"WAAAH!!!"
Yu Yi's anguished scream tore through the night sky! A Soul King wielding a spear Martial Soul seized the opening when Yu Yi was knocked off balance by another Soul King's heavy-hammer Soul Skill and pierced Yu Yi's left wing with his Martial Soul!
Blood spurted out instantly, staining his blue-green feathers red.
"Yu Yi!" Through Wing-Type Affinity, Xiao Yu clearly sensed Yu Yi's pain and his strength rapidly draining away. His heart clenched.
The calm with which he'd watched and assessed the situation vanished in an instant, replaced by a blazing fury! Those damn intruders had not only trespassed on his territory, but dared to hurt his companions!
"ROAR!!!" A furious roar, brimming with killing intent, burst from Xiao Yu's throat. It was no longer the clear, long cry he'd let out before, but a roar like an ancient Ferocious Beast awakening!
A terrifying shockwave, imbued with immense spiritual pressure, swept across the entire battlefield!
The Soul King who was about to press his advantage and finish off Yu San froze. It felt as if a giant hammer had struck his soul, leaving him dizzy and causing his Soul Power to falter for an instant.
The two other Soul Kings fighting Yu Yi and Yu Er were affected as well, their attacks briefly slowing.
But Aoris, the Soul Emperor, who bore the brunt of the roar, was hit hardest of all. His expression changed dramatically!
He was closest to Xiao Yu and felt it most keenly. The instant the roar rang out, the surrounding "wind" suddenly grew chaotic.
"Not good!" Aoris's alarm bells rang. He knew they had thoroughly enraged this terrifying Soul Beast.
As Aoris's mind reeled, Xiao Yu moved!
"Wind Chain!" Xiao Yu snapped his wings open. Several chains of wind, almost solid and shimmering with a blue-black light, appeared out of nowhere like venomous snakes and instantly coiled around Aoris's arms and legs as he gathered Soul Power to defend himself!
"What?!" Aoris was horrified. He found he couldn't immediately break free of these chains that seemed to be made of wind!
They were incredibly tough and had powerful binding force. They greedily drained his Soul Power, preventing him from smoothly gathering strength to unleash a powerful Soul Skill.
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes. He didn't hesitate.
He raised his right claw, which shone with pure white light, and aimed it at Aoris, who was briefly restrained!
"Light Spear!"
Several white spears of light, carrying an aura of holy purification, instantly took shape!
They tore through the air with piercing shrieks, aimed straight at Aoris's chest!
Aoris's pupils shrank to pinpricks as the shadow of death fell over him!
He poured out all his Soul Power as a Soul Emperor and finally broke free of the Wind Chain just before the spears struck, managing to twist his body a fraction to the side!
"Pfft—!"
The spears of light missed his vitals, but still pierced straight through his left shoulder blade!
A hole as wide as a bowl appeared at once. Blood gushed out, mixed with the charred stench of flesh burned by light elements!
Aoris let out a piercing scream. The tremendous impact sent him flying like a discarded sack. He smashed through several trees before crashing to the ground in a heap, his aura instantly weakening until he could no longer fight.
"Lord Aoris!" The three Soul Kings were terrified out of their wits!
Their greatest reliance—a mighty Soul Emperor—had been grievously wounded in a single exchange?!
Fear instantly overwhelmed their greed and their mission. How could they possibly keep fighting?
"Retreat! Hurry!" the Soul King who had wounded Yu Yi screamed in panic. He was the first to turn and flee.
The other two immediately abandoned their opponents and raced toward the edge of the forest at full speed, not daring to look back at Xiao Yu.
"You think you can run?!" Xiao Yu's rage wouldn't be so easily extinguished. They'd hurt his companions and still expected to escape unscathed?
"Water Blade! Wind Chain!" Xiao Yu beat his wings furiously. Several enormous blue Water Blades and blue-black Wind Chains shot out at the same time, intercepting the two fleeing Soul Kings with pinpoint accuracy!
"Pfft!" "Crack!"
One Soul King was cut in half at the waist by a Water Blade. The other was tightly bound by a Wind Chain and crushed to death in an instant! Blood stained the ground.
The last Soul King—the one who had wounded Yu Yi—was the fastest. He was just about to reach the dense forest.
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes. He became a streak of light and appeared behind him in an instant!
"Flash Strike!"
A flash of blue light, and the Soul King's head burst like a watermelon. His headless body ran on for a few more steps before crashing to the ground.
The battle ended in the blink of an eye. All three Soul Kings had been killed!
But when Xiao Yu looked toward the spot where Aoris had fallen, all he found was a pool of blood and torn clothing. Aoris was gone!
Clearly, while Xiao Yu was pursuing the Soul Kings, Aoris had endured the pain and escaped using some kind of secret technique or Soul Skill.
"Hmph. You got lucky!" Xiao Yu snorted, holding back his urge to pursue. His companions' injuries were the priority!
He landed beside Yu Yi in an instant.
Yu Yi's wing had been pierced, leaving a vicious wound that was still bleeding. He whimpered in pain, his breathing weak.
Yu Er, Yu San, and the others gathered around too, all carrying injuries of varying severity. Yu Er even had a long gash across his belly, and his feathers were ruffled and stained with blood.
Yu Si and Yu Wu were less seriously injured, but they were exhausted and their feathers were disheveled.
Although the boost from the Primary Leader Bloodline Secret Medicine and their fearless fighting spirit had helped them hold off the Soul Kings, they were still outmatched in strength and experience, and had paid a heavy price.
Xiao Yu carefully used wind elements to temporarily seal the largest wound on Yu Yi's wing, then checked Yu Er and Yu San for injuries.
None of them were in mortal danger, but seeing his companions wounded while protecting their home weighed heavily on Xiao Yu's heart, filling him with guilt and fury.
"Well done, Xue Beng. I hadn't wanted to hold it against you, but I never expected you'd actually try to kill me!" Xiao Yu's eyes were bloodshot, whether from seeing Yu Yi's wound or from the fury in his heart.
A Soul Emperor and several Soul Kings—that was the sort of force he faced. If he hadn't been an extraordinary Soul Beast, he might already be dead. He couldn't let this go.
But seeing Yu Yi and the others wounded, Xiao Yu took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm. He needed to raise his strength before doing anything else.
Xue Beng himself wasn't much of a threat, but he was a prince of the Heaven Dou Empire. Even if Xiao Yu could kill him, what then? The Heaven Dou Empire might send even stronger Soul Masters to kill him.
Xiao Yu himself would be fine. He could hide away and return a few years later. By then, who on the continent would dare kill him? Who could?
But Yu Yi and the others couldn't do that. These companions had been by his side day and night. He couldn't bring himself to abandon them. After all, he was human.
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