Douluo: Martial Soul White Tiger, I am the White Emperor of Heaven

Lin Xue hesitated for a moment, but still handed the jade bottle to him. She knew she didn't have Chen Hao's speed and reaction ability; under these circumstances, Chen Hao was more suitable than her to carry out this crucial mission.

“I’ll create chaos,” Lin Xue said. “You rush in during the chaos and spray the potion on the sphere. Remember, no matter what happens, don’t look back.”

"What about you?"

“I have the Shadow Cat Martial Soul, which grants me strong invisibility. They won’t be able to detect me,” Lin Xue said, taking out several black spheres from her waist. “These are flashbangs. I’ll throw them into the four corners of the hall and detonate them simultaneously. The flash will temporarily blind everyone, including the high priest. You have three seconds.”

Chen Hao took a deep breath and gripped the jade bottle tightly. His hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from a complex mix of tension and excitement. This was his first time undertaking such a dangerous mission, facing such a powerful enemy. If he succeeded, he would become a hero of the Heroic Academy; if he failed, he and Lin Xue would both die here, and die a horrible death.

"Are you ready?" Lin Xue asked.

Chen Hao nodded.

"Three, two, one, go!"

Lin Xue threw four flashbangs simultaneously. The flashbangs traced four arcs in the air and landed accurately in the four corners of the hall. Almost at the same moment, four loud explosions erupted, and blinding white light filled the entire hall, dispelling all darkness and shadows.

"Ah—" "My eyes!" "What happened?" The screams of the men in black robes rose and fell.

Chen Hao closed his eyes, but the light power he cultivated gave his eyes a strong resistance to bright light. Even with his eyes closed, he could perceive his surroundings through the faint light filtering through. He burst out of the shadows, his body like lightning, passing through the gaps between the black-robed figures and rushing towards the black sphere in the center of the hall.

Thirty meters, twenty meters, ten meters...

As they drew closer, Chen Hao could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from the black sphere. It felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his throat, making it hard to breathe. Countless voices surged in his mind—whispers, screams, cries, curses—the resentment of the innocent victims murdered by the Void Cult, sealed within the black sphere and transformed into nourishment for the power of nothingness.

Five meters, three meters, one meter...

Chen Hao pulled out the stopper from the jade bottle and splashed the silvery-white liquid onto the black sphere. The liquid dispersed in the air like a silver rain, sprinkling onto the surface of the black sphere. The moment it touched the liquid, the cracks on the surface of the black sphere suddenly flickered violently, and the dark red light turned into a dazzling red, like a star about to explode.

"No—" The voice of the High Priest of Nothingness rang out from the hall, a voice filled with anger and fear.

The silvery-white liquid spread across the surface of the black sphere, dispelling the black mist, erasing the runes, and gradually dimming the dark red light within the cracks. The black sphere's rotation slowed further and further, its pulsation becoming weaker and weaker, like a heart about to stop beating.

"I succeeded!" Chen Hao was overjoyed and turned to run.

But he forgot Lin Xue's warning: don't look back. The instant he turned around, the High Priest of Nothingness had already opened his eyes. His purple pupils were fixed on Chen Hao, his gaze devoid of any emotion, only pure killing intent. He raised his right hand, a black light condensing on his fingers, which transformed into a black palm, reaching out to grab Chen Hao.

Chen Hao had no time to dodge; the black palm pierced right through his body.

No, it's not about penetrating, it's about seizing.

Chen Hao felt his body being frozen in place by an invisible force. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, and even his heartbeat slowed down. A cold power surged into his chest, spreading along his meridians to his limbs and bones, freezing his soul power, freezing his blood, and freezing his thoughts.

"A little mouse." The voice of the Void High Priest rang in Chen Hao's ear, very softly, as if talking to himself, "A little mouse that doesn't know its own limitations dares to trespass into my temple and destroy my research. Do you know what you've done? You've ruined ten years of my hard work!"

The High Priest of Nothingness clenched his fist suddenly, and Chen Hao felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if something had exploded inside him. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which condensed into ice crystals in the air and landed with a crisp sound.

"Chen Hao!" Lin Xue's voice came from the shadows.

She couldn't stand idly by any longer. Although she knew rushing out would be suicide, she couldn't just watch Chen Hao die before her eyes. She emerged from the shadows, the Shadow Cat's claws reaching for the Void High Priest's throat.

The High Priest of Nothingness didn't even glance at her. With a casual wave of his left hand, a black shockwave sent her flying. Lin Xue's body slammed against the wall with a dull thud, then slid to the ground, motionless, her fate unknown.

"Lin Xue!" Chen Hao shouted hoarsely, his voice trembling with sobs.

"Don't worry, she's not dead yet," the High Priest of Nothingness said calmly. "I won't let her die so easily. You ruined my research, and I will make you pay the price. I will extract your souls and seal them into the Heart of Nothingness, where they will forever wail and never find release."

The High Priest of Nothingness raised his right hand, lifting Chen Hao's body into the air by an invisible force. He raised his left hand, and the nail of his left index finger lightly scratched Chen Hao's chest, opening a gash in the skin, from which blood gushed out. The High Priest of Nothingness inserted his index finger into the wound, seemingly searching for something.

"The wielder of the Sword of Light." A smile appeared on the Void High Priest's lips. "Excellent. Your soul is of very high quality and contains powerful light energy. Using your soul to repair the Heart of Nothingness is simply perfect."

Chen Hao writhed in agony, but he was powerless to resist. The power of a Title Douluo was too overwhelming; he was like a mouse caught by a cat, struggling helplessly no matter how hard he tried.

Just as the High Priest of Nothingness was about to extract Chen Hao's soul, the hall door suddenly made a loud noise. The entire metal door was blasted open by a huge force, and dozens of figures flew out from behind the door. They were the black-robed men who had been blasted away.

Su Chen stood at the doorway, the phantom of the nine-tailed silver fox appearing behind him, its nine tails swaying gently, each radiating a different color of light. His face remained pale, but his gaze was resolute, and he held a longsword formed from spatial power in his hand.

Ares followed behind Su Chen, his body now covered in a layer of rock armor, making him look like a moving stone statue. Each step he took produced a dull thud, shaking the walls of the hall. (End of Chapter)