Chapter 52: Devil (Part One)
Amid the thunderous cheers, the battle began.
The Battle Dragon Team released their Martial Souls, while the Crow Shadow Puppet leapt off Luo Ling's shoulder, transforming into human form.
"Hongmei, Yingcai, Yue Feng — stall the puppet!"
"Xiao Ling, support me! Chen Hao, Yun Fu, we'll attack the Strange Magician himself!"
As captain of the Battle Dragon Team, Ye Feng issued his battle commands swiftly.
Seven against one — this was a fight with plenty of room to strategize.
Perhaps in a one-on-one, none of them could match the Strange Magician, but Ye Feng had seven on his side!
The Battle Dragon Team split up instantly: three rushed toward the Crow Shadow Puppet, while the other three charged straight at Luo Ling.
"Flame Dragon's Breath!" Ye Feng roared, opening his mouth as a torrent of fire surged toward Luo Ling.
Ye Feng's Martial Soul was the Flame Dragon — a powerful dragon-type soul of pure fire attribute.
Everyone knew that anything related to dragons could never be weak.
Though his Flame Dragon couldn't compare to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon, the difference wasn't vast.
The crimson flames engulfed Luo Ling completely, yet he stood where he was, letting the fire swallow him.
"What's going on? Why didn't the Strange Magician dodge?"
"Don't tell me it's over already?"
…
The audience erupted in commotion.
Even Hu Liena and Ning Rongrong stood up anxiously.
In a corner, Bibi Dong sat in a black robe that concealed her figure, concern flickering in her beautiful eyes.
"Bibi Dong, I didn't expect you to come watch as well," a voice came from beside her.
Bibi Dong glanced at the newcomer. "I'm here to see my disciple. Is that a problem?"
"And you, Grand Worship — why aren't you staying in the Worship Hall? What are you doing here?"
"Luo Ling may be your disciple," Qian Daoliu replied calmly, stroking his beard, "but he's also the Holy Son of Spirit Hall. It's only natural I come to see how he fares."
Bibi Dong snorted coldly and ignored him, turning her eyes back to the arena.
As the flames faded, Luo Ling's figure reappeared.
He stood amidst scorched ruins, completely unharmed. The ground around him bore burn marks — except for the one-meter circle centered on him, untouched as though protected by an unseen barrier.
Ye Feng froze, realizing his Flame Dragon's Breath had done nothing.
The crowd gasped, but Bibi Dong and Qian Daoliu's expressions grew increasingly complex.
In their vision, they could see layers of black, threadlike energy winding tightly around Luo Ling, shielding him like the shell of a dark egg.
"His dark threads can even negate fire attacks?" Qian Daoliu murmured in surprise.
Bibi Dong, equally stunned, studied Luo Ling. Even as his teacher, she hadn't known he possessed such an ability.
The battle raged on.
From above, the Azure Spirit Bird Soul Master dived down from the air, cloaked in violent winds that churned like a tornado toward Luo Ling.
Luo Ling still didn't move. At the instant before the tornado struck, faint ripples of spatial energy flickered around him.
The Azure Spirit Bird Soul Master vanished.
Across the arena, the three Soul Masters fighting the Crow Shadow Puppet suddenly saw it disappear — replaced by that same raging tornado.
The storm smashed through the Sky-Blue Vines of Tang Hongmei and crashed into Yue Feng's chest.
"Yun Fu?!"
"What the hell are you doing?!"
…
Everyone stood dumbfounded. Ye Feng's eyes widened in disbelief.
Only Luo Ling's smile remained serene, his Crow Shadow Puppet still standing beside him.
This was the puppet's fourth soul skill — Displacement Phantom, derived from a 20,000-year Shadow Demon.
It was a spatial displacement technique, allowing instant relocation without distance limitation — though the farther the distance, the more soul power it consumed.
Additionally, it could forcibly lock onto one target, swapping positions between that target and either the puppet or Luo Ling himself.
"I'll be using my full strength now." Luo Ling's deep voice snapped the Battle Dragon Team out of their daze.
"I hope you don't disappoint me." A wicked smile curved his lips, and his crimson eyes glinted ominously.
The next moment — darkness fell.
The Crow Shadow Puppet's domain: the Lightless Abyss.
Darkness swallowed the arena. Ye Feng panicked and immediately summoned flames to illuminate the area, but the fire burned without shedding a single ray of light.
"A domain?!" Qian Daoliu exclaimed from the stands.
Bibi Dong said nothing — she only smiled faintly, her lips curling with pride.
The darkness lasted barely ten seconds before it dispersed.
Luo Ling reappeared.
His form now radiated pure demonic energy — deep shadows coiled around him, the Crow Shadow Puppet having merged into his body.
The entire purpose of activating the Lightless Abyss was to conceal the fusion — preventing anyone from seeing his twin Martial Souls and their special rings.
"Now," his deep voice echoed across the stage, "the real battle begins."
A pitch-black scythe solidified in his hand. A shadowy cloak draped over his back, and his eyes blazed with a crimson, terrifying light.
The Scythe of Shadows. The Garment of Desire. Soul Liberation.
Every enhancement skill flared to life. Luo Ling's strength surged to a terrifying level.
Even a Soul Sage, without their Martial Soul True Body, might find him formidable now.
Ye Feng swallowed hard, staring at him.
"What… what are you? Man or monster?" The oppressive darkness around Luo Ling shook his resolve.
The spectators fell silent.
The Strange Magician had always fought elegantly — motionless, manipulating his puppet to toy with his foes.
But now…
"Strange Magician!"
A single cry broke the silence, igniting the crowd like a spark to gunpowder.
"Strange Magician!"
The arena erupted with madness once more.
Elegance and evil — two extremes, yet somehow perfectly united in one being.
Qian Daoliu and Bibi Dong exchanged a brief look. As Titled Douluo, they saw far more than the ordinary spectator could.
"His soul power… has it reached the Soul Sage level already?"
"Little Ling is still a Soul Sect," Bibi Dong whispered.
…
"C-Captain… should we still fight?" one trembling Soul Master from the Battle Dragon Team asked.
After a long silence, Ye Feng finally gritted his teeth. "Fight! Why not?! He's still just one man!"
Luo Ling stared quietly at them, not attacking yet — simply feeling the immense power coursing through him.
After so many years, it was his first time fighting at full power.
"Seems I underestimated myself." Luo Ling sighed softly.
He hadn't realized just how strong he'd become.
Even if the entire Battle Dragon Team were Soul Kings, they might still lose to him.
"Oh well… maybe next time." He exhaled slowly, letting go of his thoughts.
He couldn't go all out this time — but it was time to end the fight.
(END CHAPTER)
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