Chapter 263: The Fall of the Leader and Preparations for War
Facing Mu Qingxue, Zhongli Wu had initially intended to resist. After all, both of them possessed a soul ring configuration of six black and three red, and they were both at level 98 soul power. He thought that even if he couldn't defeat Mu Qingxue, with the power of the Death God Demon Puppet, he should at least survive and find a way to escape. With his strength, Zhongli Wu believed he could eventually tear open the fabric of this undead half plane and flee.
But he overestimated himself.
Though Mu Qingxue had the same number and color of soul rings, the moment she activated her Twelve-Winged Seraphim form, her soul power surged to level 99. The sheer divine pressure of the Seraphim's light—especially its suppression over evil soul masters—completely overwhelmed Zhongli Wu. He had never anticipated the degree of innate countering power between their spirits.
His grand plan of retreating with severe injuries and then returning with Long Xiaoyao to eliminate Xiao Qiang never had a chance to materialize.
The moment Mu Qingxue condensed her angelic domain into a singular point and released its might, Zhongli Wu's martial soul—the Death God Demon Puppet—was instantaneously purified. His body disintegrated along with it.
Moments later, the Angelic Holy Flame incinerated Zhongli Wu to ashes. Only a massive bone dragon and six top-tier soul bones remained, silent witnesses to the fact that the infamous leader of the Holy Spirit Church had once existed.
"The soul bones of evil soul masters aren't suitable for you. Use these instead."
Xiao Qiang casually stored Zhongli Wu's six soul bones, then took out three hundred-thousand-year soul bones and handed them to Mu Qingxue.
She didn't hesitate. Without Xiao Qiang's orchestration, she wouldn't have had the chance to gain this much power. Moreover, the soul bones he offered were exactly the pieces she needed—arms and head bones, completing her set.
Receiving the soul bones, Mu Qingxue couldn't help but sigh. "Ten thousand years ago, when the Spirit Hall still existed, the Angel Spirit possessed six 99,999-year soul bones. They were called the Angel God Armor. Now, the Angel God Armor is gone, but the bones I hold today… they surpass even that."
The 100,000-year Fiery Apricot Creation Trunk Bone, the two leg bones Shrek had given her as compensation, the 100,000-year six-winged external bone from before, now returned, and the three new bones Xiao Qiang gave her—seven hundred-thousand-year soul bones in total. In terms of quality and completeness, she now stood far beyond her predecessors.
Seeing her complete set, Mu Qingxue even began to believe she might one day inherit the Angel God's position.
"First, absorb the energy from Zhongli Wu's death, then fuse the soul bones. After purifying the bone dragon, aim for the limit Douluo realm. And before that…"
Xiao Qiang raised the Silver Dragon Staff and teleported both of them into a new space. Then, he summoned Xiao Sheng.
"Brother!"
"Ah Sheng, after Mu Qingxue purifies the bone dragon, it's yours to absorb. Your martial soul is the Bone Dragon—it's the perfect match. Use it as your ninth soul ring and trunk bone."
Over the past year, Xiao Sheng had formed his soul core and advanced rapidly. His eighth ring had been replaced with Zi Ji's Dragon Pill—an orange-gold ring that provided two top-tier soul skills and pushed him from level 80 to level 87 instantly. Now, he was at level 89. As soon as he refined his trunk bone and formed a second soul core, he would break into the Titled Douluo realm.
With the now-refined technique of fusing bones before rings, Xiao Sheng was well-prepared. Xiao Qiang no longer needed to worry.
"When you and the teacher finish your breakthroughs, we'll officially move against the Holy Spirit Church. Until then, go into seclusion. I'll stabilize things here, disguised as Zhongli Wu. With the Angel Spirit gone, there's no direct conflict between the Soul Palace and the Church. I'll mediate between the factions until you're ready."
Both Mu Qingxue and Xiao Sheng nodded in understanding. Mu Qingxue's breakthrough to level 99 was inevitable. Xiao Sheng, while slightly behind, would reach level 95 easily—and with his complete set of soul bones and the Bone Dragon as his soul spirit, his real combat power would rival many level 98s.
With Xiao Qiang, the Snow Empress, and the Worship Hall of the Sun-Moon Empire on their side, even open war with both Shrek and the Holy Spirit Church would be survivable—perhaps even winnable.
And when Jing Hongchen emerged from his own retreat, the conflict would tip toward a crushing victory. Even combined, their enemies would stand no chance.
"I'll start purifying the Bone Dragon now."
Mu Qingxue was about to begin, but Xiao Qiang stopped her.
"Wait. Take this—it'll help when you condense your second soul core."
He handed her a storage-type soul tool.
"What's inside?"
"All the protective Immortal Beans I currently possess. They'll safeguard your meridians, enhance your physique, and improve your chances during the fusion of dual complementary soul cores."
"Huh?" Mu Qingxue blinked. "There's something like this in the Sun-Moon Empire? Why have I never heard of it?"
"There wasn't—until now. This is actually Uncle Bai's eighth soul skill."
"Uncle Bai? The guy with two innate ranks? Since when is he a Soul Douluo?"
A little over a year ago, Bai Qingshan had reached level 60. With a 100,000-year soul ring, his four prior rings instantly evolved to 10,000 years. His soul power shot to level 67. The 100,000-year ring compensated for his poor innate talent, allowing him to reach level 70 within a year. His second 100,000-year soul ring pushed him to level 75.
From there, he used additional resources, including the replicated soul skill from a 20,000-year Mirror Beast skull bone, to reach level 80 and absorb his eighth ring.
"It happened recently, but that's not the important part. What matters is that the beans are useful to you."
"I understand." Mu Qingxue nodded. Bai Qingshan's martial soul—a single innate bean—wasn't impressive, but a 100,000-year soul skill could redefine its worth.
Just as the Blue Silver Grass evolved into the Blue Silver Sky Dragon with astonishing power, the same could be true here. Even the weakest martial soul, when bolstered with the right soul rings, could shine.
After Mu Qingxue and Xiao Sheng finished their preparations, Xiao Qiang, in the guise of Zhongli Wu, began stabilizing the Holy Spirit Church alongside Feng Ling.
Time passed, and finally, the day arrived—the All-Continental High-Level Soul Master Tournament was about to begin.