Scarlet King, Toyed With

Star Dou Forest.

"Something's happening up ahead!"

Chi Xiao pointed in a direction.

"It seems to be Elder Yugu's Soul Power fluctuation," Qi Lin said.

"Let's go!"

Having unexpectedly run into Elder Yugu and Long Aotian, they were naturally delighted.

However, as they drew closer, the four of them sensed that something was wrong.

"There's another powerful Soul Power fluctuation chasing them."

"They're running outward."

What had happened?

They immediately stopped and sensed the direction Elder Yugu was fleeing from.

"Qi Lin, take those two and withdraw first. I'll go see what's happening," Chi Xiao said.

The Soul Power fluctuation entangled with Elder Yugu was extremely powerful. He could not just stand by without helping.

"You're only a Soul Saint yourself. Can you really help?" Qi Lin hesitated.

If he went like this, he might only become a burden.

"At the very least, I can look after Ao Tian. Elder Yugu is probably spending a great deal of energy protecting Ao Tian right now. With me helping, I'll get Ao Tian out first."

After quickly settling the arrangement, Qi Lin grabbed Mu Yuan and Wei Na and prepared to retreat.

Mu Yuan did not object.

He could sense that Elder Yugu and the other presence, which was clearly a soul beast, were both extremely powerful. This was simply not a battlefield he could involve himself in.

Elsewhere.

Elder Yugu's expression was grim.

Silver radiance emanated from his body. His entire body was wrapped in bone, as though he wore a suit of bone armor.

Opposite him, a soul beast over five meters long stared at him menacingly. It resembled a lion, had three heads, and its sharp fangs gleamed with a crimson-gold luster.

"Body Sect, you still dare enter my Star Dou Forest?"

"Scarlet King, do you take my Body Sect for easy prey?"

Elder Yugu roared. As his power erupted, he showed no fear. His icy jade-like bone armor shifted and folded, forming a spear-like spike around his right hand.

He threw a punch.

Driven by Soul Power, the bones proliferated wildly, expanding dozens of times over in an instant and forming a gigantic bone spike even larger than his body.

Scarlet King snorted coldly as a layer of black flames rose around his body.

"Hellfire!"

Pitch-black flames collided with the jade-white bone spike.

Hellfire scattered in every direction, while the bone spike shattered inch by inch.

Elder Yugu's expression grew heavy.

He was only barely able to contend with Scarlet King through the Silver-level Second Awakening.

Even so, he was actually at a disadvantage.

The bone spikes were part of his own body. Being scorched and repeatedly damaged by Hellfire dealt him no small blow.

Scarlet King, on the other hand, was completely at ease, without a single injury on his body.

Scarlet King's gaze shifted toward Long Aotian, who was fleeing behind Elder Yugu. One of his heads bared a savage grin and spat out a ball of black fire.

Seeing this, Elder Yugu thrust out another cluster of bone spikes.

But Scarlet King's other heads also spat out black fireballs, intercepting them.

At that moment, a deep sound like rolling thunder rang out.

Thump!

Thump, thump!

Powerful heartbeats erupted from Chi Xiao's chest.

A surge of crimson Bloodline Power burst from within him and rose upward, forming a mass of blood-red aura!

It rapidly charged toward the black fireball Scarlet King had fired at Long Aotian.

"Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar!"

"Silver-level Second Awakening!"

Silver light burst forth. At that moment, heaven and earth seemed to become a single heart, pounding with a thunderous roar.

As the world shook, the black fireball weakened by thirty percent.

Then, Chi Xiao enveloped himself in Bloodline Power and crashed head-on into the remaining fireball.

"Elder Chi Xiao!"

Long Aotian was both shocked and delighted.

The next moment, his expression changed slightly.

Even with Chi Xiao erupting at full strength, he was still blasted backward by that black fireball.

Scarlet King was a genuine Beast King, with strength at the level of a Super Douluo.

With his Martial Soul Second Awakening, Elder Yugu could use the Soul Power of an ordinary Title Douluo to unleash combat power at the level of a Super Douluo, yet he was still repeatedly suffering losses against Scarlet King.

Chi Xiao was only a Soul Saint. Even with the Silver-level Second Awakening, he possessed, at most, the combat power of a Soul Douluo.

Even though he had condensed Bloodline Power and his Combat Techniques had undergone a transformation, he could at most barely withstand attacks at the level of a Title Douluo.

"Go!"

As Chi Xiao flew backward, he forcibly twisted his body, tapped the ground several times in succession, and happened to rush in front of Long Aotian. He grabbed Long Aotian and swiftly retreated.

Seeing this, Elder Yugu understood Chi Xiao's purpose and attacked with all his strength.

He fiercely launched wave after wave of bone spikes, disregarding the cost as he battled Scarlet King and created an opportunity for the two to escape.

After the two left, Elder Yugu also began considering a way to get away.

As he thought, he stirred the Blood Qi throughout his body.

A roar echoed from within him.

Scarlet King's expression changed slightly.

This was the same fluctuation as when Chi Xiao had erupted with Blood Qi earlier.

Chi Xiao was only a Soul Saint. Even with his Martial Soul Second Awakening, he possessed no more than the strength of a Soul Douluo.

Yet he had used Bloodline Power to amplify himself and forcibly raise his strength even further.

Could this fellow have condensed Bloodline Power as well?

While Scarlet King was uncertain, Elder Yugu swiftly widened the distance between them and turned to run.

What Bloodline Power? He had not condensed it at all.

However, he was still a Title Douluo. Over the past year or so, he had mastered the Bloodline Furnace method.

Because of that, he could imitate an effect similar to the rumbling of Blood Qi.

"Don't run!"

Realizing he had been deceived, Scarlet King flew into a rage. He abandoned his war of attrition and charged forward directly, all three heads simultaneously spewing pitch-black fireballs.

Hellfire sought to burn everything to ashes.

Elder Yugu stopped projecting bone spikes and instead focused all his strength on amplifying his bone armor.

His fists and palms struck in unison, and all nine Soul Rings around him were nearly flashing.

Other than the Martial Soul Avatar, he integrated his remaining eight Soul Skills into his Combat Techniques. Energy phantoms filled every punch and palm strike.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Pitch-black flames fell upon him, scorching his armor.

Elder Yugu remained utterly unmoved, continuing to retreat toward the outskirts without any fear of Scarlet King's Hellfire.

His aura even continued rising throughout the process.

Scarlet King grew increasingly uncertain.

"Damn it, his Blood Qi has become more condensed. This bastard is using my Hellfire to temper his Blood Qi!"

Scarlet King was furious.

But as the battle continued, he became increasingly uneasy.

The rumbling Blood Qi within Elder Yugu had reached an extreme. Vast Blood Qi had even appeared in Elder Yugu's bone armor, crimson patterns spreading across its surface.

The more Scarlet King fought, the more alarmed he became.

At this moment, in his perception, Elder Yugu was like a furnace on the verge of exploding. Billowing Blood Qi churned within, occasionally emitting thunderous roars.

At that moment, it seemed as though he saw a wisp of golden light within Elder Yugu's bones, which shone with dazzling silver radiance.

The moment he saw that wisp of golden light and sensed the furnace completely burst open, powerful Blood Qi surged into the sky. Scarlet King's attack could not help but stall for an instant.

Gold-level Second Awakening?

Bloodline Power?

In the instant Scarlet King wavered, Elder Yugu erupted with all his strength and viciously poured it into the ground.

He himself became an afterimage and swiftly vanished from Scarlet King's sight.

At this moment, the shape of his bone armor underwent a drastic change. The bones grew and extended, covering his body like a streamlined flying shuttle as it streaked through the air.

Realizing he had been deceived again, Scarlet King was furious beyond measure.

"Human, I swear I will never let this go!"