Chapter 16: Golden Dragon Claw and Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon, Divine King

“Boom, boom, boom—”

Inside the Riot Phase Ascension Platform, thunderous roars erupted; the Donghai Academy students scrambled in disarray, chased relentlessly by swirling yin-yang currents laced with fire and ice—no matter how they twisted or dodged, the currents seemed to have eyes, clinging tightly to their backs.

“Remote attacks absorbed are doubled and reflected, with lock-on effect.”

“A ten-thousand-year soul skill is this terrifying…”

Sweat streamed down his temples; Xu Xiaoyu gasped for breath.

That perverted soul skill was a nightmare for ranged attackers—and conveniently, the two main DPS players from Donghai Academy relied almost entirely on ranged attacks. The Radiant Sun and Ice Staff were turned against them, becoming weapons to harvest the heads of their own teammates!

Watching classmates one by one exit the Ascension Platform, Mu Xi bit her crimson lips so hard her teeth sank in; she muttered inwardly: “How could a monster like this appear in Donghai City? Isn’t this the specialty of Shrek City and Ming City?!”

At this moment, the girl deeply regretted her greed—she’d ruined her classmates’ rare chance in the Riot Phase Ascension Platform. Little did she know, those eliminated woke up grinning, celebrating that they’d left a good impression on the daughter of the Saint Artisan and the prodigy forger.

They were all three-ring Soul Elders; who hadn’t died a few times in past Ascension Platform runs? The first time was always rough and uncomfortable, but after a few more, you got used to it.

The metals used to forge Doukai/mechanical armor depend on high-level forgers. Dying once for Mu Xi in the Riot Phase Ascension Platform today was like forging a bond—future favors, if Mu Xi just whispered a word, Saint Artisan Mu Chen would prioritize forging for them!

“Mu Xi, let’s make one last push—the reflection soul skill must have a limit. Break that limit, and we turn the tide!” Xu Xiaoyu said urgently.

“Alright!”

Mu Xi nodded firmly; her thousand-year soul ring flared. Above her head, the Radiant Sun erupted in searing light, frantically devouring surrounding fire elements—like an unstable, hyper-explosive bomb!

Third Soul Skill: Radiant Sun’s Fall!

“Xiao Yan, get away from me!”

Xu Xiaoyu told her sister to run—should they fail to challenge the boss, she didn’t want the reflected soul skill to strike Xu Xiaoyan!

Xu Xiaoyan obeyed, sprinting off, her two pale blue pigtails bouncing. Seeing this, Xu Xiaoyu exhaled silently, raised her Ice Staff, and the crystal at its tip burst into blue light; dense, pure ice energy swept through the forest, coalescing into a spear, its magical runes faintly glowing.

Third Soul Skill: Wrath of Ice!

Thanks to the two remote soul masters, Zhao Xuanzhen easily eliminated most Donghai students—only a few stragglers remained. Time to cut the cord and discard the millstone!

His black-as-ink second soul ring flared; the yin-yang reversal that had once left them hopeless descended again—a swirling vortex of black and white enveloped his body. On the Douluo Continent, no soul skill was invincible—yin-yang reversal certainly had an absorption limit. But how could two Soul Elders’ third soul skills possibly break through it?

Absorb, spin, redirect!

Four-colored orbs—black, white, red, blue—locked onto them. Mu Xi and Xu Xiaoyu stared in stunned disbelief as their doubly enhanced soul skills returned—after a violent explosion, their Ascension Platform journey ended.

“Big Sister Mu Xi! Brother Xiaoyu!”

Besides Xu Xiaoyan, the last remaining Donghai student was a Lightning Falcon Soul Elder. Initially, he’d planned to use his flight ability to exploit aerial superiority, but he’d never found Zhao Xuanzhen’s weakness. He waited for an opening to ambush—only to watch his entire team suddenly wiped out!

“Can’t let them get too cocky—I need a plan…”

The Lightning Falcon Soul Elder gritted his teeth, his gaze slowly shifting toward the leisurely Na’er. He’d lost all courage to fight Zhao Xuanzhen—after all, even that rock-solid defensive martial soul had been shattered by a single charged elbow strike. His own puny defense was just asking to be slaughtered.

“You’re strong—but you can’t protect her!”

With a thunderous roar, his third soul ring blazed; his entire body wrapped in blue-purple lightning, crackling as if heralding the power of this strike. He flapped his wings and dove like a streaking bolt of lightning toward Na’er!

Zhao Xuanzhen saw the Lightning Falcon’s desperate attack and didn’t even bother to react. Someone really thought the Silver Dragon King’s half-body was a vase?

Na’er lifted her head slightly, silver pupils fixed on the falling lightning, a faint, knowing smile on her lips.

The next instant, silver light exploded—a sharp, dragon-scaled lance materialized between Na’er and the Lightning Falcon Soul Elder, two thousand-year soul rings spiraling above and below it, purple hues lending the lance an air of noble majesty.

Na’er seized the Silver Dragon Lance, spun halfway, executed a perfect throwing motion—the dragon’s cry rang clear and fierce, intense silver light surging outward as the Silver Dragon Lance pierced the Lightning Falcon mid-air!

“Huh?!!”

Tang Wulin and the others broke into cold sweat. Na’er looked ethereally beautiful—yet she was also a supermodel monster!

With two monsters like this, how are we supposed to play?!

The Donghai upperclassmen were wiped out. Xu Xiaoyan cowered behind a tree, eyes clenched shut, silently chanting: “You can’t see me!”

“Cough, cough!”

Na’er stepped beside the pigtails girl who was pretending not to be seen, tapping the Silver Dragon Lance lightly on the ground.

Xu Xiaoyan peeked open one eye—saw the second great demon—and immediately dropped into a head-hugging crouch, trembling:

“You beat up my brother—you can’t beat me now, okay?!”

“It’s just a side effect.”

Na’er smiled sweetly, twirling the Silver Dragon Lance into a beautiful silver flourish.

“Wait!”

Xu Xiaoyan shot up, face grimly resolute: “I’m scared of pain—don’t move! I’ll do it myself!”

With no turning back, Xu Xiaoyan gave up struggling, reached out, and activated the rescue signal device—voluntarily exiting the Primary Ascension Platform!

“Clearing complete. Time for the real work.”

Zhao Xuanzhen and Na’er slowly approached the five members of Class Zero, their black and purple soul rings interweaving, aura like a deep abyss, a mountain—forcing Class Zero to instinctively retreat step by step.

“Gulp…”

Zhang Yang’s throat bobbed. The soul spirit black hawk on his shoulder sensed its master’s fear and let out piercing shrieks. The monsters had just wiped out dozens of Donghai seniors—now it seemed their turn had come!

“Wulin, what do we do?” Wang Jinxi looked to Tang Wulin for help.

“Prepare to fight—we can’t outrun them…” Tang Wulin said grimly.

Xie Xie gripped his Shadow-Light Dragon Daggers tightly, his expression the most relaxed: “Don’t stress—we’ve already completed Teacher Wu’s final exam, stayed long enough in the Riot Phase Ascension Platform.”

“Besides, that Face-Spider’s venomous silk killed so many soul beasts—we each absorbed massive spiritual power, our soul ring years increased by hundreds.”

This Ascension Platform was a total win. Getting eliminated? Fine.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yang and Wang Jinxi relaxed. Every month, Class Zero entered the Ascension Platform once; their soul ring years were already near their physical limits. Getting eliminated today? No loss.

Tang Wulin’s gaze shifted: “They look our age—but they have thousand-year and ten-thousand-year soul rings. They must be legendary monsters at the peak of the continent’s talent.”

Meeting them is our fortune—it shatters our narrow view of Donghai City alone. Let’s witness the absolute pinnacle of Douluo Continent soul masters!”

“Give it everything—treat this as the final exam. I’ll hold the front, Yangzi and Jinxi fuse, Xie Xie, distract the silver-haired girl, Gu Yue…”

“Adapt as needed.”

When mentioning the black-haired girl Gu Yue, Tang Wulin paused half a second—no reason other than Gu Yue’s cold, eccentric personality. She deliberately kept distance from Class Zero, never listened to his orders—she could only fight freely.

“Charge!”

Strike first, gain advantage—Tang Wulin roared, leading his teammates straight toward Zhao Xuanzhen and Na’er.

Bone Dragon King possessed, Wang Jinxi’s body swelled, becoming a giant skeleton frame. Zhang Yang released his martial soul—Dark Phantom Hawk—black wings bursting from his back.

They embraced each other; Wang Jinxi’s body rapidly expanded, a massive bone dragon tail thrusting from his coccyx, a pair of bone dragon claws like death’s scythes. Zhang Yang silently merged into Wang Jinxi’s body, his hawk wings transforming into the Bone Dragon King’s wings.

Martial Soul Fusion Skill: Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon!

Strands of Blue Silver Grass crept along the ground. As Tang Wulin sprinted, golden scales began covering his right arm—from his fingertips upward—his entire arm thickened, unmistakably the Golden Dragon Claw with shattering effect!

All three unveiled their prized trump cards: Tang Wulin held Golden Dragon Claw and Blue Silver Grass, attacking Zhao Xuanzhen from left and right alongside Wang Jinxi in Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon form.

Zhao Xuanzhen smiled lightly. The Golden Dragon King’s mechanism was simple and brutal, possessing the strongest stats on the Douluo Continent—he’d long wanted to fight Tang Wulin: Three-Body Man vs. Primordial Celestial!

His hands traced a perfect yin-yang dividing line, catching Tang Wulin’s Golden Dragon Claw. Tang Wulin’s face instantly paled—he’d earned his place in Class Zero with fifteen-sixteen levels of soul power, thanks entirely to the Golden Dragon Claw.

But Zhao Xuanzhen’s palm held a strange force—the Golden Dragon Claw’s unstoppable power suddenly became uncontrollable, drawn by his pull, Tang Wulin’s body spun like a top, the Golden Dragon Claw now aimed straight at the Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon!

Taiji Yin Hand: Borrow Force, Strike Back!

Wang Jinxi’s face twisted in panic—as if bound by an unbreakable caste system, the Golden Dragon Claw naturally suppressed the Bone Dragon King; the Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon, as a fusion skill, was also suppressed by the Golden Dragon Claw!

Tang Wulin and Wang Jinxi strained to twist their positions—the Golden Dragon Claw narrowly avoided the Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon’s vital points, striking instead the overlapping bone dragon claws. Whether lucky or cursed, the Golden Dragon Claw’s shattering effect activated—the bone claws cracked with a sharp snap, then sagged downward.

Attacking my own teammate—the Dark Phantom Hawk Dragon was severely damaged; cries of pain erupted from both men.

Donghai City Transmission Tower, Observation Room.

Dressed in white robe and blue sword, Wu Changkong watched his Class Zero students suffer through the soul tool screen, his expression grave:

“Extreme technique, especially counters brute-force soul masters. Wulin’s strength becomes his own restraint…”

Meanwhile, the Silver Dragon Lance pierced through the Shadow-Light Dragon Daggers, its sharp tip pointing straight at Xie Xie’s throat—a chilling cold seeped into his body, spreading through his limbs and meridians, making him shiver violently.

“Leave on your own—or shall I help you?” Na’er said calmly.

“Sis, no need for your help!”

A wise man doesn’t fight when outmatched. Xie Xie’s martial soul, soul power, and soul skills were all inferior to Na’er’s. After just a few exchanges, the Silver Dragon Lance found his opening. He sighed inwardly—monsters really are monsters—and obediently exited the Ascension Platform.

After dealing with Xie Xie, Na’er gazed at Gu Yue, who still hadn’t moved.

Their gazes met from afar; their shadows seemed to stretch endlessly toward each other—one silver-white, one pitch-black—like the sun and moon appearing together in the sky, or the yin-yang poles of Taiji: opposing, yet mutually embracing.

“You have great courage, appearing before me,” Gu Yue said silently.

“So what?”

Na’er replied with lip movements, coldly smirking.

The silver-haired girl wore an air of utter confidence. In another timeline, had she been able to forcibly consume Na’er without leaving any side effects, the two Silver Dragon King halves wouldn’t have made a bet—Gu Yue would’ve devoured Na’er long ago.

Now that she possessed humanity, Na’er had become invincible. Come on, try biting me!

Meanwhile, Xie Xie was out, Zhang Yang and Wang Jinxi incapacitated—Zhao Xuanzhen and Tang Wulin now faced off in a true one-on-one battle!

Under intense emotional surge, Tang Wulin’s eyes transformed into golden vertical pupils; his right foot slammed the ground, launching himself straight at Zhao Xuanzhen!

As the Golden Dragon Claw neared Zhao Xuanzhen’s nose, he suddenly twisted—within the circular arc of his Cloud Hand, Tang Wulin’s wrist became a fish trapped in a whirlpool, his entire right arm entangled by Taiji’s soft force, like a moth caught in heaven’s net.

Tang Wulin roared and swung his left fist; the first soul skill of Blue Silver Grass—Entanglement—activated simultaneously. But the weak Blue Silver Grass couldn’t even reach him—crumbling into dust under the force. As his left fist neared its target, Zhao Xuanzhen countered with a reverse elbow strike.

“Taiji Slanting Fly.”

The world spun. Tang Wulin’s last memory was his vision freezing—his body spiraling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground, muscles transmitting the full force he’d just unleashed.

“I… I can still fight!”

Tang Wulin staggered to his feet, eyes blazing with heat, fixed on Zhao Xuanzhen. Both men surged forward simultaneously—the sound of their clothes fluttering in the wind like whips cracking.

This time, Zhao Xuanzhen used no Taiji technique—just raw, unadorned collision. Wind pressure exploded; the earth couldn’t bear the sudden force of two titanic powers, cracking into fine black fissures!

“Boom—”

Zhao Xuanzhen stood unmoved; Tang Wulin was blasted backward!

Taiji’s borrowed-force mechanism is absurdly overpowered!

Directly punching face-to-face reveals ultimate values!

“Hm?”

Zhao Xuanzhen narrowed his eyes; in his expectation, this strike should have sent Tang Wulin straight out of the Soul Ascension Platform—but that figure rose again like an indestructible cockroach.

At the same time, Tang Wulin’s eyes were no longer pure black, but a blue-gold like the ocean!

“A variable of fate...”

Tang Wulin murmured softly, yet his tone was not his own!

A hazy golden light, invisible to others, shot through the air toward Zhao Xuanzhen’s spiritual sea—a phantom golden trident, with the sound of waves crashing against rocks echoing all around!

Trident of the Sea God, spiritual imprint!

“Variables belong to the Tang family! This day, I, this Divine King, shall utterly end the illusions of the Realm Spirit!”

The voice slithered like a venomous snake into Zhao Xuanzhen’s eardrums; blue-gold veins surged through his spiritual sea, followed by a cold hiss—the great serpent awoke, its crimson bestial eyes snapping open!

Eight Deceitful Gods, Teng She!

“Soul of Deception!”

The power of the ocean flooded into Teng She’s fabricated soul of deception; Tang Wulin’s inner will believed it had succeeded—the spiritual imprint activated flawlessly, making the sole variable of fate on the Douluo Continent an ally of the Tang family!

The blue-gold faded; Tang Wulin scratched his head in confusion, utterly unaware of what had just occurred.

“Zhao Xuanzhen! Zhao Xuanzhen, are you alright?!”

Na’er sensed something was wrong with Zhao Xuanzhen’s expression; she abandoned her bickering with Gu Yue and rushed to his side, kicking Tang Wulin aside along the way and sending him flying out of the Soul Ascension Platform.

“I’m fine...”

Zhao Xuanzhen lightly patted Na’er’s silver hair, his pitch-black pupils holding not a trace of warmth—only a fury burning hotter and hotter.

“Lord, as you commanded, the spiritual imprint is carried by the Soul of Deception.”

In the spiritual sea, Teng She spoke.

“Well done. Choosing you as the first to awaken was correct.”

Among the Eight Deceitful Gods, Zhi Fu leads, but Teng She’s combat power is not the strongest—Zhao Xuanzhen awakened Teng She first precisely because of its power that utterly suppresses spiritual force!

Deception!

To deal with a Divine King who delights in manipulating souls, only Teng She can do it!

Zhao Xuanzhen did not hesitate to predict the Divine King’s actions by the lowest depths of human morality: on the surface, three chances were granted, but in truth, far more than three—Tang Wulin had once been targeted by the evil soul master Linhuo’s Soul-Refining technique, and Zhao Xuanzhen had intervened!

To be safe, Zhao Xuanzhen resolutely abandoned Zhi Fu and chose to awaken Teng She, the master of deceptive power!

“Divine King, to receive without repaying is uncivilized—we shall meet again on the night of the Brilliant Stars...”

(End of Chapter)