Douluo Dalu 2: I got Kidnapped into Holy Spirit Cult

For a moment, Xiao Hongchen was stunned, staring blankly at the additional beast souls that appeared out of nowhere.

Initially, he thought a two-on-one advantage was on his side!But now things had taken a turn—he was the one getting ganged up on.

Jiang Jue simply observed as Xiao Hongchen's confident expression shifted to confusion, then to something closer to panic.

"Is this guy cheating?"

Clutching the metal sphere in his hand, Xiao Hongchen forced out a strained voice, saying:

"Meng, step back. I want to have a one-on-one battle with this guy—like real men do."

"Brother, you…"

Meng Hongchen gazed at her brother, a trace of confusion flashing in her beautiful eyes.

If she stepped down, wouldn't her brother lose even faster? She could clearly see that the beast souls Jiang Jue summoned were all at the millennium level.

Normally, for a Soul King, millennium-level beast souls wouldn't pose much of a threat—unless they had exceptionally powerful bloodlines—but Xiao Hongchen had already expended a significant amount of soul power. On top of that, he wasn't facing just one beast soul.

Jiang Jue, on the other hand, gave Xiao Hongchen a long, thoughtful look.

While Xiao Hongchen was arrogant, he did have his own pride—his problem was that his willpower wasn't strong enough.

In the original story, after being defeated by Huo Yuhao twice, his spirit broke, his heart crumbled, and he developed inner demons.

In his desperation to improve, he used drugs to boost his cultivation, ruining his natural talent and ultimately destroying himself.

"Meng, listen to me. Step back," Xiao Hongchen insisted firmly.

If he couldn't win outright, he would lose with dignity!

He, Xiao Hongchen, was not someone who feared defeat.

"Alright, I'll step back… But be careful, brother," Meng Hongchen relented.

She could sense her brother's resolve. With one final glance at Jiang Jue, she walked off the battlefield.

As she exited her Martial Soul state, her silver-white hair faded back to a wine-red hue, and her blood-red eyes returned to a lively, icy blue. The cold, battle-hardened aura was gone, replaced by her usual graceful charm.

"Huh? Look, Meng Hongchen actually left the arena!"

"What's going on?"

"Is Xiao Hongchen planning to fight that Soul Elder one-on-one?"

"This is getting good—we're in for a show!"

The audience erupted into excited chatter, their confusion only heightening their anticipation.

"Ke Ke, Jiang Jue is amazing! He's just a Soul Elder, yet he's managed to last this long!" one girl exclaimed in admiration.

Ju Zi, however, remained silent. Her gaze fixated on Jiang Jue, her eyes shimmering with complex thoughts that no one could decipher.

Standing nearby, Zi Mu noticed Ju Zi's expression, and a pang of unease twisted his heart.

He had secretly admired Ju Zi for a long time and knew her better than most.

"It can't be… It can't be… Jiang Jue is so much younger than her—there's no way she's interested in him…"

Zi Mu tried to reassure himself, but the more he thought about it, the more unsettled he became.

At the VIP viewing platform, Jing Hongchen furrowed his brow.

"How can Jiang Jue be this powerful? If he continues to grow, will he be a threat or an asset to the Sun Moon Empire?"

As the true leader of the Mingde Hall, he was well aware of the political turmoil brewing in the imperial court.

After the Holy Spirit Cult intervened, Xu Tianran had begun quietly eliminating dissenters and suppressing ministers who opposed his succession to the throne. Xu Tianran had even reached out to him personally.

Jing Hongchen was responsible for the survival and future of the entire Mingde Hall—he couldn't afford to make careless decisions.

"I'll observe for now and decide later…" he thought with a heavy sigh, turning his attention back to the arena.

Back on the battlefield, Xiao Hongchen recalled all the metal spheres floating around him. His fourth soul ring flared to life.

"Sacrifice of Gold!"

The metal spheres disintegrated into fine golden powder, which swirled rapidly around Xiao Hongchen, fueling his body with a surge of immense energy.

This soul skill consumed the condensed metal elements, converting them into raw energy to temporarily boost his power far beyond his usual limits.

As Xiao Hongchen prepared to strike, Jiang Jue casually waved his hand.

The beast souls he had summoned dissolved into thick, black mist, shrouding the arena in an ominous, oppressive darkness.

Behind Jiang Jue, a massive, ethereal evil eye manifested, its tendrils swaying eerily in the air. The eye's icy gaze radiated hostility toward everything except Jiang Jue himself.

This was the power of the Soul Refining Banner—an ability that infused his soul skills with eerie and malicious properties.

"You're underestimating me!" Xiao Hongchen roared, misinterpreting Jiang Jue's action as an insult.

The golden energy surged within him as he shaped the metal powder into enormous cannons, unleashing a barrage of explosive blasts toward Jiang Jue.

"Evil Spirit Tide!"

Jiang Jue extended his right hand, and the evil eye shot forward. The black mist expanded rapidly, swallowing the incoming cannon fire. Each explosion was muffled and absorbed by the oppressive mist, leaving Jiang Jue completely unscathed.

Despite the spectacle of the explosions, Xiao Hongchen's attacks had no real effect.

And with each blast, his soul power drained further.

Before he could muster another assault, the black mist surged toward him like a tidal wave.

Jiang Jue stood at the center of the swirling darkness, his posture like that of a ruler of the night.

With a mere gesture, the mist pierced into Xiao Hongchen's body.

By fusing the beast souls into his first soul skill, Jiang Jue had vastly amplified the Evil Spirit Tide's potency.

"What is this stuff?!" Xiao Hongchen panicked, trying to defend himself with golden energy—but it was too late.

A wave of dark, negative emotions surged through his mind—doubt, despair, and agony.

"What's the point of living…?"

The thought struck him, and his eyes grew unfocused.

If not for the radiant flash of a soul tool on his wrist—a sixth-tier mental defense device—he would have succumbed entirely.

"This black mist is terrifying!" Xiao Hongchen realized, his heart still pounding in fear.

Knowing he had to expel the invading mist, he activated his strongest ability.

"Blessing of Gold!"

As his voice echoed through the arena, his ten-thousand-year soul ring glowed with a deep, ominous light.

(End of Chapter)