Ye Hongling Taken Away

Unlike Village Chief Ye, who was still fighting, the two riding the Wood Dragon were quite safe. The Wood Dragon glided swiftly across the ground as though flying at low altitude, carrying them toward the exit.

"Brother, do you think Grandpa will be all right? Facing two Soul Beasts that powerful alone... just thinking about it is dangerous." Even though she knew her grandfather was extraordinarily strong, Ye Hongling was still deeply worried that something might happen to him.

Tang Chenfeng reached out and stroked her head, comforting her. "Don't worry. Since Village Chief Ye is a Titled Douluo, as long as he wants to leave, no one should be able to stop him. He's only buying time for us to escape. He'll catch up soon." As he spoke, the Wood Dragon beneath them let out a soft dragon cry, as if confirming Tang Chenfeng's words.

"Mm, you're right, Brother. Let's hurry to the entrance and find someone to help."

Just as everything seemed to be improving, a blue glint suddenly flashed through Tang Chenfeng's eyes. "Get down!" He pulled Ye Hongling into his arms and dropped down. The moment he did, sharp whistling sounds tore through the air. Whoosh—whoosh, whoosh—silver feathers streaked past where they had just been, like flying knives, then plunged directly into the Wood Dragon's body, making its massive form convulse. When the two looked up, a gigantic shadow swept overhead. They finally saw it clearly: it was a giant eagle with a wingspan of at least eight meters. Every feather on its body was bright silver, glittering beneath the sunlight and producing a sound like grinding metal. There was no need to ask who had launched that attack.

Elsewhere, Ye Jiulong, who was entangled in battle with the two giant wolves, cried out in alarm. "A Silver Feathered Falcon? Why is it over there?" In truth, every Wood Dragon Ye Jiulong created was one of his avatars. Each could fight independently, and they shared their senses, so whatever they saw, Ye Jiulong saw as well. But the instant he recognized the Silver Feathered Falcon, panic seized him. He had sent out a Wood Dragon precisely to ensure the children's safety, yet he had never expected such a rare Soul Beast to appear at the edge of the forest. Wood Dragons were weakest against aerial enemies, and this one appeared to be a Soul Beast with at least ten thousand years of cultivation. A single Wood Dragon can't stop it. But I can't break away now—the two wolves have me tied down.

The falcon circled overhead, searching for an opportunity to seize one of them, while the Wood Dragon shielded the two children behind it, preventing its opponent from attacking them directly.

The falcon wheeled through the sky, continuously firing blade-like feathers at the dragon below. Yet those attacks had little effect; after all, the Wood Dragon did not feel pain. Then the falcon suddenly dived, attempting to slip in through a blind spot and strike the two children directly. Though the Wood Dragon had little ability to fight airborne enemies, its reactions were not slow. As the falcon swooped down, it bit down on one of its wings and flung it away. A Divine Dragon Swinging Tail followed, sending it flying. The falcon's silver feathers seemed to warp, producing a teeth-grating sound like metal scraping against metal. It tumbled twice through the air before regaining its balance and taking flight again. Though it had returned to the sky, the attack had clearly enraged it.

A powerful silver radiance erupted from the falcon's body, and its form steadily grew larger within that glow. Its silver feathers gradually broadened, even joining with the neighboring feathers until they seemed to form a single piece of armor. Its wingspan expanded to roughly fifteen meters. The Silver Feathered Falcon had transformed into a Silver Armored Giant Eagle.

The giant eagle no longer circled overhead. Instead, it began circling around the two children and the dragon, its body releasing flashes of silver light from time to time. The Wood Dragon remained vigilant, maintaining its defensive stance. At first, nothing seemed wrong, but as the surrounding wind grew stronger and stronger, even beginning to form a small tornado, the two realized the situation had turned dire. By the time they tried to break through, it was already too late...

In the Douluo World, there were countless abilities, each displaying certain traits, including different colors. Just as wind, fire, water, and earth corresponded to green, red, blue, and yellow, elements displayed colors that belonged to them. Among them, gold and silver were the most special. Gold represented ultimate power and certain special attributes, while silver represented affinity for and control over multiple elements.

The silver on the Silver Feathered Falcon represented its steel-hard, razor-sharp feathers and its ability to control them in battle. But clearly, aside from the metal-element control it had displayed earlier, this Silver Armored Giant Eagle seemed to possess an unusual command over several other elements as well.

Control over the wind element. The answer appeared in Tang Chenfeng's and Ye Jiulong's minds at the same time. Ye Jiulong had reached it through experience, while Tang Chenfeng had relied on his eyes. He could see that with every circuit the Silver Armored Giant Eagle made, the wind elements around them gathered together, their concentration rising ever higher. They swirled around the children, forming a powerful tornado that steadily closed in and contracted, as though intending to crush everything at its center.

Before long, the tornado had completely enveloped them. Leaves and sand were swept up by the wind, making it impossible to see their surroundings. The Wood Dragon could only curl its body tightly around the two children to protect them. Amid the roaring wind, they could faintly hear sharp whistling sounds. The glimmers of sharp silver light within the storm told them that if they tried to break through recklessly, they might be instantly sliced to pieces. Worse still, metal fragments mixed into the gale were rapidly cutting through the Wood Dragon's body. Before long, its body was riddled with holes.

Damn it, what do I do now? If these two children die here, I'll never forgive myself. Ye Jiulong could clearly sense that this eagle was far more difficult to handle than the two wolves before him. Though he could protect himself against two Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, he could not help the children. Nor could he remotely control the distant Wood Dragon with precision. If he made the Wood Dragon move, it would definitely expose a huge gap. Once the raging wind mixed with metal fragments blew toward the two children, it would inflict terrible wounds and might cost them their lives... Crack... Then, in Ye Jiulong's shared vision, the Silver Armored Giant Eagle suddenly appeared, followed by the sound of wood breaking. "This is bad!" At Ye Jiulong's cry, the shared vision began to sway wildly. Then everything within it started spinning. When his view finally stabilized, all he could see was the dragon's body without its head and the giant eagle sweeping past from one side.

The two inside did not notice anything unusual outside. The deafening wind nearly drowned out every other sound, and they could not see what was happening beyond the dragon's body.

Ye Hongling had long since been terrified. She clung tightly to Tang Chenfeng and sobbed. "Brother, I'm so scared."

"Don't cry. Don't be afraid. I'm here." Tang Chenfeng was extremely nervous as well, but he tried not to show it. He merely stroked Ye Hongling's head gently, comforting her as best he could. He knew that if he became afraid too, the situation would only worsen.

Crack...

But the unsettling sound still came. Looking toward its source, they saw cracks had appeared across the Wood Dragon's body.

Ever since the giant eagle had severed the dragon's head, it had attacked the body without restraint. By now, the dragon's body could only be described as utterly battered and broken, and the eagle was about to break into the interior.

The spreading cracks already showed how dangerous their situation was. One of them continued widening, as though something were about to burst through from behind it. Tang Chenfeng released Ye Hongling and assumed a fighting stance, preparing himself for battle. No matter what, I can at least hold it back for a moment.

Yet just as Tang Chenfeng was ready to sacrifice himself, his eyes seemed to catch something again. He spun around sharply and thrust out his right hand, trying to grab Ye Hongling. But a violent crack and a scream rang out almost simultaneously. A giant silver claw shattered the defenses above and behind them and seized Ye Hongling.

"No!" Tang Chenfeng's hysterical cry did not stop the giant claw from taking her. The giant eagle flew up almost the instant it caught her, speeding into the distance without looking back. The wind field collapsed with it. Tang Chenfeng leaped out as well and saw the devastation outside: the headless Wood Dragon and the Silver Armored Giant Eagle flying away.

At that moment, only two emotions remained in Tang Chenfeng's heart: self-blame and fury. Even his eyes had turned red. With both fists clenched, he summoned his Martial Soul, drove his Soul Power, and sprinted wildly after the departing Silver Armored Giant Eagle. Only one thought remained in his mind: Even if I die, I have to bring Ye Hongling back.