NOVEL NEXT Chapter 37: clash 1
News of the Red Thunder Family's defiance spread like wildfire through the cultivation world. The three dominant sects - Azure Dragon Sect, Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion, and Dark Moon Tower - viewed this development with a mixture of shock, skepticism, and calculating interest. Not since the founding of Spirit Hall had any family dared to show such open defiance, and certainly not against a direct decree from Qian Douluo himself. While they publicly maintained careful neutrality, each sect's leadership met in emergency sessions to determine how best to leverage this unprecedented situation.
The Azure Dragon Sect's grand hall buzzed with urgent discussions among their elders. "This could shift the entire power structure of our world," their sect leader mused, stroking his long white beard. "We must not miss this opportunity to observe Spirit Hall's true strength." Similar conversations echoed through the elegant chambers of the Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion and the shadow-shrouded halls of the Dark Moon Tower.
Each sect ultimately reached the same conclusion - they would secretly dispatch their own Title Douluo to observe the impending conflict. These chosen observers were among their most trusted and powerful members, capable of concealing their presence even from other Title Douluo.
"This will be... illuminating," mused Shadow Walker Douluo of the Dark Moon Tower, his level 95 presence carefully masked as he took position in the distant mountains overlooking the Red Thunder Family compound. His dark robes blended perfectly with the shadows cast by the ancient trees, his spirit power compressed to near invisibility. Years of specialized training in the Dark Moon Tower's secret arts made him the perfect choice for this delicate mission.
From the Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion came the elegant Vermillion Flame Douluo, her crimson robes catching the early morning light as she established her observation point. Her martial soul, the Nine-Tailed Phoenix, granted her exceptional abilities in concealment despite its typically flashy nature. She positioned herself downwind, knowing that her sect's future strategies might depend on what she witnessed today.
The Azure Dragon Sect sent their Swift Wind Douluo, whose level 96 cultivation allowed him to hover almost invisibly among the clouds. His wind attribute martial soul made him particularly suited for aerial reconnaissance, and his position gave him the broadest view of the impending confrontation. Like his fellow observers, he maintained a careful distance, knowing that discovery would compromise not just his mission but potentially his sect's political position.
None of these observers knew what the others had witnessed earlier - the gathering of nine Title Douluo within the Red Thunder Family. Like Spirit Hall itself, they assumed this was merely another upstart family that had grown too confident with their recent advancement to Title Douluo status. The common intelligence suggested the family had only recently produced two Title Douluo, making their defiance seem like dangerous overconfidence.
As dawn broke the next day, the atmosphere grew heavy with anticipation. The observers tensed as three imposing figures approached the Red Thunder Family's gates. Crocodile Doulou led the formation, his scaled skin gleaming in the morning light, each step leaving subtle impressions in the stone path. His reputation preceded him - countless stories spoke of his devastating power and unwavering loyalty to Spirit Hall. To his right walked the elegant Azure Luan Douluo, whose refined appearance belied his mastery over wind and sky. On the left strode the muscular Mighty Lion Douluo, his very presence radiating barely contained battle spirit.
Their combined pressure made the air itself feel thick and heavy, causing lesser spirit masters in the vicinity to stumble and gasp for breath. Even the hidden Title Douluo observers had to reinforce their concealment techniques against this overwhelming display of power.
Without warning or preamble, Mighty Lion Douluo stepped forward, his martial soul manifesting in a brilliant display of golden light. His muscular frame seemed to swell, taking on leonine characteristics as his spirit rings appeared. The roar he released shattered the morning calm, the sound alone enough to crack the stone path beneath their feet and send ripples through the nearby pond. Windows rattled in their frames throughout the compound, and several tiles fell from nearby roofs. It was a display meant to intimidate, to show the overwhelming might of Spirit Hall and give the family one last chance to reconsider their defiance.
But the response that came was beyond anything they had expected or prepared for.
Nine dragon roars answered in unison, the combined sound creating a thunderous cacophony that shook the very mountains. The hidden Title Douluo observers nearly lost their footing as waves of spirit power washed over the area. Nine powerful figures appeared on the compound walls, each radiating the unmistakable pressure of a Title Douluo. Their martial souls manifested simultaneously, creating a spectacular display of varied dragon forms that filled the sky above the compound.
Among them stood two particularly commanding presences - the family patriarch and the infamous Azure Poison Dragon Douluo. The latter's reputation alone made even Crocodile Douluo's scaled skin prickle with unease. The stories of the Poison City massacre were still whispered in horrified tones throughout the cultivation world. Ten years ago, he had turned an entire Spirit Hall city into a deadly wasteland in a single night of rage, the poison so potent that even now nothing could survive within its boundaries.
"Hmph," the patriarch's voice carried easily across the courtyard, laden with dismissive confidence. His dragon martial soul cast a crimson glow around him, making his white hair seem to flame in the morning light. "Spirit Hall thinks so little of us that they send only three? Even if one is the famous Crocodile Douluo, level 98 master of the scaled arts..." He paused, his eyes shifting to the others. "Azure Luan Douluo, level 97, whose wind mastery is indeed impressive... and Mighty Lion Douluo, newly advanced to level 96, still adjusting to his ninth ring."
The precision of his knowledge clearly unsettled the Spirit Hall representatives. Not only did he know their cultivation levels, but he even knew about Mighty Lion Douluo's recent advancement. Crocodile Douluo's eyes narrowed, his vertical pupils becoming thin slits as he reassessed the situation. "Your intelligence network is... impressive," he admitted grudgingly, scales rippling across his skin as he subtly prepared for potential conflict. "Then you should also know why we're here. Does the Red Thunder Family truly wish to defy Spirit Hall's will?"
In response, Crocodile Douluo released his full power, nine soul rings blazing around him in an awe-inspiring display: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, black, red. The age of his ninth ring alone spoke volumes about his power - 99,000 years. The very air seemed to distort around him as his spirit power reached its peak, his martial soul manifestation growing more pronounced until he appeared more crocodilian than human.
But to the shock of everyone present, including the hidden observers, all nine members of the Red Thunder Family displayed their own soul rings in response. Each of them, without exception, possessed ninth rings of 99,000 years. The hidden Title Douluo nearly revealed themselves in their shock, their careful concealment techniques momentarily wavering under the impact of this revelation. This was impossible - the Red Thunder Family was supposed to have only two newly promoted Title Douluo!
The observers' shock only deepened as they analyzed the spirit power fluctuations around each family member. These weren't merely new Title Douluo with borrowed spirit rings or temporary power boosts. Each ring pulsed with the steady rhythm that only came from true cultivation, from power earned through years of dedicated practice and genuine breakthrough.
Vermillion Flame Douluo's hands trembled slightly as she recorded this observation in her memory crystal. The Heavenly Phoenix Pavilion's intelligence network had completely failed to detect this level of power within the Red Thunder Family. How had they hidden so many powerful practitioners? The implications were staggering.
Crocodile Douluo's expression shifted from confidence to barely concealed concern as his spiritual sense confirmed what his eyes were telling him. Five level 96 Title Douluo, their dragon martial souls radiating pure power. Three at level 97, each with unique variations of the thunder dragon martial soul that suggested specialized combat roles. And two - including the Azure Poison Dragon Douluo - at level 98, their presence alone making the air thick with pressure. The family's strength was far beyond anything Spirit Hall had anticipated or prepared for.
Swift Wind Douluo, still hovering among the clouds, found himself unconsciously retreating another hundred meters as he felt the combined pressure below. His sect leader had ordered him to observe and analyze Spirit Hall's true combat power, but this display suggested the real story today might be the Red Thunder Family's hidden strength.
Azure Poison Dragon Douluo's next words carried a deadly undertone that made everyone present shudder, his voice somehow both soft and carrying clearly to every ear. "Crocodile Douluo, consider your next actions carefully. While you three are here... who's watching Spirit Hall's city? Their branch halls? Their worship halls? Poison is such an... unpredictable thing, wouldn't you agree?" A faint purple mist seemed to curl around him as he spoke, though it might have been a trick of the light.
The threat wasn't idle, and everyone present knew it. The stories of his past deeds weren't mere rumors or exaggerations. At level 88, he had effortlessly killed a level 92 Title Douluo who had dared to threaten his family, the victim's body dissolving into poison mist before even hitting the ground. The Poison City incident had proven his capability for wide-scale destruction - an entire city of Spirit Hall masters transformed into a wasteland in a single night of vengeance. Now at level 98, with a fully matured poison dragon martial soul, his potential for destruction was almost unimaginable.
Shadow Walker Douluo found himself unconsciously holding his breath, despite being far from the confrontation. His sect specialized in poison arts, and even their most accomplished masters spoke of Azure Poison Dragon Douluo with a mixture of awe and terror. The casual reminder of his capabilities sent chills down the observer's spine.
The hidden observers exchanged shocked glances from their various vantage points, each realizing that this confrontation had revealed far more than any of them had anticipated. The Red Thunder Family wasn't just strong enough to resist Spirit Hall - they might be powerful enough to challenge its dominion over the cultivation world entirely. The political implications would reshape alliances and strategies throughout the cultivation world.
Crocodile Douluo stood motionless, his mind racing through calculations and possibilities. They had come to demonstrate Spirit Hall's authority, to remind everyone of the established order. Instead, they found themselves facing what might be the strongest concentration of Title Douluo outside of Spirit Hall itself. And with Azure Poison Dragon Douluo's thinly veiled threat hanging in the air, even victory here might mean catastrophic losses elsewhere.
The balance of power in the cultivation world was shifting before their eyes, and none of the observers would soon forget what they had witnessed this day. The Red Thunder Family had not just survived Spirit Hall's challenge - they had revealed themselves as a force that even Spirit Hall would have to treat with caution and respect.
As tension crackled in the air between the two groups, each observer carefully recorded every detail, knowing their sects would need this information to navigate the new political landscape that was forming. The cultivation world would never be quite the same after this day, and the ripples from this confrontation would spread far beyond the Red Thunder Family's compound walls.