Chapter 173 – Qian Daoliu’s Breaking Point

"Ninth Soul Skill — God-Demon Twin Slash!"

From the distance came Chen Xin's furious roar. In the next moment, everyone saw a towering Dharma Avatar a hundred meters tall rise abruptly from the earth. This enormous figure was entirely blue, dressed in long robes, and wielded a massive Seven Kill Sword over fifty meters long.

Riiip—!

With a single slash, heaven and earth were torn open, leaving a massive black rift. That pitch-black glow seemed to devour everything. The terrifying suction force pulled in Qian Renxue, Azure Luan Douluo, Mighty Lion Douluo, and six others, preventing them from escaping.

The spatial rift continued to spread and expand, with its pull growing ever stronger.

Azure Luan Douluo braced himself behind Qian Renxue. Veins bulged across his forehead as he let out a roar. His wings radiated blue light, and his entire body's soul power was condensed to the extreme. He unleashed his full speed, trying to push Qian Renxue out of the rift's range.

But rather than gaining distance, they were only being dragged closer to the rift.

"Mighty Lion! Get over here and help!"

Azure Luan Douluo shouted angrily to the nearby Mighty Lion Douluo. The rift was simply too large, and the suction too overwhelming. Qian Renxue's cultivation was still too low; he couldn't pull her away alone.

Hearing the call, Mighty Lion Douluo's body surged with crimson light. He broke free from the rift's pull for a brief moment and flashed behind Qian Renxue. Together with Azure Luan Douluo, the two of them pushed her with all their strength to escape the suction's grip.

"Third Grandpa, Fourth Grandpa!"

Tears welled up in Qian Renxue's eyes. At this moment, she bitterly regretted not training properly during her time impersonating Xue Qinghe. With her talent, even burdened by her Ultimate Attribute, she shouldn't still be just a Soul Sage — at the very least, she should've already reached Soul Douluo.

Suddenly, she remembered something Xu Yang had told her not long after they first met:

"In this world of soul masters, power comes from yourself. If you're strong enough, you can obtain anything through strength. If you feel powerless, it's only because your strength isn't enough."

Now, she finally understood what that meant. If she were strong enough, her two grandfathers wouldn't have to risk their lives for her. Her second grandfather wouldn't have died because of her poor decisions.

"Is this why you gave everything to grow stronger?!"

In her mind, she saw the scene of Xu Yang effortlessly blocking her second grandfather's violent punch. At last, she truly grasped the meaning of strength.

"You really think I'm dead?!"

At that moment, Chen Xin's cold, murderous voice rang out once more. The colossal Dharma Avatar — a hundred meters tall — once again raised the Seven Kill Sword and slashed toward Qian Renxue, Azure Luan, and Mighty Lion. A far more terrifying sword energy, filled with the power of destruction, swept toward them.

Feeling the dreadful might of the sword energy, Azure Luan and Mighty Lion Douluo's hearts sank. They knew they had no way to block it with just the two of them. But just as the attack was about to strike, a brilliant golden light suddenly erupted from Qian Renxue's body, forming a massive shield that barely held off the terrifying sword aura.

Immediately after, a golden pillar of light descended from the heavens, enveloping Qian Renxue, Azure Luan, and Mighty Lion. A figure slowly descended within the pillar, while countless golden feathers rained down from the sky. The sacred aura they carried brought a sense of peace to all who felt it.

The person who came was Qian Daoliu.

Behind him appeared a Six-Winged Angel composed entirely of soul power. Though a hundred meters tall and her face indistinct, she emanated a sense of benevolence. Qian Daoliu looked at Chen Xin with no expression on his face, his hands clasped as if in silent prayer.

"Divine Skill — Angel's Shield!"

Golden shields appeared over Qian Renxue, Azure Luan, Mighty Lion, Guang Ling, Qian Jun, and Jiang Mo. The terrifying suction from the rift could no longer affect any of them.

Chen Xin was slightly stunned — he hadn't expected Qian Daoliu to arrive at such a critical moment.

"Grandpa… Second Grandpa, he…"

Seeing Qian Daoliu, Qian Renxue could no longer suppress the sorrow in her heart. Her eyes were bloodshot as she cried out in grievance.

"Xue'er, I know about Golden Crocodile. You go back to Spirit Hall with Azure Luan and the others. Leave the rest to me."

A flicker of sadness flashed through Qian Daoliu's eyes as he spoke softly. With a wave of his right hand, a spatial vortex appeared beneath Qian Renxue and the other five worshipers. The vortex swallowed them whole, and they disappeared from the sky.

"There really is still a gap between me and someone like Qian Daoliu, who has spent so many years immersed at the level of Limit Douluo. Back in Spirit City, that guy was holding back."

Seeing this, Chen Xin's heart sank. He simply couldn't do something like teleport people away the way Qian Daoliu could.

After reaching Rank 99 and becoming an Limit Douluo, one's soul core compresses into a black hole, capable of absorbing infinite power from the heavens and earth, and exerting immense gravitational force. This power begins to affect both space and time, formally allowing a soul master's cultivation to touch upon those two realms.

His ability to tear space with a single sword strike was precisely because of his understanding of spatial power after reaching the Limit Douluo level.

However, in terms of space and time, he was still a step behind someone like Qian Daoliu — a powerhouse who had spent years at the peak of Rank 99 and had already reached the level of Half-God. This gap came not from talent or comprehension, but from accumulated experience and deep refinement.

Of course, even Qian Daoliu wasn't much stronger in this regard. After all, he had yet to become a true God — just a peak Limit Douluo, barely touching the threshold of space and time cultivation. Widening the gap significantly was nearly impossible at this stage.

Qian Daoliu had no idea what Chen Xin was thinking. He turned his gaze toward Heaven Dou Royal Academy, his heart filled with grief. When Golden Crocodile's life force had weakened to its absolute limit, he had immediately sensed it. Using spatial traversal, he rushed over at once. Originally, he'd hoped to save Golden Crocodile — but at the same time, Qian Renxue had also been in grave danger. Even as a Half-God, he couldn't be in two places at once. He had to save Qian Renxue first.

Now, he could no longer sense Golden Crocodile's presence — and he knew what that meant.

But what truly shocked him… was Xu Yang's terrifying strength.

The last time they met, Xu Yang was only at around Rank 95 or 96. Yet in just half a year, he had advanced to Soul Sage and now possessed battle strength on par with an Limit Douluo.

"Originally, I planned to wait for Xue'er to become a God, and use you to obtain more of the Sun Authority. But now… you can't be allowed to live."

As that thought crossed Qian Daoliu's mind, his decision was already made. Killing intent flickered in his eyes. Ignoring Chen Xin, he summoned a spatial vortex behind him and disappeared into it without hesitation.

"Damn it! Yang'er!"

Sensing Qian Daoliu's aura appear at Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Chen Xin's expression changed drastically. He immediately understood Qian Daoliu's intention. Without hesitation, he transformed into a streak of sword light and shot after him.

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