"Zhongli Wu, today this old man will teach you what it means to respect the elderly and cherish the young!"
"Take this strike from me!"
As the sensation of space fracturing grew stronger and spread wider, Kong Deming's figure finally emerged in the distance.
However, strapped to his back was a dark red, ninth-level soul-guided ray gun, its hundreds of core formations operating frantically. Several white milk bottles were attached to the gun's body, fueling its immense power.
"Whoosh!"
A thick beam of blood-red light tore through the sky, streaking toward Zhongli Wu.
"Hehehe, now that's more like it. Hiding all the time is no fun."
Zhongli Wu, gripping his staff, suddenly tapped the air beneath him. A dense, blood-black mist spread outward, and countless wailing spirits surged forward, forming a massive shield in front of him.
It wasn't that Zhongli Wu didn't want to dodge—he simply couldn't. He had already been locked onto by Kong Deming, whose mastery of spatial manipulation was clearly far superior to his own.
"Screeeech!"
The blood-colored beam clashed violently with the shield of vengeful spirits, producing a deafening hum.
Even Jiang Jue, more than forty miles away, could feel the air tremble from the impact.
"Kong Lao, you're a sly one!"
"Boom!"
Just as Zhongli Wu finished speaking, a silver-white fixed-installed soul-guided missile suddenly burst forth from the ground below, heading straight for him.
This was precisely the trap Kong Deming had set up in the brief moment earlier.
"Come forth! Bone Dragon King!"
Before his words even faded, a chilling wind surged.
Originally, only a dragon's head had been floating behind Zhongli Wu, but now, a massive black vortex appeared.
A colossal, pitch-black skeletal dragon began to emerge. First, a massive claw reached out. Soon, its immense frame became visible—an enormous dragon entirely composed of bones.
The Bone Dragon King's fully extended body was nearly a hundred meters long, and when it spread its skeletal wings, they stretched several hundred meters wide.
As it appeared, the entire sky became filled with nightmarish illusions—mountains of corpses and seas of blood, all composed of soul beasts. Countless beastly wails echoed in the air, as if the lingering spirits of those soul beasts were screaming in agony.
"Boom!"
A towering mushroom cloud erupted as flames filled the sky, leaving behind a vast vacuum at the blast zone.
Waves of energy rippled outward as searing heat rushed through the battlefield.
Sensing the danger, Jiang Jue had already turned and fled, activating his Red Dust Sanctuary to shield himself.
This was a ninth-level fixed-installed soul-guided missile—most Titled Douluo would perish instantly if they took a direct hit.
Even with Red Dust Sanctuary fully activated, Jiang Jue was still pushed back slightly by the shockwave. Fortunately, he remained unharmed.
That was the absolute limit of the missile's blast radius.
"Haha... cough, the so-called heroes of this world are nothing more than fish in a vast river."
As the rising smoke gradually dissipated, Zhongli Wu's figure reappeared.
The massive form of the Bone Dragon King had shielded him, but several of its bones were now shattered, and a significant portion of the vengeful spirits swirling around it had vanished—obliterated by the sheer force of the explosion.
Zhongli Wu's gaze darkened with killing intent. The Bone Dragon King was his lifebound beast spirit, a core part of his power. Its damage enraged him to no end.
"Now, it's my turn!"
His voice was cold and menacing. With each word, the sky darkened further, and the Bone Dragon King's aura intensified.
The glow of Zhongli Wu's soul rings flickered ominously within the dark light, making it impossible to tell whether he had activated a soul skill or not.
Taking his place atop the Bone Dragon King's head, Zhongli Wu swung his staff. The dragon let out a deep roar and raised its head high before spewing forth a massive azure energy sphere toward Kong Deming.
Then, Zhongli Wu pointed his staff at the orb, and his soul rings pulsed rhythmically, sending streaks of light into the energy ball. Its color instantly deepened, growing even more ominous.
Most of Zhongli Wu's soul skills were augmentation-based, designed to maximize the power of his beast spirit.
Seeing the approaching orb, Kong Deming felt an instinctive sense of dread.
His soul-guided ray gun charged frantically, unleashing a relentless barrage of blood-red beams toward the incoming attack.
But soon, his expression turned grim—his attacks were being torn apart.
"Damn it!"
Kong Deming cursed. He hadn't expected Zhongli Wu to be so ruthless—this attack was clearly meant to take his life.
Then again, who had fired a ninth-level missile at Zhongli Wu first?
At his current level, Kong Deming had yet to fully integrate the Silver Moon Divine Light Shield with his martial soul, leaving him slightly weaker—especially against an evil soul master like Zhongli Wu.
"Old man, die!"
Zhongli Wu's voice dripped with malice.
The Bone Dragon King was his greatest stroke of fortune, the key to his rise to Rank 98.
He had discovered the dragon in an ancient ruin, where its soul had not yet dissipated.
Though not a top-tier dragon species, and not even of pure lineage, the Bone Dragon King had been blessed by a trace of Silver Dragon essence, granting it near-extreme dual attributes—Wind and Fire.
After years of cultivation, it had broken past its original limits, reaching an entirely new level.
The azure orb it had just released was formed from highly condensed wind elements, while Zhongli Wu had infused it with near-extreme fire elements.
This was one of his trump cards.
As the orb closed in, Kong Deming's expression hardened. His Silver Moon Divine Light Shield reappeared.
"Spatial Shift!"
His Silver Moon martial soul fully dissolved into pure light, infusing the shield. The barrier expanded infinitely, covering a hundred-meter radius.
A powerful surge of spatial energy erupted, making the air feel thick and sluggish, as though filled with liquid silver. Time seemed to slow within this domain.
As soon as the azure sphere entered, it was like a snail plunging into the sea—its movement drastically decelerated.
Yet, Kong Deming's face remained dark. He was only Rank 94, far inferior to Zhongli Wu in raw soul power. His reserves were burning at an alarming rate.
"Hehehe, we're just getting started!"
"Detonate!"
The moment Zhongli Wu's command rang out, the azure sphere exploded into flames. Wind and fire intertwined, unleashing catastrophic destruction.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens as the blast engulfed the battlefield, causing even space itself to rupture slightly.
Only after several seconds did the elemental storm gradually subside.
Kong Deming stood at the epicenter, hands clasped behind his back, his face unnaturally flushed.
"Oh? You didn't die?"
Zhongli Wu raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Pfft!"
Originally trying to maintain a composed demeanor, Kong Deming immediately spat out a mouthful of blood at Zhongli Wu's remark.
The explosion had nearly obliterated him. His Silver Moon Divine Light Shield had barely managed to delay it, but the residual force had still battered his defenses to the brink.
His defensive barriers had shattered one after another.
"If one blast won't kill you... let's try another!"
Zhongli Wu sneered as the Bone Dragon King began gathering wind elements once more.
He was truly intent on ending Kong Deming's life. Without this powerful backer, controlling the Sun-Moon Empire would be much easier.
"Wait! Cult Master Zhongli, must we really fight to the death? Why don't we sit down and talk?"
Kong Deming hurriedly interjected. He was truly at his limit. His soul power was in turmoil, over half depleted, and his divine light shield was useless in its current state. He couldn't afford to keep fighting.
Zhongli Wu hesitated, but then—
"Clang!"
Seven ninth-level fixed-installed soul-guided missiles landed in front of Kong Deming in a neat row.
Zhongli Wu's expression froze.
"Aiya, Kong Lao, now that I think about it, perhaps we should have a nice chat."
"After all, I am a man who respects the elderly and cherishes the young. Let's sit down and talk things over. It's settled!"
With that, Zhongli Wu rubbed his nose and gracefully floated downward.
Kong Deming's face darkened.
"Respect the elderly and cherish the young? You were trying to kill me just moments ago!"