Tang Chen and Qian Daoliu supported the nearly exhausted Yu Yuanchen as they fled desperately along the bloody path blasted open by the Clear Sky Hammer. Behind them, the Beast Tide had fallen into brief chaos after the Hellfire Kite was severely wounded, but that mad torrent had not stopped, still clinging to them like maggots on bone.
Fortunately, before darkness completely fell, the three discovered an excellent shelter—a deep, narrow fissure in a canyon. Its entrance could only fit two or three people walking abreast, while the interior twisted and turned between nearly vertical cliff walls that towered into the clouds, effectively restricting the entry of large Soul Beasts.
The three slipped inside without hesitation. Only after going nearly a hundred meters into the canyon did they stop at a relatively spacious bend where they could lean against the rock wall. Tang Chen immediately turned around, planting the Clear Sky Hammer across the narrow passage like a guardian deity blocking the only entrance. Qian Daoliu quickly checked Yu Yuanchen's condition and only relaxed slightly after confirming that he had merely overdrawn his Soul Power and Spiritual Power, without suffering any serious hidden injury.
Sure enough, the pursuing Beast Tide jammed up at the canyon entrance, roaring but unable to surge in on a large scale. Only some smaller Soul Beasts skilled at climbing or exceptionally fast, such as Phantom Cats and Bone-Eroding Rats, tried to slip inside and harass them, but Tang Chen, guarding the entrance, dealt with them easily—one hammer each.
The crisis was temporarily lifted, and the three finally allowed their taut nerves to relax somewhat. Heavy exhaustion washed over them like a tide, and they immediately began taking turns to regulate breath and recover.
The canyon was dimly lit, with only a little daylight filtering in from the entrance and the ferocious glints in the Soul Beasts' eyes. The air was filled with the stench of blood, dust, and the distinctive rank smell of Soul Beasts.
On the first day, the three spent almost all their time in deep meditation, doing their utmost to restore their nearly depleted Soul Power and injuries. The bruise on Tang Chen's shoulder continued to spread, and he had to constantly circulate his power to force out the remaining poison; the damage to Qian Daoliu's wings and the depletion of his mind needed time to heal; Yu Yuanchen, meanwhile, felt a faint ache in his meridians—the aftereffects of excessively activating Thunder God Power and Thunder Dragon Shatters Void.
During this time, a few foolish small Soul Beasts occasionally infiltrated, only to be easily driven away by whoever was on duty. This level of harassment instead served as a way for the recovering trio to stay alert.
On the second day, the three were clearly in much better condition. As Yu Yuanchen circulated his Soul Power, he distinctly sensed that his Level 53 bottleneck had loosened. The consecutive high-intensity battles, his time on the edge of life and death, and that final all-out strike seemed to have squeezed out the full potential of both his body and mind. Without hesitation, he guided the more than half-restored Soul Power toward that barrier.
"Buzz—"
A faint rumble seemed to sound within his body as Soul Power, like floodwaters breaking through a dam, rushed into a broader riverbed. Rank 54! 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 increased. 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 were directing at him. Both men had a trace of surprise and understanding in their eyes. To break through even in such an environment—this boy's talent and resilience were truly astonishing.
"Congratulations." Qian Daoliu nodded slightly.
"Heh, you got a bit stronger. That's a good thing!" Tang Chen grinned, though his smile carried a barely noticeable hint of envy. He had been stuck at level 62 for some time and knew well that breakthroughs became harder the further one advanced.
On the third day, the three had basically recovered seventy to eighty percent. The Beast Tide outside still showed no sign of dispersing. Instead, as time passed, even more Soul Beasts seemed to have gathered, sealing off the canyon entrance so tightly that not even water could pass through, their violent roars unceasing.
"This can't go on." Qian Daoliu looked at the shadowy beast forms outside the entrance, his elegant brows knitting slightly. "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 give them another damn beating!"
Yu Yuanchen pondered for a moment before speaking. "A direct clash is not the best option. There are too many Soul Beasts outside. Even if we were at full strength, getting surrounded again would likely end badly. Perhaps... we can try another way."
"Oh? Does Brother Yuan Chen have some brilliant idea?" Qian Daoliu looked at him with interest.
Yu Yuanchen swept his gaze over the narrow passage at the canyon entrance and said slowly, "This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack. Why not make use of that? If we can find a way to weaken, intimidate, or even injure 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. "An area attack? My Clear Sky Hammer has considerable area damage, but it consumes a lot, and it could easily collapse the entrance and bury us along with them."
At those words, a strange gleam 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, could you mean... a domain?"
The moment the word "domain" left his mouth, Tang Chen's eyes widened. He looked at Qian Daoliu, then sharply turned to Yu Yuanchen, his face full of disbelief. "A domain?! You have a domain? Angel Domain!"
Qian Daoliu only smiled without answering. A faint holy radiance circulated around him as an invisible force field carrying an aura of Purification and majesty quietly spread outward from him. Though its range was not large, it seemed to make the air within the canyon fresher, while even the agitated roars of the Soul Beasts outside appeared to be separated by a layer.
Feeling that unique and powerful force field, Tang Chen opened his mouth, but in the end, it turned into a long sigh thick with envy. "Damn! It really is a domain!" He looked at Qian Daoliu with a complicated expression, shocked but also carrying a sense of so that's how it is. A God-Tier Martial Soul possessing a domain did not seem particularly strange.
Then he saw Yu Yuanchen smiling mysteriously at him, and he seemed to realize something. He asked skeptically, "Brother Yuan Chen, you... don't tell me you have one too?!"
Seeing Tang Chen's devastated yet eager expression, Yu Yuanchen could not help but smile. He nodded and admitted frankly, "I was lucky enough to obtain a domain-type Soul Skill."
As he spoke, a thought stirred in his mind, and an entirely different force field spread out. Deep violet lightning traced a small circular area beneath his feet. Arcs of electricity flickered within it, and the air filled with active, violent Lightning Element, carrying an aura of both Destruction and control. It was his Fifth Soul Skill—Purple Lightning Domain! Though he had only expanded it over a very small range to conserve Soul Power, the distinctive fluctuations of a domain could not be faked.
Tang Chen stared at the flickering violet lightning beneath Yu Yuanchen's feet, then at the Holy Light surrounding Qian Daoliu. His entire body froze. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but unable to find the words. In the end, his face flushed red from holding it in, and he suddenly punched the nearby rock wall, saying gloomily, "You two... you're both... freaks! I've cultivated my ass off and haven't even touched the edge of a domain, yet 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 hint of mischief. "Brother Tang, it seems you are the only one among the three of us without a domain..." Qian Daoliu had intended to tease Tang Chen, but when he saw the envy and faint loneliness in Tang Chen's eyes, the words on his lips naturally changed. "But Brother Tang, why belittle yourself? The Clear Sky Hammer is also a top-tier Weapon Soul. If you can comprehend a domain, it will surely shake heaven and earth. Brother Yu and I are merely a little luckier."
Yu Yuanchen also smiled. "Brother Tang's courage and strength are something Brother Qian and I greatly admire. Domains may be useful, but they consume tremendous power. At critical moments, we will still need to rely on Brother Tang's unstoppable Clear Sky Hammer to open the way."
After the two "comforted" him, Tang Chen felt a little better, though the envy still would not leave him. He muttered, "Once 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 two domains as Trump Cards, the three felt much more assured and quickly formulated a plan to break through.
By the evening of the third day, all three had recovered to more than ninety percent of their peak condition.
"Are you ready?" Qian Daoliu looked at Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen nodded, his sharp eyes gleaming. "Let's begin!"
The next moment, both of them moved at once!
The six wings behind Qian Daoliu spread wide as a sacred aura surged into the sky! Centered on him, a golden domain more than thirty meters in diameter abruptly unfolded—Angel Domain! Within it, faint hymns echoed as holy radiance shone everywhere, filled with Purification and majesty! The Soul Beasts charging at the front let out terrified roars the instant the Holy Light struck them. 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 at the entrance! A violet Thunder Domain roughly twenty meters in diameter formed in an instant, with Electric Snakes dancing wildly within it and thunder booming without cease! Furious lightning power indiscriminately bombarded every Soul Beast in its range, bringing constant paralysis, burning, and damage! More importantly, under Yu Yuanchen's deliberate control, the energy within the Thunder Domain became extremely chaotic, severely disrupting the Soul Beasts' senses and circulation of Soul Power!
The two great domains—one sacred and purifying, weakening and suppressing; the other violent with lightning, injuring and disrupting! Beneath the overlapping domains, the canyon entrance seemed to become a Forbidden Zone where holiness and Destruction intertwined!
The Soul Beasts packed at the entrance instantly fell into tremendous confusion and agony. The weaker Thousand-Year Soul Beasts could not endure even a few breaths within the domains before collapsing and convulsing. Even Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts found every step difficult, their power heavily suppressed as they released terrified, agonized roars!
"Now! Brother Tang, clear the way!" Yu Yuanchen shouted.
"Hahaha! Watch me!" Tang Chen had long been waiting with power Accumulated. Seeing this, he laughed wildly as his Fifth Soul Ring lit up. Carrying the force of Earthquake Mountain, the Clear Sky Hammer charged fiercely into the Beast Tide that the domains had cleared and weakened like a tiger unleashed from its cage!
This time, nothing could block his hammer! The Soul Beasts, severely affected by the dual domains, could not organize any effective resistance and were blasted away and crushed apart by Tang Chen's Clear Sky Hammer like grass before a scythe!
Yu Yuanchen and Qian Daoliu followed close behind, maintaining their domains as they cleared scattered resistance along both sides and rapidly pushed forward.
The arrowhead formed by the three became incomparably sharp under the powerful enhancement of the dual domains! Wherever 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 had forcibly carved a bloody path through the dense Beast Tide, rushing out of the canyon entrance and leaving the chaotic roars and howls behind them!
Looking back, they saw the canyon entrance still shrouded in the light of the two domains. Countless Soul Beasts struggled and wailed within them, utterly incapable of pursuit for the time being.
"Go!" Qian Daoliu made the decision immediately. The three did not linger, choosing a direction and pushing their speed to the 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 three stood gasping for breath, looking at each other's disheveled appearances before bursting into laughter.
After this battle, all three needed time to digest the gains from this experience. The consecutive high-intensity battles and escapes had exhausted them both physically and mentally. They decided to temporarily leave the Savage Beast Hills and find a safe place to properly rest and recover.
And after fighting side by side and even revealing their respective Trump Cards, the relationship between the three had undoubtedly deepened another step. Hidden Dragon, Clear Sky, and Angel—these three forces that would one day stir the Wind and Clouds of the continent had completed their first true, deep intertwining in this savage land.
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