Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 121: Diamond Mammoth

After Yang Potian's group left, the three figures, led by the blonde woman, fell into silence. Yang Potian's suspicions had been correct—the trio included Qian Renxue along with Snake Spear Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo.

Snake Spear Douluo respectfully addressed Qian Renxue, "Young Mistress, their presence here in Star Dou Forest is strange. Why would anyone come to the core region just to obtain a fifth spirit ring? Shouldn't we have detained them?"

Qian Renxue shook her head. "They outnumber us. Even if you and Porcupinefish Douluo joined forces, capturing them would be challenging, especially with both Dugu Bo and Niu Gao being Titled Douluo, however recently they may have achieved the rank. Besides, our primary purpose here is to secure my spirit ring; dealing with them can wait."

"But, Young Mistress, they've seen your true appearance. This could pose a threat down the line."

Qian Renxue considered this. "No matter. Few in Spirit Hall have ever seen my true face. Even if they suspect, they won't be able to confirm my identity. And Yang Potian has reached the Spirit King level… I'm interested to see how that woman's so-called Golden Generation fares. She poured countless resources into her elite team—let's see if it's enough to win the Spirit Master Tournament."

Snake Spear Douluo spoke up, "Young Mistress, I recently investigated Heaven Dou Imperial Academy's second team as you requested. Only two members haven't reached the Spirit Ancestor level yet, though they're both close at rank 39. By the tournament, the entire team should consist of Spirit Ancestors. The team's strongest members, Yang Ping'an and Dugu Yan, have reached ranks 47 and 46 respectively, while Nine Heart Begonia Ye Lingling is at rank 45."

Qian Renxue nodded thoughtfully. "So, with their progress, they'll likely have two Spirit Kings and five Spirit Ancestors by the time of the tournament. I look forward to presenting that woman with a surprise."

Snake Spear Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo exchanged silent glances, wisely choosing to stay out of this brewing rivalry. Qian Renxue, staring intently at the deceased Flame Lion King's spirit ring, murmured to herself, "Geniuses? Golden Generation? I'm eager to see just how strong her champions truly are." She then turned her focus fully toward absorbing her spirit ring.

Meanwhile, Yang Potian's group remained immersed in a heavy silence as they journeyed onward.

Dugu Bo finally broke the quiet, voicing his thoughts. "Kid, I thought your Yang Clan harbored a serious grudge against Spirit Hall. Have you really never thought about revenge?"

Yang Potian shook his head. "The Yang Clan's grievances mostly stem from its history with the Clear Sky Sect. But we severed ties with them, and we don't have any real hatred for Spirit Hall now."

"Besides, if Spirit Hall had truly wanted to wipe out the Yang Clan back then, none of my grandfather's generation would have escaped. And I know where we stand; we only number a few hundred. We're nowhere near strong enough to go up against Spirit Hall, nor would we risk provoking them."

Yang Zhen, his father, looked skeptical. "Potian, is that truly what you think?"

Yang Potian nodded. "Father, it's not that I want to forgive or that I fear Spirit Hall. But we need to weigh our own strength. If we continually antagonize them, extinction won't be far off. Recently, we've been painted as strong contenders, even capable of replacing the Upper Three Sects, but we know who's spreading these rumors. Certain factions are eager for us to throw ourselves against Spirit Hall, hoping to alleviate their own pressures."

"If we actually follow their lead, we'll likely face a fate worse than Clear Sky Sect's. After all, we don't have a Tang Chen to protect us."

In recent years, the Four Great Single-Attribute Clans had grown quickly. Even the weakest of them, the Min Clan, had around 400 spirit masters, while the Yang Clan, the strongest, had 700 to 800. Altogether, they numbered over 2,000 spirit masters, with two Titled Douluo in their ranks. Their strength on paper had surpassed that of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.

Currently, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect held strong with support from Heaven Dou Empire, positioning itself as Spirit Hall's primary adversary. Meanwhile, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, with only Yu Yuanzhen as its sole Titled Douluo, had adopted a lower profile, shifting its focus toward allying with Heaven Dou's royal family. The clan's heir, Yu Tianheng, had enrolled in Heaven Dou Imperial Academy and was even pursuing Dugu Yan, clearly hoping to forge ties with the Dugu family.

Around this time, Yang Potian had observed that many forces sought to pull Dugu Bo into their fold, understanding his considerable influence. But Dugu Bo was known for his independence, accepting only the position of guest elder with the Heaven Dou Empire out of gratitude, while he turned down all other offers.

At times, Yang Potian found it puzzling that Spirit Hall had not eliminated someone as dangerous as Dugu Bo. Despite his openly hostile stance, Spirit Hall had refrained from targeting him, and his Poison soon wreaked havoc during the Jialing Pass battle. He was truly a destructive force.

When Yang Potian finished speaking, the group fell silent again. Each member, being a Titled Douluo, was well aware of Spirit Hall's power. They couldn't say exactly how many Titled Douluo Spirit Hall boasted, but they suspected there were at least ten, if not more.

Yang Potian looked around at his companions and sighed. "Grandfather Dugu, Uncle, Grandfather Niu, today's encounter must not leave our circle. Spirit Hall has hidden this descendant of the Qian family well, and I suspect there are deep schemes at play. Speaking out could mean a swift death."

Dugu Bo muttered, "If that's so, then why didn't we seize the opportunity to take them down?"

"Grandfather Dugu, they had two Titled Douluo with them. Here in the Star Dou Forest's core, neither side could pin down the other."

"My attitude just now should have been clear—I didn't want any trouble. That's why they held back as well."

Yang Potian kept his true thoughts to himself: Knowing Qian Renxue's animosity toward Bibi Dong, and seeing how much Bibi Dong invested in the Golden Generation, it's likely that the little Seraph wants to undermine her. As long as they're focused on each other, our clan should remain safe.

After some deliberation, the group agreed to distance themselves and continue their search for suitable spirit rings.

Later that day, they came to rest beside a small creek, hoping to stumble upon another powerful spirit beast.

The spirit beasts within the core region were undeniably powerful, often appearing in groups. Not long before, Yang Potian's team had encountered a pack of Gale Demon Wolves, numbering around twenty. The leader, judging by its aura, had likely reached 70,000 years, with two others over 50,000, while the rest were all at least 10,000 years old.

Yang Potian estimated that just this pack alone could rival one of the lower four sects. Known for their unity, Gale Demon Wolves, even in the core region, were not a group that even 100,000-year-old beasts would provoke lightly.

After searching for quite some time, they finally found a worthy target—a Diamond Mammoth approximately 80,000 years old. The mammoth measured over twenty meters in length, with a height of about eight meters. Its hide, a solid earthy brown, looked even tougher than granite. Its enormous tusks, each extending over four or five meters, seemed as durable as divine weapons.

Known as one of the strongest defensive spirit beasts, the Diamond Mammoth was the ancestral spirit beast of the Elephant Armor Clan. For Potian's mother, Niu Jinfeng, a defensive spirit master, it was an ideal match. Even Niu Gao, Potian's grandfather, couldn't help but admire it with envy.

This spirit beast, however, would be a formidable opponent. Even with a Titled Douluo wielding a Break Soul Spear, it might be difficult to land a lethal blow. In terms of raw strength and defense, the Diamond Mammoth's power rivaled that of a 100,000-year-old beast.

Although Yang Potian was tempted to use it as his own sixth spirit ring, he knew it was best suited for his mother. Fortunately, Dugu Bo's presence would play a crucial role; the Diamond Mammoth, while nearly impervious to physical attacks, was much more vulnerable to poisons. And with Dugu Bo's unmatched expertise, coupled with the Yang Clan's refined poisons, they could capitalize on this weakness.

After discussing their plan, the group decided to track the mammoth and wait for an opportunity to poison its food. For several days, they observed it closely, learning that it was an herbivore, mostly eating shrubs and saplings, with a preference for tender leaves.

The challenge with poisoning such a powerful creature lay in using a toxin that wouldn't immediately alert it. They needed a subtle, potent poison that was both odorless and tasteless. After considering several options, they settled on the Yang Clan's secret toxin, the Rainbow Venom, an undetectable poison, which was also used to secretly poison the Snow Night Emperor in the original novel.

Yang Zhentian, Potian's father, personally applied the venom and added a mix of other toxins to the leaves in the area the Diamond Mammoth frequently grazed. After five days of watching, they saw the results. The mammoth showed signs of lethargy, its spirit weakened, and blood even dripped from its mouth.

Seeing their chance, the group exchanged a nod and launched an assault on the weakened mammoth.

All six of them moved swiftly, attacking the mammoth from different directions. The Diamond Mammoth roared in defiance, trying to fight back, but it was up against four Titled Douluo. Overwhelmed, it was not a fair match.

Facing it head-on was none other than Niu Gao, Potian's grandfather. Since reaching the Titled Douluo level, his strength and defenses had surged; even against other Titled Douluo below level 96, his power in these areas was unmatched. Though the Diamond Mammoth's strength rivaled a Titled Douluo, it was far from a match for Niu Gao.

Meanwhile, Potian's father and uncle, despite wielding their Break Soul Spears, could barely leave more than shallow wounds on the Diamond Mammoth's tough hide—a testament to its nearly impenetrable defense.

In a desperate attempt, the Diamond Mammoth reared onto its hind legs, its front legs raised high, and brought them down with earth-shattering force, like an avalanche. Niu Gao, however, met this move head-on. His ninth spirit ring glowed as he activated his ninth spirit skill, Armored Defense. The spectral form of a massive Armored Rhinoceros appeared in front of him, challenging the Diamond Mammoth.

When the two titans collided, the ground beneath them shook, a crater forming as if from an explosion. Yet Niu Gao stood firm, unfazed, while the Diamond Mammoth staggered backward.

With coordinated attacks from all sides, the mammoth let out one final, thunderous cry before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.

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