With the Netherworld White Tiger and Ma Hongjun launching their simultaneous pincer attack, the others atop the city walls had no time to rescue the Golden Crocodile Douluo. The Netherworld White Tiger, formed from Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, together with Ma Hongjun's assault from the sky, formed a flawless combined aerial-ground assault. It forced the Golden Crocodile Douluo to bear the brunt of both attacks at the same time. Despite the sheer number of Spirit Empire Soul Masters stationed atop Jialing Pass's walls, the Golden Crocodile Douluo's feeling in that moment was one of absolute isolation. It was far from pleasant—it was, in fact, excruciating.
The first thing the Golden Crocodile Douluo hadn't anticipated was the threat Ma Hongjun posed. The second was how quickly the powerhouse team from the Tian Dou Empire had broken through the defenses and reached the top of the walls. The third, naturally, was the terrifying power of the Netherworld White Tiger. In that instant, even facing the Netherworld White Tiger alone would have left him at a disadvantage—let alone with the Phoenix Douluo Ma Hongjun joining in.
Ma Hongjun's attack by itself wasn't nearly enough to cause the Golden Crocodile Douluo serious trouble. But he didn't need to do anything to the Golden Crocodile Douluo directly—all he had to do was cut off every escape route from the air, forcing his opponent to guard against him while going head-to-head with the Netherworld White Tiger. That was more than sufficient.
In this moment of mortal peril, the Golden Crocodile Douluo unleashed the full power of the Spirit Empire's second grand elder—a position he had held as second only to Qian Daoliu for years. Every scale across his body bristled upright, his massive frame shaking violently. Each tremor sent out layers of illusory golden afterimages, preventing Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun from fully locking onto his body. At the same time, his enormous form twisted around abruptly—the crocodile tail swept back to his mouth, and he bit down on his own tail, curling his entire body into a ring. The hardest scales faced outward while the comparatively vulnerable parts were shielded inside. The whole body then began spinning at tremendous speed like an enormous wind-and-fire wheel, soul rings blazing with light, as he launched himself off the city wall directly toward Ma Hongjun in the air. Strike the weak, not the strong—and naturally, that meant targeting the softer one.
Without question, this was the Golden Crocodile Douluo's all-out attack, and at the most critical moment, he had chosen the correct approach. The full-power strike of a level ninety-eight Titled Douluo was nothing short of terrifying. If Ma Hongjun dodged now, then there was no question that with the Golden Crocodile Douluo's strength, he could immediately create some distance. The other Spirit Empire powerhouses would be able to lend support in time, and at the very least, the Golden Crocodile Douluo would no longer have to endure the combined assault of Ma Hongjun and the Netherworld White Tiger—making it extremely difficult to wound him severely. And if Ma Hongjun refused to back down and tried to take the hit head-on, the Golden Crocodile Douluo would use his own formidable strength to force him aside and carve out an escape route. Of course, in that case, he would likely be caught by the Netherworld White Tiger. He was gambling now—gambling that Ma Hongjun wouldn't dare take his full-power attack head-on. As long as the man hesitated even slightly, the Golden Crocodile Douluo would have his chance.
Would Ma Hongjun dodge? He answered that question with his actions, proving to everyone on the battlefield just how formidable the Shrek Seven Devils truly were. Seeing the Golden Crocodile Douluo hurtling toward him, Ma Hongjun cursed inwardly—all nine of his fire phoenix heads erupted simultaneously, but not at the Golden Crocodile Douluo. The flames were directed at his own body. Surging phoenix fire completely engulfed him. At the same time, his phoenix wings folded inward, all nine heads tucked inside, and he curled into a tight ball. Without the slightest hesitation or attempt to evade, he crashed straight into the incoming attack.
BOOM—!
The meteor of fire that was his nine-headed fire phoenix form was blasted high into the sky. Mid-air, Ma Hongjun could no longer maintain the true form of the nine-headed fire phoenix and reverted to his human shape. Blood spewed from his mouth in great spurts—a sign of severe injury. The flames that had wreathed his entire body scattered in every direction, and his face was pale as paper.
But his sacrifice was worth it. At the same time, Ma Hongjun used this very collision to demonstrate the full extent of his current power. The wind-and-fire-wheel form of the Golden Crocodile Douluo was brought to a halt in midair, frozen for a full second, and his entire body was wrapped in searing flames that caused his charging momentum to dissipate instantly. And it was at precisely that moment that the Netherworld White Tiger arrived.
BANG—! A massive tiger paw slammed squarely onto the Golden Crocodile Douluo's body. The Golden Crocodile true form that the Golden Crocodile Douluo had assumed was certainly enormous, but compared to the Netherworld White Tiger, which measured over thirty meters in length, it was a lamb before a wolf. Never underestimate that single paw strike—it carried the amplifying power of the Solid Gold Fly, and Dai Mubai had been building up energy for quite some time. With that blow connecting squarely, the Golden Crocodile Douluo's spinning body was driven to a complete stop. Half of it was embedded in the city wall.
"How dare you hurt my brother! I'll annihilate you!" The Netherworld White Tiger spoke with Dai Mubai's voice, and a colossal white sphere of light erupted forth, slamming ruthlessly into the Golden Crocodile Douluo.
The Golden Crocodile Douluo was now in full defense mode. Ma Hongjun's collision had left him in excruciating pain, and he could only endure Dai Mubai's attack head-on. There was no way to dodge that paw strike. The blow sent stars erupting across his vision, and blood sprayed from his mouth and nose. All he could do was unleash the full force of his level ninety-eight Soul Power, combining it with his soul skills to shield his body.
A sphere of white light detonated atop the Jialing Pass city wall, blasting an enormous gap in the fortifications. Countless shattered scales flew in all directions, and the Golden Crocodile Douluo's muffled groan could be heard even by the Tian Dou Empire army, which was still a considerable distance from the pass.
However, Dai Mubai only had time to deliver that single strike before he had to turn and face the attacks from other Spirit Empire powerhouses. To land those two consecutive hits on the Golden Crocodile Douluo, the Netherworld White Tiger had endured at least ten or more attacks, of which those from Titled Douluo accounted for more than half.
The moment the Netherworld White Tiger had taken shape, Ning Rongrong's amplification had ceased to apply to it—because her Nine Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could not amplify god-level beings. The Solid Gold Fly's power, meanwhile, could only sustain a single strike. Having already delivered one attack and then absorbed so many more, the Netherworld White Tiger was beginning to reach its limits. Its body had started to become translucent. A thirty-meter form could certainly contain tremendous energy, but it was also an extraordinarily conspicuous target.
Poor Golden Crocodile Douluo had already been blasted back into his human form. Ma Hongjun's injuries were grievous and pitiable, but compared to what the golden crocodile had suffered, they were comparatively mild. The second grand elder's current state of wretchedness was likely something he had never experienced in his entire life. His body was embedded into the rock of the city wall. The shattered scales that lay scattered about belonged to his Golden Crocodile true form—essentially his own flesh and blood. His body was torn and bloody in multiple places, and he was coughing up great mouthfuls of blood. His expression was as wretched as it could possibly be, and he could only gasp for air. Remember, the Netherworld White Tiger's single god-level strike had fallen entirely upon him! How could he possibly be in good shape? The Golden Crocodile Douluo was already well past a hundred years of age. Though this attack hadn't stripped him of his ability to fight outright, more than seventy percent of his formidable strength had been sapped away. Recovering would be even harder than Bibi Dong's recovery from her near-fatal injuries back then. After all, time was not on his side.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that, as the battlefield commander, he would be so thoroughly crippled right from the start—and that the enemy had paid only the price of one Titled Douluo being severely wounded. The frustration in his heart surpassed even the pain of his injuries. The blood gushing from his mouth was partly due to this as well. Without question, the Shrek Six Devils' decapitation strike had been an overwhelming success.
What made the Golden Crocodile Douluo's eyes widen even further was that the very person he had seemingly crippled—battered back into human form—had reverted to his Martial Soul true form once again in midair. Moreover, judging by appearance, his strength seemed barely diminished, and he was diving down from the sky once more. How was this possible?
Nothing was impossible. Don't forget—the Shrek Seven Devils had two support-type members. Besides the world's number one auxiliary Soul Master, they also possessed the world's number one Food Type Soul Master. The Crystal Caterpillar Sausage was difficult to make, but each of the Shrek Six Devils carried one on them. Ma Hongjun had been gravely injured, but the Crystal Caterpillar Sausage was astonishingly effective—this particular one had been specially prepared by Oscar after consuming the Solid Gold Fly. It healed injuries in an instant. And Ma Hongjun's Soul Power expenditure hadn't been all that great, so once his injuries were healed, he naturally appeared to be in no serious condition.
That said, the Shrek Six Devils' assault on Jialing Pass was not entirely without setbacks. The Spirit Empire simply had too many powerful Soul Masters. Despite receiving Ning Rongrong's amplification, Oscar lacked a devastating combat ability like the Netherworld White Tiger's and was blasted right off the city wall, suffering some injuries in the process.
Over on Xiao Wu's side, four of her nine clones had been shattered outright. The remaining five successfully reached the top of the walls, transforming into five red figures that each targeted a different Soul Douluo.
Against a Titled Douluo, perhaps a single blow couldn't end the fight. But against Soul Douluo far below her level, Xiao Wu's Martial Soul true form displayed truly terrifying power.
Five bursts of red light erupted simultaneously, surging into the air. Five Instant Kill Eight Stage Falls were completed in rapid succession. Before a level ninety-six Xiao Wu, anyone caught in her Instant Kill Eight Stage Falls would be skinned alive—even Tang San would be hard-pressed to escape unscathed. As for Xiao Wu's main body, she reached the top of the city wall without a shred of doubt. Never forget Xiao Wu's two formidable life-saving techniques: Teleportation and Invincible Golden Body.
A single use of the Invincible Golden Body allowed her, after the Netherworld White Tiger, to be the second to reach the top of Jialing Pass. This was followed by a dizzying chain of Teleports, and four Soul Douluo above level eighty had their necks snapped by Xiao Wu before they could even react. Still using Soft Technique, but Xiao Wu's Soft Technique was now something entirely different. A layer of illusory light radiated around her body, and when she struck, it was this phantom—mirroring her own form—that shot out to effortlessly execute the technique. A Titled Douluo-level Soft Technique.
Xiao Wu's performance immediately drew the attention of the Spirit Empire's powerhouses. The third grand elder flickered forward and lunged toward her. He could not be allowed to establish herself freely—a powerhouse above level ninety-five charging into a group of Soul Douluo was no different from a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
A faint smile appeared on Xiao Wu's face. A single Teleport carried her backward rapidly, and at the same time, a point of red light drifted from her hand, falling behind those high-level Spirit Empire Soul Masters.
"Watch out!" A Spirit Empire Titled Douluo who had witnessed the same thing before screamed the warning at the top of his lungs.
The terror that small red dot had once unleashed was far too staggering. That time, over thirty Soul Saints and above had been instantly annihilated by it!
That's right—the red light Xiao Wu had hurled was none other than the second of the three Buddha's Fury Tang Lotuses forged by the divine craftsman Lou Gao.
But Xiao Wu's actions didn't end there. With one hand she had thrown the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, and with the other, her wrist flipped—an exquisitely crafted cylinder materialized in her grasp. The next instant, a dazzling radiance accompanied by incomparably resplendent colors materialized out of thin air atop the Jialing Pass city wall. Whether it was the Spirit Empire soldiers within the pass or the Tian Dou Empire army charging at full force, everyone witnessed the wondrous sight. A fan-shaped spread of brilliance appeared atop the city wall, as gorgeous as a peacock spreading its feathers.
Only one person failed to appreciate its beauty—the third grand elder, who had been charging toward Xiao Wu. The dazzling, peacock-plume radiance was blanketing him.
After unleashing the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus—the most devastating area-of-attack hidden weapon among Tang Sect's mechanical hidden weapons—Xiao Wu deployed another hidden weapon of equally terrifying power: the Peacock Plume.
The Peacock Plume launched a barrage of all manner of specialized needle-type hidden weapons. When the divine craftsmen Titan and Lou Gao had first seen the blueprints, even these two master craftsmen had been so stunned their jaws had dropped. This was the Peacock Plume's first appearance on the continent of Soul Land, and its power was being unleashed for the first time. The unfortunate third grand elder became its test subject.
A multitude of different sounds erupted almost simultaneously. Even a powerhouse at the third grand elder's level could not dodge the Peacock Plume. Even Xiao Wu, who had launched it, couldn't help but be amazed.
Terror drove the third grand elder to immediately deploy his most powerful defensive technique. However, the Peacock Plume's specialized needle-type hidden weapons were almost all designed to penetrate protective aura. Bone-piercing needles, thunder-fire needles, blade-splitting needles, demon-suppressing needles, armor-piercing needles, overlord needles, nether-yin needles, dragon-severing needles—an array of different needles formed a perfect combination.
Stabbing pain and explosive detonations erupted continuously across the third grand elder's body. Fortunately, his physical toughness had reached the level of a level ninety-six Soul Master. As his defensive soul skills reduced the power of these needle-type hidden weapons, his resilient flesh and skin served as the final shield, working to neutralize as much of the attack as possible. Yet the corrosive poisons, explosions, and other destructive forces still plunged the third grand elder into extreme agony. His entire body was left drenched in blood from the Peacock Plume's assault.
And it was at that very moment that the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus detonated among the crowd.
What is the strongest area-of-attack hidden weapon? It is the one where, even if you know its terror, you have absolutely no possibility of dodging it.
The horrifying explosive force accompanied by piercing shrieks—the golden lotus petals instantly tore through the bodies of over thirty Spirit Empire Soul Douluo. Soul Douluo possessed far greater defensive power than Soul Saints, but raising over thirty Soul Douluo was an endeavor of enormous difficulty. Before the Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus, their bodies were like cloth dolls being ripped to shreds, great plumes of blood blooming outward.
At the same time, an illusory red figure had already appeared behind the third grand elder. A small, delicate-looking hand had already closed around the third grand elder's neck.
It was Xiao Wu.