"Qin Xiao, how are you feeling? Surprised, aren't you?"
Yu Yuanzhen looked at Qin Xiao, laughing loudly as he said, "Actually, I owe my success today to you. Without you, I would never have reached my current level of cultivation. Without you, Yu Yuanzhen would never have reached the true peak in this lifetime."
"Qin Xiao, rest assured, to express my gratitude, I will make sure to crush you to dust. But before that, I will let you watch as those close to you die, one by one. I want you to experience the pain of loss."
Without a doubt, Yu Yuanzhen held an immense grudge against Qin Xiao.
In his heart, if he had killed Qin Xiao outright, that would have been too easy for Qin Xiao.
"You think you can face the Holy Radiant Dragon with your level 96 cultivation?"
Qin Xiao didn't say much, just coldly retorted.
"Indeed!"
Yu Yuanzhen nodded heavily and said gravely, "Isn't that enough?"
To this, Qin Xiao's reply was definite, "Of course it isn't."
As his voice fell, soul power surged around him.
Although Yu Yuanzhen did not see what Qin Xiao's Martial Soul was, he saw nine soul rings emerge beneath Qin Xiao's feet.
The first soul ring was red.
Then followed purple, black, purple, black, black, black, black—eight soul rings in tight succession.
"What an unusual combination of soul rings."
This was the first time Yu Yuanzhen had seen Qin Xiao fully demonstrate his cultivation.
Especially that eye-catching hundred-thousand-year soul ring, it was particularly conspicuous.
Unfortunately.
Yu Yuanzhen had ultimately arrived too late, otherwise, after seeing the scene of the Xingluo Empire's total defeat, he might have had second thoughts about attacking Qin Xiao.
"Thunder Emperor Armor!"
Qin Xiao chanted inwardly as the ninth soul ring glowed with a dark light.
As deep as a starless night sky.
Bang!
A purple bolt of lightning tore through the void and struck Qin Xiao precisely.
Then, under Yu Yuanzhen's watchful eyes, the electric light coalesced without scattering, astonishingly transforming into a set of purple armor on Qin Xiao's body.
At the same time, Qin Xiao's aura rose again.
In an instant, it matched his own.
No.
"He's become even stronger than me!"
Yu Yuanzhen felt a chill in his heart, not expecting such a transformation to occur on Qin Xiao.
"If your Martial Soul were still the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Martial Soul, this battle would have been as predictable as the last. But, now you are not, and within the thunder, there is the power of light..."
Qin Xiao paused, then continued, "However, even with that, the outcome will still not change."
At these words, Yu Yuanzhen's pupils shrank sharply.
He heard a tone of disdain in Qin Xiao's words.
But he also knew it was the truth.
If not for the transformation to light attributes, his cultivation wouldn't dare seek revenge against Qin Xiao, not even at level 99, let alone level 96. The immunity to lightning was simply the bane of the Blue Electric Overlord Dragon Clan.
Suddenly, Yu Yuanzhen let out a cold laugh, "Qin Xiao, if you think I have shown all my battle power now, you are gravely mistaken."
"The outcome will only be known after the battle!"
As Yu Yuanzhen's voice fell, he suddenly transformed into a golden beam of light, rushing towards Qin Xiao.
Far away, Liu Erlong and Poison Douluo had already seen the two begin their combat, only to hear the belated sound of breaking air afterward.
"What incredible speed, both their speeds have broken the sound barrier!"
Du Gu Bo couldn't help but exclaim. That lad Qin Xiao's true combat power was indeed formidable.
No wonder Tang Hao would run away as soon as he heard Qin Xiao's name, as if a mouse had seen a cat.
Even if Tang Hao saw Qin Xiao's face now, wouldn't it be difficult to run away?
Boom boom boom.
The battle raged on, countless powerful forces unleashed, shaking the earth and mountains.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiao and Yu Yuanzhen had turned into purple and gold lightning, moving so fast that it was disorienting.
"Your Highness, who do you think has a greater chance of winning?"
At this moment, Liu Erlong couldn't help but ask Poison Douluo, her voice not hiding her worry.
"You want to know if Qin Xiao will be in any danger, don't you?"
Du Gu Bo saw through Liu Erlong's thoughts, "Don't worry, a good person won't die young, and a scourge lasts for a thousand years. Qin Xiao, such a big scourge, I'm confident he can live for ten thousand years."
Liu Erlong frowned upon hearing this, feeling that Du Gu Bo's words were unreliable.
Seeing this, Du Gu Bo just shrugged his shoulders and said no more.
Of course, he wasn't disparaging Qin Xiao on purpose.
He could see that even though Yu Yuanzhen was holding his own against Qin Xiao, he was still a bit short.
And sure enough.
As if to confirm Du Gu Bo's statement, Qin Xiao and Yu Yuanzhen slammed into each other, followed by Yu Yuanzhen falling from the sky like a meteor.
Boom!
The ground trembled again, followed by a cloud of dust and debris.
"We won!"
Liu Erlong's eyes lit up, her eyebrows filled with joy.
Looking at Du Gu Bo, who glanced at the panting Qin Xiao in mid-air, he shook his head slightly.
He noticed that Qin Xiao's gaze had never left the direction where Yu Yuanzhen fell.
As if he could see the figure in the dust.
"It's hard to say, the battle needs more time to conclude, and Yu Yuanzhen may still have some unknown cards up his sleeve."
Without realizing it, Du Gu Bo's voice was filled with solemnity.
Liu Erlong subconsciously glanced at Du Gu Bo, seeing his serious face without a single sign of jest.
Subconsciously, she clasped her hands together, looking towards Qin Xiao and praying silently, "Please, let there be no trouble."
```
...
"Hahaha, Qin Xiao, oh Qin Xiao, you truly didn't let me down..."
"No, more precisely, you gave me too great of a surprise."
Suddenly, Yu Yuanzhen's laughter rang out.
Woo woo woo...
A fierce wind abruptly picked up in the arena, scattering the dust and smoke, revealing Yu Yuanzhen's figure once more to everyone's eyes.
Compared with his earlier composure, he could now be described as disheveled.
His silver hair was in disarray, his clothing torn, and his chest was stained with patches of blood.
It was clear to see that in the recent battle with Qin Xiao, he hadn't gained any advantage.
In fact, compared with the disheveled Yu Yuanzhen, Qin Xiao's advantage was too great.
On the other hand, after hearing Yu Yuanzhen's words, Qin Xiao's face showed no hint of triumph, "If that's all you have, you're going to die here today."
Qin Xiao had made up his mind.
This time, he was determined to crush Yu Yuanzhen into ashes and didn't believe that the ashes could reignite.
"True Dragon Nine Crowns!"
Yu Yuanzhen silently chanted in his heart.
Shooo shooo shooo.
Beams of snowy white light, coming from nowhere, converged above his head.
"What is that?"
From afar, Liu Erlong was shocked by the spectacle on Yu Yuanzhen's body.
More importantly, she felt a tremor deep within her soul.
It seemed like fear...
At this moment, even though Yu Yuanzhen's cultivation level had not increased, to Liu Erlong, he felt even more powerful.
"Is that a... crown?"
"What is this thing, a soul bone? It doesn't quite look like it..."
Beside her, Du Gu Bo also furrowed his brow.
He pondered hard but couldn't figure out what this fancy trinket really was.
"Well, it seems this old fellow is about to become even stronger."
"The root of all problems seems to be this crown."
Qin Xiao also realized where the problem lay and muttered to himself.
At that moment,
significant changes occurred on Yu Yuanzhen's body.
Breathtaking light exploded from his arms and legs, a blinding golden brilliance that made it difficult for onlookers to keep their eyes open.
"Ugh, aaah!"
Yu Yuanzhen roared fiercely.
Under Qin Xiao's gaze, Yu Yuanzhen's hands and feet underwent tremendous changes.
Scales grew wildly, and his nails turned like scimitars.
He looked like a monster.
"And that's not all!"
Qin Xiao also saw the seventh, eighth, and ninth Soul Rings on Yu Yuanzhen's body gradually deepen in color.
This signified that the age of his Soul Rings was increasing!
"Black with a faint glimmer of red."
"This is the sign of evolving into a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring."
Far away, Du Gu Bo's face revealed a look of utter astonishment.
"Could it be, his Soul Rings can really evolve into hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings?" Liu Erlong's eyes were filled with disbelief.
Her heart was in her throat.
The significance of a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring to a Soul Master goes without saying.
A Soul Master with a hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring and one without are worlds apart in terms of combat power.
Qin Xiao currently had only one hundred-thousand-year Soul Ring, but if Yu Yuanzhen had three, towards which direction would the scales of battle tip?
"Such a heaven-defying treasure..."
Qin Xiao's gaze flickered, wondering if it was really possible to turn Yu Yuanzhen's three Soul Rings into hundred-thousand-year Soul Rings?
He was still somewhat skeptical.
And at that moment, the transformation of Yu Yuanzhen's body came to a halt.
"It's a pity, only ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine years, unable to break through the hundred-thousand-year threshold," Yu Yuanzhen shook his head and sighed.
Honestly, he too thought he could elevate the age of the Soul Rings to hundred thousand years.
"However, even if I didn't break through, reaching level 97 has given me a great deal of Soul Power. And the might of my soul skills has increased significantly compared to before," Yu Yuanzhen reflected and temporarily abandoned any other extraordinary plans.
Because, activating the Power of the Fifth Crown and above would cause irreversible damage to his body.
Gaining tremendous power always came with a steep price.
Even Yu Yuanzhen was unwilling to bare such a burden.
```
"What a pity, if only your cultivation level could rise, and your soul ring could break through to a hundred-thousand-year level, you might be able to threaten me, but now you stand no chance."
From his superior position, Qin Xiao looked down at Yu Yuanzhen and said indifferently.
Yu Yuanzhen looked up, his eyes suddenly revealing a shocked expression.
Behind Qin Xiao, unbeknownst to anyone, a finger formed of Thunderous Force had appeared.
Gulp!
Feeling the destructive power it contained, Yu Yuanzhen swallowed hard.
"Hahaha, Qin Xiao, this kid, is still as tricky as ever."
"While Yu Yuanzhen was gathering his soul skill, he wasn't idle either. He was also accumulating power, and he released a soul skill."
"Now, it's hard to say who the deer will fall to."
From afar, Du Gu Bo witnessed this scene and laughed heartily.
Hearing what Du Gu Bo said, Liu Erlong breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good, good, good!"
"You forced my hand!"
Yu Yuanzhen's eyes instantly turned blood-red, filled with madness.
"Go!"
Qin Xiao couldn't care less about what madness Yu Yuanzhen was spouting; what he intended to do was use the Lei Emperor's Finger to grind Yu Yuanzhen to death.
If it weren't for the fact that he too had been accumulating power, he would never have bothered to watch Yu Yuanzhen transform.
"Boom."
The Lei Emperor's Finger arrived in an instant, and as Qin Xiao faintly heard Yu Yuanzhen shout something like, "The Power of the Fifth Crown..." he could no longer see Yu Yuanzhen's figure.
The glaring lightning that even Du Gu Bo found heart-stopping covered the area in front of Yu Yuanzhen.
"This should at least flay his skin if it doesn't kill him, right?"
Watching this, Du Gu Bo's heart pounded with fear.
He asked himself, under such a ferocious attack, there was no chance he could persist.
But, in the next moment, a streak of gold light suddenly surged into the sky from within the lightning, tearing it apart and shooting straight into the clouds.
"This old coot is even stronger than I had thought."
Seeing this, Qin Xiao's brows furrowed tightly.
At the same time, his gaze followed the golden light to its source.
Roar!
There, Yu Yuanzhen had transformed into a golden dragon ten meters in length, spiraling in the sky.
Not only that, Qin Xiao also noticed that Yu Yuanzhen's fifth soul ring and sixth soul ring had turned black.
His aura was on the verge of breaking through to level 97.
"Not only has his strength increased, but there is also a breath of death within his aura that wasn't there before, which means..."
Qin Xiao's gaze flashed, as he thought of something.
He said aloud, "Yu Yuanzhen, if I'm not mistaken, the method you used to enhance your strength must have greatly consumed your body, right? What for? You resurrected unbeknownst to gods or ghosts, why not choose a place to live out your days instead of coming here to die? Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Live out his days?
Qin Xiao wouldn't have made matters worse if he hadn't said that, but hearing it only infuriated Yu Yuanzhen even more.
Mader.
The people who could have looked after me in my old age, you killed or crippled. And now you have the nerve to tell me to live out my days?
Who the hell is left to look after me?
"Qin Xiao, even if it costs me my life today, I will destroy you!"
Yu Yuanzhen's voice was full of hatred, and he bellowed, "Power of the Sixth Crown, activate!"
With his shout, Qin Xiao clearly saw his massive body shrink by a tenth and seemed even more emaciated.
But his aura became even more powerful.
First, it was the third soul ring and the fourth soul ring that began to change.
In the span of a breath, they too became pitch black.
"These have also become ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine-year soul rings?"
Qin Xiao was surprised; this secret technique was truly powerful!
"Still not enough!"
"Power of the Seventh Crown, activate!"
Yu Yuanzhen roared again, and the first soul ring and second soul ring also began to change.
They too turned pitch black, their age reaching ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine years!
"Crack!"
As Yu Yuanzhen's body shrank again, a crisp sound echoed throughout the arena.
And then a powerful aura swept out in all directions.
Without a doubt, his cultivation level had finally reached level 97!
"Qin Xiao!"
"Now, can I not kill you?"
Yu Yuanzhen's voice thundered out.
Qin Xiao was silent.
The atmosphere seemed to freeze.
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