"Greetings, my lord!"
As the words fell, the Scarlet King stood silently beside Cao Longyan in human form, along with the other four Guardian Spirits. He wore a crimson outfit, and his features were handsome, but he was much shorter than the other four Guardian Spirits—no taller than an ordinary person. Among the towering Guardian Spirits, he stood out like a sore thumb.
Xu Chu was the first to crack, grinning as he spoke with a mocking tone.
"I've gotta say, your human form is pretty pathetic. At that height, you don't even reach my knees."
Dian Wei nodded along.
"Exactly. Give it a few years, and even our lord will have outgrown you."
Xiahou Dun stood with his arms crossed, a playful smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Maybe he just hasn't gotten used to his Guardian Spirit form yet. Who knows? He might still have room to grow."
Xiahou Yuan joined in the teasing.
"Don't worry. Stick close to our lord and soak up more Hellfire. Maybe you'll grow a little taller."
The Guardian Spirits traded barbs, and their laughter made the Scarlet King's face flush red, then darken. His fists clenched tight, and Soul Power rippled around him.
Seeing this, Di Tian couldn't resist joining in. A smile played on his lips as he teased, "Scarlet King, I never expected your human form as a Guardian Spirit to look like this after your sacrifice. You're a lot cuter than you used to be."
The Scarlet King took a deep breath and said nothing. He only swept a cold glance over them all, a hint of defiance flashing in his eyes.
He couldn't be bothered to waste words on these guys. He'd use his strength to slap them in the face.
He moved, and crimson Soul Power exploded around him. Blinding red light enveloped his body as a vast dragon's might quietly spread outward.
"Just watch. I'll show you my true power, and we'll see if you can still laugh!"
As the words fell, the Scarlet King's body rapidly swelled. Crimson fur emerged from beneath his skin, and his head split into three. Each head bore sharp dragon horns, and its eyes were red as flames. Hard crimson scales covered his body, a pair of enormous dragon wings sprouted from his back, and his limbs grew thick and powerful, tipped with razor-sharp claws.
The Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff had undergone a complete transformation under the baptism of Cao Longyan's Hellfire and the Fire Dragon King's bloodline!
Its thin trace of true dragon blood had fully awakened. The Three-Headed Red Demon Mastiff had evolved into the Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Dragon!
Its enormous body filled most of the palace. Its three heads roared together, shaking heaven and earth. Its dragon's might surged, several times stronger than before, while scorching heat swept across the area, warping the air itself.
The others, who had been teasing him moments ago, froze. Their smiles vanished, replaced by stunned expressions.
Xu Chu and Dian Wei cried out in surprise.
"I never expected our lord's Hellfire to do more than upgrade our armor. It can help him undergo a complete transformation too!"
Di Tian and Gu Yuena were the most shocked.
Di Tian trembled, staring at the Scarlet King's true form in utter astonishment. "That's true dragon blood—purer than my own! And that flame is Ultimate Fire!"
Gu Yuena's brows drew together slightly, surprise and keen interest flashing in her eyes.
She could clearly sense the pure, domineering true dragon blood and Ultimate Fire within the Scarlet King. And all of it was because of Cao Longyan.
Her gaze fixed firmly on Cao Longyan.
Perhaps she really had made the right choice...
Transformed into a Three-Headed Scarlet Demon Dragon, the Scarlet King felt the surging power within him. All three heads wore smug expressions as he looked down at the others.
Now, did they still dare mock him?
But before he could enjoy his triumph for long, Xiahou Dun spoke first, his tone still teasing.
"Oh, you evolved into a dragon? Not bad, not bad. With a body that big, you'll make the perfect mount for us. We've ridden horses before, but never a dragon!"
Xiahou Yuan laughed and chimed in.
"Hahaha! Being dragon riders would be so impressive!"
Xu Chu and Dian Wei nodded in agreement.
The Scarlet King was dumbstruck.
What? Why weren't they following the usual script?!
"You're asking for death!"
Coming to his senses, the Scarlet King flew into a rage. All three heads spat scorching dragon breath at Xiahou Dun and the others.
"Even if I die, I'll never be your mount! If I'm going to carry anyone, it'll be our lord. You four can forget about it!"
Xiahou Dun and the others were ready for a fight too, weapons in hand.
Seeing this, Cao Longyan couldn't help laughing. He raised a hand to stop the five of them, who were ready to clash.
"Enough. The Scarlet King and all of you generals are my Guardian Spirits. You'll have to get along from now on."
At Cao Longyan's words, the Scarlet King gradually calmed down. He gave Xiahou Dun and the others a defiant snort and stopped breathing fire, though he continued to glare at them fiercely.
Just then, a faint but intensely cold aura drifted over from the forest behind them.
A large silkworm, white as jade and marked with ten golden lines, appeared. Its golden eyes stood out beneath the tree's shade.
It was Sky Dream Ice Silkworm!
Drawn by the immense spiritual power that had erupted when Cao Longyan broke through and awakened, he had broken through the seal Di Tian and the others had just placed on him. He had secretly followed them all the way here, and had happened to witness the entire process of the Scarlet King's sacrifice and transformation into a Guardian Spirit.
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm's round body wriggled up to Cao Longyan and the others. He stared fixedly at Cao Longyan, his eyes brimming with longing and excitement. He didn't even spare Di Tian and Gu Yuena a glance.
It wasn't that he couldn't spare them a glance. He simply didn't dare.
He had a million years of cultivation, but all he knew how to do was eat and sleep. He had no ability to fight back against other powerful Soul Beasts and could only let them slaughter him.
He didn't want to die like that, and he wasn't willing to become their meal. So he had thought of attaching himself to a human.
And now, at long last, his chance had come. He had to seize it!
Cao Longyan's powerful spiritual strength, his heaven-defying talent, and the new life the Scarlet King had gained through his sacrifice all filled Sky Dream Ice Silkworm with longing.
"Human boy!"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm spoke, his voice tinged with urgency and excitement.
"I saw the Scarlet King sacrifice himself to become your Guardian Spirit. I want to do the same! I'm a million-year-old Sky Dream Ice Silkworm, and I'm no weaker than the Scarlet King! I'm willing to sacrifice myself too and become your Guardian Spirit!"
Cao Longyan looked at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm with a complicated expression.
Had he just stolen another of Huo Yuhao's opportunities?! No, what would Huo Yuhao have left at this rate?! Was Tang San's chosen child of destiny going to be cut short before he'd even begun?!
Di Tian frowned.
"Big bug, how did you get out?"
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm ignored Di Tian and kept his eyes fixed eagerly on Cao Longyan.
He knew that if Cao Longyan agreed, Di Tian wouldn't dare do anything to him. After all, even the Silver Dragon King was on Cao Longyan's side.
With a thought, Cao Longyan entered his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness and asked Electrolux, "Elder Yi, can Sky Dream Ice Silkworm become my Guardian Spirit?"
Electrolux's spiritual form slowly appeared. He looked even more transparent than before, clearly having expended a great deal of strength to help the Scarlet King become a Guardian Spirit.
Electrolux nodded.
"Yes, but he'll be your wisdom Guardian Spirit. He'll be a great help to your spiritual power and growth. Longyan, tell him he can begin."
Cao Longyan left his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness and nodded at Sky Dream Ice Silkworm.
"All right..."
Sky Dream Ice Silkworm immediately grew so excited that he wriggled his round body wildly.
The next second, before Cao Longyan could finish speaking, his silkworm body vanished, turning into a streak of blue light that entered the space between Cao Longyan's brows.
Seriously, that was way too fast...
At the same time, a million-year Head Soul Bone, white as jade and radiating immense spiritual power and icy coldness, slowly floated toward Cao Longyan's head, ready to fuse with him.
The moment the million-year Spirit Head Bone entered his body, Cao Longyan closed his eyes. His mind felt suddenly clear as immense spiritual power swept through him. His Spiritual Sea of Consciousness expanded dramatically, and the Soul Power agitation left behind by his breakthrough finally settled.
His spiritual power instantly rose to an unprecedented level, far beyond that of other Soul Masters at the same rank—even surpassing that of an ordinary Soul Saint!
His four Soul Rings changed along with it...
Before Cao Longyan opened his eyes, Electrolux looked at him from within his Sea of Consciousness and spoke slowly.
"Longyan, I've expended too much of my soul power this time. I'll have to fall into a deep sleep. I hope..."
Before Electrolux could finish, his spiritual form vanished completely. He turned back into the light orb and fell into a deep slumber.
Warmth filled Cao Longyan's heart. He bowed slightly toward the orb.
"Thank you, Elder Yi. I won't let you down."
Inside the fireball, a hazy Warlord silhouette gave the light orb a slight nod and cast it an appreciative glance.
Electrolux... you've successfully caught my attention!
Douluo God Realm
Tang San: "Why is the light of my chosen child of destiny already about to go out?! No, I'll have to step in and interfere..."
Before you continue