Xu Tianran's gaze shot like a sword toward Zhongli Wu beside him—the Holy Spirit Cult's leader, nominally the empire's national preceptor.
At this moment, when imperial dignity was being trampled, he had to step forward, to say or do something—otherwise, what use was this national preceptor?
Yet Zhongli Wu wasn't foolish.
To provoke a Limit Douluo of unfathomable strength and bizarre methods for the sake of the Sun Moon Empire's face? He wasn't tired of living!
Under Xu Tianran's nearly tangible glare, Zhongli Wu kept his eyes lowered, as if suddenly fascinated by the intricate patterns on the floor beneath his feet. He played the perfect "blind man."
Fury and helplessness surged within Xu Tianran. He truly had no authority to directly command a Limit Douluo—especially one as morally ambiguous as Zhongli Wu.
At the critical moment, it was Long Xiaoyao who stepped forward. He remembered Ye Xishui's command—to protect the Sun Moon Empire, aid its unification of the continent, and achieve "true peace" (or at least, the peace he believed in).
He couldn't watch the empire's dignity be crushed so brazenly.
Taking a step forward, he addressed Gu La's "Masked Man" incarnation gravely: "Esteemed one, this is merely petty bickering and misunderstanding among juniors. Why resort to such violence, harming the innocent?"
Gu La snorted coldly. His voice wasn't loud, yet it boomed like thunder directly within Long Xiaoyao's soul, shaking his blood and qi into turmoil:
"To slander my Natural Sect as lowly evil soul masters? Your Sun Moon Empire has grown bold indeed!"
'Who slandered you? It was other teams who complained!' Xu Tianran thought bitterly, his face darkening until it seemed water might drip from it.
He saw through this. The Masked Man's intentions weren't pure—he was seizing an excuse to pick a fight and establish dominance.
"Bold! How dare you attack His Highness!"
At that moment, the loyal Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Corps reacted. Their Soul Douluo-level commander roared.
Five hundred Soul Guidance Device masters—each at least fifth-grade—had already readied their powerful personal Soul Guidance Devices. Among them were even portable launchers loaded with seventh-grade fixed-type soul projectile shells!
Such concentrated firepower, even a Limit Douluo wouldn't dare withstand it head-on. Evasion or eliminating the operators first would be the only options.
Soul devices began charging. Dangerous lights flickered.
"Barking dogs."
Gu La uttered only two words. The next moment, a bone-chilling scene unfolded—the solid ground beneath the five hundred Soul Guidance Device masters split open without warning. A bottomless chasm, dozens of meters wide, yawned like hell's maw!
"Ahhh—!"
Amid terrified screams, nearly three hundred Soul Guidance Device masters—and their devices—plunged instantly into the endless darkness.
The fissure snapped shut seamlessly, as if it had never existed.
The fate of those who fell was obvious—digging now would only reveal asphyxiated corpses.
Gu La had "thoughtfully" chosen to bury those with the highest cultivation and loudest voices first. The shouting commander was among the first to vanish.
"You…!"
Xu Tianran's eyes nearly burst with rage. The Sun Moon Soul Engineering Corps was one of his key forces. Losing a third of them in an instant forced his hand.
If he retreated now, his authority as Prince Regent would evaporate entirely. Forget ascending the throne—his current position would become unsteady.
After all, the previous emperor had been overthrown by nobles in silent consensus precisely for being too conciliatory. Besides… wasn't Long Xiaoyao, a Limit Douluo, right beside him? This gave him a sliver of confidence.
Suppressing fear and fury, his voice trembled slightly: "Esteemed one! This is the Sun Moon Empire! Not some lawless land where you may rampage with brute strength! Our citizens cannot die in vain! You must give an explanation!"
Gu La snorted. He'd been enjoying this performance, and this interruption displeased him.
His mind flashed with the storm that would erupt if he revealed "Xu Tianran is a eunuch." It would guarantee a fight to the death.
But the tournament wasn't over yet. He still needed the champion's Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device reward.
Moreover, he was fundamentally an "outsider." There was no need to draw all of Sun Moon Empire's hatred onto himself.
So he rephrased, his tone dripping with condescension: "Fine. Since you demand an explanation… the Sun Moon Empire will compensate my Natural Sect with a Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device as payment for this slander and provocation. With this, I shall—reluctantly—forgive you today."
Whoosh—!
The audience erupted! To kill hundreds of elite warriors and then demand compensation? What arrogance!
Xu Tianran nearly spat blood. Rage overwhelmed reason: "Esteemed one, you jest! You must compensate the empire for its losses!"
"You reject kindness when offered." Gu La's voice remained calm but carried icy venom.
His gaze turned to Long Xiaoyao, filled with undisguised contempt: "Is this your reliance… a simp?"
The words "simp" stunned Long Xiaoyao for an instant. Then boundless fury shattered his reason. Who?! Who told this masked man that name?
Or perhaps this masked man was connected to Shrek Academy? He remembered Xuan Zi's Taotie Bull also had an earth attribute martial soul. To be humiliated so publicly… if he didn't react now, how could he ever hold his head high again?
Xu Tianran, however, felt secret joy. He looked at Long Xiaoyao.
Being called a dog—a simp—no strong warrior could tolerate it. A Limit Douluo would surely strike back.
And Long Xiaoyao did strike. Martial Soul True Body—Dark Holy Dragon!
In an instant, darkness descended. A colossal Dark Holy Dragon phantom spread its wings, blotting out the sky, shrouding the entire temporary arena.
A dragon claw, brimming with terrifying darkness and destruction, tore through space, aiming to crush Gu La's head! The air suffocated under its pressure.
"Before speaking, consider the consequences!" Long Xiaoyao's voice was like a glacial wind from the netherworld.
The Masked Man remained silent. He merely raised his hand and pressed downward lightly.
A force heavy, ancient, and boundless—as if drawn from the earth's very core—condensed instantly. Groudon's signature skill—Precipice Blades!
A hundred-meter-tall, dark-gold rock greatsword materialized, forged entirely from pure earth element and ground laws.
Its size might not match the towering earthen walls around it, but the runes flowing across its surface and the "shattering" intent it embodied made space itself twist and tremble!
Long Xiaoyao's probing claw, before this sword representing the earth's fury, was as fragile as paper.
BOOM!!!
The greatsword arrived last but struck first, cleaving precisely into the Dark Holy Dragon True Body's chest.
Puh—!
Long Xiaoyao reeled as if struck by a mountain. His massive True Body shattered instantly. He spat blood, body flying backward like a broken kite, tracing a parabolic arc through the air.
"Not even quasi-god level, and you dare challenge me? Seeking death!"
The Masked Man's icy rebuke echoed in the deathly silent arena.
The three words "quasi-god" struck like three heavy hammers into the hearts of every powerhouse present.
An indescribable dread spread through them.
Quasi-god? Did this mean there were finer gradations beyond Limit Douluo? Or… was this man actually a true demigod?!
The cleverer the person, the more they pondered—and the greater their fear.
Xu Tianran clenched his fists until his nails nearly pierced his flesh. He forcibly suppressed his towering rage, mind racing over the terrifying depth of power the Natural Sect might possess—and the colossal threat it posed to the Sun Moon Empire.
The Sun Moon Empire did possess ultimate weapons capable of threatening or even killing Limit Douluos—Rank 9 fixed-type soul projectile barrages, the Holy Spirit Cult's Death Tower, and so on. But that required the target not to flee or be lockable.
A Limit Douluo determined to escape was hard to retain. And if beyond Limit Douluo truly existed… demigods…
What future awaited the Sun Moon Empire?
The problem was—this "demigod" stood before them now! Otherwise, he'd have ordered the area erased from the map with maximum firepower without hesitation!
Cough… cough…
Long Xiaoyao barely stabilized himself, rising back into the air. His gaze toward the Masked Man was filled with unprecedented wariness and terror.
That sword hadn't just shown a gap in strength—it was a crushing of realms. It felt like opposing the entire earth itself. That helplessness… he'd only felt it in his youth.
He said nothing, retracting all his aura. Clearly, he'd abandoned any thought of fighting.
But he knew Xu Tianran needed an out. So his gaze shifted again—toward Zhongli Wu, who was desperately trying to hide himself.
Zhongli Wu felt Long Xiaoyao's stare and inwardly cursed. Receiving Long Xiaoyao's secret transmission, he wished he'd never come today.
But circumstances forced his hand. He grimaced, forcing a smile uglier than tears, and bowed to Xu Tianran:
"Your Highness… the empire… the empire's strength is flourishing, its heritage profound. A single Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device… meeting this esteemed one's request demonstrates our imperial magnanimity. It… it is not without merit."
He spat the words through gritted teeth.
Xu Tianran's expression flickered. Finally, taking this deeply reluctant out, he nodded stiffly:
"Since… the National Preceptor speaks thus… then… so be it." He felt his dignity had been trampled into the ground today.
Zhongli Wu's face darkened until it seemed to drip water. The Holy Spirit Cult hadn't even officially become the state religion, yet its prestige was already damaged!
He could foresee nobles and officials using this incident as an excuse to oppose granting the Holy Spirit Cult state religion status.
Daring not to resent the terrifyingly powerful Long Xiaoyao or the Masked Man, he blamed Xu Tianran for forcing him into the spotlight. Inwardly, he sneered:
"Once the plan succeeds and we control the situation… perhaps… it's time for a more obedient emperor."
Soon, a Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device was delivered to Gu La.
Ironically, the champion's reward hadn't yet arrived. The only Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device master present—referee Unbreakable Douluo Zheng Zhan—was forced to surrender his prized creation: the Unbreakable Shield.
This meant not only losing his greatest life-saving trump card, but risking exposure of the device's core secrets.
Zheng Zhan's heart bled. He cursed inwardly: "That old fox Jing Hongchen slipped away early under the pretext of caring for his grandchildren. If he were here, this 'honor' wouldn't fall on me!"
Had the empire not promised compensation in rare metals worth far more than the shield, he'd have refused. Even so, pain lanced through him as he handed it over.
Gu La accepted the unexpectedly obtained Rank 9 Soul Guidance Device with satisfaction. Contentedly, he returned to Natural Sect's rest area, dissolving the surrounding earthen walls and domain pressure.
After this incident, all gazes toward the Natural Sect were replaced by pure awe. A Limit Douluo rumored to be a "quasi-god" stood behind them.
This was the confidence behind their audacity.
Many couldn't help wondering: What godly luck did the Dou Ling Empire have to recruit such a terrifying hidden sect?
The tournament's landscape had been utterly transformed by Natural Sect and Gu La's sudden emergence.
Yet the tournament's progress wouldn't halt for a single shocking interlude.
That afternoon, matches continued as scheduled.
The third match: Holy Spirit Sect versus Star Luo National Academy.
The result was unsurprising. The Holy Spirit Cult's fighters employed bizarre, ruthless techniques. Star Luo National Academy resisted fiercely but quickly fell—some members severely injured, though thankfully, no deaths occurred.
Holy Spirit Sect advanced smoothly to the semifinals.
Next came the fourth match: Tang Sect versus Snow Demon Sect.
Still reeling from the morning's shock, many spectators and competitors remained distracted, their gazes on the arena distant and unfocused.
For this showdown, most shared a similar thought: Whoever wins between Tang Sect and Snow Demon Sect will merely decide the next "unlucky one" to face Natural Sect—that unfathomable sect backed by a quasi-god.
Yet the atmosphere within the Tang Sect was entirely different.
In their rest area, Huo Yuhao's gaze locked onto the Snow Demon Sect team. He recognized two familiar figures—Gu Tong and Long Aotian.
Combined with other faces he'd glimpsed once in the Body Sect, now all gathered under Snow Demon Sect's banner.
"So that's it… Snow Demon Sect is the Body Sect! Their disguise is masterful… they stayed hidden until now."
Huo Yuhao understood instantly, his heart turning grave. He knew the Body Sect's strength all too well—especially Long Aotian, leader of their younger generation. His power was absolutely not to be underestimated.
The pre-planned fighting order needed immediate adjustment. Facing the well-known yet immensely powerful Body Sect, any carelessness could lead to total defeat.
"Dong'er," Huo Yuhao turned to Wang Dong'er, his tone decisive, "I'll take the first match."
Wang Dong'er blinked in surprise but, seeing Huo Yuhao's solemn expression and his gaze fixed on Long Aotian, understood his intent. She nodded: "Alright. Be careful."
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