Douluo Continent: The Eternal Order of the Azure Sky.

Even Xu Yunxiao was affected by this aura, his soul power momentarily disrupted. The golden tortoiseshell slipped from his grasp and transformed into a dazzling golden light, shooting straight towards Kong Tianxu.

Although the golden hawksbill turtle wasn't skilled in combat, it had become sentient after a thousand years. Its previous weakness was merely a facade, waiting for the right opportunity to break through. It had already sensed that among these humans, the one with the weakest soul power fluctuations was this young man, only at the Great Soul Master level. If it escaped, it, the Turtle Grandpa, would be a hero again!

Seeing this scene, Xu Yuanxi's eyes lit up, as if she saw some hope. Xu Yunxiao's eyes narrowed, and he hurriedly used his soul power to condense a large black hand to grab it.

But the golden light was too fast; in the blink of an eye, it was already in front of Kong Tianxu.

Xu Yunxiao could only pin his hopes on this young man who had recently displayed extraordinary strength, and hurriedly said:

"Tian Xu—"

"Coming for me?" Kong Tianxu snorted coldly, the fire snake in his palm dancing and intertwining to form a vortex, steadily catching the golden tortoiseshell's flying attack, just the right size to bind its body within it.

Before Xu Yunxiao could finish speaking, the second half of his sentence was already stuck in his throat by this scene. The power that the Golden Tortoise Shell unleashed at the critical moment of life and death had even made him lose his composure. However, Kong Tianxu, a young man who was not even a Soul Venerable, was not affected at all. Even the originally brilliant golden light on the Golden Tortoise Shell flickered, as if it was afraid of something.

The flames completely enveloped Kong Tianxu's figure, so Xu Yunxiao could not see the fleeting silver light behind him, nor could he see the shock and fear in the eyes of the golden tortoise.

No wonder the earth element around me went out of control halfway through my escape—it was a silver dragon! How could a human possibly possess a martial soul like a silver dragon!

Even though it is the emperor among turtles, its level is far, far inferior to that of the silver dragon. Under the control of the earth element, it will definitely be completely defeated.

It screamed wildly in its heart, filled with resentment and despair, but the vortex of flames gradually bound and tightened around it. Its soul power was gradually exhausted, and its originally hard shell and skin softened under the high temperature. It was powerless to stop its own life from slipping away.

"don't want--"

Xu Yunxiao hadn't recovered from his previous shock when he saw that Kong Tianxu had already roasted the golden tortoiseshell to the point of near death. He quickly stepped forward to stop him. Fortunately, the young man must have heard his cries, as the flames in his hands gradually died down, and he instead carried the tortoiseshell behind his back.

"Kill them!"

He finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowed his pace.

However, the next second, a black figure flashed to Kong Tianxu's side at an extremely fast speed. In the unnatural, drawn-out tone of his voice due to extreme anger, the figure slammed the Xuanming Shield, which was surging with black light, into the head of the golden tortoiseshell.

The purple halo gradually solidified and took shape.

"what--"

"Xu! Yuan! tide!"

Xu Yunxiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his black soul power surged as he rushed towards Xu Yuanxi. The remaining Soul Emperors and Soul Kings were obviously stunned for a moment, but when they saw him make a move, they quickly followed.

The distance between them wasn't very far; with the cultivation levels of the Xuanming Sect members, they arrived in just a few breaths. Facing the menacing Xu Yunxiao, Xu Yuanxi neither dodged nor avoided him, simply standing there dumbfounded.

Kong Tianxu followed her gaze and saw a faint glimmer of golden light shining through the almost broken head and neck joint of the golden tortoiseshell.

He touched the fine patterns on the metal of his wrist, knowing that things had subtly changed.

Xu Yunxiao approached Xu Yuanxi with a dark expression. The die was cast, and now this soul ring, crucial to the sect's inheritance, could only be absorbed by Xu Yuanxi.

Having figured this out, he was no longer as furious as before, but the anger hadn't subsided. He wanted to know the truth: how dare a concubine's daughter from a collateral branch steal the main family's spirit ring?

However, the two words Xu Yuanxi murmured to herself made him swallow his words once again.

"Soul Bone".

Xu Yunxiao's body trembled. He heard it, and so did the Xuanming Sect members around him. They exchanged glances and quietly formed a circle around Kong Tianxu.

Xu Yuanxi seemed to wake from a dream and subtly retreated a little. At Xu Yunxiao's signal, the Soul Emperor Ye Handong walked towards Kong Tianxu with a smile on his face.

With a slight flick of his wrist, Kong Tianxu sensed, through his almost mind-reading perception, that several thick, almost tangible malices suddenly appeared around him.

And murderous intent.

It's here after all. His heart skipped a beat, and his soul power surged instantly. Concealed by his wide sleeves, the blade of the Elemental Creed sword emerged eerily.

He never considered running away. With such a vast difference in soul power, there was no way he could escape from a Soul Saint in the complex terrain of the Star Dou Great Forest.

Moreover, he knew very well that his grandfather was nearby, so there was no need to run away, which was his greatest source of confidence. But unless absolutely necessary, he preferred to break the deadlock on his own and test the results of his years of hard work.

"Little Tian Xu, thank you so much for helping us so much. Uncle will definitely repay you properly."

Ye Handong glanced sideways at the tortoiseshell corpse, his smile deepening. As he spoke, he reached out his large hand toward Kong Tianxu's head.

His voice was as gentle as that of the most kind and honest elder, but it sounded somewhat comical when facing Kong Tianxu, who was a head taller than him.

Kong Tianxu raised his face, revealing a bright smile. His silver, medium-length hair shimmered in the sunlight, and his handsome face stunned everyone.

"My name is Kong Tianxu."

There was a faint rumble of thunder.

Chapter 9 Thunderous Movement

"My name is Kong Tianxu."

"He was using an alias all along?" Everyone was stunned by Kong Tianxu's words, but Ye Handong's reaction didn't slow down at all. His Xuan Turtle Martial Soul instantly possessed him, thick and rough skin completely covering his face, making his originally honest face look extremely ferocious. His sixth soul ring lit up, and his palm, which was reaching towards Kong Tianxu's head, suddenly turned black and slammed down with a powerful aura.

The sixth soul skill, Xuanming Defense. An advanced version of Xu Yunxiao's fifth soul skill, Xuanming Hand, combining attack, defense, and control. Now unleashed by Ye Handong through his ten-thousand-year soul ring, its power is far greater than before, making it his most powerful technique.

Xu Yunxiao's heart burned with excitement. The Golden Tortoise Shell Soul Ring was indeed precious, but it only offered a very good chance of advancing the Xuanming Turtle Martial Soul to the Xuanwu level, while the Soul Bone was practically a certainty.

Even if the first person fails, the soul bone can be absorbed again, which means that in the future, the sect will definitely have a stable inheritance of the Xuanwu bloodline.

What does such a top-tier martial soul that can be stably passed down represent? Just look at the Body Sect, one of the three most powerful forces on the continent, known as the number one sect in the world.

As for Kong Tianxu, he'd have no choice but to go to the underworld to keep that golden hawksbill turtle company. Let some unknown kid go out and spread the news? Don't be ridiculous.

Although he had saved the young lady and contributed greatly during the Soul Hunt, he would not take any risks for the sake of the sect's great future. Moreover, with their personnel, even if Kong Tianxu's fire element was strong, there was absolutely no possibility of any accidents.

Despite this, Xu Yunxiao felt a vague unease, which was why he had Ye Handong take the lead.

Ye Handong's eyes were indifferent. In his opinion, even if the opponent's martial soul was somewhat peculiar, he would have no chance of escaping from such a close distance under his full-force attack as a Soul Emperor.

Feeling the powerful defensive and strength amplification brought by the ten-thousand-year soul skill, he seemed to already see the wonderful scene of Kong Tianxu's head being smashed by his palm.

That's how it should have been, until a resounding dragon's roar.

Ye Handong's body suddenly trembled, his Xuan Turtle Martial Soul shaking violently in fear. Unlike the suppression of his own kind by the Golden Tortoise, this was an absolute crushing on his level, as if awakening some kind of taboo etched into his genes by millions of years of dominance. Every cell in his body was emitting a scream that wanted to escape.

How could that be? That was just a Grand Soul Master! Ye Handong roared inwardly, his anger driving him to involuntarily look up—

What met his gaze was an even more indifferent pair of silver vertical pupils.

And a bolt of lightning even faster than him.

His last light in this life.

With a "poof" sound, accompanied by the sharp crack of thunder compressed to its extreme, Kong Tianxu's left-hand elemental creed pierced the head of this defensive Soul Emperor who was in his strongest Soul Skill state.

Now, the top of his head is even more pointed.

First Soul Skill, Mad Demon Lightning Strike! Elemental Creed, Overload Circuit! Kong Tianxu had been secretly gathering his strength the moment he discovered the Soul Bone. He was well aware of the importance of a golden tortoiseshell head Soul Bone to the Xuanming Sect. In the Star Dou Great Forest, where the law of the jungle prevails, he would never trust any stranger.

The reason for waiting until now to make a move is simply to find a better opportunity.

The innate skill of the super soul beast Thunderous Vulture, combined with a top-tier level six soul tool, unleashed a terrifying burst of power comparable to a full-force strike at the seventh ring level. This instantly shattered the protective soul skill of the Xuan Turtle Soul Emperor, and the violent lightning element spread along the blade, completely destroying his brain tissue.

In a single exchange, Kong Tianxu overcame a nearly thirty-level difference in soul power to forcefully kill a seasoned sixth-ring expert.

Xu Yunxiao, that old tortoise, is truly cunning and shrewd; he made Ye Handong take the bullet for him. Kong Tianxu secretly lamented this.

He was confident that with the defensive capabilities of the Elemental Creed, even a defensive-type seventh-ring Soul Saint would not be able to withstand his long-charged attack without using his Martial Soul True Body. At that time, the remaining people would be much easier to deal with.

A brilliant silver light suddenly appeared between his brows, and Kong Tianxu bent down slightly, an ancient and majestic aura emanating from him.

He flung aside Ye Handong's tattered corpse, which resembled a sack, and stomped down hard, leaving a dent in the ground. With a loud dragon's roar, he shot towards Xu Yuanxi like an arrow released from a bow.

In those few short movements, his body had undergone tremendous changes.

A layer of dazzling silver dragon scales spread rapidly across its body, growing all the way to its lower jaw, leaving only its head uncovered. The scales were rhomboid in shape, shimmering with iridescent colors under the sunlight like countless mirrors.

His already slender body grew even taller, making him look like a twenty-year-old youth. His arms, including every joint in his hands, became extremely thick, completely covered by thick scales, forming a pair of dragon claws.

This is the Silver Dragon, the strongest super martial soul on the continent, standing at the pinnacle!

Three spirit rings simultaneously appeared behind him, displaying the same noble luster against the backdrop of silver scales.

Purple, purple, purple.

All of them were thousand-year soul rings. The third soul ring was a deep, abyss-like purple, with a faint hint of black within its deep purple hue. Clearly, although it wasn't a ten-thousand-year soul ring, it was at least nine thousand years old.

His martial soul is fire element, so what is this?

The Xuanming Sect members stared in utter horror at the silver dragon scales that rapidly appeared on Kong Tianxu's body and the three purple soul rings beneath his feet that were beyond their comprehension. The ancient majesty that was emanating from him made their proud Xuanming Turtle Martial Soul tremble involuntarily.

Xu Yuanxi retreated violently in disbelief. Kong Tianxu had actually made everyone, including Elder Yunxiao, misjudge his cultivation level! He was no more than thirteen years old, yet he already had the cultivation of a Soul Venerable. What was he doing in the Star Dou Great Forest? Had he already reached level forty?

"He launched a sneak attack using his soul tool! He's just a mere Soul Master, what are you standing there for? Follow me, form the formation!"

Xu Yunxiao shouted, his words were resolute, but he also felt a chill when he saw the gleaming blade in Kong Tianxu's hand.

Like everyone else, he couldn't tell what Kong Tianxu's martial spirit was. He could only vaguely guess that it was some kind of dragon based on the diamond-shaped scales and the pressure of his aura.

After being reprimanded by Xu Yunxiao, the Soul Kings finally reacted and released their Martial Souls to form a strange formation. Xu Yunxiao stepped into the air and suddenly slammed down the ever-growing Xuanming Shield from directly above the formation's core.

Chapter 10 Changes in Wind and Fire

As the black light merged, the mysterious aura that Kong Tianxu had sensed earlier reappeared. An overwhelming pressure surged towards him like a tidal wave, instantly halting his momentum, and the pressure grew stronger with each wave, seemingly endless.

Martial Soul Combination Skill?

Kong Tianxu felt a chill run down his spine, but did not flee immediately.

Almost simultaneously with the lighting of the first spirit ring, the second spirit ring also shone brightly, with temperatures exceeding one thousand degrees Celsius spreading outward from the right dragon claw.

No longer the deliberately suppressed orange-red, a strong golden-red light emerged and then converged inward at an astonishing speed.

Success! Xu Yunxiao revealed a cruel smile. Their martial soul combination technique was least afraid of single-point attacks like the lightning bolt from before.

No matter how talented Kong Tianxu is, it's impossible for him to unleash another area-of-effect attack of the same level using that soul tool that he coveted but was clearly designed for close combat.

Kong Tianxu remained focused on condensing the fire element in his hand, ignoring the increasingly tight encirclement.

It could be seen that the golden-red light in his hand suddenly deepened, condensing into a small dark red sun, and the extremely terrifying high temperature caused the surrounding light to distort violently.

Rippling light patterns indicated that this powerful fire-attribute light cluster had absorbed enough solar energy to reach the attack strength of a Soul Emperor.

But it's still a little short.

Xu Yunxiao revealed a smug smile. Just as he expected, this attack not only lacked the power of the previous one, but it was also not an area-of-effect skill. Once their Xuanming Coffin was fully formed, no one below the eighth ring would be able to escape.

However, it's not over yet.

Kong Tianxu showed him through his actions that nothing is impossible for a true genius.