Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

In Heaven Dou City, at the First Grade Fresh Teahouse:

"Look at that guy over there, is he a soul master? How can he eat so much?"

"Oh my god, his one meal is more than I eat in a whole week. No wonder he's a soul master!"

"Slow down, no one's going to steal your food." Hearing the chatter around them and watching Nash gobble down food like a starving beast, Cheng Xiao couldn't help but laugh.

Nash, who had just swallowed a mouthful of breakfast, nodded slightly and apologized, "Sorry, My Lord, I've never eaten something this good before, so I might've lost my manners a bit."

"It's fine." Cheng Xiao waved his hand dismissively. He then turned to Dugu Bo, who stood frozen in shock, and smiled, "What's the matter? Never seen someone eat this much before?"

"Damn, I've really seen it all now." Dugu Bo took a deep breath, downed his tea in one gulp, and asked, puzzled, "But what's this about him calling you 'Lord'? Is he another one of your shadow soldiers?"

Cheng Xiao explained, "Old Poison, you're right. But Nash found an herb in your medicinal garden that can mask his soul beast aura, so... well, you get the idea."

"Ah, so that's why I couldn't sense any aura from him." Dugu Bo stroked his chin, his gaze resting on Nash, who was still stuffing himself with food.

"What kind of strength does this shadow soldier have? Judging by his size, he must be quite powerful."

"Let me think." Cheng Xiao tapped his fingers on the table. "With my current strength, he should be able to exert power at the level of a Soul Emperor. The exact strength, I'm not too sure about yet, but it shouldn't be low."

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Xiao added, "But you probably wouldn't stand a chance against him. In his lifetime, his strength was around Rank 99."

"Rank 99? Are you kidding me?" Dugu Bo's eyes widened in disbelief. "I might be considered the weakest of the Title Douluo, but I'm still a Title Douluo! Are you saying your subordinate is stronger than me? That's just insulting."

Seeing Dugu Bo's indignant, childlike expression, Cheng Xiao smiled and proposed, "Old Poison, if you don't believe Nash can beat you, how about we have a little sparring match?"

"Fine, let's spar!" Dugu Bo huffed, "I want to see just how strong he really is."

"Alright, let's spar." A sly grin crept across Cheng Xiao's face. He then patted Nash, who was still eating breakfast, and said with a laugh, "Nash, stop eating for now. When we settle the bill, bring some food back for the other soldiers to try too."

"Yes, My Lord." Nash stopped eating immediately, and under Cheng Xiao's orders, he bought one of every dish from the teahouse to take back.

Soon after, Cheng Xiao, Dugu Bo, and Nash left Heaven Dou City and headed straight for the Sunset Forest. Due to Nash's massive true form, Cheng Xiao had no intention of bringing him to the Royal Academy. Plus, Dugu Bo's poison didn't discriminate between friend or foe, and it wouldn't be amusing if someone got poisoned by accident.

The distance from Heaven Dou City to the Sunset Forest was short, and with Dugu Bo eager to spar, the three quickly arrived at the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

Once they landed, Dugu Bo couldn't wait any longer and said, "Cheng Xiao, let's start already. It's been ages since I stretched my muscles. I'm itching for a fight."

Cheng Xiao smiled calmly, took out the breakfast from his spatial storage soul tool, and ordered the Three-Eyed Ape to distribute it among the others.

After that, Cheng Xiao mentally communicated Dugu Bo's desire for a spar to Nash. To prevent Dugu Bo from getting seriously hurt, he even reminded Nash that if Dugu Bo ended up heavily injured, there would be consequences.

Hearing this, Nash was momentarily stunned. He cast a glance at Dugu Bo, then nodded toward Cheng Xiao, standing still and calmly waiting for Dugu Bo to make his move.

"Hmph! I am a Nine-Ring Title Douluo, and a master of poisons! Watch out!" Dugu Bo raised his right hand toward Nash, and the air around them suddenly grew heavy.

His fifth soul ring lit up, and several dark green snakes materialized in Dugu Bo's palm.

"Fifth Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Devour!"

With a wave of his hand, dozens of venomous green snakes surged forward, their fangs bared, rushing toward Nash, who remained as calm as ever. It was as if the Title Douluo's attack was nothing more than a minor inconvenience to him. After all, Nash wasn't called a dragon for nothing. His colossal body, fortified by tough scales and an unmatched genetic immunity, allowed him to remain composed in the face of any challenge. And now that his flesh had been replaced with a body built from the power of death, Dugu Bo's poisons didn't even register as a threat. If Nash had still been in his living form, he might have been cautious. But now? No way. Your poison is useless against me.

"Hm? Is he planning to take my fifth soul skill head-on?" Seeing Nash remain motionless, Dugu Bo was taken aback.

The next moment, Nash raised his hand. His crimson eyes began to glow, and scorching flames gathered in his palm. With a flick of his finger, flames shot out and consumed the approaching snakes.

Using the power of the Fire Dragon King, Nash dramatically raised the temperature around him. In less than a second, the venomous snakes, along with their deadly toxins, were incinerated by the overwhelming heat.

"It can be dealt with like that?" Dugu Bo's face twitched in disbelief. He had always prided himself on his poison techniques, and yet here was Nash, so effortlessly neutralizing them.

What Dugu Bo didn't know was that Cheng Xiao's shadow soldiers possessed certain powers granted by their king. Nash, as one of the highest-ranking shadow soldiers, had been blessed with immunity to poisons and other negative effects. If Cheng Xiao hadn't warned him to be careful, the battle might have already ended by now.

At that moment, Cheng Xiao called out from the sidelines, "Old Poison, if you don't start using your real skills soon, you're going to lose!"

"Shut up!" Dugu Bo shot him a glare. If he had known that Nash could counter his poison so easily, he wouldn't have bothered starting this spar in the first place. But now that the battle was underway, it was too late to back down. Gritting his teeth, he decided to go all out.

A surge of dark green light erupted from Dugu Bo's body as both his seventh and eighth soul rings lit up.

"Seventh Soul Skill: Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor True Form!"

"Eighth Soul Skill: Time Freeze!"

Behind Dugu Bo appeared a massive, thirty-meter-long green serpent with blood-red eyes. With a piercing screech, the serpent spat out a glowing green orb.

In the next instant, something strange happened. Cheng Xiao, Nash, and even the wind around them froze in place. Time itself had stopped.

Dugu Bo leapt onto the serpent's head, directing the green orb toward Nash. As it approached Nash's frozen figure, Dugu Bo's eyes gleamed with green light. "Merge!"

A burst of green light radiated from the orb, turning everything around the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well a sickly green.

Clenching his fist, Dugu Bo yelled, "Break!"

But just as Dugu Bo shouted, Nash suddenly broke free from the time freeze. His eyes blazed red, and with a mighty roar, a torrent of searing flames erupted from his mouth, aimed straight at Dugu Bo.

Dugu Bo's pupils contracted as the colossal pillar of molten lava hurtled toward him. The serpent's third eye snapped open, releasing a white beam of light that collided with the lava.

A sharp cracking sound echoed as the lava was petrified by the serpent's gaze and crumbled to the ground in pieces.

Although Dugu Bo managed to block Nash's lava breath with his Medusa Gaze, the terrifying power of the attack left him sweating. If he hadn't reacted quickly, the consequences would have been dire.

Seeing his attack neutralized, Nash became enraged. Though he hadn't used his full power, being blocked by such an opponent in front of his king was an insult. Feeling his anger, Nash revealed his true form.

In an instant, his body expanded to an enormous size, his head alone towering over Dugu Bo's serpent. His massive wings unfurled, casting a dark shadow over the land. The sunlight vanished as Nash's wings, gleaming with dark red scales, blocked out the sky.

Dugu Bo stood frozen, his face a mixture of shock and terror as he stared up at the dragon that now blotted out the sun. His throat tightened, and though he wanted to say something, no words came. He had always thought his Jade Phosphor Serpent Emperor was large, but now, seeing the hundred-meter-tall, sky-obscuring dragon before him, he realized just how small he truly was.

In front of this behemoth, forget being a Title Douluo—even a god might lose.