A deep yellow Soul Ring —an Ice Bear Soul Ring with a lifespan of eight hundred years—slowly descended under Tang San's divine sense.
Tang San sat cross-legged, placing the Clear Sky Hammer horizontally on his lap. Yu Xiaogang's words echoed in his mind, "Little San, in the early stages, the Clear Sky Hammer doesn't need overly complex control-type Soul Skill. What we need is the ultimate amplification of the physical body and the hammer's power after each Soul Ring is added! When you master the Clear Sky Sect's secret technique— Ring Detonation —the power added to those Soul Ring will erupt in an instant; that will be a world-destroying force!"
As the Soul Ring entered, a violent force, like Mount Tai pressing down, surged through Tang San's left arm and into his body. The Ice Bear roared with its indomitable will, trying to tear apart the human who had taken its life, but the Xuan Tian Mysterious Heaven Skill within Tang San's body, now mixed with the ferocious aura of the Death Warrior Pill, was like a greedy black hole, forcibly devouring and assimilating this power inch by inch.
Tang San's face was slightly contorted with pain, but his purple eyes shone with an astonishing brightness. He could feel that with each step of fusion, his Clear Sky Hammer grew heavier, and his muscles and bones became increasingly hard under the forging of this pure power.
As the smoke from the battle at the Dragon City gradually dissipated, the pungent smell of blood in the air did not disappear with the wind.
Gu Tian stood on the edge of the towering city wall, looking down at the scene outside the city. The snow-covered land was now a mess, with wounded Soul Beast lying haphazardly everywhere. Some were whimpering in pain, while others were crawling with difficulty in the snow because of their severed limbs. Dark red blood stained the pure white snow, creating an extremely cruel picture.
"City Lord, are you just going to leave these injured Soul Beast here unattended?" Gu Tian turned to look at Yu Sanjin, his brows furrowing slightly. "Are you just going to let them wait here to die?"
Yu Sanjin stopped what he was doing, looked at the large group of fallen Soul Beast, shook his head with a complicated expression, and said in his distinctive Northeastern dialect:
"Sect Master Gu, you are unaware of this. In our Extreme North, this is a rule passed down from our ancestors. After each large-scale beast tide, the Soul Beast leave behind a trail of wounded. However, as long as we don't actively finish them off, the Soul Beast will send a special search and rescue team early the next morning to bring these companions back to the core area of Far North."
Yu Sanjin sighed and continued to explain, "This is also a delicate balance reached between humans and Soul Beast. If we were to kill these Soul Beast that have lost their fighting ability, what would come tomorrow wouldn't be a beast tide of this scale, but Far North coming out in full force. No one wants to live a life of mutual destruction, so this tacit understanding on the battlefield cannot be easily broken by anyone."
Gu Tian nodded, understanding dawning on his mind. This was the survival rule in extreme environments: leaving each other a way out was the only way to survive.
Listening to their conversation, Aria's golden eyes flashed with a faint sadness. Although she was the high and Light Dragon King, at her core, she, like these creatures, belonged to the Soul Beast lineage. Looking at her kin trembling in the wind and snow, a trace of pity ultimately welled up in the depths of her heart.
"Although I don't understand why you are so obsessed with attacking humans, as a dragon, I cannot watch lives slip away without dignity in the face of holy light."
Aria sighed, and her petite body soared into the sky. In mid-air, her magnificent golden spirit dress unfurled instantly, and six pairs of pure white, holy wings blotted out the sky.
Buzz--!
A massive golden sun rose slowly from Aria's center. Then, countless tiny, raindrop-like golden specks of light, carrying a sacred and warm aura, showered down upon the entire battlefield.
Bathed in this miraculous golden light, the dying Soul Beast suddenly felt a cool sensation from their wounds, their broken bones began to heal rapidly, and even their depleted life force was rekindled. Not only the Soul Beast, but also the wounded taxi drivers and Soul Master on the city wall were surprised to find that their fatigue had vanished and their internal ailments had miraculously healed.
"My goodness!" Yu Sanjin's eyes widened, his jaw almost hitting his feet, as he pointed at Aria in the sky and exclaimed, "Sect Master Gu, this Senior Aria... she's actually a combat healer?! This healing ability, I've lived most of my life and never seen anything like it!"
This was the first time Gu Tian had ever seen Aria unleash her full power of a wide-range healing spell. The pure, divine power of light he received gave him a sense of comfort on a spiritual level.
Chiyan, standing to the side, curled her lip, seemingly amused by Yu Sanjin's ignorance. Leaning against the battlement, her tone carried a hint of arrogance:
"Do you think she's called the Light Dragon King for nothing? Although this little girl is a cold and impartial judge in the Divine Realm, her other divine role is that of the guardian of the order of life. When it comes to healing abilities, in that Divine Realm, apart from the ancient Ancient Tree of Life life itself, the Life Goddess, no one dares to say they can definitely surpass her. Although she's not the kind of support character who stays in the back, when it comes to bringing the dead back to life, she's the true ancestor."
The Holy Light Baptism lasted for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, until all the wounded had calmed down. Only then did Aria fold her wings and gracefully descend from the sky.
The battlefield, though still a scene of devastation, had been replaced by a vibrant life force. Looking at Aria's slightly pale face, Gu Tian felt a warmth in his heart. This was truly a king beneath the Dragon God, majestic yet compassionate.
The golden light gradually faded on the snowfield, but that warm, sacred aura was etched into the depths of the souls of every Soul Beast.
The ice wolves, snow apes, and Ice Seal deer that had been lying on the ground groaning and had almost given up hope of survival now stood up shakily. They looked down at their wounds, which had mostly healed, and the scarlet blood in their eyes that had been caused by their ferocity faded, replaced by a clear and confused look.
Although they didn't understand what the golden light was, Soul Beast instinctive bloodline told them that this aura came from the supreme ruler of all beasts, from the supreme king of the dragon race.
Under the astonished gaze of the crowd, the hundreds of newly recovered Soul Beast did not immediately scatter. They turned around in unison, facing the direction where Aria was on the city wall. The enormous Soul Beast even knelt on their forelimbs, buried their heads deep in the snow, and bowed three times in utmost reverence towards Aria.
After bowing three times, the Soul Beast let out deep, grateful roars. Then, led by the lead Soul Beast, they quickly turned around, transformed into black afterimages, and disappeared into the end of the vast snowfield.
Lord Yu Sanjin stared in disbelief at the scene, rubbing his eyes hard, his voice trembling slightly:
"My goodness, Sect Master Gu, I've lived most of my life and this is the first time I've ever seen Soul Beast kowtow to a human! Could it be that these beasts were enlightened by the Holy Light just now? They even know who saved their lives! If this gets back to Heaven Dou City, I'm afraid even those writers who specialize in supernatural tales wouldn't be able to come up with such a ridiculous plot! Hahaha!"
In the atmosphere, they walked towards the city lord's mansion.