Chapter Forty-Eight: Regret for Past Choices

In the forest at sunset, high above the canopy, lightning flashed and thunder roared as winds howled and clouds surged. A gigantic dragon, nearly fifty meters long, wreathed in crackling electricity, twisted and soared through the sky, its razor-sharp claws lashing out with relentless force.

Facing the dragon was a lion radiating golden light, standing several meters tall. Confronted with those claws, which seemed bent on rending everything apart, the lion did not flinch, but instead met the onslaught with an even more unyielding ferocity.

Dragon and lion clashed, dazzling streaks of purple and gold illuminating the air, as countless spheres of interwoven light burst forth from their point of contact only to vanish swiftly. Each collision sent ripples of soul power surging outward, making the very heavens and earth tremble.

Directly below this fierce battle between two level ninety-five Super Douluos, Dugu Bo, transformed into the Emerald Serpent Emperor, descended upon Meng Shenji, Bai Baoshan, and Zhi Lin—three powerful Soul Douluos. For more than a decade, the three deans of the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had worked side by side, their cooperation seamless. The moment Dugu Bo attacked, the trio fell into formation. Bai Baoshan, the Starfurnace Soul Douluo, and Zhi Lin, the Skyvine Soul Douluo, flanked Meng Shenji, each releasing their formidable auras to resist the oppressive might radiating from Dugu Bo, the Title Douluo.

"Martial Spirit Possession!"

Three voices spoke as one.

As their words fell, Meng Shenji’s body turned ethereal in an instant, becoming a shadowy blur, thick black mist rising from his feet as two yellow, three purple, and three black soul rings blazed into being. In Bai Baoshan’s palm appeared a gleaming golden cauldron, adorned with seven silver stars emitting brilliant light. As soul rings of equal quality shimmered around him, a dense and solid aura enveloped his form. Only a single sky-blue vine manifested on Zhi Lin, yet it shone with a jade-like luster, and a faint azure energy spread from him, enveloping his body.

All three were renowned experts of the continent, and Dugu Bo dared not underestimate them. Seizing the initiative, the Emerald Serpent Emperor spat a cloud of green venom, tongue flickering.

"Careful!"

Dugu Bo’s poison was infamous for its city-destroying lethality—it was no idle threat. Among the three, Bai Baoshan was the defensive specialist, but his Starfurnace could only guard against physical or energy attacks; it was helpless against toxins that spread through the air.

It was Zhi Lin who could best counter the poison; his Skyvine Martial Spirit possessed life-giving properties that could greatly neutralize Dugu Bo’s venom. His green vines surged forth, weaving a thick wall of thorns that whipped and danced, warding off the serpent’s toxic assault.

At the same time, Yang Wudi joined the fray, Soulbreaking Spear in hand, confronting two other enforcers of the imperial house. With the pitch-black spear, Yang Wudi entered a state of utter selflessness; all emotion vanished, and his spirit, energy, and will were poured entirely into the weapon. In that moment, he and the spear were one.

With a thunderous shout, Yang Wudi’s spear lashed out like lightning—each thrust brimming with murderous intent, each strike never pausing, unstoppable and unrelenting.

The two imperial enforcers, long accustomed to comfort and leisure, had never faced such a reckless and overwhelming fighting style. Despite their numerical advantage, they were utterly outmatched, unable to mount any effective resistance.

“We must assist the clan chief!” declared Yu Yuanqing, the Grand Elder of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, after surveying the three battlefields and making a quick decision. The Soul Douluos of the imperial house were unfamiliar allies; joining their ranks might disrupt their formation and prove counterproductive. It was wiser to aid their own clan chief, whom they understood far better.

Yu Yuanhao and Yu Xiaoxin nodded in agreement and prepared to rush towards Yu Yuanzhen and Aiolia.

But before they took more than a few steps, a sharp, numbing pain surged through their bodies, and all three staggered, dropping to one knee.

“My apologies, but my old friend is savoring the thrill of battle right now, and I can’t let you spoil it. Instead, why don’t you keep me company for a few moves?” A mocking voice rang by their ears. They looked up to see, not far away, a blue-haired man standing there without their notice.

It was Milo, who had unleashed his fifth soul skill—Restraining Psychic Wave—a wide-area psionic attack. Those caught by it were instantly paralyzed, their bodies wracked by a scorpion’s sting and their minds overwhelmed by terror.

Another Title Douluo!

The three felt their hearts sink. To immobilize three Soul Douluos without even activating his martial spirit, this man could only be a Title Douluo.

“Yuanhao, Xiaoxin, fight him with everything we have!” Yu Yuanqing roared, activating his Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial spirit and unleashing his true form. Despite the power of Milo’s fifth soul skill, the blue dragons were renowned for their tough hides and resilience. With a sudden burst of strength, Yu Yuanqing broke free from the psychic wave. Inspired, Yu Yuanhao and Yu Xiaoxin followed suit, bursting out of their restraints with the aid of their true forms.

Three thunder dragons, each over thirty meters long, charged at Milo with reckless abandon.

“Fools,” Milo sneered. His martial spirit possessed him, and a golden scorpion, radiant with light, appeared before the three dragons. Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red soul ring emanated an overwhelming force that cowed the dragons instantly.

A hundred-thousand-year soul ring—yet another Title Douluo endowed with a soul ring of such age.

All three now felt one emotion: regret—boundless, suffocating regret. How had they provoked such a terrifying foe?

Their will broken, Milo dispatched them with ease. In less than half a minute, his scarlet venomous stingers left all three writhing helplessly on the ground, incapacitated by agony.

Next, victory was decided on Yang Wudi’s front. Under the ferocious assault of the Soulbreaking Spear, the two pampered enforcers were each struck down, losing all strength to fight.

On Dugu Bo’s side, the battle was far more arduous. Unlike their imperial counterparts, Meng Shenji and the other two had never slackened in their cultivation, constantly inspired by the young geniuses they guided. Their unyielding effort forced Dugu Bo to reveal his trump card—a soulbone ability: Medusa’s Gaze.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack from the Emerald Serpent Emperor’s soulbone, the trio fell. Half their bodies were turned to stone, leaving them utterly immobilized.