Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Such a pure, hard, and rational existence, bordering on cold-blooded, is in fact incredibly powerful and free.

The moonlight bathed Kong Tianxu, making him appear like a deity statue that had shed all weakness and constraints.

A mixture of shock, confusion, and even a faint envy began to grow in Zhang Lexuan's heart. Unconsciously, she raised her hand slightly, as if wanting to touch that seemingly cold moonlight, which might contain the source of her long-awaited belief.

The night breeze blew again, carrying a chill, and seemed to stir something that had been frozen for too long.

On the ground, Jin Yehuan, who had been listening for a long time, finally turned over. His eyes were wide open, his teeth were clenched, and he was full of entanglement and heartache.

"Of course, the choice is always in your own hands. I am just stating my understanding. Seeing clearly and doing it are two different things."

As Kong Tianxu watched the gradually fading gray color, he saw that the future senior sister of the inner courtyard, who had a dazed look on her face, was still roaming over his body with her hands. He had no choice but to retaliate by patting Zhang Lexuan's still slightly damp face.

"We've got a job, silly girl."

Before the words were even finished, the hazy gray color in the surrounding space completely disappeared, and the real world gradually appeared. Almost instantly, a heart-pounding mental fluctuation gripped everyone's hearts.

Zhang Lexuan suddenly realized that Kong Tianxu's sword of judgment was already in his hand, and Jin Yehuan immediately got up.

"A soul beast?" Apart from Kong Tianxu, almost all the inner court students knew that this senior brother of the inner court had a crush on Zhang Lexuan. After listening to the late-night talk for more than half an hour, he was holding back his anger.

Everyone snapped out of their daze, and Zhang Lexuan quickly wiped away her tears so as not to reveal her secret to everyone.

Kong Tianxu pointed his sword tip, and a wisp of gray smoke flashed through the air before being trapped in an even thicker darkness.

"Nightmare Demon".

Nightmare Demon is a type of soul beast with weak actual combat power but exceptionally powerful illusion abilities.

Whether it's a Soul Master or a Soul Beast, once it enters a Nightmare state under its illusionary attacks, not only can it control their life and death, but it can even use the Nightmare to drive them into battle.

Ultimately, those trapped in nightmares will inevitably die, and the terrified resentment after death is the best way for nightmare demons, these soul beasts, to improve their cultivation.

This Nightmare Demon's illusion magic was extremely powerful; he hadn't even fully noticed it at first. Of course, this was also directly related to the fact that the Nightmare Demon's power was not being used on him.

In that case, not to mention the backlash caused by the difference in spiritual power and martial soul, even the Myriad Origins Domain would be enough to give this Nightmare Demon a hard time.

The one attacked by the illusion was Zhang Lexuan.

From the moment Zhang Lexuan began to show some unusual behavior, Kong Tianxu had a vague feeling that something was wrong. Tonight, her emotional fluctuations seemed a bit too blatant. Even if he intentionally or unintentionally triggered her sensitive spots, Zhang Lexuan's reaction shouldn't have been so strong.

The illusions of the Nightmare Demon are all woven based on the experiences of the person under its spell. Once truly trapped in them, unless the person under its spell notices something amiss or forcibly escapes under external stimulation, they will eventually fall into a nightmare state.

After several attempts, Kong Tianxu finally confirmed that they had been attacked, and then used his destructive power to directly destroy the Nightmare Demon's innate ability.

It was actually a Nightmare Demon! A look of horror flashed across Zhang Lexuan's eyes. The events that had just happened were still vivid in her mind. She couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. But as more memories flooded back, her face flushed instantly, though it wasn't very noticeable because of the darkness.

She was secretly ashamed and annoyed at what she had done.

However, Kong Tianxu's words were deeply etched in her heart.

Chapter 173 Mysterious Armored Jade Horn Rhinoceros

(Just woke up and realized I set the posting time to tomorrow morning...)

Everyone was secretly alarmed. Nightmare demons are extremely rare due to their cultivation methods and relatively weak physical combat power. Nightmare demons with more than 10,000 years of cultivation are almost extinct. However, they are impossible to guard against on non-direct battlefields.

Aside from Zhang Lexuan, the others were probably also affected by illusions to some extent. Although they were highly skilled and would likely be able to turn the tide in the end, injuries were inevitable.

Still shaken, Zhang Lexuan quickly composed herself and joined the others in gathering around. Hua Yao carefully sensed the soul power fluctuations emanating from the Nightmare Demon, her eyes lighting up with delight.

This Nightmare Demon is a perfect match for her Lotus Martial Soul, and she can't wait to absorb the Soul Ring and become a Soul Saint.

Jin Yehuan raised his hand and slapped his palm. Thick, earthen-yellow soul power surged out like a raging torrent, transforming into a solid cage of rock and earth. This cage took over Kong Tianxu's dark control, firmly imprisoning the gray mist in mid-air that was trying to escape. However, looking at the twisting and churning gray smoke, he frowned slightly.

"Since a soul beast like the Nightmare Demon can grow to a cultivation level of ten thousand years, it must be extremely cautious. Why would it rashly attack us?"

"Because it's just here to fish in troubled waters." Kong Tianxu plunged the Sword of Judgment into the ground beneath his feet, causing a slight tremor to rise.

Suddenly, Zhang Lexuan looked up sharply, her gaze becoming intense as she looked in one direction. Jin Yehuan, who had been watching her closely, immediately released his soul power as well, and both of them felt a chill run down their spines.

In their perception, the first thing they felt was an overwhelming aura, which was not emitted by a single soul beast, but by a group, a group full of power.

Just as Hua Yao gathered sharp lotus petal soul power at her fingertips, about to deliver a fatal blow to the culprit who caused the chaos,

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A muffled sound began to float in the air, and the tremors of the earth gradually became more pronounced. The muffled sound gradually became stronger, and a huge roar like the beating of war drums came from all directions. The whole earth began to tremble violently, as if thousands of troops were galloping.

Trees in the distance fell in clumps, and billowing dust rose into the air.

"What's that sound?!" Gu Fan looked warily in the direction from which the tremor came. At the same time, the group moved quickly, using the terrain to find suitable defensive positions.

Zhang Lexuan quickly came to Kong Tianxu's side, her beautiful eyes shining brightly, showing no signs of the bewildered state she had been not long ago.

She gestured to Kong Tianxu with a questioning expression. After the previous battles, she had great trust in Kong Tianxu's perception abilities. Moreover, he was the first to discover the danger this time.

"They're coming for us, there are a lot of them, prepare for battle," Kong Tianxu said succinctly.

The next moment, a group of behemoths, like mobile fortresses, burst through the dust and appeared in everyone's sight.

As they got closer, everyone could see that these soul beasts were clearly a herd of rhinoceroses. Their bodies were covered with layers of black jade-like keratin, which looked like layers of armor. A thick, black horn on their heads gleamed with a ghostly light, and each step they took caused a muffled thud on the ground.

In the pitch-black night, their eyes glowed with a dark red light, and their powerful bodies crushed everything in their path as they moved slowly toward this place.

Jin Yehuan shouted in a deep voice, "Ink Jade Mysterious Horned Rhinoceros! It's actually this kind of soul beast. We're in big trouble. Everyone be careful. Once this kind of soul beast is provoked, it's a fight to the death. Their innate soul skill is absolute defense. Go all out and kill them."

Faced with the siege of a large group of high-level soul beasts, Jin Yehuan quickly made corresponding arrangements, and at the same time, he also released his own martial soul.

Standing behind, Kong Tianxu clearly saw eight spirit rings—two yellow, two purple, three black, and one red—rapidly rise from beneath Jin Yehuan's feet. When the red spirit ring appeared on his body, the group of Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses didn't hesitate for a moment, roaring as they charged forward.

This group of Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses is actually not large, only about a dozen or so, most of which are thousand-year-old beings. However, the fact that they can survive in the core area, the smaller the population size, and the weaker the general cultivation level, the more it proves the strength of this soul beast.

Rhinoceros-type spirit beasts are generally good at charging and defense, and the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros is the best in both of these among its kind, especially the latter, which can be said to be one of the spirit beasts with the strongest defensive capabilities.

Kong Tianxu had once experienced its innate ability—absolute defense—on Dai Yueheng. It was even more powerful than the invincible shield. This skill did not last as long as the invincible golden body, nor could it cover the whole body like the Titan lineage's indestructible body. However, it could achieve true absolute defense in an instant.

In particular, unlike ordinary rhinoceros-type soul beasts, they are gregarious anomalies. Their single horn can release a locking light, and once it locks onto a target, it will charge relentlessly until the target is dead. They can be said to be the most troublesome soul beast group.

However, everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the largest and most unruly rhinoceros in front of them, and their solemn expressions were gradually replaced by amazement.

Its plate armor is not pure black, but rather possesses a warm and jade-like, mysterious texture. Most peculiar is the single horn on its forehead, which is not the jet black of a black jade rhinoceros, but rather a vibrant emerald green, as if carved from the finest imperial jade, exuding a rich life force and a profound aura, forming a stark contrast with its ferocious and massive body, making it resemble a unique work of art.

"Black-armored jade-horned rhinoceros".

Jin Yehuan's breathing suddenly quickened for a moment.

Upon hearing the words "Mysterious Armored Jade Horned Rhinoceros," not only were the others bewildered, but even Zhang Lexuan looked puzzled, clearly having no concept of this kind of soul beast.

The Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros is a variant, or rather, an ancestor, of the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros.

Although the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros is powerful, its strength lies more in the cohesion of its group. In terms of individual strength, due to its limited attack methods, it still lags behind the top-tier soul beasts.

However, the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros is completely different. The Black Jade Horned Rhinoceros itself did not have such strong water and earth elements, which were greatly enhanced in this ancient alien species. Not only is its defense more abnormal, but its attack methods have also been greatly improved.

It's worth noting that the Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros is a legendary creature that rivals the Ancestor of Xuanwu for the title of Water God Beast. It's practically a replica of the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, both being incredibly contradictory beings, except that it excels more in defense.

Jin Yehuan was able to identify this kind of soul beast at a glance because he had always wanted to hunt a soul ring from it. However, the number of Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses was already pitifully small, and the Black Armored Jade Horned Rhinoceros had long been considered extinct. After a long and fruitless search, he finally had to give up.

And it was precisely because he knew this kind of spirit beast so well that his heart felt even heavier.

Such a powerful soul beast, with 70,000 years of cultivation...

Unfortunately, it only lasts for 70,000 years. Kong Tianxu frowned inwardly.

Chapter 174 The Sixth Soul Ring After Seventy Thousand Years?

Jin Yehuan's concerns were not unfounded. A 70,000-year-old Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros was definitely no less than a 100,000-year-old soul beast. Considering the characteristics of this kind of soul beast, it was much more difficult and troublesome to kill than a 100,000-year-old soul beast. Its value to a genius soul master was even greater than that of a 100,000-year-old soul ring.

But in Kong Tianxu's eyes, it was still somewhat insufficient.

This soul beast has a very good bloodline level and its attributes perfectly meet his needs, but its age of 70,000 years is indeed a bit low.

Yes, for someone whose physique has been tempered many times, 70,000 years is indeed too low, especially compared to the alternative, the 100,000-year Evil Eye Tyrant.

"Prepare for a quick victory. I'll handle that big guy, Teacher Li, you—"

Kong Tianxu.

Faced with this battle, which even he himself was not very confident about, Jin Yehuan was preparing to have Li Zhuangyun, the person they were focusing on protecting, withdraw from the core battle circle. After all, this healer-type quasi-Soul Douluo with a great background was the academy's darling. To put it bluntly, even two of him might not be as valuable as Li Zhuangyun. However, Li Zhuangyun, who had almost no combat ability, stepped forward on his own.

"Could you lend me one of those powerful turret-type soul tools? At this critical juncture, I'm not some useless coward who just hides in the back. I also have level 80 soul power. With that kind of soul tool, I can fight too!"

Li Zhuangyun, who was usually taciturn, almost roared out, staring intently at Kong Tianxu, his scholarly, fair face flushed red.

"Roar--!"

This black-armored jade-horned rhinoceros was clearly the leader of the herd. With a deafening roar, the entire herd, as if on command, launched a ferocious charge towards the group! The earth groaned under the iron hooves of dozens of giant rhinoceroses, their momentum overwhelming.

Kong Tianxu gave him a strange look, then threw out a stream of light.

"Learn to use it yourself."

Li Zhuangyun was overjoyed. Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, he quickly retrieved a set of complex, heavy-duty soul-guided turret modules from the starlight sapphire and set them up in front of him, his eyes gleaming with excitement and determination.

"Attack!" Jin Yehuan roared and charged forward, his target the strongest mutated Jade Horned Rhinoceros. As the strongest member of the team, it was his duty to restrain this Jade Horned Rhinoceros.

At least, that's what he thought.

The Thick Earth Crocodile King has reappeared in its true form. Its brown-gold body is already extremely large, but it is still no match for the Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros, which is over ten meters tall.

Jin Yehuan neither dodged nor avoided, his soul rings flashing, and his huge crocodile head, carrying the power to shatter mountains and split rocks, clashed fiercely with the emerald green jade horn of the Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros!

"boom--!"

A deep, thunderous roar exploded, sending shockwaves surging as Jin Yehuan collapsed into the ground.

In terms of soul power level, both sides are Soul Douluo, but the Earth Crocodile King, who is most skilled in strength, lost in a single move!

The Jade Horned Rhinoceros's emerald-like eyes revealed a hint of disdain, and its mountain-like body was about to press its advantage. The Earth Crocodile King, which had been curled up in a circle, suddenly stretched out its body, its fourth soul ring shining behind it, and its crocodile tail scales bristling. Like a venomous snake, it lashed out at the Jade Horned Rhinoceros's relatively vulnerable abdomen at an extremely tricky angle.

The attack struck right in the heart, and the Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros cried out in pain, its momentum momentarily halted.

However, Jin Yehuan felt no joy at all. His fourth soul skill, Divine Crocodile Tail Sweep, which was powerful enough to split rocks, was like hitting a soft ball that couldn't withstand any force, leaving only a shallow white mark on the opponent's jade-like shell.

This attack enraged the Xuanjia Jade Horned Rhinoceros. Its emerald green horn shone brightly, and its body was surrounded by a mixture of earthy yellow and aquamarine light, causing its aura to rise once again!

Jin Yehuan, enraged, rammed his crocodile head into the enemy again.

Just then, the group was surrounded, with a large number of black jade rhinoceroses forming a dense encirclement.

Judging from their shapes, these Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses are estimated to have cultivation levels ranging from three thousand to fifty thousand years. Apart from the Black Armored Jade Horned Rhinoceroses, the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses in front are all at the ten-thousand-year level of cultivation, and there is also a ten-thousand-year level leader among the Black Jade Horned Rhinoceroses around them.

The lead black-armored jade-horned rhinoceros was enraged, and the other black-jade black-horned rhinoceroses also rushed up at the same time. Kong Tianxu and Zhang Lexuan faced several ten-thousand-year-old black-jade black-horned rhinoceroses head-on.