As the powerhouses of all factions and the highest souls of Spirit City sped like shooting stars for a hundred miles across the vast wilderness, the figures of two god- and demon-like beings were already facing each other high in the sky.
Chu Shanhe stood in midair, the ground beneath his feet cracked and scorched. His upper body was muscular, his bronze skin gleaming like metal under the sun, his entire body steaming like wolf smoke, exuding a wild and untamed aura.
Qian Daoliu floated opposite him, clad in simple white, his long golden hair fluttering in the wind. Behind him towered the phantom of the seraphim, its divine radiance merging with the sky, emanating a holy majesty so overwhelming that people felt compelled to kneel and worship.
Gazing at the boiling Chu Shanhe from afar, Qian Daoliu's golden eyes, accustomed to the vicissitudes of the world, flickered with a trance-like light. When was the last time he had fought so freely, without reservation? Was it beneath Mount Clear Sky, wielding the Clear Sky Hammer alongside the vibrant Tang Chen? Or was it a more distant, dust-covered fragment deep in memory? The years had passed; he could not recall the exact time, only the joy of matching wits and strength, which now seemed not so long ago.
Chu Shanhe cared nothing for such emotions. He felt his entire body cheering, laughing wildly, his voice shaking the four fields like a battle drum.
"Your Excellency, please!"
Before his words fell, the aura around him surged like a sleeping volcano! Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red—nine soul rings rose one after another beneath his feet, as the soul core of qi and blood in his dantian spun at high speed.
"Step into the mountains and rivers!"
Chu Shanhe roared, the ground beneath his feet sinking as his entire body turned into a dark golden streamer, tearing through the air to punch at Qian Daoliu's face. Where his fist passed, the air was pushed aside in visible white shockwaves.
"Good!"
Qian Daoliu's eyes flashed gold. He neither dodged nor retreated but shouted in return. Beneath his feet, eight deep black soul rings and a brilliant hundred-thousand-year soul ring suddenly blossomed. The seraphim phantom behind him instantly solidified, shining brightly and dyeing half the sky a golden hue.
The angel holy sword in his hand trembled slightly, its tip vibrating as it struck out to meet Chu Shanhe's overwhelming punch.
"BANG——!"
Fist met sword, flesh met holy steel; two entirely different ultimate forces clashed without embellishment. Instantly, an indescribable roar erupted, golden and black shockwaves spreading in spheres. The ground within hundreds of meters was gouged out as if by an invisible giant plow, soil rolling, rocks shattered. Some spectators, even with their bodies protected by soul power, felt their qi and blood surge, their ears ringing in shock.
At the center, the two figures trembled slightly. In the next moment, before anyone could catch their breath, even denser and fiercer clashes exploded one after another!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BANG——!"
Each flicker was accompanied by thunderous booms. The two figures moved so fast that they surpassed the visual limits of most soul masters. All that could be seen were two blurred lights and shadows clashing, separating, and clashing again!
In just a dozen breaths, they collided fiercely dozens of times. Finally, with a particularly dull boom, their figures appeared clearly again, drifting backward.
Qian Daoliu's feet rippled with golden waves as he retreated five steps, each step stepping out of a ring of golden ripples in the air. Though his power was nearly exhausted, and his white clothes followed behind, his face remained calm, gripping the angel holy sword, his knuckles turning white.
Chu Shanhe, meanwhile, "pedaled" the air seven times in a row, the space beneath his feet exploding. He shook his right fist, feeling it tingle slightly, the skin faintly cracked and oozing blood. With solemn eyes, he looked at Qian Daoliu.
"Impressive! As expected of an Ultimate Douluo of the ninety-ninth rank, your control and quality of power are far beyond imagination! If not for the support of my soul core, I fear I'd have suffered great losses just now!"
Qian Daoliu's soul power, harmonized by the Angel God's might for nearly a century, was already unimaginably refined. As an attack, it seemed understated but possessed the dual attributes of purification and annihilation, a strong restraint against soul masters relying purely on body and qi and blood. If not for the soul core's superior recovery and condensation, he would not have only retreated seven steps under the current onslaught.
Qian Daoliu looked at Chu Shanhe indifferently, his voice calm yet carrying the dignity of a superior.
"At the pinnacle of the ninety-eighth rank, your body is so refined and your soul power so solid. Sect Master Chu, your strength is already at the top among the world's titled Douluo, more than enough to stand out among the crowd.
"But… this alone isn't enough to challenge this old man. If you have a trump card, bring it out. Show me how far you've come."
Hearing this, Chu Shanhe did not grow angry but laughed thunderously.
"Ha! Good! Let's enjoy ourselves! With everyone here, of course I'll have to make a full return."
"Your Excellency, feast your eyes!"
"Buzz——!"
His qi and blood boiled, the bronze glow of his skin suddenly turning dazzling gold. The golden barrier awakened for the third time, transforming into the ultimate sublimation form of the Body Martial soul. In that instant, Chu Shanhe seemed to transform into an ancient god poured from gold, faint golden light leaking from the pores around his body, muscles brimming with explosive beauty and power, even his hair tinged gold.
His aura soared, instantly breaking through the ninety-eighth rank, now able to contend with Qian Daoliu's divine and vast aura.
Seeing this, Qian Daoliu's eyes finally turned grave. The silver-level second awakening shown by Ghost Douluo had already shocked him, but now, witnessing Chu Shanhe's third golden awakening, the leap in life level and essence of power far exceeded his expectations. This was not just a boost in muscle strength, but rather… some kind of evolution!
"Your Excellency, please!"
Chu Shanhe laughed without restraint, the golden qi and blood around him surging like flames.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial soul True Body!"
Chu Shanhe's body swelled again, the gold beneath his skin deepening, faint mysterious lines emerging.
"Blood Art: Blood Transforms Yin and Yang!"
"Palm Art: Stacked Waves!"
"Boxing Skill: Strike the Sky!"
"Finger Skill: Break the Moon!"
"Leg Art: Crack the Earth!"
…
Each move was forged by Chu Shanhe's lifetime of battles, merged into his instinctive combat sense, surging forth like a storm—battle techniques from the "The Innate Secret Method." Chen Yi had used these techniques in the competition, but displayed by Chu Shanhe, their power and destructiveness were a hundredfold greater, each blow calling forth the power of heaven and earth, carrying the terrifying force to shatter mountains!
Suddenly, faced with this frenzied offensive on a whole new level, Qian Daoliu's calm expression finally changed!
"Seventh Soul Skill, Angel True Body!"
The seraphim phantom behind him instantly merged with his body, transforming him into a ten-foot-tall seraph, radiating light, a sacred aura enveloping heaven and earth.
"Eighth Soul Skill, Angel Sword!"
The angel's holy sword in his hand erupted with light, transforming into a massive lightsaber dozens of meters long, burning with golden holy flames as if forged from the sun's core. Runes flowed across the blade, radiating terrifying fluctuations, purifying and dominating everything!
"Cut!"
Qian Daoliu let out a low shout. The giant sun holy sword boldly slashed at the golden fist shadows, palm prints, and finger winds, its force shaking the earth and sky.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!"
Denser, more terrifying collisions rang out, echoing through the wilderness like the sky collapsing. Golden qi and blood clashed fiercely with divine flames, erasing each other. The turbulent explosion of energy tore through the clouds in the sky. The ground below, centered on their battle, continued to collapse within a kilometer radius, massive cracks crisscrossing, countless rocks crushed, grass and trees long since reduced to ash.
Scorched and battered by the heat and shockwaves, the powerhouses fighting ten miles away had to retreat repeatedly, resisting with soul power, but even then, their breathing was labored and their skin burned with pain.
Chen Yi stood beside the Grand Elder, his eyes fixed on the two figures in the air waging a war of gods and demons, his heart shaken. The Grand Elder stood with his hands behind his back, his spiritual power like an invisible web, carefully sensing every fluctuation and trace on the battlefield, speaking quietly to Chen Yi.
"As expected of Qian Daoliu, the ninety-ninth rank invincible Douluo—his power is truly astonishing.
"His use of the Angel God's divine power and understanding of the laws have reached the realm of transformation. If not for his limitations, I'd worry he's not far from Douluo Legend's hundredth rank."
His tone mixed with both admiration and regret.
On the highest mountain peak in the distance, a gorgeous and slender figure quietly appeared—it was Pope Bibi Dong. The purple-gold robes of the Pope fluttered in the night wind, her beautiful face expressionless, only the deep purple eyes staring intently at the fierce battlefield, a cold and calculating glint flickering deep within.
"Fight… Fight… If only I could have both at once…"
Among the crowd watching below, Qian Renxue was disguised as Xue Qinghe, her jade-like hand clenched in her sleeve, knuckles white. Her bright golden eyes were filled with worry, though she had absolute faith in her grandfather's strength. Yet when Chu Shanhe exploded with the terrifying power of his third golden awakening, her heart jumped.
…
This shocking battle raged from day into night. Neither could remember how many rounds they fought; the wasteland within a kilometer radius looked as if bombarded by meteor showers, filled with deep pits, cracks, and traces of congealed lava everywhere.
Finally, after a last, earth-shattering clash, the two figures separated abruptly, each landing on relatively unscathed high ground, facing each other from afar and gasping for breath.
At this moment, Chu Shanhe's upper garment had long been reduced to ashes in the battle, his bare bronze body covered in crisscrossing wounds. The deepest three on his chest, abdomen, and scapula nearly pierced through to the bone. Golden blood slowly oozed out, but under strong vitality, the wounds squirmed and healed slowly.
His breathing was heavy, his soul power flickering weakly, clearly much consumed, yet his eyes still shone brilliantly, filled with joy and satisfaction like burning gold.
Qian Daoliu in the distance was also not in good shape. His usually spotless white robes were now damaged in several places, stained with dust and blood, his long golden hair disheveled. The once sacred and majestic face showed a trace of fatigue. A streak of golden blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Though his external wounds appeared lighter than Chu Shanhe's, he knew his internal organs had taken a severe shock from Chu Shanhe's overwhelming power. His sword hand trembled slightly.
Staring at the distant, still-unbowed Chu Shanhe, Qian Daoliu slowly began to speak.
"Body Martial soul, golden-level third awakening… As expected, you are a peerless existence, worthy of the title.
"Sect Master Chu, you are truly unmatched."
Yet the edge of Qian Daoliu's gaze unconsciously swept past Chu Shanhe towards Chen Yi, watching from afar. Thirteen years old, level 58, soul rings beyond the limit, suspected heir to divinity… The talent and potential of this child were simply astonishing. In the future, he would surely be the greatest obstacle to Xue'er's inheritance of the god position.
Remembering this, Qian Daoliu's gaze on Chu Shanhe suddenly reignited with killing intent, boiling up once more.
…
Bonus chapter at 100 PS