...
"Stop."
Xie Yue, who had been walking at the very front, suddenly stopped, raised his hand to make a shushing gesture, his body tensed instantly, and his nostrils twitched slightly.
"The smell of blood is so strong..." Xie Yue lowered his voice, his brows furrowed.
"And the atmosphere is very chaotic.
There was a fierce battle just taking place."
"A bloodbath?"
Xuan Hao's eyes lit up.
"Let's go take a look; maybe we can snag a bargain."
The four concealed their presence and, using the bushes as cover, stealthily made their way forward.
After passing through a dense jungle, the view suddenly opened up, but what followed was a nauseating stench.
This is a battlefield in ruins.
The towering trees around were broken or fallen, and the ground was covered with deep pits and scorch marks, as if it had been plowed by dozens of wild bulls.
At the edge of the battlefield lay a massive corpse—a four-meter-long demon spider with a ghostly face.
Six of its eight legs were broken, and its hideous human face and abdomen had been completely crushed, oozing dark green venomous blood.
And in the center of the battlefield.
A golden lion, over four meters long, was panting heavily.
The once golden fur was now covered in dirt and black poisonous blood.
The flesh on his left hind leg was torn open, and the blood had changed color.
There was also a deep wound on his abdomen that exposed the bone, from which blood was gushing out.
It lay there, each breath accompanied by painful spasms, clearly at its last gasp.
"The Golden Lion King?!"
Hu Liena covered her mouth and exclaimed in a low voice, "How could such a top-tier beast overlord end up like this?"
"It must have perished together with that Ghost-Faced Demon Spider," Xie Yue analyzed.
"The Ghost-Faced Demon Spider is extremely adept at ambushes and is highly venomous.
Even a top-tier soul beast like the Golden Lion King can easily be caught off guard."
"However, it seems that the Golden Lion King is not the only one who has been careless."
"How old is this golden lion king?"
Xuan Hao asked.
Hu Liena observed the size of the Golden Lion King. "It should be around four thousand years old.
The Golden Lion King is a top-tier soul beast, which is very rare.
Moreover, they are social soul beasts. Under normal circumstances, there will be three to five lionesses by its side, making them extremely difficult to hunt.
The Spirit Hall's data can only give an approximate age."
"No, this golden lion king has old wounds."
Xie Yue stared intently at the golden lion king's chin, where a deep wound was visible beneath its thick mane.
"It seems that it had recently fought with other male lions and was injured, and then it was targeted by that ghost-faced spider."
"Although it defeated the Ghost-Faced Spider, it was also poisoned and suffered severe blood loss.
It probably won't live much longer."
"He won't live much longer?"
Xuan Hao's eyes lit up.
"Wait, you're not eyeing it, are you?" Hu Liena's eyes twitched slightly.
"Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.
This thing is a top-tier soul beast after all. Don't be fooled by its current weakened state.
If it launches a counterattack before it dies, it can take down most soul beasts that are over eight thousand years old!"
A weakened soul beast can be incredibly terrifying when it fights for its life!
These top-tier soul beasts can even suddenly self-destruct while fighting desperately!
Forced one-for-one exchange!
"What's there to be afraid of?
It can't even stand up straight now," Xuan Hao said.
"We've been looking for so long, and you still have the leisure to do this?
I can't keep looking."
With Xuan Hao's appearance, the golden lion king, which had been on the verge of unconsciousness, suddenly opened its eyes.
Despite its severe injuries, the dignity of a king cannot be trampled upon.
Seeing a weak human swaggering towards it, it let out a low roar and struggled to its feet.
"roar..."
However, the poison and blood loss made its limbs weak, and it fell heavily back down after only managing to prop itself up halfway.
"Stop struggling, big kitty."
Xuan Hao stopped less than five meters away from the Lion King.
Golden light surged around him, and his Golden Dragon Body activated instantly, releasing a pure, superior dragon aura without reservation.
"hold head high--"
Sensing this terrifying dragon's might, a hint of astonishment and instinctive fear flashed across the Golden Lion King's originally fierce eyes.
That was an absolute suppression based on bloodline, causing its already weakened aura to plummet even further.
"Yan, give it two fireballs to warm it up, don't let it play dead," Xuan Hao commanded without turning his head.
"Okay!"
Yan, behind him, was equally decisive, raising his hand to unleash a Hellfire Lava Surge, which precisely struck the ground beside the Golden Lion King.
"Boom! Boom!"
The flames exploded, forcing the Golden Lion King to move his body, which aggravated his wounds and caused him to convulse in pain.
"Evil Moon, seal off its retreat."
Evil Moon transformed into a blur, its moon blades flashing as it sliced through several large trees beside the Lion King that he was trying to use for support.
"Senior sister, control yourself, give me a quick death!"
"The first soul skill, charm!"
Hu Liena's eyes shimmered with pink light, and the mental shock pierced the Lion King's already clouded mind.
The Golden Lion King's body stiffened, and his eyes completely glazed over.
In that instant, Xuan Hao moved.
He didn't use any fancy moves.
He activated his Golden Dragon Body, concentrated his soul power on his right fist, and leaped high into the air like a golden meteor, smashing it down hard on the Golden Lion King's enormous head!
"Be careful in your next life, don't fight with poisonous spiders!"
"Bang--!!"
A muffled thud.
The already critically injured and dying Golden Lion King had no ability to resist, and his skull shattered instantly under the terrifying power of the Golden Dragon.
It didn't even have time to let out a final cry before its massive body twitched once more, then collapsed completely to the ground, lifeless.
A deep purple soul ring slowly rose from the corpse.
"Done."
Xuan Hao clapped his hands, looked at the spirit ring, and nodded in satisfaction, "You're really lucky."
...
Two hours later.
As Xuan Hao slowly opened his eyes, a deep and majestic roar echoed within his body.
He stood up, his bones crackling, and his already powerful aura became even more unfathomable.
"Level 22."
Xuan Hao sensed the fluctuations of soul power within his body. "Not bad."
"What about the soul skill?"
Yan eagerly leaned closer.
"A soul skill given by such a top-tier lion king must be incredibly powerful, right?"
"fierce?"
Xuan Hao smiled mysteriously, looking at the three people who had gathered around him, "Then you'd better stand firm, or you'll pee your pants in fear."
After saying that, he took a deep breath, and his second soul ring suddenly lit up, its purple light dazzling.
"The second soul skill——"
Xuan Hao suddenly opened his mouth, aimed at the three people in front of him, and a terrifying roar that combined the majesty of a dragon with the domineering power of a mad lion burst out from deep in his throat!
"Golden Dragon Roar!!"
"Roar!!!"
In an instant, a tangible golden sound wave swept forward in a fan shape, centered on Xuan Hao!
This was not just a sound; it also contained a terrifying mental shock and physical vibration, and even the surrounding air was distorted by the roar.
"Holy crap—"
Yan, who was closest, felt a "buzz" in his head, as if someone had hit the top of his head with a sledgehammer.
He instantly lost his balance and flew backward four or five meters before landing hard on his backside.
He saw stars and his mind went blank for a moment.
Although Xie Yue and Hu Liena reacted quickly, immediately covering their ears and mobilizing their soul power for defense, they still felt a strong wave of dizziness.
Their soul power stagnated for a moment.
Hu Liena, in particular, as a beast-type soul master, was unable to move and her body stiffened uncontrollably in place.
"Splash—"
The leaves of trees within a ten-meter radius were instantly shattered, turning into dust and falling to the ground.
The dizziness subsided after a few seconds.
Yan shook his head and got up from the ground. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting?
I felt like my soul power had dissipated!
My brain is like mush!"
"What the hell is that yelling?
That's the roar of a golden dragon," Xuan Hao said speechlessly.
"A wide-range, group-wide, powerful soul skill.
The effect is simple: it deals both sonic and mental damage to enemies within the range.
If their mental strength is far lower than mine, they will probably faint directly."
"Moreover, the roar carries the suppressive power of the dragon, which is extremely effective against beast spirit masters."
As they spoke, all three of them subconsciously looked at Hu Liena.
Xie Yue is a weapon spirit master, while Yan is a beast spirit master.
However, his martial spirit, Flame Lord, is an ancient and unusual martial spirit that leans towards elemental creatures.
Although he is also affected by Xuan Hao's dragon might, it is not a significant factor.
However, what Hu Liena said...
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