Chapter 12: Hunting Dragons in Star Dou, Purple Lightning Contention
The Star Dou Great Forest, the vastest and most dangerous Soul Beast habitat on the Douluo Continent, was filled with towering ancient trees and a primal, savage aura. It was both a death trap fraught with danger and a dreamland for Soul Masters to obtain powerful Soul Rings.
A group of six was walking cautiously deep within the Mixed Zone. Leading them was none other than the Clan Chief of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the Titled Douluo Yu Boxuan. His aura was heavy and composed, his gaze sharp as lightning, and his formidable Spiritual Power rippled out invisibly, constantly scanning the surroundings to avoid unnecessary trouble and search for their target.
Following closely behind was an elderly man holding an emerald-green wooden staff. He was a Guest Elder of the Family, Elder Liu, an eighty-third rank Soul Douluo with the Staff of Life Martial Soul. His presence was the most important guarantee for this soul-hunting operation.
Beside Elder Liu were three lean, capable middle-aged men, all possessing Soul Saint cultivation. One of them, whose facial features were fifty to sixty percent similar to Yu Yuanchen's, bore an air of stability and refinement between his brows; he was Yu Yuanchen's father, Yu Mingfeng. Approaching forty, he had recently managed to Breakthrough to the seventy-first rank through his own efforts and Family resources, becoming a backbone of the Family. At this moment, deep within his eyes, besides focus on the mission, there was a faint, hard-to-detect concern for his only son.
Yu Yuanchen walked in the middle of the group, his expression focused and calm. He did not relax in the slightest just because he was guarded by his grandfather and several experts; instead, he fully deployed his electric field perception, coordinating it with his Spiritual Power to stay alert to everything around him. Three years of tempering had long accustomed him to maintaining the highest state of vigilance in any environment.
They had been in the Star Dou Great Forest for half a month. Their goal was clear—to find a dragon-type Soul Beast of around thirty-five thousand years with a pure Dragon Clan Bloodline and lightning or related attributes!
This goal was extremely demanding. High-aged dragon-type Soul Beasts were already rare, and most entrenched themselves at the edge of the Core Zone. Their strength was terrifying, and their territorial consciousness was extremely strong. Even Yu Boxuan did not dare to easily venture deep into the Core Zone to provoke those true overlords.
Over the past half month, they had encountered several attacks from ten-thousand-year Soul Beasts and had found a few suitable dragon-type Soul Beasts, but either their age was slightly lacking or their attributes were not optimal. It wasn't until three days ago that, based on some ancient records and traces of Soul Beast activity, they locked onto a special area located in the buffer zone between the Mixed Zone and the Core Zone—Thunder Roar Valley.
Rumor had it that strange thunder echoed here year-round, attracting many lightning-attribute Soul Beasts to gather, and powerful dragon species might also exist.
The closer they got to Thunder Roar Valley, the more active the lightning elements in the air became; one could even see wisps of electrical arcs dancing in the humid air. The massive roars of beasts also became more frequent and threatening.
"Careful, we may have entered the territory of a powerful existence," Yu Boxuan stopped and whispered a reminder, his sharp gaze looking deep into the valley.
Everyone immediately held their breath and focused, silently gathering their Soul Power.
Within Yu Yuanchen's electric field perception, he felt an extremely majestic, majestic, and violent lightning-attribute aura, like a dormant volcano hidden in the deepest part of the valley. The purity and intensity of that aura far exceeded any Soul Beast they had encountered before.
"It's right ahead." Yu Yuanchen pointed toward an area in the center of the valley filled with jagged rocks, with a pool of purple lightning in the middle.
The group crept closer soundlessly, using the giant rocks to hide their forms. When they saw the scene by the lightning pool clearly, even Yu Boxuan's breath hitched.
What a majestic and terrifying beast that was!
It was over ten meters long, its entire body covered in deep purple scales. The edges of the scales shimmered with a cold, metallic luster, and faint flashes of electricity flowed over them. Its form was closer to the dragons of Western mythology, with strong and powerful limbs, sharp claws dug deep into the ground, a pair of huge fleshy wings folded at its sides, and a long tail like a steel whip that plowed deep furrows into the ground with a casual swing.
Most striking was its head; majestic dragon horns pierced the sky, and between the opening and closing of its dragon snout, one could see jumping purple lightning. Its dragon eyes were tightly shut, seemingly in a light sleep, but the dragon pressure it naturally emitted already made the surrounding air thick and heavy.
It lay beside the lightning pool, and with every breath, it drew the purple lightning from the pool into its mouth and nose like living creatures, tempering its body.
"A Purple Lightning Dragon! Judging by its size and aura, its age definitely exceeds thirty thousand years!" Yu Mingfeng's voice carried a hint of excitement and gravity. "And it's a sub-dragon with an extremely pure Bloodline, rumored to have the potential to evolve into a true dragon! Furthermore, its control over thunder is extremely strong, its lightning attribute being very close to Ultimate Lightning. Chener absorbing its Soul Ring will definitely be of great benefit and will surely bring him an extremely powerful Soul skills."
A burning light erupted in Yu Boxuan's eyes: "This is the one! Looking at its energy fluctuations, it's roughly between thirty-two thousand and thirty-five thousand years, exactly what Chener needs!"
The target was right before them, but the difficulty of hunting it could well be imagined. The aura emitted by this Purple Lightning Dragon was already close to an eighty-fifth rank Soul Douluo among human Soul Masters! Moreover, the actual combat capability of dragon-type Soul Beasts was often stronger than human Soul Masters of the same level.
"Act according to plan!" Yu Boxuan quickly issued orders. "Elder Liu, you are responsible for support and healing; ensure Chener's safety at all costs. Mingfeng, the three of you will be responsible for flanking maneuvers to interfere with its movements and find opportunities to attack the base of its wings and joints! I will lead the frontal assault! Chener, act as the situation dictates; you must ensure the final blow is delivered by you!"
"Yes!" everyone responded solemnly.
Yu Boxuan took a deep breath, and the majestic aura of a Titled Douluo was no longer concealed, erupting violently! With his Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul possession, his burly frame grew taller again, covered in blue dragon scales, with thick lightning pythons coiling around his body. Nine Soul Rings rose in sequence—two yellow, two purple, five black—as his powerful pressure swept toward the dozing Purple Lightning Dragon like a storm!
"Roar—!!"
Almost at the instant Yu Boxuan's aura erupted, the Purple Lightning Dragon snapped its dragon eyes open! They were vertical pupils filled purely with purple thunder, brimming with the rage of a violated territory and endless ferocity! It let out an ear-splitting roar, the sound waves mixed with thunder, making the entire valley tremble!
It recognized the threat brought by the human powerhouse before it. Its massive body instantly reared up, and its twin wings snapped open, blotting out the sun! Purple lightning surged from its body like a tide, making it look like the Thunder God descended to the world!
Without any redundant probing, the battle instantly entered a white-hot stage!
The seventh Soul Ring beneath Yu Boxuan shone brightly as he directly used his Martial Soul True Body, transforming into a massive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon and charging fiercely at the Purple Lightning Dragon! The collision of dragon against dragon was the most primitive clash of power against power!
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Blue lightning and purple thunder collided and annihilated each other frantically. Every collision erupted with an earth-shaking roar, and the energy shockwaves easily flipped and shattered the surrounding boulders. Although Yu Boxuan's cultivation was a notch higher, the Purple Lightning Dragon, relying on its powerful Physical Body and pure Dragon Clan Bloodline, actually held its ground for a time!
"Move!" Yu Mingfeng barked, releasing his Martial Soul True Body along with the other two Soul Saints to launch an attack from the flanks. Their targets were clear: not to deal a fatal blow, but to constantly harass the wing joints and limb joints of the Purple Lightning Dragon, restricting its flight and movement.
"Sixth Spirit Ability, Thunder Chain Restraint!"
"Fifth Spirit Ability, Sky-Rending Claw!"
"Sixth Spirit Ability, Mad Thunder Shockwave!"
The light of various Martial Soul Abilities flashed. Although they couldn't cause much damage to the Purple Lightning Dragon's solid scales, they successfully drew part of its attention, forcing it to split its focus and creating more attacking opportunities for Yu Boxuan.
Elder Liu stood at a safe distance further away, waving his Staff of Life. Emerald-green light, like the toughest silk threads, connected every companion in front, ready to heal any wounds they might sustain at any time. Simultaneously, he would timely release some auxiliary Martial Soul Abilities to enhance everyone's defense or speed.
Yu Yuanchen was not in a hurry to join the fray. Like the most patient hunter, he hid behind a giant rock, his sharp gaze observing the battle. His electric field perception was running at full capacity, analyzing the Purple Lightning Dragon's energy flow, attack habits, and defensive weak points.
The strength of this Purple Lightning Dragon was indeed terrifying. Its purple lightning carried a strange piercing and paralyzing effect; even Yu Boxuan's Tyrant Dragon body didn't feel good after taking a few hits. Moreover, its Dragon Breath was incredibly powerful; with one breath, it spat out a purple lightning pillar as thick as a water bucket, incinerating everything in its path.
The battle was exceptionally brutal. Several charred wounds had appeared on Yu Boxuan's body, and the Soul Saint True Bodies of Yu Mingfeng's trio had been swiped by the dragon tail several times, leaving their auras in disarray, barely sustained by Elder Liu's light of Life.
"We can't drag this on any longer!" A fierce light flashed in Yu Boxuan's eyes. He knew they had to end this quickly; otherwise, once other powerful Soul Beasts were drawn in or if someone on their side was seriously injured, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"Ninth Spirit Ability, Thunder Dragon Descends to the World!"
He once again deployed his strongest Ninth Spirit Ability! A massive thunder dragon phantom roared as it charged at the Purple Lightning Dragon!
The Purple Lightning Dragon also felt the fatal threat and let out an even more frenzied roar. The purple lightning around its body compressed inward frantically, condensing in its mouth into a deep purple lightning ball only the size of a fist but emitting waves of destruction! This was the condensation of its Origin power!
"Boom—!!!"
The Ninth Spirit Ability and the Origin lightning ball collided violently!
This explosion was ten times more violent than any before! The blinding light caused instant blindness, and a terrifying energy storm swept through the entire valley, evaporating more than half of the lightning pool's water! The ground was forcibly shaved down by three feet!
Yu Boxuan groaned, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth as he stumbled back. The Purple Lightning Dragon was in even worse shape; the Origin lightning ball it condensed had been forcibly crushed, and the backlash caused its massive body to be covered in cracks. Purple blood flowed out like small streams, its aura instantly withering by more than half, and one fleshy wing was blasted into a bloody mess, clearly losing its ability to fly.
Now is the time!
Yu Yuanchen, who had been waiting for the opportunity, had a sharp light burst from his eyes! Like a bolt of lightning that had been building up momentum, he instantly shot out from his hiding place! The four Soul Rings beneath him all shone brightly, boosting his state to the limit!
"Wrath of Thunder! Thunderous Fury! Thunder God Power!"
He didn't use any offensive Martial Soul Abilities; instead, he poured all his power—Soul Power, his initially stimulated thick blood and Qi, and that crucial strand of 'Thunder God Power'—entirely into his dragonized right arm! His entire right arm instantly swelled, the scales turning from blue to deep blue, and the sliver of purple-gold luster on the edges became clearer than ever before, as if a miniature purple-gold divine dragon had awakened within his arm!
This was a sudden inspiration of his. In Douluo 3, Tang's eldest son's early dominance relied entirely on his Golden Dragon Claw, which was not only indestructible and immensely powerful but also had a crushing effect. Furthermore, when he Cultivated with a classmate who had a Bone Dragon Martial Soul, he even briefly stimulated a similar Bone Dragon Claw in them.
Now, by using the Thunder God Power to stimulate his Bloodline, supplemented by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's dragonization secret technique, and bolstering his right hand with the Thunder God Power and abundant Qi, he stimulated his own true Thunder Dragon Claw. Its power and defense were even greater than a dragon claw formed by the normal dragonization secret technique, and it possessed a splitting effect; the claw tips would erupt with a dragon power shockwave upon piercing the target, leaving scale-like wounds that crackled with a paralyzing sensation. Debris (like rocks) would be attached with lightning when flying off, causing secondary damage to the surroundings.
Overall, it might not be as good as the Golden Dragon Claw, but for him, it was also a massive boost in combat power. In this state, he was nearly invincible below the Soul Saint level (excluding geniuses who can fight across levels like Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu). Even if he faced Long Li, he had the confidence to take him down easily, and he could even hold his own against an ordinary Soul Saint who hadn't activated their Martial Soul True Body.
He charged like a meteor toward the heavily injured and dying Purple Lightning Dragon, aiming straight for the relatively fragile reverse scale on its neck!
Although the Purple Lightning Dragon was heavily wounded, its Dragon Clan pride made it unwilling to submit just like that. It struggled to lift its dragon head and opened its giant mouth, attempting a final counterattack by spitting out residual lightning.
However, Yu Yuanchen's speed was too fast and his timing too precise! At the very moment its old strength was spent and new strength had yet to rise, Yu Yuanchen's fist, which condensed his entire body's power, slammed ruthlessly into its reverse scale like a city-breaking ram!
"Crack!"
The clear sound of bone cracking rang out! The Purple Lightning Dragon's final resistance was heartlessly crushed. In its massive dragon eyes, the light quickly dimmed, filled with unwillingness and disbelief. It could never have imagined that it would fall at the hands of such a 'weak' human.
Accompanied by an unwilling wail, the Purple Lightning Dragon's massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
A deep, black-tinted purple Soul Ring with noble purple lightning jumping at its edges slowly condensed from its corpse, emitting heart-palpitatingly majestic energy and pure dragon pressure!
Yu Yuanchen stood by the Purple Lightning Dragon's corpse, panting heavily, his face somewhat pale from the instantaneous burst, but his azure eyes were incredibly bright.
He had succeeded! With the assistance of his Family's experts, he had hunted a pure-blooded thirty-two-thousand-year Purple Lightning Dragon across levels!
Yu Boxuan and the others quickly gathered around. Seeing the deep Soul Ring and the unharmed Yu Yuanchen, they all breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing gratified smiles. Yu Mingfeng looked at his son, his eyes filled with pride.
"Quickly, adjust your state and prepare to absorb the Soul Ring!" Yu Boxuan suppressed his injuries and urged in a deep voice. At the same time, he, Elder Liu, Yu Mingfeng, and the others formed a triangular formation to guard Yu Yuanchen in the center, vigilantly watching the surroundings. The commotion caused by the hunt was too great; they had to leave as soon as possible.
Yu Yuanchen took a deep breath and sat cross-legged before the Purple Lightning Dragon's Soul Ring, his gaze firm.
He knew that absorbing this Soul Ring would be a battle even more difficult than the hunt. But he was fearless.
Fifth Soul Ring, thirty-two-thousand-year Purple Lightning Dragon! He was determined to get it.