Douluo: Starting with an Engagement to Zhu Zhuqing

Chapter 197: Tang San, Your External Spirit Bone is Quite Useful!

Under everyone's astonished gaze, eight pairs of pristine white wings unfurled slowly from Dai Yao's back. With a beat of those wings, Dai Yao lifted off the ground, hovering in midair, effectively stopping Tang San from building up power for his Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.

His expression cold and detached, Dai Yao looked down at Tang San from above. The momentary silence that had filled the arena upon seeing the legendary Clear Sky Hammer shattered. The crowd erupted with noise, overwhelmed by a mixture of awe and intense curiosity.

"What's that on Dai Yao's back? Wings?"

"Is it a spirit bone?"

"But there are only six types of spirit bones, right? None of them can produce wings."

Spectators were left baffled, and even the referee looked unsure of what to make of the sight, casting a questioning glance toward the VIP box.

In the VIP box, Emperor Xue Ye's face froze in shock. He turned to Ning Fengzhi and asked, "Sect Master Ning, could those wings on Dai Yao's back be a spirit bone?"

Ning Fengzhi nodded. "Indeed, Your Majesty. The wings are an external spirit bone—a legendary one at that."

Emperor Xue Ye's eyes widened in disbelief. He knew well the unparalleled value of external spirit bones, and a trace of envy, perhaps even greed, flickered across his gaze as he fixed his eyes on Dai Yao. Swallowing hard, he spoke in a low, intense voice, "This young man is truly fortunate! To think he possesses such a fabled item…"

He glanced sidelong at Ning Fengzhi. "No wonder you hold him in such high regard, Sect Master Ning… even going so far as to argue with me about him not long ago…" He paused, shaking his head before changing his tone. "Spirit bones are already exceedingly rare. The only contestant in this tournament with one is Xiangjia Sect's Huyan Li, but this young man, Dai Yao… not only has a spirit bone but a supreme treasure—an external spirit bone! This will make him a target, just like Tang San with his Clear Sky Hammer."

Salas snorted at this thinly veiled insinuation. He was keenly aware of the implications Emperor Xue Ye was hinting at: the coveted external spirit bone would undoubtedly draw the attention of outsiders, and even within Spirit Hall, such knowledge could breed internal discord.

"Your Majesty, you need not concern yourself with Dai Yao's safety. Spirit Hall will naturally see to his protection," Salas replied, a hint of irritation in his voice.

In fact, Spirit Hall already had a Titled Douluo stationed in Heaven Dou City, and Salas knew that once word of this external spirit bone spread, even members of Spirit Hall itself would covet it. As a high-ranking bishop of Spirit Hall, he was all too familiar with the ambitions of the elders.

Emperor Xue Ye responded with a mocking smile, "Salas, do you believe your own words? Spirit Hall will be the first to lay hands on Dai Yao."

Ning Fengzhi and Dustless Douluo exchanged a knowing smile, casting sidelong glances at Salas. They understood that Dai Yao's spirit bone had fully fused with him, making it impossible for anyone to obtain even if they killed him. But they chose not to share this fact with Salas, hoping instead to exploit this misunderstanding to drive a wedge between Dai Yao and Spirit Hall.

Salas's gaze wavered. He, too, felt a surge of greed upon seeing Dai Yao's external spirit bone—this treasure could very well help him break through his long-standing bottleneck and achieve Titled Douluo status. But he quickly suppressed his desire. Treasure or not, Dai Yao represented more than just a disciple to him; he was an echo of his own younger self, bearing the weight of many hopes and expectations.

Yet he was at a loss for words, and just as he was about to stammer out a response, Emperor Xue Ye raised a dismissive hand, his tone laced with derision. "A bishop ought to choose words that inspire confidence, wouldn't you agree?"

Salas flushed, his face turning from red to white, unable to muster a coherent reply. Just then, Dugu Bo, who had been silent until now, swept his gaze over the assembly. Noting the barely concealed greed of the surrounding Spirit Masters, he let out a cold snort, releasing a faint, poisonous aura.

"Don't even think about it. Dai Yao's external spirit bone has fused with him completely. Killing him won't yield a spirit bone—it won't drop," he declared, his tone icy.

The Spirit Masters who had been entertaining greedy thoughts froze, hurriedly lowering their heads in deference to Dugu Bo.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Xue Ye's expression faltered, and Ning Fengzhi sighed with a hint of regret, realizing that this foiled their plan to drive a wedge between Dai Yao and Spirit Hall. Salas, for his part, breathed a sigh of relief; the combined pressure from Emperor Xue Ye and Ning Fengzhi had left him feeling suffocated.

He bowed in thanks to Dugu Bo, who responded indifferently, "There's no need to thank me. That boy made his own fortune, and to be honest, I was tempted too. But my granddaughter has already chosen him."

Salas bowed once more in gratitude, a glint of calculation flashing briefly in his downcast gaze. Emperor Xue Ye finally raised a hand, signaling the referee to resume the match.

In the Oakland team area, Huo Wu stared dazedly at the wings on Dai Yao's back, murmuring, "So, that's the spirit bone he used to protect me…" She lowered her head, her fingers tracing the feathers, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Grandmaster stood slack-jawed, his gaze fixed in disbelief on the wings behind Dai Yao as he stumbled back a few steps. "Impossible… an external spirit bone… truly unbelievable!"

On the battlefield, Shrek Academy's defenses collapsed almost instantly after Xiao Wu's defeat. Having already expended their spirit power on the Fusion Technique, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing could only barely hold their ground under Ning Rongrong's boost, but they were clearly nearing their limits.

In the sky above, Feng Wutong grew bolder and more powerful with each attack. Her Nameless Leaving Fire expanded, compressing the red Vermillion Bird Fire that Ma Hongjun wielded. Suddenly, a gap opened in the flames, and Wutong swooped in, slamming Ma Hongjun hard with her wings, sending him crashing out of the ring—the second Shrek member to fall after Xiao Wu.

Moments later, Zhu Zhuqing overpowered Dai Mubai, who also tumbled out of bounds in shock. Within minutes, three, then four, and eventually five members of Shrek lay defeated.

Zhu Zhuqing, her gaze as cold as ever, pointed a blade-like hand at Ning Rongrong's pale neck, a faint curiosity in her usually stoic eyes. "Step down on your own."

Ning Rongrong stared at her in surprise, uncertain as to why she was being spared, and after a brief hesitation, nodded. "Alright."

With the Shrek team defeated one by one, only Tang San remained in the arena.

Dai Yao chuckled. "Sister Yan, go ahead and clear the Jade Phosphor Poison Mist. There's only Tang San left, and if he won't concede, we'll just go seven-on-one."

After forcing Oscar back with a single sword stroke, Dai Yanyi turned to Dugu Yan and said with a grin.

Dugu Yan shook her head slightly, casting a look of admiration and understanding toward the purple mist surrounding Dai Yao and Tang San. "No, this is Dai Yao and Tang San's battle. We can't interfere in their duel. As prodigies, they both carry their pride, and this one-on-one fight must be settled between them alone."

Dai Yanyi nodded, then scoffed, "Dai Yao is so strong; there's no doubt he'll win against Tang San, who's just a control-type Spirit Master. And Tang San isn't much of a genius anyway, just a Blue Silver Grass user—a trash spirit."

Dugu Yan shook her head. "No, you're mistaken. You can't see through my Jade Phosphor Poison Mist, so you don't know what's happening inside, but I can see it all clearly."

"Tang San has twin spirits! And his second spirit… is the Clear Sky Hammer."

Dai Yanyi's eyes widened in surprise, and he said urgently, "He has twin spirits? Then we should take precautions and gang up on him, ensuring victory with a seven-on-one approach."

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, but she stood firmly beside Dugu Yan, and thus, beside Dai Yao.

Feng Qianli intervened, "Yanyi, this is a duel between prodigies, with its own respect and pride. We can't interrupt them. Plus, the reason we've come so far is all thanks to Dai Yao. If he wants to fight Tang San one-on-one, we have no right to question it."

Dai Yanyi hesitated, his expression dark, then reluctantly nodded. "Alright, I concede."

Inside the purple mist…

Tang San's attack missed as he looked up, noticing Dai Yao's wings, now stiff as if struck by lightning. A strange familiarity surged within him as he gazed at the eight wings. His heart began to race unexpectedly. He shook off the feeling, gritted his teeth, and locked eyes with Dai Yao hovering in the sky.

"External spirit bone, right?"

Dai Yao gave a slight smirk and nodded.

The White Tiger Eight Wings were, after all, the same spirit bone as Tang San's lost Eight Spider Lances. Using them to defeat Tang San held an undeniable sense of destiny for Dai Yao.

"Then let me end this… with White Tiger Eight Wings."

With his eyes glinting coldly, Dai Yao's fourth spirit ring lit up again, filling the air with booming thunder as bolts of lightning rained down within the poison circle, turning it into a field of lightning. This time, the lightning wasn't just concentrated in his palm but spread across the entire area, forming an electrifying domain.

Tang San could barely register his shock. How was it possible for Dai Yao to use his fourth spirit ability yet again? Did this man's spirit power never deplete?

If Dai Yao knew Tang San's thoughts, he would have laughed—this was the abnormal strength of his liquid spirit power.

Tang San's eyes gleamed with a faint purple as he observed the falling lightning with rising alarm. Each bolt held power equivalent to a third spirit ability from an average Spirit Master. If he was hit, he could withstand it, but not without sustaining injuries that would disadvantage him for the rest of the battle.

"Ghost Shadow Perplexing Track!"

With a silent chant, Tang San's figure blurred, darting through the lightning, narrowly evading each strike, to the spectators' cheers. Dai Yao sneered, his wings flashing as he covered the distance in a blink. He unleashed the most explosive attack since the start of the tournament.

Under the enhancement of the White Tiger Eight Wings, his strength and speed increased multiple times, and his wings allowed him to stop Tang San from gathering power for the Disorder Splitting Wind Hammer Technique.

Tang San realized this too, his expression growing darker as he gripped the hammer. "Xiao Wu, I'll make Dai Yao pay for what he did to you!"

With years of intense combat experience, Dai Yao wielded every part of his body as a weapon—fists, elbows, knees, feet, and even his wings. Every strike produced a sonic boom, and each step left deep indentations in the ground.

In the face of such a fierce assault, Tang San didn't falter. Though forced into close combat, he dodged Dai Yao's most dangerous attacks with elusive footwork, and when unavoidable, he defended with the Clear Sky Hammer.

The black aura surrounding the hammer turned the ground to dust upon impact. Their battle entered a heated stage, with soul power bursting from each collision, crackling across the arena.

Two shadows darted across the arena, clashing with booming sounds that echoed throughout the coliseum. Both fighters' attacks grew more intense and relentless with each exchange.

The purple mist surrounding the battlefield began dissipating from the impact of their attacks. Seeing this, Dugu Yan retracted the mist altogether. As Oakland's team caught sight of the battle, they were left speechless.

"Is that really the Blue Silver Grass Spirit Master?"

The spectators held their breath, their eyes glued to the battlefield, while the dignitaries in the VIP area watched in silent admiration. Those who had previously fought these two teams were now gripped by a mix of awe and nervous anticipation—this was a duel at the peak of their tier.

Lightning cracked, and black light faded as the two shadows clashed one final time, each knocked back dozens of steps by the blast.

When the two combatants stopped, everyone could finally see their state clearly. Dai Yao was slightly out of breath, his white clothes rumpled but otherwise unscathed, while Tang San looked considerably worse. Blood trickled from his mouth and nose, his clothes torn, and his gaze dimmed.

The difference in power between the two was unmistakable. Still, to have lasted so long against Dai Yao was an achievement in itself.

As they reappeared, the murmurs across the arena ceased, the atmosphere growing tense. The faint breeze stirred Dai Yao's clothing and his golden hair.

The silence lingered until Tang San finally made a move, but as he took a step forward, he felt a strange stiffness in his body. His pupils shrank as he looked up, spotting the faintly purple stingers at the tips of Dai Yao's wings. His heart stopped as realization dawned, and he muttered, "Poison! You're despicable!"

Dai Yao was slightly taken aback. Wasn't it the Tang Sect who specialized in hidden weapons and poison? How was it "despicable" when he used it?

This had been Dai Yao's plan all along. During their intense exchange, he had subtly grazed Tang San's skin with the venomous tips of his White Tiger Eight Wings. With the toxins infiltrating his body, Tang San would soon suffer a debilitating injury.

Watching Tang San's pained expression, Dai Yao smirked and thought, "Tang San, your spirit bone is quite useful indeed."

(Chapter End)

Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.

Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Canserbero10