Chapter 22: Blood-Induced Frenzy, Desperate Escape (Part 2)
Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu supported the nearly exhausted Yu Yuanchen as they fled desperately along the blood-stained path carved out by the Clear Sky Hammer. Behind them, the beast tide was briefly thrown into chaos by the heavy injury to the Hellfire Kite, but the frenzied torrent did not stop, continuing to pursue them relentlessly like maggots on a bone.
Fortunately, before the sky turned completely dark, the three of them found an excellent refuge—a deep and narrow canyon crack. The entrance to the crack could only accommodate two or three people walking side by side; the interior was winding and twisted, with nearly vertical cliffs on both sides that soared into the clouds, effectively restricting large Soul Beasts from entering.
The three of them dove in without hesitation, stopping only after they were nearly a hundred meters deep into the canyon, finding a relatively spacious corner where they could lean against the rock wall. Tang Chen immediately turned around, his Clear Sky Hammer spanning the narrow passage like a gate god, blocking the only entrance. Qian Daoliu quickly checked Yu Yuanchen's condition, sighing in relief after confirming he had only overdrawn his Soul Power and Spiritual Power without suffering any serious internal injuries.
Sure enough, the pursuing beast tide crowded and roared at the canyon entrance, but it was difficult for them to surge in on a large scale. Only some smaller Soul Beasts, skilled in climbing or extremely fast—such as Shadow Cats and Bone-Eroding Rats—tried to crawl in and harass them, but they were all easily dealt with by Tang Chen, who stood at the entrance and swatted them down one by one with his hammer.
With the crisis temporarily averted, the three of them could finally relax their tense nerves. A heavy sense of exhaustion washed over them like a tide, and they immediately took turns to begin breathing exercises to recover.
The light inside the canyon was dim, with only a bit of daylight filtering in from the entrance and the fierce light flickering in the eyes of the Soul Beasts. The air was filled with the smell of blood, dust, and the unique pungent scent of Soul Beasts.
On the first day, the three of them spent almost the entire time in deep meditation, striving to recover their nearly depleted Soul Power and heal their injuries. The bruising on Tang Chen's shoulder was spreading, requiring him to constantly use his power to force out the remaining toxins; the damage to Qian Daoliu's wings and the drain on his Martial Soul needed time to be nurtured; Yu Yuanchen felt a faint pain in his Meridians, a side effect of excessively channeling the "Thunder God Power" and "Thunder Dragon Shattering Void."
During this period, a few waves of blind, small-scale Soul Beasts occasionally sneaked in, but they were easily driven away by whoever was on watch. For the three who were recovering, this level of harassment actually served as a way to stay vigilant.
By the second day, the condition of the three had significantly improved. While circulating his Soul Power, Yu Yuanchen clearly felt that his Level 53 Bottleneck had loosened. The continuous high-intensity combat, hovering on the edge of life and death, and that final all-out strike seemed to have squeezed out the potential of both his body and Martial Soul. Without hesitation, he guided his mostly recovered Soul Power to launch an assault on that barrier.
"Weng—"
A faint hum seemed to resonate within his body as his Soul Power, like a flood breaking through a dam, surged into a wider riverbed. Level 54! In such a perilous environment, his cultivation had actually increased by another level! His aura became more condensed, and both his total Soul Power and recovery speed were enhanced. The Purple-Gold Scale also seemed to brighten slightly, and the warm current of Dragon Blood it fed back became clearer.
He opened his eyes and happened to meet the gazes of Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu. There was a hint of surprise and understanding in both their eyes; to be able to achieve a Breakthrough in such an environment, this boy's talent and resilience were indeed astonishing.
"Congratulations." Qian Daoliu nodded slightly.
"Heh, you've gotten a bit stronger again. Good thing!" Tang Chen grinned, though there was a trace of imperceptible envy in his smile. He had been stuck at Level 62 for some time and knew well that the further one progressed, the harder it was to break through.
On the third day, the state of the three had basically recovered to seventy or eighty percent. The beast tide outside still showed no sign of dispersing; instead, as time passed, more Soul Beasts seemed to have gathered, surrounding the canyon entrance so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through, with all sorts of violent roars echoing incessantly.
"This can't go on." Qian Daoliu looked at the flickering shadows of the beasts outside the entrance, his elegant brows furrowing slightly. "They seem determined to trap us here until we die. Our supplies won't last much longer."
Carrying the Clear Sky Hammer, Tang Chen said in a muffled voice, "Then let's kill our way out! We've mostly recovered, let's have another damn fight with them!"
Yu Yuanchen pondered for a moment before saying, "Fighting head-on is not the best strategy. There are too many Soul Beasts outside; even if we are in perfect condition, falling into a siege again would be dangerous. Perhaps... we can try another way."
"Oh? What brilliant idea does Brother Yuanchen have?" Qian Daoliu looked at him with great interest.
Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept across the narrow passage at the canyon entrance as he slowly said, "This place is easy to defend and hard to attack; why don't we make use of that? If there were a way to weaken, deter, or even kill the Soul Beasts at the entrance on a large scale, creating enough chaos and an opening, our chances of breaking out would be much higher."
Tang Chen's eyes lit up. "Area-of-effect attacks? My Clear Sky Hammer's area damage isn't small, but the consumption is also high, and it might easily collapse the entrance and bury us."
Hearing this, a strange light flashed in Qian Daoliu's golden eyes. He looked at Yu Yuanchen, a thoughtful smile playing on his lips. "Large-scale weakening and deterrence... Brother Yu, are you referring to... a Domain?"
As soon as the word "Domain" was uttered, Tang Chen's eyes widened. He looked at Qian Daoliu, then snapped his gaze toward Yu Yuanchen, his face filled with disbelief. "A Domain?! You have a Domain? The Angelic Domain!"
Qian Daoliu smiled without a word, but a holy glow faintly circulated around him. An invisible force field, carrying an aura of purification and majesty, quietly spread out with him as the center. Although the range wasn't large, it made the air inside the canyon feel several degrees fresher, and the restless roars of the Soul Beasts outside seemed to be muffled by a layer.
Feeling that unique and powerful force field, Tang Chen's mouth opened and closed, finally turning into a heavy sigh filled with deep envy. "Damn! It really is a Domain!" He looked at Qian Daoliu with a complex expression—shock, and a sort of "as expected" relief. With a God-level Martial Soul, possessing a Domain didn't seem that surprising.
Then, he saw Yu Yuanchen giving him a mysterious smile and, realizing something, asked in disbelief, "Brother Yuanchen, you... don't tell me you have one too?!"
Seeing Tang Chen's dejected yet eager-to-confirm look, Yu Yuanchen couldn't help but smile. He nodded and said frankly, "I was lucky enough to obtain a Domain-type Soul skills."
As he spoke, with a thought, a completely different force field filled the air. A deep purple lightning glow outlined a small circular area beneath his feet. Within the area, electric arcs flickered, and the air was filled with active and violent lightning elements, carrying an aura where destruction and control coexisted. It was exactly his Fifth Spirit Ability—the Purple Lightning Domain! Although he only expanded it to a very small range to save Soul Power, the unique Domain fluctuations could not be faked.
Tang Chen looked at the flashing purple lightning area under Yu Yuanchen's feet, then at the Holy Light swirling around Qian Daoliu, and his whole body froze. He opened his mouth to say something but didn't know what to say. Finally, his face turned a bit red from holding it in, and he suddenly punched the nearby rock wall, saying dejectedly, "You two... are truly... monsters! I've Cultivated so hard and haven't even touched the edge of a Domain, yet one of you relies on his Martial Soul and the other on a Soul Ring, and you both have one?! Is there no justice left!"
Seeing his indignant yet helpless look, the smile in Qian Daoliu's eyes deepened. His tone remained gentle, but it seemed to carry a hint of mischief. "Brother Tang, it seems that among the three of us, you're the only one without a Domain..." Just as Qian Daoliu finished teasing him, he saw the envy and a trace of loneliness in Tang Chen's eyes, so the words at the tip of his tongue naturally changed. "But there's no need for Brother Tang to belittle himself. The Clear Sky Hammer is also a top-tier Tool Spirit. If you can comprehend a Domain, it will surely be earth-shattering. Brother Yu and I were just a bit luckier."
Yu Yuanchen also smiled. "Brother Tang's courage and strength are something Brother Qian and I admire as well. While a Domain is good, it also consumes a lot of power. At the critical moment, we will still need to rely on Brother Tang's indestructible Clear Sky Hammer to lead the way."
Being "comforted" like this by the two of them, Tang Chen's mood improved slightly, but that sense of envy still wouldn't go away. He muttered, "When I get a Domain in the future, I'll definitely let you guys see it too..."
Jokes aside, there was still business to attend to. With the trump cards of two great Domains, the three felt much more confident and quickly formulated a breakout plan.
By the evening of the third day of rest, the state of all three had recovered to over ninety percent.
"Are you ready?" Qian Daoliu looked at Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen nodded, his gaze sharp. "Let's begin!"
In the next instant, the two of them moved simultaneously!
The six wings behind Qian Daoliu unfurled, and a sacred aura soared into the sky! With him as the center, a golden Domain over thirty meters in diameter suddenly expanded—the Angelic Domain! Within the Domain, faint holy hymns echoed, and the Holy Light shone down, filled with purification and majesty! The Soul Beasts rushing at the very front were struck by this Holy Light and immediately let out terrified shrieks. Their movements became sluggish, their frenzy replaced by fear, and their strength was significantly weakened!
Almost at the same moment the Angelic Domain expanded, Yu Yuanchen's Purple Lightning Domain followed closely behind, overlapping and covering the area further ahead of the entrance! A Purple Lightning Domain about twenty meters in diameter formed instantly, with electric snakes dancing wildly and thunder booming within! The violent power of lightning struck all Soul Beasts within range indiscriminately, bringing continuous paralysis, burning, and damage! More importantly, under Yu Yuanchen's deliberate control, the energy within the lightning Domain became extremely chaotic, severely interfering with the Soul Beasts' perception and Soul Power circulation!
Two great Domains—one for sacred purification, weakening, and suppression; the other for lightning-fast violence, damage, and interference! Under the overlapping of the dual Domains, the canyon entrance seemed to transform into a forbidden zone where divinity and destruction were intertwined!
The Soul Beasts crowded at the entrance were suddenly plunged into immense chaos and pain. The weaker Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts couldn't last more than a few breaths within the Domain before falling to the ground in convulsions; even the Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts found it difficult to move, their strength severely weakened as they let out terrified and painful roars!
"Now! Brother Tang, lead the way!" Yu Yuanchen barked.
"Hahaha! Watch me!" Tang Chen had already been building his momentum. Seeing this, he laughed wildly, his fifth Soul Ring lighting up. Carrying the power of "Mountain Quake," the Clear Sky Hammer was like a tiger out of its cage as it boldly charged into the beast pack that had been cleared and weakened by the Domains!
This time, there were no more obstacles beneath his hammer! The Soul Beasts, severely affected by the dual Domains, were simply unable to organize any effective resistance. They were sent flying and smashed to pieces by Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer like grass being mowed!
Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu followed closely behind, maintaining their Domains. While clearing sporadic resistance on both sides, they pushed forward rapidly.
The arrowhead formed by the three became incredibly sharp under the powerful enhancement of the dual Domains! Everywhere they passed, the Soul Beasts scattered and fled, no longer able to form a surrounding formation.
In just the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, the three of them had carved a blood-stained path through the dense beast tide, breaking out of the canyon entrance and leaving the chaotic roars and shrieks behind them!
Looking back, the canyon entrance was still shrouded in the light of the two great Domains, with countless Soul Beasts struggling and howling within, unable to pursue them in the short term.
"Go!" Qian Daoliu made a prompt decision. The three did not linger, choosing a direction and increasing their speed to the limit, soon disappearing into the vast twilight of the Savage Beast Hills.
After a long time, at the edge of the Savage Beast Hills, the three panting men looked at each other's disheveled appearances and burst into loud laughter.
After this battle, all three needed some time to digest the gains from this trial. Furthermore, after continuous high-intensity fighting and fleeing, they were exhausted both physically and mentally. They decided to temporarily leave the Savage Beast Hills and find a safe place to rest properly.
And through this experience of fighting side by side, and even revealing their respective trump cards, the relationship between the three had undoubtedly moved a step further. The three forces that would stir the winds and clouds of the continent in the future—Hidden Dragon, Clear Sky, and Angel—had completed their first truly deep intertwining in this desolate land.