Chongming Douluo Chong Yang

The moment light appeared in Nan Li's vision, water surged in from all directions.

Nan Li fell silent.

The next instant, dark red spread outward from Nan Li's body, and the Heavenly Pool water within the Soul Power barrier slowly turned pale red.

An impossible-to-ignore scent of rust lingered beneath Dan Hong's nose. As a pharmaceutical prodigy, she could accurately distinguish the scents of all manner of herbs, let alone such a distinctive smell.

It was the smell of blood!

Collar, shoulder blades, arms, back... Dried blood spread through the water from the tears in her clothes. It was impossible to tell whether it belonged to the Hou Beast or Nan Li.

Nan Li's body was somewhat stiff. Nearly all the wounds on her body had healed, but her clothes could not be restored. Soon, however, she simply floated on the water as though she had given up caring. She even splashed some water over her face to wash it.

Bird feathers were mostly water-repellent. Her long crimson hair spread across the water like a flower in full bloom.

Soul Power flared, and three Soul Rings—yellow, purple, and black—appeared beneath her feet. Nan Li leaped from the water and, surrounded by flames, burned away the moisture.

Dan Hong rose into the air. After a long silence, she finally asked, "That was... him?"

A flicker of flame sprang from Nan Li's fingertips, and within moments, the Heavenly Pool water had evaporated completely. Hearing this, she answered frankly, "My father, Chong Yang."

Chong Yang was the companion of Nan Yin, the Young Chief of the Flame Feather Sparrow clan. Chong Yang was neither a Flame Feather Sparrow nor a Xumi Raven, but a Chongming Bird Nan Yin had picked up from an overseas island.

Chongming Birds would sometimes shake the feathers from their bodies loose, and their attacks were exceptionally powerful when battling enemies.

Like the Flame Feather and Xumi clans, Chong Yang was fire-aspected. His talent was no weaker than Nan Yin's, so the Flame Feather clan chief tacitly approved of their relationship.

The two had accompanied one another for hundreds of thousands of years before choosing to take Humanoid Form together in pursuit of greater power.

More than thirty years ago, Nan Yin had still been a Soul Douluo and had yet to decide which Soul Beast to choose for her ninth Soul Ring. Chong Yang stepped into the realm of Titled Douluo ahead of her, taking the title Chongming.

Not long afterward, the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark joined forces with other Sea Soul Beasts to attack Sun Island, the Coral Sea, the great forest, the volcanic range, the Holy Land... The chiefs of the two clans hesitated and deliberated, unable to protect them all.

Faced with the Overlord Pangolin Tiger Shark's attacks time and again, Chong Yang had planned to self-destruct and break through the enemy's offensive line. Yet at the final moment, he saw Nan Yin rushing toward him. He hesitated for an instant, then gave Nan Yin a blood-red Soul Ring.

No one knew what method Chong Yang had used, but he had somehow returned to the form of a Chongming Bird at the Titled Douluo realm and sacrificed himself to Nan Yin. After that, Chong Yang's true form completely dissipated. Not even a single feather remained, and there was no longer any possibility of revival.

Protecting the clan and guarding Sun Island—these had originally been Nan Yin's responsibilities.

Nan Li tilted her head back and slowly exhaled a foul breath. Her father had indeed died in battle; there was nothing that could not be said about it. In the two hundred thousand years before taking Humanoid Form, Nan Li had witnessed far too many deaths and partings through battles great and small.

There had never been cowards or weaklings in the Flame Feather Sparrow and Xumi Raven clans. They could die—for Sun Island, for their Clan Members—and die without regrets!

Dong Yun's parents had been like that. Nan Li's father had been the same.

The Clan Members all said Nan Yin had withdrawn from the world because she could not bear Chong Yang's death, but Nan Li had never believed her mother would abandon all of Sun Island because her father was gone.

Nan Yin was not merely her mother, nor merely Chongming Douluo's companion. She was also their Young Chief, the future leader of the Flame Feather Sparrow clan!

Nan Yin was so proud, so unrestrained. Her sense of responsibility toward Sun Island and her Clan Members would never allow her to flee like a coward!

Nan Li firmly believed that one day, she would see her mother again.

Nan Li's eyes had returned to normal. After calming herself, she took out the bead the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl had spat out and casually tossed it to Dan Hong. "See if it has any use."

"According to the Holy Land's records, ancient exotic beasts differed from the Soul Beasts that exist today. The power throughout their bodies was condensed into a single Inner Core. This must be the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl's Inner Core."

Feeling the violent aura and bloody baleful energy within the blood bead, Dan Hong handed it back to Nan Li. "Something with unknown effects cannot be rashly used in medicine. It is of no use to me, so you should keep it."

Nan Li glanced at her.

Dan Hong left no room for argument as she stuffed the blood bead into Nan Li's hand, then turned and flew toward the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl's mangled body.

"What, can this thing be used in medicine?" Nan Li looked at the enormous charred lump of flesh and found it rather unappetizing.

"Those two horns can, but this body..." Dan Hong circled the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl several times. Seeing the Hou Beast lying completely motionless, she frowned in distaste. "Don't tell me it really died? Its scales had been somewhat useful, but unfortunately, they were all burned away. If it is dead now, then after taking those two horns, my Soul Tool won't be able to fit it anymore."

Nan Li picked up Golden Feather and spun it twice in her hand. Then she took out a new dagger and said decisively, "Then let's break it down."

Nan Li stepped forward without hesitation and drove the dagger into the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl's lower jaw.

"Roar!" The charred lump of flesh struggled a few times, extending a front claw from beneath itself to indicate that it still had some breath left.

Dan Hong had been dragging the giant beast's tail. Startled by the sound, she hastily flung the tail from her hand and returned to Nan Li's side. She asked uncertainly, "How is it still alive?"

"Didn't you want it alive?" Nan Li did not understand.

"Then shall we kill it?" As she spoke, Nan Li raised the dagger in her hand.

"Roar! Roar!" The Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl crawled backward, frantically shaking its head.

"This..." Dan Hong watched the Hou Beast's comical movements, but she had not forgotten how dangerous it had been before. "You deal with it."

"Since we can't take it with us anyway, we might as well slaughter it here." Nan Li's gaze suddenly turned ruthless, and the Chongming Bird Skull appeared atop her forehead like a crown. Her savage Double Pupils locked onto the Hou Beast before her, her icy gaze seemingly fixed upon nothing more than a corpse.

"Roar! Roar!" The Fire Howl had learned its lesson. It understood that Nan Li was dissatisfied with its current appearance.

Its battered scales lit up once more, while a small flame pitifully ignited amid its sparse fur. The Hou Beast's body trembled as it enveloped itself in red mist.

Dan Hong froze, then swiftly stepped in front of Nan Li.

The red mist flowed endlessly into the blood bead. Before Dan Hong's disbelieving eyes, the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl shrank amid several afterimages, reducing itself to the size of an ordinary lion.

As the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl shrank, it released a vast amount of blood energy. Part of it entered the Inner Core, while another part was used to heal its own wounds. Moments later, the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl had returned to its previous proud and haughty appearance.

Looking at the Hou Beast's dazzling, gleaming scales beneath the sunlight, Nan Li raised an eyebrow.

Though its wounds had basically healed, the horns atop the Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl's head would not grow back anytime soon.

"So, do you still want this pair of horns?" Dan Hong pointed at the enormous horns beside them.

The Cloud-Swallowing Fire Howl frantically shook its head.

It did not dare take them.