Wither-Glory Fire Dragon

Lin Yan turned toward the voice and saw an elderly man with a weathered face and graying temples, yet still standing tall and straight, slowly descending the hotel stairs.

Seeing the newcomer, Lin Yan's lips curved into a gentle smile as he called out, "Uncle Lin."

"Young Master, has everything been taken care of? Did the journey go smoothly?" Seeing that Lin Yan was safe and sound, the worry Uncle Lin had hidden in his eyes for days instantly vanished.

"Everything went smoothly. I made Uncle Lin worry."

As Lin Yan finished speaking, Uncle Lin arrived before him as well.

"As long as it went smoothly, as long as it went smoothly!" Uncle Lin raised a hand to stroke his gray-white beard, his expression gentle. "Young Master has traveled far and must be weary. This old servant has already prepared a room. Let us go upstairs and talk."

On the way upstairs, Lin Yan picked out a few things he could discuss and briefly told Uncle Lin about his previous experiences.

Uncle Lin's real name was Lin Shi. His martial soul was the defensive Rock Turtle, and he was now a level 63 Soul Emperor—the strongest person in the entire Lin Family.

However, although Uncle Lin bore the surname Lin, he was not actually a member of the Lin Family. He had merely been saved by Lin Yan's grandfather many years ago and had remained with the Lin Family to repay the debt of saving his life.

Although Uncle Lin had spent nearly half his life in the Lin Family and his loyalty was beyond question,

the matter of Electrolux was far too significant. Moreover, Lin Yan could not explain his series of seemingly prophetic actions, so he and Uncle Lin had split up earlier.

He had gone to guard "Hao" and wait for "Yi," while Uncle Lin had headed to the Ten Thousand Fire Mountains first to investigate and confirm the exact information regarding their soul beast target.

As for the Lin Family Lin Yan belonged to, it was merely a viscount family in the Heaven Dou Empire with a heritage of less than two hundred years.

Lin Yan's parents in this life had passed away when he was five years old—killed by an Evil Soul Master!

At that thought, a cluster of savage cold flames ignited in Lin Yan's eyes, and his gaze turned icy.

Just wait!

Sooner or later, he would settle this blood debt piece by piece and repay it a hundredfold, a thousandfold!

The room Uncle Lin had reserved was on the second floor, and the two arrived there shortly afterward.

After taking their seats, Lin Yan went straight to the point. "Uncle Lin, have you found the target soul beast we identified earlier?"

At the mention of business, Uncle Lin's expression turned solemn as he replied in a deep voice, "I did not fail my mission! This old servant located its nest the day before yesterday and has been watching it in secret ever since."

Lin Yan nodded slightly, anticipation flickering in his eyes. "In that case, we should not delay. Delays breed complications. At dawn tomorrow, we set out to hunt the soul beast at once!"

Afterward, the two briefly settled several matters requiring attention for the next day's hunt. Uncle Lin then bowed in farewell and left the room.

With only Lin Yan left in the room, he absently spun an exquisite porcelain cup between his fingers as he pondered to himself: What kind of soul skill will I get this time?

Thinking of his outrageously overpowered and formidable first two soul skills, Lin Yan could not help feeling a surge of excitement.

The next morning, the scorching, barren Ten Thousand Fire Mountains, perpetually shrouded in smoke and flames, welcomed two outsiders.

"Young Master, that thing is not far ahead."

Unlike the surrounding lands of scorched earth where not a blade of grass could grow, this place was sparsely covered in black trees resembling withered wood, though life force lay hidden deep within them.

Lin Yan nodded slightly. In tacit understanding, the two lightened their steps and carefully moved forward.

The deeper they went, the denser the black ancient trees became. Halfway through, the view ahead suddenly opened up, and a massive cave came into sight.

Inside the cave lay a huge dragon with a long, agile body. Its entire body was covered in cracked, rough dragon scales like dead tree bark, all a dull grayish-brown. The dragon slept on the ground, and with every breath, tiny sparks spilled from its nostrils and mouth, radiating searing heat.

This was the target of their journey—the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon!

The Wither-Glory Fire Dragon was an exceptionally rare top-tier draconic beast, primarily fire-attributed and secondarily life-attributed. Its innate dragon flame, the Wither-Bloom Fire, was especially strange. It could plunder the life force of all things, feed it back into itself, and heal its wounds, making it extremely troublesome.

Of course, there was an even more important reason Lin Yan had chosen this soul beast for his third soul ring—the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon had once possessed a glorious lineage!

According to an ancient text Lin Yan had collected, the dragon blood within the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon could be traced back to the Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon clan of ancient times.

Legend had it that Calamity Flame Ancient Dragons were powerful dragons from ancient times who controlled the power of fire calamities. From birth, every Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon naturally mastered a type of calamity fire, and according to the calamity fire they were born with, many clan branches emerged.

The dragon blood possessed by the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon came from one such branch—the Wither-Bloom Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon. However, pure-blooded Calamity Flame Ancient Dragons had long since gone extinct for unknown reasons, and even the subspecies that had been passed down were exceedingly rare.

Lin Yan had only obtained information about this Wither-Glory Fire Dragon through a fortunate coincidence. After sending people to investigate and confirm its age and abilities, he had chosen it as the target for his third soul ring.

If he could truly follow the bloodline connection back to its source and obtain that legendary ability of the Calamity Flame Ancient Dragon, then in synergy with his first two soul skills, both his strength and foundation would undergo another qualitative leap!

"Young Master, this Wither-Glory Fire Dragon is already over seven thousand years old. Once the battle begins, this old servant may be unable to attend to your safety."

"Uncle Lin, fight without restraint. You know my current strength. There is no need to worry."

Hearing this, Uncle Lin recalled his young master's terrifying combat power far beyond his realm. The tightly wound string in his heart relaxed slightly, and a gratified smile appeared in his eyes. His young master was a true peerless genius!

"Good! Then this old servant will give it his all, end this quickly, and capture this soul beast for Young Master as soon as possible!"

The instant he finished speaking, Uncle Lin shot forward. Thick, boundless Soul Power exploded from within his body!

A tide of earth-yellow Soul Power swept in all directions as six soul rings rose around him in succession—two yellow, two purple, and two black—bringing with them an overwhelming, heavy pressure.

A deep, resonant turtle cry shook the surroundings as the heavy, ancient Rock Turtle martial soul instantly possessed his body.

As Uncle Lin's first soul ring lit up, a layer of rough, heavy grayish-brown rock armor covered his entire body. Interwoven stone patterns spread across it as though cast from solid bedrock, and an aura of extreme heaviness swept outward.

Immediately afterward, his second soul skill activated. A massive rock shield several meters wide condensed before him, its surface carved with intricate turtle patterns. Thick and solid, it floated at his side, steadily protecting him.

Within the cave, the sleeping Wither-Glory Fire Dragon was abruptly awakened by the Soul Power fluctuations outside!

Boom!

Its enormous dragon body suddenly stretched out, dull grayish-brown scales trembling layer upon layer. Streams of grayish-green Wither-Bloom Fire burst from the cracks in its scales, and the moment they struck the ground, they scorched the black rocks until they hissed with smoke, wantonly plundering all surrounding life force.

The once-dead cave was instantly engulfed by violent dragon might, while rolling heat waves swept across the entire forest.

The Wither-Glory Fire Dragon's vertical pupils glowed crimson as it locked onto the charging Uncle Lin. Its massive body swung fiercely, then lunged straight at him amid surging heat. Its jaws opened, and a thick, majestic breath of grayish-green dragon fire tore through the air, carrying a bizarre power that devoured life force as it blasted directly toward Uncle Lin's face!

"Third Soul Skill—Earth Rock Impact!"

Uncle Lin remained steady as he stomped heavily on the ground, pouring his thick Soul Power into the earth.

In an instant, the ground within ten meters violently bulged upward. Dozens of sharp rock spikes burst from the earth, charging upward in overlapping waves and smashing fiercely into the Wither-Bloom Dragon Fire sweeping through the air.

Rock and fire collided, erupting in an earthshaking roar!

Scorching shockwaves exploded outward. The surrounding black trees instantly lost all life and burned to ashes, while the hard mountain rocks cracked apart layer by layer and turned to powder.

The Wither-Glory Fire Dragon possessed astonishing brute strength. The physique of a top-tier draconic beast crushed soul masters of the same rank. Borrowing the impact of the exploding flames, its enormous body suddenly dove downward, dragon claws carrying the force of a thousand jun as they tore through the air and slammed viciously into Uncle Lin's rock shield.

A crisp, grating crack rang out, and fine fractures instantly spread across the sturdy rock shield.

"Fourth Soul Skill—Turtle Mountain Prison Suppression!"

The fourth purple soul ring suddenly flashed. Behind Uncle Lin, the phantom of an ancient Rock Turtle several zhang tall emerged. Its body was heavy as a mountain, covering the entire airspace as vast suppressive force descended, tightly binding the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon's body and forcefully halting its attack.

Man and dragon instantly became locked in fierce combat.

The seven-thousand-year Wither-Glory Fire Dragon excelled in both offense and defense. Its Wither-Bloom Fire could burn all things and devour life force. Every time the flames swept across the battlefield, Uncle Lin had to defend carefully to avoid being burned by the pervasive Wither-Bloom Fire and having his life force stolen away.

However, as a veteran Soul Emperor, Uncle Lin possessed extremely rich combat experience. Relying on the ultimate defense of his Rock Turtle martial soul, he advanced and retreated with measured precision, using defense as offense. With his solid defenses, he forcibly withstood the fire dragon's savage assault while continuously searching for openings to counterattack.

After dozens of exchanges, the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon remained unable to break through. Its already limited intelligence was completely consumed by its violent beastly nature, and it grew increasingly enraged.

After one brutal charge, its center was left completely exposed, revealing a fatal opening in its chest and abdomen.

Uncle Lin's gaze sharpened as he seized that fleeting opportunity. His fifth black soul ring blazed to life!

"Fifth Soul Skill—Cracking Rock Raging Wave!"

Vast earth-attributed Soul Power erupted wildly. Centered on Uncle Lin, surging, heavy waves of rock swept outward, crashing layer upon layer into the Wither-Glory Fire Dragon's chest and abdomen.

Its hard dragon scales shattered at once. Crimson dragon blood burst forth and splashed across the ground, the scorching blood igniting scattered sparks the instant it landed.

Agonizing pain swept through its entire body. The Wither-Glory Fire Dragon trembled violently and threw back its head, releasing a miserable dragon roar that echoed through the mountains!

The dragon's cry was sharp and violent, rapidly spreading throughout the entire Ten Thousand Fire Mountains.