Chapter 75: The Unwelcome Chrysanthemum
Qin Xuan sighed in his heart.
Forget it, he would agree for now. Once his Spirit Ring years were all upgraded and he no longer needed those Spirit Ring Age Cards, it wouldn't be too late to focus on Ling Yuan. She was, after all, a Titled Douluo.
However, before that, he still needed to give a clear warning. This woman's favorability was already at 100%. It was highly unlikely she would betray him, but her fiery and impulsive personality meant she might let something slip. If word got out about his system, it would be a headache far greater than any Titled Douluo.
As he mused, Ling Yuan had already returned to the mature charm she possessed when they first met. She gave him a charming side-eye, her voice dropping to a husky whisper as she pressed close to him inside the tent.
"What are you thinking about? I can't even get enough of my man's benefits for myself, so how could I possibly let others benefit?" She playfully traced a finger along his chest.
"Let's go, it's getting late. Let's get into the tent and rest early." Her voice was laced with seductive promise. "Last time was our first time, so my body was inevitably a bit... uncomfortable. Tonight, Big Sister will truly teach you how to play adult games."
As she spoke, her strength, far beyond his, easily pulled Qin Xuan deeper into the tent.
This entire exchange left Nong Yu, who was standing guard nearby, completely dumbfounded.
Although Nong Yu hadn't yet mastered the language of the Douluo Continent, the relationship between Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan was more than obvious. Last time, it could be written off as a fling 'while the mistress was away.' Good heavens, this time it was happening directly in front of the mistress!
Nong Yu felt her worldview tilting. This Qin Xuan was truly a master, juggling two powerful women who seemed to be at the Titled Douluo level.
In reality, how could Nong Yu know that after her last experience, Ling Yuan had already tasted the sweetness and wanted more? Her pride was the only thing stopping her from initiating, as she was unwilling to lower herself.
Now that she had the chance to "go with the flow," she absolutely had to seize this little rascal and drain him dry.
A great battle, one of physical stamina and Spirit Power, was about to erupt.
"Someone's coming."
Just at this critical moment, Jingni's soft, clear cry from outside the tent made both Qin Xuan and Ling Yuan's bodies freeze simultaneously.
"Damn it, I'm going crazy! Which bastard dares to disturb me at this time?"
Her Eighth Spirit Ability, Hot-Blooded, was forcefully interrupted. The once-majestic Ling Yuan Douluo, her desire thwarted, instantly looked as wronged as a child. She reluctantly let go of her long legs, which had been wrapped around him.
With a flash of fiery light, her figure shot out of the tent. Almost the moment she exited, her full set of clothes had already reappeared on her body, her face dark with murderous rage.
Qin Xuan showed a helpless smile, unhurriedly getting up and putting on his own clothes.
Just now, the clone he had left responsible for vigilance chose to automatically dissolve. The memories flooded his mind: two figures, one emanating a deathly chill and the other a sharp, floral aura, were approaching rapidly.
The newcomers were none other than Yue Guan and Gui Mei, the very two who had escorted him to the City of Slaughter.
[Inorin's Note: Yue Guan (Chrysanthemum Douluo) and Gui Mei (Ghost Douluo) are two of the most infamous Elders of Spirit Hall, known for their powerful Spirit Fusion Ability.]
From their powerful auras, their spirit power had both reached Level 90. It seemed they were here in the Star Dou Great Forest to acquire their ninth Spirit Rings.
Jingni, standing guard outside the tent, possessed a 100,000-year Spirit Bone, and her mental force was not much weaker than Qin Xuan's. Naturally, she could also sense their Spirit Power, but having never seen them, she couldn't distinguish friend from foe. She had already taken a defensive stance, her hand resting on the hilt of her Jingni Sword.
As soon as he walked out of the tent, Qin Xuan saw that a large fire was already burning in the nearby forest, ignited by Ling Yuan's unrestrained aura. Then, he heard her furious voice echo through the trees:
"Gui Mei! Yue Guan! So it's you two bastards! Eighth Spirit Ability, Hot-Blooded!"
Hearing Ling Yuan call out the names of the newcomers, Jingni looked at Qin Xuan in confusion. "Are the owners of those two auras also from Spirit Hall?"
As for A Yan and Nong Yu, Jingni had already put them safely into her Qiankun Bag the instant she sensed someone approaching.
"Yes, they are Yue Guan and Gui Mei, the Elders I told you about before. It seems they've come out of seclusion." Qin Xuan's expression grew serious. "Let's go, let's go together and take a look. Otherwise, this forest is going to be burned to the ground by Ling Yuan's rage."
Qin Xuan said, his figure darting forward and rapidly heading towards the direction of the fight. Jingni followed closely behind, her form like a silent, graceful shadow.
A black, ghostly shadow. A massive, golden chrysanthemum. A fiery red, blazing iris. The three Spirit Avatars were unleashed almost simultaneously, their terrifying energies colliding. Three immense pillars of light—one black, one gold, one red—shot into the sky.
Yue Guan's golden energy pillar and Gui Mei's black energy pillar were released in the same direction, merging into a vortex of golden light and shadowy death. This combined attack slammed into Ling Yuan's pillar of pure flame.
The clashing energies didn't explode immediately. They consumed each other, grinding and tearing at one another—the fire burning the shadow, the shadow smothering the fire, and the sharp golden light of the chrysanthemum petals slicing through both.
With a final, deafening roar, the energy destabilized and exploded.
Both sides were simultaneously blown back dozens of meters before they managed to stop.
Although Ling Yuan had one more Spirit Ring than Yue Guan or Gui Mei and could steadily defeat either of them individually, her advantage was limited when their Spirit Power only differed by one level. Facing two Level 90 quasi-Titled Douluo at the same time, neither side could gain an advantage.
"Damn it, Ling Yuan, you crazy bastard! Do you want to kill me and Old Ghost?!" Yue Guan cried out, his voice sharp and angry. He looked quite disheveled, his elegant robes scorched and his hair singed. Although he and Gui Mei had teamed up in the clash and weren't truly injured, it was still an incredibly uncomfortable impact.
Facing the Fire Spirit Iris, with her powerful flame abilities, Yue Guan once again felt the frustrating sensation of being countered, just like his battle with Qin Xuan in the Elder Hall. Fire counters grass, and his Qirong Tongtian Chrysanthemum was, at its core, a plant. This truly frustrated him beyond measure.
"Ling Yuan, stop it right now!" Gui Mei wasn't in much better shape. His voice was a low, ghostly rasp. Although his Gui Mei Spirit could become ethereal to avoid physical attacks, it couldn't immune Spirit Power attacks. Moreover, as a Spirit of the evil type, it was most afraid of pure fire and lightning attribute attacks. Ling Yuan was his perfect counter.
"Dream on! How dare you disturb my good time? Today, I'm going to teach you two a good lesson!"
How does that saying go? Arguing with a madman is foolish, and arguing with a woman is both mad and foolish.
Never try to reason with an enraged woman; otherwise, you're no different from a madman or a fool.
Clearly, Ling Yuan was the enraged woman at this moment, and Gui Mei and Yue Guan were playing the roles of both mad and foolish.
"Old Ghost, this woman is probably insane. What do we do?" Yue Guan looked sideways at Gui Mei.
Gui Mei glanced at the furious Ling Yuan and said, "There's no other way. We have to stop her first. Yue Guan, fusion!"
[Inorin's Note: Spirit Fusion (or Martial Soul Fusion Technique) is a rare ability where two Spirit Masters with compatible Spirits can merge their power to unleash a technique far stronger than themselves. Yue Guan and Gui Mei's is called the Two Poles Static Domain.]
Yue Guan's lips curled into a sly smile. Both of them released their Spirits again. Eight Spirit Rings circulated around each of their bodies. Then they lunged at each other, one cloaked in golden light, the other in black shadow.
Their speed was incredibly fast, and at the same time, their bodies erupted with intense golden and black light, their auras beginning to merge into something far more oppressive.
"Not good..." Seeing them about to collide, Ling Yuan secretly thought it was bad, but it was already too late to stop them.
Just at this critical moment, a massive golden greatsword descended from the sky, landing with pinpoint precision between Yue Guan and Gui Mei. The immense, pure golden sword qi erupted, sending the bodies of the two quasi-Titled Douluo flying back like cannonballs.
"They actually repelled me and Old Ghost at the same time..." Both their expressions changed dramatically. They glanced at the golden greatsword as it dissipated, then looked around, searching for the source of the attack's Spirit Power fluctuation. "Who is it?"
As quasi-Titled Douluo, they had attacked simultaneously, yet faced such a result. This was a feat that even Ling Yuan couldn't achieve. Could the newcomer also be a Titled Douluo?
"Senior Yue Guan, Senior Gui Mei, don't be so angry. Ling Yuan was a bit reckless just now. I apologize to you on her behalf."
The golden greatsword transformed into a halo of light and disappeared. Qin Xuan emerged from the forest with Jingni. The Jingni Sword quietly appeared in Jingni's hand. Without even revealing her Spirit Rings, she simply waved her hand, and a wave of absolute cold swept over the battlefield. The forest, previously engulfed in fire, instantly turned into a forest of ice sculptures, the flames extinguished in an instant.
Seeing it was Qin Xuan, Ling Yuan also knew that if he hadn't stopped her just now, she would have been bound by the Two Poles Static Domain. She snorted lightly, reluctantly put away her Spirit, and stood beside Qin Xuan, looking slightly pouted.
"It's you? Qin Xuan!" Yue Guan and Gui Mei were a bit surprised, but more so shocked.
They never expected that in just over a year, Qin Xuan's strength had reached this level. And he also had a beautiful woman beside him whose strength was even greater than his, possessing a powerful ice-attribute sword Spirit.
Even Ling Yuan, who thought highly of herself and was notoriously difficult, didn't seem displeased by Qin Xuan's words, standing beside him like a meek wife. It was truly unbelievable.
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