Before Qian Daoliu came to the Star Crown Sect to attend the meeting, Xu Zilong visited again and presented a ninth-level fixed-installation soul-guided shell developed by many soul masters of the Sun Moon Empire: Dragon King's Wrath.
He disguised the soul-guided shell to appear ancient, claiming it was a powerful weapon discovered in ancient ruins, capable of causing a devastating explosion.
To make Qian Daoliu believe him, he even deliberately wasted one in a demonstration, shocking all the Titled Douluo of the Spirit Empire.
Xu Zilong's support achieved extraordinary results. The explosion of the ninth-level fixed-installation soul-guided shell made the top soul masters of the Douluo Continent realize the power of soul-guided weapons for the first time.
At the moment of the explosion, only Xu Mingguang, who had moved half a step ahead, barely escaped the blast center, while the others were all swept away by the powerful impact and intense heat.
Ning Fengzhi, who had the weakest soul power and strength, lagged slightly behind, but with the protection of Bone Douluo, a super defensive Douluo, he was not seriously harmed.
As for the others, after the explosion, all of them vomited blood, their faces as pale as paper, gasping for air.
Only the Sect Master, relying on his immense strength, activated the Star Guardian in time. Though he was injured, he still retained enough strength to fight.
Just as he intended to support Xu Mingxi, he was stopped by Golden Crocodile Douluo. The strength of the two was nearly equal, and neither could overpower the other.
Seeing this, Xu Mingguang at the rear quickly joined the battlefield. He wanted to play a role and had to rush to assist Xu Mingxi as soon as possible.
None of them had expected Qian Daoliu to have such a hidden trick. Had they known, he wouldn't have been so passive if he had sent out the fourth elder, the auxiliary Titled Douluo.
Xu Fangxing saw the tense battle ahead and wanted to step forward to help, but due to injuries in his body, he grimaced in pain. His soul power seemed obstructed and could not circulate smoothly.
His expression darkened. Even with severe injuries, soul power should still be usable. Could it be that Qian Daoliu was so dangerous that he had poisoned him?
The others also sensed this situation. As Super Douluo, they could withstand most poisons. How had Qian Daoliu managed it?
What they didn't know was that the secret medicine used by Qian Daoliu, from the Spirit Empire, was colorless and tasteless, named Invisible Poison.
It would only cause a temporary disruption in soul power without harming the body. It was the only poison in the Qian family's collection effective against Super Douluo.
He had laced the ninth-level soul-guided shell with poison powder and used the explosion to break the soul power barriers of the Titled Douluo, allowing the poison to infiltrate their bodies.
The effect of the poison was most evident in the sect master. Initially able to fight Golden Crocodile Douluo equally despite a broken arm, he was now suppressed with the aid of Xu Mingguang.
Each time he tried to use a soul skill, he felt his soul power was restrained, making skill release sluggish.
"Golden Crocodile, get out of my way. If anything happens to Mingxi, the Star Crown Sect will use all its power to make you pay the price.
Besides, Qingluan Douluo and Guangling Douluo are still in our hands. Aren't you afraid of losing these two Super Douluo?"
"Pay the price? Without Xu Mingxi's Star Crown Sect, what does my Spirit Empire have to fear? As for Qingluan and the others, they might not even be in your sect's hands anymore."
Golden Crocodile's words made the sect master's eyes turn sharp. He knew Xu Mingxi still had a healing pill made from Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, so he wasn't too worried.
However, the Star Crown Sect was different. They had sent all their Super Douluo to besiege and suppress Bo Saixi. The sect's defense was weak. Facing an enemy of unknown strength, there was a real chance of defeat.
The sea battle continued. Meanwhile, outside Star Luo Mountain, another war broke out under the Spirit Empire's conspiracy.
"Lion Douluo, you dare provoke the Star Crown Sect right after we released you? Aren't you afraid you'll never return?"
"Don't worry. Hand over Qingluan Douluo and Guangling Douluo."
Lion Douluo originally planned to sneak in and rescue the two elders while the Star Crown Sect's defenses were empty. But as soon as he stepped into the Star Luo Mountains, he was discovered by the Star Tree in the rear mountain.
The Star Tree immediately informed Xu Fangming, who was guarding the rear mountain. Following Xu Mingxi's prior instructions, he rang the bell at the mountain peak upon the emergency.
As the bell rang, all Saint Soul-level disciples and above from the Star Crown Sect gathered and activated the Star Protection Array. They stood before the mountain gate, vigilantly watching the enemy beyond.
Xu Fangming, now a level 94 Titled Douluo, was the strongest soul master in the Star Crown Sect and naturally led the group.
He saw the Titled Douluo from the Spirit Empire no longer concealing their identities and was crushed inside. He hadn't expected the Spirit Empire to deploy nearly all its forces this time.
Lion Douluo, Qianjun Douluo, Demon Douluo, masters from the Wind Sword Sect and Quefeng Sect, Patriarchs Zhao and Qian, and the head of the Chen family, Chen Yan.
"Senior Chen Yan, have you truly abandoned our Star Crown Sect to return to the arms of the Spirit Empire? Have you forgotten how they exploited you in the past?"
"Save your nonsense. Chen Yan has always been one of us. Still, your Star Crown Sect has deployed so many Titled Douluo—I didn't expect so many to be hidden."
Lion Douluo sensed the momentum within the Star Guardian Array and was surprised by the Star Crown Sect's strength. How could one sect produce so many Titled Douluo?
The four elders—Xu Fangming, Xu Mingxing, Xu Ya, and Dugu Bo—made eight Titled Douluo in total, not inferior in numbers to the Spirit Empire's team.
However, their strength was much weaker. The strongest, Xu Fangming and Dugu Bo, were only level 94. They could only rely on the Star Guardian and Poison Arrays to see if they could hold off the Spirit Empire.
Lion Douluo ceased speaking nonsense. The sea situation was still unknown. They had to quickly break through the Star Crown Sect's gate. Without any Super Douluo, there was no hope of stopping them.
A massive shadow of a Flame Lion appeared outside the Star Crown Sect's mountain gate. With a long roar to the sky, Xu Ya could clearly sense her Jade Mingluan Martial Soul trembling in fear of the lion's power.
The Coiling Dragon Staff stretched between heaven and earth, and a demonic dragon roared across it. Chen Yan, the Chen family patriarch, didn't hesitate at all—his inherited Rock Armor Martial Soul attached to his body, unleashing a massive khaki shockwave.
The Spirit Hall's Titled Douluo launched a fierce attack. The outer Poison Array collapsed with a single blow. The Star Guardian Formation held, but it consumed the soul power of the sect's disciples and couldn't last long.
Seeing this, Xu Fangming quickly turned to Xu Ya. It was now a critical moment for the sect—time to activate all backup plans.