Successful Hunt! Absorption Begins!

Azure light surged from within his body, condensing on his skin into that handsome set of armor.

A wooden-textured breastplate, limbs covered in snake scales, shoulder guards shaped like snake heads, and a semi-covered helmet.

The armor shimmered with a faint, eerie cyan glow in the twilight.

Azure Dragon Pupil!

His pupils transformed into golden vertical slits, and everything within his field of vision became incredibly clear.

Every muscle, every meridian, and every breath of the Wind Wood Dragon was laid bare under his insight.

Two spirit rings.

One deep yellow and one purple, lit up.

First Spirit Skill: Azure Dragon Claw Probe!

His right arm underwent dragonification; cyan scales covered the entire limb, and his fingers morphed into sharp, lethal claws.

Second Spirit Skill: Spring Returns to Earth!

Green light radiated from beneath his feet, spreading outward to form a circular zone with a diameter of three zhang.

Within this area, the injuries and spirit power of his teammates began to recover at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The pressure of the Azure Dragon Martial Soul was released at this moment without reservation.

It was a suppression originating from the depths of the bloodline.

Not an Azure Snake.

An Azure Dragon.

The Wind Wood Dragon's body stiffened violently.

A flicker of fear flashed through its vertical pupils.

It was not fear of the humans before it, but fear of that bloodline suppression.

An instinct carved into the genes of low-level dragons when facing a higher-level dragon.

Submission, or terror.

But it was, after all, a 5,900-year-old spirit beast; it would not yield so easily.

It let out an angry roar, braced against the pressure, and violently whipped its tail toward Qing Hongyuan on the left flank.

Qing Hongyuan dodged to the side, the snake tail brushing past his hem and shattering a giant boulder into dust.

At the same time, the Wind Wood Dragon opened its maw, and a cyan wind blade erupted from its mouth, heading straight for Qing Zhengyue in the front.

Qing Zhengyue swept his long blade horizontally, cleaving the wind blade in two.

"It's being suppressed by Mufeng's dragon might."

The old man said in a deep voice, "Its attack power has dropped by at least twenty percent; don't give it a chance to catch its breath!"

The four of them increased the intensity of their attacks simultaneously.

Qing Hongyuan's snake-shaped phantom struck the Wind Wood Dragon's left flank, leaving a deep gash on its scales.

Blood gushed out, but the wound was not deep.

The defensive power of the Wind Wood Dragon's scales far exceeded that of ordinary spirit beasts.

Liu Yunlan's poison mist bit into the Wind Wood Dragon's hind leg; as the toxins seeped into the wound, the beast's movements slowed by a noticeable beat.

Qing Zhengyue's long blade slashed at the Wind Wood Dragon's front right leg; bolstered by his ten-thousand-year spirit ring, the blade sliced through the tough scales and left a wound deep enough to expose bone.

Shen Wanqing's Jade Blessing continuously provided buffs to her teammates, while the light shields of Jade Protection flickered on everyone, ready to ward off any fatal blow.

Qing Mufeng did not remain idle.

He charged into the fray, his dragonified right claw swiping toward the Wind Wood Dragon's abdomen.

That was where the scales were thinnest.

Azure Dragon Claw Probe!

Five cyan claw-lights struck the abdomen; although they did not pierce the scales, the erosive power of the wood attribute seeped through the scales and into the muscles.

The Wind Wood Dragon cried out in pain, violently twisting its head to snap at Qing Mufeng.

Qing Mufeng had been prepared; the speed boost from the Azure Dragon Armor allowed him to easily evade the bite.

He retreated a few steps, readjusted his position, and charged forward once more.

The situation on the battlefield was gradually tilting in favor of the Qing Clan.

The Wind Wood Dragon's attack power had indeed been suppressed by the dragon might; attacks that would have originally severely wounded a Spirit Ancestor could now only inflict minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the five members of the Qing Clan coordinated with tacit understanding, their offense and defense orderly, with every strike landing on the Wind Wood Dragon's weak points.

An incense stick of time later.

The Wind Wood Dragon was covered in wounds, most of its scales shattered, and blood stained the grass beneath it red.

Its breathing became ragged, its movements grew increasingly sluggish, and its golden vertical pupils were filled with exhaustion and unwillingness.

Yet it continued to resist.

It opened its maw, gathering the remainder of its strength to spew forth a massive wind blade.

The wind blade, over ten feet in diameter, whistled through the air with a sharp, piercing shriek as it hurtled straight toward Qing Hongyuan.

Qing Hongyuan had no time to dodge.

Shen Wanqing's second soul skill, Jade Protection, flared to life upon him; the pale green light shield blocked the majority of the wind blade's power, but the remaining impact still sent Qing Hongyuan flying.

"Hongyuan!" Shen Wanqing cried out in alarm.

"I'm fine!" Qing Hongyuan scrambled up from the ground, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, yet his movements remained agile.

Seizing the brief moment of rigidity after the Wind Wood Dragon unleashed its wind blade, Qing Zhengyue drove his long blade into its neck.

The blade pierced in from one side of the neck and emerged from the other.

The Wind Wood Dragon's body stiffened violently.

The light within its golden vertical pupils gradually faded away.

It let out one final, low whimper, and its massive body crashed to the ground, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

"Mufeng, finish it!" Qing Zhengyue shouted.

Qing Mufeng rushed forward, aiming his dragon-transformed right claw at the Wind Wood Dragon's head and thrusting it down with force.

The claw tips pierced through the scales and drove into the skull.

The Wind Wood Dragon's body twitched a few times before finally falling still.

Qing Mufeng retracted his right claw and stepped back two paces, his chest heaving as he looked down at the giant beast's corpse.

Nearly half of his soul power had been consumed, and the radiance of his Azure Dragon Armor had dimmed significantly.

Spring Returns to Earth remained active, bathing the entire battlefield in green light as everyone's injuries healed rapidly.

Qing Zhengyue walked over to the Wind Wood Dragon's corpse and inspected it; only after confirming the soul beast was dead did he sheathe his long blade.

"Everyone, circulate the Azure Dragon Method to recover your soul power and stamina," the old man said in a deep voice.

The five of them sat cross-legged in unison, circulating the Azure Dragon Method.

Qing Mufeng closed his eyes, opening all four paths of the Azure Dragon Method as soul power surged through his meridians, rapidly replenishing his reserves.

The light of Spring Returns to Earth resonated with the Azure Dragon Method, accelerating their recovery speed several times over.

After about the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, Qing Mufeng opened his eyes.

Both his soul power and stamina had returned to their peak state.

He looked toward his grandfather, and Qing Zhengyue nodded at him.

"Absorb the soul ring," the old man's voice was calm. "We will guard you."

Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, walked to the side of the Wind Wood Dragon's corpse, and sat down cross-legged.

A purple soul ring rose slowly from the Wind Wood Dragon's body.

It was not an ordinary purple.

It was a deep, dark purple.

A 5,900-year soul ring, infinitely close to 6,000 years, its color far deeper than that of a standard thousand-year soul ring.

Qing Mufeng closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.

The deep purple soul ring drifted toward him and slowly submerged into his body.

The moment it entered, a sharp pain struck him.

It was not the "iron spike piercing the crown" pain of his second soul ring, but rather as if a giant dragon were rampaging through his meridians, intent on tearing his body apart from the inside.

The 5,900 years of soul power surged in like a flood, battering every meridian and every acupoint.

Qing Mufeng gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead as sweat poured down like rain.

But he did not panic.

Deep within his dantian, the Azure Dragon Martial Soul opened its eyes.

Its golden vertical pupils gazed through layers of flesh and blood at the violent, deep purple soul ring.

The Azure Dragon opened its mouth.

A silent roar.

The power of the Origin of Wood surged from the depths of his martial soul, spreading along his meridians to envelop the rampaging soul ring.

The soul ring's rebellion was suppressed, inch by inch.

Qing Zhengyue, Liu Yunlan, Qing Hongyuan, and Shen Wanqing stood around Qing Mufeng, facing the four cardinal directions to form a square defensive formation.

Their gazes swept across the surrounding forest, remaining vigilant against any soul beasts that might be drawn by the scent of blood.

Time ticked away, second by second.

Qing Mufeng's breathing gradually transitioned from ragged to steady, and his trembling slowly ceased.

The deep purple soul ring was merging with his martial soul.

The third ring was underway.