Su Ming turned to Ning Rongrong and Ye Lingling, saying, "Stay alert, everyone. If you're in danger, use the spirit tools I gave you. As long as your spirit power holds, you'll be safe for a short time."
The group nodded solemnly, fully aware of the tension.
Meanwhile, Tang Hao, still held in place by the fusion skill, made a quick decision. "Patriarch Yu, it's time to step in! Just buy me some time!"
Yu Yuanzhen, chuckling, emerged from a nearby carriage. "Tang Hao, trapped at last, huh? Well, allow me to lend a hand." His arrival made Snake Lance and the others wary; Yu Yuanzhen, with his formidable rank-96 strength, far exceeded theirs.
The Flower and Ghost Douluos, witnessing the scene, clenched their jaws. Their mission had failed the moment Yu Yuanzhen arrived. Any attack on Tang Hao would now be countered by Yu Yuanzhen.
As Tang Hao realized his options were dwindling, he sacrificed four more spirit rings, raising his power to an astonishing peak at the risk of severe injury. "Explode!" With eight shattered rings, his aura surged to an impressive level near rank-96.
Seeing this, the Flower Douluo grimly asked Ghost Douluo, "Old Ghost, we're running low on spirit power, and now there's Yu Yuanzhen to worry about. What do we do?"
But in that moment, they noticed their energy expenditure slowing down—someone was aiding them. Recognizing Su Ming's spirit power recovery skill, Ghost Douluo felt a familiar surge, marveling at the ability.
At Su Ming's silent assistance, the three Spirit Hall members quickly formulated a last-ditch plan. Snake Lance and Porcupinefish nodded to each other, prepared to execute their strongest combination attack.
With a roar, Yu Yuanzhen activated his spirit, Dragon Transformation, intending to unleash his full power to protect Tang Hao and potentially target Su Ming.
But the chaos suddenly escalated as Tang San, noticing the opportunity, turned to Titan, who was caught off guard. Swiftly, Tang San activated his Yan Wang posts, each strike aimed at Titan, ensuring they landed with precision.
In a smooth, merciless motion, he ensnared Titan with Blue Silver Grass, using his Crane Capture technique to hurl him directly in front of Tang Hao to intercept the incoming attacks.
"Senior Titan, with your unmatched defenses, please shield my father from this blow," Tang San said, his voice emotionless.
This cold decision, witnessed by Su Ming and Dugu Bo, prompted Su Ming to mutter in disbelief. "Well, that confirms it. Tang San really is ruthless… Tsk tsk tsk."
Just like that, Titan perished in the flames of Ling Yuan's ninth spirit skill. Su Ming couldn't help but sigh, "Titan, the loyal follower, gained nothing and ended up dying at the hands of Tang San and Spirit Hall."
Su Ming wondered how Tang San's teammates would view him now. "Ah Yin, did you see that?" Su Ming said to Ah Yin in his mental space. "This is the true nature of Tang San—and likely influenced by Tang Hao's ruthless advice. Just look; Tang Hao didn't even flinch."
Ah Yin shook her head silently, unable to defend them anymore. She realized that her wish to meet Tang Hao again was merely to say goodbye to her past self.
In the air, Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo saw everything, marveling at Tang San's brutal tactics. "Like father, like son," they thought. And the showdown continued as Yu Yuanzhen clashed with Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo, narrowly edging them out.
Seeing Ling Yuan's failed strike, Snake Lance and Porcupinefish Douluo retreated, and Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo canceled their fusion technique, using Ghost Douluo's remaining strength to slip into the shadows.
With Spirit Hall's forces disappearing from the battlefield, the place fell into a sudden, eerie silence, as if the entire ambush had been a mirage. Meanwhile, Thunder Academy's students looked on, disturbed by Tang San's cold actions but too intimidated by Tang Hao's presence to question anything.
As the skirmish concluded, Tang Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. He'd narrowly escaped disaster, mainly due to his delayed explosive technique, which had left him vulnerable.
At this moment, Xue Qinghe (Qian Renxue) stepped forward, realizing the mission had failed. As the Crown Prince of Heaven Dou Empire, she had to restore order. "Now that the matter is settled, let's continue to Spirit City," she said warmly.
"Not so fast! Who said it's over?" The voice belonged to none other than Yu Yuanzhen.
Qian Renxue frowned. "Lord Yu, what business do you still have?"
Yu Yuanzhen smirked. "Your Highness, of course, you may go. However, I'd like Su Ming, the Heaven Dou Academy team leader, to accompany me for a chat. Care to join me, Su Ming?"
As he spoke, Yu Yuanzhen clapped his hands, and over a dozen black-clad individuals appeared, each activating their spirit avatars, surrounding the convoy mid-air. All were strong, Spirit Sage-level members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Qian Renxue's voice rose with anger, "Yu Yuanzhen! Are you challenging the authority of the Heaven Dou Empire?"
Unbothered, Yu Yuanzhen replied, "Your Highness, don't make this a bigger deal than it is. Su Ming is a commoner who joined mid-year. He has no connection to the royal family." He continued, "There's something on him that interests me. If he hands it over, I'll let him go unharmed."
Before Qian Renxue could respond, Su Ming spoke up. "Lord Yu, you're here for me; this doesn't concern my team or the other academies. Can they leave safely? After all, they need to compete in the finals. If the tournament is delayed because of you, Spirit Hall may end up looking for you at your clan's doorstep."
Yu Yuanzhen's mouth twitched. With Spirit Hall's strength on full display, they were not to be trifled with. "Fine," he agreed, "I only want you. The rest may leave."
Yu Yuanzhen then sent a telepathic message to Tang Hao. "Take the healing spirit master and go with the Thunder Academy convoy. I'll handle Su Ming."
Tang Hao, worn down from the battle, was grateful and agreed. He'd originally intended Su Ming to serve as a stepping stone for Tang San, but it seemed things wouldn't turn out as he'd planned.
Once the Thunder Academy group returned to their carriage, thoughts diverged. Yu Tianxin was curious, wondering what could make Su Ming so valuable to the clan head. Meanwhile, Yu Tianheng felt smug, thinking they might finally obtain Su Ming's cultivation techniques.
Su Ming turned to Qian Renxue, whispering, "Sister Qian Renxue, take everyone ahead. Otherwise, our battle might harm innocents. We'll catch up soon—don't worry."
Qian Renxue nodded. "Let's go," she commanded, leading the convoy away.
The only ones who stayed behind were Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Ye Lingling, and Dugu Yan. Su Ming also asked the Dragon Serpent couple to accompany the convoy for added protection.
As both parties waited, suddenly Yu Yuanzhen stiffened, sensing an approaching presence. Soon, Yu Luomian arrived with Liu Erlong and his supporters, standing protectively in front of Su Ming.
"It's our first time meeting in person, Su Ming. We received the message and assembled as quickly as we could," Yu Luomian said with a reassuring smile.
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