Dragon, Beast Tide?

Chu Shao's heart sank; he realized in an instant that there was absolutely no room to resolve this blood feud.

The four of them exchanged glances, gritting their teeth as they ignited all their soul rings and simultaneously released their Avatar of the Martial Soul, throwing everything they had into the battle.

High in the air, Flender raised a hand to adjust his glasses, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as his fourth purple thousand-year soul ring suddenly flared to life.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Tenfold! Air Cutter!"

In an instant, over a hundred sharp, invisible blades of air struck out aggressively toward Sun Shi and his three companions.

The air hissed as it was sliced apart, sealing off every possible path of retreat.

Facing the overwhelming barrage of air blades, compounded by Zhao Wuji's relentless entanglement, the four had nowhere to hide. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and channel their full soul power, using their Avatar of the Martial Soul to take the brunt of the attack head-on.

The moment the air blades slammed into their Avatars, several thick, violent black lightning bolts erupted, dancing wildly between the four like venomous snakes.

Sun Shi and the others were numbed by the electricity, unable to stop themselves from cursing loudly.

"That hurts like hell! What the hell is this black lightning? It wasn't here when we fought last time!"

"It's so hot, I'm being burned to death, damn it! It's that cursed, wicked flame again—it won't go out!"

Caught in a pincer attack, their soul power drained rapidly. Covered in wounds, they hurriedly lowered their posture to beg for mercy.

"My lord, our brothers were blind and failed to recognize your greatness last time. We've offended you, but can we sit down and talk this over? Whatever demands you have, our four brothers will certainly comply!"

Hearing this, Zhao Wuji unleashed a Vajra Palm, striking with such force that it sent Sun Shi's Avatar flying, crashing into a broken wall and leaving a deep crater.

"Demands?"

He grinned, revealing a set of stark white teeth, his tone filled with icy killing intent.

"Sure! Cut off your own heads and bring them to me to play with, and we'll call it even."

A hundred meters above, Lin Feng sat leisurely on the back of a Dominator Vanguard, watching the battle unfold.

From time to time, he refreshed the red and blue buffs that were about to expire for Flender, Zhao Wuji, and She Long, ensuring their soul power regeneration and combat boosts remained at maximum capacity throughout the fight.

His peripheral vision caught dozens of sneaky figures near the edge of the ruins, using the cover of dust and smoke to scramble desperately toward the woods. He chuckled and issued a calm command.

"Dragon Soldiers, kill!"

Three more Dominator Vanguards, clad in thick dragon scales, flew out from a dark vortex.

Adding to the previous two, the five Dragon Soldiers let out a deafening roar in unison, rapidly pursuing the dozens of soul masters dressed in the uniforms of the Blood Wolf Mercenary Group who were fleeing in a panic.

Columns of scorching purple fire erupted from the dragons' maws, instantly illuminating the pitch-black night sky.

The dozens of soul masters, who were sprinting for their lives, looked back to see the massive dragon shadows and the terrifying Dragon Breath closing in. Scared out of their wits, they screamed in horror.

"Dragons... they're dragons! No, this is inside the city—how could there be dragon-type soul beasts here?!"

"Run! It's a beast tide, it must be a beast tide from the Star Dou Forest!"

"No, I don't want to die!"

The high-temperature Dragon Breath unleashed by the Dominator Vanguards swept across the area. The mercenaries at the Soul Grand Master level didn't even have time to scream; the moment they were touched, they were instantly incinerated into ash.

Those at the Soul Elder level exhausted their strength only to hold on for a mere two seconds before they, too, were melted and shattered.

Only those at the Soul King level or higher could barely withstand the Dragon Breath, yet they were left charred black and could not last more than a few rounds.

Lin Feng sat on the dragon's back watching the scene, rubbing his chin, feeling increasingly tempted by the yet-to-be-unlocked Shadow Overlord.

"If I unlock the Shadow Overlord, I can add an exclusive Shadow Dragon Soldier. That would give me seven Dominator Vanguards in total."

He did the math quickly in his head; the million Gold Soul Coins that had pained him earlier suddenly didn't seem so expensive anymore.

"Seven Dragon Soldiers that can grow alongside me for only a million Gold Soul Coins? When you break it down, that's only a little over a hundred thousand per dragon. It doesn't seem that outrageous after all."

Ten minutes later, Snake Lance ruthlessly pierced through Zhou Man's chest, pinning him to the charred ground of the ruins.

His entire right arm had been severed, and he was drenched in blood. As blood bubbled from his mouth, his once-vicious eyes held only the unfocused haze and resentment of someone on the brink of death.

Using his last ounce of strength, his withered fingers gripped the shaft of the snake lance, and he spoke in a voice as thin as a thread.

"The mysterious blue rings... the strange flames... you... you are from the Soul Recovery Pavilion, aren't you?"

She Long twisted his wrist and yanked the snake lance out, spraying a mist of blood. He looked down at the dying Zhou Man with a sneer.

"Heh, not entirely stupid, are you?"

"So it... is true. I regret..."

Hearing the confirmation, Zhou Man's unfocused pupils contracted sharply before he closed his eyes for the last time, his breath fading away completely.

She Long retracted his snake lance and immediately turned to look at Lin Feng, who was sitting obediently on the back of a dragon soldier without causing any trouble. He let out a slight sigh of relief.

Focusing on his internal state, he felt his soul power regenerating rapidly every second, along with the massive buffs lingering throughout his limbs and bones. A monstrous wave surged in his heart.

How is this kid's support boost so terrifying? And he's only a mere Soul Grand Master, yet there's no loss in effectiveness even when supporting a Title Douluo like me.

To kill an eighty-sixth-level beast-type Soul Douluo who had activated their Avatar of the Martial Soul in a head-on confrontation within ten minutes—this was something She Long would never have dared to imagine before.

He knew very well that without the monstrous auxiliary buffs from Lin Feng, killing a beast-type Soul Douluo would have required at least several hours of pursuit, and at best, he could only have severely wounded them; there would have been no way to claim their life.

Yet, the Red Sentinel Power that Lin Feng had bestowed upon him, with its true-damage flames that ignored defense and its sticky slowing effect, had dragged Zhou Man to his death; from the start of the battle to the end, he hadn't even had a chance to flee.

Seeing She Long retract his spear to finish off Zhou Man, Lin Feng immediately urged his Dominator Vanguard forward, rushing over in a whirlwind.

As the Dragon Soldier steadied itself at the edge of the ruins, he nimbly leaped down and hurried to Zhou Man's side in a few quick strides, his mouth stretching wide with eyes gleaming like gold.

"Hehe! Let me see what kind of treasures a big-shot Soul Douluo has hidden away."

His bold actions gave She Long, standing nearby, quite a fright.

Without a second thought, She Long reached out and grabbed him by the back of his collar, hauling him behind his own back like a chick, his temples throbbing as he barked a reprimand in a gruff voice.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, boy? Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

"This old bastard is a Soul Douluo. Even if he's stopped breathing, what if he left behind some sinister trap or a final death-throe attack? Crushing a two-ring Soul Grand Master like you would be as easy as squashing an ant."

Lin Feng waved his hand, looking completely unconcerned.

"Don't get worked up, Uncle Long. I trust in your skills one hundred percent. Even if he did have some dirty trick up his sleeve, one strike from your spear would scatter him until not even dust remained. How could he possibly hurt me?"

Though he spoke casually, he cherished his life dearly; he had been wary of some coward hiding in the shadows all along, and had long since equipped his Resurrection Armor before the fight even began.