Dragon City, the residence of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family, inside the main hall.
Yu Yuanchen's brief yet heart-stopping account was like a massive boulder cast into a deep pool, stirring up monstrous waves in the heart of Yu Boxuan. Anger, lingering fear, pride, heartache... these various emotions eventually coalesced into a cold, murderous intent so potent it felt almost tangible, permeating the entire hall.
"The Long family... what a bold Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family! To dare ambush my direct grandson and encircle the pillars of my family!" Yu Boxuan's voice was low, yet it carried the terrifying pressure of an impending thunderstorm; the air throughout the main hall seemed to solidify. "If this debt is not repaid, I, Yu Boxuan, am unworthy of being the Patriarch, and the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family has no face left to stand in this world!"
He stood up abruptly, his burly frame appearing to grow even taller in an instant. A sliver of the vast aura belonging to a Titled Douluo leaked out uncontrollably, causing the lamps within the hall to flicker.
"Chen'er, you did well! Calm in the face of danger, decisive and brave, and even more rare is this caution of yours!" Yu Boxuan looked at his grandson, whose complexion remained pale, his eyes filled with admiration. "Go down and tend to your injuries first; leave the rest to your grandfather!"
"Grandfather!" Yu Yuanchen forced himself to stand straight, his tone urgent. "Second Grandfather and the two Elders' fates are unknown, and I implore you..."
"Say no more!" Yu Boxuan interrupted him, his tone brooking no argument. "Your injuries are not yet healed, and your soul power is exhausted; following me now would not only be useless but a burden. Rest assured, your grandfather will personally go to bring them home!"
Before the words had even faded, Yu Boxuan had transformed into a streak of blue light, instantly rushing out of the main hall. His majestic voice, like rolling thunder, spread throughout the entire family residence:
"All Soul Douluo-level Elders, gather at the Council Hall immediately! The family is entering the highest state of combat readiness! Without my order, no one is to leave Dragon City!"
Once the order was given, the entire Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family began to operate like a massive war machine. Powerful auras rose from every corner, rapidly converging toward the Council Hall. Above the residence, blue electric arcs faintly wove into a net, emitting fluctuations that caused palpitations.
A moment later, three figures followed closely behind Yu Boxuan. Like four arrows leaving the bow, they left Dragon City silently, carrying sky-high killing intent and anxiety, and shot toward the Thunder Mountain Range. These four were all peak Soul Douluo Elders whose strength was second only to Yu Boxuan in the family. One of them even possessed the top-tier healing-type weapon soul, the Staff of Life, in case of emergency.
The five top-tier powerhouses released their speed without reservation. Wherever they passed, clouds retreated, and the soul beasts in the mountains and forests all lay dormant and trembling.
⁂
Meanwhile, in the Thunder Mountain Range, near the Rocky Forest where Yu Yuanchen had broken through earlier.
The traces of the battle were shocking: the charred ground, shattered boulders, and the violent soul power and faint scent of blood that had not yet fully dissipated in the air all spoke to the brutality of the previous fight.
Long Li still lay slumped beside the dried-up riverbed, his complexion deathly pale. His legs were twisted at an unnatural angle, his knees charred black, with tiny electric arcs occasionally leaping out, bringing waves of twitching, agonizing pain. He had tried several times to use his soul power to forcibly reconnect the bones and meridians destroyed by that strange purple-gold lightning, and the hatred in his heart for Yu Yuanchen was already monstrous.
The Rock Turtle Soul Emperor and the lightly injured Gale Wolf Soul Emperor stood guard nearby, their complexions equally grim. They had attempted to track Yu Yuanchen, but the kid seemed to have evaporated into thin air. Coupled with the need to care for the severely injured Long Li, they could only wait here for family reinforcements.
"Trash! A bunch of trash!" Long Li hissed in a low growl, his eyes bloodshot. "You couldn't even take down a Soul Ancestor kid, and you let him cripple my legs! If this matter gets back to the family, what face will we have left!"
The Rock Turtle Soul Emperor and the Gale Wolf Soul Emperor lowered their heads, not daring to retort, their hearts filled with extreme suffocation. The kid's methods were simply too bizarre; that instantly explosive speed and his timing control were nothing like a youngster who had just entered the Soul Ancestor realm.
Just then, several powerful auras arrived from the distant horizon, moving at an astonishing speed.
Long Li and the others were startled at first, then felt the familiar chilling and scorching nature of the auras, and were instantly overjoyed.
"It's the Patriarch! The Patriarch has come personally!" the Gale Wolf Soul Emperor exclaimed excitedly.
Before the words were finished, eight figures had descended. The leader wore a dark red robe; his face bore a slight resemblance to Long Li's but was more sinister, and as his eyes opened and closed, black flames seemed to be burning within them. The aura radiating from his entire body had reached the ninety-fifth level! It was none other than the current Patriarch of the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family, Long Xiao!
Behind him followed two lightly injured Soul Douluos and five heavily injured Soul Sages—the very seven who had besieged Yu Bo Yu and the others. Originally, although the three of them were fighting seven, they would not have been in mortal danger thanks to the strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. After three days of intense fighting, they had not only killed those three Soul Emperors but had also managed to fight their way out at the cost of severe injuries. Once Long Xiao arrived, he had no choice but to swallow his pride; after all, their primary target was the genius Yu Yuanchen.
Long Xiao's gaze swept over the scene, taking in the situation at a glance, especially when he saw Long Li's crippled legs. The black flames in his eyes jumped violently, and the temperature of the surrounding air rose sharply.
"What happened? Where is that kid?" Long Xiao's voice was bone-chillingly cold, containing suppressed fury.
Long Li endured the intense pain and, feeling both ashamed and furious, quickly recounted the events, focusing on Yu Yuanchen's bizarre explosive speed, his formidable attacks, and finally the purple-gold lightning that carried a trace of divinity which had crippled his legs.
"A millennium second ring, a ten thousand year fourth ring, and purple-gold lightning?" Long Xiao's brows locked together, a flash of killing intent crossing his eyes. He knew full well how powerful the talent of Yu Yuanchen was, having achieved this series of feats. If he were allowed to grow up, he feared their Long family would never know a day of peace.
Cold light flickered in Long Xiao's eyes, but he suddenly looked up toward the direction of Dragon City, his complexion changing drastically!
"Not good! That old fellow Yu Boxuan is coming! Such fast speed!"
Almost at the same time, a vast, abyss-like, and incomparably domineering aura crushed down from afar like heavenly might, accompanied by a roar that shook the mountains:
"Long Xiao! You dare touch my grandson and harm my clansmen? Give your life to this old man!"
Before the voice had faded, four blue figures had already appeared on the horizon, charging forward with a speed that surpassed visual capture! The leader was none other than Yu Boxuan, his hair and beard standing on end, wrapped in thick blue electric pythons, looking like a Thunder God descending to the world!
He had seen the situation in the field from afar. Not finding Yu Bo Yu and the others, he felt slightly relieved, but seeing Long Xiao and the others there, along with the obvious signs of battle and the miserable state of Long Li and the others, he could foresee the brutality of the fight. The monstrous fury instantly ignited his soul power!
"Ninth Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Descends!"
Yu Boxuan didn't waste any words; his first move was his strongest ninth soul skill! Behind him, a massive dragon shadow, condensed entirely from deep blue lightning, soared into the sky. The dragon's eyes held the will of destruction, and with the momentum to tear the firmament apart, it lunged fiercely toward the area where Long Xiao and the others were!
This strike covered a vast area, and its power was enough to move mountains and fill seas!
"Yu Boxuan! You've gone mad!" Long Xiao was both shocked and furious; he hadn't expected the other party to use his ultimate killing move without saying a word. He dared not be the least bit negligent, and the nine soul rings on his body shone brightly all at once, especially the last black ten thousand year soul ring, which was brilliant to the extreme!
"Ninth Soul Skill, Flood Dragon Burns Heaven!"
A giant phantom of a flood dragon, its entire body burning with pitch-black flames, emerged from behind him, roaring as it met the diving thunder dragon!
Rumble--!!!
Blue lightning and black flames, two extreme forces, collided violently in mid-air!
A massive explosion, as if the world were being created anew, rang out. The blinding light made the sun itself lose its luster, and the terrifying energy shockwave spread out in a ring. The ground below was as if scraped by an invisible giant plow; the Rocky Forest was instantly razed to the ground, and the trees closer to the center were vaporized directly!
The five injured Soul Sages and Long Li's trio were swept by this terrifying shockwave, all spitting blood as they were sent flying; those with weaker cultivation even suffered broken bones and severed tendons!
Even the aftermath of the collision had such power!
As the light faded, the scene was revealed. Yu Boxuan hovered in mid-air, the electric light around him still blazing, though his aura was slightly chaotic. Long Xiao, however, had retreated dozens of meters, his complexion flushed, the black flames around him flickering unsteadily; clearly, he had suffered a small loss in the head-on clash. His cultivation was, after all, one level lower than Yu Boxuan's.
"Yu Boxuan! For the sake of a junior, do you want to go to all-out war with my Long family?" Long Xiao shouted sternly, attempting to use the weight of the situation to pressure him.
"War? From the moment you ambushed my grandson, the war had already begun!" Yu Boxuan's voice was icy and filled with killing intent. "Today, I'll collect some interest first! None of you are leaving!"
His gaze swept over the four Soul Sages who had just climbed up and the heavily injured Long Li, his eyes devoid of any pity.
"Do it! Kill them!" Yu Boxuan ordered the four Elders behind him.
"Yes! Patriarch!"
The four Soul Douluo Elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family could no longer restrain themselves. Upon hearing the order, three of them immediately activated their Martial Soul Avatar, moving like three bolts of blue lightning as they lunged toward the two Soul Douluos and five critically wounded Soul Sages! The fourth Elder released his Staff of Life martial soul to provide healing for the group.
"How dare you!" Long Xiao roared in fury, attempting to intervene, but he was locked firmly in place by the qi of Yu Boxuan. "Your opponent is me!"
Yu Boxuan let out a cold snort as his Eighth Soul Ring lit up beneath him. "Eighth Soul Skill, Tyrannical Thunder Domain!"
With him at the center, a radius of one thousand meters instantly transformed into a domain of blue lightning! The air was saturated with violent thunder particles that bombarded and paralyzed the enemies within the domain, while simultaneously significantly boosting the lightning-attribute attacks of his own side.
Long Xiao immediately felt his movements sluggish, the black flames around his body suppressed, and he was forced to channel his full soul power to resist the pressure of the domain.
Down below, the battle was a one-sided slaughter.
Bolstered by the Tyrannical Thunder Domain, the Soul Douluo Elders of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Family were like tigers with wings. Two of them engaged the enemy Soul Douluos, while the third took on the five Soul Sages. Since a Soul Douluo's strength far exceeded that of a Soul Sage, and their opponents were already critically wounded, none of them could withstand a single blow.
"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"
"Sixth Soul Skill, Thunder Dragon Roar!"
"Fifth Soul Skill, Grasp of Lightning!"
The massive Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon True Body roared, thunder dragons rampaged, and giant claws of lightning seized their prey... all manner of powerful soul skills illuminated the battlefield.
Although the five Soul Sages of the Black Flame Demon Flood Dragon Family fought desperately, unleashing a barrage of black flame soul skills, their defenses were torn apart as easily as paper in their wounded state.
In just a few short moments, shrill screams rang out one after another.
One Soul Sage had his chest pierced by a thunder dragon, his charred corpse collapsing to the ground.
One Soul Sage had his skull crushed by a giant claw of lightning.
One Soul Sage was blasted into charcoal by countless bolts of lightning descending from the sky.
One Soul Sage died after being impaled by a dragon claw.
The final Soul Sage attempted to flee using his speed, but he was overtaken by an Elder who drove a highly condensed thunder spear through his back and out his chest, killing him on the spot!
All five Soul Sages were wiped out!
As for the critically wounded Long Li and the other two Soul Emperors, they had already been on the verge of death from the earlier shockwaves. Facing the bloodthirsty Soul Douluo Elders, they couldn't even put up a decent resistance and were blasted into fragments by casual strikes of lightning. Only the two lightly wounded Soul Douluos saw their conditions worsen, barely managing to cling to life.
In the blink of an eye, the five Soul Sages brought by Long Xiao, along with the three surviving Soul Emperors—a total of eight men—had all perished here! Blood stained the charred earth, and the air was thick with the heavy scent of gore and burnt flesh.
"Yu! Bo! Xuan!" Watching his family's elite forces being slaughtered to the last man, Long Xiao's eyes turned blood-red, as if dripping with blood. The black flames around his body surged violently, nearly breaking through the suppression of the Tyrannical Thunder Domain. "My Long family will never rest until you are dead!!"
"Hmph! Bring it on then!" Yu Boxuan hovered in the center of the thunder domain like a god wielding lightning, watching the crazed Long Xiao with indifference. "I'll spare your dog life today to tell you that this blood debt has only just begun! Get lost!"
He knew well that this was not the best time for a life-or-death struggle with Long Xiao; the most urgent priority was to find Yu Bo Yu and the others.
Long Xiao's chest heaved violently as he glared at Yu Boxuan, then looked down at the gruesome corpses below. Finally, he squeezed a few words through his teeth: "Fine! Fine! Yu Boxuan, just you wait!"
He knew that if he stayed any longer, he would gain nothing and might even follow in the footsteps of those Soul Sages. He cast a venomous look at Yu Boxuan, transformed into a streak of black flame, and fled toward the family's territory in a pathetic state, carrying the two critically wounded Soul Douluos with him.
Yu Boxuan did not pursue. He dispersed his soul skill, landed on the ground, and said in a deep voice to the three Elders: "Quick! Search separately! You must find Bo Yu and the two Elders!"
"Yes!"
The four powerhouses immediately scattered, their powerful spiritual power spreading like mercury to carefully search every inch of the area.
The Fury of the Tyrant Dragon had begun to show its magnificence. This battle on the edge of the Thunder Mountain Range served as a signal, declaring that the fragile balance maintained for hundreds of years between the two top beast martial soul families in the southeast of the Heaven Dou Empire had been completely shattered. The undercurrents were about to turn into raging waves.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan