Drip… drip…
Xuanzi knelt on one knee, bright red blood trickling from his mouth, falling onto the ground and soaking into the dirt.
"How… how can he be this strong!"
He muttered to himself, eyes unfocused.
He had known there was a huge gap between a Super Douluo and an Extreme Douluo, but he had never imagined it would be so absurd. He was a Level 98 Super Douluo!
Even with the earth attribute boosting him, he had been completely overpowered by Long Xiaoyao in sheer strength—and crushed so thoroughly it left no room for doubt.
Jiang Jue looked at Xuanzi's miserable state without surprise. Long Xiaoyao was no benevolent figure—in another timeline, he had even beaten Mu En's own personal disciple Yan Shaozhe and tried to take Huo Yuhao away.
Hitting Xuanzi now was just something he did in passing.
Still, Jiang Jue's gaze had gone cold. He didn't know exactly why Xuanzi had come to take him, but he knew one thing—Xuanzi had posed a threat to him, and that meant Xuanzi had to pay a price.
"Xuanzi, how is it?"
As the black mist faded, Long Xiaoyao's figure appeared. He looked down at the battered Xuanzi and spoke lightly.
"I only wanted to ask Jiang Jue for a favor, nothing more. I meant no harm."
Xuanzi raised his head to look at Long Xiaoyao.
Long Xiaoyao's expression stayed calm as he pointed at Jiang Jue.
"That's something you should tell him—see if he believes you. Telling me is pointless."
Xuanzi was stunned—he hadn't expected Long Xiaoyao to say that.
This was a man who stood at the pinnacle of the continent, yet he was now telling him to seek the opinion of a mere Soul Sect? Did the two have some special relationship?
But in his current position, Xuanzi didn't have the luxury to ponder it. He turned to Jiang Jue.
"Jiang Jue… little friend Jiang, this old man truly only wanted to ask for your help."
"The way senior 'asks' is rather unique."
Jiang Jue's eyes were icy.
"This…"
Xuanzi's face stiffened—he found himself at a loss for words.
Ever since becoming the Vice Pavilion Master of Sea God's Pavilion and a Level 98 Super Douluo, he had done as he pleased, without thinking twice.
If he wanted to act, he acted.
"Senior, it's late at night and you come into my room uninvited… that's quite unsettling for me.
"But, you see, I'm a kind-hearted man. I can't bear to watch suffering or see life in pain, so…"
At these words, light flickered in Xuanzi's eyes—this kid was going to let him go!
After all, he's just a little Soul Sect—how could he decide the life and death of someone like me?
"…so, I'll kindly ask senior to go ahead and die."
Jiang Jue smiled warmly as he said it.
"Mm, this old man will just—wait, what? You want to kill me?!"
Xuanzi froze as he was about to stand and leave.
Long Xiaoyao only glanced at Jiang Jue deeply, without saying a word. He had said the decision was Jiang Jue's—so it would be Jiang Jue's.
Damn brat, so ruthless!
Xuanzi's heart lurched when he saw Long Xiaoyao make no move to stop this.
Don't tell me he's really going to let a child decide my life or death…
"Elder Long, Elder Mu, he—"
"Mu En is Mu En. You are you. What does that have to do with each other?"
Long Xiaoyao's tone was indifferent.
Xuanzi's expression hardened, and in the next moment, his body shot forward toward Jiang Jue. His lone hundred-thousand-year soul ring flared to life.
A massive yellow bull began to form before him—his most powerful soul skill. He planned to strike at Jiang Jue to force Long Xiaoyao to defend, giving himself a chance to escape.
But that was just the plan. Reality was far harsher.
"Xuanzi, not only do you refuse to yield, you dare to resist!"
In an instant, a black figure appeared before Xuanzi, towering like a mountain, its aura bottomless.
Dragon Soul!
Long Xiaoyao's sixth soul ring lit up, and a black dragon coiled behind him. At his low shout, the dragon turned solid, black light blazing, and morphed into a giant shadowy fist that slammed into Xuanzi.
Pfft!
Xuanzi spat blood again, his body blasted backward, his martial spirit dissolving mid-air.
His soul skill had been interrupted before it could be released—again. The great yellow bull he had been forming vanished into nothing.
Twice in a row, Long Xiaoyao had stopped him cold before he could act.
As an Extreme Douluo, there was no way Long Xiaoyao would let himself be toyed with.
Boom!
Xuanzi hit the ground hard, carving out a deep crater with a sound like muffled thunder.
"How could this… this isn't how it was supposed to go…"
Lying in the pit, he struggled to rise. Black light still clung to his body, but he couldn't stand.
A full-force blow from an Extreme Douluo wasn't something he could shrug off—especially after the injuries he'd already suffered earlier.
Long Xiaoyao flickered forward and touched him lightly, sealing away his soul power.
"This old man has sealed his soul power. His body is already falling apart. The rest is up to you."
Supported by a black barrier, Jiang Jue descended to the ground. He strolled up to Xuanzi, looking down at his miserable state, his eyes as calm as still water.
Winners and losers—that was the truth of it. Xuanzi might look pitiful now, but if Jiang Jue had been taken by him earlier, he would have been the one in danger.
"Senior, I was kind enough to prepare to send you on your way, yet you still tried to harm me.
"That puts me in a difficult spot."
As he spoke, the weapon Luo Bai appeared in Jiang Jue's hand, its spear tip flashing with cold light.
"Stop!"
An aged voice boomed from nowhere, space rippling in the distance as a glow of light emerged.
Jiang Jue's gaze deepened, but his hands didn't pause. He poured soul power into Luo Bai, dozens of core arrays spinning wildly. The spear blazed silver, its edge radiating lethal sharpness.
Shing!
Roar!
A spear's cry. A dragon's roar.
In the next moment, blood and flesh sprayed as a wave of light rushed toward Jiang Jue.
"Hm?"
Jiang Jue let out a soft sound of surprise—his spear tip had been caught in Xuanzi's bones. Xuanzi had raised an arm to block.
But then purple-black light flared along Luo Bai's shaft. Jiang Jue swung again—
A severed arm flew into the air, blood raining down. From the stump, an earthy yellow soul bone glimmered faintly.
"This old man told you to stop!"
A furious shout thundered as a Holy Light Dragon swooped in, its sacred power—normally gentle—now violently surging.
"Mu En!"
Long Xiaoyao looked at the newcomer, guilt flickering in his eyes.
Jiang Jue smiled faintly at the old man, but Luo Bai's tip was already pressing into Xuanzi's throat, a bead of blood welling.
The purple-black soul power had already slipped quietly into Xuanzi's body.
"Elder Mu…"
Recognizing the newcomer, Xuanzi's eyes rolled back and he fainted dead away.
He didn't know that a black force within him was slowly rising, tugged along by that purple-black power—which itself hid a wisp of ashen-grey energy…
"Xuanzi, I trust you won't disappoint me."
Watching the purple-black soul power sink into Xuanzi, Jiang Jue's lips curled faintly.
(End of Chapter)