Chu Qing recalled the description in the Soul Beast Illustrated Handbook: crimson all over, several meters long, its body wreathed in flames and covered with strange red markings. A character resembling "king" marked its head, and a sword wound marred its back.
"Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord!" Chu Qing's pupils contracted. They said that every thousand years, another marking appeared on the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord's forehead. Only after four thousand years would the Flame Yellow Emperor Lord's markings form a "king" character. Could the soul beast before them really be four thousand years old?
At that moment, the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord had already pounced on the Azure Flowing Light Snake and was about to strike. It seemed to notice the two of them, but its face showed only disdain. It clearly wasn't worried they would attack.
"What a perfect opportunity! It's off guard right now. This is the best time for us to strike!"
"First Soul Skill, Flame Devouring Heaven Burning!" Chu Qing circulated his Soul Power, and one mass of black flames after another rose around him, roaring toward the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord. They moved at astonishing speed. Before it could react, they had already reached it.
At the same time, cracks split the ground, and scalding lava erupted from deep within the earth, surging straight toward the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord.
Flames tore wound after wound into its body. They didn't go out, but kept burning, steadily draining its vitality. Still, it was a four-thousand-year soul beast, and it ultimately endured that wave of attacks and launched a counterattack.
Scarlet flames shot from its mouth, hurtling toward Chu Qing and Ning Rongrong.
But Chu Qing didn't panic. Instead, he turned to Ning Rongrong and asked, "Do you want to fly?"
Ning Rongrong froze. "Fly? Shouldn't we be running for our lives right now? How are we supposed to fly?"
Chu Qing said nothing more. He slipped one arm around Ning Rongrong's petite body and circulated his Soul Power with the other. The two of them rose into the air, and the Mountain Lord's attacks all missed.
His first Soul Ring came from a bird-type soul beast, the Heaven-Burning Crane. Flying was nothing difficult for him.
Ning Rongrong stared blankly. She hadn't expected Chu Qing to have a trick like this!
When the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord saw Chu Qing flying, it beat the pair of wings at its sides and took to the air as well! It launched attack after attack at the two in the sky, but the flames lost their power the moment they met the Nihility Devouring Flame surrounding Chu Qing, and were absorbed.
"What a joke. I'm the sovereign of all flames! You think a little mortal fire can hurt me? Vanish alongside the true heavenly flames!"
Black flames burst forth from every direction with tremendous speed, engulfing the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord in an instant. For a moment, its form disappeared from view.
Even a four-thousand-year soul beast couldn't withstand the might of the Nihility Devouring Flame! Though it wasn't yet complete, it still exerted bloodline suppression over fire-type soul beasts.
Before long, the Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord's struggles ceased. It fell to the ground in agony. The Azure Flowing Light Snake it had pounced on was also on its last legs.
Holding Rongrong, Chu Qing slowly descended from the sky, ready to finish off the Mountain Lord with one strike. But an attack shot out from the nearby woods, and Chu Qing hurriedly pulled Rongrong aside.
"Heh heh heh. You've got some skill, young man. You've saved this old man a lot of trouble."
An old man in a black robe approached, his face sallow and dark, his whole body radiating a strange aura. A teenage boy followed behind him.
Chu Qing watched them warily. With his abilities, he couldn't see through the old man's strength. The man's cultivation was clearly far above his own, so he couldn't afford to let his guard down.
"Senior, I worked hard to hunt this Flame Sovereign Mountain Lord. I wonder if..." Chu Qing began tactfully.
Ning Rongrong, standing beside him, showed no fear. She stared at the old man with an air of defiance.
"What a joke. I've been tracking this Crimson Sovereign Mountain Lord for more than ten days. I injured its back long ago. Otherwise, do you think a mere level-twenty Soul Master like you could have killed a four-thousand-year soul beast so easily?" As he finished speaking, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he stared at them, his tone full of menace.
"Pah! You old bastard! Do you know who I am? Chu Qing was the one who defeated it. What gives you the right to butt in?!" As she spoke, she circulated her Soul Power, and a Seven-Colored Exquisite Pagoda appeared beside her.
Ning Rongrong looked at the old man with confidence, while Chu Qing's expression grew grave as he secretly gathered his strength. If Rongrong hadn't revealed who she was, they might still have had a chance to survive. Now that she'd revealed her identity, how could the old man possibly let them go?
Sure enough, the old man first froze at Ning Rongrong's words, then burst into laughter. "Even if I kill you right here, how would Ning Fengzhi know I did it?"
Without waiting for their reply, he circulated his Soul Power. A snake-shaped Martial Soul appeared behind him, with seven Soul Rings hovering around him. He was unmistakably a Soul Emperor!
Green Soul Power gathered into the shape of a venomous snake and shot straight toward the two of them. Knowing he couldn't dodge, Chu Qing could only risk everything. He concentrated all his Soul Power into a mass and raised it in front of them.
Ning Rongrong's face went white with fright. If she'd known things were this dangerous, she never should have sneaked out alone. And now she'd dragged this young man, who had saved her time and again, into danger too.
But the attack never came. A sharp sword aura instantly dispelled it.
"Hmph. A wanted ant, hiding away in the Shadow Swamp, and now you dare attack our little princess?" Two old men arrived together. One of them had dispelled the attack with a single casual gesture.
"Old Gu, protect Rongrong. I'll kill this pest!"
Bone Douluo nodded and stepped in front of them.
"Chen Xin, what are you doing here?" The old man looked bitter. He'd let anger cloud his judgment. The little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect was here; how could those two not be nearby?
"So those must be Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo," Chu Qing thought to himself.
"Hmph, no need for more words. Die!" Sword Douluo didn't say anything else. He swung his sword again, and the old man's head separated from his body in an instant. Even though he was a Soul Saint, he had no chance to fight back against this man.
The boy who'd accompanied him was now so terrified that he fell to his knees and begged for mercy.
Sword Douluo said nothing. He simply struck him down with another slash. Why should the descendant of a criminal be allowed to live?
After dealing with the two, he turned and looked Chu Qing up and down. Appreciation showed on his face. "Young man, very impressive!"
"Grandpa Sword!" Ning Rongrong rushed straight into Sword Douluo's arms.
"Grandpa Sword, Grandpa Bone, how did you know I was here? And listen, I owe so much to Brother Chu Qing this time. If it weren't for him..."
Then she chattered away, telling them everything that had happened over the past two days.
Chu Qing said nothing. He only watched them with a smile.
Sword Douluo interrupted her halfway through. "Rongrong, tell us the rest later. If you keep talking, you'll miss out on your Soul Ring!"