Douluo Continent: Long Live the Spirit Hall

The other city is Soto, located in the center of the most fertile Lima Plain within the Kingdom of Barak, and is known as the granary of Barak.

Both cities are heavily guarded and are of paramount importance to the entire kingdom. Soto City is a large city, possessing a Spirit Hall with a third-level configuration, and its bustling urban area is constantly filled with people.

It was just past noon, and the sun was blazing. At the west gate of Soto City, a magnificent procession of carriages arrived at the Martial Soul Main Hall in the city center. The bishop and his deacons of the Martial Soul Main Hall of Soto City were already waiting there and rushed forward to greet them.

"Greetings, Your Highness." In the office of the Soto City Martial Soul Hall, including the Soto City Bishop, many high-ranking managers of the Soto City Martial Soul Hall came to meet Yan, this important figure from Martial Soul City.

"Gentlemen, please rise. I've come today for some private matters." Yan nodded, seated in the main seat, and after glancing around, changed the subject, saying in a deep voice, "But I've heard that there's a privately run Soul Master Academy outside Soto City, and that some people from my Spirit Hall are even recommending outstanding graduates from junior Soul Master academies to go there." (While saying this, his gaze remained fixed on the bishop of the Soto City Spirit Hall. This cardinal, who held a high position in the Spirit Hall, was sweating profusely, clearly having some undisclosed matters to discuss.) The Soul Master Academy outside Soto City was, of course, the so-called Shrek Academy, which supposedly only accepted monsters. Normally, such a private academy wouldn't be a problem; it could be considered a shady sect. But what Yan said—that Spirit Hall staff were recommending outstanding graduates from junior Soul Master academies to Shrek Academy—was highly problematic, even a major problem. First of all, Shrek Academy was a completely shady academy, with no qualifications whatsoever, and its graduates weren't officially recognized academy graduates. The diploma is a huge pitfall. But those who established the academy were indeed experts. Fred, Zhao Wuji, and Shao Xin were Soul Saints, and the rest were Soul Emperors. These powerful figures naturally attracted the attention of significant forces, such as the royal family of the Barak Kingdom. The Barak royal family had been trying to win over Fred and others, even offering highly valuable contracts to Shrek Academy graduates, and even having the Spirit Hall recommend outstanding graduates from Barak to Shrek. All of this was influenced by the royal family. Otherwise, with Shrek Academy's small size, lack of reputation, and graduates having no connections after graduation, how could it attract so many junior Soul Master graduates above level 20? The Cardinal of the Soto City Spirit Hall quickly explained, "Your Highness, this matter... this matter is actually related to His Holiness Kundera of the Barak Kingdom. Didn't the Pope previously order the courting of Kundera, and therefore make some demands on him... I..."

"It's not just that, is it? If I remember correctly, you're related to the Barak royal family." Yan tapped her fingers lightly on the table, her smile radiant.

"The Spirit Hall promoted you to this position of Cardinal so that you could use your connections to protect the Spirit Hall's interests in the Barak Kingdom, not so that you could betray the Spirit Hall's interests to curry favor with the royal family. Kundera must have given you plenty of benefits over the years. You should know that some mistakes cannot be made. Those outstanding graduates from the junior academies are all potential targets for the Spirit Hall to win over, yet you've helped the Barak royal family do so, betraying your own side..."

"Holy Son, what do you want to do? I am a nobleman of the kingdom, you can't... Ah..." The cardinal keenly sensed Yan's thoughts and instantly released his martial soul as he spoke. Unfortunately, he underestimated Yan's strength. As soon as the six soul rings appeared, a burst of flames landed on him and then instantly exploded and swept over his entire body.

"No, no..." The cardinal of the Spirit Hall didn't even have time to scream for long before he painfully lost his breath in the dark flames, leaving only a pile of black charred marks on the spot.

"What I hate most in my life is traitors, but regarding the matter of the Barak Kingdom, I think most of you have followed the bishop's orders. Therefore, I will only execute the ringleader." As Yan sat in the main seat and spoke again, all the high-ranking members of the Martial Soul Hall knelt down. They had not expected Yan to do such a thing, directly executing a cardinal.

He looked at the Spirit Hall personnel kneeling in a circle before him and continued, "Send a message to all Spirit Halls within the Barak Kingdom, instructing them to take the Cardinal of the Spirit Hall in Soto City as a warning. Any further actions that harm the interests of the Spirit Hall will be severely punished. Furthermore, send a message to the capital: the Cardinal of the Spirit Hall in Barak City has been dismissed for incompetence and is to be taken to Spirit City for trial. Also, warn Kundera that some things cannot be done recklessly." As he spoke, several figures emerged from the shadows, nodded in obeisance, and then slowly disappeared from the room.

Today's events have naturally caused a huge reaction within the Kingdom of Barak, and have also created some discord between the royal family and the Spirit Hall.

Previously, in order to weaken the influence of the royal families of the two great empires, the Spirit Hall had repeatedly supported the nobles of these kingdoms and duchies. However, this behavior was nothing more than raising a tiger to cause more trouble.

If things had unfolded as originally planned, these kingdoms and duchies would ultimately have been of no help whatsoever, and most of them would have become too powerful to control and would have become a problem.

Since Yan accepted the Spirit Hall's plan and launched his own scheme, he naturally wouldn't tolerate these nobles exploiting the Spirit Hall. He was currently powerless to suppress the two great empires, but dealing with these kingdoms and duchies would be too easy for him.

As for whether these actions would lead these nobles to align themselves with the royal families of the two great empires and strengthen their power, Yan, now possessing the Steel Dragon, said that everything was under no pressure.

Currently, given his ability to create humanoid soul tools, raising the overall soul tool research level of the Spirit Hall to a new level is no problem for him.

In a few years at most, the Spirit Hall's soul-guided weapon technology will reach the average level of the Sun Moon Empire ten thousand years from now. When soul-guided weapons reach that level, any soul master can fight against a hundred enemies. At that point, ordinary armies and nobles will become meaningless.

The Heaven Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire, as well as many kingdoms and duchies, have been secretly accumulating power along with the rise of the Spirit Hall.

The Spirit Hall was naturally aware of this, but Yan didn't care. He now had a decisive advantage and was not afraid of their alliance.

After dealing with the cardinal of the Soto City Martial Soul Hall, Yan made some arrangements for the remaining personnel, and then traveled lightly with a few people to Shrek Academy outside Soto City.

...After leaving Soto City, we continued south along the road. On both sides of the official road were vast fields of farmland. Soto City's reputation as the grain capital of the Barak Kingdom was well-deserved.

However, outside of Soto, apart from vast farmlands, there were no buildings that resembled an academy as far as the eye could see.

The so-called Shrek Academy was located in a village about a mile south of Soto City. The village was small, surrounded by a wooden fence, seemingly for protection against wild animals.

At this moment, a large number of people seemed to have gathered at the village entrance. These were all junior academy graduates who had been tricked into coming. These outstanding graduates from all over the Barak Kingdom basically had a cultivation level of 15 or above, and many of them were even Great Soul Masters who had obtained two Soul Rings and were at least level 20.

However, these individuals, who are considered geniuses on the entire continent, were rejected by an academy with no educational qualifications whatsoever, which was truly a laughable scene.

Inside the Spirit Hall carriage, Yan listened to some of the staff recount the inside story of this farce.

"Holy Son, I've found out that the Barak Advanced Soul Master Academy in the capital has also stationed personnel nearby. Shrek Academy has high admission standards, and although it recruits students every year, very few can successfully enroll. These disheartened geniuses mostly come from commoner families, and after such setbacks, they lack confidence. Some nobles and soul master academies are taking advantage of this to contact them and persuade them to sign some harsh agreements..." After listening to the report from his steward, Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and then calmly instructed, "Past matters are best left unresolved, but today's events cannot be ignored. Have the personnel from the Soto City Martial Soul Hall handle the aftermath. This matter is not over. After investigating thoroughly, make them all pay the price."

Chapter 277 The Power of Haotian's True Form

In the stillness of the night, with the full moon hanging high, in the mountains outside the village where Shrek Academy was located, Zhao Wuji, the Immovable King, who had suffered a silent defeat at Tang San's hands during the day, was now on high alert. Even with the addition of the four-eyed cat owl Fred by his side, he did not feel much sense of security.

Under the pressure of the opponent's aura, the four-eyed cat owl Fred unconsciously released his martial spirit. A pair of huge wings spread out from his back, his whole body was covered with a layer of feathers, and the pupils in his orange-yellow eyes stood upright.

At this moment, both Fred and Zhao Wuji had seven spirit rings pulsating on their bodies, yellow, purple, black, black, black, the best ratio of spirit rings of the same color, showing their foundation and power.

However, compared to the other person present, they were like fireflies under the bright moon. Opposite Zhao Wuji and Fred, a man shrouded in black robes spoke indifferently: "Fred, step aside, or I'll beat you up too. Zhao Wuji, I'll give you a chance. I won't use my martial spirit. If you can last an incense stick's time against me, I'll leave without a word. Otherwise, you must do something for me." Upon hearing this, Fred, standing beside Zhao Wuji, immediately and disloyally stepped aside, clearly not intending to get involved.

Bang, boom, ah... The sounds of collisions, the surging of energy, muffled groans, and screams echoed through the woods.

Flander, who was standing to the side with his wings outstretched, couldn't help but cover his eyes and turn his head away, unable to bear to look any longer.

There was no need to light an incense stick; the entire battle was over in just ten breaths.

The man in black stood with his hands behind his back, as if nothing had happened; his black clothes were completely wrinkle-free.

Poor Zhao Wuji was lying on the ground, his head swollen all over, and his eyes had turned black.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he lay on the ground, panting heavily. The man in black spoke again, his voice still calm.

After giving them his instructions, a hint of tenderness appeared in his deep eyes behind the black mask.

After uttering his last words, he vanished in a flash. Zhao Wuji stood there, neither he nor Flander moving for a long time; he needed Flander's support to keep his balance.

Zhao Wuji complained, "Flander, you're so disloyal." Flander immediately retorted, "You're getting the benefit and still acting innocent. It was a Title Douluo's guidance. Besides, who told you to be so reckless during the day? If you had just let Mu Bai take the test, nothing would have happened, and you wouldn't have gotten this beating for no reason."

"Ouch...that really hurts. But this guy is truly strong, no wonder he killed the Pope of the Spirit Hall back then!"

"Boom!" Just as Zhao Wuji was speaking with a sigh, a loud explosion suddenly came from the calm night, and golden and silver light flashed rapidly in the distant plains.

Zhao Wuji was somewhat bewildered, and pointing in that direction, he said with a trembling hand, "Boss, this seems to be the direction that His Majesty Haotian left in. Shall we go and take a look?"

"If you're looking to die, don't drag me down with you. This is clearly a battle between Title Douluo-level experts. The Spirit Hall's power has been growing stronger in recent years, and they've been relentlessly pursuing that Lord. If we small fry dare to get involved in their affairs, we won't even know how we died." Fred rolled his eyes and continued, "Besides, have you forgotten what happened in Spirit City? If it weren't for Xiao Gang, we'd all be finished. I just received news today that the Cardinal of the Spirit Hall in Soto City is dead, and a big shot from Spirit City has personally come to Soto City to deal with some issues within the Barak Kingdom. I was just wondering..." "Why did Wuhun City suddenly launch an attack? Now that I think about it, maybe it's just a coincidence. Perhaps they're doing this because of that 'Your Majesty' who just arrived. The cardinal and the others were just incidental, just unlucky. Let's go back quickly and take care of the academy and students. If something really happens to that person, I'll send Tang San away. After all, he's Xiao Gang's disciple..." Fred and Zhao Wuji discussed it for a while, and then the two hurriedly returned to the academy. Zhao Wuji, with his bruised and swollen face, was quite conspicuous, but he didn't have the mind to explain too much at this moment. With that appearance, he left the academy with the teachers and students.

...Under the starry night, a phantom black figure darted through the mountains and forests. It was the black-clad man who had just beaten up Zhao Wuji and left Shrek Academy. As he stepped into a field of flowers, he suddenly stopped.

The wildflowers swaying in the distance have a hazy beauty under the full moonlight. A breeze blows by, and a faint fragrance of flowers lingers in the air. Under this beautiful moonlit night, a figure stands with his hands behind his back, as if he has been waiting for a long time.

"The night view is beautiful tonight. It is truly fate that we meet you at this time, wouldn't you say, Your Majesty Haotian?" The figure under the moonlight turned around. It was Yan, who had just dealt with various matters in Soto City. Now, he was bathed in silver moonlight, as if he had merged with the world, exuding a sense of unfathomable mystery.

"Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, I didn't expect you to discover me after all. Call the others out, or today will be your death day." As the man in black spoke, he raised his right hand, and a black light condensed in his palm, transforming into a huge artifact.

"It's been a long time since I've stretched my muscles. You should know that I've wanted to kill you for a long time." Nine spirit rings quietly appeared on his body.

Two yellow, two purple, four black, and finally, a touch of crimson. The nine spirit rings did not pulsate around him, but remained quietly stationary in different positions on the black-clad man's body, completely enveloping him.

Nine spirit rings were already an extremely terrifying existence, especially his last spirit ring. Previously, it had suppressed some dark light in front of Zhao Wuji and Fred, but now it fully released the blood light wave of a 100,000-year spirit ring, and its aura suddenly became incredibly terrifying.

"Tang Hao, I bet you can't kill me today. In fact, you'll be the one killed." Yan's aura suddenly changed, with a milky white holy radiance mixed between dark gold and bright silver. A strange suit of armor instantly covered his entire body, even his face, leaving no gaps.

As the battle armor covered his entire body, Yan's martial spirit was released. The silvery moonlight in the sky quickly gathered around him, and the pale black flames instantly spread throughout the entire flower field.

Just then, two figures suddenly appeared in the surrounding world. Amidst flashes of gold and silver light, Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo completed the release of their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and the Polar Stillness Domain was rapidly released and spread out.

"Hahaha, just a chrysanthemum, a little brat, and you dare to threaten my life? Kid, you're even more arrogant than Qian Xunji." A deep voice suddenly rang out, as if it exploded in the air.

The voice wasn't loud, but the domineering aura it contained made even Yan, who was enveloped in battle armor, tremble. Without a doubt, Tang Hao was the most domineering person Yan had ever seen in his life.

With a loud bang, the two polar still lights of Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo were actually forced back to a moment, while that person took advantage of the momentum to soar into the air, temporarily avoiding the domain's coverage.

During the fight, his black robe covering his entire body was torn apart, revealing his true appearance.

He wore a tattered robe, without even patches, revealing his bronze skin underneath.

His once fairly regular features were now covered with a sallow complexion, and he looked sleepy. His hair was a mess, like a bird's nest, and his beard looked like it hadn't been groomed in ages.

This is Tang Hao, a seemingly decadent old man who looks to be over fifty. In fact, since that battle twelve years ago, he has indeed been half-crippled and has not cultivated for a long time.

Even so, he still reached level 95, which shows how high his talent is.

"You've found me, which is quite an achievement, but you've underestimated my strength. You can't kill me with just this chrysanthemum and a little devil. Now that we've met, you'd better prepare to die." At this moment, in the flower-filled field, golden and silver light was rapidly gathering and enveloping everything in the sky, while endless black flames were spreading and rising rapidly below. Under this situation of being attacked from both above and below, Tang Hao revealed an incomparably domineering aura.

The seventh spirit ring shone brightly, and the huge black Clear Sky Hammer behind Tang Hao suddenly bloomed, with intense black light surging and surging. The huge Clear Sky Hammer spread out in the wind and actually became more than a hundred meters long.

The enormous hammerhead resembled a small mountain. This was the true form of the Haotian True Body, the true form of the number one weapon spirit in the world, and the most powerful, strongest, and most ferocious offensive weapon spirit in the Douluo Continent.

"Ding~~~" Red lines emerged from the massive Clear Sky Hammer. Following the seventh soul ring, Tang Hao's 100,000-year red soul ring suddenly lit up, and the black giant hammer instantly turned completely red.

Tang Hao understood, and the super giant hammer, hundreds of meters long, suddenly descended from the sky, ignoring the golden and silver light that was about to spread to his location, and smashed straight towards Yan, who was still standing on the ground.

He was willing to be trapped in the bipolar stillness domain in order to try to kill Yan, the Holy Son of the Spirit Hall, before that could happen. Naturally, this behavior made Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo extremely nervous.

As they were alarmed, the bipolar stillness domain, though not ceasing to spread and envelop them, did ripple slightly, slowing its pace for a moment.

"Don't worry about me, kill Tang Hao." Yan's sixth soul ring suddenly lit up, and in an instant, black flames rose. The light of the full moon in the sky seemed to be swallowed by a black hole and quickly gathered around Yan. Surrounded by black flames, a huge dragon-shaped mecha appeared on the spot, and its steel whip-like tail collided with the earth-shattering hammer with a whistling sound.

"Boom!" The sky collapsed and the earth cracked, the sun and moon lost their light, and the intense aftershocks swept across everything within a thousand feet.

The moment the enormous dragon tail collided with the hundred-foot-long giant hammer, the former was instantly sent flying, but the giant hammer was also slightly slowed down by the blow and unable to pursue.

At this moment, the golden and silver domains had already enveloped Tang Hao's surroundings, and in the next instant, they swallowed him up, completely enveloping him within the bipolar stillness domain.

"Success!" Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo couldn't help but show joy when they saw Tang Hao trapped in the Polar Stillness Domain. However, they were also worried about Yan's situation, and their eyes quickly scanned the area below, trying to observe Yan's condition.

Chapter 278 The Great Sumeru Hammer's Exploding Ring

"You two pieces of trash actually managed to break through to level 96 by sheer luck. You're really lucky. This set of Martial Soul Fusion Techniques does have some power, but trying to trap me is just wishful thinking." Outside Soto City, a great battle was breaking out. Tang Hao, amidst the siege of two Douluo, Yan and Gui Ju, made a fierce move. His hundred-foot Haotian True Body's hammer directly sent Yan's mecha flying, and he himself was frozen in place by the Polar Stillness Domain. However, he was not flustered in the face of this situation, and even continued to provoke.

"Tang Hao, you've got some serious nonsense to say." Just as Tang Hao finished speaking, Yan's voice rang out. Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo's faces immediately lit up with joy, while Tang Hao's face showed a hint of astonishment and disbelief.

He hadn't expected that his strongest attack wouldn't kill the Spirit Hall's Holy Son. He had used his seventh spirit skill, the True Body of the Spirit Weapon, and the 100,000-year spirit skill of his ninth spirit ring in succession, risking being pinned by the domain to directly hit the target. Even a Title Douluo shouldn't have been able to withstand that attack.

But the key point is that during the fight just now, a suit of armor appeared on the Spirit Hall's Holy Son in an instant, followed by a strange dragon-shaped skeleton-like object, which seemed to be a special soul guidance device. Could it be that the Spirit Hall discovered some powerful ancient soul guidance device?

Tang Hao's question was obviously unanswerable. Shortly after Yan's voice rang out, the earth shook again. The steel dragon mech that Tang Hao had struck and embedded itself in the ground vibrated and quickly flew up to attack Tang Hao in mid-air.

In the clash just now, after Yan realized Tang Hao's thoughts, he used himself as bait to clash with him head-on. It has to be said that the Haotian Hammer is known as the strongest offensive weapon in the world, and there is some truth to that. That fierce and powerful strike was something that even the divine weapon-level steel dragon could not withstand.

It should be noted that the Steel Dragon is a mecha, a mechanical device, and its explosive power is supposed to far exceed the limits of human beings. However, just now, in the head-on confrontation with Tang Hao, it was Yan who was knocked away.

It can only be said that the level difference between the two is too great, and he cannot unleash the true power of the Steel Dragon.

"Boy, I must admit your strength exceeded my expectations, but even with this strange soul tool, it's ultimately just external force. Besides, you're too arrogant, actually only bringing the two of them. The Polar Stillness Domain is strong, but it can't trap me." Boom! Blood-red flames instantly surged, and all nine soul rings on Tang Hao's body lit up in an instant. The orderly arrangement of yellow, purple, black, and red soul lights disappeared at this moment, leaving only a blood-red hue.

At this moment, all nine spirit rings of his Clear Sky Hammer appeared with a blood-red color, and his body and martial spirit also appeared with the same color.

"Oh? Exploding Ring? I remember you should have some hidden injuries! If you use Exploding Ring again, aren't you afraid of losing your life in the middle of the fight?" Yan's voice came from the rapidly approaching steel dragon. Tang Hao, who was preparing to fight against the bipolar stillness domain, was quite surprised. He did not expect that this opponent knew him so well. Then he quickly gathered his mind and unleashed his power, intending to break free before the latter arrived.

"Boom!" Just as Tang Hao used his blood-red soul light to create a defense within the static domain of gold and silver light, the steel dragon that was rushing towards him suddenly opened its mouth, and an elemental sphere mixed with various magical element fluctuations rushed towards him.

The Steel Dragon is a mecha modeled after the sacred dragon Noxi, a level ten divine beast of the Qin Emperor universe. Although smaller than most dragons, its massive body still far surpasses that of humans, and the elemental bullets it spews are larger than those of a human.

"Boom boom boom boom..." Four loud sounds erupted from Tang Hao's body in succession. A burst of blood mist erupted from his body, making him look extremely ferocious. However, the outbreak of his internal injuries did not affect his fighting spirit at all. He activated his blood-colored soul light to restore his mobility and raised the Haotian Hammer to prepare for a head-on confrontation.

Intense crimson flames enveloped Tang Hao's body. Without using any soul skills, blood mist erupted from Tang Hao's body, and he temporarily broke free from the shackles of the light of the Polar Stillness Domain. Instead of fleeing backward, he charged forward like an arrow.

Tang Hao, who had only rushed less than three meters, collided with the elemental bullet shot out from the mouth of the steel dragon. Faced with this attack with enormous energy, he simply swung his hammer and fought back, using the purest form of attack to confront this terrifying light bullet.

"Bang!" Tang Hao's movements and reactions were incredibly fast. Just as the elemental bullet was about to hit him, his right hand, the Clear Sky Hammer, was swung out almost instantly. His entire body was covered in blood-red flames, which transformed his incomparably red Clear Sky Hammer into a hellish Asura Hammer, unleashing tremendous power.

This seemingly simple and direct hammer blow instantly shattered the incoming elemental bullet, and at the same time, it extinguished the golden and silver soul light in the air.

With a loud bang in the air, Tang Hao used the recoil from the collision to quickly retreat, breaking free from the golden and silver light of the polar stillness domain.

When Yan arrived at Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo's side on his steel dragon, Tang Hao, who had crashed to the ground and created several large craters, finally stopped after releasing his energy several times, and his aura became incredibly intense.

At this moment, Tang Hao was covered in blood, with hidden wounds bursting all over his body. If he had been in good health before, he would not have been injured when he unleashed that attack.