Chapter 239: Mutual Injuries

At this moment, Qian Daoliu seemed to become exceptionally sacred: "Young friend, although you are only at Rank 98 now, you are not even weaker than a Rank 99 Limit Douluo. With your strength, you are likely no weaker than Tang Chen of the Clear Sky Sect back in the day. Truly a pity."

Yang Podi slightly shook his head: "Senior overpraises me. I am just a junior and dare not compare myself with you."

Qian Daoliu's demeanor turned even more solemn: "The sky is my domain. As long as I am under the sun, my soul power will be endless. Young friend, your wings may allow you to approach my speed, but they cannot compete with the power of the sun."

Yang Podi calmly replied: "Senior, you are too confident. Even the sun can be shot down."

As soon as his words fell, the light on Qian Daoliu's body became even brighter, carrying an infinite fiery aura. Clearly, this was the Solar Flame, and with Qian Daoliu's strength, he could already harness the power of the sun.

Yang Podi merely let out a cold laugh. Black light also emerged from his body—this was none other than his Gravity Domain.

At this moment, Yang Podi simultaneously unleashed his Breaking Soul Domain and Gravity Domain, directly clashing with the overwhelming flames. The entire sky seemed to tremble.

Yang Podi became even more ferocious. With a flash of his figure, he quickly appeared in front of Qian Daoliu.

The tip of the Breaking Soul Spear seemed to carry infinite destructive power as it once again thrust toward Qian Daoliu. However, Qian Daoliu's strength and speed were even more formidable than before. His Angelic Divine Sword also seemed much sharper.

In the sky, the two moved swiftly. The Breaking Soul Spear and Angelic Divine Sword seemed to have collided countless times. Occasionally, they used soul skills, but neither could truly injure the other.

The battle lasted for half an hour. Both Qian Daoliu and Yang Podi had consumed a significant amount of energy, and they both bore numerous wounds.

Surprisingly, although Qian Daoliu relied on the powerful recovery abilities of his Angel Spirit or the divine power of the Angelic God to heal himself, Yang Podi's recovery was in no way inferior.

This astonished Qian Daoliu. He had fought Tang Chen and Bo Saixi before, but even they did not possess such incredible recovery capabilities. It was almost beyond his imagination, especially since Yang Podi's soul power seemed inexhaustible. Despite the prolonged battle, there was hardly any change in his energy levels.

What Qian Daoliu did not know was that after Yang Podi's golden-level awakening of his full-body martial soul, coupled with the absorption of the 100,000-year Blue Silver Emperor's wood-attributed spirit ring, his physical recovery ability had reached unimaginable levels. Furthermore, Yang Podi possessed Yin-Yang Balanced Twin Soul Cores, making his soul power recovery rate no less than Qian Daoliu's. In fact, throughout the battle, Yang Podi had not even used his full-body martial soul, effectively fighting with only half his strength.

Qian Daoliu grew increasingly solemn. The six-winged angel behind him became incomparably enormous, even enveloping the entire sky. The enormous black-and-white holy sword it wielded descended, seemingly imbued with a unique rule-based power.

This was Qian Daoliu's special six-winged angel ability: Angel's Judgment.

Yang Podi felt as if he were standing on a trial platform, with an aura that made him feel vulnerable, as if at the mercy of others.

Gritting his teeth, Yang Podi activated his eighth red spirit ring. The Breaking Soul Spear grew tremendously in size, turning entirely golden as it shot toward the Angelic Divine Sword, as if it could pierce through all things.

This was Yang Podi's eighth soul skill: Earth Behemoth Break. At the moment when the massive six-winged angel and the gigantic black-and-white holy sword descended, the Breaking Soul Spear transformed into a golden Earth Behemoth, roaring with a deafening sound that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart.

As the black-and-white holy sword descended, it clashed with the gigantic Earth Behemoth. The entire void seemed to shatter, and ultimately, everything dissolved into nothingness.

At this moment, Yang Podi's chest bore a massive wound, evidently caused by the Angel's Judgment. On the opposite side, Qian Daoliu had a similarly grievous wound on his shoulder, as though it had been pierced by the Breaking Soul Spear or torn open by the Earth Behemoth's claws.

Yang Podi was shocked by the wound on his chest. Even with his powerful recovery abilities, it seemed difficult to heal in a short time. The attack clearly carried a unique divine power, a testament to the might of angelic divine attacks.

Qian Daoliu was equally astonished. Yang Podi's strike carried an extreme gold attribute, so potent that even angelic divine power couldn't heal it quickly.

"Younger friend, your move is truly impressive. It's been a long time since anyone managed to injure me so severely. Now, take my final attack."

As he spoke, Qian Daoliu's ninth spirit ring lit up. At the same time, he seemed to merge with the sunlight and his divine power, transforming into a radiant sun.

This was his ninth spirit skill: Angelic Radiance, his most powerful ability. It combined the advantages of time, place, and human factors, creating an overwhelming attack.

Faced with Qian Daoliu, who had become the blazing sun in the sky, Yang Podi gritted his teeth: "So what if it's the sun? Watch as I shoot it down."

With that, his ninth spirit ring lit up, and the Breaking Soul Spear seemed to gather infinite divine power. It held attributes of extreme gold, extreme strength, powerful wood and earth properties, spatial attributes, and boundless killing intent. This strike truly seemed capable of piercing the sun.

This was Yang Podi's ninth soul skill: Shooting the Sun. It was his most powerful ability at present, a 500,000-year soul skill that combined all his soul power attributes. However, Yang Podi did not use Fusion Ring—his ultimate technique reserved for desperate situations.

The sun fell, and the Breaking Soul Spear pierced through the sky as if aiming to penetrate it entirely.

In the aftermath of their final attacks, Qian Daoliu appeared severely injured. The massive Breaking Soul Spear stabbed into his shoulder, though it couldn't fully penetrate due to a special golden energy shielding his body.

Yang Podi was also gravely wounded. The golden sun had unleashed a unique divine power, leaving multiple burn injuries across his body.

Coughing up blood, Yang Podi wiped his mouth and said, "Senior, your Angelic Divine Power is indeed formidable, worthy of a god's existence."

Qian Daoliu glanced at his own wounds and shook his head: "Young friend, your strength is truly formidable. If we continue fighting, we will both suffer mutual destruction."

Yang Podi's expression turned resolute: "That depends on whether senior acknowledges Heavenly Academy's neutrality. I have no interest in getting involved in Spirit Hall's affairs. If Spirit Hall insists on fighting, I don't mind going to war with you all."

Qian Daoliu merely nodded slightly without responding further.

Both began to mobilize their soul power, healing their wounds at a rapid pace. Even the blood on their bodies vanished entirely within minutes.

Yang Podi noticed something peculiar about Qian Daoliu's blood. It wasn't entirely red but carried a hint of gold.

A few minutes later, both returned to Heavenly Academy.

Qian Daoliu casually said to Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and Hu Liena: "Let's go. I will report the matter of Heavenly Academy to the Pope."

Yang Podi stood silently, watching the four leave.

Yang Wudi and the others hurried over. "Podi, are you alright? Were you injured just now?"

Yang Podi shook his head. "I'm fine. Qian Daoliu's strength is greater than I imagined. I didn't expect him to already wield partial divine power."

Yang Wudi asked with some confusion, "Then how did this battle turn out? Who won?"

Yang Podi thought carefully before speaking, "In terms of strength, I should be slightly stronger than Qian Daoliu, but the gap between us isn't significant. Even if I were to achieve victory, it would be very difficult to kill him. After all, his speed is indeed remarkable. Especially if he were to retreat to Spirit City, even I might not be able to defeat him there."

"Moreover, Qian Daoliu held back during the fight, not daring to fully unleash the divine power within him. This battle can be considered a draw."

Yang Zhentian, Yang Podi's father, appeared slightly worried and asked, "Podi, what should we do now? Whether it's absorbing the Elemental Academy or the academy's development, will there be any impacts in the future?"

Yang Podi shook his head. "I've already clarified my stance with Qian Daoliu. From now on, we will continue to develop normally. As long as we maintain a neutral position, neither Bibi Dong nor Qian Daoliu can do anything to us. Even if both of them join forces, I can still retreat unscathed."

"By the way, from this battle with a top-tier expert like Qian Daoliu, you all must have gained some insights, right? Make an effort to improve yourselves in the coming days. War may be on the horizon."

Hearing this, everyone nodded seriously.

Yang Podi then returned to his room alone to reflect on the battle, particularly on its outcomes. At this moment, he held a droplet of blood with a hint of golden light and a golden feather in his hands. These were left behind by Qian Daoliu during the fight.

Although the battle appeared intense, both sides had actually held back. While Yang Podi did use his ninth spirit ability, he did not utilize his Body Martial Soul. This restraint was deliberate; otherwise, with the formidable recovery power and defensive durability of his Body Martial Soul, he would not have sustained injuries.

As for Qian Daoliu, it seemed he had concerns regarding Qian Renxue, and thus, he did not fully unleash the divine power within him. Throughout the fight, he had been somewhat cautious.

Nevertheless, Qian Daoliu was undoubtedly a peak-level expert. Having reached rank 99 Ultimate Douluo fifty years ago, his current strength was unfathomable. His mastery of spirit power and Martial Soul applications had reached the pinnacle of soul master capabilities, to the point of being able to utilize partial divine power.

Yang Podi couldn't help but sigh, "This Qian Daoliu is quite fascinating, concealing his strength so deeply. Looking at the entire original storyline, he basically played a background role. If Qian Daoliu had acted earlier, Tang San wouldn't have had a chance."

After leaving Heavenly Academy with Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and Hu Liena, Qian Daoliu directly addressed them, saying, "I plan to visit Xiaoxue in Heaven Dou City. You three should return to Spirit Hall and report to the Pope. This battle between Yang Podi and me ended in a draw. Inform her to pay special attention to Yang Podi. This person might become the greatest obstacle to our Spirit Hall uniting the continent. However, unless absolutely necessary, avoid provoking him for now."

"As for Heavenly Academy, at least until we've unified the continent, it should maintain a neutral stance. For now, there's no need to concern ourselves with it."

After saying this, Qian Daoliu left immediately. Yang Podi's immense pressure weighed on him. At such a young age, he had already reached this level of strength. His future goal would likely be to ascend to godhood. Meanwhile, Xiaoxue had been delayed in Heaven Dou City for so many years, and the gap between her and Yang Podi's strength continued to widen. He had to find a way to quickly resolve those trivial matters in Heaven Dou City.

As for Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo, and Hu Liena, they exchanged glances but dared not say a word. Qian Daoliu was not someone they could afford to provoke.