Dragon's Might!

Qing Hongyuan dove from high above. His Azure Snake Dragon Wing retracted, his body plummeting like a meteor toward the back of the Wind Wood Dragon. At the very moment of impact, he snapped his wings open, unleashing his fifth soul skill, Azure Snake Dragon Wing, with full force. The edges of the azure feathers sliced through the scales on the dragon's back, leaving a long, bloody gash. The Wind Wood Dragon, stung by the pain, whipped its head around and lashed out with its dragon horns, but Qing Hongyuan beat his wings and narrowly evaded the strike.

Shen Wanqing stood at the edge of the battlefield, the phantom of her Jade Orchid martial soul shining brilliantly. Three emerald-green orchids bloomed above her head, and three beams of light shot out simultaneously—landing on Qing Zhengyue, on the long blade in his hand, and on every person across the battlefield. Attack power increased, speed increased, soul power recovery accelerated; every beam of light was perfectly placed.

High above, Qing Mufeng looked down, his Azure Dragon Pupil fully activated, observing every movement of the Wind Wood Dragon and predicting the direction and force of its every attack. His dragon might remained pressed firmly upon the beast. The forty-thousand-year soul beast looked up at him every few seconds, its golden slit pupils filled with hatred and frustration, yet it could not take flight. The suppression of the Azure Dragon bloodline against serpentine soul beasts, combined with his dragon might, kept it grounded, forcing it to endure attacks passively.

The Wind Wood Dragon's situation grew increasingly dire.

At the front, Qing Zhengyue's long blade struck again and again. His blade technique was devoid of any flash; it was pure, relentless hacking, with every strike landing in the exact same spot. The skin and flesh on the Wind Wood Dragon's front right leg were shredded, exposing bone, and it was struggling to remain standing.

From the side, Liu Yunlan's poison daggers pierced its joints repeatedly. As the toxin spread through its body, its movements grew sluggish and its reactions dulled.

From above, Qing Hongyuan dove time and again, his Azure Snake Dragon Wing carving bloody trails across its back. Scales shattered, blood flowed freely, and more than half of the spikes on the dragon's back had been broken off.

In the distance, Shen Wanqing's support soul skills never ceased. The light of the Jade Orchid enveloped the entire battlefield; Qing Zhengyue's wounds healed rapidly, Liu Yunlan's stamina was continuously restored, and Qing Hongyuan's soul power was replenished without end.

High in the air, Qing Mufeng's dragon might crushed the Wind Wood Dragon's will to fight, leaving it unable to escape and unable to win.

The forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon was being pushed back step by step under the siege of the five.

Yet, it continued to resist.

It opened its maw and spat out a massive azure Wind Blade, heading straight for Qing Zhengyue at the front. The blade was over a yard in diameter, its edges sharp as steel, carving a layer of soil off the ground as it passed.

Qing Zhengyue did not dodge. He raised his long blade, his black soul ring glowing to its limit, and brought it down in a single strike.

The blade edge collided with the Wind Blade, producing a piercing metallic screech. The Wind Blade was cleaved in two, passing on either side of him and snapping two large trees behind him in half.

Even more powerful Wind Blades erupted from its mouth. Once, twice, thrice. It panted heavily; every release of a Wind Blade consumed a vast amount of soul power, but it had no other choice.

Qing Hongyuan descended from the sky, his Azure Snake Dragon Wing fully unfurled, the azure scale patterns on the feathers glowing to their peak. He swept past the Wind Wood Dragon's head, the edge of his wings slicing across its eyes.

The Wind Wood Dragon let out a shrill hiss as its left eye was slashed open. Blood streamed down its cheek, its vision blurred, and its attacks became chaotic.

Qing Zhengyue seized the opportunity.

His long blade pierced into the Wind Wood Dragon's neck, entering from the right and exiting through the left. The dragon's body stiffened abruptly, and the light in its golden slit pupils gradually faded.

Liu Yunlan's short daggers simultaneously plunged into its heart, the poison spreading instantly. Qing Hongyuan's Azure Snake Dragon Wing made one final pass across its back.

Qing Mufeng's dragon might remained pressed down until the beast's body collapsed with a thunderous crash.

The Wind Wood Dragon was dead.

The forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon lay fallen in the valley deep within the Hurricane Wood Mountain Range.

Qing Zhengyue pulled out his long blade and stepped back twice, his chest heaving violently. His robes were soaked in blood—some his own, some the dragon's. A deep, bone-reaching wound marred his left arm, left by the dragon's final strike before death.

Liu Yunlan crouched on the ground, gasping for air. A few strands of the old woman's silver hair had come loose, and her face was pale, but she was alive.

Qing Hongyuan descended from the air, his knees buckling as he landed, nearly collapsing. The luster of his Azure Snake Dragon Wing had dimmed significantly; his soul power consumption had been immense.

Shen Wanqing ceased her support soul skills. Her face was paler than Liu Yunlan's, sweat streaming down her cheeks from her forehead, her hands trembling slightly.

Qing Mufeng descended from the high altitude, the light of Spring Returns to Earth enveloping the entire battlefield. Green specks of light flickered over everyone, wounds healing rapidly and soul power continuing to recover.

The five sat slumped on the ground, no one speaking for a long while.

After a time, Qing Zhengyue stood up and walked to the Wind Wood Dragon's carcass. A forty-thousand-year-level Wind Wood Dragon was more massive than any soul beast he had ever seen.

"Yunlan, absorb it." The old man's voice was somewhat hoarse.

Liu Yunlan took a deep breath, stood up, walked to the side of the Wind Wood Dragon, and sat down cross-legged.

The forty-thousand-year black soul ring rose slowly from the carcass. It was not a standard black, but one tinged with a hint of dark red—the unique color of a forty-thousand-year soul beast.

Liu Yunlan closed her eyes and steadied her breathing. The black soul ring drifted toward her and slowly merged into her body.

The moment it entered, her body shuddered violently. The forty-thousand-year soul power surged in like a flood, battering her meridians. The lingering resentment within the soul ring hammered frantically at her mental sea—the phantom of the forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon rampaged through her mind.

The sixty-year-old woman gritted her teeth, guarding the clarity of her spirit.

Her meridians, reinforced by the Whale Glue, withstood the impact of the soul power. Every inch of the meridian walls was scoured repeatedly, each pass bringing intense pain, yet she did not make a sound. The circulation of the Azure Dragon Method helped her digest this vast power; her meridians widened, her acupoints expanded, and her soul power climbed.

Level sixty breakthrough. Level sixty-one. Level sixty-two.

The Wind Wood Dragon's soul power continued to surge; Liu Yunlan's body trembled slightly, her robes soaked through with sweat.

Level sixty-three. Level sixty-four.

The soul power finally stabilized.

Level sixty-four Soul Emperor.

Eight levels higher than Qing Hongyuan.

Liu Yunlan opened her eyes, her eye sockets slightly reddened.

Level sixty-four. In her entire life, she had never imagined she could reach level sixty-four.

The black soul ring rotated slowly beneath her—her sixth soul ring, the forty-thousand-year Wind Wood Dragon.

Information regarding her fifth soul skill flooded her mind.

Jade Dragon Wing.

It shared the same origin as Qing Hongyuan's Azure Snake Dragon Wing, yet it was different. The wings of the Jade Dragon Wing were emerald green, their edges shimmering with the luster of jade.

Liu Yunlan closed her eyes, feeling the new power within her body, and took a deep breath.

She finally had wings.