Xuan Zi took a swig of liquor, his rugged face somber.
He truly hadn't expected the Spirit Hall Empire here to be so ferocious.
He swept a look over the young students he'd brought.
It seemed that to safely obtain divine inheritances in this world, they'd have to get past Spirit Hall first.
Xuan Zi thought grimly—they'd been drawn into the vortex, unable to stay aloof.
"At this point, there's only war."
Dai Mubai rose sharply, a white tiger phantom flashing behind him, unyielding fire blazing in his eyes.
"We will never surrender without a fight."
"Boss Dai is right."
Tang San stood slowly, gaze firm, sweeping over his companions and every strong soul master present.
"We have no retreat—and must not quail before battle. Spirit Hall is strong, but not a monolith. If we stand together, there may yet be a sliver of life."
His words kindled hot blood in many, especially for Star Luo's royals and Heaven Dou's remnants—they had no way back.
Others might choose submission; they, bearing state and family hatred, could only fight to the death.
Yet beneath the rousing surface, undercurrents surged.
Ning Fengzhi's gaze brushed, for an instant, with Ning Tian from the parallel world.
In Ning Tian's eyes were concern and a hint—withdraw.
Take the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect through the time-space channel to Ning Tian's world, avoiding this nearly unwinnable war.
The idea was tempting.
As a sect master, he had to safeguard the sect's inheritance.
The sect's support abilities were treasures in war, but also prime targets for the enemy.
But not now.
Ning Fengzhi warned himself.
To flee at this moment would shove Star Luo, Heaven Dou's remnants, the Clear Sky Sect, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect, and Shrek Academy into desperate straits. The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would bear eternal infamy and find no footing in any world.
His fingers tapped the armrest. A more prudent, more righteous plan took shape—fight, they must.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect would go all-out, standing with allies against Spirit Hall.
But at the same time, they must prepare in secret.
Once the battle collapsed beyond repair—if it truly became hopeless—only then would they enact a withdrawal.
Thus, they'd honor their allies and preserve the sect's spark for revival.
He tilted his head slightly, sending a look only Sword and Bone Douluo would understand.
The two elder guardians of the sect nodded faintly, grasping their lord's choice—fight to the last moment, yet keep one final path of life.
Within the hall, the hawkish voices gradually unified.
Dai Yutian began deploying forces, assigning lines of defense. The leaders of each faction pledged to commit their strength to this seemingly hopeless war for survival.
War's shadow had settled over all Star Luo.
And beneath the brave resolve to die stood human calculus and factional self-interest, quietly sprouting—waiting to reveal their true faces amid blood and fire.
…
Star Luo border, Luoxia Plains.
Where once lay golden seas of grass to the horizon, there now churned dark masses of troops and the lights of soul skills.
Shouts of battle, beastly roars, clashing steel, and the thunder of colliding soul skills intertwined into a grand, bloody symphony of war.
The Spirit Hall Empire's six-hundred-thousand-strong army advanced like a precise, pitiless war machine—Soul Master Legions as the spearhead, regular legions as the wings, layer by layer pushing forward.
The disciples of the new Seven Great Sects—Holy Dragon, Elephant Armor, and others—tore open gaps in the lines with powerful martial souls and flawless coordination, sweeping all before them.
On Star Luo's side, Dai Yutian commanded on the front line, leading Star Luo elites and Heaven Dou remnants in desperate resistance.
Soldiers clung to hastily prepared defenses, their flesh and blood against Spirit Hall's iron flood.
Every inch of land was bought with blood.
High above, the battles between Titled Douluo were breathtaking.
Sword Douluo's Seven Kills Sword shone brilliantly. Under Ning Fengzhi's full support, his sword qi spanned a thousand meters, holding off multiple Elder Hall opponents single-handedly.
Bone Douluo vanished and reappeared like a ghost, his massive bone dragon stirring the field.
Yet this tenuous balance was shattered by a single order.
Far from the fray, Lu Jingming, Gu Yuena, and Qian Renxue stood upon the clouds, gazing down upon the carnage.
Qian Renxue's golden eyes showed neither joy nor sorrow, as if watching a play unrelated to herself.
"It seems, left to themselves, they can't bring this drama to a close."
Her cool voice sounded; she turned slightly.
"Worship Hall—act. End this futile resistance quickly."
"As you command, Young miss."
A deep, elderly voice replied.
In the next instant, six figures like blazing suns shot skyward from the rear of Spirit Hall's army. An unimaginably terrifying soul pressure blanketed the battlefield—darkening even the sky.
They were the Spirit Hall's Worship Hall—the six worships, excluding the already sacrificed Qian Daoliu.
Seeing the six worships move, Bibi Dong, who had been seated in the rear without acting, narrowed her eyes.
She had thought Qian Renxue would not intervene, but now it seemed she had underestimated her daughter's breadth of mind.
Headed by the Second Worship, Golden Crocodile Douluo, they moved with clear targets. The enormous Golden Crocodile phantom, heavy with primordial aura, charged straight for the strongest present—Xuan Zi.
"Hmph. Outsider—let this old man see what you can do."
Golden Crocodile's voice thundered. He slammed into Xuan Zi, transformed into the Godly Taotie Bull. The shock waves felled ranks of ordinary soldiers below.
Meanwhile, a streak of extreme cold flashed like a whisper of death, slipping silently across the chaos straight for Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen, who was locked in battle with the Holy Dragon Sect Master.
Lightning flared around Yu Yuanzhen's dragonified form, power brimming—but his old wounds hadn't healed, and he was a fraction too slow.
A sick thud—steel through flesh and bone.
Yu Yuanzhen shuddered violently, eyes wide as he looked down at the arrow of pure ice-attribute soul power lodged in his heart. Freezing cold instantly locked his blood and soul power.
Glowing Feather Douluo appeared in the distance, divine bow in hand, eyes frigid.
"Father!"
Yu Xiaogang, commanding the army, let out a soul-rending howl, eyes red.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect Master, Thunder Douluo Yu Yuanzhen—had fallen.
His death was a signal, opening the floodgates to life-and-death duels among Titled Douluo.
Elder Hall's Spirit Kite Douluo, seeing Sword Douluo tied down by many, trusted her speed and turned into a fiery kite streaking straight for Ning Fengzhi in the rear.
"Courting death."
Sword Douluo's gaze turned razor-cold. The Seven Kills intent erupted to its peak.
"Seventh Soul Skill—Seven Kills True Body!"
With Ning Fengzhi's all-aspect amplification pushing eighty percent, Chen Xin became one with his sword. A sky-spanning blade of light struck faster than the flame-kite could fly, severing it cleanly.
A shrill avian scream cut off midair.
Spirit Kite Douluo, a Spirit Hall Elder, was cleaved in two, dying in the sky.
Elsewhere, Poison Douluo Dugu Bo's domineering Jade Phosphor poison struggled against his old acquaintance, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.
The Chrysanthemum blazed with golden light, constantly purifying and canceling the toxins. A rain of petal-blades pressed Dugu Bo into dire straits.
Across the field, every Titled Douluo found a match.
Clear Sky's Tang Xiao, Howling Sky Douluo, fought two Elders alone, the Clear Sky Hammer's dominance giving him the upper hand.
The three Super Douluo from the parallel Shrek faced off with Lion, Azure Luan, and other worships. Though outmatched in cultivation, they did not immediately falter.
However, once the six worships fully entered the fray, the scales irreversibly tipped.
Super Douluo strength was not something ordinary Titled Douluo could match.
Under the ferocity of Golden Crocodile, Azure Luan, Lion, and others, Star Luo's top combat power began to buckle.
Xuan Zi was pinned by Golden Crocodile, wounds gouging the Godly Taotie Bull's hide.
Sword and Bone Douluo, mighty under Ning Fengzhi's support, still faced overwhelming numbers—barely holding on.
Below, the army was in full retreat, lines compressed and torn.
Spirit Hall's legions advanced over Star Luo corpses, step by step.
Defeat was a landslide.
Emperor Dai Yutian watched his generals and soldiers fall, watched Titled Douluo tumble from the sky, eyes bloodshot with despair.
He understood—the tide had turned.
Luoxia Plains would likely be Star Luo's burial ground.
On the clouds, Qian Renxue watched, her lips curving in a faintly indifferent arc.
Bibi Dong still sat high upon her palanquin, coolly observing, as if enjoying a drama of destruction of her own direction.
Just as Star Luo's lines were about to collapse entirely—and Xuan Zi and others were about to fail under Golden Crocodile's onslaught—two vast yet utterly distinct auras surged up from the rear of the Star Luo forces.
One burned hot and holy, like blazing justice; the other was gentle and immense, like a romantic epic embracing all.
"My Lord on high."
A clear cry rang across the battlefield, and a figure shrouded in white brilliance appeared first.
She held an iris battle standard, radiant with tangible light of faith—the long-hidden saint—Jeanne d'Arc.
She thrust the standard into the air; a massive sacred barrier unfolded instantly, blocking Golden Crocodile's land-splitting lethal blow.
At the same time, countless golden threads appeared, elegant and precise, winding toward Azure Luan, Lion, and several worships. The strange law power upon the threads stalled their vast soul power, slowing their movements in an instant.
Aglaea stepped on the void. She smiled faintly at the worships whose faces had changed: "This path, for now, is closed."
These two servant-heroes at half-god level finally acted.
They hadn't wished to meddle too deeply in this world's war—but with their Master in peril, they had to intervene.
Yet their aim wasn't slaughter; it was rescue and withdrawal.
Jeanne's standard swept, sacred light falling upon Xuan Zi, Ma Xiaotao, and the Shrek group, giving them powerful protection.
Aglaea waved her jade hands, more gold threads twining about Han Ruoruo and others.
"Go!"
Jeanne kept it brief, but her eyes were heavy as they looked toward the very rear of Spirit Hall.
The moment they intervened, a divine might far more terrifying than all six worships combined—brimming with endless malice and filth—awoke like a sleeping beast and descended.
"Vermin from another realm, you dare meddle in Our war?"
Bibi Dong's ice-cold voice seemed to rise from the Nine Hells.
A giant phantom scythe wreathed in purple-black miasma split the sky, swinging down upon Jeanne and Aglaea with godly power that judged all beings and defiled all things.
The Rakshasa Scythe.
The two servants' faces shifted; they struck together.
Jeanne's iris standard erupted with soaring holy light; before Aglaea, a shield woven of golden threads appeared.
A thunderous detonation.
The clash of god-level power darkened the sky. Space rippled as if unable to bear it.
Jeanne and Aglaea wavered slightly—unharmed, but with graver eyes.
They were not true gods; even they felt the immense pressure of Bibi Dong's angry blow.
"Take them first."
Aglaea murmured to Jeanne, hands weaving sigils. More golden threads entwined the giant scythe, buying time.
Jeanne did not hesitate. With a sweep of her standard, sacred power wrapped Ning Tian, Han Ruoruo, Ma Xiaotao, and all Shrek members, turning them into a streak of light fleeing afar.
Xuan Zi didn't dally either—he flashed into a yellow beam, turning tail while Aglaea held the line.
Glancing back in terror, he saw the Rakshasa Scythe's aftershock shear through the space where he'd stood—space itself corroded into cracks. Even this Super Douluo's guts turned to water; any last sliver of wishful thinking vanished.
Bibi Dong's true body hadn't fully manifested, but the Rakshasa Scythe, like the extension of her will, pressed the attack after repelling the two servants.
It swung again, now over the head of Howling Sky Douluo Tang Xiao, who was struggling against two Elders.
Tang Xiao roared and raised the massive Clear Sky Hammer, pushing the Great Sumeru Hammer to its utmost to resist.
But before god-level power, even a super Douluo's all-out blow was paltry.
The hammer's thunder could not check the Rakshasa Scythe.