Nine dazzling, radiant golden soul rings orbited his body, each emitting a heart-palpitating pressure. The ninth soul ring, in particular, radiated an ultimate golden hue, faintly echoing with the intertwined sounds of a dragon's roar and an angelic hymn. This was a power that surpassed Limit Douluo—the supreme might of a "Demi-God."
Zhao Feng stood at Lin Mo's side, gripping the Divine Conviction Battleaxe tightly. The axe head was inscribed with intricate, densely packed runes that gleamed brilliantly under the golden light, radiating intense divine power and the power of conviction. His soul wings were also unfurled—a pure, striking gold. Every feather seemed forged from fine gold, containing an indestructible force. A millennium of cultivation had allowed his power of conviction to completely materialize. A golden shield enveloped him, upon which the faint, flickering phantoms of countless heroic spirits appeared. This was the condensation of the convictions of every fallen soldier over the past thousand years, the ultimate manifestation of the power to protect.
Below them, the Twin Dragon Void-Suppressing Barrier had already begun to develop massive cracks. The blue and golden light of the barrier flickered erratically, growing dim as if it would shatter at any moment. From within these cracks, Void creatures poured out in an endless stream. They took various forms: some were massive behemoths dozens of yards tall, covered in pitch-black scales and spewing highly corrosive Void black mist from their maws; others were small and agile, darting about like shadows and excelling in ambushes, their Void power easily piercing through the defenses of ordinary Soul Masters; still others took half-human, half-beast forms, wielding weapons condensed from the Void. Their combat prowess was terrifying, and their eyes held no emotion—only a sheer desire for destruction.
The most chilling presence of all, however, was the figure slowly emerging from the depths of the spatial passage. Its entire body was pitch-black, lacking a fixed form, like a flowing shadow. It was enveloped in a Void black mist so dense it felt viscous. Within the mist, one could faintly see countless pairs of crimson eyes radiating an icy, cruel light. Its aura far surpassed that of Lin Mo and Zhao Feng. Merely by standing there, the very space of the Void Desert began to twist and tremble. The earth constantly split apart, debris filled the sky, and even the soul power in the air was suppressed to the point of stagnation by its Void energy.
"Lowly ants, is this the extent of your power after a thousand years of preparation?" That icy, hoarse voice rang out once more. Devoid of all emotion, it carried a dominating pressure that overwhelmed everything, exploding like a thunderclap in everyone's ears. Many of the weaker Soul Masters instantly turned pale, blood spilling from the corners of their mouths. Some were even forced to their knees by this sheer pressure, trembling uncontrollably, stripped of even the courage to resist.
This was the Void Sovereign, the true master of the Void Space. Having existed for tens of thousands of years, it had witnessed the destruction of countless worlds and stained its hands with the blood of myriad living beings. Its Void power had reached the absolute zenith, far surpassing the sealed Origin of the Void from back then. In its eyes, all living creatures of the Douluo Continent were nothing more than ants. It invaded this land not to rule, but to annihilate—to reduce this vibrant world into a purgatory of nothingness.
Lin Mo's eyes were sharp, entirely unfazed by the Void Sovereign's pressure. He raised the Heart of the Angel high, and it instantly erupted with blinding golden light. Within the radiance, the phantom of Qian Renxue grew even clearer. She wore a pristine white angelic gown, a pair of colossal angelic wings spread behind her. Her expression was gentle yet resolute, and her entire being radiated pure divine power, intertwining with Lin Mo's Dragon Emperor power to form an even more massive dome of light, shielding the Soul Masters below.
"Void Sovereign! You seek to destroy our Douluo Continent, slaughter our people, and trample upon the will of our heroic spirits! Today, I, Lin Mo, in the name of the Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor, drawing upon Lord Qian Renxue's heart of protection, and guided by the will of all heroic spirits, will repel you completely!" Lin Mo's voice was steady and powerful, sweeping across the entire battlefield and piercing through the Void black mist to reach the ears of every Soul Master. Those who had been knocked down by the pressure instantly felt a warm, unwavering power surge through them; they scrambled back to their feet, their eyes turning resolute once more.
"And I, Zhao Feng!" Zhao Feng roared, raising his Divine Conviction Battleaxe high. A golden pillar of the light of conviction shot into the sky, intertwining with Lin Mo's blue-and-gold beam. "In the name of the Commander of the Void-Suppressing Army, the Dean of the Heroic Spirits Academy, and every Soul Master who guards the living beings of this continent, I will fight you to the bitter end! Even if my soul shatters and scatters, I will never let you set foot on the continent!"
"Fight to the bitter end! Never retreat!"
"Inherit the will of the heroic spirits, protect the living beings of the continent!"
Countless Soul Masters roared in unison, their voices deafening the heavens, drowning out the shrieks of the Void creatures and overpowering the Void Sovereign's aura. The four great Void-Suppressing Legions had arrived on the battlefield. They stood in neat formations, weapons drawn, their bodies radiating unyielding conviction and divine power. They formed four immovable defense lines, firmly blocking the Void creatures' advance. The students of the Soul Master Academy, though mostly only at the Soul Emperor and Soul Douluo ranks, showed no fear whatsoever. Remembering Zhao Feng's teachings and the will of the heroic spirits, they unleashed their Martial Souls one after another, condensing their soul power and preparing to fight the Void creatures to the death.
The Soul Master legions of the major sects also arrived one after another. The Clear Sky Hammers of the Clear Sky Sect were raised high, wreathed in dense soul power; every swing shattered several Void creatures. The Soul Masters of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect stood at the rear, unleashing powerful augmentation skills to boost the soul power, defense, and attack of the vanguard. The Soul Masters of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family were enveloped in purple lightning; this lightning power naturally countered the Void, and every bolt that struck down purified large swathes of the black mist, slaying numerous low-tier Void creatures. The Soul Masters of the Spirit Hall (having endured for a millennium, they had long cast aside past grievances to focus solely on protecting the continent) unleashed their Angel Martial Souls. Resonating with Lin Mo's power of the Angel, their holy light converged into a torrent that continuously washed away the Void black mist.
The armies of the two great empires had also rushed to the battlefield. Though they were not Soul Masters, they wielded weapons specifically forged to contain divine power. Arrayed in neat phalanx formations, they fought in coordination with the Soul Masters. Even when facing powerful Void creatures, they did not yield an inch, using their mortal bodies to form a solid bulwark for the Soul Masters. The common folk had also spontaneously organized, bringing self-refined healing pills and food to the rear of the battlefield, cheering the Soul Masters on. Their shouts and battle cries became the most unshakable source of strength for the fighters.
"Foolish ants who court death, since you so desperately desire it, I shall grant your wish!" The Void Sovereign's voice grew even colder. It slowly raised its hand, and within its pitch-black palm, a mass of dense Void black mist condensed. Within this mist lay an apocalyptic, world-destroying power. Countless tiny spatial rifts manifested around the black mist—a testament to the Void power reaching its absolute zenith.
"Everyone, defend with everything you have!" Lin Mo bellowed. He fully detonated the power of the Heart of the Angel, and the phantom of the Holy Angel Abyssal Dragon Emperor expanded once more, blotting out the sky. The interwoven blue and golden light enveloped the entire battlefield, forming a colossal defensive dome.
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