao was bluffing, yet the energy in Dai Yao's right hand grew more intense and threatening. "I can't delay any longer. I have to disrupt him before he completes whatever he's charging," the Grand Elder resolved. He unleashed his spirit power, quickening his eighth skill's manifestation.
In moments, his eighth spirit skill was ready. The Grand Elder's black ring shone brilliantly, and the temperature in the sky rose sharply. A massive fiery tiger materialized—a stark contrast to the White Tiger. His martial spirit, the Blaze Tiger, surpassed the White Tiger's offensive power with its explosive fire-based attacks.
"Go! Blaze Tiger Demon Strike!"
The Grand Elder roared as the fiery tiger lunged toward Dai Yao with a flaming tail streaming behind it.
As the tiger approached, the surrounding temperature soared, and sweat dripped from Dai Yao's brow, evaporating almost instantly. Yet he ignored the beast entirely, focusing solely on compressing the spirit power in his fist.
Seeing no defensive move from Dai Yao, the Grand Elder hesitated, but his attack continued. The fiery tiger engulfed the small figure of Dai Yao.
Hiss—
Enveloped by the Blaze Tiger, Dai Yao felt the intense energy tearing at him, pushing his dual White Tiger enhancements to their limits. His defense was barely holding. A cool sensation spread from his right leg, activating the Blue Silver Emperor's spirit bone healing ability.
Though under assault, he felt his ten-thousand-year Ethereal skill taking effect. Half the impact dissipated, allowing his dual enhancements to withstand the rest. He gritted his teeth, maintaining his composure and focus.
The Grand Elder's initial satisfaction shifted to surprise as the smoke cleared, revealing Dai Yao still standing.
"You… survived?"
Inside Dai Yao's body, his vast and resilient meridians formed the last line of defense, enduring wave after wave of the fiery energy's onslaught. To maintain this level of defense, Dai Yao's spirit power was depleting rapidly, yet his Chaos Green Lotus immediately replenished any lost energy. With a spirit power reserve equivalent to Rank 99, Dai Yao had an almost inexhaustible source, never having to worry about running dry. Moreover, he was still under the effect of his Ethereal skill.
"The Grand Elder's eighth spirit skill seems weaker than I expected. Even with Ethereal halving the impact, it shouldn't be this easy to withstand."
Pain coursed through his limbs and body, sweat dripping continuously, yet Dai Yao was barely fazed—this level of agony was nothing new to him. If anything, he was more puzzled by the Grand Elder's reduced power output.
Suddenly, an insight struck him, and a slight grimace crossed his pained face.
"Ah… of course. The Grand Elder's spirit skill is fire-based, and since I've fused with Wutong, I must have developed some fire resistance. Plus, with the Fireproofing power from the Fiery Apricot Grove, his attack strength was greatly diminished."
Realizing this, he ignored the pain and focused wholly on compressing his spirit power. Immersed in concentration, the burning ache seemed to vanish.
Red-hot energy continued to batter his meridians, occasionally breaking through but immediately healing. His spirit power depleted, then instantly refilled, following a precise rhythm. Though the Grand Elder's attacks pressed him to his limits, they always failed to completely break him.
Finally, as the fiery tiger dissipated, Dai Yao felt the powerful buildup in his arm reach a critical point. He beamed with excitement, "Success—sixth compression! Onto the seventh!"
Meanwhile, the Grand Elder stared in horror at the unscathed Dai Yao, unable to believe his spirit skill had left him unharmed.
"How is this possible? My eighth spirit skill had no effect on him! Wait… could it be because of that ten-thousand-year spirit ring?"
The Grand Elder felt unsure as he detected traces of fire elements lingering within Dai Yao. But there was no time for reflection—Dai Yao's spirit skill, nearing completion, was like a harbinger of death. The fact that Dai Yao had chosen to endure the attack head-on only underscored his confidence in his own skill.
"If you're so determined to withstand it, let's see how long you can keep it up!"
Having just expended his eighth skill, the Grand Elder needed time to recover. With a surge of spirit power, he morphed his tiger form's muscles and launched himself toward Dai Yao with lightning speed. Covering thousands of meters in seconds, he raised his massive paw, aiming to smash Dai Yao's head like a mountain collapsing.
Close combat was every assault spirit master's bread and butter.
But as his paw drew nearer, Dai Yao showed no fear, not even flinching. He was wholly immersed in his technique. A feral grin crossed the Grand Elder's face, already picturing Dai Yao's skull being crushed.
Yet in the next instant, his claw passed harmlessly through Dai Yao's body as if he were striking a ghost.
Seeing Dai Yao's ethereal form, the Grand Elder's eyes widened. His vast experience told him immediately what had happened.
"Damn it! His ten-thousand-year skill makes him immune to all physical attacks! My martial spirit's true form is useless against him!"
For beast spirit masters, the strength of their true form lay in physical combat. But Xiao Wu's ten-thousand-year spirit ring skill directly countered that strength, leaving the Grand Elder's assaults ineffective.
"The seventh compression!"
Taking advantage of the Grand Elder's attack window, Dai Yao completed the seventh compression. Air around his right arm began to ripple and hum, and even space itself seemed to distort slightly. Immediately, he began the eighth compression. Just two more to go until he could unleash Eight Extremes Collapse!
Sensing the increasingly volatile energy, the Grand Elder narrowed his eyes, fixing Dai Yao with a cold stare. "Impressive, kid. Your ten-thousand-year skill is indeed powerful—it nullifies physical attacks and deflects my eighth spirit skill. But I'm curious… can you withstand this next move?"
With a hum, his ninth spirit ring blazed to life.
An enormous surge of spirit power rolled outward like a tsunami, freezing the air. The temperature across the heavens began to rise as the clouds below turned red and started to burn, engulfed in flames. Soon, the entire sky was alight, a sea of fire.
Returning to his human form, the Grand Elder floated in midair, hands ablaze, forming a triangular shape aimed directly at Dai Yao. The fire element in the atmosphere spiraled toward him, forming a massive vortex that even the clouds below were pulled into.
As the Grand Elder gathered more fire energy, a second sun seemed to ignite in the sky. Dai Yao felt his skin begin to burn under the overwhelming heat, and he looked up, frowning.
"The Grand Elder's ninth spirit skill? So decisive! I could handle the eighth, but if I take his ninth head-on, my meridians will be charred to a crisp! Damn it, I'm just two compressions short!"
Inside his spiritual world, Xiao Wu laughed with malicious glee.
"Ha! Out of options, aren't you? I'm going to enjoy watching you die!"
Yet, as she spoke, tears began to roll down her cheeks. If Dai Yao died, her fate was sealed. She would never see Tang San again.
"Shut up!" Dai Yao cursed internally.
He wasn't truly out of options. If it came to it, he could teleport to safety. But if he escaped, not a single member of the Qinglian Sect would make it out alive. All his efforts to establish his faction would go up in flames.
"So, am I really going to have to reveal the Chaos Green Lotus?"
He felt torn. In his mind's eye, he imagined the consequences of defeating the Grand Elder—how the Spirit Hall's powerhouses would view him with envy and suspicion, how plotting and threats against Wutong and Zhuqing would soon follow.
Clenching his teeth, he gazed at the Grand Elder, his eyes tinged red, hissing through gritted teeth, "Why must you push me to this point? Are you that eager to die?"
The Grand Elder continued absorbing fire elements, with the temperature steadily rising. Once complete, his strike would shake the heavens. Yet, stopping him would require Dai Yao to abandon his technique, losing any chance of containing the Grand Elder. The Elder wouldn't allow him another chance to prepare.
Dai Yao took a deep breath, realizing he had to make a choice.
Just then, thunder rumbled across the sky. Countless bolts of lightning illuminated the clouds around them, mingling sharply with the fiery haze. A figure draped in purple descended next to Dai Yao. Her icy gaze brushed over him before locking onto the Grand Elder, her eyes cold and fierce.
"Leave it to me," she said softly. "I'll buy you some time."
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