"We're leaving, and you won't stop us," Yun Ze said calmly, his gaze fixed on Yun Ming. There was no trace of fear toward this so-called powerful opponent.
A child of six or seven speaking like this would normally enrage anyone — Yun Ming included. But at this moment, his feelings were more confusion than anger. He couldn't understand the source of Yun Ze's confidence. Was it fearless ignorance… or did he have some backing he hadn't revealed?
"I'll see how you plan to leave today," Yun Ming said coldly, signaling to the two elders beside him.
Elder Li and Elder Song immediately flew to flank them, forming a triangular formation that trapped Yun Ze and his companions in the center. During the maneuver, Elder Song brought Tang Wulin, lying unconscious, close to himself for protection.
Soul power surged around Yun Ming, and a long spear appeared before him. Its blade alone took up nearly a third of its length, glowing with incandescent brilliance. The tip was sharp enough to seem capable of piercing the heavens and plowing through the underworld. From the moment it materialized, a sharp killing aura radiated outward.
Nine soul rings emerged from Yun Ming's feet — five black and four red, with the last one glowing orange, its age over two hundred thousand years.
The instant Yun Ming gripped the spear, space itself seemed to shudder. An oppressive, abyssal energy surged forth. Judging by his aura, Yun Ming was stronger than Di Tian and Bear Lord combined. If he unleashed his "Four-Character Battle Armor," he might even have had a chance in a one-on-two duel.
Of course, this assessment owed something to Di Tian's prior battle; otherwise, Yun Ming couldn't be certain of victory against him alone, let alone against two opponents.
Bear Lord and Di Tian's faces darkened as they felt the sheer power of Yun Ming. Gu Yue Na, too, was tense — the situation was highly unfavorable.
But Yun Ze remained serene, fingers weaving complex hand seals. He wasn't intimidated by the power Yun Ming displayed.
He had prepared three formations: one to extract dragon blood, one to break seals, and one to deal with emergencies. The first two took just over a day to set up, while the last took more than three days — infused with over twenty strands of energy Di Tian had contributed.
Together, these formations guaranteed their protection.
As Yun Ze completed the final seal, the distant dragon dissolved into countless streams of energy, writhing rapidly as they converged toward them.
Yun Ming's expression twisted in disbelief. Could all of this have been orchestrated by this child?
"What kind of technique is this?" he thought, stunned. He could feel its extraordinary nature — that was why he was so shocked.
Shaking off his amazement, Yun Ming reacted. He hurled the Sky-Piercing Spear with a deafening rush of wind. The spear shattered everything in its path, moving too fast for the eye to follow.
Had he struck immediately, the attack would have been devastating. But now, it was slightly delayed.
The converging energy had formed a semi-spherical golden shield with a ten-meter radius. Thin, transparent, yet exuding an unbreakable aura.
Bear Lord and Di Tian tensed, preparing to shatter the shield and neutralize the attack.
"Clang!" The spear struck the shield. Trembling from the impact, it sent shockwaves that whipped up a violent wind. The spear didn't rebound, nor did it pierce through — instead, it pressed against the shield in a furious energy standoff.
Yun Ming's pupils contracted. Nearby, Elder Li and Elder Song paled. One word flashed through their minds: a Level-9 Soul Conduction Shield?
The spear, though appearing casually thrown, was a culmination of Yun Ming's personal will and terrifying soul power — a lethal simplicity.
Yet even an attack capable of grievously injuring a Super Douluo was effortlessly blocked by the golden shield. It left them all stunned.
Li and Song recognized the top-tier defensive nature, but Yun Ming knew it wasn't a soul-conduction shield at all — merely pure energy defense.
"Haha, this kid isn't bad," Bear Lord laughed once he recovered from his shock.
With a simple flick, the Sky-Piercing Spear returned to Yun Ming's hand. The eighth soul ring flared, channeling red energy into the weapon. No flourishes, no fancy moves — just raw, devastating force.
He hurled the spear again. Space cracked in its wake; the ground split into deep furrows, sand and rocks flying as the raw energy threatened to obliterate everything.
Elder Li and Elder Song, recognizing Yun Ming's full power, launched themselves backward to a safe distance. Yun Ze responded as the soul ring flared, summoning a two-meter-diameter black hole above the golden shield.
The spear struck it perfectly — disappearing as if into nothing.
Li and Song's eyes went wide. Yun Ming's attack… had vanished?
Yun Ming froze, then furrowed his brow. He tried to locate the spear — and his face drained of color.
"Elder Li, move!" he shouted.
Li tensed, instinctively sensing life-threatening danger. The gray-white Three-Character Battle Armor erupted, propelling him at full speed.
The black hole directly in front of him unleashed the Sky-Piercing Spear, moving like a black lightning bolt, impossibly fast.
It was the same spear he had just thrown — unstoppable, devastating, leaving only vacuum in its wake.
"No… no!" Elder Li cried, panic-stricken. The spear's oppressive force weighed him down, his speed drastically reduced. Soul energy faltered. Despair consumed him.
Yun Ming tried desperately to regain control of the spear, but it was impossible. The attack had been released without restraint; the spear's velocity left no room for intervention.
It pierced Elder Li's abdomen. The battle armor forged from soul steel was shredded. A gaping wound ran through him.
Elder Li froze, terror etched on his face as he saw blood spilling uncontrollably. His eyelids grew heavy, consciousness dimming, heart crushed by the spear's energy — life slipping away.
"Elder Li!" Elder Song screamed, too late. In a single breath, decades of friendship vanished before his eyes.
Yun Ming was stunned, trembling. He hadn't expected this. His spear… had accidentally killed Elder Li.
Di Tian, Bear Lord, and Gu Yue Na were equally shocked. None had foreseen this, all instinctively glancing at Yun Ze.
"I told you — we're leaving. You can't stop us. And you shouldn't have tried," Yun Ze said calmly, ignoring their stunned looks.
He wove another hand seal. Behind them, a black spatial portal appeared.
Yun Ze turned and led the way. Gu Yue Na quickly followed.
"Let's go," Di Tian said, pulling the still-fuming Bear Lord into the portal as well. In an instant, all four disappeared.