Emperor Auspicious Beast's Essence Blood: Golden Dragon Bloodline

On the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, inside a cave.

The cave was not large, yet it was lush and green within. Water dripped down from the grass above the entrance, gathering below into a shallow, clear pool.

Seven beautiful girls lay weakly on the grass, their heavy breathing echoing through the cave.

Shui Yue'er lay prone on the ground, her eyes glancing over her teammates' condition.

The four weaker teammates were all covered in wounds. One of the sisters even had bandages wrapped around her long, fair leg, blood seeping through them in a particularly glaring sight.

It could be said that most of the team had already lost their ability to fight.

Only Shui Bing'er, Xue Wu, and Shui Yue'er herself still had the strength to battle.

Shui Yue'er gritted her teeth and got up, treating her teammates' wounds alongside Xue Wu.

"Sister Bing'er, can we... escape?" Her voice trembled. Recalling the terrifying chase by the Frost Giant Wolves, lingering fear still filled her heart.

"We definitely can." Shui Bing'er was crouched beside the pool, washing a bloodstained towel. Her answer was utterly resolute.

Although she was equally uncertain at this moment, as the backbone of the team, she could not reveal even the slightest hesitation during such a crisis.

After tending to all the wounded, Shui Bing'er noticed that something was wrong with Yao Yan.

His eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed. His body trembled uncontrollably, and fine beads of cold sweat covered his forehead.

She hurried over, took out a dry towel from her Soul Tool, and carefully wiped him down like an attentive girl next door.

"Is this Little Liar okay?" Shui Yue'er leaned closer. Seeing Yao Yan in such a miserable state, she asked worriedly.

Hearing this, Shui Bing'er frowned. "His condition isn't good. Aside from the injury to his soul, there's also an inexplicable force within him. It can't harm him, but it's obstructing the circulation of his Soul Power."

"Sigh... This was all to save you! We got dragged into this ourselves." Shui Yue'er sighed and could not help punching his chest.

"Yue'er!" Shui Bing'er hurriedly stopped her and checked whether his chest had been injured.

"Oh my...!" Shui Yue'er blinked. Seeing how nervous her sister was, she deliberately dragged out her tone. "This 'brother-in-law' isn't even in the picture yet, and you're already protecting him so fiercely?"

The words "brother-in-law" instantly made Shui Bing'er's pretty face flush red. She raised a hand and lightly knocked her sister on the forehead. "What nonsense are you saying?!"

"Ow!" Shui Yue'er pouted in grievance. "So unfair! You've never been this worried about me."

"You still dare to say that!"

Seeing Shui Bing'er was genuinely getting angry, Shui Yue'er quickly jumped away and huffed. "Fine, fine, I won't tease you anymore. How boring."

With that, she slipped over to Xue Wu's side.

Their playful exchange eased the oppressive atmosphere in the cave, and the team members reluctantly managed faint smiles.

However, that brief relief did not last long before it was torn apart by a deafening Wolf Howl from outside the cave! A terrifying pressure surged toward them!

Shui Bing'er, Shui Yue'er, and Xue Wu's expressions changed sharply. They warily approached the cave entrance to inspect the situation outside.

Seven Frost Giant Wolves stood proudly outside, baring their fangs as they blocked the entrance.

The leader was unmistakably that Ten Thousand Year Giant Wolf. Behind it followed three Eight Thousand Year Giant Wolves and three Five Thousand Year Giant Wolves.

Thanks to the Titan Giant Ape, the Frost Giant Wolves that had originally occupied separate territories had gathered together, and the Ten Thousand Year Giant Wolf had found three more helpers.

Today, they had sworn to kill Yao Yan and avenge their kin!

"Sister Bing'er... what do we do?" Shui Yue'er's legs went weak, her voice filled with fear she could not suppress.

The formation before them made her feel that the few of them would not even be enough to fill their enemies' teeth.

Xue Wu could not help swallowing as she looked toward the team's eldest sister.

Shui Bing'er's expression was grave, but when she met her companions' panicked gazes, she suddenly understood. She resolutely stepped forward.

"Yue'er, remember this: no matter what we face, never give up easily. Even if the outcome is death!"

"We must still bloom with a brilliance that belongs to us alone!!"

Her voice was clear and firm. The Ice Phoenix Martial Soul appeared behind her, and two Yellow Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet as she charged out!

"Bloom with a brilliance that belongs to us alone!!"

Inspired by her sister's resolve, Shui Yue'er was instantly filled with fighting spirit. "Let those Spirit Beasts see what this lady is capable of!" Her Jade Dolphin Martial Soul appeared as she followed closely into battle.

Xue Wu hesitated no further. Her Dancing Snow Ribbon Martial Soul unfurled, and three Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple—flashed as she resolutely joined the battle.

The three of them charged fearlessly toward the powerful wolf pack!

The distance between both sides rapidly closed!!!

"Roar—!!"

The Ten Thousand Year Giant Wolf let out an angry roar. Receiving its command, the wolves below opened their bloody maws and collided fiercely with the three girls.

In an instant, the forest outside the cave rumbled without end, the flashes of clashing soul skills intertwining with wolf howls.

Inside the cave, Yao Yan's body trembled slightly. Feeling the extreme cold, he suddenly opened his eyes!

He first looked around in confusion. When he saw the girls dressed in Skywater Academy uniforms, he immediately understood that they had saved him.

The fierce sounds of battle outside drew his attention.

He forced himself up and slowly moved to the cave entrance to inspect the situation.

He saw the three girls fighting the wolf pack, struggling terribly to hold them off. Shui Bing'er in particular had several gruesome wounds across her back, blood streaming down her body.

"No! I have to help them!" Knowing they would not last much longer, Yao Yan was frantic. He tried to activate his Soul Power, but a tearing pain shot through his meridians, sending him directly to his knees.

He hurriedly checked his body and saw a drop of golden blood inside his dantian.

"This is... the Emperor Auspicious Beast's Essence Blood!" Yao Yan was stunned.

It must have entered his body alongside the Soul Ring when he absorbed that Mutated Snake Vine Flower. However, he could not absorb or refine the Golden Dragon Bloodline contained within the Auspicious Beast's bloodline.

This force blocked the circulation of his Soul Power. As for why that Spirit Beast plant had been able to withstand this blood, it was likely related to the restriction Di Tian had placed upon it.

At this moment, he was like a balloon being continuously inflated. If he forcefully circulated his Soul Power, he could explode and die at any moment.

"Misfortunes never come alone." Bitterness appeared at the corner of Yao Yan's mouth.

First, his soul had been severely injured by Di Tian. Now, even his physical strength and Soul Power were blocked.

"Sister Bing'er—!!" Shui Yue'er's alarmed cry suddenly came from outside the cave.

Yao Yan abruptly raised his head and saw that the Ten Thousand Year Wolf King had lost patience after failing to break through for so long. It personally entered the battle! Finding an opening, it suddenly appeared at Shui Bing'er's flank and sent her flying with a swipe of its enormous wolf claw.

An Eight Thousand Year Giant Wolf seized the opportunity as well, leaping directly at her from behind with its bloody maw wide open.

Shui Bing'er was instantly caught in danger from both sides!!!

"To hell with it!" Yao Yan gritted his teeth, summoned his Martial Soul, and shouted, "Blue Silver · Wood Locking Wall."

The Blue Silver Grass around Shui Bing'er grew wildly, forming two semicircular walls around her and protecting her within.

Bang! Bang! Bang...!

Wolf claws smashed fiercely against the arched walls, producing dull booming sounds, yet they failed to break through the defense. Immediately afterward, seven or eight Grass Snakes burst from the ground and tightly bound the attacking Giant Wolves.

Shui Bing'er took the chance to escape the attack range. Still shaken, she looked toward Yao Yan with gratitude.

Yet she saw that Yao Yan had already collapsed onto the ground, his mouth full of blood and his aura seemingly weak.

She instinctively wanted to rush over, but the Ten Thousand Year Giant Wolf blocked her path.

At the cave entrance, Yao Yan felt as though his entire body were burning. The drop of Auspicious Beast Blood Essence in his dantian had been completely awakened, blooming with dazzling golden light!

His body began to expand uncontrollably, an unnatural crimson appearing across his skin as though he would burst apart the next moment.

"No! I have to find a way to refine it!!"

Yao Yan forced himself into a sitting position and entered meditation, trying to control this terrifying energy, but the effect was minimal.

His body expanded faster and faster, like a balloon on the verge of bursting.

"What do I do? What exactly do I do?!" Deep within his consciousness, he paced anxiously back and forth, frantically searching through every ancient text in his memories.

At the critical moment between life and death, a deeply buried memory suddenly surfaced!

"Taoist: Inner Elixir Technique!!!"