The gap Yu Yuanchen tore open with his Purple Lightning Thunder Claw was like a massive boulder dropped into a boiling beast tide, briefly parting the surging waves. The three of them did not hesitate for a moment, pushing their speed to the limit as they charged forward along this fleeting passage.
Tang Chen took the lead, his Clear Sky Hammer dancing like the wind. He no longer sought one-hit kills with heavy strikes, but instead transformed his attacks into a continuous, violent blur of hammer shadows. He stopped aiming for vital points, using his overwhelming power to smash away or repel any soul beast that dared to approach or block his path—regardless of size or age. He was like a crazed fierce beast, carving a bloody path through the torrent of soul beasts. Bone fragments and flesh splattered under his hammer, staining his robes, yet his eyes grew brighter, his fighting spirit burning like fire, as if this endless slaughter only served to ignite the ferocity deep within his bones.
Yu Yuanchen followed closely behind Tang Chen's flank, his role crucial. While Tang Chen was responsible for clearing the path ahead, Yu Yuanchen handled the threats lunging from the sides and rear. His attacks were precise and efficient; his dragon-transformed right arm, whether using claws or fingers, unleashed purple-gold lightning like the scythe of death. At times, a condensed lightning finger would pierce the skull of a Shadow Blade Leopard attempting an ambush; at others, a backhanded claw would disembowel an Iron Backed Grey Wolf rushing from the flank; or he would suddenly stomp the ground, triggering a ring of lightning shockwaves centered on himself to paralyze the smaller soul beasts closing in. His Electric Field Perception was fully active, acting like a sophisticated radar that scanned for threats in a three-hundred-sixty-degree radius, allowing him to react a fraction of a second early and nip crises in the bud. Beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead; the continuous high-intensity perception and precise control were taking a massive toll on his Spiritual Power.
Qian Daoliu was like an elegant yet deadly dancer, fluttering in the low air. He did not blindly unleash wide-area soul skills, but instead focused his power on a single point. The sacred aura brought by his Six-winged Angel Martial Soul inherently suppressed evil and frenzied creatures, and he utilized this with surgical precision to cut into the battlefield. Whenever a particularly troublesome ten-thousand-year soul beast attempted to organize an effective siege, or a long-range soul beast prepared to unleash a skill, his Angel Sacred Sword would appear just in time. A condensed beam of golden sword light would either pierce the throat of a poison-spewing lizard, sever the wings of a charging Wind Breaking Eagle, or precisely strike the eye of a Mountain Shaking Rhinoceros, forcing it to roar in pain and veer off course. His presence greatly disrupted the rhythm of the beast tide, creating a relatively stable environment for the two below.
The three of them pressed forward through the frenzy in this formation. Tang Chen was the unstoppable spearhead, Yu Yuanchen was the sharp, lethal flank guard and sweeper, and Qian Daoliu was the aerial support, controlling the overall situation with precise strikes. They had no time to communicate, rarely even making eye contact; all their coordination was based on split-second judgments of the shifting battlefield and the budding trust and tacit understanding between them.
However, the horror of the beast tide far exceeded their imagination. Their numbers were simply too great, and they seemed endless. As one batch fell, more immediately filled the gaps. Although the trio's speed was not slow, their consumption of soul power was like a burst dam, flowing away rapidly.
If this continues... we won't make it out of the encirclement! Yu Yuanchen felt a chill in his heart. His soul power was more than half depleted, and his Spiritual Power was sending waves of stinging pain. Tang Chen's breathing grew heavier, and his hammer swings lost their initial ferocity, becoming increasingly labored. Even the holy light of Qian Daoliu in the air seemed to dim slightly.
What was worse, in Yu Yuanchen's perception, several powerful auras that had been lingering in the rear were rapidly approaching! One of them, carrying a heart-palpitating sense of scorching heat and destruction, was particularly prominent!
"Careful! A big one is coming! Behind us to the right!" Yu Yuanchen shouted a warning.
Before the words had even faded, a sharp, ear-piercing screech that seemed capable of tearing the soul apart came from the rear right! Accompanied by the screech, a wave of scorching heat swept over them!
A giant bird with a wingspan exceeding ten meters, its entire body burning with dark red flames like a demon god flown from hell, was diving down at an astonishing speed! Its hooked beak flashed with a metallic cold light, and its talons were wreathed in unsettling dark red flowing fire!
"It's a Hellfire Kite over fifty thousand years old!" Qian Daoliu's voice carried unprecedented gravity. "It has been completely enraged by the scent of blood and the aura of slaughter!"
This Hellfire Kite was clearly one of the true overlords of this region! Its appearance caused the already chaotic and violent beast tide to boil even further; many soul beasts even subconsciously avoided the path of its dive!
"Tang Chen! Hold the front! Qian Daoliu, distract it! Create an opening for me!" At this critical juncture, Yu Yuanchen's mind was exceptionally calm, and he made a decision in an instant. He knew they had to kill or severely wound this kite as soon as possible; otherwise, if they were entangled by it, they would never escape!
"Leave it to me!" Tang Chen roared, holding nothing back as his sixth soul ring—that deep black light—bloomed once more! "Sixth Soul Skill: Clear Sky Formation!"
He ignored the surrounding soul beasts. As he centered himself, a strange circular formation composed of countless dense black runes instantly appeared on the ground! Within the formation, gravity seemed to increase several times over, and the air became incredibly viscous! A powerful force of binding and suppression took hold—not on the kite, but controlling the densest part of the beast tide! He followed this with a thunderous Earthquake Mountain smash, determined to clear enough space and time for Yu Yuanchen!
"BOOM—!"
The black hammer light exploded in the beast swarm like a bomb, instantly clearing a large area as severed limbs flew everywhere! Tang Chen himself was shaken by the recoil, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, but he remained firmly planted, holding a temporary safe zone for the two behind him.
Almost simultaneously, Qian Daoliu moved. His six wings erupted with dazzling holy light, pushing his speed to the limit as he flew toward the diving Hellfire Kite like a golden meteor!
"Sacred Imprisonment!"
He pointed his Angel Sacred Sword, and countless golden chains made of sacred energy appeared out of thin air, winding like spirit snakes toward the wings and talons of the Hellfire Kite! He wasn't trying to defeat it, but to restrict its movements to the greatest extent, creating a perfect opportunity for Yu Yuanchen's impending strike!
"SCREECH—!"
The Hellfire Kite let out an angry shriek, the dark red flames around its body surging as it tried to melt the annoying sacred chains. The chains hissed as they touched the flames, rapidly dimming; it was clear they could not hold for long. Qian Daoliu's face turned pale; maintaining this powerful control skill was a massive burden for him as well.
And in that split second, Yu Yuanchen moved!
He took a deep breath, fully triggering the trace of Thunder God Power within his body, fusing and compressing it with his surging Bloodline Power and his near-limit purple lightning soul power! His entire dragon-transformed right arm instantly expanded, blinding purple-gold lightning erupting from the gaps in his scales. The true form of the Thunder Dragon Claw was clearer and more solidified than ever before!
He held nothing back, pouring every ounce of power he could muster into this single claw! A terrifying aura that seemed capable of tearing the sky and shattering all things rose from him! He had long known he lacked a truly powerful offensive soul skill, so he had consulted his elders back in the clan. He learned of a semi-finished self-created soul skill passed down by an ancestor. Its principle was to use the first soul skill, Thunder Dragon Claw, as a base to compress lightning power onto the dragon claw, then use high-frequency vibrating lightning energy to grant the skill penetration, allowing the lightning to drill through scales or armor gaps to damage the enemy's internal organs. However, it was too difficult to learn, requiring extreme control over the lightning attribute; those at a low level lacked the requirements, and those at a high level already had their own offensive soul skills. Thus, besides the ancestor who created it, no one had ever learned it.
Yet, he had been quite interested in it and met the requirements, occasionally studying it until he had basically mastered the skill.
He stomped his foot, the ground shattering, and his figure shot up like an arrow leaving the bow. He did not charge into the high sky, but calculated the moment the Hellfire Kite was briefly restrained by Qian Daoliu and its dive trajectory was fixed, launching himself upward at a near-vertical angle!
"THUNDER! DRAGON! SKY! BREAKER!"
Accompanied by a low roar that seemed to come from an ancient dragon, Yu Yuanchen's purple-gold Thunder Dragon Claw, which had condensed all his spirit and energy, struck toward the relatively vulnerable abdomen of the Hellfire Kite with unyielding resolution!
At this moment, time seemed to freeze.
The Hellfire Kite sensed a fatal threat and let out a shriek of terror and rage, struggling desperately. The dark red flames burned the golden chains frantically, forming a thick barrier of fire over its body.
Qian Daoliu groaned, a trickle of golden blood spilling from his mouth, but his eyes remained firm as he maintained the imprisonment.
Tang Chen swung his giant hammer, smashing away the soul beasts that tried to pounce, guarding the area from which Yu Yuanchen had leaped.
"SQUELCH—!"
There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a faint, teeth-grinding sound like a sharp blade piercing leather.
The purple-gold Thunder Dragon Claw struggled to tear through the fire barrier, only to be barely blocked by the seemingly soft feathers—but it didn't matter.
The next moment, the extreme, violent lightning power, accompanied by that unique "shattering" effect, ignored the feathers and penetrated into the kite's body, exploding!
"SCREECH—!!!"
The Hellfire Kite let out a heart-wrenching wail, its massive body twitching and rolling violently in the air. Dark red blood sprayed from its mouth like magma, mixed with fragments of charred internal organs! The flames around its body instantly dimmed, flickering unsteadily.
Qian Daoliu took the opportunity to withdraw the Sacred Imprisonment, landing back on the ground with a slight stagger.
Yu Yuanchen also fell, exhausted, and was caught by Tang Chen. His face was pale as paper, his right arm trembling slightly; that strike had drained almost all of his remaining soul power and Spiritual Power.
The arrogant Hellfire Kite struggled in the air for a few moments before finally trailing black smoke and spiraling toward the distance like a kite with a broken string. Given the life force of a fifty-thousand-year soul beast, it likely wouldn't die, but it was certainly severely wounded.
With their leader suffering such a heavy blow, the surging beast tide experienced a moment of stagnation and chaos, and many soul beasts showed fear in their eyes.
"Go! Now!" Yu Yuanchen forced a breath, shouting hoarsely.
Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu knew the opportunity was not to be missed, immediately supporting Yu Yuanchen and charging forward with all their might along the bloody path Tang Chen had blasted open with his Sky Breaker!
The crisis seemed temporarily averted, but all three had paid a heavy price, their soul power nearing exhaustion and their bodies covered in wounds. And deep within the Savage Beast Hills, unknown dangers still lurked.
───────────────
Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: GodKun-Chan