Chapter 197: Xue Ye Wants to Buy Immortal Herbs, Qian Xunji's Grand Scheme
"You may release your spirits now."
Seeing that the tension between both sides had reached a boiling point, the referee's voice rang out again. In an instant, the center arena once more lit up.
Brilliant soul ring lights flooded the arena. In terms of numbers, the two teams were perfectly matched. Tianshui Academy had two Soul Kings, two Soul Ancestors, and three Soul Elders. The Heaven Dou Royal Academy Second Team had one Soul King, three Soul Ancestors, and three Soul Elders.
Overall, they were evenly ranked. But there was still a clear gap—the terrifying three purple and two black rings on Qian Renxue.
As the referee stepped back, Tianshui instantly reformed into their familiar formation, a sharp arrowhead: Qian Renxue and Xue Wu formed the horizontal line of the arrowhead, with Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, Yu Hairou, Shen Liuyun, and Qiu Ruoshui forming the corners of the triangle.
The Heaven Dou Second Team's formation, however, looked odd. Gu Chen stood at the very front, while the other six stood in a straight line just five meters from the arena's edge.
This strange formation caused puzzled expressions among both the audience and Tianshui's team.
But in the VIP seats, although some didn't understand it, no one questioned it.
Following Qian Xunji's instructions, Salas focused his attention on the six Shrek members in the lineup. Seeing the dazzling nine-colored light and the beautiful crystal-like tower in Ning Rongrong's hand, he exclaimed, "Wait—is that a nine-story tower? Could it be the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda!?"
"Bishop Salas has sharp eyes. Yes, that is indeed the Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda. Rongrong was able to break the ancestral curse that plagued the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan thanks to a certain immortal herb that His Holiness the Pope traded to us."
An offhand remark for one, but with clear intent for another.
Ning Fengzhi was deliberately speaking so that Emperor Xue Ye would hear him—hoping he'd try to obtain an immortal herb from Qian Xunji.
The royal swan spirit had persisted through generations, proof of its high grade, but its only flaw was its lack of attack power. It was more decorative than practical. If it could evolve to have combat potential like the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, Xue Ye would undoubtedly want such an herb.
Ning Fengzhi thought he was playing chess on the second level, but Qian Xunji was already on the fifth. He had deliberately arranged for Salas to call out Ning Rongrong's spirit, prompting Ning Fengzhi to mention the immortal herb, thus planting the idea in Xue Ye's mind.
Qian Xunji's goal was simple: strengthen the Heaven Dou royal family like the Star Luo Empire. Then, Spirit Hall would step back at the right time, allowing the two empires to go to war—the bloodier, the better. Neither would unify the continent. Even after a thousand years, the Star Luo Empire failed to conquer even half of Heaven Dou. Unification was a dream.
Heaven Dou's imperial power was weak, with too many powerful nobles holding land and influence, able to raise armies quickly. This fragmented the realm. In reality, the emperor's authority barely extended beyond Heaven Dou City. Though it looked glorious on the surface, it was riddled with problems.
Only if the weak royal family gave birth to a powerful expert like a Soul Douluo would they be able to centralize power, purge corrupt nobles, seize their wealth for the state, and bolster military funding. The more ferociously the two empires clashed, the more opportunities would arise for evil forces to grow. That would be the moment the Angel Clan harvested faith. And don't forget the Sea God's Haotian Mirror.
Spirit Hall no longer cared to maintain peace—it was within their rights to let chaos reign.
As Qian Xunji expected, Xue Ye's eyes showed signs of contemplation. Though a moderate ruler, he hadn't thought as far ahead.
Right now, he was pondering his second son, Xue Hailuo, who had awakened with full innate spirit power—a cultivation genius with potential to become a Title Douluo.
If he could obtain an immortal herb and evolve his martial spirit into something with real combat power—just like the Nine Treasure Pagoda—then marry extensively and produce heirs, the Heaven Dou royal family wouldn't remain so weak. He wouldn't need to fear Soul Douluo protectors or the Star Luo royalty anymore.
Meanwhile, back in the central arena—
"Begin!"
With the referee's order, both teams sprang into action.
Gu Chen and Oscar's third soul rings lit up instantly.
"Third soul skill: Bone Prison."
"Third soul skill: Fantasy Mushroom Sausage."
Gu Chen raised his palm. His face paled visibly as half the arena was consumed by a surge of black light. Jagged, bone-white spikes rose from the ground like fangs—three meters high, transforming the arena into a thorny forest.
The bones were dense and tough. Soul Masters could still move through them, but agility-type fighters would be severely restricted.
All six Shrek members took Oscar's flying sausage and lifted into the air. Oscar's first ring flashed repeatedly as he tossed recovery sausages to Gu Chen.
This was the Second Team's tailored strategy. The Bone Prison was designed to suppress Qian Renxue's overpowering control from the Blue Silver Emperor.
It was also set up for Xiao Wu. Her close-combat prowess was extreme—if she got close, even Shui Bing'er could be in danger. Only Qian Renxue could counter her.
Against this sudden strike, all of Tianshui except for the battle-hardened Qian Renxue and the flying-capable Shui Bing'er froze for a second.
"White Tiger Light Wave!"
"Phoenix Fire Line!"
"Nine Treasures: First, Power!"
Golden energy and blazing flames shot from Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun toward the Tianshui members still trapped in the Bone Prison. With the Nine Treasure Pagoda's perfect boost, the power of this attack was increased by fifty percent.
"Excellent!"
Bone Douluo clenched his fist. It was a flawless tactic. As long as the Bone Prison remained, Qian Renxue couldn't unleash his full control—and that bizarre technique of his couldn't activate.
"Not happening."
Just as Shui Bing'er was about to activate her second ring to defend her team, Qian Renxue shouted. At the same moment, he activated the Blue Silver Domain.
"Bing'er, attack!"
Shui Bing'er hesitated for just a second, then switched from second to third soul ring.
Seeing Gu Chen expend so much power on Bone Prison, Qian Renxue realized it was a targeted strategy. He no longer held back—Blue Silver Domain activated, along with Six-Wish Control.
Vines rose from the ground, empowered by the domain, forming walls to block the second skills of Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
Simultaneously, more vines wrapped around the waists of his five teammates, delicately tossing them out of the Bone Prison toward safety. Xue Wu was flung all the way to the rear edge of the platform.
Even with the Blue Silver Domain boost, the vines could only hold off the twin attacks for two seconds. But Qian Renxue used that first second to evacuate his teammates. In the next second, he stepped into Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track and glided through the Bone Prison as if it were level ground.
He emerged with a grin, locking eyes with Gu Chen. Behind him, twin explosions from the White Tiger Light Wave and Phoenix Fire Line lit up the white bone forest.
"What!?"
Gu Chen's pupils contracted. Bone Douluo's expression mirrored his shock.
Ning Fengzhi wanted to curse his late uncle Ning Zhiping—"Control with focus, you idiot!"
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