"I can't go on... I can't go on. Let's rest for a while." Guang Ling was covered in wounds. Clutching his arm, he slumped beneath a large tree.
What kind of hellish place was this?
They had searched for two whole days. They hadn't found Cen Yu, and to make matters worse, they had run into no fewer than ten Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts.
If they'd run into one or two under normal circumstances, they could have fought them. But in this hellish place, one kept coming after another, and they hadn't been able to fight back at all.
If they hadn't run fast, they'd probably be dead by now.
Seeing this, Azure Luan let out a helpless sigh. "But we still haven't found Xiao Yu. This place is so dangerous. He probably can't handle it alone."
"We need to keep pushing and find her as soon as possible."
Although Cen Yu had that Ghost Bride protecting him, she probably couldn't fend off attacks from this many Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts either.
Besides, who knew whether there were even stronger beings here?
"I'm saying..."
Just then, Azure Luan's eyes narrowed. He grabbed Guang Ling and darted sideways out of the way.
BOOM!
The next second, a massive fireball dropped from the sky and slammed into the spot where Guang Ling had just been resting.
With a deafening roar, the ground was blasted into a deep, charred pit.
Even the trees nearby caught fire. In moments, the whole area had become a sea of flames.
"What?!" Guang Ling stared up at the sky in shock. "Who's there?! Show yourself! What kind of skill is it to attack from hiding?!"
If Third Brother hadn't pulled him out of the way just now, that blow would have left him gravely wounded!
As soon as Guang Ling finished speaking, a cold snort rang out. "Hah... You actually managed to dodge that?"
As it spoke, flames gathered from every direction.
In an instant, a terrifying pressure that made even their souls tremble descended, pinning Azure Luan and Guang Ling to the ground.
When they looked up, both of them were stunned by what they saw.
The being in the sky wasn't some other Soul Beast. It was a fox with seven tails, its entire body wrapped in raging flames.
Guang Ling stared in disbelief. "What is that...?"
Damn, was there a Soul Beast like this species on the Douluo Continent???
No, that wasn't the most important thing.
The important thing was, how many tens of thousands of years old was this Soul Beast?! Its aura felt about as powerful as the Great Enshrined's...
Looking down at the two stunned men, the Seven-Tailed Fire Fox spoke contemptuously. "You mere humans dare trespass in my clan's home?"
In an instant, terrifying waves of fire spread out in rings from its body.
"Now, tell me. How did you get here, and what are your intentions?"
"If you're even the slightest bit dishonest, I'll have no choice but to turn you both into ashes."
Elsewhere.
Unlike the situation with Azure Luan and the others, Cen Yu and the White Fox had found that neither of them meant the other any harm, and talked at length.
The White Fox felt a strange hatred for the Asura God, so by the end, the two of them had become like old friends who'd found each other far too late.
"So you're the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox carved on that tombstone? This is Tushan, destroyed by a calamity and then reborn?"
No wonder this place looked so strange. It had a feeling that was both familiar and unfamiliar.
Tushan Zhaoli nodded, her expression a little forlorn. "This is the last refuge of my clan. I'm the current ruler of the Tushan line."
"Sadly, of the three great royal clans, only I and one Seven-Tailed Fire Red Fox remain."
At that, she gave a self-mocking smile. "Hah... That so-called calamity was nothing but the handiwork of some god king in the heavens."
"My Tushan clan was powerful. How could an ordinary natural disaster have brought us to this?"
Cen Yu nodded in agreement. "Given the power gods wield, creating a natural disaster would indeed be easy."
There hadn't been so much as a mention of an earthquake on the Douluo Continent for thousands of years, then one just happened to strike Spirit City after they dealt with Tang San and Tang Hao.
No matter how he looked at it, there was no way to make sense of that.
"By the way, what are you? Soul Beasts, or something else? Why does your aura feel so unusual?"
"I've never seen a Soul Beast like you on the Douluo Continent."
"Soul Beasts? Are those what the Soul Rings on your body come from?"
After thinking for a moment, Tushan Zhaoli shook her head. "I'm not a Soul Beast. I'm the last Nine-Tailed Sky Fox remaining in this world—a divine beast."
"As for these 'Soul Beasts' you mentioned..." She thought for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "I think someone may have changed the laws of the Douluo Continent."
"In ancient times, Soul Masters could cultivate on their own. They didn't need to rely on outside forces."
"But now, Soul Masters have to hunt Soul Beasts and obtain Soul Rings to break through. I think that's why Soul Beasts became what they are."
"From what I can see, though, my clan wasn't affected because we were hidden away here."
Just then, a terrifying blaze erupted in the distance.
The fox and the human looked in that direction.
Suddenly, Tushan Zhaoli realized something was wrong. She used her power to lift Cen Yu and hurried toward the blaze.
Before the young man could react, he was already in the air.
He asked in confusion, "What happened? Is someone fighting over there? Could it be my companions?"
At that, the corner of Tushan Zhaoli's mouth twitched. She replied guiltily, "That attack just now came from the Seven-Tailed Fire Red Fox I mentioned, Tushan Jinci."
"If nothing unexpected has happened, the three of you are the only ones who entered this world. There's no one else."
She just hoped Aci wouldn't go too far and kill them. The little fellow might be able to help Tushan.
If she went and killed his companions right off the bat, things would be hard to settle...
Tushan Jinci stared coldly at the two men below, both covered in wounds.
"Humans! You're asking for death!"
In an instant, its seven scarlet tails began to sway. Wild streams of fire appeared out of nowhere, then spiraled through the air.
"You're nothing but a pair of ants, yet you dare lie to my face and court death!"
As soon as the words fell, Tushan Jinci whipped its tails.
BANG!
Instantly, the streams of fire in the sky turned into several terrifying pillars of flame and hurtled straight toward Guang Ling and Azure Luan.
Seeing this, Azure Luan's pupils contracted.
His Soul Power was already spent... and with his current injuries, there was no way he could block this attack.
So this was the end... He only regretted betraying the Great Enshrined's trust by failing to protect Cen Yu...
At the final moment, Azure Luan clenched his teeth and used the last scrap of strength left in his body to shove Guang Ling hard away from him.
"Fifth, run! Stay alive!"
Guang Ling hit the ground some distance away. Before he could react, the pillars of flame had already come crashing down.
BOOM!!!
"No!!!"
He cried out in anguish. "Third Brother!"
It was all because he'd tried to save him... Third Brother had...
Suddenly, Guang Ling looked sharply up at Tushan Jinci, the aura around him growing violently turbulent.
"Beast! Even if I have to self-destruct, I'll make sure you die with Third Brother!"
Before you continue