As the mask was torn away, Qian Renxue's true face was revealed to everyone in the grand hall. She appeared to be in her early twenties, with delicate, exquisite features and an innate air of cold arrogance in her gaze. If Fang Chang were to describe her in the terms of his previous life, this woman would undoubtedly be what people called a "dominatrix."
The moment her mask was publicly removed, Qian Renxue instinctively panicked before gradually calming herself. She swiftly drew a dagger and slashed at Fang Chang's outstretched hand. The dagger struck squarely against the palm that had just torn off her mask - yet all it produced was a shower of sparks. The tip of the dagger snapped off, leaving Fang Chang completely unharmed.
Even in his human form, Fang Chang's defenses had weakened considerably, but they were still roughly twice as strong as Er Ming's. How could a mere Soul Sage like Qian Renxue hope to injure him?
In the distance, the Snake Spear Douluo and the Porcupinefish Douluo finally broke free from the entanglement of flames and ice, charging toward Fang Chang once more in an attempt to rescue their young master.
Anticipating their move, Fang Chang stepped forward, seizing Qian Renxue by the throat and pulling her firmly against him as a hostage. "Don't move. Either of you takes another step, and I'll snap her neck."
"You-! Alright, alright! Lord Emissary of the Spider God, please don't harm our young master! We won't move, we swear!" The two Titled Douluos actually backed down - a rare sight indeed.
Though they were genuine Titled Douluos, the flames and ice had only inconvenienced them, not truly threatened their lives. Yet under Fang Chang's threat, they froze in place, neither daring to advance nor retreat, hovering about three or four meters away.
Qian Renxue, her throat firmly gripped, struggled to breathe. After a few futile attempts to break free, she gave up, forced to submit as Fang Chang's captive.
Fang Chang kept his left hand locked around Qian Renxue's neck while his right hand conjured a small flicker of flame. At the sight of it, the Snake Spear Douluo's heart skipped a beat. Earlier, this bizarre fire had tormented him relentlessly, leaving a massive scar on his back. Despite his status as a Titled Douluo, he had been utterly powerless against its searing heat.
"Remember, you promised not to move." Fang Chang's voice now sounded like a demon's whisper to the two Titled Douluos, sending shivers down their spines.
Then, the scent of something burning filled the air. Tiny tongues of flame licked at their heels, creeping upward along their legs. Just as they were about to try extinguishing the fire, Fang Chang's voice cut in again: "Let's see which of you dares to move."
To emphasize his point, he tightened his grip on Qian Renxue's throat, making her cervical vertebrae creak ominously. Qian Renxue shot Fang Chang a venomous glare, her mouth opening wide as if to curse - but all that came out were strangled, gurgling noises, like bubbles popping in her throat.
Seeing this, the Snake Spear Douluo and the Porcupinefish Douluo had no choice but to abandon resistance, allowing the eerie flames to consume their trousers. With their strength, they could endure the flames for a short while by reinforcing their defenses with soul power. But prolonged exposure would inevitably burn them. Yet compared to their young master's life, they had no other option.
But the fire only grew fiercer, climbing higher - past their calves, up to their thighs, and still spreading relentlessly.
Fang Chang showed no intention of letting them off, even whistling cheerfully as if thoroughly enjoying the situation.
The traitorous guards in the hall, seeing their three leaders completely at Fang Chang's mercy, grew increasingly uneasy, unsure what to do next.
Emperor Xue Ye and his ministers watched the mighty Emissary of the Spider God with mixed emotions. Though the Heaven Dou Empire was one of the continent's two great powers, they now found themselves relying on this outsider for protection.
The flames on the two Spirit Hall Titled Douluos spread even faster, climbing past their knees toward the sensitive groin area. Sweat poured down their faces as they swayed unconsciously, trying in vain to escape the unbearable pain - agony no human should endure.
"Emperor Xue Ye," Fang Chang suddenly asked, as if struck by inspiration at this critical moment, "does your palace happen to have..."
"Ah... what?" The emperor initially didn't understand, then couldn't help but burst into laughter. What a brilliant way to humiliate while defeating.
"Yes, yes we do," Xue Ye quickly responded.
The assembled ministers immediately grasped the implication and roared with laughter. Even the traitorous guards couldn't help cracking smiles, though they dared not laugh too openly. These two Titled Douluos, normally so revered, now endured both excruciating pain and public ridicule.
The Porcupinefish Douluo was the first to snap. With an angry roar, he slapped at the flames with his chubby hands, only to yelp in pain as the fire persisted.
Seeing his companion resist, the Snake Spear Douluo abandoned restraint too. Clamping his still-burning thighs together, he thrust his spear directly at Fang Chang. The ninth soul ring on his weapon glowed gold as he unleashed his most powerful ninth soul skill right from the start.
"Hmph, so you're abandoning your young master now?" Fang Chang didn't resist, simply shifting Qian Renxue's body into the path of the charging Snake Spear Douluo.
The golden light radiating from the spear dimmed abruptly, stopping just half an inch short—any further and it would have struck Qian Renxue first.
With Qian Renxue held hostage and their own strength already inferior to Fang Chang's, the two Titled Douluos found themselves utterly constrained, their every move stifled.
Seemingly tired of toying with them, Fang Chang finally decided to end things. With a flick of his finger, three spider-like shadows materialized behind him—solid enough to resemble actual beast martial souls, yet devoid of any soul rings, creating an eerie sight.
It was only when Fang Chang unleashed this skill that the two Titled Douluos sensed something amiss. Combined with the spider apparitions and Fang Chang's earlier ability to wield both ice and fire without summoning his martial soul, a horrifying realization dawned on them.
"You're not—" Before they could finish speaking, their mouths froze shut, expelling nothing but shards of ice.
At the same time, Fang Chang tossed the unconscious Qian Renxue aside and slowly assumed a taichi stance. The three spider shadows behind him lunged forward.
Against the combined assault of the spider apparitions, the Snake Spear Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo were immediately overwhelmed. Meanwhile, their bodies were ravaged by alternating waves of scorching heat and biting cold, swirling relentlessly around their torsos.
Already weakened by Fang Chang's earlier humiliating attacks, they stood no chance. Within ten exchanges, both were defeated.
In the end, the spider shadows' piercing legs impaled them, and they collapsed one after the other.
With this, the main force of Spirit Hall's rebellious soul masters had been eliminated. The remaining underlings, knowing they stood no chance against Fang Chang, dropped their weapons one after another and surrendered to the Heaven Dou Imperial forces.
Thus, a shocking conspiracy was quelled.