Spirit Feather Divine Guard

He was glad he hadn't left behind any direct evidence, and glad that the Soul Beast had been ruthless enough to leave no survivors.

As long as he weathered this period of scrutiny, he'd be temporarily safe once Xue Qinghe let his guard down—or once the emperor failed to uncover anything and dropped the matter.

"Hmph, Xue Qinghe. You think you can catch me in the act just by keeping watch? How naive!" Xue Xing sneered, setting his teacup down heavily on the table.

As for Xiao Yu? It was just a beast. What trouble could it cause? It couldn't possibly know he was responsible, could it? What a joke.

And even if it did know, could it really come all the way to Heaven Dou City and kill him at the Prince's Mansion? That was even more ridiculous.

Three days later, at Giant Tree Peak

Xiao Yu hovered at the edge of the platform, his sharp gaze sweeping over his companions. Once he'd confirmed that they were stable and breathing steadily, his last trace of worry vanished.

The effects of the Immortal Herb and the Intermediate Bloodline Secret Potion had far exceeded expectations. They had not only healed his companions' injuries but also brought about a qualitative leap in their strength and potential.

Now, even if they faced another Soul Emperor-level enemy, they could put up a fight—and might even win.

His consciousness sank into the System Space. He was only one step away from his next evolution: reaching level 40.

His experience was now sitting steadily at Lv. 39 (340/390).

And in his inventory, a Cocoa Fruit rested quietly.

"It's time." Xiao Yu thought to himself, took out the Cocoa Fruit, and ate it in one bite.

[Current Level: Lv. 40 (50/400)]

[Energy saturation reached. Bloodline awakening conditions met!]

[Consume Leo's Memory ×4 to evolve into "Spirit Feather Divine Guard"?]

"Yes!" Xiao Yu pressed the evolution button with all his might.

The next second, it was as if the universe had just begun and the stars had just been born!

Xiao Yu's massive body shuddered. Brilliant blue-white light burst from the roots of every feather, like flames made solid!

The light was no longer merely sacred. Icy-blue currents and scarlet streaks of fire now mingled within it, darting wildly around his body like countless fine bolts of lightning.

Air currents converged from every direction. The air groaned under the strain, and even space seemed to tremble!

"Urrrgh—!" Yu Yi, Yu Er, Yu San, Yu Si, and Yu Wu had only just begun to adjust to their new strength. Now, under the supreme pressure rising from the depths of their bloodlines, they instinctively let out reverent cries and prostrated themselves, lowering their heads to the ground.

They could clearly feel that their king was undergoing an unprecedented transformation!

Below the platform, at the edge of the forest.

Qian Renxue, who had been waiting there all along, suddenly looked up. Her ice-blue pupils contracted to pinpricks!

The Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul inside her trembled violently against her will, emitting a hum unlike any she'd ever heard before—one filled with fierce wariness and a trace of... fear!

"What... what is this?!" Shock and disbelief filled Qian Renxue's beautiful face.

She stared at the summit of the giant tree, shrouded in dazzling light. The pressure that had suddenly descended made even her, a Soul Emperor with a top-tier Martial Soul, feel a deep quiver in her soul and a crushing weight.

"Your Highness!" The guards behind her had gone deathly pale and could barely keep from collapsing to their knees.

They had never felt such a terrifying presence. It was as if they were facing not a Soul Beast, but... an incarnation of a god!

At the heart of the storm, Xiao Yu was undergoing a world-shaking transformation.

His body seemed to grow more slender and powerful in the light. Every feather was growing and changing at a frantic pace.

Against the flawless, sacred base color, the deep black of night and the brilliant white of the stars became denser and more distinct, as if he wore a condensed universe of stars upon his body.

Even more astonishingly, intricate and mysterious patterns began to appear along the edges of his feathers and the tips of his wings. On one side, dark-blue veins formed like crystallizing ice, radiating a chill that could freeze the soul.

On the other, scarlet patterns flowed like molten lava, surging with heat that could incinerate all things!

The powers of ice and fire merged perfectly into the very nature of the Wing-Type Elf King. Far from clashing, they formed a strange symbiosis and balance, making his presence even deeper, more vast, and more unfathomable.

Xiao Yu could clearly feel his power surging at a frantic rate!

And the wind element, the very core of the Wing-Type Elf King, had brought his mastery of wind to an entirely new level. At a mere thought, he felt as though he could command every current of air in the world!

His spiritual power seemed cleansed and elevated, and the range of his perception instantly expanded several times over.

Every trembling leaf and crawling insect in the forest, even Qian Renxue's pounding heart and the guards' ragged breathing in the distance, were clearly reflected in his "mind lake."

After who knew how long, the storm that could have torn apart the entire forest finally faded.

Xiao Yu's figure reappeared on the platform.

He seemed to be a little larger than before, his lines more graceful and streamlined—a perfect blend of strength and speed.

His feathers now radiated an indescribable, divine brilliance. Their base color remained pure white, but the deep black and sparkling starlight were woven together more harmoniously, as if they held the secrets of the universe.

Along the edges of his wings and the tips of his tail feathers, the mysterious ice-blue and scarlet patterns slowly flowed like living things, giving off a startling mix of freezing cold and searing heat.

He hovered there in silence. He made no effort to release his aura, yet the nobility and power born of his very existence filled the air like something tangible, leaving the entire space solemn and oppressive.

Yu Yi and the others remained prostrate, their eyes alight with fervent worship and excitement.

They could feel that their king's level of existence had risen beyond anything they could comprehend!

Xiao Yu slowly opened his eyes.

His sharp eagle eyes had grown even deeper. Ice-and-fire vortices seemed to turn within his pupils, and stars appeared to be born and die there.

He gently beat his wings.

"Vmmm—!"

There was no violent gust of wind, yet the surrounding space seemed to be smoothed over by an unseen force and froze for an instant.

An aura many times purer, more concentrated, and more vast than before rippled outward like water.

Xiao Yu slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. He felt the new power coursing endlessly through him, then calmly looked down at Qian Renxue and her companions, still reeling from the shock, before turning his gaze toward distant Heaven Dou City.

A spark of anger quietly ignited in his deep-set eyes. Xue Beng—and those helping you—I'll soon come settle the score with you.

Below, Qian Renxue stared blankly at Xiao Yu's cold gaze, feeling almost unable to breathe. She knew something big was about to happen!