Five Titled Experts?! (Seeking Recommendations)

Jiang Lin did not have high expectations for himself; provided he played it safe, he wanted at least fifteen thousand years.

On the eighth day of entering the Sunset Forest, Tang Yuan suddenly stopped, closed his eyes to sense the surroundings for a moment, and pointed toward the north.

"In that direction, there is the aura of a beast with lightning attributes. The aura is not weak."

The three of them quietly crept over.

Passing through an ancient forest shrouded in mist, the path ahead suddenly opened up.

It was a circular valley, the surrounding rock walls covered in scorch marks from lightning strikes. The vegetation in the valley had withered, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of ozone.

In the center of the valley, a Purple Lightning Mad Lion nearly four meters in size was lowering its head to tear into a beast it had just hunted.

Its mane was a deep, near-black purple, and every strand crackled with arcs of electricity as thick as a little finger. Its four giant claws were embedded deep into the ground, and the purple current erupting from its tips spread across the earth, grinding any gravel it touched into powder.

Jiang Lin's eyelids twitched.

The pressure radiating from this Purple Lightning Mad Lion alone was not in the same league as the two-thousand-five-hundred-year-old cub from before.

Every breath it took was accompanied by a dull rumble of thunder, and the surrounding air crackled and popped under the impact of the electrical current.

Elder Chen lowered his voice, his tone carrying a hint of undisguised surprise: "This one... is at least twenty-five thousand years old."

Jiang Lin slowly tightened his grip on the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd. The three blood-colored patterns on the shaft lit up on their own as if sensing prey, emitting a dark red glow in the dim light.

"Eight days," he stared at the behemoth in the valley, the corners of his mouth finally curling up, "it was worth it."

Standing at the edge of the circular valley, Jiang Lin had already summoned his martial soul, looking down at the twenty-five-thousand-year-old Purple Lightning Mad Lion below.

He tightened his grip on the halberd, his knuckles tapping a silent rhythm against the shaft.

Eight days of searching and countless disappointing detours had finally led to a prey worth striking.

"Uncle Tang, do it."

Tang Yuan did not respond, merely taking a step forward.

With just that single step, the rock beneath his feet silently buckled into a footprint an inch deep, and a suffocating pressure poured into the valley like a tidal wave.

Nine soul rings lit up around him. The blinding red soul ring at the end flashed for only an instant before being retracted—to deal with a twenty-five-thousand-year-old beast, there was no need to use his full strength.

The Purple Lightning Mad Lion jerked its head up, its dark purple mane standing on end as blinding purple lightning erupted from its body.

It sensed the threat; instinct drove it into combat mode immediately. The muscles in its limbs surged, and it let out a heaven-shaking roar from its blood-stained maw. The sound waves, wrapped in electrical arcs, spread outward in a ring, grinding the already withered vegetation in the valley into dust.

Then, it lunged.

Its twenty-five-thousand-year cultivation granted it the power to shatter mountain rock. Its giant claws swiped down from mid-air with destructive lightning, moving so fast that it left five purple afterimages in the air.

"Heh, not only do you not run, but you actually attack me..."

Tang Yuan sneered, then raised his hand, the Clear Sky Hammer appearing in his grasp.

With a light swing of the hammer, a condensed soul power imprint manifested out of thin air and slapped against the Purple Lightning Mad Lion's chest with effortless ease.

The sound was as dull as a beating drum. The Purple Lightning Mad Lion's charge came to an abrupt halt, its massive body flying backward like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the rock wall and creating a crater several yards deep.

Gravel fell like rain. The Purple Lightning Mad Lion struggled to crawl out of the pit, the blood spilling from its mouth staining the mane on its chest purple. The arcs of electricity on its limbs flickered weakly, no longer possessing their former might.

A Title Douluo against a ten-thousand-year beast was, by nature, a dimensional strike.

What's more, Tang Yuan was no ordinary Title Douluo.

Elder Chen provided a follow-up soul power restraint from the flank. The phantom of a Three-Eyed Fire Leopard flashed behind him, and chains formed of flame pinned the Purple Lightning Mad Lion firmly to the shattered wall.

Jiang Lin walked forward, holding the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd, the blood-red light flowing along the blade as he aimed it at the center of the Purple Lightning Mad Lion's brow.

As long as this halberd descended, a twenty-five-thousand-year black soul ring would be his.

Just then, Tang Yuan suddenly moved.

Without warning, he flashed in front of Jiang Lin, releasing his previously restrained aura in an instant. His nine soul rings lit up once more, and that red hundred-thousand-year soul ring bloomed with blinding blood-red light, no longer held back.

At the same time, a similarly massive wave of soul power surged from the southeast of the valley—not one, but two.

Title Douluo.

And more than one.

Elder Chen's expression changed instantly. His Three-Eyed Fire Leopard martial soul was fully released as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Tang Yuan, their auras weaving into a barrier to shield Jiang Lin behind them.

The air in the valley seemed to freeze at that moment. The auras of four Title Douluo collided silently; even the dying Purple Lightning Mad Lion instinctively stopped struggling.

Jiang Lin's hand, gripping the Blood Fiend Divine Thunder Halberd, froze.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over Tang Yuan's shoulder toward the southeast, the blood-red light in his eyes flickering slightly.

"Uncle Tang, who is coming?"

Tang Yuan did not look back, but his voice had returned to its usual indifference: "Two Title Douluo. As for who exactly... I don't recognize them."

After Tang Yuan finished speaking, he looked at Elder Chen.

Elder Chen also shook his head. "Don't look at this old man; I don't recognize them either."

Title Douluo?

Coming to the Sunset Forest at a time like this?

Title Douluo do not need spirit rings, so it is highly likely they are bringing a junior here to obtain one.

But at this time, who could it be?

Jiang Lin pondered who might need a spirit ring during this period and have two Title Douluo acting as guardians.

Ning Rongrong of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

No, that shouldn't be it; given their doting nature toward Ning Rongrong, they would most likely capture the spirit beast alive and bring it back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Furthermore, it is impossible for Ning Fengzhi to dispatch both Sword and Bone Douluo at the same time.

Then... it can only be her...

Jiang Lin's eyes flickered as he looked down at the dying Purple Lightning Mad Lion at his feet.

"Let's go first. We'll go take a look after I finish absorbing the spirit ring."

Once Jiang Lin guessed who the other party was, he naturally had no reason to fear them.

With Tang Yuan's level 98 cultivation standing there, there was no way he would be intimidated.

However, since the Purple Lightning Mad Lion was currently on its last breath, his fourth spirit ring was more important.

Immediately, Jiang Lin first finished off the Purple Lightning Mad Lion with a strike of his halberd, then dragged its carcass away, intending to leave the area.

He finished it off to ensure it wouldn't expire immediately; after all, only the person who lands the final blow can absorb the spirit ring.

The other party also seemed to sense that Jiang Lin's side was not to be trifled with, so they did not proactively approach.

Thus, both sides maintained a tacit understanding, neither provoking the other.

Just as Jiang Lin and his companion were moving further and further away from the others, a sudden change occurred!

The balance of the tacit understanding between the two sides was instantly disrupted.

Because... a fifth Title Douluo had appeared!

His aura manifested within the sensory range of both parties simultaneously!