"Boom, boom, boom!" As the hail and ice arrows fell, the soul masters of the various academies used their abilities to defend themselves.
For a time, explosions rang out one after another, an endless cacophony. At the same time, the cold air spread rapidly, turning the area of several hundred meters into a world of ice and snow in the blink of an eye. This terrifying ice-attribute soul skill was a nightmare for everyone from the various academies. In order to protect the students with lower cultivation levels, the more powerful soul masters had no choice but to take the ultimate ice attacks head-on.
The only thing to be thankful for was that the attacks were scattered. Most of them were blocked by the strong, and only a few unfortunate ones were frozen into ice sculptures, their lives left to fate.
"This is a Soul Douluo-level soul skill attack, and it's from so far away. Could this be the core of this pollution point?"
Bai Baoshan, with the massive Heavenly Star Furnace above his head, blocked a portion of the ice arrows, his expression grim. An attack from such a long distance still had such immense power, which meant the person who released it was at least a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.
"It seems that's the place. We must act quickly. Let's go!" Meng Shenji made a decisive decision. His martial soul instantly attached to his body, and wisps of black energy surged from him. His martial soul was the Black Demon, a mental-type control martial soul. However, in the face of these mindless black-energy monsters, his martial soul ability was useless. He couldn't control them at all.
Helpless, he could only rely on his powerful soul power to join the battle. After all, his ability was to pull his opponent into a dream, but the prerequisite was that the opponent had the ability to dream, and these mindless black-energy monsters clearly didn't.
The three great instructors of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy took the lead and rushed toward the depths of the valley. The powerhouses of the other academies naturally didn't miss this opportunity and followed closely behind. Up until this moment, the three Titled Douluo present had not yet made a move, but with them holding the fort, everyone felt confident and rushed toward the core of the pollution point without hesitation.
"This... this is...!" When Lu Jingming and Xue Qinghe and the others arrived at the core valley, they saw Meng Shenji and the others standing there in a daze, their faces full of shock. They followed Meng Shenji and the others' gaze, and everyone gasped.
In the wide valley plain, there were thousands of black-armored soldiers with various soul tools wandering around. A rough estimate put their number at several thousand. In this dark valley, thousands of pairs of crimson eyes flickered with an eerie light, causing everyone present to feel a chill down their spines.
The sheer number of black-armored soldiers, each with a cultivation level of at least a Soul Grandmaster, caused even Dugu Bo to frown. If these black-armored soldiers were living people, he could slaughter all of them by himself. After all, his ability was suited for dealing with the weak, and he had no fear of being surrounded by those weaker than him. But these black-armored soldiers were condensed from negative energy and were immune to his poison.
"That's, Auntie?" Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er and the others had been searching for Shui Ming'er's figure. Soon, they saw a humanoid ice sculpture. Looking at the black ice sculpture that had been eroded by black energy, they could faintly make out the figure within. Shui Bing'er immediately recognized that it was their aunt—Shui Ming'er.
"Ming'er!" Huo Shi and Feng Ying also saw Shui Ming'er's ice sculpture, and their faces instantly turned pale. Their fists clenched subconsciously, their faces contorted with rage. Even the most oblivious person could see that with Shui Ming'er in this state, the possibility of her being alive was almost zero, and it was highly likely that she had been eroded by negative energy and transformed into a black-energy monster.
As expected, as a large number of intelligent beings approached, the vast majority of the black-armored soldiers surged toward Bai Baoshan and the others like a tide. And the black ice crystal that had sealed Shui Ming'er also shattered with a "crack," revealing a Shui Ming'er whose face was as white as paper and covered with black patterns. Shui Ming'er's long hair, which was originally like blue silk, had now turned completely black.
She suddenly opened her eyes. Her eyes, which were once as bright as sapphires, were now endlessly black, hollow and lifeless, sending a shiver down one's spine. Seven soul rings shone on her body. With a sharp screech, Shui Ming'er activated her Martial Soul Avatar, transforming into a condensed water phoenix more than ten meters long.
Looking at the black condensed water phoenix, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er and the others were filled with grief, while Huo Shi and Feng Ying's faces were a mix of anger and pain.
The battle erupted instantly. Although the black-armored soldiers were numerous, the soul masters who had come here were no pushovers. There were more than ten Soul Saints, and also Meng Shenji and two other Soul Douluo. The massive Heavenly Star Furnace crashed down like a meteorite, creating a huge crater in the ground, and more than a dozen black-armored soldiers dissipated into black energy. The green Heavenly Green Vine shot up from the ground, turning into a sharp spear, instantly clearing out the black-armored soldiers within a hundred meters.
With the cultivation of a Soul Douluo, dealing with these black-armored soldiers, whose cultivation was at most Soul King, was a massacre. If these black-armored soldiers could cooperate with each other and form a soul tool formation, they might pose a threat to Meng Shenji and Zhi Lin. But this kind of mindless charge with no coordination was no real threat to them. This was the biggest flaw of negative energy monsters: they lacked cooperation and intelligence, and their minds were filled with nothing but the instinct to kill.
The black condensed water phoenix and the massive fiery demon lion clashed fiercely. A green blade light crisscrossed, helping the fiery demon lion block the condensed water phoenix's fatal attacks several times. Huo Shi and Feng Ying teamed up to fight the blackened Shui Ming'er. Unlike Huo Shi and Feng Ying, who held back and didn't want to kill her, the blackened Shui Ming'er's moves were all ruthless and fatal, with only killing intent and the instinct to destroy in her eyes. For a time, the two Soul Saints were pushed back.
"Old monster, aren't you going to make a move?" Blue Silver Grass vines spread rapidly, forming a solid cage that bound the approaching black-armored soldiers. Tang San looked at Dugu Bo and shouted loudly.
"Alright, it's better to end this battle sooner. Yan'er, you wait here. Grandpa will go and take care of that core monster and see if I can get anything good." Dugu Bo patted Dugu Yan's shoulder with a confident look.
"Okay, Grandpa, be careful." Dugu Yan was full of confidence in her grandfather's strength. After all, he was the idol she had worshipped since she was a child, and her spiritual pillar.
"The old poisoner is finally making a move." Sensing the surging soul power fluctuations and looking at the green light that streaked across the sky and passed through the layers of black-armored soldiers, Sword Douluo narrowed his eyes slightly and said flatly.
"Hmm, it's a good idea to let Poison Douluo go and test it out first. I always feel like something isn't right." Ning Fengzhi's gaze was always on Ning Rongrong. He watched as she released the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, using a single mind to perform multiple tasks, simultaneously casting enhancement soul skills on multiple teammates. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face.
Ning Rongrong had indeed grown a lot. Her former pampered attitude had dissipated, and her own strength had improved by leaps and bounds compared to before. Although there were many problems with Shrek Academy, he believed that sending Ning Rongrong there was a wise choice. Just the evolution of Ning Rongrong's martial soul was a huge gain for the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect.
"Boom!" Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the valley, followed by a loud dragon roar. A platinum-gold light dragon with a green orb in its mouth charged out from the depths of the valley.
"That's... how is that possible!" When they saw the true form of the green orb in the platinum-gold light dragon's mouth, everyone's faces changed, and they showed a look of disbelief. Dugu Bo was covered in a green soul power light, his hands desperately holding on to the dragon's fangs, trying his best not to be crushed by the giant dragon.
"Boom!" A small mountain was instantly turned into dust in the intense explosion. The light from the explosion illuminated the entire valley, allowing everyone to clearly see a white-haired, twin-tailed girl floating silently in the air above the valley.
The girl had a peerlessly beautiful face, but the cracks on her face added a demonic and fallen beauty to her. The green light shot up into the sky. Dugu Bo's clothes flapped in the wind as he rushed toward the high altitude, his gaze fixed on the dark Jinhsi across from him. He said with an extremely grim expression, "A Soul Emperor? What a joke!"
At this moment, everyone was shocked to see the six soul rings on the white-haired girl: two purple, three black, and one red.
"T-ten-thousand-year soul ring? How is this possible!"
It was important to know that none of the three Titled Douluo present had a ten-thousand-year soul ring. In this era, a ten-thousand-year soul ring was a legendary existence, and only a very few Titled Douluo had the chance to possess one. Possessing a ten-thousand-year soul ring meant having the powerful ability to fight above one's level.
"Die!" Being repelled by a Soul Emperor, even though he was unprepared and even though this Soul Emperor had a ten-thousand-year soul ring, Dugu Bo still felt humiliated, and his expression became very grim. Especially with so many people watching, and his most beloved granddaughter watching from below!
In his rage, Dugu Bo no longer held back. A Titled Douluo-level soul power pressure was released like a tidal wave. The phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Snake Emperor quickly condensed in the high air, and it spat a jade-green divine light at the dark Jinhsi.
Black energy swirled around the dark Jinhsi, but it couldn't hide the golden holy light that emanated from her. Under the contrast of these two contradictory forces—divine and evil, light and dark—Lu Jingming actually felt for a moment that the dark Jinhsi was more charming than the real Jinhsi!
The phantom of the Dragon of Time and Order slowly appeared. Light particle ripples spread out like ripples, and the ultimate light quickly condensed and compressed. Under the effect of the power of time and order, the charging process was skipped, and the attack instantly reached its peak state.
The golden and green lights collided with a roar, illuminating the entire sky in gold and green.
"They're... evenly matched!" Ning Fengzhi and the others showed looks of shock.
Although Dugu Bo was not good at head-on combat and was arguably the weakest in head-on combat among the Titled Douluo, according to what Sword Douluo had said before, Dugu Bo had made a breakthrough. Even so, Dugu Bo was actually fighting a Soul Emperor to a draw?
Only Lu Jingming understood that this was due to Jinhsi's ability to control time. She had made the "Heavenly Constellation's Light," which normally required at least a minute of charging and compression to reach its peak, reach its peak state in an instant. Coupled with Jinhsi's ultimate light attribute, it was normal for this strike to be comparable to a Titled Douluo's attack.
Poison Douluo's poison didn't work on the dark Jinhsi, and he wasn't a powerful assault-type soul master to begin with, so his attack power was relatively weak. This outcome was within Lu Jingming's expectations.
But others didn't think so. They had no concept of an ultimate attribute, as this concept didn't exist in this era. They only knew that a Soul Emperor was able to fight a Titled Douluo to a draw. Therefore, their gazes toward the dark Jinhsi were filled with shock and fear, while their gazes toward Dugu Bo were very strange.
The two great soul skills collided fiercely. In an instant, a powerful energy wave erupted. The shockwave surged in all directions like a mighty tide. The black mist that had been covering the sky and the valley was instantly dispelled by this powerful force, leaving no trace.
The warm sunlight pierced through the clouds like a sword and shone down on the valley. At this moment, everything in the valley was revealed to everyone.
"Is that?"
If there was anything that could attract everyone's attention the most right now, it wasn't Dugu Bo and the dark Jinhsi who were in a standoff in the sky, but a black throne that had appeared in everyone's sight after the black mist dissipated and the sunlight shone down.
On the black throne, a handsome white-haired young man sat. His eyes were closed, and one hand was resting lightly on his cheek, as if he was dozing. He didn't seem to care at all about the arrival of the many enemies, showing a relaxed and arrogant demeanor.
Not only that, there were also several figures standing below the black throne. The aura they gave off was actually on par with the dark Jinhsi who was in a standoff with Dugu Bo. Each of their auras was heart-pounding.
"Brother Lu!" Xue Qinghe's pupils shrank when he saw the white-haired young man on the black throne, as if he had seen something unbelievable. He then turned his head to look at Lu Jingming beside him with a look of astonishment.
"Young Master Lu, this...!" Xue Ke also opened her cute little mouth in surprise, her gaze moving back and forth between the young man beside her and the white-haired young man on the black throne. Her eyes were full of disbelief.
No matter how she looked, aside from the cracks on his face, the two were identical!
"It's very interesting, isn't it?" Lu Jingming blinked, the corners of his mouth curving slightly as he said with a light laugh.
"It seems that the core of this pollution point was born in the image of Young Friend Lu!" Ning Fengzhi quickly recovered his composure after a brief moment of surprise. Although such a thing was extremely rare, even a black-energy monster in the image of Sword Douluo had appeared in the Star Luo Empire, so it wasn't too hard to understand a monster appearing in the image of someone else.
However, Ning Fengzhi's gaze toward Lu Jingming still held an unconcealed astonishment and suspicion. Since the black-energy monster was created in Lu Jingming's image, Lu Jingming's strength was truly something to be reckoned with!
The dark Jinhsi was only a Soul Emperor, yet she could fight Dugu Bo. This meant that the true strength of the core of the pollution point, the dark Lu Jingming, must be terrifyingly powerful.
In fact, Lu Jingming himself was a little curious. He also wanted to know how strong the dark Lu Jingming was. Since he was based on his memories, it was highly likely that he also had the same abilities.
Thinking of this, Lu Jingming's expression became a little strange. He knew his own abilities all too well. With the "Black Abyss White Flower," his attack power was top-tier, and his survival ability was maxed out. He was the perfect final boss. He could attack, defend, heal, and had powerful control abilities. He was almost an all-rounder.
While Sword Douluo had the ability to defeat him, it was almost impossible to kill him completely. And with the dark March 7th, dark Jinhsi, dark Firefly, and the others, especially that dark Robin, Lu Jingming felt a headache just thinking about it.
Looking at the current situation, he didn't have the confidence to clear this dungeon by himself, without his teammates! Therefore, Lu Jingming didn't have high hopes for this temporary team.
Not only Ning Fengzhi and the others, but Tang San, Shui Bing'er, Huo Wu, and the others also discovered this shocking "blind spot." They all turned around in astonishment and looked at Lu Jingming, who had been staying at the back of the team with Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe.
Many people didn't know Lu Jingming, but his constant presence with the Crown Prince, the Princess, and the Sect Master of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect had already aroused everyone's curiosity. However, at this moment, everyone had no time to solve their curiosity and doubts.
The dark March 7th also had six soul rings on her: two purple, three black, and one red. The cold air around her quickly compressed and condensed. In the blink of an eye, a chilling ice arrow with a deafening sonic boom shot out like a meteor, heading straight for Bai Baoshan, one of the three great instructors of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy.
Everyone felt the surrounding air instantly drop to freezing point. Then, an ice-blue beam of light flashed by like lightning, and only after that did the belated sonic boom sound. Bai Baoshan reacted extremely quickly. The moment he felt a fatal danger, he didn't hesitate to release his martial soul, the Heavenly Star Furnace, and block it in front of him.
But then, he felt as if a meteor had violently crashed into the Heavenly Star Furnace. A terrifying impact surged over him, sending him flying backward, crashing heavily into the mountain wall behind him. The next moment, before he could react, the terrifying cold air spread out like a tide. His body and soul power were instantly frozen.
Meng Shenji and Zhi Lin only felt a bone-chilling aura brush past them. The next second, they saw Bai Baoshan not far away being slammed into the mountain wall with a loud bang. When they quickly turned to look, they saw a crystal-clear ice mountain. Bai Baoshan's figure, holding the Heavenly Star Furnace, had been frozen within the ice mountain.
"Gulp!" Everyone who witnessed this scene subconsciously gulped, their hearts filled with fear. Some people began to subconsciously shield their teammates from other academies, as if this would give them a sense of security. Some were even so scared that they turned and ran. They just wanted to join the fun and get some benefits, but they didn't want to die for nothing.
"Sect Master Ning, please help!" Meng Shenji's face was pale, his expression terrified, and he quickly turned and shouted to Ning Fengzhi.
"Teacher!" Xue Qinghe's face instantly became extremely grim. The three great instructors were his confidants. If they were to die here, it would be a huge loss for him.
Before everyone could react, another silver-haired girl slowly stepped into the void. She was surrounded by black-red flames that had turned black due to the black energy. The next moment, a large mech covered in black-red patterns and burning with black-red flames erupted with astonishing speed and instantly appeared in front of Meng Shenji. She also had six soul rings shining on her: two purple, three black, and one red. Seeing this scene, everyone felt a numbness in their hearts.
"Uncle Bone!" Ning Fengzhi's face changed drastically. Bai Baoshan's fate was unknown. If Meng Shenji were to be in danger again, he wouldn't be able to explain it to Xue Qinghe and Emperor Xue Ye. Not helping would severely affect the relationship between the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect and the Heaven Dou Empire.
"Boom!" In an instant, a monstrous flame erupted like a volcanic eruption. The girl threw a punch with a terrifying force. The void seemed unable to bear the weight, making a "cracking" sound. Seeing that Meng Shenji was about to be hit by the punch, he gritted his teeth and was about to use his life-saving trump card when a thin figure emerged from the void like a ghost. A bone shield instantly blocked in front of him.
Fist and shield collided. A circular shockwave spread out rapidly like a ripple. The ultimate high-temperature flames erupted, instantly igniting the surrounding air, forming a huge black-red fireball. It was as if a small sun had been created out of thin air above the valley, its light dazzling.
With a loud roar from a huge bone dragon phantom, the dark Firefly's figure flew back like a cannonball. After landing, she slid back for several hundred meters on the ground, leaving two deep grooves. Bone Douluo looked at the burns on his hands with a grim expression. He was a level 95 peak Douluo, yet he was burned in a battle with a Soul Emperor. Although the injury was insignificant, he finally understood how Dugu Bo had felt earlier.
Although Bone Douluo's injury was tiny, those who were watching the battle closely still noticed it.
"Hiss!" Seeing this scene, even Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but gasp. He knew how powerful Bone Douluo's defense was. The reason why the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect was so famous was inseparable from these two super-powerhouses, Sword Douluo and Bone Douluo. One had the strongest attack, and the other had the strongest defense. Together, they had established the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda's dominance in the soul master world.
But now, even a super-Douluo like Bone Douluo, who was a master of defense, was breached. If it had been a soft-skinned soul master like Meng Shenji, who had a relatively weak defense, that punch would have hit him head-on, he would have been instantly incinerated by the ultimate high temperature.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, for saving me!" Meng Shenji's face was full of the joy of surviving a disaster. He wasn't sure if his trump card could have blocked that punch, but he was certain that if that punch had landed on him, he would have had no chance of survival and would have been turned into ashes on the spot.
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