Douluo Continent: The Twin Sons of the Styx River, Shaking the World and Destroying the Heavens

Chapter 160 Both sides are engaged in a deadly battle.

Zhongli Wu clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, the raging anger in his chest almost overwhelming his reason. Anyone whose stronghold had been raided would find it hard to swallow such an insult, let alone him, the leader of the Holy Spirit Sect. How could he tolerate such humiliation?
However, the Sun Moon Empire was at its zenith, and the Holy Spirit Cult was not in a position to confront it directly for the time being, so it could only lie low and wait for an opportunity.

The Shrek exchange students' return journey presented an excellent opportunity for revenge—having left the Sun Moon Empire's territory, these students were like stray lambs. With careful planning, they could make Shrek Academy pay a heavy price for their past actions.

The atmosphere inside the Sea God Pavilion at Shrek Academy was heavy. Qian Duoduo, the vice dean of the Soul Guidance Department, stood beside Mu En, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, his brows furrowed in a tight knot, and he paced back and forth on the ground with hurried steps. The "pat-pat" of his footsteps resonated with his erratic heartbeat in the empty pavilion.

He was filled with endless worry. The Shrek Academy exchange students sent out this time were all geniuses carefully selected by the academy, especially the Inner Academy's Soul Guidance Department, which reluctantly sent eight elites—it should be noted that under the dominant position of the Martial Soul Department in Shrek Academy, it was extremely difficult for the Soul Guidance Department to cultivate such talents.

These students had been immersed in cutting-edge soul tool concepts at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy for months. Qian Duoduo eagerly anticipated their return, hoping they would ignite a prairie fire, injecting new vitality into the Soul Tool Department and completely reversing its long-standing weakness. But now, their return date was uncertain, and he worried about unforeseen circumstances along the way. Thinking of this, he clenched his sleeves tightly, his nails almost digging into his palms.

Mu En's eyelids trembled slightly, and his golden pupils, filled with a deep gaze, slowly opened, landing on Qian Duoduo's tense face. His aged, hoarse voice echoed in the tranquil Sea God Pavilion: "Duoduo, I understand your worry about the exchange students' safety. But don't be anxious. With Shao Zhe, Lin'er, and Yun Zhi accompanying you, there's nothing to worry about. Even if they encounter a Limit Douluo, they can protect the students. Relax."

Xuanzi, clad in a long black robe and his face concealed by a black iron mask, stood alone atop the mountain. He gazed up at the clear blue sky, his knuckles unconsciously rubbing the soul-guiding device at his waist, his inner turmoil surging like a tidal wave. This mountain peak guarded the vital passage for the Sun and Moon Exchanging Students' return journey; days ago, he had laid a trap here. Now, every gust of mountain wind brushing past his ears seemed to urge his prey into the trap, and he, like a lurking tiger, awaited the perfect moment to deliver the fatal blow.

He brought not only himself, but also some Soul Douluo powerhouses, and even went to the black market to invite some Title Douluo powerhouses.

Unfortunately, the SSS-level assassin organization is running low on manpower, as many members were lost in the previous assassination attempt on Xia Die, leaving few Title Douluos to be dispatched.

Xuanzi's fingertips caressed the soul-guiding artifact at his waist, a cold smile curving his lips beneath the mask. To be honest, he wasn't afraid of the impending confrontation—the divine artifacts bestowed by Elder Mu were enough to temporarily restrain demigod-level powerhouses like Ni Ye. The divine realm above level ninety-nine was like an insurmountable chasm; the battles between pseudo-gods, demigods, and quasi-gods transcended the mortal realm. However, he possessed five such artifacts; unless a true god descended, none could escape.

Xuanzi glanced at the distant mountain path and pondered to himself: Jing Hongchen, as a level nine soul master, must be surrounded by top-tier defensive soul tools, and might even possess a trump card like an invincible shield. This level ninety-eight expert's strength far surpasses that of other soul masters of the same level. If he rashly targets him, and gets caught up in a prolonged battle, he will be forced to retreat once the Sun and Moon reinforcements arrive.

In comparison, the Sun and Moon Exchange Students who have not yet matured are easier prey to catch – the more powerful the soul tool, the more soul power it needs to be driven by, and these students obviously cannot unleash the true power of the soul tool.

Thinking of this, Xuanzi's body shone with golden light. The moment his martial soul possessed him, his size increased several times over, and his boundless soul power surged like a raging tide, his breath carrying a burning killing intent. The seemingly ordinary black robe on his body stretched out, yet remained tightly clung to his body—this level eight concealment soul tool was the pinnacle of Shrek Academy's soul tool department, not only perfectly concealing his figure but also suppressing his aura without any flaws.

A black dot suddenly appeared on the horizon. Xuanzi's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze locked onto the target like that of a hawk. As the black dot gradually expanded, the outline of the team led by Jing Hongchen became clearly visible.

He shouted, his voice echoing through the mountains and forests: "Everyone, take cover and prepare to strike!" Subtle fluctuations of soul power immediately rippled through the forest, and the lurking hunters held their breath, waiting for the moment to deliver the fatal blow.

"Stop for a moment." Ni Ye descended from the clouds with immense pressure, his figure standing like an insurmountable mountain in front of Jing Hongchen and the others.

Jing Hongchen's pupils contracted slightly, and he subconsciously gripped the soul tool at his waist, a look of confusion on his face: "Elder Ni, why is that? Could it be that you have sensed something unusual about the surroundings?"

Ni Ye narrowed his eyes slightly, a chilling glint in them, a disdainful smile playing on his lips. "Xuanzi, it's time to stop your hiding tricks. You think you can teach me such clumsy concealment techniques? In the entire Sun Moon Empire, no one can match my skill in stealth." He crossed his arms, his tone filled with contempt and intimidation. Before he finished speaking, Ni Ye suddenly swung his wide sleeve, unleashing a cyan sword aura gleaming with an eerie light that tore through the air like a world-cleaving blade, whistling out with overwhelming force. Wherever the sword aura passed, space seemed to be cleaved, emitting a piercing shriek.

Sensing this devastating power, Xuanzi's expression changed drastically. Knowing he could no longer conceal himself, he had no choice but to reveal himself. The azure sword energy slammed heavily into the valley, instantly unleashing a deafening roar. The entire valley trembled, and half a mountain collapsed under the impact of the sword energy. Huge boulders were blasted into fragments, and dust billowed into the sky like dark clouds. Countless fragments of rock shot into the sky in the shockwave of the explosion, only to fall like meteors—a truly magnificent sight. The once tranquil valley had now been transformed into a devastated battlefield.

Ni Ye's gaze sharpened as he surveyed the dense crowd before him, his expression grim. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "I didn't expect you to go to such lengths—a level 99 Limit Douluo, three level 97 Peak Douluos, five level 95 Super Douluos, plus ten ordinary Title Douluos. This is an attempt to wipe us out in one fell swoop! But it's no use."

He abruptly turned to Hongchen beside him, his voice firm and urgent: "Hongchen, this place is dangerous. Escort the children away immediately! Ensure their safety!" He then gripped his sword tightly, his aura surging, and roared, "The rest of you, follow me! Kill! Leave them all here today!" As his words fell, a chilling aura filled the air, and a breathtaking battle was about to erupt.

Seeing that his identity had been exposed, Xuanzi stopped pretending, threw off his black robe and said, "Niye, since that's the case, I'll tell you the truth: everyone you brought today will die. However, if you hand over Xiadie and Xiao Hongchen Meng Hongchen, you can live in peace. Otherwise, you won't be able to leave this valley today."

Xuanzi sneered, abruptly tearing off his black robe to reveal a tight-fitting outfit with flowing dark patterns underneath. His soul power erupted, whipping up a gust of wind that sent pebbles flying into the air: "Ni Ye, there's no need to hide anything now!" A ruthless glint flashed in his crimson eyes. "Everyone you brought today will stay here!"

He slowly raised his hand, pointing to two figures in the distant crowd, his voice as cold as a knife: "As long as you obediently hand over Xia Die, and those two little brats Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, I can show you mercy and let you live. Otherwise..." Xuanzi's aura surged, and a huge phantom of his martial spirit faintly appeared behind him, "This valley will be your burial ground!" The mountain wind howled past, carrying an intense killing intent, making the air seem to freeze.

But Xia Die is not here, and neither will Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen hand her over.

A chilling black aura suddenly surged around Jing Hongchen, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, veins throbbing at his temples: "Xuanzi! You're tired of living!" Before his words even finished, a burst of azure light erupted from his palm, and the level-nine soul tool "Red Dust Annihilation" materialized. This heavy cannon, covered in mysterious patterns, hummed and trembled, its muzzle instantly condensing into a blazing white ball of destructive energy, distorting and deforming space under the pressure of the energy.

"boom--!"

Amidst a deafening explosion, a beam of light several meters in diameter tore through the sky, carrying enough power to annihilate everything as it hurtled towards Xuanzi. Wherever it passed, the air was scorched black by the intense heat, the ground cracked inch by inch, and the shockwaves crushed the surrounding rocks into dust.

Xuanzi's expression changed drastically. He hastily erected a soul power barrier, but under this earth-shattering attack, his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

Meanwhile, Yan Shaozhe's returning team was encountering strange phenomena. Bei Bei suddenly looked up, her pupils contracting sharply—the churning dark clouds in the sky resembled a giant, suspended fortress, the layers of dark clouds pressing down extremely low, the heavy oppressive feeling almost tangible, truly living up to the saying, "Dark clouds press down on the city, threatening to crush it."

“This weather…” Beibei’s throat tightened, his expression so grave it was almost palpable. “It doesn’t seem like an ordinary downpour is about to begin; something big is probably going to happen.” His intuition was always sharp, but at this moment his heart was pounding uncontrollably, as if it were warning of some terrible crisis.

Not long after, Beibei suddenly froze. He stared intently at the dark clouds overhead, cold sweat slowly trickling down his back—the movement of these clouds was exactly the same as their flight path! No matter which way the group turned, that pitch-black cloud could always expand and cover them at an eerie speed, like an invisible behemoth opening its jaws, ready to devour them at any moment.

"Shao Zhe! Stop!" Song Yunzhi suddenly slammed on the brakes, her soul power fluctuating violently. Her face was pale as she pointed to the sky. "These dark clouds are strange! They follow us wherever we go. They are definitely not a natural phenomenon!" The team immediately went into a state of alert. The phantoms of everyone's martial souls appeared and disappeared, and the air was filled with a tense and suffocating atmosphere.

(End of this chapter)