Holding Dugu Yan Hostage, Human Strength Has Limits

"Kid, if you dare damage that Soul Bone, I'll poison all eighteen hundred members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!"

Dugu Bo flew into a rage and immediately threatened him.

To his surprise, Yu Mingfei burst into uproarious laughter.

"Deal! If you spare even one, you're a dog!"

"You!"

Dugu Bo was instantly left speechless.

"Grandfather!"

Dugu Yan struggled to pull Dugu Bo's hand away and stood in front of Yu Mingfei.

Unwilling to let the opportunity slip away, Dugu Bo's thoughts shifted as he continued, "You don't care about the Yu Family, but what about Blue Tyrant Academy?

"Your Teacher cares deeply about you!

"I refuse to believe that some commoner academy has a Titled Douluo capable of stopping me!"

Yu Mingfei was not angered by this. Standing behind Dugu Yan, he looked at Dugu Bo as though he were an idiot.

"You've made up your mind to kill me and take my bone. If I'm dead, why would I care about them?

"Dugu Bo, is there something wrong with your brain?

"Did decades of practicing Poison Arts turn you into an idiot?"

By now, Dugu Bo could no longer concern himself with anything else. He circulated his Soul Power and released his pressure, pinning the three people before him in place.

Yanyan, you're still too naive. This brat doesn't mean well either!

Dugu Bo's gaze flickered. He had cultivated all the way to become a Titled Douluo. Though he was occasionally slow-witted, his experience remained; from the Yu Family's successive changes in their story, he could tell that something was fundamentally wrong with this matter.

He could no longer care about what Dugu Yan thought. Resolving the problem was the urgent priority.

There would be plenty of time to apologize to his Granddaughter later.

"Yanyan, don't blame Grandfather. You're my only family left.

"Nothing can happen to you!"

Dugu Bo spoke in a low voice and was just about to make his move.

Clang—

From the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest came the sudden ring of a sword!

It whistled through heaven and earth, sweeping across the wilderness!

Dugu Bo abruptly raised his head and turned toward the source of the sword cry.

From that direction, an incomparably sharp Soul Power aura flashed and vanished.

The ground began to tremble.

Roar—

A deep beastly roar tore through the air.

Across the entire outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest, along with more than half the Soul Beasts in the Mixed Area, Soul Beasts seemed to have received a summons and began to stir restlessly.

Yu Mingfei's heart lurched, and every hair on his body stood on end.

The [Earth] and [Whirlpool] Meditation Methods both warned him at once.

A Beast Tide! A more violent, larger-scale Soul Beast Tide is about to begin!

What's going on? Who is it? That roar belonged to the Titan Giant Ape!

Did someone set their sights on it? And that sword cry...

A sword? Could it be...

No reminder was needed. All four of them could clearly feel the trembling ground beneath their feet!

With this sudden change, Dugu Bo knew he could not remain here long.

He turned and reached for Yu Mingfei, intending to kill him and take his bone.

But Yu Mingfei acted a step faster.

The moment the beastly roar began, he took advantage of the three being distracted and swiftly wrapped his arms around Dugu Yan.

When Dugu Bo tried to act, he saw only Yu Mingfei holding his Granddaughter hostage. Somehow, Yu Mingfei exploded with strength, bent his legs, and leaped backward more than ten meters.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Yu Mingfei landed, borrowed the force, and sprang another distance away.

"Kid! Put Yanyan down!"

Panic rose in Dugu Bo's heart. Forgetting Ye Lingling, he flashed after him.

But the Soul Beasts around the riverbank had already begun fleeing in every direction. With just a glance from the corner of his eye, Dugu Bo could see several small Soul Beast groups racing along the riverbank from afar.

As if recalling something, he quickly turned back, grabbed Ye Lingling, and chased after Yu Mingfei again.

"Release Yanyan! I won't kill you!"

Dugu Bo's urgent voice carried into the distance.

Yu Mingfei did not answer. Holding Dugu Yan hostage, he leaped onto a branch, Soul Power surging as he continuously bounded between the towering trees.

"You old bastard, the moment your Granddaughter is involved, your words turn to bullshit! I'd be an idiot to believe you!"

Thunder Breath, activate!

Flying Soul Skill, activate!

With both skills enhancing him, Yu Mingfei covered nearly ten meters with every leap, his landing points as precise as if they had been calculated.

The [Flying] ability inherent to the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone could not be used for extended periods by Yu Mingfei, but he could use brief bursts to strengthen his ability to remain airborne.

Combined with [Thunder Breath] and [Acceleration], his mobility was formidable until his Soul Power ran dry.

But thinking he could shake off Dugu Bo with this was a pipe dream.

As he fled, Yu Mingfei constantly observed his surroundings, trying to find a path to survival.

Dugu Yan's mind was blank, and she had yet to recover her senses.

She could not understand why her Grandfather had suddenly attacked Yu Mingfei, the person who had saved her, nor could she understand why she had suddenly taken flight.

"Yu Mingfei..." Dugu Yan muttered into the oncoming wind.

"Your condition is troublesome, but it's not without a solution." Yu Mingfei interrupted her and continued, "But I don't feel like telling you now."

The wind howled past them, while the vegetation around them continuously fell behind.

Dugu Yan's mind was a mess. She did not know what to say.

"I'm sorry..." Her voice was very soft, and the moment the words left her mouth, they were swallowed by the wind.

Dugu Bo's shouts behind them drew closer and closer.

The panicked Soul Beast herds below grew ever more numerous.

This Beast Tide was larger in scale than yesterday's "playtime" of the Titan Giant Ape.

Thousand-Year, Ten-Thousand-Year—countless Soul Beast auras rose from every part of the Star Dou Great Forest.

No, I really can't stay in this damned place any longer. This time, I have to leave the Star Dou Great Forest!

Yu Mingfei considered how to escape as he continuously squeezed Soul Power from the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone to keep himself going.

Inside the vine basket on his back, the wilted Blue Silver Emperor remained completely still, seemingly having fallen asleep once more.

"Kid, release Yanyan now. I won't kill you! Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Dugu Bo shouted again.

"Sure. Prove you'll keep your word first!" Yu Mingfei casually replied without looking back.

"As a Titled Douluo, my word has always been worth a thousand gold!" Worried for his Granddaughter's safety, Dugu Bo hurriedly promised.

"Bullshit! Do you even believe that yourself?" Yu Mingfei laughed loudly, mocking him to the utmost. "Just now, you said you'd help me deal with the trouble from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect!

"But it turned out you wanted to kill me and take my bone yourself!

"Dugu Bo! I was wrong just now! You're not overly concerned with saving face—you want face while having no shame at all!"

Behind him, Dugu Bo's face reddened with fury.

"You!

"Release Yanyan!"

He no longer argued. Accelerating again, he chased after Yu Mingfei with Ye Lingling in tow.

This Beast Tide spread with abnormal speed. After several rounds of converging, the Soul Beast Colony beneath them had become endless as far as the eye could see.

The trees around them grew increasingly sparse, forcing Yu Mingfei to extend the duration of his [Flying] Soul Skill just to reach the next branch.

The Soul Power within him visibly dwindled.

Calm down! Calm down! There has to be a way!

Yu Mingfei repeated this inwardly, forcing himself to focus.

The direction of the sword cry and the Titan Giant Ape's roar must be close to the core region.

As long as I head north, away from the core region, I can leave the Star Dou Great Forest and return to the Heaven Dou Empire's border.

The problem now is whether my Soul Power can last that long.

There's still room to squeeze more from the Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone, but the speed is too slow.

The Eight Spider Lances! Even though the Spider Legs haven't been activated, their devouring ability remains!

At that thought, Yu Mingfei suddenly glanced at Dugu Yan in his arms.

Keeping her with me can threaten Dugu Bo, but it will also worsen my Soul Power consumption.

Escaping alive will be even more impossible.

At this critical moment, Yu Mingfei's face grew even calmer.

"Dugu Yan..." He lowered his head and spoke softly under the girl's bewildered gaze.

"Pray for your own luck."

Yu Mingfei violently flung Dugu Yan toward the rapidly approaching Dugu Bo.

Thunderclap—Flash!

Yu Mingfei exhausted every ounce of strength in his body and leaped desperately into the air.

The next branch was twenty meters away.

"Yu Mingfei!"

Dugu Yan cried out. Just as she tried to reach for him, Dugu Bo caught her.

"Yanyan! Don't act rashly."

From beginning to end, Dugu Yan could have resisted.

But she did not.

Yu Mingfei passed the highest point of his arc. His remaining Soul Power could no longer sustain his flight.

This time, he lost control of his landing point and fell toward the surging beast horde.