As the black-armored knights charged recklessly forward, the Title Douluos of the Clear Sky Sect were equally unwilling to back down.
They, too, stepped forward, intent on stopping Ning Rongrong from leaving.
"Quick, get out of the way!"
Tang Chen's scalp went numb with shock. As a 99th-rank powerhouse, he could sense the terrifying and profound energy contained within the sword aura—especially after witnessing the black-armored knight being instantly annihilated, which only confirmed his fears.
He urgently ordered the Clear Sky Sect members to evade while he himself raised the Asura God Sword to meet the attack head-on.
"Asura God Sword—Slash!"
Facing the incoming assault, he unleashed his soul power and delivered a fierce slash.
Though Tang Hao and the others had been warned by Tang Chen, they were too close to retreat very far.
"Boom—"
The terrifying shockwave sent the Title Douluos who hadn't fully retreated flying, and the resulting dust cloud obscured Tang Chen's figure.
Apart from Tang Chen, all the other Title Douluos who hadn't managed to retreat in time simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood.
The scent of blood permeated the dust-filled air. Dozens of seconds later, the smoke cleared.
"Cough—"
Tang Chen also suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, wiping the traces from his lips with his wrist.
"What a terrifying person."
"Where did she even come from?"
The energy in that sword aura was actually capable of suppressing divine power, forcing him to expend even more effort to neutralize it.
He had already suffered considerable injuries while purging the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King.
Now, after blocking this attack, his wounds had worsened.
Not only had he failed to obtain the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King, but he had also provoked a formidable enemy for no reason.
Tang Chen looked toward the spot where Ning Rongrong had been standing, but she was long gone.
The dust-covered Title Douluos of the Clear Sky Sect gradually regrouped before Tang Chen.
Each of them had traces of fresh, un-dried blood at the corners of their mouths.
"Grandfather…" Tang Hao tried to speak, but Tang Chen waved his hand dismissively.
"We couldn't stop her." Tang Chen sighed. "She's proficient in both time and spatial abilities."
"I've realized now—she's completely unaffected by the rules of the City of Slaughter."
If even the divine power of the Asura God Sword could be suppressed, how could the City of Slaughter's restrictions on martial souls possibly affect her?
Speaking of martial souls…
"Hao'er, you've spent many years on the continent. Do you know of any gem-type martial souls with strong combat capabilities, preferably pagoda-type?"
"Pagoda-type martial souls?" Tang Hao was puzzled but thought for a moment before answering. "If we're talking about that kind of martial soul, the only one that comes to mind is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan."
"The current clan leader, Ning Fengzhi, broke through the limits of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, advancing it to the Eight Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. His strength has also reached the Soul Douluo level."
"Under Ning Fengzhi's leadership, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is no weaker than our Clear Sky Sect or the Spirit Hall."
"I know that."
Tang Chen's face darkened. Did he need Tang Hao to boast about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to him?
The current top three sects were universally acknowledged:
Spirit Hall, Clear Sky Sect, and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan. Who didn't know that? Was that what he was asking about?
What, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan?
A fallen sect, hardly on the same level as the top three.
Even Yu Yuanzhen himself would be embarrassed to call the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan one of the top three sects now.
"I meant others. I saw her use her martial soul earlier."
Just now, when the White Queen had flickered past, he had caught a glimpse of a hazy, pagoda-like object emanating an aura—undoubtedly a martial soul.
And it resembled a pagoda. Even if it wasn't, it was likely a gem-type martial soul.
"A gem-type martial soul capable of combat?" Tang Chen took a step back in his expectations, and Tang Hao fell into deep thought. "If we're talking about gem-type martial souls that can fight, then the only one would be the Star Crown martial soul of the Star Crown Clan."
"It's said that the martial soul of that clan possesses many unique abilities."
"However, the clan is practically single-lineage inheritance, with very few members. I don't know much about them."
"Ah!" Tang Chen sighed. "Martial souls come in all sorts of strange forms. It's not surprising you wouldn't know."
"The White Queen's name is Yamada Sawa, right?" Tang Chen turned to Yang Wudi beside him.
The black-armored knight captain had been killed in a single strike, so the only person left who knew most of the details was Yang Wudi.
His secretary?
Dead long ago, drained of life essence by the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King.
"That… yes." Yang Wudi hesitated before adding, "But it's likely a fake name."
Yang Wudi recounted everything he knew about the White Queen, leaving no detail untold.
"How interesting." Tang Chen's tone carried a hint of amazement. "Was she so confident she could leave the City of Slaughter?"
"She never drank a single cup of Bloody Mary, and…"
"It seems she didn't even need to eat much?" The more Tang Chen listened, the more absurd it sounded.
Soul Masters still needed to eat. None could go without food like the White Queen.
During her months in the City of Slaughter, she only occasionally bought cakes and snacks, rarely leaving her residence otherwise.
Rather than eating to fill her stomach, it seemed more like she was indulging in cravings.
Perhaps…
She was another inheritor of a god's trial.
The White Queen's unnatural power reminded Tang Chen of the City of Slaughter's rule that suppressed soul power.
As another inheritor of a god's trial, it was possible she could bypass such restrictions.
What was her purpose in coming to the City of Slaughter?
From Yang Wudi's account, was it simply to achieve a winning streak?
"No." A thought flashed through Tang Chen's mind. "Perhaps it was for a breakthrough in strength."
"Ah, if possible, I'd rather not make an enemy of such a woman."
The White Queen from earlier had reminded Tang Chen of Bo Saixi, far away on Sea God Island.
Even after two and a half years, Tang Chen had yet to visit Sea God Island—mostly because he didn't know what to say to Bo Saixi.
He had vowed to become a god, only to be eternally stuck at the eighth trial.
As Tang Chen lamented his regrets…
Outside.
Near the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, close to the Star Dou Great Forest.
"Serves you right for showing off. Now look at you." Playing with a gun in her hand, Tokisaki Kurumi glanced at Ning Rongrong, who was leaning against a tree trunk to rest, her aura unstable.
Ning Rongrong shot Tokisaki Kurumi a glare, too exhausted to argue.
"I really thought you had broken through to the Supreme realm." Tokisaki Kurumi's voice was faintly mocking.
"Half-step Supreme, yet you went all-out against a Limit Douluo. How many lives do you think you have to spare?"
After enduring half an hour of Tokisaki Kurumi's nagging, Ning Rongrong finally regained enough energy to retort: "Alright, big-headed fly, stop buzzing around!"
"B-Big-headed fly?!" Tokisaki Kurumi's eyebrow twitched violently as she strode over to Ning Rongrong in three steps.
She raised a finger to lift Ning Rongrong's chin.
Her face drew close, so close that they could feel each other's breath.
"Woman, you're playing with fire!"
Ning Rongrong: "…"
This tiger… was insane. Certifiably insane.
Ning Rongrong swatted away Tokisaki Kurumi's hand and sighed. "Stop learning weird forbidden knowledge. It's not good for you."
"Tch—" Tokisaki Kurumi shrugged. "It's from your memories! It's not like you haven't read those books yourself."
Ning Rongrong was speechless. She exhaled and said, "I've already reached half-step Supreme. If I proceed step by step, I should reach the Supreme realm soon."
Earlier, she had entered a mysterious state where the strain on her body was drastically reduced.
In that state, her control over power reached its peak—this was the epiphany one experienced when breaking through from Grandmaster to Supreme.
The Supreme realm had four stages:
The Pinnacle of Strength, the Pinnacle of Energy, the Pinnacle of Skill, and the Pinnacle of Heart.
Breaking through any one of them would qualify as the Supreme realm. Mastering all four?
Congratulations—you've achieved immortality!
After being parasitized by the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King and ambushed by the Clear Sky Sect's Title Douluos, the life-and-death crisis had allowed Ning Rongrong to glimpse the Supreme realm. Though she hadn't fully broken through yet, she could still exploit a shortcut.
The rules of the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda represented the Pinnacle of Heart. Having deliberately trained her techniques, she had broken through in skill and borrowed the pagoda's rules to achieve dual pinnacles—
The Pinnacle of Skill and the Pinnacle of Heart.
This was Ning Rongrong's previous level.
By mastering techniques to reach the Pinnacle of Skill and borrowing her martial soul's rules to reach the Pinnacle of Heart, she had attained power comparable to a Limit Douluo. However, this state placed immense strain on her body and soul.
That was why, after killing a Title Douluo and shocking Tang Chen, she had immediately retreated.
If she hadn't left, the backlash would have rendered her helpless—leaving her at the enemy's mercy.
That would've been a true "defeat CG."
Showing off once, then strategically withdrawing to safety—that was the sensible thing to do.
Compared to her dominance in the City of Slaughter, Ning Rongrong was more concerned about the Crimson Blood Nine-Headed Bat King in Tokisaki Kurumi's possession.
Right now, that thing was the real danger—something capable of parasitizing even a Limit Douluo. How could it not be a threat?