The realization struck like lightning...
Tang Sui's heart jolted. Mid-air, she spun around, rapidly assessing the strengths of the three Soul Saints and charging towards the one with slightly weaker spirit energy.
Four masks whizzed down, but the Soul Saint, renowned for his defense, infused his spirit energy into the externalized True Body of his martial soul, blasting the fox masks away.
She picked the wrong target!
Tang Sui gritted her teeth, enduring the blow.
Her arm instantly split open, blood gushing forth.
At the cost of a severely injured hand, Tang Sui gained a brief moment of respite. She controlled the masks and lunged towards another Soul Saint wielding a long staff martial soul.
This time, it had to be right.
"...Why? Why do you go this far for them?"
The system's voice, laced with suppression, sounded out, as if enduring something, clearly not in a good state.
"You must understand, this is the destined fate of Tang San and Xiao Wu. To alter destiny is to defy the heavens... Have you considered the repercussions you might face from such defiance?"
Tang Sui gasped for air, narrowly dodging a staff strike from another Soul Saint. She tossed a mask, forcing the opponent to defend, sending him flying back several meters. Seizing the opening, she tapped her toes and made a dash for the "exit."
'Because... they are all my elder brothers and sisters...'
Darkness was not terrifying. On the contrary, for her, enduring it was easy.
But this was before she had ever seen the light.
Once one has seen the light, they can no longer bear the barren, silent darkness...
Tang Sui's deep blue eyes fixed on her escape route, her steps growing faster.
Just as she was about to disappear into the dense forest again, a powerful palm strike met her head-on, "Boom," hitting squarely and sending her flying. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Cough—"
A cloud of thick blood mist scattered like stars from mid-air onto the ground covered with disarrayed footprints.
An aged voice echoed from the woods, carrying a chill that made Tang Sui's heart plummet into an icy abyss—
"Elder Ghost, Elder Ju, it seems we've arrived just in time."
This voice, imbued with soul pressure, caused Yan and the others' expressions to change instantly.
Looking up, upon seeing the two red-robed cardinals with the strength of five Soul Saints, Yue Guan's solemn expression vanished, replaced by a glint of joy: "Sado, you've arrived at the perfect moment!"
"Old Ghost, Chrysanthemum, haven't seen you in a while, and you can't even handle a mere little Soul Emperor?"
A voice, laced with a hint of casual amusement, came from another direction.
Tang Sui forced herself to stand, her gaze landing on the middle-aged man in red robes and golden armor, around whom nine conspicuous soul rings glowed. Her heart sank.
Another Titled Douluo!
This was a far cry from the two Douluos she had anticipated.
Was this also... fate's correction?
Tang Sui's vision began to blur.
"Qian Jun, you've come too."
Yue Guan nodded hoarsely to the newcomer, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Titled Qian Jun, a Douluo Hall Enshrined at level 93, Qian Jun Douluo swept his gaze over Tang Sui, who was already at her wit's end. He moved, and his entire form drifted out, reaching Tang Sui in an instant.
What...
As the world spun, Tang Sui hadn't even registered what was happening before explosive pain erupted from her scalp. The next second, a potent smell of earth filled her nostrils.
"Bang—!"
The Titled Douluo's five fingers formed a claw, directly pressing Tang Sui's head down. Her forehead slammed hard into the ground amidst shattered stones and mud, the muffled thud of bone impacting the hard earth audible through flesh and skin.
"Nngh!"
The pain sent Tang Sui's vision blacking out. Physiological tears welled up, and her eyes and ears felt like sparks were flying in all directions, a blur of black and red.
"Dispel your domain now, hand over that spirit beast, and I'll spare your life!" Qian Jun Douluo grabbed Tang Sui by her hair, tearing at her scalp, and pulled her up from the ground, dragging her into the air. He lowered his head, his hoarse, cold voice mixed with soul power, entering Tang Sui's buzzing ears.
Blood mixed with mud, a dark red quickly soaking Tang Sui's face. It was impossible to tell from which wound the blood was flowing.
The pull caused Tang Sui to gasp in pain. The wind whistling past her forehead felt like searing knives scraping flesh, leaving her hand, limp at her side, uncontrollably spasming with each breath.
"It seems you haven't suffered enough."
Although Tang Sui didn't speak, Qian Jun Douluo saw her resolve to protect through her eyes. A cold smile tugged at his lips, and he exerted force, slamming Tang Sui's head against the ground again!
"Bang bang bang!"
The excessive, violent impact made Tang Sui lose her vision, her hearing blurred for several seconds, and her consciousness was almost severed, on the verge of collapsing and dispelling the domain.
Pain mixed with a strong metallic taste spread across her tongue.
Tang Sui, maintaining a sliver of consciousness, exhaled a shaky breath. As she was pulled up again by her scalp, numbly, her gaze met the icy killing intent in the other's eyes.
"Not bad willpower. If His Majesty the Pope hadn't said to keep you alive and nurture you, you'd be dead by now!" Qian Jun Douluo sneered, lifting the half-dead Tang Sui and walking towards Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
"Since this little girl refuses to dispel her domain, we'll just take her back directly. That way, not only that soft-boned rabbit, but the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Blue Bull Python won't escape either."
He said in a hoarse voice, a hint of pleasure in his tone.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged glances, understanding Qian Jun Douluo's intent, and nodded in agreement.
Right, they could capture Tang Sui directly.
This way, regardless of whether she dispelled her domain or not, they would win.
Yan's face also broke into a cruel smile: "Buy one get four free, this deal is guaranteed not to lose money!"
It took Tang Sui a few seconds to hear Qian Jun Douluo's words and understand his meaning. Her blood-dripping fingertips trembled; she wanted to dispel her domain, but ultimately did not.
It was too late to dispel it now.
Facing Yue Guan and Gui Mei, who could likely still use their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and a Titled Douluo in his prime against their depleted forces, there was no need to guess the outcome.
The system remained silent, and the fox masks were also unusually quiet.
An uneasy stillness spread, punctuated by the occasional earth-shattering tremors within the domain.
Deep within the domain, Tang San finally opened his eyes and met Xiao Wu's tear-filled gaze. "Xiao San, you're finally awake. Sui Sui..."
"I know." Tang San interrupted Xiao Wu with a deep voice.
Although he was meditating, he was not completely immersed. He had diverted a portion of his consciousness to remain alert to the situation outside.
Thanks to Tang Sui's second spirit ability, his spirit power had stabilized at fifty percent. Although his mental strength had been considerably depleted, he was not entirely without the power to fight.
However, the current problem was—
"Tang Sui hasn't opened her domain," the Sky Blue Bull Python said heavily. "I can feel that this domain is on the verge of collapse, yet it's holding on by a thread. It would be easy for us to get out by attacking the walls, but in doing so, the domain's owner would suffer severe backlash again. Tang San, Tang Sui is your sister. You make this choice."
To fight, or to continue waiting.