Azure light surged from his body, condensing over his skin into that handsome suit of armor.
A breastplate with a wooden texture, limbs covered in snake scales, shoulder guards shaped like snake heads, and a half-covered helmet.
The armor glimmered with a faint azure light in the twilight.
Azure Dragon Pupil!
His pupils turned into golden vertical slits, and everything in his field of vision became incomparably clear.
Every muscle, every meridian, and every breath of the Wind Wood Dragon lay within his perception.
Two soul rings.
One deep yellow and one purple lit up.
First Soul Skill: Azure Dragon Claw Probe!
His right arm transformed into a dragon's arm, azure scales covering it entirely as his fingers became sharp claws.
Second Soul Skill: Spring Returns to Earth!
Green light spread from beneath his feet in every direction, forming a circular area three zhang in diameter.
The injuries and Soul Power of the teammates within the area recovered at a visible rate.
The pressure of the Azure Dragon Martial Soul erupted without reservation at that moment.
It was a suppression originating from the depths of one's bloodline.
Not an Azure Snake.
But an Azure Dragon.
The Wind Wood Dragon's body suddenly stiffened.
A trace of fear flashed through its vertical pupils.
It was not afraid of the humans before it, but of the suppression from that bloodline.
The instinct carved into the genes of a lower dragon when facing a higher dragon.
Submission, or fear.
But it was, after all, a five-thousand-nine-hundred-year soul beast. It would not submit so easily.
It let out an enraged roar, resisted that pressure, and violently swung its tail at Qing Hongyuan on the left flank.
Qing Hongyuan twisted aside to evade. The snake tail swept past the edge of his clothes and smashed a massive boulder to pieces.
At the same time, the Wind Wood Dragon opened its mouth and spat out an azure Wind Blade straight at Qing Zhengyue in front.
Qing Zhengyue swept his longsword horizontally, cleaving the Wind Blade in two with a single slash.
"Mu Feng's dragon might has suppressed it."
The old man said gravely, "Its attack power has dropped by at least twenty percent. Don't give it a chance to catch its breath!"
The four of them intensified their attacks at once.
Qing Hongyuan's serpentine phantom struck the Wind Wood Dragon's left ribs, leaving a deep gash across its scales.
Blood poured out, but the wound was not deep.
The Wind Wood Dragon's scale armor was far more defensive than that of ordinary soul beasts.
Liu Yunlan's poisonous mist bit into the Wind Wood Dragon's hind leg. The toxin seeped into the wound, and the Wind Wood Dragon's movements visibly slowed by a beat.
Qing Zhengyue's longsword slashed into the Wind Wood Dragon's right foreleg. Empowered by the Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, the blade cut through the hard scales and left a wound so deep that bone showed through the muscle.
Shen Wanqing's Jade Blessing continuously enhanced her teammates, while the light shields of Jade Protection flickered over each of them, ready to ward off a fatal strike at any moment.
Qing Mufeng had not been idle either.
He charged into the battle, his dragonized right claw reaching for the Wind Wood Dragon's abdomen.
That was where its scales were thinnest.
Azure Dragon Claw Probe!
Five azure claw streaks struck its abdomen. Although they did not break through the scales, the corrosive power of the wood attribute seeped through them and into the muscle.
The Wind Wood Dragon howled in pain, abruptly twisted its head, and bit at Qing Mufeng.
Qing Mufeng had been prepared. The speed boost from the Azure Dragon Armor allowed him to evade the bite easily.
He retreated several steps, adjusted his position, and charged in again.
The balance of the battlefield gradually tilted toward the Qing Clan.
The Wind Wood Dragon's attack power had indeed been suppressed by the dragon might. Attacks that could originally have severely injured a Soul Ancestor could now inflict only minor wounds.
Meanwhile, the five members of the Qing Clan worked together seamlessly, attacking and defending in orderly coordination. Every strike landed on the Wind Wood Dragon's weak points.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick.
The Wind Wood Dragon was covered in wounds. More than half its scales had shattered, and blood stained the grass beneath it red.
Its breathing became labored, its movements increasingly sluggish, and its golden vertical pupils were filled with exhaustion and unwillingness.
Yet it still resisted.
It opened its mouth, gathered all its remaining strength, and spat out a massive Wind Blade.
The Wind Blade was more than a zhang in diameter. It tore through the air with a piercing shriek, flying straight at Qing Hongyuan.
Qing Hongyuan had no time to evade.
Shen Wanqing's second soul skill, Jade Protection, lit up around him. The pale green shield blocked most of the Wind Blade's force, but the remaining impact still sent Qing Hongyuan flying.
"Hongyuan!" Shen Wanqing cried out.
"I'm fine!" Qing Hongyuan climbed to his feet. There was a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, but his movements remained agile.
Qing Zhengyue seized the brief stiffness that followed the Wind Wood Dragon's release of the Wind Blade and thrust his longsword into its neck.
The blade entered through one side of its neck and emerged from the other.
The Wind Wood Dragon's body abruptly stiffened.
The light in its golden vertical pupils gradually faded.
It released one final low whimper before its massive body crashed to the ground, making the earth tremble slightly.
"Feng'er, finish it!" Qing Zhengyue shouted.
Qing Mufeng rushed forward, aimed his dragonized right claw at the Wind Wood Dragon's head, and drove it down with all his strength.
The claw tips pierced through the scales and plunged into its skull.
The Wind Wood Dragon's body twitched several times before finally going still.
Qing Mufeng withdrew his right claw and took two steps back. Looking at the giant beast's corpse beneath his feet, his chest heaved violently.
He had consumed nearly half his Soul Power, and the light of the Azure Dragon Armor had dimmed somewhat as well.
Spring Returns to Earth continued operating, its green radiance covering the entire battlefield as everyone's injuries rapidly healed.
Qing Zhengyue walked to the Wind Wood Dragon's corpse and inspected it. Only after confirming that the soul beast was dead did he put away his longsword.
"Everyone, circulate the Azure Dragon Method and restore your Soul Power and stamina," the old man said gravely.
The five of them sat cross-legged at once and began circulating the Azure Dragon Method.
Qing Mufeng closed his eyes. All four pathways of the Azure Dragon Method opened, and Soul Power surged through his meridians, rapidly replenishing what he had expended.
The radiance of Spring Returns to Earth echoed with the Azure Dragon Method, increasing the recovery speed severalfold.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Qing Mufeng opened his eyes.
Both his Soul Power and stamina had returned to their peak state.
He looked at his grandfather, and Qing Zhengyue nodded at him.
"Absorb the soul ring." The old man's voice was calm. "We will stand guard for you."
Qing Mufeng took a deep breath, walked to the Wind Wood Dragon's corpse, and sat down cross-legged.
A purple soul ring slowly rose from the Wind Wood Dragon's body.
It was not an ordinary purple.
It was deep purple.
A five-thousand-nine-hundred-year soul ring was already infinitely close to six thousand years. Its color was far deeper than that of an ordinary thousand-year soul ring.
Qing Mufeng closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
The deep-purple soul ring floated toward him and slowly entered his body.
The moment it entered, agonizing pain struck him.
It was not the pain of the second soul ring, like an iron spike piercing his skull. Instead, it felt as though a giant dragon were rampaging through his meridians, trying to tear his body apart from within.
Five thousand nine hundred years of Soul Power poured in like a flood, battering every meridian and every acupoint.
Qing Mufeng clenched his teeth. Veins bulged across his forehead, and sweat fell 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 the Martial Soul, spreading along his meridians and wrapping around the violent soul ring.
The soul ring's rampage was suppressed inch by inch.
Qing Zhengyue, Liu Yunlan, Qing Hongyuan, and Shen Wanqing stood around Qing Mufeng, facing the four directions and forming a quadrilateral defensive formation.
Their gazes swept over the surrounding forest, vigilant for any soul beasts that might be drawn by the smell of blood.
Time passed second by second.
Qing Mufeng's breathing gradually calmed from its earlier rapid pace, and his trembling slowly ceased.
The deep-purple soul ring was fusing with his Martial Soul.
His third ring absorption was underway.
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