Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King-Chapter 300: [DD2]:

The northern landscape stretched vast and frozen, blanketed in endless ice. The northern wind howled, stirring up a storm of snow throughout the city.

Standing on the balcony of a hotel, Su Yu gazed down from above, watching as people struggled through the relentless blizzard. This place was a small border city of the Heavenly Soul, permanently locked in snow due to its proximity to the extreme north. Because of this, people often called it the City of Snowstorms.

The snowfall thickened, and large, feathery snowflakes gently drifted down. One landed in Su Yu's palm—a pristine, glistening crystal, as delicate as a masterfully crafted work of art.

Unnoticed, Snow Empress had come to stand beside him, gazing at the same stormy scenery. Both wore only light garments, unfazed by the bitter cold, making them stand out starkly in the snowy landscape.

"What's so fascinating about this? Haven't you had enough of the snow and wind in the extreme north?" Snow Empress glanced at Su Yu and remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

Su Yu softly blew on the snowflake in his palm, his star-like eyes shimmering with deep thought.

"This is different,"

Snow Empress frowned. "Different how?"

Looking at the struggling figures below, Su Yu sighed. "The snow in the extreme north is lifeless and desolate. But here, I see something else."

Snow Empress raised a brow. "What do you see?"

Su Yu smiled faintly. "I see human resilience and defiance. Though weak by nature, they never give in."

Snow Empress was momentarily stunned by his words, lost in thought.

Su Yu clasped his hands behind his back and let his gaze sweep across the horizon. Suddenly, a flash of white light caught his attention.

The light shot toward them at high speed, cutting through the swirling blizzard.

"Swish!"

With a sharp sound, a middle-aged man in a blue robe appeared, dropping to one knee before Su Yu.

"Subordinate greets the Young Master," the man said respectfully.

Su Yu glanced at him briefly—this man was one of the informants under the Ice God Palace's command.

"What is it?" Su Yu asked indifferently.

"The Second Guardian has sent a message for the Young Master."

The man raised both hands, offering a letter.

Su Yu took it casually, opened the envelope, and skimmed through the contents. His eyes flickered slightly.

"The embryo has been secured?".

Then his gaze sharpened. "The Holy Spirit Church is making its move."

He turned to the man. "Where is the First Guardian now?"

Another figure emerged from the shadows and knelt as well.

"Reporting to the Young Master, the First Guardian has already located Xuan Zi and has gone to subdue him."

Su Yu's brows furrowed. They found Xuan Zi so quickly?

"Where was Xuan Zi last seen?"

"In the Heavenly Severance Mountain Range."

"The Heavenly Severance Mountains?" Su Yu pondered briefly, then called out, "Elder Hai."

A figure materialized—Hai Bodong.

"Young Master," Hai Bodong greeted.

Su Yu looked at him and spoke softly, "Elder Hai, I need you to make a trip to the Heavenly Severance Mountains. The Holy Spirit Church is stirring. I fear Senior Mu Wu may be in danger."

Hai Bodong hesitated. "Is there someone in the Holy Spirit Church capable of harming Mu Wu?"

Su Yu nodded. "Yes, more than one. You've seen one of them before in Radiant City."

"That guy?" Hai Bodong's expression turned serious. "If it's him, then Mu Wu really might struggle against him."

Of all the humans he had encountered on this continent, that person was the strongest. While still weaker than himself, he was far superior to Mu Wu.

"We don't know if he'll make a move, but for Mu Wu's safety, I need you to go," Su Yu said solemnly.

Hai Bodong hesitated. "If I leave, what about your safety, Young Master?"

"There is no need to worry. With me protecting the Young Master, he will be safe," a new voice interjected.

A silver-haired man, his hair neatly combed, appeared—Chen Xin. His entire being radiated an aura of sharp, sword-like intent.

Hai Bodong glanced at Chen Xin and said flatly, "You're not enough."

Chen Xin: "..."

The blatant disregard made his lips twitch. Was he really that weak?

Su Yu reassured, "Elder Hai, don't worry. I will return to the Ice God Palace with Little Snow right away. There will be no danger."

Hearing this, Hai Bodong finally nodded. "If that's the case, I'll go immediately."

He clasped his hands toward Su Yu, then disappeared in an instant.

The unexpected news had drained Su Yu's interest. He brushed the snow off his robes and spoke calmly.

"Pack up. We're returning to the Ice God Palace."

"Yes!" Several respectful voices responded in unison.

...

The Heavenly Severance Mountains lay between the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Star Luo Empire. Unlike the heavily guarded Mingdou Mountain Range, this place was not fortified, yet both empires frequently sent troops through it.

Stretching nearly a hundred miles, the mountains weren't vast, but they hosted a small population of soul beasts. Due to their strategic location, neither empire hunted soul beasts here, allowing their numbers to gradually increase over time.

Suddenly, space trembled, and Mu Wu's figure appeared in midair. His imposing face exuded a chilling aura of killing intent.

According to intelligence, Xuan Zi had massacred several villages before fleeing into these mountains.

Floating above the range, Mu Wu's sharp gaze surveyed the endless greenery. Mist shrouded the dense vegetation, making the mountains appear calm and unremarkable.

Mu Wu's thick brows furrowed slightly. A cold gleam flickered in his eyes, and his powerful spiritual force spread outward like a tidal wave.

His foundation was deep—if not for focusing on cultivating the Yin-Yang Dual Soul Core, he could have reached the rank of an Ultimate Douluo long ago.

Although he remained stuck at the half-step Ultimate rank, his spiritual power had already ascended to the Spirit Domain level, making him one of the strongest in this regard among human soul masters.

His overwhelming spiritual force swept through the mountain range, causing the soul beasts within to tremble in fear.

Suddenly, when his senses reached the western part of the mountains, a sinister and violent spiritual force forcefully repelled his probe.

"Found you!"

Mu Wu's eyes gleamed. In the next instant, he vanished and reappeared in the western region.

A tremendous pressure descended from the sky, forcing countless soul beasts to the ground in terror.

Inside a cave, a ragged figure stirred under the crushing force, letting out a furious roar.

Boom!

The mountain rocks shattered as a dark red pillar of light shot into the sky.

The crimson glow spread across the sky at a visible speed, covering most of it in an instant, creating an eerie illusion of impending doom.

Buzz!

Buzz!

Buzz!

The pillar of light trembled, emitting a strange humming sound that carried an unsettling, mind-disrupting pressure.

Mu Wu remained unmoved, his gaze locked firmly onto the dark red pillar of light.

Boom!

An invisible shockwave burst through the air, sweeping like a raging storm, causing the trees below to sway violently.

From within the pillar of light, a shadowy figure shrouded in dark red mist slowly stepped out.

His clothes were tattered, his hair unkempt, and his right arm was severed at the shoulder.

A yellow leather gourd dangled from his waist, swaying gently.

Mu Wu stared intently at the figure and spoke coldly, "Xuan Zi, so it really is you."

Roar!

Upon hearing the name "Xuan Zi," the disheveled figure let out a low growl, a fleeting moment of clarity flashing in his eyes.

But in the next instant, the scarlet haze drowned out all reason.

"Xuan Zi, do you even realize what you've done? If you can still hear me, surrender now and come back with me," Mu Wu said sternly.

Roar!

Xuan Zi growled softly, the dark red mist around him thickening.

His blood-red eyes flashed with brutality as he suddenly lunged forward, launching an attack.

"Stubborn fool. Then I'll just take you back by force."

Mu Wu crushed the incoming dark red energy orb with one hand, his eyes flashing with cold determination.

At that moment, an icy blue pillar of light surged into the sky, and an overwhelming frost spread outward from Mu Wu as the center.

The once dark red sky was instantly reversed by the icy blue glow, and the moisture in the air condensed into ice particles in an instant.

Swish!

Instead of retreating, Xuan Zi charged at Mu Wu head-on. His severed right arm emanated a dark red mist, forming a savage claw.

"Hmph!"

Mu Wu snorted and rushed forward as well, his right hand glowing with energy as he collided directly with Xuan Zi.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the two clashed, distorting the space around them with an invisible shockwave.

Whoosh!

A burst of icy blue light exploded, sending Xuan Zi flying back hundreds of meters.

It was just a single clash, but the difference in strength was immediately evident.

"Is that all?"

Mu Wu's eyes flickered with doubt. This level of power was barely on par with Yan Shao Zhe.

How did Xuan Zi manage to wreak havoc in Shrek Academy?

Before Mu Wu could think further, Xuan Zi, who had been sent flying, came charging back with renewed ferocity.

Behind him, a massive dark red phantom appeared—an eerie beast with two long horns, none other than the Dark Taotie.

Beneath him, eight black and one red soul rings gleamed with a sinister dark red hue.

Roar!

Xuan Zi let out a bestial roar as his soul rings shone, unleashing a barrage of dark red energy orbs that rained down like a storm.

At the same time, a swirling nebula vortex descended from the sky, attempting to engulf Mu Wu.

"Flashy nonsense."

Mu Wu sneered. Behind him, a majestic white beast emerged—a dragon-headed, turtle-bodied creature with razor-sharp fangs and four dragon-like claws, radiating an awe-inspiring presence.

If Xuan Zi's Dark Taotie embodied sinister brutality, then Mu Wu's Ice Baxia embodied righteous dominance.

One a demonic beast, the other a divine beast, utterly incompatible.

His six black and three red soul rings glowed brilliantly as he simply waved his hand—instantly, the countless dark red energy orbs and the nebula vortex vanished into nothingness.

"With this level of power, you might as well surrender."

"Glacial Domain!"

Mu Wu expanded his domain, covering a radius of ten thousand meters in icy blue energy.

The frost, imbued with dragon might, suppressed Xuan Zi's aura from all directions, drastically weakening his abilities.

Mu Wu's domain was tyrannical—not only could it continuously freeze soul power, but it could also severely weaken martial souls.

Anyone whose martial spirit was inferior to Mu Wu's would face overwhelming suppression.

For beast martial spirits, if they weren't at the same level as Mu Wu's, they would suffer an especially miserable suppression.

This didn't just weaken their physical and martial spirit attributes, but also significantly reduced the effectiveness of their soul skills.

Against Mu Wu's Glacial Domain, even experts of the same level often found it incredibly troublesome.

As expected, under the domain's influence, Xuan Zi's sinister aura weakened drastically.

Even though his Dark Taotie had been corrupted into darkness, it was still leagues apart from Mu Wu's Ice Baxia.

Roar!

Xuan Zi let out furious roars but remained unable to break free from the Glacial Domain's suppression.

If he had been at the peak of Rank 98 before, now he was barely at the entry-level of Rank 98.

At this level, he was no match for Mu Wu.

"It ends here."

Mu Wu's eighth red soul ring lit up, filling the sky with dragon might.

A hundred-thousand-year soul skill—Eternal Ice Seal.

A unique sealing technique.

Once hit, even Xuan Zi would have all his soul power frozen for three days, leaving him completely powerless.

If Xuan Zi was caught in this move, his defeat would be inevitable.

A pale white pillar of light shot toward Xuan Zi, about to strike him.

At that moment, Xuan Zi suddenly sensed imminent danger.

The dark red mist around him surged violently, more intense than ever before.

Countless dark red beams of light erupted from his body, his blood-red eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Behind him, his Dark Taotie shone with an even deeper dark red glow.

The dark red radiance was so intense that it almost formed a shield, completely enveloping the Taotie.

Xuan Zi's aura skyrocketed at an alarming rate, allowing him to narrowly dodge the white pillar of light.

"Hmm?"

Mu Wu's eyes flashed with surprise—his supposedly inescapable attack had missed.

He focused on Xuan Zi, sensing his growing, menacing presence, his gaze narrowing slightly.

Buzz! Buzz!

With a deafening explosion, the dark red energy shield shattered.

Mu Wu's eyes snapped to Xuan Zi—his martial spirit had completely transformed.

The Dark Taotie was gone.

In its place was a monstrous, savage Dark Nether Taotie.

With the awakening of this form, Xuan Zi's bloodline had been pushed to its very limit.

But the cost was his complete loss of reason, turning him into nothing more than a feral beast.

"Dark Nether Taotie?"

"Interesting."

"No wonder Yan Shao Zhe couldn't defeat you... so this is the reason."

Realization dawned upon Mu Wu—this was how Xuan Zi had massacred his way through Shrek Academy.

Now, empowered by the Dark Nether Taotie, Xuan Zi's aura had nearly reached half-step Ultimate Douluo level.

Even Mu Wu had to admit—this was finally a fight worth taking seriously.