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Five Titled Douluo stood suspended in midair, and in an instant, the atmosphere of the entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect tightened to the extreme.
Just moments ago, Gu Rong, Tang Xiao, and Yu Yuanzhen were filled with confidence, but now their expressions had grown grave.
Although they themselves were Titled Douluo–level powerhouses, they could feel soul power fluctuations from the five figures in the sky that were in no way weaker than their own.
"Lan Minghua, when exactly did your people infiltrate the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?!"
Gu Rong ground his teeth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes. "Do you really think these five alone can defeat us? Do you take the Upper Three Sects for a bunch of pushovers?"
Lan Minghua chuckled lightly, his tone mocking. "And you're not? You're only three Titled Douluo. Where does all that confidence come from?"
Before his words even fell, a sharp sword light tore across the sky.
The newcomer was Sword Douluo Chen Xin. After a fierce inner struggle, he finally dared to face Lan Minghua directly once again.
Lan Minghua was slightly surprised to see both of Sword Douluo's arms intact, but he quickly accepted it.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was among the wealthiest of forces. Reattaching an arm was a trivial matter; it wouldn't be surprising if they possessed treasures capable of regenerating limbs entirely.
Still, to him, Sword Douluo remained nothing more than a level 96 Titled Douluo, no threat at all.
"Just another defeated foe. Is this your so-called trump card? If so, I'm truly disappointed."
Even with Sword Douluo's addition, the Upper Three Sects had only four Titled Douluo.
At those words, Sword Douluo coldly snorted. "In single combat, this old man may not be your match. But today, I am not alone!"
"He's right—we are not alone. And today, Lan Minghua, you and your disciple will die here!"
A deep voice resounded—not loud, but filled with such overwhelming dominance that it rang in everyone's ears like thunder.
Lan Minghua's brows furrowed as he turned to see a middle-aged man in the attire of the Clear Sky Sect arriving with an imposing aura.
The newcomer was none other than Tang Hao!
Facing Tang Hao's provocation, Lan Minghua lazily dug at his ear, his expression completely unchanged.
"Yet another defeated general. Tang Hao, standing so boldly before me… what gave you the courage? A gift from Liang Jingru?"
He swept his gaze over them, unable to fathom the source of their confidence.
No wonder he hadn't seen Tang Hao earlier—so he'd been hiding here, restoring his strength.
Though the time was short, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was overflowing with rare treasures, more than enough to bring Tang Hao back to his peak condition.
Of course, that peak was still nothing special.
Lan Minghua shook his head with a mocking smile. "You have five Titled Douluo? Setting aside whether you can even handle Ying Xian's five, you're already at a numerical disadvantage. Where does your confidence come from?"
Tang Hao gave a cold snort but did not respond to Lan Minghua. Instead, he turned his head toward the Spirit Hall members and barked coldly:
"You, chrysanthemum, and you, little ghost—step in and help. Otherwise, don't blame me for dealing with you two first!"
At once, a vast wave of soul power erupted from him, soaring to the heavens as nine dazzling soul rings rose up.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red!
The ninth soul ring shone with a crystalline crimson light—the supreme dream of all soul masters, a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Ghost Douluo's heart sank. He felt an instinctive fear when facing Tang Hao.
Immediately, he sent a sharp sound transmission to the feigning-dead Chrysanthemum Douluo: "Chrysanthemum Guan, stop playing dead! Otherwise, we'll both be buried here!"
From within the pit, Chrysanthemum Douluo's backside twitched, then he mustered strength in his legs and pulled himself out.
Lan Minghua raised a brow. "Oh? I didn't expect this little chrysanthemum of yours to still be alive."
That Chrysanthemum Guan was surprisingly resilient. Though Lan Minghua had only slapped him casually, the force was equivalent to a blow from a level 99 Titled Douluo.
He looked so fragile and effeminate, but who would've thought he was such a punching bag.
When Ghost Douluo saw his partner return, he immediately asked, "Chrysanthemum Guan, should we agree to join them?"
Chrysanthemum Douluo certainly didn't want to. The fear Lan Minghua inspired in him far exceeded that of Tang Hao.
Just as he hesitated, Xue Qinghe gave him a subtle hand signal.
It was a gesture only Spirit Hall elders could understand.
That signal! Could she be…
Chrysanthemum Douluo's pupils shrank as a realization struck him.
Though he wasn't privy to every secret of Spirit Hall, he knew a few things.
He knew that fellow elders Serpent Spear Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo had routine duties outside the sect.
Their mission was protection.
And who would warrant the protection of two Titled Douluo?
In Chrysanthemum Douluo's mind, there was only one answer: the daughter of Pope Bibi Dong, the granddaughter of the Grand Priest Qian Daoliu—
Qian Renxue!
He had just never imagined that Qian Renxue had actually replaced the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.
If not for her use of Spirit Hall's exclusive hand signals, he never would have uncovered Xue Qinghe's true identity.
Qian Renxue's message was clear: agree to cooperate.
Chrysanthemum Douluo's heart grew heavy, but he turned to Tang Hao and the others and said solemnly, "Fine. We can help you. But do not mistake this for bowing to your tyranny. Lan Minghua is also an enemy of our Spirit Hall!"
"Chrysanthemum Guan, you—!" Ghost Douluo was stunned. He had expected Chrysanthemum Douluo to refuse so they could use their Martial Soul Fusion Technique to escape.
Never had he imagined his partner would agree to an alliance.
Seeing his confusion, Chrysanthemum Douluo explained, "Don't worry, old ghost. This order comes from the higher-ups. In this battle, victory will ultimately be ours."
Ghost Douluo knew Chrysanthemum Douluo's character well. Hearing this, he stopped questioning and nodded heavily.
Tang Hao was clearly displeased by Chrysanthemum Douluo's reply, but for now, he could only suppress his anger.
In his heart, however, he had already marked them as prey.
Hmph. If not for your usefulness right now, today would have been your last. But after we finish Lan Minghua, it'll be your turn!
Then Tang Hao turned back to Lan Minghua and shouted, "Well? Do you still have the advantage in numbers?"
Gu Rong, Tang Xiao, Chen Xin, and Yu Yuanzhen all tacitly aligned themselves behind Tang Hao.
The next instant, their soul power surged as they simultaneously released their martial souls and soul rings.
Not to be outdone, Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo also unleashed theirs.
In that moment, fifty-four soul rings burst forth, their radiance completely eclipsing the glow of the Night-Luminescent Pearls.
Witnessing this, the disciples of the Upper Three Sects erupted into cheers.
But Oscar and the others felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Huo Jin sneered at the sight. "To dare provoke both the Upper Three Sects and Spirit Hall at once—he's truly courting death. I'm lucky I didn't let Wu'er and Wushuang take him as their master, or they'd be doomed along with him."
His words were aimed at Feng Qingyuan and Shui Ningshuang, his tone filled with smug foresight.
Yet Feng Qingyuan and Shui Ningshuang did not waver, even knowing Lan Minghua now faced both the Upper Three Sects and Spirit Hall.
"Perhaps, Huo Jin. But if Senior Lan Minghua loses, do you think the three of you will walk out of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect alive?"
Feng Qingyuan's words were no idle threat. If the Upper Three Sects dared to act so brazenly, they clearly had no intention of letting any outsiders leave alive.
At that, Huo Jin's gloating expression vanished, and his face turned ashen.
Lan Minghua, meanwhile, paid no mind to such petty squabbles. With a mocking gaze, he eyed the seven opposite him.
"So these are your trump cards? If this is all you have, you're still not qualified to make me act."
He raised a hand, cutting off Tang Hao's impending retort, and snapped his fingers.
The five figures who had been hovering silently in midair finally began to move.
One after another, soul rings rose from beneath their feet. Even against the oppressive presence of seven Titled Douluo, they showed no sign of weakness.
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black, Black, Black, Red!
Five scarlet soul rings spread across the sky above the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, releasing an invisible, crushing pressure.
The disciples of the Upper Three Sects, who had been cheering just moments before, now felt as if an invisible hand had closed tightly around their throats.
Even Qian Renxue herself was shaken to her core.
"Those five Titled Douluo… their ninth soul rings are all hundred-thousand-year rings?!"
(End of Chapter)