Chapter 161: Ning Fengzhi's Regret
The golden rings continued their momentum even after erasing the sword light, surging toward Leaf City.
If he were caught by them, he would be forcibly immobilized for eight seconds. Though seemingly brief, in a battle between top level powerhouses, eight seconds was more than enough to determine life and death. Even though the ability didn't weaken the opponent's defense, those eight seconds would allow Neptune to make any move he wished whether to retreat safely or launch an all out attack. There was no doubt that the techniques inherited from the Sea God were incredibly practical.
However, just as the golden rings were about to envelop Leaf City, instead of retreating, he advanced.
At the last moment, his entire body was suddenly enveloped in a brilliant white glow, and in the next instant, he split into nine identical figures. These nine afterimages shot off in different directions, making it impossible to discern which one was real.
As expected, Neptune couldn't tell which was the true body. Seeing the nine figures scatter, he had no choice but to release more golden rings, trying to ensnare all of them.
But locking onto a single target was one thing tracking nine simultaneously was an entirely different challenge. Moreover, the afterimages moved with extreme speed.
In a split second, three of them were caught by the golden rings, but the remaining six slipped through, rapidly closing in on Neptune from multiple directions.
Neptune remained calm. Gripping the Sea God's Trident, he unleashed the second move of the Golden Thirteen Halberds Eternal Mirage!
He suddenly leaped into the air, golden light radiating from his entire body. A multitude of trident shadows appeared, overlapping in dazzling golden waves that engulfed the approaching figures. The sheer grandeur of the move carried an unmatched force, as if none before him had ever wielded such power, nor would any after.
"BOOM!!"
A thunderous explosion erupted as the golden waves burst apart like molten gold spilling across the battlefield. The intense shockwave rippled outward, engulfing the six advancing figures. Each of them was struck with devastating force, torn apart until they completely vanished.
"What? They were all illusions?!"
Neptune was momentarily stunned.
A flash of cold light appeared before his eyes.
A figure clad in white emerged from thin air, the crystalline sword in his grasp gleaming with lethal intent, already poised to pierce through Neptune's chest.
"Golden Thirteen Halberds Third Move: No Return!"
But Neptune's reaction was instantaneous. He spun sharply, hurling the Sea God's Trident, which shot forward in a dazzling arc of golden light, seemingly ripping through space itself. Amidst the shifting golden radiance, the trident clashed directly with the incoming sword strike.
A deafening explosion followed as the radiant golden trident collided with the brilliant white glow of the Flying Rainbow Sword. The impact lit up the surrounding mountains as if a second sun had descended upon the land.
The mountains trembled, rocks tumbling down in an avalanche of destruction.
To the spectators, it felt like the entire region was experiencing a violent earthquake.
Among the watching crowd, while the weaker individuals were overcome with fear, most were completely entranced. Many had even begun to grasp insights from the battle, their eyes gleaming with newfound understanding.
Hidden in the shadows, Bibi Dong unconsciously gripped her scepter tightly. Unlike weaker soul masters, she was close to Rank 99 and could see the true essence behind their battle the gap between them.
Both of them were Rank 99, yet compared to Qian Daoliu, these two were on an entirely different level.
She even suspected that even if she reached Rank 99, she wouldn't be able to defeat either of them. Unless she obtained the Rakshasa God's divine weapon, she had no chance of victory even against one of them.
Meanwhile, another group hidden in the shadows the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was also deeply shaken by the fight.
"Uncle Jian, if I gave you my full support, how would you fare against either of them?" Ning Fengzhi suddenly asked.
Sword Douluo's expression was grave. He slowly shook his head. "The difference in realm is absolute. It's not just about soul power it's about comprehension. The same soul skill, the same level, when wielded by different people, can have vastly different results. That's the power of realm."
"Even if your support could push me to Rank 99, I wouldn't last a single move against either of them."
Though the truth was harsh, Sword Douluo spoke with complete honesty.
"The world is becoming harder and harder to understand… One powerful figure after another keeps emerging." Ning Fengzhi sighed heavily.
In the past, being a Titled Douluo meant standing at the peak of power. With two Rank 95+ Titled Douluo, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had easily secured its position among the Upper Three Sects.
But now, standing in the face of these individuals whose mere presence shattered mountains and reshaped the land the title of Upper Three Sects felt meaningless.
If such beings ever decided to replace the current strongest sects, no one would be able to stop them. When one's strength reached a certain level, they could simply ignore all existing rules and do as they pleased.
"If I had realized the significance of White Cloud City's rise back then… Maybe I wouldn't be regretting it so much now."
Ning Fengzhi stared at the white robed figure floating in the air, his heart heavy with unspoken bitterness.
If he had known that the woman he had once shared a fleeting night with would bear his child… If he had known that child would be a twin martial soul genius…
Then, no matter how fiercely his wife opposed it, he would have brought that woman back to the sect treated her like a saint, worshiped her even. He would have divorced his wife without hesitation and made her his official spouse.
But it was far too late now.
He wasn't a prophet. He had no way of knowing that among all the women he had been with, this seemingly ordinary one would give birth to such a world altering prodigy.
A twin martial soul genius something that appeared only once in countless centuries.
And even more astonishing, this very genius had evolved their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda into the mythical Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda a feat only heard of in ancient legends.
The most painful part?
This prodigy was his son.
For someone like Ning Fengzhi, who had spent his entire life trying to break through the limitations of their martial soul, this was nothing short of a divine gift.
But that divine gift… had no intention of ever returning to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
In fact, it seemed like he had no desire to associate with them ever again.
And Ning Fengzhi had no way to change that.
He couldn't force his son to return to the sect. He couldn't demand that he acknowledge his ancestry.
All he could do was stand there and watch… as the only true hope for their sect drifted further and further away.
The pain of that realization was unbearable.
(End of Chapter)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/cortez10