Blood-Induced Frenzy, Desperate Charge (Part 2)

Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu supported the nearly exhausted Yu Yuanchen as they fled desperately along the bloody path that the Clear Sky Hammer had forcibly blasted open. Behind them, the Beast Tide was briefly thrown into chaos by the Hellfire Kite's severe injuries, but that mad torrent did not stop, still pursuing them relentlessly like maggots on bone.

Fortunately, before night fully fell, the three discovered an excellent shelter—a deep, narrow gorge fissure. Its entrance could only accommodate two or three people abreast, while the interior twisted and turned between nearly vertical cliffs that towered into the clouds, effectively restricting the entry of large Soul Beasts.

Without hesitation, the three slipped inside. They ventured nearly a hundred meters into the gorge before stopping at a relatively spacious bend where they could keep their backs against the rock wall. Tang Chen immediately turned around, his Clear Sky Hammer stretched across the narrow passage like a guardian deity blocking the sole entrance. Qian Daoliu quickly checked Yu Yuanchen's condition and only breathed a slight sigh of relief after confirming that he had merely overdrawn his Soul Power and Spiritual Power, with no serious Hidden Injuries.

Sure enough, the pursuing Beast Tide jammed up at the gorge entrance, roaring furiously yet unable to flood inside on a large scale. Only some smaller Soul Beasts adept at climbing or possessing extreme speed, such as Phantom Cats and Bone-Eroding Rats, tried to sneak in and harass them, but Tang Chen, stationed at the entrance, dispatched them all with ease, one hammer blow each.

With the crisis temporarily lifted, the three finally relaxed their taut nerves slightly. Overwhelming exhaustion washed over them Like a Tide, and they immediately began taking turns regulating their breath to recover.

The gorge was dimly lit, illuminated only by the faint daylight filtering through the entrance and the ferocious gleams flashing in the Soul Beasts' eyes. The air was thick with blood, dust, and the distinctive rank stench of Soul Beasts.

On the first day, the three spent almost all their time in deep meditation, doing their utmost to recover their nearly depleted Soul Power and injuries. The bruise on Tang Chen's shoulder kept spreading, and he had to continuously force out the remaining poison; Qian Daoliu needed time to tend to the damage to his wings and the depletion of his mind; Yu Yuanchen felt a faint pain in his meridians, the aftereffects of excessively driving Thunder God Power and Thunder Dragon Shatters Void.

During this time, a few waves of foolish small Soul Beasts occasionally snuck inside, only to be easily driven away by whoever was on duty. This level of harassment instead served as a useful reminder to stay alert for the three as they recovered.

By the second day, their conditions had visibly improved. While circulating his Soul Power, Yu Yuanchen clearly sensed that the bottleneck at level fifty-three had loosened. The successive high-intensity battles, the hovering at the Edge of Life and Death, and that final all-out strike seemed to have squeezed out the potential of both his body and mind. Without hesitation, he guided the more than half-recovered Soul Power toward that barrier and launched an assault.

"Buzz—"

A faint boom seemed to echo from within his body. His Soul Power surged like floodwaters bursting through a dam, rushing into a broader river channel. Level fifty-four! In such a perilous environment, his Cultivation Level had actually risen by another level! His aura became more condensed, while both his total Soul Power and recovery speed improved. The Purple Gold Scale also seemed to brighten slightly, and the warm current of dragon blood it fed back became clearer.

He opened his eyes and met the gazes Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu had cast his way. Both men held a trace of surprise and understanding in their eyes. To break through in such an environment—this boy's talent and resilience truly were astonishing.

"Congratulations." Qian Daoliu nodded faintly.

"Heh, you got a little stronger again. That's a good thing!" Tang Chen grinned, though a barely detectable trace of envy lingered in his smile. He had been stuck at level sixty-two for some time and knew well that breakthroughs only grew harder the further one advanced.

By the third day, the three had largely recovered seventy to eighty percent of their strength. The Beast Tide outside still showed no signs of dispersing. On the contrary, as time passed, even more Soul Beasts seemed to have gathered, sealing the gorge entrance so tightly that not even water could pass through, while irritable roars rang out without end.

"This can't go on." Qian Daoliu looked at the shadowy beast forms outside the entrance, his elegant brows slightly furrowed. "They seem determined to trap us here until we die. Our supplies will not last much longer."

Tang Chen carried the Clear Sky Hammer over his shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Then we kill our way out! We've recovered enough—let's have another damn fight!"

Yu Yuanchen pondered for a moment before speaking. "A head-on clash is not our best option. There are too many Soul Beasts outside. Even if we were in perfect condition, getting surrounded again would mean more danger than safety. Perhaps... we can try another way."

"Oh? Does Brother Yuan Chen have some brilliant insight?" Qian Daoliu looked at him with interest.

Yu Yuanchen swept his gaze over the narrow passage at the gorge entrance and slowly said, "This place is easy to defend and hard to attack. Why not make use of that? If we can find a way to weaken, intimidate, or even kill the Soul Beasts at the entrance on a large scale, creating enough chaos and an opening, our chances of breaking through will be much greater."

Tang Chen's eyes lit up. "Area attacks? My Clear Sky Hammer has considerable wide-range destructive power, but it consumes too much, and it could easily collapse the entrance and bury us alive."

At those words, a strange glint flashed through Qian Daoliu's golden eyes. He looked at Yu Yuanchen, the corner of his mouth lifting in a thoughtful smile. "Large-scale weakening and intimidation... Brother Yu, are you referring to... a domain?"

The moment the word "domain" came out, Tang Chen's eyes flew wide open. He stared at Qian Daoliu, then abruptly turned to Yu Yuanchen, his face filled with disbelief. "A domain?! You have a domain? Angel Domain!"

Qian Daoliu merely smiled without answering. A holy glow faintly circulated around him, and an invisible force field carrying an aura of purification and majesty quietly spread outward from his center. Though its range was not large, it made the air in the gorge seem several degrees fresher, while the agitated roars of the Soul Beasts outside also seemed to be separated by an invisible layer.

Feeling that unique and powerful force field, Tang Chen opened his mouth, then finally let out a miserable sigh filled with envy. "Damn! It really is a domain!" He looked at Qian Daoliu with a complicated expression—shock, but also the relief of so that's how it is. A God-Tier Martial Soul possessing a domain did not seem all that surprising.

Then he noticed the enigmatic smile Yu Yuanchen was giving him and seemed to realize something. He asked skeptically, "Brother Yuan Chen, you... don't tell me you have one too?!"

Seeing Tang Chen's battered expression and his eagerness for confirmation, Yu Yuanchen could not help but smile. He nodded and admitted frankly, "I was fortunate enough to obtain a domain-type Soul Skill."

With a slight movement of his thoughts, a completely different force field spread out. Deep purple lightning traced a small circular region beneath his feet. Arcs of electricity flickered within it, and the air filled with active, violent Lightning Element, carrying an aura that combined destruction and control. It was his Fifth Soul Skill—Purple Lightning Domain! Though he had only spread it over a tiny area to conserve Soul Power, the distinctive fluctuations of a domain could not be faked.

Tang Chen stared at the flashing purple lightning beneath Yu Yuanchen's feet, then at the Holy Light surrounding Qian Daoliu. His entire body froze. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something, but he did not know what to say. In the end, his face reddened from holding it in, and he suddenly punched the nearby rock wall, saying gloomily, "You two... are just... freaks! I've cultivated my ass off and haven't even touched the edge of a domain, while one of you got one through your Martial Soul and the other through a Soul Ring?! Is there any justice left in this world?!"

Seeing his indignant yet helpless appearance, the amusement in Qian Daoliu's eyes deepened. His tone remained gentle, though it seemed to carry a trace of mischief. "Brother Tang, it seems you are the only one among the three of us without a domain..." Just as Qian Daoliu finished teasing Tang Chen, he saw the envy and faint loneliness in Tang Chen's eyes, and the words on his lips naturally changed. "But why belittle yourself, Brother Tang? The Clear Sky Hammer is also a top-tier Weapon Soul. Should you comprehend a domain, it will surely be earth-shattering. Brother Yu and I were merely a little luckier."

Yu Yuanchen also smiled. "Brother Tang's courage and strength are something Brother Qian and I both admire. Domains may be good, but they consume greatly as well. At crucial moments, we will still need Brother Tang's indestructible Clear Sky Hammer to clear the way."

After the two "comforted" him, Tang Chen felt a little better, though that envy still refused to fade. He muttered, "When I get a domain someday, I'll make you two see what it can do..."

Jokes aside, there was still serious business to handle. With the trump card of two great domains, the three felt greatly reassured and swiftly devised a plan to break through.

By the evening of the third day, all three had recovered more than ninety percent of their strength.

"Are you ready?" Qian Daoliu looked at Yu Yuanchen.

Yu Yuanchen nodded, his eyes sharp. "Let's begin!"

The next instant, both men moved at the same time!

The six wings behind Qian Daoliu unfurled, and a sacred aura soared into the heavens! Centered on him, a golden domain more than thirty meters in diameter abruptly expanded—Angel Domain! Within the domain, faint hymns echoed and holy light shone everywhere, filled with purification and majesty! The Soul Beasts charging at the front immediately let out terrified roars when struck by the Holy Light. Their movements slowed, the madness in their eyes was replaced by fear, and their strength was greatly weakened!

Almost the instant Angel Domain unfolded, Yu Yuanchen's Purple Lightning Domain followed, overlapping the area farther ahead of the entrance! A purple Thunder Domain roughly twenty meters across formed in an instant. Electric Snakes danced wildly within, while thunder boomed! Furious Lightning Power indiscriminately bombarded every Soul Beast within range, bringing continuous paralysis, scorching, and injury! More importantly, under Yu Yuanchen's deliberate control, the energy within the Thunder Domain became incomparably chaotic, severely disrupting the Soul Beasts' senses and circulation of Soul Power!

The two great domains—one holy and purifying, weakening and suppressing; the other violently thunderous, killing and disrupting! Under the overlap of these dual domains, the gorge entrance seemed to become a Forbidden Zone where holiness and destruction intertwined!

The Soul Beasts packed at the entrance immediately plunged into tremendous chaos and pain. The weaker Thousand-Year Soul Beasts collapsed to the ground convulsing in less than a few breaths; even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts struggled to move, their strength severely weakened as they released terrified, agonized roars!

"Now! Brother Tang, clear the way!" Yu Yuanchen shouted.

"Hahaha! Watch me!" Tang Chen had long been accumulating power. Seeing this, he burst into laughter as his Fifth Soul Ring lit up. Carrying the power of Earthquake Mountain, his Clear Sky Hammer charged into the beast pack that had been cleared and weakened by the domains like a tiger unleashed from its cage!

This time, nothing could obstruct his hammer! The Soul Beasts, severely affected by the dual domains, could not organize any effective resistance at all. Like grass before a scythe, they were blasted away and smashed apart by Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer!

Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu followed closely behind, maintaining their domains as they cleared the scattered resistance on both sides and rapidly advanced.

The arrowhead formed by the three became incomparably sharp under the powerful enhancement of the dual domains! Everywhere they passed, Soul Beasts scattered and fled, no longer able to form an Encirclement Formation.

In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, the three forcibly carved a bloody path through the densely packed Beast Tide, charging out of the gorge entrance and leaving that chaotic din of roars and howls behind them!

Looking back, they saw that the gorge entrance was still shrouded in the radiance of the two great domains. Countless Soul Beasts struggled and howled within, utterly incapable of pursuing them for the time being.

"Go!" Qian Daoliu made the decision at once. The three did not linger, choosing a direction and pushing their speed to its limit. Before long, they vanished into the vast twilight of the Savage Beast Hills.

After a long while, at the edge of the Savage Beast Hills, the panting three looked at one another's bedraggled appearance and burst into laughter.

After this battle, all three needed time to digest the gains from this experience. The unceasing high-intensity combat and flight had also left them exhausted in both body and mind. They decided to temporarily leave the Savage Beast Hills, find a safe place, and rest properly.

Having fought side by side and even revealed their respective trump cards, the relationship among the three undoubtedly deepened further. Hidden Dragon, Clear Sky, and Angel—these three forces that would one day stir the continent's Wind and Clouds had completed their first true, profound intertwining in this wild land.