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Chapter 121: Diamond Mammoth
🕑 Added 2024-12-25 17:51:59 +0000 UTCAfter Yang Podi and his group left, the three golden-haired individuals also fell into silence.
Yang Podi's guess was correct; these three were Qian Renxue, Snake Lance Douluo, and Porcupinefish Douluo.
Snake Lance Douluo bowed to Qian Renxue. "Young Master, it's quite strange for this group of people to come to the Star Dou Forest just for a fifth spirit ring. How could they have reached the core area? Why didn't we detain them?"
Qian Renxue shook her head. "They outnumber us. Although Dugu Bo and Niu Gao are newly promoted Titled Douluos, even with the two of you joining forces, it's uncertain whether you could take them down. Moreover, the other two are no pushovers. The key to our visit to the Star Dou Forest this time is to acquire a spirit ring. We can deal with them later."
"But, Young Master, they've seen your true appearance. I'm afraid this could become a problem."
Qian Renxue thought for a moment. "It's fine. Apart from a few people in Spirit Hall, no one has seen my true face. Even if they suspect something, they won't know my current identity. Besides, Yang Podi has already broken through to the Soul King realm. I've heard that woman has trained her so-called Golden Generation. I want to see if her carefully nurtured team can win the Spirit Master Tournament."
"Snake Lance, how's the situation with the second team of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy? What's their specific spirit power level?"
Snake Lance Douluo quickly responded, "Young Master, according to my recent observations, only two members of the second team have yet to reach the Soul Ancestor realm. However, they're already at level 39 and should all become Soul Ancestors before the Spirit Master Tournament. The strongest, Yang Ping'an and Dugu Yan, are at levels 47 and 46, respectively. Nine-Hearted Begonia's Ye Lingling has also reached level 45."
Qian Renxue nodded. "From this, it seems they'll likely have a lineup of two Soul Kings and five Soul Ancestors next year. That should surprise that woman."
Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo stayed silent. They dared not involve themselves in such matters.
Qian Renxue looked at the black spirit ring of the Flame Lion King before her and couldn't help but mutter, "Genius? Golden Generation? I'll see what your so-called Golden Generation is truly capable of."
After saying this, Qian Renxue stopped overthinking and began preparing to absorb the spirit ring.
Meanwhile, Yang Podi's group also found themselves in an awkward silence.
Dugu Bo finally spoke up. "Little monster, doesn't your Breaking Clan have deep grudges against Spirit Hall? Have you never thought about taking revenge?"
Yang Podi shook his head. "The Breaking Clan's grudges stem from the events involving the Clear Sky Clan. Since we've severed ties with them, we no longer have major feuds with Spirit Hall."
"Besides, if Spirit Hall had truly wanted to annihilate the Breaking Clan back then, my grandfather and the others wouldn't have escaped. And I'm somewhat self-aware. We only have a few hundred people now. We lack the strength to confront Spirit Hall and certainly won't provoke them deliberately."
Yang Zhen Tian's expression darkened. "Podi, is this truly what you think?"
Yang Podi nodded. "Dad, I'm not saying we should let go of hatred or fear Spirit Hall. But we need to evaluate our strength. If we continue opposing them, our clan will be wiped out."
"Many outside people are exaggerating the strength of our four single-attribute clans, even claiming we have the potential to replace the upper three sects. We should know who is spreading these rumors. They're hoping we'll clash with Spirit Hall to reduce their own pressure."
"If we truly act according to their wishes, our end will be disastrous—worse than the Clear Sky Clan's. We don't have a Tang Chen."
In recent years, the four single-attribute clans had developed rapidly. Even the weakest Speed Clan now had 400-500 spirit masters, while the strongest Breaking Clan boasted 700-800. Combined, the four clans had over 2,000 spirit masters, along with two Titled Douluos on the surface. Their visible strength already surpassed the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan.
Currently, the Spirit Master world's landscape sees the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan struggling to resist Spirit Hall. The latter has expanded rapidly with nearly 4,000 spirit masters, becoming the world's strongest sect.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan relies on Heaven Dou Empire's support and is the only faction openly opposing Spirit Hall. In contrast, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, supported by a single Titled Douluo, Yu Yuanzhen, has grown more reserved in recent years.
Even their core disciple, Yu Tianheng, had chosen to study at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy instead of Thunderclap Academy, signaling an alliance with the Heaven Dou royal family to avoid further decline. Yu Tianheng persistently pursued Dugu Yan after enrolling, but she remained unimpressed, her own strength surpassing his.
Despite being courted by many factions, Dugu Bo refused their offers. Aside from fulfilling his debt to Heaven Dou Empire as a guest elder, he stayed independent.
Yang Podi found it curious. In the original work, Dugu Bo constantly opposed Spirit Hall. For such a dangerous figure, Spirit Hall had never preemptively dealt with him. This oversight later allowed Dugu Bo to poison tens of thousands during the Jialing Pass battle, making him a strategic weapon.
Hearing Yang Podi's analysis, the group fell silent. All of them, being Titled Douluos, understood Spirit Hall's power. While they didn't know the exact number of Titled Douluos within Spirit Hall, there were undoubtedly at least ten.
Since the Clear Sky Clan's retreat, both Spirit Hall and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had grown rapidly without opposition.
Yang Podi sighed. "Senior Dugu, Second Grandpa, Grandfather, what we witnessed today must not spread. Spirit Hall has hidden the Qian Clan heir so carefully, likely with a grand scheme in mind. If word gets out, we'll all be silenced."
Dugu Bo frowned. "If that's the case, why didn't we take this chance to eliminate them?"
"Grandpa Dugu, they have two Titled Douluos. In the Star Dou Forest core area, we can't hold them, and they can't hold us."
"My intentions were clear earlier—to avoid conflict. That's why there was temporary peace."
What Yang Podi didn't say was that Qian Renxue likely opposed Bibi Dong, especially since Bibi Dong pinned her hopes on Hu Liena's group. This little angel might even hope for Bibi Dong's failure. For now, his clan remained safe.
After some discussion, they decided to continue their hunt for spirit rings while avoiding further encounters.
The group eventually came across a promising spirit beast—a Diamond Mammoth. This beast, about 80,000 years old, measured over 20 meters in length and 8 meters in height. Its skin was a tough, yellowish-brown resembling granite, and its massive tusks, over four meters long, seemed as strong as divine artifacts.
Known for its exceptional defense, the Diamond Mammoth was a perfect match for Niu Jinfeng, a defense-type spirit master, and even her father, Niu Gao, eyed it greedily.
Even Yang Podi himself couldn't help but feel a bit tempted. If not for the fact that this spirit beast was more suitable for his mother, he might have considered using it for his own sixth spirit ring.
Fortunately, this time they had Dugu Bo accompanying them. Although the Diamond Mammoth was renowned for its formidable defense, it had a significant weakness against poison. Especially considering Dugu Bo's title as the most formidable poison Spirit Master and the Breaking Clan's expertise in crafting potent toxins.
After a brief discussion, the group decided to discreetly follow the Diamond Mammoth and look for an opportunity to poison its food.
After tracking it for several days, they discovered that the Diamond Mammoth was a herbivore. Its primary diet consisted of shrubs and small trees, and it particularly enjoyed feeding on the tender leaves of trees.
However, poisoning it was not without challenges. They couldn't use excessively strong poisons all at once, nor could they use toxins with overly distinct odors. After careful deliberation, they decided to use a secret toxin from the Breaking Clan—Seven-Colored Radiance. This was the same poison that, in the original story, Snowy Night Emperor had unknowingly ingested. It was colorless, odorless, and practically incurable.
Yang Zhentian, Podi's father, personally applied the toxin to some tender leaves in the forest where the Diamond Mammoth frequently fed, enhancing it with additional poisonous elements.
Sure enough, after five days of observation, the Diamond Mammoth began showing signs of discomfort. Its condition had noticeably deteriorated, and there was even blood at the corners of its mouth.
The group exchanged glances and decided to launch a full-scale assault on the now severely weakened Diamond Mammoth.
The six of them moved swiftly, launching attacks from different angles to surround the beast.
The Diamond Mammoth, suddenly under attack, roared loudly, seemingly intent on putting up a desperate fight. However, with as many as four Titled Douluo present, it stood no chance.
Leading the frontal confrontation was Podi's maternal grandfather, Niu Gao. Since breaking through to Titled Douluo, Niu Gao's strength and defense had seen significant improvement. Even among Titled Douluo below rank 96, few could match him in terms of raw power and defense. The Diamond Mammoth's strength, on the other hand, seemed to just barely reach the level of a Titled Douluo.
On the contrary, Podi's father and second uncle, even when summoning their Breaking Soul Spears, struggled to penetrate the Diamond Mammoth's defenses. They could only leave superficial wounds on its body, a testament to its astonishing resilience.
The Mammoth's final act of desperation was particularly striking. It managed to rear up on its hind legs, raising its massive front legs high before slamming them down with a force akin to a mountain collapsing.
Niu Gao, however, remained unfazed. Activating his ninth spirit ring, his body lit up with its dazzling glow. His ninth spirit ability, Armor of the Plate Horned Rhino, manifested as a colossal armored rhino spirit projection in front of him, seemingly provoking the Diamond Mammoth.
The two titanic figures collided with a resounding crash, leaving a massive crater in the ground as though a bomb had exploded. Yet, Niu Gao stood his ground without retreating a single step, while the Diamond Mammoth was forced several meters back.
Finally, after a relentless barrage of coordinated attacks, the Diamond Mammoth let out a sorrowful cry before collapsing to the ground with a thunderous crash.
