In Xue Xing's eyes, although his nephew Xue Beng's tearful complaint sounded heartfelt, his opponent was ultimately nothing more than a "slightly unusual" thousand-year Soul Beast.
Even if the Crown Prince, Xue Qinghe, showed some favoritism, Emperor Xue Ye had never taken the matter seriously enough to send out the royal family's elite forces.
After getting Xiao Yu's general appearance and exact location from Xue Xing, he thought it over briefly, then casually picked a few trusted subordinates. "You, you, and you. Three Soul Kings. Hmm... Aoris, take them along and oversee things."
"The target is that white-haired beast in the Royal Forest. His Highness Xue Beng was wronged, so go give it a 'dignified' end. And while you're at it... restore His Highness Xue Beng's standing."
Xue Xing's tone was flat, as if he were giving instructions for some trivial matter.
A Soul Emperor named Aoris nodded slightly, a hint of nonchalance in his eyes.
In his view, the prince was being far too cautious. Why would a mere thousand-year Soul Beast require a Soul Emperor like him to take action? Three Soul Kings were more than enough to crush it ten times over.
But his superior had given the order. He could hardly refuse, so he immediately led his people out of the Prince's Mansion.
Watching such powerful Soul Masters go to avenge him, Xue Beng could already picture Xiao Yu's gruesome death.
"All right, Xue Beng. You're still under house arrest, so you should head back soon. If you're discovered, I'll put in a good word for you tomorrow." After taking care of the matter, Xue Xing spoke to Xue Beng.
After all, it was an imperial order. Xue Xing couldn't simply turn a blind eye.
Xue Beng nodded. He understood Xue Xing's concerns and hurried away, but compared to when he had arrived, his face was now full of smug delight.
Meanwhile, in the Royal Soul Beast Forest, Xiao Yu had no idea that Xue Beng had sent people after him again. They had just completed another part of the Royal Court's construction and were now enjoying the fruit Qian Renxue had brought them atop the giant tree.
Before long, however, as Xiao Yu enjoyed the gentle summer-night breeze, he suddenly caught a nauseating stench in the air.
"Aw! (Who's there?!)" Xiao Yu abruptly rose and roared toward a thicket below.
Yu Yi and the other beasts beside him immediately took up attack stances and swooped toward the thicket.
"Hmph, you're not half bad at staying alert!" A cold snort came from the thicket. The next moment, four figures shot into the sky!
The leader's aura was steady and powerful. He was none other than the Soul Emperor, Aoris! The three Soul Kings behind him immediately used Martial Soul Possession, their Soul Rings lighting up as powerful waves of Soul Power surged around them.
"The information His Highness gave us was wrong. But no matter—it's only a few beasts." Aoris looked at them with disdain. Although Xiao Yu's appearance differed slightly from Xue Beng's description, he didn't consider it a big deal.
No matter how unusual a thousand-year Soul Beast looked, it was still only a thousand-year Soul Beast. He didn't take Xiao Yu or the bird-type Soul Beasts with him seriously at all.
At the Soul Kings' command, the three of them grinned viciously and pounced on Yu Yi, Yu Er, and Yu San as they swooped down.
In their eyes, the three thousand-year Soul Beasts were nothing but lambs waiting to be slaughtered.
But Yu Yi and the others had absorbed the "Primary Leader Bloodline Secret Medicine." They were no longer what they had once been!
"Wuu—!" Yu Yi let out a piercing shriek that seemed to split metal and stone. He beat his wings, and several condensed, nearly solid translucent wind blades took shape at once, shooting toward one of the Soul Kings with a shrill whistle!
Their speed and power far exceeded anything an ordinary thousand-year Soul Beast could manage!
The Soul King's expression shifted. He hurriedly used a defensive Soul Skill to block them.
The wind blades slammed into his Soul Power shield with a series of violent blasts. The shield shuddered fiercely, its light dimming!
Yu Er and Yu San also showed fighting prowess far beyond what their age should have allowed.
In an instant, the three Soul Kings were tied up by Yu Yi and the others, struggling to keep up!
"Hmm?" A trace of surprise flickered in Aoris's eyes. He clearly hadn't expected these Soul Beasts to be so difficult to deal with.
"So they really do have some tricks. No wonder they managed to fool the Crown Prince. But this ends now!" He stopped watching. The Soul Rings around him suddenly lit up, and a powerful pressure of Soul Power enveloped the entire area, its target the Xiao Yu perched atop the tree!
"Who are they? His Highness? Qian Renxue? No, that can't be it. Then it must be Xue Beng." Xiao Yu thought over Aoris's words, his brows knitting together.
Aoris had no idea Xiao Yu could understand him, so he hadn't bothered to hold back. He'd directly revealed who was behind the attack.
As Aoris charged toward him, Xiao Yu immediately flew to meet him. So what if he was a Soul Emperor? Xiao Yu had been eager to find out how strong he was now.
Aoris's Martial Soul was a giant deer wreathed in flames. After using Martial Soul Possession, he looked contemptuously at Xiao Yu as he charged toward him.
"A beast will always be a beast. You actually dare come at me? I'm a Soul Emperor!" As Aoris spoke, a purple Soul Ring lit up beneath his feet.
"Rain of Fire!"
A scarlet sphere shot into the sky from Aoris's hand, then burst open. Countless flames rained down on Xiao Yu.
"That's it?" Looking at the area-of-effect attack, Xiao Yu gave his wings a light flap. Wind quickly gathered around him, and in an instant, a tornado formed.
"Tornado!"
Like a siphon, the whirlwind sucked up all the fire raining from the sky, turning it into a blazing fire tornado that swept toward Aoris.
"Why don't you try your own attack!"
"What?!" Aoris's pupils contracted. For the first time, astonishment appeared on his face. A Soul Beast that could control airflow?!
"Damn it!" Aoris was a Soul Emperor, after all, with plenty of combat experience.
Though startled, he stayed calm. The purple fifth Soul Ring at his feet suddenly lit up!
"Blazing Sky Wall!"
He thrust both palms forward, summoning a massive crimson barrier that blocked the fire tornado in front of him.
Xiao Yu sneered at the sight. "A fire shield? Then I'll put it out with water!"
"Water Blade!"
Whoosh!
A huge, solid-looking blue blade of water, its edges gleaming with a cold light, instantly tore through the fire tornado and slammed into the barrier without losing any of its force.
Water overcame fire. The barrier was sliced apart in the blink of an eye, and the Water Blade struck Aoris hard.
The Water Blade was incredibly sharp. The blow carved a huge gash across Aoris's body, even though he had managed to raise a Soul Power shield at the last moment.
Without that defense, Aoris would likely have been cut in half.
"How is this possible?! This beast..." The contempt in Aoris's heart vanished completely, replaced by deep apprehension and disbelief.
This wasn't some thousand-year Soul Beast. It was clearly a powerful being capable of threatening him!
Xiao Yu hovered in the air, firmly holding the advantage. Though the one facing him was a Soul Emperor and should have been the stronger fighter.
Just as Xiao Yu was about to press his advantage, a sudden scream reached his ears.
"Wuu!!!"
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