The dense, sticky swamp of spiritual energy that blanketed the ruined market square sought to drown the senses of anyone trapped within its borders. Yet, Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood within the heart of this oppressive domain like a solitary, unyielding mountain peak piercing through a sea of corrosive clouds. His silver hair swayed gently, undisturbed by the chaotic spiritual currents.
BZZZT!
Chen Xin's fourth purple spirit ring flared with a brilliant, blinding intensity. The century-old halo expanded, washing the surrounding ruins in a profound amethyst light.
"Fourth Spirit Ring Ability: Overlapping Sword Shadows!" Chen Xin declared, his voice carrying the serene, detached resonance of a man who had dedicated his entire existence to the pure path of the blade.
He stepped forward, his boots crunching against the shattered cobblestones. With a fluid, singular motion, he thrust the massive, hovering projection of the Seven Kill Sword directly into the cracked earth of the market square. The azure blade sank into the stone as though piercing a pool of liquid water.
WHOOSH!
The very ground trembled. Numerous smaller, razor-sharp projections of the Seven Kill Sword erupted violently from the earth beneath the ancient beast's feet. These azure phantoms did not remain stationary; they began revolving rapidly around the massive central blade, their speed increasing exponentially until they produced a terrifying, slicing tornado of pure sword intent.
The sword tornado ripped through Yao Ling's Millennium In A Flash domain with absolute prejudice. The localized tempest physically shredded the phantom eyes that hovered in the dense air, carving the spiritual constructs into dissipating wisps of harmless energy. The sticky, suffocating swamp of spiritual suppression evaporated like morning mist burning away under the unforgiving glare of the midday sun.
Yao Ling, maintaining his disguise as a frail, hunchbacked old man, frowned deeply. His clouded eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as he witnessed a human weapon dismantle his innate domain with such casual elegance.
RUMBLE!
Yao Ling did not hesitate, utilizing his Ten Thousands Return to One ability. He condensed his vast, ancient vitality, commanding the deep root networks hidden beneath the city streets. He wove his countless, writhing branches together at a blinding speed, forming a thick, impenetrable wooden fortress to protect his physical human form from the relentless, slicing winds of the azure tornado.
"You possess decent defense, old man," Chen Xin noted calmly. His sharp gaze penetrated the gaps in the wooden barricade, analyzing the strange flow of spirit power. "Your martial spirit must be that of a monster tree. Such profound plant control is a rare sight among spirit masters."
Chen Xin did not lower his guard. His ninth black spirit ring—a ring carrying the profound, suffocating weight of ten thousand years of accumulated spirit beast essence—began pulsing with ultimate, world-rending power.
"Ninth Spirit Ring Ability: Phantom Blade," Chen Xin announced. His voice no longer sounded like a mortal man; it echoed across the battlefield like a heavenly decree handed down by the gods themselves.
SHUMMM!
A huge, five-meter-tall projection materialized directly behind the Sword Douluo. It looked exactly like Chen Xin himself, an ethereal giant woven from starlight and killing intent. The massive phantom wielded a colossal version of the Seven Kill Sword with one hand, its movements perfectly following the will of the world.
The Seven Kill Sword seemingly took control of all the ambient spirit power in its immediate surroundings. It acted as a supreme magnet, drawing the energy of heaven and earth and condensing it into a pure, concentrated killing intent that made the very air warp and distort.
With a subtle, precise flick of his wrist, Chen Xin directed the strike. The giant projection mirrored his movement flawlessly. Six massive, detached swords materialized in the sky. They quickly merged together in mid-air, their blades interlocking to create a giant, dense black character that hung over the battlefield like an executioner's axe.
It was the word 'kill'.
The character emitted immense, suffocating pressure. It tore apart the very fabric of space as it descended upon Yao Ling's wooden fortress, leaving a trail of black, spatial fractures in its wake.
CRUNCH!
The impact was devastating. The 'kill' character sliced through the Ten Thousands Return to One defense like a hot knife gliding through soft wax. The thick, ancient branches splintered and shattered, unable to withstand the absolute zenith of human offensive power.
Yao Ling's eyes widened in genuine alarm. The blade of pure intent was inches from his skull. He was forced to desperately swap places with a distant, charred black log located on the far edge of the plaza to avoid being cleaved neatly in half.
SWISH!
Yao Ling materialized fifty meters away, stumbling slightly as his boots hit the stone. He clutched his right shoulder. A shallow, bleeding gash had opened across his flesh, the residual sword intent actively burning the wound and preventing his ancient vitality from instantly sealing the injury. His ancient eyes filled with genuine shock. He had walked the star forest for hundreds of thousands of years, yet the sheer destructive power of this human tool spirit was a terrifying revelation.
"Sixth Spirit Ring Ability: Myriad Sword Returning Tribe!" Chen Xin did not pause for a single breath to allow his opponent to recover.
He summoned myriad projections of the Seven Kill Sword. The sky above the market filled with hundreds of floating blue blades, gleaming like a shower of deadly meteors. They locked firmly onto Yao Ling's spiritual signature, unleashing a wide-area, inescapable bombardment.
Yao Ling was forced entirely onto the defensive. He constantly shifted his physical position between his sprouted Monster Eyed Trees, treating the corrupted wood as stepping stones while a relentless rain of blue swords chased him across the shattered battlefield, pinning the ancient beast down in a storm of sapphire light.
While the two Titled Douluos systematically suppressed the ancient beasts posing as human experts, the burly, red-haired man known to the forest as Chi Wang roared in pure, unbridled frustration. He completely ignored the peripheral sword strikes raining down upon the plaza, choosing to focus his burning, singular hatred upon the crimson-haired woman standing before him.
"Die, human!" Chi Wang bellowed, his voice sounding like grinding tectonic plates.
FWOOSH!
His massive fists ignited with dark red flames, the heat radiating from his knuckles melting the dust in the air. He leaped toward Ah Yin like a falling meteor, trailing a comet's tail of scorching fire.
Ah Yin remained a portrait of serene, lethal grace. She was thoroughly enhanced by Ning Fengzhi's first six spirit ring abilities. The continuous, multi-colored light sinking into her back acted as an endless reservoir of strength. She felt a profound, unshakeable confidence wash over her spirit. Her physical speed, her reaction time, and the sheer density of her spirit power were at an all-time, historical peak.
She gracefully sidestepped Chi Wang's descending, flaming punch. The blazing fist slammed into the earth where she had stood a fraction of a second prior, creating a crater of molten slag. The ambient heat singed the delicate edges of her blue dress, but she remained entirely unbothered. She raised her elegant hands to retaliate.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
She commanded her crystallized Blood Silver Overlord Spear. The ruby-red, prismatic weapon thrust repeatedly, moving with blinding, viper-like speed. She aimed precisely for the burly man's vital points—his throat, his joints, the gaps in his muscular defense.
Chi Wang snarled, forced to cross his thick, muscular arms in front of his face. His dense, beastly physique acted as an organic shield, his skin far tougher than ordinary human flesh. However, the enhanced crystal spear, bolstered by the Nine Treasure Glaze Tiled Pagoda's attack amplification, managed to draw shallow, bleeding cuts across his forearms.
CLANG! BOOM!
The sheer physical force of their continuous clashes sent powerful shockwaves rippling outward through the streets of Spirit City. The remaining market stalls, wooden carts, and stone statues were shattered into splinters and dust, turning the once-vibrant commercial area into a desolate, cratered wasteland of rubble.
'This woman... her strength has suddenly spiked to an unnatural degree!' Chi Wang thought, his sharp canine teeth bared in a furious, frustrated snarl.
He struggled to advance, forced to constantly burn away the crystal vines that Ah Yin continuously summoned to bind his ankles and restrict his explosive footwork.
"You cannot defeat the vitality of the Sovereign," Ah Yin stated calmly, her crimson eyes glowing with a regal, untouchable light.
She wove her hands through the air, conjuring a dense, impenetrable net of Blood Silver Grass. The thick, heat-resistant vines interlocked seamlessly, forming a massive botanical wall to block the sweeping, dark red fire breath that Chi Wang exhaled from his lungs. The flames washed over the vines, hissing and steaming, but failing to breach the defense.
High above the chaos, Ning Fengzhi stood confidently on the edge of a shattered rooftop. His elegant robes billowed in the hot winds. His magnificent Nine Treasure Glaze Tiled Pagoda floated above his open palm, providing a continuous, flawless stream of colorful buffs that maintained the Heaven Dou team's absolute, undeniable tactical advantage.
'These unknown Spirit Masters are incredibly resilient,' Ning Fengzhi analyzed, his sharp, cyan eyes tracking the chaotic three-way battle with the precision of a seasoned general. 'They possess raw physical strength and elemental control that rivals the highest echelons of the continent. But Uncle Sword and Uncle Bone have the upper hand. The interlopers lack the refined, sequential spirit ring coordination of human masters.'
On the far side of the plaza, the dark purple-haired woman was struggling immensely against the spatial mastery of the Bone Douluo.
Zi Ji gritted her teeth, her violet eyes flashing with indignant fury. Every single time her dark, corrosive threads attempted to bind the skeletal man, Gu Rong simply utilized his profound Power of Space to teleport. He folded the fabric of reality around his gaunt body, reappearing several meters away and leaving her devastating darkness element striking empty air.
"Is this the extent of your abyss, little girl?" Gu Rong cackled, his voice echoing from three different directions simultaneously.
CRACKLE!
"Seventh Spirit Ring Ability: Bone Dragon True Body!" Gu Rong shouted, deciding to end the evasive dance and crush his opponent with overwhelming mass.
His seventh black spirit ring expanded, swallowing his human form in a blinding flash of pale light. He transformed instantly into a massive, terrifying skeletal dragon. The beast was forged from thick, indestructible bone, its eye sockets burning with an eerie, ghostly blue flame. The Bone Dragon pivoted its massive torso and swiped a colossal bone tail directly at the dark-haired woman.
The tail swung with the unstoppable momentum of a falling mountain.
Zi Ji raised her hands, attempting to expand her Devouring Domain to swallow the incoming attack. But the sheer, localized physical mass and the spatial distortion clinging to the bone tail were too immense for her vortex to digest in a single instant.
WHAM!
Zi Ji was struck squarely in the chest. She was sent flying backward through the air like a discarded ragdoll, her dark aura flickering and destabilizing as she crashed through the remains of a stone bakery, burying herself beneath a pile of heavy rubble.
The three invading experts were being systematically beaten back. Their silent infiltration mission had devolved into a desperate, chaotic fight for survival against the absolute peak experts of the human world. The situation was rapidly spiraling out of their control.
BOOM!
Without a single warning, a blinding streak of crimson lightning suddenly descended from the cloudless sky. It tore through the atmosphere, crashing directly into the center of the ruined market square with earth-shattering momentum. The impact cratered the stone, sending a fresh wave of dust and debris washing over the combatants.
The dust cleared instantly, swept away by an invisible pulse of supreme spiritual power.
Zhang Tian stood in the center of the crater. His deep blue eyes swept over the chaotic battlefield, taking in the roaring flames, the raining swords, and the massive skeletal dragon. His expression turned incredibly solemn, his handsome face setting into a mask of cold, calculating authority as he assessed the extensive destruction of the plaza.
He didn't immediately join the offensive against the unidentified assailants. He did not summon a weapon to strike down the old man or the fiery brawler. Instead, he rushed with blinding speed, turning into a blur of crimson light, moving directly to the position of the golden-haired girl who was hiding behind a shattered stone pillar near the edge of the conflict.
"Zhang Tian!" Jin Xi whispered, her voice trembling slightly as he materialized beside her.
She reached out, her delicate fingers grabbing the dark fabric of his sleeve, seeking the safety of his presence. She looked up at him, her beautiful crimson eyes pleading, shining with unshed tears of anxiety.
"Please, Zhang Tian, you must help resolve this situation!" Jin Xi begged, her voice tight with panic. "Do not let them kill each other! They do not understand!"
She secretly leaned closer, standing on her tiptoes, her soft lips brushing against his ear to ensure her words did not carry across the noisy battlefield.
"These three people fighting against Yin and the sword masters," Jin Xi whispered, her breath warm against his skin. "They are not human enemies. They are actually part of my home, the Star Dou Great Forest. They are my guardians. I do not want any harm to come to them, nor to Yin and your family."
Zhang Tian's eyes narrowed slightly at this direct, vocal confirmation. He had suspected anomalies upon sensing the unfamiliar, ancient auras clashing with Chen Xin and Gu Rong, but hearing it directly from the Auspicious Beast solidified the reality of the crisis.
His brilliant mind instantly began calculating the massive political, physical, and historical fallout of this revelation. The variables spun rapidly within his spiritual sea. If Chen Xin and Gu Rong managed to slay these Ferocious Beasts, the resulting explosion of raw spirit energy and the dropping of hundred-thousand-year spirit rings would alert every single faction in Spirit City. Worse, the Beast God residing in the core of the forest would undoubtedly sense the death of his generals and the loss of the Auspicious Beast, prompting an apocalyptic beast tide that would sweep across the human continent, annihilating cities in a crusade of vengeance.
Conversely, if he simply revealed their true identities to his allies right now, the inherent human greed for top-tier spirit bones and rings might override reason, transforming a misunderstanding into a deliberate, greedy hunt.
He had to defuse the situation with absolute precision, protecting his assets while preventing a continent-spanning war.
He put his large, warm hand securely on her thin waist. He gently but firmly pulled Jin Xi away from the exposed area, guiding her deeper into the safety of the alleyway to ensure they didn't get caught in the lethal, unpredictable crossfire of the warring Super Douluos.
"Stay here, Jin Xi. Do not reveal your aura," Zhang Tian commanded softly, his tone brokering no argument.
As he held her securely in the shadows, Zhang Tian silently summoned his Blood Silver Plant spirit. He did not manifest external vines. Instead, he channeled his profound cultivation, sending a massive, invisible surge of supreme botanical power directly downward, routing the energy through the earth itself.
The crimson energy raced beneath the cracked cobblestones, seeking the familiar resonance of his loyal maid. He directed the surge of pure, sovereign vitality directly into Ah Yin's Blood Silver Empress avatar.
Ah Yin, currently battling the relentless flames of the burly red-haired man, suddenly gasped. She felt the familiar, intoxicating rush of her Lord's power flooding her meridians. It was a sensation of absolute warmth and unyielding authority that reinforced her very soul.
Her ruby crystal vines grew twice as thick in a fraction of a second. The prismatic sheen of her defenses flared with blinding intensity. The sudden, exponential increase in her botanical strength allowed her to effortlessly overpower her opponent.
CRUNCH!
Dozens of thickened crystal vines whipped forward, wrapping securely around Chi Wang's arms and torso. The vines slammed the burly man downward, suppressing his struggling, fiery form brutally against the cracked stone of the plaza, pinning him to the earth despite his roars of outrage.
'This power... My Lord is here,' Ah Yin thought, her heart swelling with an ocean of devotion as she held the fiery assailant captive beneath her crystal net. She knew she was no longer fighting a desperate battle for survival; the master of her fate had taken the board.
Zhang Tian stood at the edge of the alley, his hand still resting protectively on Jin Xi's waist. He looked up at the sky above the towering buildings of Spirit City.
His vast spiritual senses, expanded to their absolute limit, detected multiple, terrifying auras rapidly approaching from the direction of the mountain peak. The air pressure above the city was shifting. The golden, radiant energy of the Angelic lineage and the dark, oppressive purple aura of the Supreme Pontiff were closing the distance at terrifying speeds.
'Things cannot be resolved easily in the shadows now,' Zhang Tian thought, his jaw tightening as he assessed the closing net. He knew that the thunderous commotion of Chen Xin's falling sword and the fiery explosions had been far too loud to ignore.
He knew with absolute certainty that Bibi Dong, the Titled Douluo elders of the Spirit Hall, and even the hidden monsters residing within the Elder Hall would arrive at the ruined market square at any second. The heavy hitters of the human world were descending upon the anomaly.
The three Ferocious Beasts, disguised as human experts, would be completely, hopelessly surrounded by the absolute zenith of human martial power. Dealing with them would quickly escalate from a localized street skirmish into a full-scale, devastating war between the human pinnacle and the forest's deepest, darkest depths.