Chapter 111: What Is the Difference Between a King and a Mount?

How could this be? Why is it like this?

She clearly has already suppressed her power to the same tier as herself, yet why can she still not rival it?

Tian Yue, who had been constantly beaten, suffered a huge shock inside; she had thought that as long as the power was equal, she could never lose, but the cruel reality dealt a considerable blow to Tian Yue's young heart.

At that moment, Qian Renxue, who had just punched Tian Yue and sent her flying, suddenly halted her own body.

She looked at the Golden Crocodile King before her, his face blank as if he could not accept the reality, having been battered repeatedly to the brink of losing his will.

Qian Renxue fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Golden Crocodile King—let me ask you."

Awakened from her collapse by Qian Renxue's voice, Tian Yue subconsciously lifted her head to look at Qian Renxue.

"What is the difference between a king and a mount?"

Tian Yue stared blankly at Qian Renxue, not understanding, and asked, "What does that mean?"

The brilliant golden aura boiled around Qian Renxue, and she continued, "I am not asking you about 'people' and 'horses,' or such childish, kid‑like questions as 'two legs' versus 'four legs.'"

At that instant, a sudden murderous, blood‑soaked gale swept the training arena; Qian Renxue's deep‑blue tailcoat fluttered in the wind, and an inexplicable aura swept the entire arena, sending a chill up everyone's spines to the crown of their heads, making their skin crawl.

The worshippers present watched Qian Renxue in strict formation, all feeling that she was about to utter some world‑shaking saying; especially the few worshippers on the high platform, who had already taken out small notebooks, ready to start recording.

The other few members of the small group also held their breath, watching her with curiosity.

Could it be that, from now on, we will learn why two people with the same power display such vastly different combat strength?

Tian Yue, who also longed to know the reason, yearning to understand the truth and to find out whether she herself was a useless person, gazed eagerly at Qian Renxue.

Sensing Tian Yue's deep‑seated extreme yearning, the Golden Crocodile King, sharing the same bloodthirsty nature, felt like another being yearning ever more to be unleashed.

Qian Renxue slightly curled the corner of her mouth and gave a faint smile.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone, Qian Renxue shouted, "Regardless of posture, ability, and power—! If there are two completely identical beings."

"Let me ask you, which side can become the king that dominates the battle, and which side becomes the mount that enhances combat power? What is the difference between the two?!"

With that question, Qian Renxue's dark‑golden pupils stared at Tian Yue mercilessly and coldly, while she unleashed her killing intent without reservation.

"Boom—!!"

The cold, bone‑gnawing killing intent also stimulated Tian Yue; the Golden Crocodile King's golden vertical iris suddenly turned crimson.

In a daze, Tian Yue only felt that she saw a scene she had never seen before.

It was a world of nothing but blood and slaughter, endless fighting, endless fighting, only endless fighting.

Endless battle, endless slaughter; the Golden Crocodile King with crimson pupils fought coldly in this killing world, his body drenched in blood, wielding his claws cleanly and sharply, letting out a mad roar.

What was that—? Then, the fantasy in her mind suddenly overlapped with reality, and the radiant golden figure before Tian Yue gradually changed.

Qian Renxue's form gradually transformed into another appearance.

Her body erupted with cold, bone‑gnawing white killing intent, clad in pitch‑black armor, bearing a martial soul identical to the Golden Crocodile King's, yet she burned with an ominous, oppressive crimson flame; her face wore a wilfully arrogant expression as she looked at herself.

That is… me? How could this be? But… but wasn't I fighting Xue'er…?

And at this moment, another self in Tian Yue's eyes.

Qian Renxue said, "There is only one answer—"

In a slightly tranquil, whisper‑soft tone, then suddenly a roar like a mountain‑shout tsunami, amplified by soul power, blared like electronic music.

"—Instinct—!!"

Boom—! Everyone present felt their scalp tingle, a strange electric current shooting from the tailbone straight to the brain.

As worshippers of the Offering Hall who have always advocated order and stability, most over a hundred years old, they had never witnessed such a level of frenzied will, yet inexplicably their blood boiled, their martial souls stirred, and this exhilarating stimulus, this will's impact flushed their faces bright red.

Bang—! The blood and qi surged in the Golden Crocodile Douluo's body; his golden pupils had turned into crimson vertical irises. As the current strongest Golden Crocodile King spirit master possessing the Golden Killing Domain, he trembled with excitement, eager to step onto the field and truly spar with Qian Renxue.

This will, ah—! Xue'er is no longer a child! She is a strong one who can duel death with me and then improve together!

Instinct—! Instinct!!!

Exactly! This is it—this is it—! The ultimate secret that the Golden Crocodile King spirit master pursues, which every close‑quarters, strong‑attack spirit master should comprehend. The highest pleasure, the ultimate combat enjoyment! The Golden Crocodile Douluo danced excitedly, wishing he could immediately step in and kick his beloved granddaughter out of the field, taking his place himself.

The few worshippers on the high platform, whoever they were, could all see the Golden Crocodile Douluo's appreciation and admiration for Qian Renxue's words just now.

And below, facing the already stunned, dumbfounded crowd whose thoughts seemed shaken, they looked at each other in silence.

Qian Renxue's voice still did not cease.

"For two people with the same power, what they need to wield stronger power is the relentless pursuit of battle! The pursuit of strength, mercilessly crushing enemies, shredding them to pieces, an absolute craving for combat."

"It is the deepest part of our bodies, etched into the most primal foundation of things, an utterly thorough killing response!"

"What you lack is this blatant instinct—!"

"As a Golden Crocodile King with a bloodthirsty consciousness, you rely on rational combat, using rational thought to desire to defeat the enemy, a fellow whose blade tip is still sheathed—who can you possibly cut?"

"So that's why you're weaker than me."

Boom—! When that beast‑like blood‑soaked aura was fully released by Qian Renxue, the deepest yearning in Tian Yue's heart was drawn out.

This unmatched, formidable bearing, this prideful will that made everyone pale, made her lose herself and tremble.

Instinct?

It's like a fist that possesses ten times the strength, yet only releases three‑tenths of it, reserving the rest to protect oneself, thus unable to unleash its full power.

Because Tian Yue has understood this principle since childhood, or rather the spirit masters of the Golden Crocodile family all understand it.

As spirit masters born with golden bloodlines, they worship powerful flesh and crave exhilarating close‑quarters combat.

Therefore, to find a battle that truly satisfies them, even abandoning solid defense.

However, the principle she has always believed in now has to be taught by an angelic spirit master, even leading to an even deeper enlightenment.

Heh, I look really unsightly right now.

Then, as if something in his heart was felt, the shackles of reason finally opened, releasing the Golden Crocodile King's wildness; his whole body, already a killing weapon that others could not approach, now emitted an even more forbidding, stay‑away aura.

Thump! Thump! The heart's sound thrashed wildly, golden blood boiling; it must be said, Tian Yue, who also possesses the Golden Crocodile King's martial soul like the Golden Crocodile Douluo, is likewise a battle‑mad combat fanatic.

Just as her grandfather, the Golden Crocodile Douluo, highly praised Qian Renxue's words, even longing to personally step in and have a hearty battle with this grown eight‑winged angel.

As a combatant, Tian Yue now feels ecstatic; she intends to fully unleash everything she has, and enjoy the duel with Qian Renxue that only warriors understand.

She already understood everything, where exactly she was lacking.

So now, bloodline, quickly keep boiling for me! Discard the rational part of myself; that thing is useless to Qian Renxue. The golden bloodline instantly began to roar, rationality evaporated, my mind filled only with the thought of fighting with all my strength.

Slaughtering, biting, crushing, smashing—every place used becomes a weapon, turning one's body into a blade; as long as the body can still move, blood hasn't drained, consciousness not completely lost, one can continue fighting. Until one's will is pitted against Qian Renxue in a fight to the ends of the world, only then will it cease.

"Boom—!" At the instant Tian Yue had an epiphany, countless scarlet flames began to rise from her body, her pupils and golden short hair began to turn into a vivid blood-red. That was the impure blood being squeezed out of the capillaries as the bloodline was refined, the seeping blood gradually staining her with an extremely fashionable hue.

This sight also left the small group's members dumbfounded—transformation! Another transformation, this is too explosive! These two have transformed one after another, and we haven't! The two on the field differ from ordinary soul masters; bloodline soul masters are too abstract—right off the bat they drop a king bomb, after just a few moves they all burst forth, fighting like exploding gas canisters, booming loudly, the martial arts arena is about to be torn apart by these two.

Fortunately this is the back mountain, not inside the Offering Hall; otherwise the Offering Hall would definitely need to be renovated.

Soon, the second round of slaughter unfolded again.

"Boom—! Boom—!"

Abandoning defense, ignoring the opponent's attacks, the two began to duel purely on instinct.

When their fists tore through sky and earth, when their blood spilled onto the battlefield.

The two grew braver with each battle; Tian Yue's blood on her body increased more and more, her golden crocodile helmet and the golden bone spikes on her body began to crack, revealing the originally lovable fair skin, while fine blood spots continually appeared in the pores of her arms.

Her body was dyed red by blood, yet her aura grew ever stronger.

That was because the impurities within her body were being burned away more and more, leaving only the blood of the golden bloodline, making the Golden Crocodile King ever stronger.

At this moment, Tian Yue's fighting style, like that of a violent giant crocodile, grew ever wilder, and in this process Qian Renxue's power was gradually liberated as Tian Yue's golden bloodline was refined.

In the end, amidst that dazzling light, only two colliding streams of light remained on the shattered, deformed martial arts arena.

A soul master who walks the path of bloodline power ought to be this distinctive.

At this moment, beneath their feet, a road to the utmost strength is being opened.

And this contest of will between the sovereign and the mount made everyone extremely excited, wanting to see that most dazzling ray of light.

Boom——!!!

As if meteors were falling together from the sky.

In the huge cloud of dust and smoke sweeping the entire martial arts arena, the figures of the two combatants vanished from everyone's sight, and the arena now lay in calm.

The battle of these two monsters—has it ended?

After the dust and smoke had completely cleared, the defeated Tian Yue was steaming with scorching heat all over, his whole body limp like a boiled shrimp as he collapsed to the ground.

Qian Renxue, at this moment, still showed no flush or panting, standing calmly in the center of the arena as if nothing had happened; she had fully withdrawn from her qi-and-blood state, the golden divine patterns faded, the white feathers behind her ears and on both sides of her head receded, and the phantom of the eight-winged angel behind her also vanished.

The Golden Crocodile King, after his bloodline had been refined, was indeed terrifying; in the end, even Qian Renxue felt a hint of pressure.

The Golden Crocodile Douluo appeared beside the comatose Tian Yue, grabbed her by the scruff, and shoved two blood-red pills into her mouth, the Golden Crocodile Douluo saying with a pleased expression:

"Good, good, good! Xue'er, you did well! You accomplished in a clean sweep what even Second Grandfather couldn't, actually letting Tian Yue successfully awaken and transform."

"How about you go to Second Grandfather's family for a visit, Xue'er? Just give him some training! He has low demands—he doesn't need the golden bloodline fully awakened; you just need to bring him some promising juniors to look at."

Qian Renxue raised her eyebrows and said, "Forget it. Besides Tian Yue, the others' aptitude is still too poor; a slip could cost them their lives. Tian Yue has just completed her transformation—first take her to recover her body; in this state she'll absorb the medicinal bath very well."

The Golden Crocodile shouted, "Fine! Then let Old Seven be the referee for you. The next one who wants to challenge you isn't it his family's little Feng Hua?"

Although he was curious what reliance that little Feng Hua of Qian Gu had to dare challenge Qian Renxue, but now his granddaughter mattered more—the golden bloodline fully awakened! Hehe, the Golden Crocodile family truly has hope now; even his own Super Douluo bloodline hasn't fully awakened.

After the Golden Crocodile Douluo took Tian Yue away, not feeling the slightest sorrow at her departure, the next to arrive at the martial arts arena was Qian Gu Feng Hua!

Tuoba Chen leaned in to whisper to Qian Gu Feng Hua: "Come on, Feng Hua! The dignity of us boys rests entirely on you—our team's two strongest are actually girls, we can't manage, but you'd better give it your all!"

Ling Kuang and Rui En merely patted Qian Gu Feng Hua on the shoulder, saying nothing else.

"Mm, don't worry, I'll fight well."

Qian Gu Feng Hua nodded, took a deep breath, focused his spirit; the vigorous essence about him was such that even the several elders present couldn't help but admire it.

Then he slowly walked toward Qian Renxue.

The Subduing Devil Douluo also flashed to Qian Renxue's front, smiling as he said: "How about it, Xue'er? Do you need to rest a bit to recover your soul power and qi and blood?"

Qian Renxue shook her head, smiling lightly as she replied: "My soul power and qi and blood recover quickly; I wasn't even using my full strength, so let's start right away—after all, only Qian Gu Feng Hua remains, we might as well finish this together and avoid another challenge letter."

After condensing her bloodline core, Qian Renxue would not feel hungry immediately after expending her qi-and-blood power; her endurance has greatly increased, and she has now used only thirty percent of her qi and blood—far from needing rest—moreover, she can use her bloodline core to absorb heavenly and earthly qi and swiftly convert it into qi-and-blood power.

Beside the Subduing Devil Douluo, the two locked gazes, as if forgetting everything around them, seeing only the opponent before them.

Qian Renxue and Qian Gu Feng Hua exchanged no words, yet the colliding soul-power auras already made each clearly perceive the other's thoughts.

Unlike Tian Yue's qi-and-blood path, what surprise could your martial soul path bring me?

Unlike Tian Yue, whose head is full of muscles, Qian Gu Feng Hua is a perceptive-flow fighter who wins by strategy.

Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes, her pupils returning to purple; he walks the path of creating his own soul skill, the Indomitable Staff Technique, which allows him to fight above his rank.

Ordinarily, Qian Gu Feng Hua's soul power level would not rise as fast as Tian Yue's, who does not follow the qi-and-blood path, yet she clearly sensed that the soul power undulations from the Qian Gu Feng Hua before her had reached the forty‑third rank.

A thirteen‑year‑old forty‑third‑rank soul master.

How did Qian Gu Feng Hua manage this? Even if he ate immortal herbs and jumped seven or eight ranks, two years ago he was only twenty‑fifth rank; to cross such a huge soul‑power gap, could he have absorbed six soul bones? No, Qian Gu Feng Hua wouldn't be that irrational.

"Come witness my growth, Qian Renxue—whether I or Tian Yue is more worthy to stand by your side, you'll understand soon."

Qian Gu Feng Hua took a deep breath, turned the ring on his hand, and finally spoke his first words upon entering the field; in his eyes flashing with silver‑white strange light, only the word 'inevitable victory' could describe them.

Qian Renxue spoke with a strange expression: "Interesting—after watching my battle with Tian Yue just now, you're still this confident? Is your reliance that mysterious encounter that inexplicably boosted you to forty‑third rank?"

Qian Gu Feng Hua did not answer, but turned his head to the Subduing Devil Douluo, who wore an inexplicable smile, and said:

"Let's begin, Grandfather."

The Subduing Devil Douluo nodded, then coughed once: "Ahem, both sides ready, three, two, one, begin!"

As soon as his words fell, the Subduing Devil Douluo vanished from the spot.

Qian Gu Feng Hua raised his right hand; amid resonant dragon chants, a gold‑and‑silver coiling dragon staff appeared in his grip, its shaft bearing three vivid dragon‑like patterns—one silver, two gold.

One yellow, two purple, and one black—four soul rings—appeared on Qian Gu Feng Hua's coiling dragon staff.

Qian Renxue first glanced at that black ten‑thousand‑year fourth ring, raised an eyebrow, then curiously examined the style of the long staff in Qian Gu Feng Hua's hand, and asked: "That black fourth ring is nice; purely in terms of soul‑ring quality, you are indeed stronger than Tian Yue."

"Besides, wasn't your coiling dragon staff originally silver‑white? The ancestral evil‑repelling coiling dragon staff—has it evolved? The dragon patterns on the staff have increased; the markings on the coiling dragon staff should be formed by the dragon souls it contains, so logically the staff's martial‑soul evolution shouldn't give you two extra dragon souls in your martial soul, right?"

Qian Gu Feng Hua's martial soul is not quite the same as the coiled dragon staffs of the sixth and seventh attendants; the two attendants' coiled dragon staffs are each twelve chi long, with coiled golden dragons, but the staff Qian Gu Feng Hua holds originally had a silver-white evil-breaking dragon coiled around it, yet now it also bears the markings of two golden dragons.

In Douluo Part 3, all the coiled dragon staffs are silver-white evil-breaking coiled dragon staffs.

Qian Renxue looked up in surprise at the two attendants on the high platform, Xiangmo and Qianjun, wondering……

Today I have something to do, so it's only 5400 words, brothers, sorry (End of chapter).