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Just as Ghost was about to strike, countless black-clad death warriors and armored soldiers arrived in time, forming a protective barrier around Yang Wudi.
"President Yang, are you hurt?"
"President Yang, please retreat—leave this to us!"
"I'm fine!" Yang Wudi shook his head, pointed at Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo, and bellowed, "They are the Spirit Hall's Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo—seize them!"
Yang Wudi recognized Ghost immediately, and by his side stood Chrysanthemum Douluo—the inseparable duo.
"A Titled Douluo?" the captain of the death warriors exclaimed. As a soul master himself, he knew exactly who these two were. Yet as a death warrior, he felt no fear. Silently, he lit a signal firework—its crimson flare shot into the sky and burst into glowing sparks.
This was the Star Luo Empire's highest alarm: at the sight of these colored fireworks, every Imperial Guard unit in the city would rush to defend. Five colors corresponded to beast-bead grades and soul-master ranks: white, yellow, purple, dark purple (for lack of black), and red. Red signified the invasion of Soul Douluo or Titled Douluo.
As red sparks continued to bloom above the Alchemist Association, more and more troops hastened to the rescue.
Hearing the approaching cavalry's thunderous gallop and the horses' neighs, Yang Wudi smiled and roared, "Ghost Douluo! Chrysanthemum Douluo! You've nowhere left to run—surrender at once!"
Chrysanthemum Douluo clenched his teeth against the pain in his legs, leaped into the air, and taunted in his effeminate drawl, "'Surrender'? Who do you think you are? We'll see who's left standing after today! Qi Rong Tongtian Ju!"
As he spoke, nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—floated around him.
"Titled Douluo…" Many of the armored soldiers gulped and broke into a cold sweat. They dared not move, terrified of dying from a single blow.
But the death warriors were undeterred. "Brothers!" their captain shouted. "Don't be afraid! The fireworks have sounded—His Majesty's forces are on their way! Now's our chance to win honor!"
"Are we men or mere titles?" another cried. "For the Empire—charge!"
With a roar, the death warriors drew swords and led the charge. Watching them plunge forward, the armored infantry followed suit, recklessly throwing themselves at Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo. Fueled by adrenaline, they became fearless.
"Fifth Soul Skill: Shadow Abyssal Clutch!" Ghost snarled, and spectral black hands erupted from his martial soul, sweeping across the oncoming soldiers.
"Sixth Soul Skill: Flowering Golden Radiance!" Chrysanthemum Douluo unleashed shimmering golden beams. The light lanced through armor and flesh, and the phantom hands crushed bones—but still the soldiers pressed on.
A few death warriors flanked Ghost and lunged with a twin-blade strike—but a razor-sharp throwing knife flew from Ghost's other hand, severing their necks before the detonator on their belts could even ignite.
"Seventh Soul Skill: Frigid Blossom Convergence!"
By now, the corridor was littered with bodies.
"Brothers, cover President Yang's retreat!" the death-warrior captain bellowed. With their armored commander fallen, he was the highest-ranking survivor. At his command, most fighters began to pull back.
Yet the captain himself stayed behind. Clutching a torch in one hand and a cask of strong wine in the other—wine he bought illicitly since death warriors were forbidden alcohol—he charged toward Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo and flung the cask at them.
"Heh, utterly foolish," Chrysanthemum Douluo sneered. "You think a jug of wine can kill us?"
In that instant, Ghost deftly manipulated a throwing knife to shatter the cask in midair—and the same knife pierced the death-warrior captain's chest.
…
The wine cask shattered, its contents—fiery liquor—spilled across the floor, mingling with blood and staining the stone a deep crimson. The death-warrior captain's body sagged and fell.
The torch, dropped in that instant, ignited the spilled liquor—and the dozens of black-clad death warriors' bodies rigged with hundreds of pounds of explosive—setting off a chain of massive detonations.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Hundreds of pounds of high-grade explosives erupted in rapid succession, the thunderous blasts roaring skyward as a wall of flame swept over Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo. The entire Alchemist Association was consumed by fire—and only the most vital artifacts, secured within Yang Wudi's soul-guided device, remained unscathed.
"Cough… cough…!"
Through the inferno, a dark figure burst forth—it was Ghost. He'd sensed something amiss when the captain hurled the cask, but before he could warn Chrysanthemum Douluo, the torch had already ignited the explosives. Ghost had just enough time to channel his soul power into a protective barrier against the blast.
Chrysanthemum Douluo was less fortunate. Despite Ghost's shield, the shockwaves and flames inflicted grievous wounds: his clothes torn and his pale skin scarred.
And standing before them now were tens of thousands of Star Luo imperial cavalry!
"Since you've come all this way, let me—and my wife—extend our hospitality," a deep voice rumbled.
A colossal, ghostly white tiger appeared before them: the fused form of Dai Tianxing and Zhu Lingyun.
"You… Dai Tianxing? You two have become Titled Douluo?" Ghost's eyes widened in shock. The tiger's aura rivaled a level-98 Super Douluo—proof that their fused soul skill had elevated them beyond ordinary Titled Douluo.
"Ghost Douluo, your eyes do not deceive you," Dai Tianxing purred. "Since you're here, why leave so soon?"
"Cough… Ghost, you're faster—go!" Chrysanthemum Douluo gasped. "Tell His Holiness the Pope what's happened—and send help!"
With that, he leapt forward to cover Ghost's retreat, unleashing his Ninth Soul Skill.
"Ninth Soul Skill: Withered Chrysanthemum, Scattered Sorrow, Petals Fall, Hearts Shatter!"
In an instant, countless throwing knives spiraled into a draconic storm, lashing toward Dai Tianxing and the mounted cavalry.
"Chrysanthemum Douluo!"
"Ghost, run! Get word to His Holiness!"
Ghost's resolve hardened. With a single bound, he vanished—gone before the cavalry could react.
Dai Tianxing and Zhu Lingyun's white-tiger form intercepted the blade-storm, their combined soul power repelling the storm. But Chrysanthemum Douluo, grievously wounded, was overwhelmed.
(End of Chapter)