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Gu Yuena and Bai Xu stood facing each other from a distance, both seemingly silent.
The old man, who had been fleeing, glanced back with undisguised delight. He had heard that Bai Xu once studied at the Spirit Pagoda and seemed to have had some entanglement with Gu Yuena, the Spirit Pagoda Envoy. Now, it was precisely this history that held Bai Xu back.
'Good! Just keep stalling him! I'll go find the Tower Master!'
Without another word, the old man immediately activated his soul skill and began attacking the Five Elements Grand Formation. The other Titled Douluo followed suit, leaving only the two of them in the center of the battlefield.
Suddenly, a surge of overwhelming power erupted. Bai Xu, his face dark, summoned the Five Elements Cauldron and said coldly, "Move aside, or I'll take you down with them."
Gu Yuena stood resolutely in front of Bai Xu, a hundred meters away, her heroic demeanor unwavering. "If you want to destroy this place, you'll have to go through me first."
"Heh."
A sinister smile flashed across Bai Xu's face as he hurled the Five Elements Cauldron toward the group of Titled Douluo attacking the formation. The cauldron expanded rapidly, reaching a hundred meters in size, its surface swirling with the energy of the Five Elements. It seemed to carry a spatial suppression effect, intent on crushing them all.
Gu Yuena's figure blurred as she appeared in front of the group, her Silver Dragon Spear gathering the radiance of seven elements. With a sweeping strike, she slammed the spear against the cauldron.
BOOM!
A violent collision sent shockwaves rippling outward, distorting the surrounding space. Fortunately, the attack was blocked, leaving everyone unharmed.
"Since you insist on this..." Bai Xu's expression grew even colder. The grand formation trembled, undergoing an invisible transformation that made the others pale.
"Break the formation now!" Gu Yuena shouted, snapping the stunned group back to their senses.
As Bai Xu continued weaving hand seals, the entire Spirit Pagoda area covered by the formation began to change.
"Earth Dominion: Wuji Boundary!"
A vast, earthy yellow energy flooded the domain, much like the previous Metal Dominion. This was the earth-based transformation of the Five Elements Grand Formation.
Gu Yuena frowned deeply. This formation was truly bizarre—she had never seen anything like it. If there was an Earth Dominion, then there must be boundaries for the other four elements. This treasure, nurtured within Bai Xu's organs, was beyond conventional standards. Its mystical properties surpassed even those of divine artifacts.
"Gu Yuena, in my knowledge, there are only a few true dragon species. Not the Silver Dragon, nor the Golden Dragon. But the one and only, reigning supreme over the center of the world, governing earth among the Five Elements—the deity of clouds, rain, thunder, rivers, and the divine dragon of the heavens."
Bai Xu concentrated his energy, and within the Earth Dominion, all the earthy yellow energy converged toward him, taking shape in the void. In an instant, a dragon-like entity emerged, stirring the seas and summoning mist.
Gu Yuena's pupils contracted. The dragon species Bai Xu had transformed into was vastly different from any she had seen before. Unlike her own true form, this dragon had a serpentine body, four legs, and a pair of wings spread wide. It strode forward majestically, surrounded by swirling cloud patterns, exuding divine might.
The moment its draconic eyes locked onto her, an unprecedented sense of danger gripped her.
"This is my personal transformation. It may not match the true power of its origin, but it's enough to defeat you." Bai Xu stood atop the dragon's head, looking down at her solitary figure.
Gu Yuena gritted her teeth, her heart burning with defiance. Her Silver Dragon true form manifested, and she no longer held back. The seven elements surged around her, thunder roaring violently. Bai Xu's words had infuriated her—she would prove herself.
ROAR!
Two deafening dragon roars shook the heavens and earth simultaneously. The old man, who had fled to the edge of the formation, turned back and witnessed a sight he would never forget.
From the clouds, a divine dragon emerged, its head towering above, summoning storms with its roar. On the ground, the colossal Silver Dragon true form refused to be outdone, its scales shimmering with the radiance of the seven elements, as if blessed by the world's essence.
"True Form: Yinglong!"
"True Form: Silver Dragon!"
The two dragon kings collided, followed by a cataclysmic explosion. The Five Elements Grand Formation trembled violently, collapsing without the old man's intervention. The shockwave spread far and wide—the explosion heard by those at the Star Luo Stadium was this very clash.
"What happened?!" Zhang Geyang arrived within moments, his eyes nearly bursting with fury at the sight of the ruined Spirit Pagoda.
"Tower Master! You've finally come! It's Bai Xu—we couldn't stop him!" The old man, seeing reinforcements, rushed to report. Fortunately, he and the others had retreated far enough and, as Titled Douluo, had avoided severe injury.
"Tower Master, it was Envoy Gu Yuena who held him off, buying us time to escape!" the old man explained.
"What? Where is Envoy Gu now?!" Zhang Geyang was horrified—she could not afford to come to harm.
"She… she clashed with Bai Xu's soul skill. The explosion was massive. We don't… know if she's alive."
"You useless coward!"
Zhang Geyang couldn't believe this 95th-ranked Titled Douluo had fled instead of fighting alongside Gu Yuena. He would deal with this disgrace later.
"Cough!"
A figure emerged from the dust, revealing the silver-haired woman. Zhang Geyang sighed in relief—though injured, she was alive.
"Envoy, where is the intruder?"
"He's still here. I couldn't wound him." Gu Yuena's voice was weak.
As the smoke cleared, the figure in the clouds laughed loudly.
"Deputy Tower Master Zhang, I've long heard that you are both the master of this branch and the deputy of the main pagoda, second only to Qian Dongfeng. I believe you owe me an explanation."
"An explanation? A mere evil soul dares demand one from the Spirit Pagoda?!"
Having spoken with Qian Dongfeng, Zhang Geyang knew exactly what Bai Xu wanted. The Spirit Pagoda's failed ambush, the exposed scheme—both the Holy Spirit Cult and the Spirit Pagoda had been counterattacked by Bai Xu. But admitting this would bring condemnation upon the pagoda, possibly even toppling Qian Dongfeng.
"Enough talk, then!"
"Die!"
Zhang Geyang's body erupted with ghostly flames, true to his title. The area around him became a sea of fire, his fury palpable. Five black and four red soul rings appeared, and the temperature of the world itself began to rise.
"Fire, huh?" Bai Xu chuckled as crimson flames ignited around him.
Two seas of fire clashed, neither willing to further damage Star Luo City. The two combatants ascended a thousand meters into the sky, engaging in a decisive battle.
"Damn it! Damn it!" Zhang Geyang cursed twice. Bai Xu's timing was terrible—having just participated in the Spirit Soul Tournament, he had lost his most prized Thunderclap Nethervine, weakening him. With it, his 98th-ranked thunder abilities could have summoned the wrath of the heavens!
His tenth spirit soul, the 100,000-year Emerald Demon Bird, was his final soul ring. Of his four 100,000-year soul rings, three came from the Azure Jade Phoenix—only this last one belonged to the Emerald Demon Bird.
The ninth soul skill it provided wasn't particularly powerful, but for Zhang Geyang, it offered a crucial advantage:
Speed.
The Emerald Demon Bird was known for its blinding velocity, each strike breaking the sound barrier, leaving sonic booms in its wake. Despite its small size, its attacks were devastating.
But such speed was trivial against spatial abilities—no matter how fast, it couldn't outpace teleportation.
Thus, the battle dragged on without a clear victor.
Just then, Tang Wulin and a group of Tang Sect disciples arrived swiftly. And within him, a divine sense sensed the disturbance—awakening rapidly.