"Grandfather!"
"Father!"
Seeing Ao Erfu killed, Ao Ersi, Ao Erbai, and Ao Erduo were terrified—Ao Erfu was their top expert. Ao Ersi had only just reached Soul Douluo level with Spirit Hall's resources and was still weaker than the older Ao Erfu.
Ghost Leopard Douluo was shocked too. He could have done it by sneak attack, but head-on, even he'd need effort.
Ghost Leopard eyed Ma Hongjun's spear warily. He knew Ma Hongjun was strong, but not Tianlin-strong; to kill a Soul Douluo in one blow, it had to be the spear.
"Next, it's your turn!" Ma Hongjun pointed his spear at the remaining four.
"Ao Ersi, if you don't want to die, attack together. Ninth soul skill: Ghost Leopard Shadow Army!" As an agility-type Title Douluo, Ghost Leopard Douluo knew to strike first and didn't hold back, immediately using his ninth soul skill.
His soul power blasted the house apart, and thousands of Ghost Leopard Douluo replicas surrounded them.
This was much stronger than Oslo's panther-shadows—even Oslo, now nearly Title Douluo, could only create less than a hundred replicas with his third soul skill, nowhere near as strong.
"Eighth soul skill: Hundred Flowers Bloom!" As clan chief, Ao Ersi was afraid but not resigned to die. Unlike the shadow clones above, his skill made a hundred sunflowers grow on the ground, each firing a solar beam—the same third soul skill Ao Erfu used earlier, but a hundred times stronger.
"Chenxiang, can third boss Hongjun handle two top soul skills at once?" Luo Fujii worried.
Bai Chenxiang smiled, "Don't worry. Hongjun is very strong now!"
"Kill!" At Ghost Leopard Douluo's roar, a thousand clones and a hundred beams blasted at Ma Hongjun in the center.
Ghost Leopard Douluo was confident—even a defense-type Title Douluo like Turtle Douluo would be badly hurt under such fire.
Ma Hongjun, observing the attacks from all directions, spun the Fire God Spear in a defensive style called "Immortal Points the Way"—a move both to neutralize and accumulate force. No matter how many attacks, he blocked them all.
Several minutes later, when the attacks stopped, everything within hundreds of meters was wrecked—except for a one-meter circle at Ma Hongjun's feet, not even dusty.
"How could this be?" Ghost Leopard Douluo gasped. Such fierce attacks hadn't scratched Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun suddenly flicked his spear, sending it flying toward Ao Ersi—a follow-up to "Immortal Points the Way." A counterattack when the enemy's strength was depleted. Ao Ersi hadn't even reacted before his chest was pierced, his body incinerated instantly.
"One left—now it's your turn." Ma Hongjun looked up at Ghost Leopard Douluo, killing intent blazing.
"Run!" Ghost Leopard Douluo didn't hesitate—he now knew he was no match, or rather, no match for the spear. Staying meant death.
He fled south—toward Bibi Dong's army. Tianlin didn't want him to get there.
Fire Dragon Douluo Wu Zhao was already waiting on the south wall of Jialing Pass. When Ghost Leopard Douluo arrived, Wu Zhao immediately attacked, forcing him back—they were equal in strength.
Seeing Wu Zhao was his equal and desperate to escape, Ghost Leopard Douluo changed direction toward the east—toward Spirit Hall City.
Tianlin had even staged a fake ambush with Zhu Zhuqing there.
Breaking out of Jialing Pass, Ghost Leopard Douluo breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, thank goodness Jun Tianlin didn't come himself, or I'd be dead. But since he's taken over the Luo family, he's surely annexing Balak and Silvis now. If this continues, the army will be cut off from Spirit City and isolated—then they'll be in danger."
Going to Bibi Dong would just get him intercepted by the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. With no other choice, Ghost Leopard Douluo decided to return to Spirit Hall City; only with both the Grand Worshipper and Her Majesty could they break the crisis. Otherwise, Bibi Dong alone was no match for Tianlin and Chen Xin together, let alone being attacked from two sides—the army could be wiped out.
Tianlin, meanwhile, had sent Yu Feng and Huan Yin to hold Balak; Bai He to take Silvis. There was barely any fighting—the troops in those areas were all Balak's, and when shown the Luo family's tokens, most surrendered without a fight.
Tianlin then sped back to Jialing Pass—arriving just as things settled.
The Luo father and son were tormenting Ao Erduo and Ao Erbai—taking revenge for years of humiliation.
"Boss, as you instructed, I left a gap for Ghost Leopard Douluo to escape and return to Spirit Hall. Mission accomplished," Ma Hongjun said proudly.
"Senior brother, I don't understand—why let him go? Bibi Dong's army is now isolated and vulnerable to annihilation. But with Ghost Leopard Douluo gone, he might bring reinforcements—especially the Grand Worshipper, to counter you and Master. Isn't that dangerous?" Bai Chenxiang asked.
Tianlin smiled, "That's exactly what I want. There are two reasons. First, it's easy to wipe out tens of thousands of Spirit Hall troops, but hard to make them surrender. I hope to win them over—defeating their godlike Grand Worshipper Qian Daoliu is a great way to break their morale.
Second, it's for Master. Master's god trial requires defeating Qian Daoliu, but if he's inside the Hall of Worships, he can use 20% of a first-class god's power—unless he self-destructs, Master can't win. And Qian Daoliu would never leave for no reason. So I have to force him out. With so many lives, including Bibi Dong and several elders, he can't ignore it.
Only outside the Hall of Worships does Master have a chance."
When Tianlin took Gengxin City, Lima Plain, Jialing Pass, and Silvis, everything was too smooth—neither Bibi Dong nor Spirit Hall City learned quickly. So he needed to let Ghost Leopard Douluo escape to inform them.
Chen Xin's god trial required him to defeat Qian Daoliu at full strength, not with outside help. Even self-destructing, he'd only get a draw.
But the trial said "full strength," not "strongest state"—so Tianlin found a loophole. As long as Qian Daoliu is unharmed and has full soul power, it counts, and the battlefield need not be the Hall of Worships.
With Chen Xin's swordsmanship now, he definitely has a chance to win—so long as the fight happens elsewhere.