Douluo 2: This Dragon God has too much martial virtue

Chapter 620 Desperate Situation
At this moment, the border of the former Douling Empire has completely become a battlefield meat grinder.

The so-called "Restoration Army," led by Xue Lingxun and Xu Sanshi, had been completely routed by the onslaught of two far superior "loyalist" rebels. The city walls had collapsed in sections, and the remaining defenders, clinging to the streets and alleys, put up a desperate resistance, but defeat was inevitable.

The disparity in strength was overwhelming. The two rebel armies boasted a combined five Titled Douluo and over twenty Soul Douluo-level warriors. Xue Lingxun, on the other hand, was only a Soul Emperor. The highest-ranking Soul Master in the army was only a Soul Douluo, and their numbers were few and far between. Their highest-ranking combatant was a Level 83 Defense-type Soul Douluo, now bloodied, his aura weakened, his soul power nearly depleted. He could only rely on instinct to barely hold on. Defeat was only a matter of time.

To make matters worse, the army's morale had already been weakened.

Many who had originally followed the so-called "prince" and "princess" were simply seeking profit, attempting to gamble on the royal turmoil, seeking the credit of following the emperor in exchange for future wealth and glory. But now, seeing the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, their own forces facing crushing defeat and a powerful enemy at the gates, these people immediately revealed their true colors as fence-sitters.

People kept turning against their own side in the middle of the battle. They shouted slogans such as "set things right" and "abandon darkness and join the light", turned against their former comrades, only hoping to gain a chance of survival and possible rewards in front of their new masters.

This betrayal, more chilling than the enemy's sword, hastened the collapse of the remnant army. The city walls crumbled from within, leaving the remaining loyal soldiers fighting on their own, vulnerable to attack from both sides.

Xu Sanshi's situation was even more precarious. He had indeed managed to complete the second spirit evolution ritual with the help of women he had gathered from the city, further completing his half-evolved Black Tortoise Shield and significantly strengthening his aura. However, with just over ten days, he had no time to acquire new spirit rings, and the war had long since wiped out any suitable spirit beasts in the surrounding area. He now possessed near-Soul Sage-level spirit power and an evolved spirit, but lacked the corresponding spirit skills. Facing the overwhelming spirit power and domain of the enemy Titled Douluo, he could barely protect himself, let alone turn the tide of battle.

Even if he has the strength to challenge opponents of higher levels with his evolved martial soul, can a quasi-Soul Sage who doesn't even have a soul ring really go head-to-head with a Titled Douluo in good condition?

"Mother, be careful!" Xu Sanshi waved the shining but slightly empty black tortoise shield to block a fierce soul power attack. A trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, and he shouted to the pale Xue Lingxun beside him.

Xue Lingxun's luxurious palace dress was covered in dust and blood. She looked at the enemy troops surging like a tide and the soldiers falling around her, her eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.

In the blink of an eye, light flashed from Xu Sanshi's body, and the Xuanming Replacement was activated, instantly switching positions with Xue Lingxun.

"Om-!"

The basalt shield suddenly expanded, and a thick black light condensed in front of him.

"Ding—!" A sharp, piercing ringing sound rang out, followed by a condensed, almost tangible, dark purple light that struck the center of the Xuanwu Shield. The terrifying sharpness was not completely blocked; instead, it scattered like a living venomous snake, some of which even forcefully penetrated the shield's defenses and surged upwards along the meridians of Xu Sanshi's shield-wielding arm.

"Ugh!" Xu Sanshi groaned, a tearing pain shooting through his entire right arm. His meridians felt like they were being sliced ​​by countless tiny blades, and even the Xuanwu Shield's light dimmed for a moment. He was horrified. With the evolved Xuanwu Shield's defensive power, it couldn't even completely neutralize a single attack?!
Moreover, he could clearly feel that the opponent's extremely condensed and sharp soul power had completely penetrated the defense of the Black Tortoise Shield. A cold and sharp breath was like a thorn in the bone, drilling into the meridians of his shield-holding arm and destroying it crazily, causing his entire right arm to feel a tearing pain in an instant. The circulation of soul power suddenly stagnated, and he had already suffered serious internal injuries.

The dark purple light collided violently with the thick khaki shield light, and an unparalleled sharp aura exploded, cutting the surrounding ground into ravines.

A ghostly black shadow also appeared.

He was a thin man, shrouded in tight black clothing, revealing only a pair of cold, ruthless eyes. In his hand, he held a short knife, no more than a foot and a half long, an ominous dark purple. A faint light shone on the blade, like a venomous snake spitting out its tongue, emitting a chilling chill that could freeze the soul.

The attack missed, but the black shadow didn't hesitate at all. His body swayed slightly as if he had no bones, and he avoided the frontal defense range of the basalt shield in an unreasonable manner. He appeared in the blind spot of Xu Sanshi's flank as if teleporting, and the dark purple dagger in his hand stabbed out silently again, so fast that it only left a distorted afterimage in the air.

Although Xu Sanshi had managed to fend off the first attack at the critical moment, relying on his own combat instincts and the Xuanwu Shield's superior defense, he was now filled with a wave of shock. This was completely different from the agility-type spirit masters he had encountered at Shrek Academy and in the Spirit Master Competition. Their supposed "speed" often seemed clumsy and ridiculous compared to his mysterious spatial ability of Xuanming Displacement. Their attacks, landing on the impenetrable Xuanwu Shield, were like scraping, unable to even force him to retreat a single step, completely failing to break his defense.

But the assassin before him was so fast that he surpassed the limits of his Xuanming displacement reaction. His elusive movements, defying conventional displacement logic, were unheard of. Even more terrifying was the sharp edge concentrated on the dark purple dagger, which could actually penetrate the defense of the Xuanwu Shield and directly damage his meridians.

This was a completely qualitative difference, an absolute crushing of realms. His defense, which he was so proud of, seemed so fragile in front of a true Titled Douluo assassin.

In this life-or-death situation, Xu Sanshi's reaction was incredibly fast. A faint golden glow instantly erupted from his body, spreading outward like a wave. As it spread, the golden light deepened and solidified, transforming into a viscous, dark golden liquid in the blink of an eye. It enveloped the surrounding area, making the air heavy and stagnant.

The sixth soul skill, the domain of Xuanwu!
This was one of Xu Sanshi's evolved martial spirit abilities. Within the Xuanwu Domain, all enemy speed and attacks would be severely suppressed and disrupted. The domain itself also possessed significant defensive and mental interference effects. Now, he attempted to use the power of this domain to forcibly restrain the terrifying assassin's ghostly movements.

However, the shadowy Titled Douluo, trapped within this viscous dark golden realm, visibly slowed his movements, but it was far from achieving the effect Xu Sanshi had anticipated. The dark purple dagger in his hand glowed even brighter, as if it could sever the restraints of the realm. Still carrying a deadly cold gleam, he resolutely slashed towards Xu Sanshi's neck.

(End of this chapter)