The various forces observing the battle from a distance.
Ice Empress's face showed indignation, her dark eyes flashing with ferocity.
"Disgusting, damn it! These inherently evil human Soul Masters."
An extreme chill, infused with soul power, radiated from her.
"Calm down, Ice Empress." A hand pressed down on Ice Empress's shoulder, and the energy she had been leaking was drawn back into her body.
"Snow… Snow Empress."
"Anger won't solve anything. It'll only cloud your judgment," Snow Empress sighed.
"But those Soul Rings…" Ice Empress was seething with rage.
"Look closely. What I can see, I believe you can sense as well."
Snow Empress removed her slender hand from Ice Empress's shoulder, no longer suppressing Ice Empress's aura.
Ice Empress was puzzled, her solemn gaze fixed on Tokisaki Kurumi.
"Those six Soul Rings… they don't seem to come from spirit beasts. As for the last three, I can't tell."
Ice Empress's tone was uncertain.
"The first six Soul Rings share the same origin, and the last three are similar."
Snow Empress continued,
"Except the last three are more closely connected, like three branches stemming from the same trunk."
"What does that mean?" Ice Empress was confused.
"Those three red Soul Rings give me a similar feeling to Ning Rongrong's seventh Soul Ring when I saw it," Snow Empress mused, resting her chin on her hand.
"It's as if the power of that Soul Ring was evenly split into three parts."
"W-what does that mean?" Ice Empress's lips twitched. Why did it feel like she understood every word, but when strung together, she couldn't grasp the meaning at all?
"Don't overthink it. Simply put, Tokisaki Kurumi's current Soul Rings weren't obtained by killing spirit beasts. They exist in a more… unique state."
"Still, I have a faint guess now." Snow Empress smiled faintly.
"No wonder that cunning tiger submitted. So it was in this form!"
As the Snow Maiden of the Extreme North, she was far more sensitive to natural elemental auras than Ice Empress.
Whether it was the terrifying colors of Tokisaki Kurumi's first six Soul Rings or the last three, which felt similar to Ning Rongrong's seventh Soul Ring when she last saw it, Snow Empress had her speculations.
For the Dark Devilgod Tiger to submit…
Ning Rongrong was no simple figure!
At this moment, Kurumi's aura was completely different from when they had last met up close. It bore a slight resemblance to the feeling Ning Rongrong had given her.
The two auras had merged, very subtly. If not for Snow Empress acute sensitivity to such things, she might not have noticed at all.
Ice Empress, however, didn't understand what Snow Empress was muttering about. She couldn't make sense of it either way.
But if that "inherently evil" brat across from them wasn't using spirit beasts for her Soul Rings, then her impression of her improved somewhat.
After all, no one wanted to spend hundreds of thousands of years cultivating, only to be killed by humans for their Soul Rings. That kind of tragedy would evoke a sense of shared sorrow.
Compared to the relative calm of Ice Empress and Snow Empress, Qian Renxue and the two Title Douluo on the other side of the battlefield were far less composed.
"N-no, this can't be real!"
Qian Renxue's golden pupils dilated, her body trembling uncontrollably. "Her first Soul Ring is nearly a hundred thousand years? No, this terrifying color…"
"Is she a twin Martial Soul wielder?"
"Or… a successor of a divine trial?"
Six black, three red—this was the image imprinted in Qian Renxue's mind.
Six black Soul Rings tinged with red, and three blood-red hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings.
This was a sight Qian Renxue had never witnessed before.
From what Qian Renxue knew, unless one possessed a second Martial Soul—like that woman—it was possible to have a black first Soul Ring, or even one approaching a hundred thousand years.
Alternatively, one could rely on the age enhancement of a divine trial to elevate their Soul Rings to this level.
But this… this was simply too outrageous!
Black, black, black, black, black, black, red, red, red.
Six black, three red—this was the current Soul Ring configuration of Tokisaki Kurumi.
But that first black-tinted-red Soul Ring, and even the first six Soul Rings, all seemed to be terrifyingly close to the hundred-thousand-year mark. How could a human achieve this?
The first six Soul Rings gave Qian Renxue the same feeling as her Angel Spirit Bone—just one year shy of a hundred thousand years. Logically, this should be impossible.
Then, Qian Renxue suddenly thought of something.
Why would someone as powerful as Tokisaki Kurumi address Ning Rongrong as "Master"?
Was this some kind of… special fetish game?
Or… was it the "master's task"?
"Young Miss, the Grand Priest might lose." She Long's voice trembled slightly, snapping Qian Renxue out of her thoughts.
Qian Renxue glanced at She Long. "Even if he loses, there's likely nothing we can do to intervene."
Though they were also Title Douluo, the gap between level 92 and level 99 was like an insurmountable chasm.
The three of them could do nothing. To participate in this battle, one would likely need at least level 98 strength.
"Six black, three red—with the six black ones all extremely close to a hundred thousand years. Is this the true strength of Lady Kurumi?"
Having arrived not long ago and witnessed the scene of Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo stepping back, replaced by Tokisaki Kurumi, Shui Cangyue's shock lingered for a long time.
"P-perhaps…" Dugu Bo wasn't entirely sure either. After observing Tokisaki Kurumi for a while, his brows furrowed slightly.
How strange!
Hadn't Tokisaki Kurumi said she couldn't condense Soul Rings like a normal Soul Master?
Then why…?
Moreover, Dugu Bo faintly sensed that the aura of the Tokisaki Kurumi before him seemed slightly different from usual.
In the past, even when she concealed it well, Kurumi had always carried a beast-like bloodlust.
But the Tokisaki Kurumi before him now exuded an aura of oppression, along with an indescribable, ethereal quality.
Dugu Bo took a deep breath, his gaze never leaving the battlefield.
No matter what happened next, this battle might offer him significant insights.
A battle between level 99 Limit Douluo wasn't something one could witness so easily.
Returning to the battlefield.
Since Tokisaki Kurumi's appearance, Qian Daoliu's eyes had never left her.
The bizarre configuration of six black and three red Soul Rings left Qian Daoliu deeply astonished.
He understood better than anyone just how terrifying the age of the Soul Rings displayed by the girl named Tokisaki Kurumi was.
Six Soul Rings of 99,999 years, plus three red Soul Rings that far surpassed ordinary hundred-thousand-year spirit beasts.
This kind of Soul Ring arrangement—Qian Daoliu had never even heard of it, let alone seen it.
If someone could possess such a Soul Ring configuration, they might as well already be a god!
"Just who are you?"
Qian Daoliu spoke cautiously,
"With strength like yours, you should have long been renowned across the continent. Why would you join the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"
"And you address Ning Rongrong as 'Master'—what is her true identity?"
"None of that matters." Tokisaki Kurumi shrugged. "Right now, I only have one goal."
"Come, make your choice."
"Will you let me beat you up quietly, or will you resist desperately… and still get beaten up by me?"
Qian Daoliu: "…"