"It should be its nest down below."
"The source of that aura is right beneath us."
As soon as he spoke, he suddenly paused.
Through his soul perception, that terrifying, oppressive aura was immense, yet unusually steady.
Too steady.
Steady enough to be abnormal.
Liu Bai narrowed his eyes.
"However..."
Dugu Bo immediately noticed something was off with him.
"What is it?"
Liu Bai slowly exhaled.
"This fellow's current condition is rather interesting."
"Its aura is deeply concealed, and its life force fluctuations are extremely weak."
"If my judgment is correct—"
He raised his head and looked at Dugu Bo, a meaningful curve lifting at the corner of his lips.
"It is asleep, and it is very likely injured."
Dugu Bo raised a brow.
"Injured? Then isn't this a perfect opportunity?"
Liu Bai raised a hand and slowly curled his five fingers inward.
"That's right."
"It'll do."
The instant he finished speaking—
Azure flames suddenly surged.
A gigantic hand condensed from the Green Lotus Core Flame rapidly took shape in midair.
The next moment.
The giant hand slammed down without any flourish!
Rumble—!!!
It was as though the entire Sunset Forest had violently trembled.
The earth collapsed beneath that palm strike, dirt and rocks flew everywhere, and ancient trees shattered one after another.
Blue-green flames spread madly along the cracked ground, instantly swallowing the entire area and turning it into a roiling sea of fire.
The air warped from the scorching heat.
From deep underground came a dull boom that made hearts tremble.
Dugu Bo stood high in the sky, his gaze tightening slightly.
"Hiss..."
He could not help drawing in a sharp breath.
"This flame..."
"Its temperature, density, and explosive force all surpass any Martial Soul I have ever seen."
Dugu Bo looked at Liu Bai.
"No wonder."
"No