Thousand-Year Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard, Bloodline Suppression

What had just happened was nothing more than an insignificant interlude to Ye Chen. He headed straight for the entrance to the Combat Zone.

A checkpoint stood at the entrance, where two on-duty Soul Masters were verifying the identities of those entering and leaving.

From afar, they saw a six- or seven-year-old boy approaching alone.

The square-faced Soul Master on the left was just about to raise a hand to stop him. "Kid, this isn't—"

Before he could finish.

Ye Chen removed something from his waist: a palm-sized Token.

It gleamed a bright gold, like jade yet not jade. Strange patterns were engraved along its edges, while an angelic figure with three pairs of wings stood at its center.

This was a Spirit Hall Enshrined Order!

To see the order was to see its bearer.

The square-faced Soul Master's gaze landed on the Token, and he froze for a moment.

Then his pupils abruptly constricted.

The next moment, he bent sharply in salute, his waist nearly forming a ninety-degree angle.

"Greetings, my lord!"

The young Soul Master beside him was half a beat slower. Once he clearly saw the Six-winged Angel on the Token, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly bowed deeply as well.

"N-no, we didn't know it was from the Worship Hall..."

Ye Chen put away the Token, his tone calm.

"Arrange a Thousand-Year Soul Beast."

Cold sweat beaded across the square-faced Soul Master's forehead.

"May I ask, my lord... what kind do you need?"

"High attack, thick defense, and tough enough to take a beating."

The square-faced Soul Master repeatedly agreed and personally led Ye Chen deeper into the Combat Zone.

Deep within the Combat Zone.

There was an isolated enclosure for Soul Beasts, surrounded by towering iron bars and guarded by a squad of powerful Soul Kings.

A massive beast lay crouched inside.

It was a giant lizard nearly seven meters long. Its scales had changed from blackish brown to dark gold, and the armored spikes rising from its back resembled short spears planted upside down.

A Thousand-Year Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard!

It possessed a trace of dragon blood, and its defense ranked among the best of Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.

The square-faced Soul Master's voice tightened. "My lord, this is a Thousand-Year Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard. Its defense is exceptionally strong. Even an ordinary Soul Ancestor would have to put in some effort against it. You—"

"Open the gate."

Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

His Azure Luan was an Ultimate Martial Soul, and his first two Soul Rings were each three to four thousand years old. His strength far surpassed that of others at his level.

Only a Thousand-Year Soul Beast with such a powerful bloodline could put him under pressure!

The square-faced Soul Master swallowed, but he did not dare ask any more questions.

The iron bars slowly rose.

"Roar..."

Sensing a threat, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard lowered its body. Its scales flexed as it released a warning hiss.

Ye Chen stepped into the enclosure.

The iron bars slowly closed behind him.

Outside the bars, the square-faced Soul Master clenched his fists, his palms drenched in cold sweat.

"Azure Luan!"

Ye Chen gave a low shout. His Qing Luan Martial Soul instantly possessed him, and the pure, powerful aura of Phoenix Bloodline made the Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's body stiffen.

The pressure originating from deep within its bloodline descended like an invisible mountain.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's heavy limbs all sank, forcing it flat against the ground.

It did not understand.

This was clearly just a young human child. Why did he radiate such a terrifyingly powerful aura?

"First Soul Skill, Wings of Gale!"

Ye Chen gave it no chance to catch its breath. The Wings of Gale behind his back beat fiercely, turning him into a streak of azure afterimage.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's pupils narrowed into slits, and it instinctively swept its tail sideways.

—It missed.

Ye Chen appeared above its head.

"Roar!" The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard roared in shock and fury, opening its maw to spit out a dense yellowish-brown ball of light.

Earth Dragon Breath!

Ye Chen neither dodged nor retreated.

With Azure Flame Phoenix Transformation empowering him, his fists were wrapped in gale-force winds as they met it head-on!

Boom!

The yellowish-brown ball of light exploded.

Ye Chen burst through the blast, his punch losing none of its force as it crashed heavily onto the Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's forehead!

Its scales shattered.

The giant beast's head slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, making the entire enclosure tremble.

"Roar!!" The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard howled in fury. The terror of bloodline suppression was mostly scattered by the intense pain as it rolled over and tried to rise.

However—

Ye Chen gave it no chance to get up.

The Wings of Gale beat again. He darted and leaped across the giant lizard's enormous body, every punch landing precisely on the same spot.

The crack on its forehead widened more and more.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard struggled frantically, its claws gouging the earth and its tail sweeping around.

But Ye Chen was too fast.

His attacks were also incredibly powerful. Ultimate Wind easily tore through the rocky armor protecting its body, while azure flames slipped through gaps in its scales and scorched its flesh and blood.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's roars shifted from fury to agony, then from agony to weakness.

It finally realized—

The young human before it was simply someone it could not contend against.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard wanted to flee, but the iron bars had long since closed. There was nowhere to run.

"Roar..."

It let out a low, mournful cry.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard's enormous body crashed onto its side. Its limbs twitched, and the armored spikes on its back drooped feebly.

"Too weak. At most, it's as strong as Yan."

Ye Chen landed beside the giant beast's head and shook his head slightly.

The Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard lay on its side, its abdomen and ribs heaving violently. The fearsome vertical pupils that had once brimmed with ferocity now held nothing but fear.

It looked at Ye Chen, letting out low, almost pleading whimpers from its throat.

Ye Chen glanced down at it and withdrew his Martial Soul.

The bloodline pressure receded like a tide.

As though granted a pardon, the Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard even swallowed back its whimpers and only dared lie there, panting.

Outside the iron bars.

The square-faced Soul Master's lips moved, but no sound came out.

The young Soul Master beside him stared wide-eyed, having forgotten even to bow.

The squad of Soul Kings looked at one another.

They had been on high alert moments ago, ready to break through the bars and rescue him at any time. Yet from beginning to end, they never got a chance to act.

That child—

No, that lord had been beating the Thousand-Year Golden Armored Earth Dragon Lizard down from beginning to end!

This...

This was not something the word "genius" could possibly describe!

The iron bars slowly rose. Ye Chen walked out of the enclosure and looked at the square-faced Soul Master. "For the next Thousand-Year Soul Beast, I want one stronger."

The square-faced Soul Master suddenly came back to his senses, bending so low that his waist nearly formed a ninety-degree angle.

"...Yes!"

The Papal Palace.

Gui Mei stood below the steps with his head lowered, reporting every detail of what had happened at the Training Ground.

A long silence filled the hall.

Bibi Dong's deep eyes flickered uncertainly. "Two Thousand-Year Soul Rings... this is far more than merely Twin Martial Souls..."

No emotion could be heard in her voice.

"Yan was severely injured by a single punch."

Gui Mei said, "Yes. Yan used his Second Soul Skill and defended with all his strength, but he was still knocked out of combat by one punch."

Bibi Dong asked no further questions.

She looked out at the night beyond the window and remained silent for a long time.

"Divine Grant... it seems this little fellow has gained the favor of a god. He may even have already obtained an inheritance of godhood!"

Bibi Dong understood clearly that for Ye Chen to possess two Thousand-Year Soul Rings at the age of six, he must be connected to a god.

She did not believe Ye Chen could absorb Thousand-Year Soul Rings on his own.

In Bibi Dong's view, Ye Chen must have first absorbed two Hundred-Year Soul Rings, then completed a God Trial, allowing the years of his Soul Rings to increase.

Otherwise, there was no explanation!

The Worship Hall.

Qing Luan Douluo stood before the window with his hands behind his back, listening as his subordinate finished reporting the details of the Training Ground incident.

"Yan, that young genius Bibi Dong has been focusing on nurturing? He dared provoke Little Chen in public. Being beaten half to death was nothing but what he deserved."

Qing Luan Douluo snorted coldly. "But this old man has only one grandson. How can I simply let this go?"

"Go. Tell Bibi Dong that Yan must receive the punishment he deserves!"

"Yes, sir!"