"You're courting death!" The Third Elder watched as Lu Jingming swiftly slaughtered most of his subordinates, his face instantly contorting with rage. As a corrupted spirit master, he inherently cared little for the lives of his subordinates; after all, there was no such thing as camaraderie within their evil group. However, he still had to be wary. If too many died, he would inevitably be held accountable by the leader upon returning.
"Underworld Corpse Lightning!" The Third Elder roared, his first spirit ring flashing as an eerie, sinister light emanated from him. He pointed menacingly at Lu Jingming, and a grayish-black lightning bolt, enveloped in a green ghostly glow, shot out like a laser beam. Although this was merely his first spirit skill, the Third Elder was a genuine Title Douluo. Even a hundred-year spirit skill, when unleashed by him, possessed terrifying power.
Lu Jingming's expression remained calm. His black long spear thrust out instantly, black and red lightning dancing on its tip, precisely striking the grayish-black lightning laser. "Boom!" In an instant, lightning raged, and the shockwave from the explosion spread madly outwards. Simultaneously, a layer of putrid green corpse energy drifted towards Lu Jingming. However, a burst of purple lightning suddenly erupted from Lu Jingming, instantly annihilating the green corpse energy into nothingness.
Lu Jingming didn't stop there. He extended his left hand towards the Third Elder and unleashed his hundred-thousand-year spirit bone skill—Royal Authority! In a flash, space began to collapse and twist. The Third Elder felt a terrifyingly immense gravitational force descend upon him out of nowhere. This sudden, crushing pressure caught him off guard, making his legs weaken and forcing him to kneel abruptly. A mouthful of fresh blood overflowed from the corner of his mouth. In that instant, his internal organs suffered significant damage from the intense gravitational compression.
The Third Elder abruptly lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot and burning with a ferocious killing intent, as if he wanted to devour Lu Jingming alive. His terrifying spirit power burned like materialized flames, fully resisting the gravitational wave that had appeared from nowhere. "I'll rip your soul out and burn it on an oil lamp for a hundred years!" The Third Elder roared. A dignified Title Douluo, forced to his knees, spitting blood by a Spirit King—this filled him with unprecedented humiliation. Rage had completely twisted his face.
Grayish-black lightning raged around the Third Elder. Surrounded by this chilling lightning, the Third Elder gritted his teeth and straightened his body. Although Royal Authority was a hundred-thousand-year spirit skill, the vast disparity in spirit power remained. After the initial surprise allowed it to heavily wound the Third Elder, this skill could no longer pose a substantial threat to him.
Lu Jingming merely chuckled at the sight. He had never hoped that a single hundred-thousand-year spirit bone skill could completely suppress a Title Douluo level corrupted spirit master. Being able to seize the moment, force the Third Elder to his knees, and even injure his internal organs, had already exceeded his expectations; it was an unexpected bonus. That a Spirit King could injure a Title Douluo—if this news spread, probably very few people on the entire Douluo Continent would believe it. Just looking at Nan Qiuqiu and the others' incredulous expressions at this moment was enough to understand how shocking this event was.
This astonishing scene not only stunned Nan Qiuqiu and her companions but also caused Nan Shuishui and the Fourth Elder, who were engaged in fierce combat, to pause, their movements faltering.
"Demon Skull Seven Stars!" The Third Elder's fury reached its peak, his fourth spirit ring shining with dazzling light. Accompanied by a chilling howl, seven grotesque heads formed from green lightning appeared out of thin air around him. These heads looked malevolent, as if possessing their own consciousness, radiating an evil aura. The next moment, the seven green lightning heads lunged at Lu Jingming like hungry wolves, displaying extreme ferocity, intending to tear him to shreds instantly.
Lu Jingming remained composed. He swung his long spear, and black light rapidly condensed and compressed at the spear tip. In a blink, it transformed into seven substantial beams of light that shot out with sharp whistling sounds, meeting the seven green heads head-on. The black beams were unstoppable, instantly piercing through the green heads. The power of decay they contained was incredibly overbearing, instantly decomposing the spirit power carried by the green heads. Without the support of spirit power, the green lightning heads instantly disintegrated like bubbles, turning into specks of light and dissipating into the air.
This scene once again left everyone dumbfounded. Incredulous expressions appeared on the faces of the Fourth Elder and Nan Shuishui. The Third Elder's fourth spirit skill had actually been nullified by a Spirit King!
"This is impossible!" The Third Elder simply couldn't believe his eyes. This was his fourth spirit skill; no one knew its power better than he did. Yet, how had this mere Spirit King managed to do all this? His mind was filled with confusion and rage.
"This is… an ability similar to Annihilation, but stronger!" Nan Shuishui's gaze was sharp. She carefully observed the traces left by the black light, making a silent guess. Their Earth Dragon Sect's Annihilation also possessed the effect of eliminating spirit power, capable of partially nullifying an opponent's spirit skills. But compared to the ability Lu Jingming displayed, it was like heaven and earth. It was simply unbelievable that Lu Jingming, with the cultivation of a Spirit King, could so cleanly decompose a Title Douluo's spirit skill.
One must know that a Title Douluo's spirit power had undergone multiple transformations, especially after being compressed and condensed by a spirit core, making its intensity extremely high. Even Nan Shuishui herself, already a Spirit Douluo, found it extremely difficult to directly nullify her opponent's spirit skills when battling the Fourth Elder, the Underworld Douluo, often only achieving a certain weakening effect. But the power of decomposition Lu Jingming displayed was overpoweringly formidable beyond imagination. Even a Title Douluo's heavily enhanced spirit power seemed incapable of resisting this power.
Under these circumstances, regardless of whether Lu Jingming could ultimately defeat the Title Douluo, at least he was able to break through a Title Douluo's spirit power defense, earning the right to injure his opponent. This was truly rare in the history of the Douluo Continent.
"Good, very good! Then how about this: Fierce Whip Thunder Nether!" The Third Elder was utterly enraged, his rationality completely consumed by fury at this moment. His sixth spirit ring shone with black light. To deal with a mere Spirit King, he actually unleashed his sixth spirit skill—this was a tremendous humiliation for any Title Douluo.
A grayish-purple light whip was forcefully lashed out by the Third Elder. In an instant, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and countless specters surged from the darkness, emitting mournful howls. Space itself seemed unable to withstand this powerful force, crackling and bursting. The air was filled with a pungent smell, like something exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation. The terrifying light whip, carrying countless specters, roared towards Lu Jingming. Simultaneously, a large amount of grayish-purple lightning erupted from the light whip. Wherever it passed, everything was engulfed by this evil and powerful force.
The Third Elder was now extremely furious, having completely forgotten about not harming the Earth Dragon Sect members. This whip strike had an incredibly wide attack range, engulfing Nan Qiuqiu and the others as well.
Lu Jingming frowned. With his own strength, he might have a way to deal with this attack. But Nan Qiuqiu and the others were completely defenseless. If this strike landed, they would surely die, which clearly contradicted his plan.
"Snow Empress!" Lu Jingming no longer hesitated, directly calling for backup. Fighting a Title Douluo now was indeed too early. Although he had successfully injured the Third Elder and nullified one of his spirit skills through surprise tactics earlier, that was largely because the Third Elder lacked sufficient understanding of him. Just like this current whip, the Third Elder continuously channeled spirit power into the light whip, causing the skill's power to constantly escalate. Even if Lu Jingming tried his old trick, it would be impossible to directly decompose the Third Elder's spirit skill as easily as before. Moreover, as long as the spirit skill wasn't decomposed instantly, if the attack landed, he himself would inevitably suffer heavy damage. After all, an attack unleashed with full power by a Title Douluo was not so easily endured. To decompose a stronger spirit skill, the spirit power Lu Jingming needed to consume would multiply. With his current Spirit King level spirit power reserves, it was far from enough to sustain a confrontation with a Title Douluo.
By Lu Jingming's estimation, if he went all out now, he might easily win against a Spirit Sage level opponent and could contend with a Spirit Douluo, but challenging a Title Douluo was indeed still far from sufficient.
Watching as the light whip, carrying vengeful spirits and destructive aura, was about to descend, the Snow Empress appeared before Lu Jingming like a white phantom in an instant. Her posture was elegant, every movement exuding noble grace. She merely extended a finger forward and pointed. In a flash, a terrifyingly intense cold burst forth, instantly freezing the light whip descending from the sky. The cold rapidly spread along the light whip, quickly moving towards the Third Elder.
The Third Elder's pupils contracted sharply, and a strong sense of fear surged within him. He instantly realized something and, without hesitation, stopped channeling spirit power into the light whip. Simultaneously, he released his grip and retreated explosively like a bolt of lightning.
"Fourth Elder, run!" The Third Elder roared, his voice laced with unprecedented fear. Before his words even finished, his figure transformed into a flash of lightning, desperately fleeing into the depths of the forest. In that single instant, he had, based on years of experience, judged that the Snow Empress's strength was absolutely beyond what he and the Fourth Elder could contend with. To remain any longer would undoubtedly mean certain death.
The Fourth Elder dared not hesitate either. He swung his long sword, forcing Nan Shuishui back. Then, he released and burned all the vengeful spirits from the spatial ability of his Underworld Sword spirit, transforming into a green sword light. Accompanied by a deafening sonic boom, his figure streaked away from the scene like a meteor.
"Hmph!" The Snow Empress snorted, her voice filled with disdain. If she allowed two corrupted spirit masters to escape right under her nose, where would her prestige as the ruler of the extreme north go?
The Snow Empress gently raised her hands, and cold energy radiated from her body. A terrifying cold storm instantly swept out from her center. Wherever it passed, everything was frozen into ice sculptures. In just an instant, an area spanning several miles was frozen by this cold, and the entire world seemed to transform into a giant ice cellar. The Third Elder and Fourth Elder were not spared, frozen in place by the sudden cold, unable to move. The only area unaffected by the cold was where Lu Jingming and his companions stood. This demonstrated the Snow Empress's masterful control over cold, truly worthy of being the darling of the ice and snow world.