Chapter 97: The Curtain Falls
"It seems the lesson wasn't harsh enough for you; you even dared to target someone from my Body Sect." Du Busi's eyes were filled with cold intent. Xuan Zi's attempt to attack Du Qianjue had crossed his red line. Regardless of whether he could succeed or what the outcome of the battle with Du Qianjue would be, Du Busi would not let him off the hook.
The battle continued.
It must be said, although Xuan Zi's words seemed a bit boastful, Du Qianjue really couldn't maintain this state for too long. No matter how powerful his Yin-Yang Complementary Twin Soul Cores were, he was, after all, only a seventy-seven level Soul Sage. That he could fight on par with Xuan Zi, a ninety-eight level Super Douluo, using various powers, was indeed enough to make him the envy of many.
"Boom—"
Another clash sent both flying hundreds of meters back, hovering in the air face to face.
Du Qianjue's body slightly hunched, breathing heavily. His body was covered in bloodstains wherever the soul bone armor didn't protect, and even the protected torso had taken a significant hit. Blood dripped from both dragon claws.
Xuan Zi wasn't faring much better. His clothes were tattered by Du Qianjue's dragon claws, his flesh torn open, bloody and blurred. The divine-grade Ice-Fire Dragon King's claws' divine ice-fire element penetration was not something Xuan Zi could withstand.
Thus, despite Xuan Zi having a higher cultivation, he didn't gain much from the fight. Looking back at Xuan Zi's track record in the original story, Du Qianjue felt like laughing.
Battling a Soul King from the evil Soul Masters and letting him escape. Battling the ninety-eight level Du Busi and being completely suppressed. Jointly fighting the Limit-Level Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao with Du Busi was understandable—no blame there. Fighting against Kong Deming after breaking through and being toyed with until he couldn't tell north from south. His only significant victory was against a ninety-two level Soul Douluo from the Star Luo Empire, which really wasn't much to boast about.
Thinking this way, Du Qianjue felt a bit sick of the fight, suddenly losing his will to battle.
"Let's decide the outcome with the next strike. I need to go back to sleep; I don't have time to play house with you." Du Qianjue pulled a face, his soul power suddenly erupting.
"That suits me," Xuan Zi growled, his expression fierce, his eyes full of rage.
Fighting Du Qianjue was incredibly frustrating. This kid had one ability after another, seemingly endless soul techniques despite only being a Soul Sage, even more than him—a fully soul-boned Titled Douluo.
Absolutely absurd!
Moreover, Du Qianjue seemed to pull soul powers out of thin air—bursting with explosive fire properties one moment, elusive wind properties the next, then robust earth properties, followed by violent thunder properties...
And each of these properties was exceptionally strong, each capable of delivering effective damage.
Xuan Zi was genuinely at his wit's end. He regretted provoking this spiny little hedgehog. He couldn't bite through; it was utterly indigestible.
As this continued, not only would he fail to get the Dragon Pill, but Du Busi might also arrive any second and then smack him right across the face.
Frustrating.
Luckily, Du Qianjue didn't want to drag it out either, and neither did Xuan Zi. In terms of raw power, he was sure he could match Du Qianjue.
You might outmaneuver me, but you can't match my cultivation level!
Just one move. Xuan Zi was confident that with one strike, he could make Du Qianjue rue the day.
The blood-red ninth soul ring lit up again, and he released two compatible hundred-thousand-year soul techniques simultaneously. The massive forces of heaven and earth gathered in Xuan Zi's chest, pulled by his soul core, accumulating in his hands.
The earth-yellow light surged violently, his aura escalating frighteningly.
Seeing that Xuan Zi was about to go all out, Du Qianjue's expression also turned serious.
Raising his right hand, strands of elemental power began to emerge. The first to appear was an invisible force of space, forming a small space vortex on Du Qianjue's palm, followed by fine deep purple lightning, wisps of invisible clear wind, and trails of deep red fire...
Aside from time power, which he had no clue how to use, Du Qianjue incorporated every elemental power into the space vortex.
The vortex slowly merged into Du Qianjue's palm, coloring his entire right hand in shimmering, colorful light.
Compared to Xuan Zi's flashy ultimate move, Du Qianjue's technique seemed almost 'simple.' But its power was absolutely no less significant!
This was Du Qianjue's Imperial Fist, Second Style: Heaven Shaker! More demanding in elemental control than Shatter, if it weren't for the battle with Xuan Zi enhancing Du Qianjue's control over elements and balancing his elemental soul core, he couldn't have executed this technique.
"Ninth Soul Technique, Endless Devouring!" Xuan Zi roared, his right fist manifesting a spectral Gluttonous Beast that solidified lastly.
"Boom—"
The earth-yellow Gluttonous Beast shadow, upon Xuan Zi's punch, suddenly transformed into a ray of light, lunging at Du Qianjue as if to swallow him into its all-digesting stomach.
Du Qianjue smirked, a hint of derision in his eyes. "Think you can swallow me? I'm afraid your appetite isn't up to it!"
With a mad laugh, his four wings flapped violently, dragging a rainbow-like trace behind him, as he punched at the Gluttonous Beast's head.
Xuan Zi was taken aback, his expression turning to annoyance. "You really think you can confront my ninth soul technique head-on? Don't you know—"
"Crack—"
"What?!" Xuan Zi's eyes widened in shock. Before he could finish his sentence, the Gluttonous Beast formed by his ninth soul technique cracked all over, then shattered into a sky full of stars in mid-air.
"You old Bide, take this punch!" Du Qianjue laughed wildly, swinging his fist.
The once vivid color of the Imperial Fist: Heaven Shaker was now much dimmed in Xuan Zi's horrified eyes, closing in and finally striking right on his nose...
"Spurt—"
Xuan Zi was sent flying back, blood spraying in the air. "I'll have your life, I'll have your life!!!" Xuan Zi went mad, the excruciating pain from his broken nose sending him into a rage.
Lost in madness, completely berserk!!! But it was useless...
In a place Xuan Zi couldn't see, a figure in a black tiger skin coat suddenly appeared behind him, arms crossed, looking at him coldly.
Du Qianjue paused slightly, the mad expression on his face due to the battle lust turning somewhat bizarre.
"Oh? Whose death are you wishing for?"
A chilling, icy voice quietly rose from behind Xuan Zi.