Just as Qiangu Dongfeng managed to stabilize himself, a sudden burst of pure sunlight appeared within his fully enclosed private lounge.
A massive rift split open in the walls of the lounge, revealing a cross-section of the structure. Natural light flooded in, expanding as the breach widened.
Then, under the sunlight, an array of gleaming, obsidian-like dragon scales came into view.
"Di Tian!" Qiangu Dongfeng roared in fury.
At the same time, his four-word battle armor, which had accompanied him for decades, materialized in midair and instantly affixed itself to his body.
How could he not understand the dire circumstances now? Di Tian, in his Golden-Eyed Black Dragon form, had severed the Spirit Pagoda!
In a flash, Qiangu Dongfeng teleported outside the tower.
What he saw confirmed his worst fears.
A colossal black dragon coiled atop the high tower, its massive claws imbued with unparalleled power, cleaving the Spirit Pagoda in half.
The upper half of the tower collapsed with a thunderous crash, plummeting from the sky and smashing into the ground, sending dust and debris billowing into the air like a catastrophic sandstorm.
It all happened too fast—too fast for ordinary people to react, and even many soul masters with average strength were caught off guard.
The Spirit Transferring Masters working within the upper section of the tower had little chance of escape. Only a handful of high-level soul masters and soul engineers operating mechas managed to flee, while the rest plummeted with the collapsing tower, their fates unknown.
The Spirit Pagoda—once hailed as the tallest building on the continent, a dazzling jewel at its center—dimmed on this very day.
"You bastard!"
Qiangu Dongfeng's eyes were bloodshot with rage as he launched an attack against Di Tian.
A flash of divine light shimmered in his hands—Qiangu Clan's ancestral martial soul, the Coiling Dragon Staff, appeared in his grip.
"Whoosh—"
With a sweeping motion through the air, it produced a howling gust. A spectral Evil-Breaking Dragon coiled around one end of the staff, its tip pointed downward.
An indomitable will erupted from Qiangu Dongfeng, surging toward the heavens.
This was the Qiangu Clan's ancestral staff technique—the Unyielding Staff Technique.
A sequence of soul rings, all surpassing conventional age limits, appeared around the Coiling Dragon Staff as Qiangu Dongfeng channeled his full strength, striking fiercely at Di Tian's dragon body.
"Clang—!"
The moment the staff connected with Di Tian's scales, Qiangu Dongfeng instantly regretted his decision.
The Coiling Dragon Staff, known for its overwhelming explosive power, was wielded by an Ultimate Douluo clad in four-word battle armor. Yet, the strike felt no different from a mere mortal striking an immovable boulder with a wooden stick!
The same attack that could split mountains and seas failed to penetrate Di Tian's dragon scale defense. Instead, Qiangu Dongfeng's hands were violently jarred, causing the skin of his palms to crack open.
A powerful countershock force surged through his body, twisting his muscle fibers and nerve endings in near agony.
Were it not for his Ultimate Douluo physique and the protection of his four-word battle armor, the sheer recoil alone would have inflicted severe injuries on him.
His expression shifted dramatically as he struggled to suppress the upheaval in his blood and soul power—only to find himself facing an incoming black shadow tearing through space itself.
For the first time, Qiangu Dongfeng found himself in the very situation he had always sought to avoid—standing beneath a crumbling wall.
That black shadow was none other than Di Tian's Dragon Tail Sweep, a strike so swift and forceful that it traversed space itself in an instant.
Qiangu Dongfeng's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Ignoring the searing pain in his body, he spun his Coiling Dragon Staff, expanding it midair into a protective "circle" to absorb the impact of the dragon tail.
But ideals are rich, while reality is harsh.
His makeshift defense shattered the moment Di Tian's tail connected. The Coiling Dragon Staff broke into multiple fragments, dissipating as energy.
Qiangu Dongfeng's martial soul was nearly shattered, sending a backlash of force through his body. He couldn't suppress it—he coughed up a mouthful of blood, spraying crimson across the sky.
At this critical moment—when the Spirit Transferring Douluo himself was teetering on the edge of death—
A resounding, aged voice echoed across the heavens:
"You will not harm my son!"
An elderly man with snow-white hair descended from the skies, wielding a Coiling Dragon Staff of his own. A surge of battle-hardened, heaven-defying will radiated from him.
He was Qiangu Dieting, father of Qiangu Dongfeng, the former Spirit Pagoda Master, and the renowned War Heaven Douluo—a Quasi-God known for possessing the most explosive power among the living.
Both father and son wielded the same martial soul, but the difference between them was staggering. Compared to Qiangu Dieting, Qiangu Dongfeng was no more than a flower grown in a greenhouse.
Unyielding Staff Technique—Battle Against the Heavens!
With an earth-shattering strike, Qiangu Dieting slammed his staff against Di Tian's dragon tail, slightly halting its momentum and barely managing to snatch Qiangu Dongfeng's life from the jaws of death.
But as one came to the rescue, another provided cover.
A wave of Infernal Hellfire erupted in the surroundings—Qiangu Qingfeng had arrived. Qiangu Dongfeng's older brother had put aside their past grievances.
Though he had long been estranged from their father and brother, in times of crisis, blood was thicker than water.
Without hesitation, Qiangu Qingfeng faced Di Tian head-on.
As he locked eyes with the golden brilliance of the dragon's gaze, he felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on him.
Unlike Qiangu Dieting, who attacked from the side, Qiangu Qingfeng faced the full brunt of Di Tian's might.
A black dragon claw descended upon him, and Qiangu Qingfeng's expression hardened into one of unwavering determination.
The Infernal Hell Douluo, who had once left home in his youth and attained the rank of Ultimate Douluo through his own efforts, possessed a temperament far more resolute than his younger brother.
Without hesitation, dark Infernal Hellfire ignited across his entire being—his life force burning at this very moment. His four-word battle armor was similarly consumed.
In a single instant, his power surged beyond that of his father, Qiangu Dieting, approaching the threshold of an entirely new realm.
"Leave!"
His voice rang out, leaving no room for argument.
Gripping his Infernal Halberd, a towering Fangtian Trident Halberd materialized—a weapon with a long shaft, three razor-sharp blades, and crescent edges on either side. It radiated a dark-purple glow, exuding a terrifying presence.
With his life force and soul power burning to their limits, the Infernal Halberd nearly solidified into a divine weapon, wreathed in hellish black flames.
With a thunderous throw, the halberd pierced through the sky, colliding head-on with the descending black dragon claw.
"Qingfeng!"
Qiangu Dieting's voice carried a rare trace of emotion.
No one understood Qiangu Qingfeng better than his father.
If he had resorted to sacrificing himself, it meant the situation had truly reached its worst possible outcome.
Qiangu Dieting's shock only deepened.
Since when had Di Tian become this powerful?!
Yet, there was no time for contemplation. Clenching his teeth, Qiangu Dieting forcibly suppressed his emotions and dragged the severely injured Qiangu Dongfeng away.
They fled a hundred miles in an instant, retreating from the Spirit Pagoda's headquarters entirely.
Back at the scene, Di Tian made no move to pursue them.
Not because he couldn't, but because he was reluctant to part with an excellent forging material—Qiangu Qingfeng.
Among the three Qiangu Clan Ultimate Douluo, Qiangu Qingfeng possessed the highest innate talent, even surpassing the Quasi-God Qiangu Dieting.
(End of Chapter)