Since the advancement rounds were held in Spirit City, the Heaven Dou Empire specifically arranged for Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to lead the group there. Many high-ranking officials from the Heaven Dou Empire also accompanied them, especially the Three Great Education Committees of the Heaven Dou Royal Academy, who were also by Crown Prince Xue Qinghe's side.
In addition, the Heaven Dou Empire's guest elder, Dugu Bo, also followed the group. His only granddaughter, Dugu Yan, was also participating in the finals.
As for the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, there was Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, Lin Gong, and some other accompanying personnel, all of whom seemed to be quite strong.
Under the protection of escort knights, the group traveled to Spirit City by carriage. Each carriage was extremely large and luxurious, making the ride feel as smooth as if they were on flat ground.
Yang Xiong and Ning Rongrong did not sit with the main group. Instead, they were with Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, and others. The journey was bound to be eventful, and being with Sword Douluo would definitely be safer. Of course, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe was also in the carriage.
Yang Xiong and Xue Qinghe had interacted countless times in recent years. On the surface, they were very familiar with each other, but both enjoyed subtly testing the other.
Yang Xiong would always introduce girlfriends to Xue Qinghe, even guaranteeing multiple times that he would do his best to help if Xue Qinghe took a liking to someone.
And Xue Qinghe would always tease Yang Xiong for having a girlfriend at such a young age, saying he might become a playboy in the future and should focus on cultivation for now.
...
However, this time going to Spirit City, Xue Qinghe seemed quite happy, with even a hint of excitement in the depths of his eyes, completely unlike his usual impassive demeanor.
Seeing Xue Qinghe like this, Yang Xiong couldn't help but chuckle softly, "Your Highness, seeing how happy you are, someone who didn't know might think you're going home. It seems you really like Spirit City."
Xue Qinghe's face darkened upon hearing this, but he quickly calmed down. "I've always grown up in the deep palace, with very few opportunities to go out. Going to Spirit City this time can be considered seeing the holy land of the Soul Master world. As a Soul Master, I'm still a bit excited."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but sigh, "Spirit City is indeed the holy land of Soul Masters, but unfortunately, it has become too focused on gain in recent years and no longer has the angelic radiance it once had."
Xue Qinghe smiled without reaching his eyes, "It seems Little Xiong, you really liked the Spirit Hall of the past."
Yang Xiong couldn't help but sigh, "It's just a bit of a shame. It's said that the Angel clan no longer has any inheritors. Besides, our Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and Spirit Hall are ultimately on different paths."
Xue Qinghe said, "Who knows about that? Perhaps the Angel clan still has inheritors in secret."
Yang Xiong smiled, "That's unclear. It's said that after the former Pope Qian Xunji was killed by the Haotian Douluo Tang Hao, the Angel clan never appeared in the Soul Master world again."
Seeing the two getting more and more animated in their conversation, Ning Fengzhi finally spoke up, "Qinghe, Little Xiong, the Angel clan is not that simple. Qian Daoliu of the Angel clan is widely recognized as one of the strongest individuals on the continent. Legend has it that Qian Xunji also had a daughter, but unfortunately, she is said to have died young."
Yang Xiong quickly said, "Sect Leader, according to you, this little girl was probably the sole descendant of the Angel clan. She shouldn't have died so easily. I wonder how old this little girl is."
Ning Fengzhi thought carefully for a while before speaking, "In terms of age, she should be about the same age as Qinghe. The specific information is unclear; Spirit Hall hasn't released any news."
Yang Xiong smiled, "According to the Sect Leader, this girl is probably also of the age to participate in this Soul Master Competition. I wonder if it's possible for her to appear? The talent of the Angel clan shouldn't be too bad."
Xue Qinghe then spoke, "Teacher, Little Xiong, according to the information I've received, the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall does not include a female Soul Master with the Angel martial soul. Perhaps this girl really did perish."
Yang Xiong looked closely at Xue Qinghe for a few moments, "Your Highness, I see that your personality and physique are becoming more and more like a girl's. Could it be that you truly have some unspeakable secret?"
Xue Qinghe was drinking tea at the moment and couldn't help but choke. "Little Xiong, you're joking. My personality has been like this since I was young, and I also have to thank Teacher for his guidance."
Indeed, Xue Qinghe's personality was refined and somewhat similar to Ning Fengzhi's, as if they were from the same lineage.
However, after Yang Xiong and Xue Qinghe occasionally exchanged a few playful jabs, they each continued their cultivation.
The journey was quite pleasant, at least on the surface, appearing harmonious and like brothers respecting each other. Even Ning Fengzhi was relatively satisfied.
Meanwhile, Yang Xiong was endlessly complaining in his heart. Despite his various hints, Ning Fengzhi didn't show the slightest suspicion. It seemed he truly valued this disciple.
After more than ten days, Yang Xiong was meditating with his eyes closed when suddenly a deafening explosion came from a distance.
When Yang Xiong and his group got out of the carriage, countless black-clothed figures suddenly appeared and attacked the various convoys. However, from the situation, the main target of the attack seemed to be the Shrek carriage.
In the distance, a giant Jade Scale Serpent Emperor suddenly appeared. It was none other than Dugu Bo, the guest elder of the Heaven Dou Empire, and beside him was his granddaughter, Dugu Yan.
Both Ning Fengzhi and Xue Qinghe, and even Sword Douluo, looked somewhat solemn. Clearly, this attack was far from simple, as it had even prompted Dugu Bo to take action.
Sword Douluo said in a deep voice, "Only a ghost shadow is seen, no soul rings. It should be that fellow Guimei."
Yang Xiong was also startled by these words and quickly used all his mental power to observe the battle in the distance.
Dugu Bo's figure flickered, and the giant Jade Phosphorous Serpent attacked extremely quickly, even accompanied by green poisonous mist, sending shivers down people's spines.
But his opponent was a ghost shadow that came and went without a trace, not even revealing its soul rings. It seemed extremely formidable.
Even with Dugu Bo's powerful Titled Douluo strength, he seemed somewhat outmatched at this moment, especially with the ghost shadow moving as fast as lightning. Even Dugu Bo himself was struggling to keep up. It seemed this person only intended to tie down Dugu Bo, and neither side was truly going for a killing blow.
Although the battles in other areas looked exceptionally fierce, the black-clothed attackers surrounding them didn't seem to be in a hurry to strike. Instead, they seemed to be trying to contain everyone.
In contrast, things at Shrek were a bit exaggerated. Several top experts had appeared, especially those with the Four-Eyed Cat Owl and Fire Dragon martial souls, who should be Liu Erlong and Flander.
Just then, a giant Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon suddenly appeared. This person looked particularly tall and had a full eight soul rings.
This person seemed extremely enraged: "Audacious scoundrels, how dare you provoke my Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family."
But the newcomer showed no hesitation, seemingly completely ignoring the deterrence of this Soul Douluo.
Yang Xiong was a little confused: "Sect Leader, why haven't I seen this Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Soul Master before?"
Ning Fengzhi said, "He's an elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family. He should be secretly protecting Yu Tianheng and Yu Tianxin. It seems Yu Yuanzhen was prepared."
Yang Xiong said, "Sect Leader, could their target be Tang San? Should we go and take a look?"
Ning Fengzhi hesitated for a moment: "It should be. Tang San's performance in this Soul Master Competition was too dazzling, and the Clear Sky Sect and Spirit Hall have long been incompatible. Going to Spirit City now is indeed not a wise move."
Even though several Soul Douluos were present, especially Dragon Duke, whom Yang Xiong also saw, Dragon Duke was not guarding Tang San like in the original story. He was more focused on protecting the students from his own academy.
Just as everyone was feeling conflicted, a golden figure appeared in the sky, accompanied by countless chrysanthemum petals. This person was Chrysanthemum Douluo.
With just a slight move from Chrysanthemum Douluo, Flander and the others were enveloped by countless chrysanthemum petals. Each petal was like a large blade, appearing extremely sharp.
Yang Xiong stared intently at Chrysanthemum Douluo. He had always been curious how a plant-type Soul Master like Chrysanthemum Douluo could become a power attack type. Especially looking at the giant Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Yang Xiong's gaze became even more fervent.
Among the many Immortal Herbs, Yang Xiong's favorite was actually this Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Unfortunately, he hadn't planned on consuming it yet, but watching Chrysanthemum Douluo fight was quite interesting.
There were also quite a few black-clothed individuals surrounding Yang Xiong and the others, but these black-clothed people were generally not very strong, at least far inferior to Sword Douluo. So Sword Douluo himself remained very calm, just standing quietly beside Ning Fengzhi.
Now that Chrysanthemum Douluo had suddenly appeared, even Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were startled. They hadn't expected Spirit Hall to send two Titled Douluos this time. It seemed they truly intended to kill Tang San.
Just as Ning Fengzhi and Sword Douluo were preparing to go and rescue Tang San, a blood-red giant hammer suddenly appeared in the sky and smashed directly towards Chrysanthemum Douluo.
The giant hammer appeared extremely quickly, and even Chrysanthemum Douluo reacted a little too late. Even though he unleashed countless petals to attack the giant hammer, he was still sent flying dozens of meters.
At this moment, a tattered black figure appeared in the sky. This person had nine soul rings, especially the last blood-red one, which gave everyone immense pressure.
Ghost Douluo was also extremely surprised. He instantly summoned a black hole to attack Dugu Bo, and then he himself transformed into a ghost shadow and flew rapidly towards the Shrek team.
But just then, a brilliant blue giant sword descended from the sky, directly blocking the ghost shadow's path. It was Sword Douluo and Ning Fengzhi.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was extremely angry: "Tang Hao, I didn't expect you to still dare to show up."
"Ning Fengzhi, Sword Douluo, I didn't expect you to dare to oppose us either."
Tang Hao's face showed a hint of displeasure. "A chrysanthemum, a little ghost. Is this all your Spirit Hall is capable of, these sneaky actions?"
Ning Fengzhi ignored Chrysanthemum Douluo and instead looked at Tang Hao in the distance. "Brother Tang, it's been a long time. I didn't expect Brother Tang's demeanor to be as it was all those years ago."
Tang Hao's face showed a hint of self-mockery. "I'm just a cripple, but Spirit Hall shouldn't even think about harming my son."
Ning Fengzhi didn't say anything more after hearing this. Although Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo were full of anger, three Titled Douluo had already appeared at this moment, making their plan completely impossible to implement. In the end, they just left with a harsh remark and departed dejectedly.
Tang Hao and Ning Fengzhi exchanged glances. It was unclear if they said anything to each other, but in the end, Tang Hao turned and left directly, as if nothing had happened around them.
Yang Xiong seemed to think of something and quickly looked at Xue Qinghe beside him. At this moment, Xue Qinghe no longer had his usual refined demeanor. There was even a hint of resentment in his eyes as he stared intently at Tang Hao's figure.
However, Xue Qinghe seemed to quickly notice Yang Xiong's gaze. His originally resentful expression suddenly turned a little pale, but it quickly became unusually calm again.
Afterward, the entire convoy was reorganized and checked. There were no major losses, especially among the team members, who suffered almost no losses. Only a few were slightly injured and were expected to recover quickly.
Xue Qinghe then comforted all the students, displaying the bearing of a Crown Prince and showing a humble attitude towards the worthy.
However, when the group returned to the carriages, Yang Xiong spoke with a serious tone. "Brother Qinghe, why did it feel like you saw that Titled Douluo as if he were your father's killer just now? Do you have some kind of feud with him?"
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