The atmosphere in the stands was tense. Li Xun, sensing the tension, quickly left the scene.
With a Flash Step, he appeared at the spot where Tang Hao's left leg had fallen. With a surge of Soul Power, the flesh and tendons of the leg instantly turned into pulp, leaving behind only a Soul Bone that glowed with a dark cyan light.
Li Xun nodded. Although he hadn't achieved his ultimate goal, the harvest was still decent.
For ordinary people, a Soul Bone can only be separated from the body upon death. However, Titled Douluo have a privilege: they can sever a Soul Bone without dying, though it permanently reduces their Soul Power by ten levels.
Of course, this is likely because Soul Masters in the Douluo world lack effective healing methods, and the loss of essence and blood from bodily injuries is too rapid.
Li Xun believed he might be exempt from this rule. Even if he lost an arm, he could quickly regenerate it. However, once a Soul Bone is removed, the Soul Power it had previously enhanced would inevitably decrease, though it probably wouldn't drop permanently by ten levels.
Even though the cost would be minimal, Li Xun had no intention of trying it. He had already reserved two 100,000-year Soul Bones, and it wasn't worth the trouble or the loss of a few levels of Soul Power at his current stage.
Li Xun played with the dark cyan Soul Bone in his hand. This was an inherited Soul Bone from the Clear Sky Sect, estimated to be around 60,000 years old. While it wasn't as high-quality as a 100,000-year Soul Bone, it was still among the top-tier treasures on the continent.
Now that Tang Hao's Soul Power had dropped by ten levels, coupled with his internal injuries and the loss of a leg, he was no longer a threat. Li Xun would simply kill him the next time they met. Meanwhile, Bibidong continued to follow her original plan.
Li Xun smirked, his gaze shifting to Yu Xiaogang, who was slowly regaining consciousness.
Bibidong's act had been a bit too forced.
Although Li Xun didn't know her exact current Soul Power, he guessed it was around levels 97 to 98. Even if her strength was suppressed, her performance shouldn't have been so lackluster.
Li Xun was aware of Bibidong's current condition, but her actions might have appeared differently to Qian Renxue and the Sword Douluo.
It almost seemed as if Bibidong had intentionally allowed Tang Hao and his son to escape.
Qian Renxue's face was grim, her eyes flickering as she looked at Bibidong.
After a long pause, she turned her gaze to Yu Xiaogang. "Tang Hao's attack even included me in its target. He truly has no regard for consequences. The Heaven Dou Empire will not let this go unpunished."
"And this man, knowing full well that Tang San is Tang Hao's son, still chose to shield him. What does Your Excellency the Pope plan to do with him?"
Bibidong's expression darkened as she turned to look at Yu Xiaogang below the stage. "He is an old acquaintance of mine, but his talent and Soul Power are lacking. He neither has the ability nor the courage to shield a member of the Clear Sky Sect."
"He was merely deceived."
Qian Renxue sneered. "Since Your Excellency the Pope does not intend to hold him accountable, then the Heaven Dou Empire will not be so lenient. Guards, seize Yu Xiaogang!"
"Yes!" Roxsen obeyed with a wave of his hand, and the royal knights immediately surrounded Yu Xiaogang.
Bibidong's face was dark as she watched Qian Renxue, her hands clenched tightly within her sleeves.
"What are you doing?" Yu Xiaogang brushed the dust off his clothes and looked around. Seeing no sign of Tang San or Tang Hao in the arena, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, well! You're putting on quite a show, aren't you?" Roxsen looked at Yu Xiaogang with a hint of surprise, then reached out and grabbed him by the neck.
Yu Xiaogang winced in pain, feeling his breath cut off, and immediately began flailing his arms to strike at Roxsen's arm.
But Roxsen, who had become the captain of the Royal Knights, was no ordinary man. His Soul Power had already reached level 70, and no matter how much Yu Xiaogang struggled, he couldn't budge him.
The other Royal Knights burst into laughter at the sight and quickly stepped forward to restrain Yu Xiaogang's arms, assisting Roxsen in dragging him away from the scene.
"Stop!" Bibidong's face darkened as she ignored Qian Renxue's murderous glare and barked in a low voice, "Yu Xiaogang is an elder of our Spirit Hall. Even if he has made a mistake, it should be dealt with internally by the Spirit Hall. Since when does Heavenly Dou need to intervene?"
Roxsen was momentarily stunned by her words, and his grip on Yu Xiaogang's neck loosened slightly. He then looked up at their Crown Prince.
"I've seen Yu Xiaogang's records. When did he become an elder of the Spirit Hall?" Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes.
"That was a matter from years ago, and it's an internal affair of the Spirit Hall. It's normal that Your Highness wouldn't know about it," Bibidong replied coldly, her tone indifferent. "Chrysanthemum Elder, take Yu Xiaogang back to the Spirit Sacred Hall and await my further instructions."
Chrysanthemum Douluo was taken aback. Seeing Qian Renxue's icy gaze fixed on him, he hesitated for a moment but ultimately decided to follow Bibidong's orders.
He swiftly moved to Roxsen's side, his aura flaring as he pushed the others away, then grabbed Yu Xiaogang and vanished from the spot.
"Well, well, what an internal affair of the Spirit Hall," Qian Renxue sneered, her anger turning into a bitter laugh. "Your Excellency the Pope is absolutely right. We belong to two different factions, and I indeed shouldn't meddle in the internal affairs of the Spirit Hall."
"However, I must advise Your Excellency not to be fooled by such a worthless man," Qian Renxue added, pulling out a stack of documents about Yu Xiaogang from her Soul Guiding Device and tossing them in front of Bibidong.
After saying this, Qian Renxue closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her expression had calmed. She nodded at Roxsen, "Despite the minor interruption, the competition will continue."
Bibidong sighed inwardly as she observed Qian Renxue's seemingly indifferent expression. She then picked up the documents Qian Renxue had thrown at her and began flipping through them, lost in thought.
By now, most of the audience had regained their composure. Though still shaken by what had just transpired, they dared not say much as they saw Bibidong and the Crown Prince sitting calmly on the viewing platform.
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
At this moment, Dai Mubai's emotions were the most complex. The drive that had carried him this far was his desire for revenge against Li Xun. But now, not only had he failed to achieve that revenge, but his companions were also dwindling in number.
With Tang San taken away and Yu Xiaogang captured by the Spirit Hall, Dai Mubai glanced at the few remaining members of Shrek Academy, his frustration boiling over. After requesting to withdraw from the competition, he led the group away from the arena.
Li Xun watched Dai Mubai leave, his eyes flickering with thought before he fell into deep contemplation.
Rewind to half a day earlier.
A figure swiftly flew out from above Shrek Academy.
Dugu Bo, holding Xiao Wu in his hands, flew toward the outskirts of the city with a smile on his face.
What he held now was a 100,000 Year Soul Beast! Such a creature was something most people had never even seen, yet he had managed to capture it.
At this thought, Dugu Bo's heart burned with excitement. From now on, he would have quite the story to tell. So what if Sword Douluo was a bit stronger? He had actually captured a 100,000 Year Soul Beast.
Without stopping, Dugu Bo hurried back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, worried that Tang Hao might return at any moment and detect Xiao Wu's presence.
Only upon returning to the sect did his heart finally settle.
At this time, Xiao Wu slowly regained consciousness. She looked around in confusion, then saw Dugu Bo holding her and began to struggle wildly: "Let me go, you ugly monster!"
"You woke up quite quickly," Dugu Bo said without anger. He took out a pill and forced it into Xiao Wu's mouth, then knocked her out again.
"It seems I'll have to keep an eye on her for a while."
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