At the southern edge of Sunset Forest, before a steep, gray-white cliff.
"Roar—!"
A furious bellow suddenly burst from a huge cave high in the cliff face.
A massive green whirlwind blasted out of the cave and slammed into the open ground before the cliff.
The earth trembled violently, and dust billowed into the air.
As the dust cleared, a terrifying beast came into view, its enormous body covered in blue-gold scales.
It was over eight meters long, with a pair of broad, leathery wings on its back. Its thick hind legs were like two pillars holding up the sky, and its sharp claws dug deep into the rock.
The sinister Sub-Dragon's enormous head bore a pair of dark-gold, vertically slit pupils fixed on the uninvited guests. Two visible streams of razor-sharp air blasted from its nostrils.
This was a top-tier wind-type Sub-Dragon—the five-thousand-year Wind-Breath Dragon!
The instant this colossal beast appeared, its terrifying draconic might, mixed with the savage, murderous aura of a five-thousand-year Soul Beast, crashed over them like a tsunami.
A mile behind them, the warhorses of the Royal Knights began to stir restlessly. Xue Lang and Gao Nianzhen, standing at the very front, turned pale.
Even Gao Nianzhen, a Soul Saint, could feel the bone-deep pressure when facing a Sub-Dragon of such noble blood.
"What terrifying pressure! This is definitely a top-grade Wind-Breath Dragon, close to five thousand five hundred years old!"
Feng Cang's face was as grave as could be. His chubby features, which had once made him look a little comical, were now set with a grim, murderous air.
Without hesitation, he stepped forward and stood in front of Xue Yao.
"Martial Soul Possession!"
Feng Cang barked the words, and the formidable aura of an eighty-second-level Soul Douluo erupted.
Green winds gathered around him, and eight dazzling Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet: two yellow, three purple, and three black.
"Young Master Yao, this beast is far too vicious. I'll go up first, tear off its wings, and beat it half to death. Then you can deliver the final blow!"
As Feng Cang spoke, his arms had already transformed into green wings. He was ready to charge in and face the beast head-on.
"Wait."
A slender, fair hand rested gently on Feng Cang's shoulder.
Feng Cang froze for a moment. Xue Yao calmly walked past him.
Xue Yao looked at the Wind-Breath Dragon before them, its entire body wreathed in savage, slicing currents of air, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
There wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes. Instead, they held a hint of amusement.
He raised his right hand and gave a light wave to the people behind him, ready to rush in and help at any moment.
"Please step back and cover me." Xue Yao's voice carried clearly through the silent forest. "I'll handle this big fellow myself."
The moment he said this,
the entire group fell deathly silent.
Feng Cang remained frozen in his Martial Soul Possession, rooted to the spot like a fool. Behind him, Xue Lang and Gao Nianzhen both sucked in a sharp breath, nearly fainting on the spot.
"Yao'er! Have you lost your mind?!" Xue Lang was so frantic his eyes had gone red. He shouted without a care for his dignity as king. "That's a five-thousand-year Wind-Breath Dragon! A Sub-Dragon! Even a Soul Ancestor would have to pay dearly to fight it. You're only a fledgling Soul Elder who just reached level thirty. How can you possibly fight it alone? That's no different from throwing your life away!"
Gao Nianzhen hurriedly called out as well. "Yao'er, don't be reckless! Come back! Let Elder Feng handle it!"
Feng Cang also urged him anxiously. "Yao'er, this isn't a sparring match. One swipe of that beast's claw could tear even solid steel to pieces!"
An eight-year-old fledgling Soul Elder, declaring that he would fight a five-thousand-year Sub-Dragon alone.
It was an unprecedented act of madness in the history of the Douluo Continent!
Yet Xue Yao paid no heed to his parents' alarm or Feng Cang's protests.
What the others found most incomprehensible was that Xue Yao hadn't even activated his Martial Soul Possession in the face of such a formidable foe!
According to common knowledge on the Douluo Continent, the first step in battle for a Beast Martial Soul Master was always Martial Soul Possession, using the power of their Beast Martial Soul to strengthen their bodies before engaging in close combat.
Yet Xue Yao stood perfectly still, without even the faintest glow of Soul Power around him.
He calmly raised his right hand and lightly brushed his fingers over the Storage Ring on his left hand.
"Bzz—"
With a clear ring of steel, an exquisitely crafted long sword, a Soul Tool, appeared in his hand.
Xue Yao flicked his wrist and deftly spun the blade in a graceful flourish.
"Swish, swish, swish—"
Then he lowered his wrist, pointing the sword diagonally at the ground.
Standing there, he looked less like a Soul Master ready to risk his life and more like a peerless swordsman, coolly surveying the battlefield with all plans at his fingertips—or perhaps a commander looking down from on high.
Everyone was dumbstruck once again.
No Martial Soul Possession? He'd drawn a sword and taken up the rear? What was he trying to do?!
Just as everyone's minds were in chaos,
Xue Yao slowly lifted his eyelids, fixed his gaze on the restless Wind-Breath Dragon, and calmly uttered two words.
"Go on."
The instant the words left his mouth,
"Caw—!!!"
An eagle's cry suddenly rang out beside Xue Yao!
The palm-sized "little bird" that had been perching on Xue Yao's shoulder with its aura restrained abruptly spread its wings and shot into the sky in a streak of golden-green light!
As it soared into the air, a shocking sight unfolded.
The "little bird" grew as if its body were swelling with the wind, its size expanding at a terrifying speed visible to the naked eye!
In just one second, its once-tiny body transformed into a majestic Griffin with a wingspan of nearly two meters!
Its golden-green feathers were like countless razor-sharp metal blades, catching the sunlight with a cold, bone-chilling gleam.
It had a lion's body and an eagle's head, and all four of its claws glinted with a chilling light. The overwhelming pressure of a god-tier Martial Soul descended with a thunderous force!
Even the five-thousand-year Wind-Breath Dragon's pupils flickered with instinctive doubt at the presence of this god-tier Martial Soul.
But what made Xue Lang, Gao Nianzhen, Feng Cang, and the others' scalps crawl was this—
The two Soul Rings, one yellow and one purple, so utterly contrary to all reason, hadn't appeared around Xue Yao. Instead, they had materialized directly around the Griffin in midair!
Although the Little Griffin still hadn't evolved into a Holy Griffin, its larger size gave it something of the mythical creature's majestic bearing.
"Watch its blind spots. Don't let it get away."
From behind, Xue Yao issued his first battle order, calm and composed.
The Royal Griffin in midair let out an excited screech, as if responding to its master's command.
Then Xue Yao stirred his mind, and his immense spiritual power instantly linked with the Griffin above.
"Second Soul Skill." Xue Yao's voice was perfectly steady, without the slightest inflection.
The deep-purple Thousand-Year Soul Ring coiled around the Royal Griffin suddenly blazed with a dazzling light like the midday sun!
[Ride the Wind]!
This was the second Soul Skill Xue Yao had gained after absorbing a twelve-hundred-year Mutated Green Wind Falcon. Its effect was simple and brutally effective—it increased speed across the board!
"Bzz!" The first green wind trail instantly formed beneath the Royal Griffin's feet. Its speed surged by one hundred and twenty percent in an instant!
The number might not seem especially high, but the Soul Skill's true strength lay in its ability to stack. Used twice in quick succession, it increased speed by two hundred and forty percent.
The Wind-Breath Dragon sensed the provocation and roared. Its powerful hind legs drove into the ground as it opened its cavernous jaws and lunged at the Griffin in midair! It shot forward like a green cannonball.
"Too slow." A cold smile curved Xue Yao's lips.
He stood behind the battle and lightly tapped the sword hilt with his fingertip. "Use it again."
At Xue Yao's command, the purple Soul Ring in midair, despite not yet fading, erupted once more in an even richer violet glow!
Double casting! Stacking the effect!
After two years of research in the library of Heaven Dou Royal Academy, Xue Yao had developed this extreme technique by combining his freakish, microscopic control over Soul Power with his own abilities.
"Boom!" The second layer of [Ride the Wind] stacked on top! The one-hundred-and-twenty-percent boost doubled!
A two-hundred-and-forty-percent surge in speed!
This had already reached the absolute limit that the Royal Griffin's powerful body could currently endure!
The surrounding air couldn't withstand such sudden acceleration. It erupted in a piercing sonic boom!
Under the stunned gazes of the onlookers, the Royal Griffin vanished from the air.
No, it hadn't vanished.
It was simply moving too fast. Even Xue Lang, a Soul King, could only catch a vague blur!
There was no sign of the Griffin in the sky, only a blinding streak, darting and ricocheting wildly around the Wind-Breath Dragon—
a bolt of green lightning!
"Chik! Chik! Chik! Chik!"
The dense, shrill sound of flesh being sliced apart suddenly rang through the air.
The Wind-Breath Dragon's blue-gold scales, its pride and joy, were tough enough that even an ordinary Soul Master's blade couldn't leave a mark.
Yet under the rapid cuts of that green lightning, they seemed to be made of paper, splitting at once into countless thin, bloody gashes!
"Roar—!!!"
The Wind-Breath Dragon let out a roar of unbearable pain and fury.
It swung its claws wildly and spat out Wind Blades, trying to tear the "bird" tormenting it to pieces.
But it was all in vain.
With its speed pushed to the limit—a two-hundred-and-forty-percent increase—the Wind-Breath Dragon couldn't even touch the Griffin's tail feathers!
Xue Yao still stood quietly where he was, his sword pointing diagonally at the ground. He hadn't moved a single step.
He watched the five-thousand-year Sub-Dragon being toyed with, helplessly raging, and the faintest trace of a dismissive smile touched his lips.
"Please step back."
"Watch me walk the bird."
Before you continue