Chapter 298: The Final Stand of Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui
Long Xiaoyao burned both his soul power and spiritual power simultaneously, gaining temporary but immense strength. In this critical situation, Xue Di could still barely manage to hold on. However, the real threat was Ye Xishui—she was a lunatic. If she decided to die together with Long Xiaoyao in a mutual destruction tactic, Xue Di might survive it, but Mu Qingxue likely wouldn't.
After careful consideration, Xiao Qiang realized he had no choice but to explode a soul ring. But this time, it was different from when he prepared to fight the Killing God Douluo. That time, there had been no preparation for close combat. Now, if a powerful auxiliary-type Soul Master was available—someone who could significantly boost his physical defenses—then the backlash from the ring explosion might be minimized.
Bai Qingshan's eighth soul ring lit up. As he activated the soul skill, Xiao Qiang's protective fairy beans—enhancing his physical body—were restored.
"Are there any more auxiliary systems?" Xiao Qiang asked.
A beautiful woman in Soul Palace robes stepped forward. "My Seven-Colored Gem ability can increase both soul and physical defense. Currently, the defense enhancement is at 70%."
"Thank you. Just focus on defense."
After confirming no other suitable support-type Soul Masters were available, Xiao Qiang soared into the sky, standing opposite Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui.
"You shouldn't be here. This isn't a battlefield you can enter," Xue Di and Mu Qingxue warned as they shielded Xiao Qiang behind them.
Xiao Qiang then used spiritual sharing to establish a mental link with Long Xiaoyao and Ye Xishui.
"Senior Long, Senior Ye… there's no need for us to fight to the death. Your lifespans are destined to be shorter than ours. As long as Senior Ye promises to abandon her evil soul master practices, both of you can leave in peace. We can stay out of each other's way in the future."
Ye Xishui snorted coldly. "You killed my son and destroyed the entire Holy Spirit Church. Don't you think it's a little too late to ask for peace now?"
"Senior Ye, even regarding the Holy Spirit Church, you're also a victim, aren't you? Otherwise, why would Senior Long always insist on protecting you?"
Ye Xishui remained silent. As someone who once passed down skills to the protagonist in the original tale, she was painted in a somewhat positive light—though this conflicted with her role as the Supreme Leader of the Holy Spirit Church. But within Tang Jia San Shao's world, such contradictions were not uncommon.
Compared to characters like Bai Xiuxiu—the Demon Soul Great White Shark who eats her own kind yet laments eating soul beast meat after becoming human—or Xiao Wu, whose complicated reproductive implications stretch across 100,000 years, Ye Xishui's character disconnect was easier to digest.
"Senior Long, the Holy Spirit Church is gone. No one's left to restrict Senior Ye anymore. You two can walk away and enjoy what little time remains. Why insist on making this difficult for all of us?"
Ye Xishui's eyes were filled with hatred. "The Zhongli Wu you killed was my son!"
"True, I killed your son. But you still have Yan Shaozhe. You could treat him as your own son."
Ye Xishui's expression shifted dramatically. "What do you know about Yan Shaozhe?!"
"I know enough," Xiao Qiang said calmly. "I promise I won't touch Yan Shaozhe. He can die of natural causes. He's not essential to Mu Qingxue's growth and isn't an evil soul master. Besides, his strength caps at level 98. There's no need to kill him."
Ye Xishui processed Xiao Qiang's words. But it was Long Xiaoyao who looked utterly confused.
"Xishui… what's going on with Yan Shaozhe?" he asked.
"You and I once had a child. My second martial spirit is the Bright Phoenix. That child inherited it. He was adopted by a family with the surname Yan."
"Wait… you're saying Yan Shaozhe is…?"
"Given his age, he should be either our grandson or great-grandson," Ye Xishui admitted.
"I still have descendants?" Long Xiaoyao's voice trembled with emotion. He had believed he'd die alone, but now, he realized that his bloodline still lived on—through someone who was both his and Ye Xishui's descendant. How could he not be moved?
"Yes." Ye Xishui's response was short—and then she began burning her spiritual and soul power.
"Xishui, what are you doing?!" Long Xiaoyao panicked. He had ignited his cultivation and spiritual power to protect Ye Xishui—if she also sacrificed herself, what was the point?
"The hatred between the Soul Palace and Shrek can never be resolved. If we walk away today, we won't have the strength to take them down later. Do you really believe they'll spare Shrek's people?"
Long Xiaoyao was silent. This was his first encounter with Xiao Qiang. Although he had heard rumors about Xiao Qiang, he hadn't heard anything concrete—neither good nor bad. When facing someone you don't understand, and with death approaching, the instinct to drag the enemy into a mutual grave became too strong to resist.
"I'm sorry. If things were different, I wouldn't bully the young or the weak. But Xishui's time is nearly up… I don't care about right or wrong anymore."
"Some things just can't be resolved peacefully," Xiao Qiang replied, raising the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment. "I'm going to use a full-force attack. I wonder…"
Before Xiao Qiang could finish, just as he was about to detonate his soul ring to channel the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment into annihilation mode, a massive spatial rift tore open above them.
From it flew a colossal bone dragon, stretching hundreds of meters in length. Surrounding it were nine soul rings—three pitch-black, two blood-red, and four in brilliant orange-gold. Each one was a top-tier ten-thousand-year ring.
"This… this is the Bone Dragon!" exclaimed Ning Fengyun, the current leader of the Nine Treasures Glazed Sect. Though others might not recognize it, he certainly did. That soul skill once belonged to Bone Douluo—one of the legendary elders of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect ten thousand years ago.
"It seems we don't need to fight so desperately anymore."
Xiao Qiang lowered the Heavenly Fire Sacred Judgment. That enormous bone dragon was none other than his younger brother—Xiao Sheng, a Level 98 defense-type Titled Douluo. With mastery over spatial power and a Yin-Yang complementary dual soul core, Xiao Sheng's defense was more than enough to withstand even the desperate final strike of an Extreme Douluo.