Word Spirit: Lord Flame

Along the banks of the Nuoding River, Liu Erlong and Yin Shu carried Yu Mingfei and the other two as they ran nonstop upstream along the river.

Using the dense forest for cover, they evaded the attacks of two Sound Dragon Bats.

One of the Sound Dragon Bats was thirty thousand years old, while the other was around forty thousand years old.

If Liu Erlong had been alone, she naturally would not have feared them.

If she could not win, she could still run.

But with three burdens beside her, Liu Erlong was not confident she could protect all three while facing the attacks of two Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts head-on.

Invisible sonic attacks rained down from the sky, striking the river and blasting up sprays of water.

Yu Mingfei lay across Liu Erlong's back, his face twisted in pain. All the Soul Power in his body gathered around his spine, suppressing the restless Eight Spider Lances Soul Bone.

He had never fully fused with this External Soul Bone.

There had not been enough time. Not long after leaving Xiao Wu yesterday, he had fallen into the river.

Now the Soul Bone had begun to stir again, and he could only suppress it with all his strength.

Liu Erlong had already activated Martial Soul Possession. A few scales appeared around her neck, yet there was not the slightest sign of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon martial soul's distinctive limb Dragon Transformation.

She possessed a Mutated Martial Soul and had not inherited that ability.

Yu Mingfei's mutation was even more thorough than hers. After activating Martial Soul Possession, he did not even have the most basic Dragon Scales on his body.

"Mingfei, are you all right? Hold on a little longer."

Sensing that something was wrong with Yu Mingfei, Liu Erlong encouraged him.

As the Eight Spider Lances within Yu Mingfei's body rampaged, they gradually released toxins that crashed about everywhere along with his Soul Power.

Although the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone had miraculous healing effects and could even regenerate severed limbs, it was helpless against toxins.

To suppress the Soul Bone further, Yu Mingfei quickly activated Martial Soul Possession.

Though he displayed no Beast Transformation Features, the efficiency of his Soul Power rose sharply.

Sensing the change behind her, Liu Erlong grew somewhat worried.

Then, a sudden change occurred.

The instant Yu Mingfei activated Martial Soul Possession, a strange fluctuation stirred a reaction in Liu Erlong's Soul Power.

"Mingfei?"

A fiery, scorching radiance suddenly ignited from Yu Mingfei's body, enveloping Liu Erlong within it.

At that moment, their Soul Powers rapidly melded together, producing an enormous amount of light and heat.

Boom—

Before Yin Shu and Jiang Zhu at Liu Erlong's side could react, they were fiercely blasted away by the searing energy.

Roar—

Within the flames, a resounding dragon roar tore through the sky.

Before their stunned eyes, a giant dragon beat its wings, emerged from the blazing fire, and soared into the heavens.

Its body seemed forged from red copper, with magma-like flame energy flowing through the textures of its skin.

As its wings flapped, sparks danced through the air. Even Yin Shu and Jiang Zhu on the ground could feel a wave of searing heat rushing toward them.

A familiar drumbeat sounded beside Yu Mingfei's ears.

[Because the External Soul Bone within your body was restless, clever you used the fire-element mutated bloodline of your own kind to trigger a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, successfully suppressing the External Soul Bone. Congratulations, you have invented Word Spirit: Deep Blood. You have formed a Poisonous Body and can freely control the Soul Bone's toxins.]

[The Martial Soul Fusion Skill was activated with exceptional success. You triggered your companion's Martial Soul Avatar and gained control, mastering flames. Congratulations, you have invented Word Spirit: Lord Flame.]

When he opened his eyes again, his perspective had changed. Before him were two ferocious Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast Sound Dragon Bats.

And he had actually transformed into a Flame Giant Dragon, flying through the sky!

He sensed another consciousness within the Flame Giant Dragon's body.

Without a doubt, it was Liu Erlong, the other half of the Martial Soul Fusion Skill.

Mingfei?

...?

The Martial Soul Fusion Skill had come too suddenly, leaving both Yu Mingfei and Liu Erlong at a loss.

But the Ten-Thousand-Year Sound Dragon Bats opposite them would not stop.

In that urgent moment, Liu Erlong had no time to warn him. She forcibly seized control of the body, gathering Soul Power in its mouth.

After a brief charge, a thick golden-red Dragon Breath blasted from the dragon's mouth toward the Sound Dragon Bat flying ahead.

The Ten-Thousand-Year Sound Dragon Bat immediately rolled aside to dodge, but the Dragon Breath was faster than it was.

The scorching Soul Power flames slammed into its bat wing, and the Ten-Thousand-Year Sound Dragon Bat let out a shrill screech.

Seeing its companion struck, the Sound Dragon Bat flying behind instantly beat its wings, curved through the air, and attacked the Flame Giant Dragon from the side.

Liu Erlong immediately dodged to meet it, becoming entangled in battle with the Sound Dragon Bat.

It was the first time the two had triggered a Martial Soul Fusion Skill, and neither was familiar with the transformed Flame Giant Dragon.

Liu Erlong could only use the most basic flame breath to attack the Sound Dragon Bat.

Although the transformed Flame Giant Dragon resembled Liu Erlong's own Fire Dragon martial soul form, her seven Soul Rings seemed to have all become power that strengthened the Flame Giant Dragon.

All her original Soul Skills had failed. In their place was another powerful, unfathomable scorching force.

But whenever Liu Erlong tried to wield that power against the enemy, she found that she could not command it at all.

Dean Liu, look over there! A hundred meters to the northeast—there's a third Soul Beast lurking behind us!

Yu Mingfei's voice rang out in her mind.

Liu Erlong found an opening to look up.

At the location he mentioned, beneath the shadow of the treetops, a pair of blood-red eyes gleamed with an ominous light, staring motionlessly in their direction.

Liu Erlong was instantly shocked.

It was so close, yet she had not sensed the Soul Beast's aura at all!

While the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind!

No, perhaps those two Ten-Thousand-Year Sound Dragon Bats had originally been its prey.

We were merely unlucky enough to block the Sound Dragon Bats' path of escape.

But it was already too late to make sense of it. Under Liu Erlong's attacks, the Sound Dragon Bats had begun to strike back, utterly disregarding the hidden hunter behind them.

After several exchanges, Liu Erlong could only control the battlefield and move away from Yin Shu and Jiang Zhu.

The forty-thousand-year Sound Dragon Bat had had its wing scorched by the Dragon Breath. It now hid behind its companion, releasing sonic waves from its mouth to support the battle from afar.

Its companion, the thirty-thousand-year Sound Dragon Bat, had learned its lesson. It beat its wings rapidly and constantly shifted position, dodging Liu Erlong's fiery Dragon Breath.

Yu Mingfei, meanwhile, kept his attention fixed on the hidden hunter.

He was deeply puzzled.

Why isn't that Soul Beast pursuing us?

By now, the Flame Giant Dragon that he and Liu Erlong had transformed into had already flown a considerable distance away with the two Sound Dragon Bats in tow.

Yin Shu and Jiang Zhu, in another direction, were also moving along with them.

They were getting farther and farther from the hunter Soul Beast, yet it showed no sign of moving.

Is it waiting for us to determine a victor?

Or... is there something else nearby?

A possibility suddenly surfaced in Yu Mingfei's mind.

If the Soul Beast that sent two Ten-Thousand-Year Sound Dragon Bats fleeing in panic is truly wary of something...

Then just how powerful must the thing it fears be?

A Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast? Or a Titled Douluo?

No. We can't keep tangling with these two Sound Dragon Bats.

Yu Mingfei made his decision at once. He sensed a powerful, scorching force quietly hidden in the blood of the Flame Giant Dragon's body.

Guided by a strange feeling,

he sent a message to Liu Erlong.

Dean Liu, let me take over.

Though she did not understand what Yu Mingfei intended to do, Liu Erlong relinquished control of the body out of trust.

The giant dragon flying through the air suddenly froze, then returned to normal in an instant.

Following his instincts, Yu Mingfei beat the dragon wings and pulled slightly farther away.

Its millstone-sized dragon eyes suddenly lit up as though blazing with fierce golden flames.

A wave of pressure instantly spread.

The Flame Giant Dragon spread its wings, raised its head, and lowered its Dragon Tail.

Its entire body hung in the sky like a cross.

Dragon Blood boiled, and a mysterious chant echoed through the giant dragon's rushing blood, shaking the void.

"Word Spirit: Lord Flame!"

Above the Star Dou Great Forest, a torrent of flames swept in every direction.