"Of course, you'll be safe. Trust us. As per our agreement, you only need to contribute during the process of luring Nether Thunder Douluo in. You don't have to take part in the actual fight. Either way, he'll be captured soon enough," Huo Yuhao assured.
Based on the original events, Nether Thunder Douluo genuinely cared for Nan Shuishui. So, even if he was ambushed, he wouldn't lash out at her in anger he might even try to protect her instead.
Seeing Huo Yuhao's unwavering confidence, Nan Shuishui couldn't help but think, He might be a peerless genius who defeated me as a mere Soul King, but if he fights Nether Thunder Douluo, he'll undoubtedly struggle.
She knew that since Huo Yuhao had planned this so carefully, he must have a solid chance of success. Capturing Nether Thunder Douluo alive was likely possible.
However, evil soul masters could battle above their rank, and Nether Thunder Douluo wasn't just any evil soul master he was also a Rank 9 Soul Engineer.
That meant he was highly proficient in soul tool combat, making his capture an exceptionally difficult task.
The Trap is Set
"Nan Shuishui is here?" Nether Thunder Douluo hovered above the dense forest below, frowning in doubt.
He didn't understand why Jing Hongchen had brought Nan Shuishui to such a remote place.
After all, this was Mingdu, and Illustrious Hall held significant influence in the city. If Jing Hongchen had taken Nan Shuishui to the academy, no one would have opposed it not even Crown Prince Xu Tianran.
If anything, Xu Tianran might have applauded Jing Hongchen for it, seeing it as an opportunity to strengthen their alliance.
Jing Hongchen calmly explained, "She's here, of course. If you don't believe me, I can have her brought out right now."
Nether Thunder Douluo studied Jing Hongchen's expression carefully.
The risk seemed minimal.
Due to Kong Deming's interference, the Holy Spirit Church's plan to become the official state religion of the Sun Moon Empire had been delayed.
However, the Sun Moon Emperor still needed the church's power. Their cooperation remained intact, and once Xu Tianran ascended, the Holy Spirit Church was destined to rise as the empire's national faith.
After all, Xu Tianran's father had only taken the throne thanks to silent assassinations carried out by the Holy Spirit Church's elite assassins.
Otherwise, how could a heavily guarded Sun Moon Emperor die of mere food poisoning?
With that in mind, Nether Thunder Douluo nodded. "Fine, let's go down."
Jing Hongchen nodded in return and descended into the forest. Soon, they landed, and after walking a short distance, they spotted Nan Shuishui standing beneath a tree.
"Nan Shuishui…" A rare smile appeared on Nether Thunder Douluo's face as he instinctively quickened his pace toward her.
Suddenly
BOOM!
Explosions erupted behind him.
Nether Thunder Douluo instinctively turned, his eyes widening as several soul tool shells hurtled toward him.
An ambush?!
He had never expected Jing Hongchen to attack him directly.
Reacting swiftly, he activated an eighth rank defensive soul tool, summoning a white soul barrier.
However, a hastily deployed defense was no match for the barrage of high powered soul tool shells that Jing Hongchen had prepared in advance.
CRACK!
In an instant, his defensive barrier shattered.
A secondary auto triggered defensive soul tool activated, blocking some of the attacks, but not all he still coughed up blood, his expression darkening.
"Jing Hongchen! Does Illustrious Hall want a war with the Holy Spirit Church?!" he roared, his black lightning infused soul power raging around him.
Jing Hongchen smirked. "I don't have the authority to declare war. But… you got lucky, surviving that attack.
Unfortunately for you… your luck ends here. Ye Yulin, do it."
Hearing this, Nether Thunder Douluo instinctively activated a seventh rank Invincible Barrier and looked toward the sky
After all, Starry Sky Douluo Ye Yulin was infamous for aerial assaults.
But
The sky remained clear and empty.
No sign of Ye Yulin.
I've been tricked!
Realizing this, Nether Thunder Douluo gritted his teeth and activated his ninth soul skill Thunder Nether Phase Shift!
His body transformed into a shadowy thunderstorm, crackling with ominous black lightning.
Dark mist surged around him in this state, he was immune to both soul master and soul tool attacks.
It was his ultimate survival technique.
Moreover, because his Nether Thunder martial soul contained sinister yin energy, it required him to absorb the yin energy of corpses to strengthen it. This classified his martial soul as a true evil martial soul.
Suddenly
A deep, ancient voice resonated in his mind.
A chant filled with esoteric incantations rang through his consciousness.
Then
Blinding white light descended upon him.
Burning pain spread through his body.
The black mist and lightning surrounding him disintegrated at an alarming rate.
Impossible!
He struggled to resist using his soul power, but
The light intensified, overwhelming his energy and draining him rapidly.
Within moments, his Nether Thunder Phase Shift shattered forcing him back into human form.
He vomited blood, his face pale with disbelief.
"My… My ninth soul skill was broken?!"
"This wasn't a soul master's attack… or a soul tool… Then what was it?!"
Before he could react further, Jing Hongchen seized him by the throat and locked him in a specialized soul tool restraint.
A grin spread across Jing Hongchen's face.
From the shadows, Huo Yuhao finally revealed himself, stepping forward casually.
With Elder Yi's intervention, he had effortlessly crushed Nether Thunder Douluo.
Sure, he could have fought himself, but why bother? Elder Yi's dimensional suppression was a far more efficient solution.
Nan Shuishui, standing nearby, was completely dumbfounded.
From her perspective
Huo Yuhao had simply chanted a few strange words, summoned a holy light, and instantly incapacitated a Titled Douluo.
This was beyond belief.
"Huo Yuhao… is even more of a genius than I imagined… He might even reach Tang San's level and become a god one day…
He'd make an excellent son in law!"
Her eyes sparkled.
Elsewhere – The Holy Spirit Church
In a secluded pavilion, Zhongli Wu sat, gazing at the vacant expression of Tang Ya his lips curling in satisfaction.
Her Blue Silver Grass martial soul had fully evolved into Dark Blue Silver Grass, a tremendous improvement.
Now, she could devour the life force of both soul masters and soul beasts to rapidly enhance her cultivation a gift from the heavens to the Holy Spirit Church.
However, there was one problem
The Blue Silver Saintess still did not fully embrace the Holy Spirit Church's ideology.
Thus, Zhongli Wu had to periodically use "special methods" to manipulate her mind.
This process had to be repeated frequently to ensure she remained under their control.
Beside him, Nangong Wan studied Tang Ya with admiration. "Lord, the Saintess grows stronger with every encounter. She may very well reach Rank 99 Ultimate Douluo in the future."
"Ultimate Douluo…" Zhongli Wu sighed. "The path is difficult. Even I, at Rank 98, have been stuck for years, unable to advance.
Compared to my mother… my talent is still lacking."
"Prepare a powerful 100,000 year soul beast for the Saintess. We are growing old, but she is still young."
Nangong Wan bowed. "Understood, Lord."
Within the Holy Spirit Church, the Blue Silver Saintess held an elevated status, even surpassing the Eight Great Elders.
(End of chapter.)
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