Wu Zhangkong's handsome Face was covered in a layer of frost, but it was tinged with an abnormal grayish-black Death Qi, and a trail of black blood had already leaked from the corner of his mouth.
He was using his full strength to fight against the death invading his body, and the final line of defense protecting the students behind him was teetering on the brink of collapse.
Zhuo Shi's situation was slightly better, his Scarlet Dragon True Body still roaring. However, on his massive Dragon body, the originally crimson scales were also covered with a layer of dull gray.
He looked toward Arthur with eyes full of helplessness and anxiety; he was barely managing to protect himself, let alone provide rescue.
This was the might of a Quasi-God.
"There's no other way..." Arthur sighed. He could hold out, but the others couldn't.
Moreover, the Ghost Emperor had likely been drawn here by him.
And so, he reached for the Golden Dragon King Pendant in his breast pocket.
"Omnipotent Na'er..."
Just as Arthur's consciousness touched the Dragon Scale at the core of the pendant, a sudden change occurred.
"Hmph!"
A cold snort exploded above the Death Domain without any warning.
Immediately after, the sky above everyone, which had been rendered gray by the Death Domain, suddenly split open.
There was no light as one might expect; only the purest, deepest darkness gushed out from the rift.
This darkness was completely different from the deathly stillness of the Ghost Emperor's Death Domain; it was filled with a vast, majestic, and primal destruction.
A figure stepped out from that dark rift.
He was dressed in a simple black robe, his build as imposing as a mountain, with ancient features, slightly dark skin, and loose black hair.
The most unforgettable thing about him was his pair of golden eyes.
He simply stood there quietly, but the aura naturally radiating from him was like a Pillar of the Sea, forcibly carving out a territory of his own within the Ghost Emperor's pervasive Death Domain.
"Who are you?"
The Ghost Emperor's voice was filled with suspicion and alarm; he could sense that the newcomer was no weaker than himself.
However, there were only a few Quasi-Gods on the Douluo Continent, and he had absolutely no impression of the person before him.
Arthur, however, recognized him at a glance.
Wasn't this Di Tian!
He had seen Di Tian's human form before when he visited Gu Yue's home.
Di Tian first glanced at Arthur's hand touching the Golden Dragon King Pendant and frowned slightly.
Then, he looked indifferently at the giant skull. To the Ghost Emperor's wary inquiry, he only replied calmly, "Retreat now, and no one will be hurt."
"Otherwise, the world will be turned upside down!"
Arthur: "?"
He often said such pretentious words when spending time with Gu Yue and Naer, and he seriously suspected that Di Tian had been secretly learning from him.
However... Arthur noticed Di Tian's action of looking at his Golden Dragon King Pendant just now.
Eh, he seemed to have guessed something.
He felt like his collection of summoned beasts was about to increase by one.
"Xiao Tian, why are you wasting words with him!"
"Blow him up!"
Xiao Tian?
Di Tian was stunned. Was he being called that?
Then, he glared at Arthur in annoyance: "You, shut up!"
Arthur, however, acted as if he didn't see Di Tian's momentarily stiff expression and gaze.
Instead, with one hand still covering the pendant on his chest, he pointed his other hand from afar at the giant skull in the sky, his tone carrying a hint of inexplicable indignation:
"This old skull has bullied me too much. If I don't get rid of him, my heart won't be at peace."
As he spoke, Arthur made a move as if to use the pendant.
"Wait!"
Di Tian grew anxious. He had actually been sent by the two masters to protect Arthur.
If Arthur were forced to use the Golden Dragon King Pendant while he was present...
Then what was the point of sending him?
How would Na'er look at him? Where would his Face as the dignified Beast God go?
"Stay put!"
Di Tian didn't dare delay any longer, and he didn't even bother to care about Arthur's little schemes and nonsense anymore.
He directly ignored the Ghost Emperor's constant questioning and the complex, horrified gazes of the crowd below. With a flicker of his body, he disappeared from his original spot.
The next moment, he appeared directly above the giant skull, looking down from on high.
He didn't immediately use the world-tearing Dragon God Claw. He had concerns; appearing in human form now meant his power was already somewhat restrained, and more importantly, he absolutely could not expose his true identity as the Beast God Di Tian.
Therefore, when he attacked, he deliberately suppressed his most distinct power characteristics, facing the enemy only with pure skill and understanding of the rules.
Although his moves were still exquisite, their lethality and deterrent force were significantly reduced.
"Playing tricks!" Seeing Di Tian's form solidify and sensing that while his aura was majestic, it didn't seem as powerful as his previous perception suggested, the Ghost Emperor's suspicion faded slightly, replaced by a harsh expression.
The skull suddenly reared up, the crimson light in its eye sockets erupting like a volcano.
Countless condensed, hideous Vengeful Ghost phantoms gushed out from the skull's mouth, shrieking as they lunged at Di Tian.
Each one carried Death Qi capable of eroding the Soul and polluting the Origin, covering the sky and leaving no room for escape.
Di Tian frowned slightly, joined two fingers on his right hand, and traced a circle in front of him.
A spatial rift, as solid as ink, instantly unfolded.
One by one, the Vengeful Ghost phantoms crashed into the rift, being completely swallowed and annihilated without even causing a ripple.
The two were locked in a stalemate.
Arthur secretly thought it was a pity.
If only Di Tian could revert to his true form to fight.
Then he could ride on him.
Fighting while riding the Golden-Eyed Black Dragon King... just thinking about it was thrilling.
"So powerful... who is this Senior?"
Xiaoyan ran over, having barely recovered a bit.
"A family member of Gu Yue, of sorts."
"Ah?!"
Xiaoyan's small Face instantly turned pale. Gu Yue's own talent was already despair-inducing, and she actually had such a powerful family member? Wouldn't that mean she would never have a day to surpass her?
"What are you 'ah'-ing for?" Arthur looked at her speechlessly, then glanced at the surrounding crowd. "Are you still just watching the show?"
"Hurry up and take the chance to run!"
Arthur's words instantly woke everyone up from their immersion in the world-shaking clash between the two Quasi-Gods.
Indeed, if they didn't run now, when would they? Whether the black-robed, golden-eyed powerhouse won or the Ghost Emperor proved superior, staying here would only make them burdens.
"Go!"
Zhuo Shi and Wu Zhangkong quickly led everyone to evacuate.
Arthur stayed where he was, only sighing in relief as he watched their rapidly receding backs.
What he worried about most was these "vulnerable ones" being caught in the crossfire.
Now that they could safely evacuate, he had one less concern.
He looked up again at the two sides still fighting fiercely in the sky.
Di Tian clearly noticed the movement below, but he had no time to be distracted. Although the Ghost Emperor's attacks were constantly neutralized by him, they were indeed troublesome.
He was also deliberately maintaining this illusion of being evenly matched to avoid exposing too much.
Compared to the previous battle between Yun Ming and Chen Xinjie, the commotion from this Quasi-God battle was actually not that large.
Because both the Ghost Emperor and Di Tian couldn't afford to be seen in public, they both tacitly controlled the range of the battle's impact.
Arthur watched with great interest. Although both sides were deliberately suppressing themselves, the techniques and application of rules they displayed were a real eye-opener for him.
Especially Di Tian's use of space; every move was exquisite to the extreme, neutralizing the Ghost Emperor's attacks into nothingness and even showing a faint trend of counter-control.
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