Storm War Dragon

"Must I really go?" Lin Yi looked up at the white clouds in the sky. Each cloud had a mind of its own, shifting into whatever shape it desired with the passing breeze.

He, however, was different. Though he was a legend across the entire Douluo Continent, his every move was dictated by the system.

If there was something he did not want to do but the system demanded, he had no choice but to comply. Even though they shared a mutually beneficial relationship, he still felt a deep sense of discomfort in his heart.

"System: Quest assistance, Aurora Shield available for acquisition."

The system's voice rang out once more. This time, however, Lin Yi did not find it heartless. While Ghost Sorrow Cliff was a living hell, the Aurora Shield could protect the human body from the ravages of magma.

The Storm War Dragon was a soul beast, after all. Even if it could move through magma with ease, with the shield, he would be able to slay it just the same.

Lin Yi returned to the inn, ecstatic, wanting to share the good news with Pei Qinhu and the others so they would stop worrying about him. Yet, when he pushed open the door, he found not a soul inside.

"Pei Qinhu!" Lin Yi shouted. He searched every room, but they were nowhere to be found.

A bad premonition welled up within him. Lin Yi suddenly felt a suffocating tightness in his chest, as if a thousand-ton stone were pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

"Where could they have gone?" Lin Yi muttered, head bowed. A sudden thought flashed through his mind, sending cold sweat down his back. "They couldn't possibly have..."

Lin Yi used a soul skill to float into the sky. Sure enough, he spotted three figures in the distance, and the direction they were heading was none other than Ghost Sorrow Cliff.

"Damn it." He cursed under his breath and slapped his thigh hard. Even he found the Storm War Dragon difficult to deal with; weren't these three just walking to their deaths?

Lin Yi gave chase with all his might, but he had no idea how long they had been traveling, and to his surprise, he could not catch up.

It turned out that after he left, the three had decided to subdue the Storm War Dragon on his behalf. Even if they couldn't defeat it, by attacking together, they could at least exhaust the beast's stamina, making it easier for him to finish it off when he arrived.

The trio reached a point a few dozen miles from Ghost Sorrow Cliff. Even here, they could feel the intense heat; one could only imagine that if they actually entered, they might be scorched to ash.

"Are you both ready?" Pei Qinhu asked, his gaze shifting from the distance to the two beside him.

Zhang Linlang stared blankly at the scenery before her. Even though they were still so far from Ghost Sorrow Cliff, the land was already barren. When they had arrived, the sky was overcast, and they had even felt a chill in their bodies.

But here, despite the sky remaining gloomy, they were drenched in sweat, and they could even see the heat waves rolling in the space ahead of them.

"Ready." Huang Ruolin nodded. Though she was young, she understood the importance of gratitude and repaying kindness.

Ignoring the social norms of physical contact between men and women, the three held hands tightly and marched forward, as if to demonstrate their resolve to face death.

As they neared Ghost Sorrow Cliff, the three were severely dehydrated from the baking heat of the magma. Zhang Linlang, having only recently regained consciousness, had pale lips and swayed as she walked.

"Linlang!" Seeing the person beside her collapse, Huang Ruolin reflexively reached out to catch her, but she was too weak herself, and both of them tumbled to the ground.

A sizzling sound rose from the earth. As they lay there, they tried to get up but found their bodies devoid of strength, forced to let their skin be scorched by the burning ground.

"Ruolin! Linlang!" Pei Qinhu was a man, and his constitution was naturally stronger. Seeing them fall, he rushed forward to help them up.

There were marks on the ground where their clothes had been singed. Pei Qinhu checked their wounds and found their arms burned and their bodies severely dehydrated.

"This won't do. If we keep going like this, you'll be dead before we even reach Ghost Sorrow Cliff." He frowned, his voice raspy, his own lips cracked from dehydration. "Go back. I can still hold on."

"No! We came together, we leave together!" Huang Ruolin shouted, grabbing Pei Qinhu's hand as he prepared to use a soul skill to send them away.

Just as the three were struggling, a black figure appeared not far behind them.

"You three really don't take me seriously, do you? Leaving me behind and coming here on your own!"

Lin Yi had appeared behind them at some point. Seeing their frail states, he felt a pang of heartache, though his words remained sharp.

"Alliance Leader Lin, we only wanted to help you share your burden."

The three wanted to salute, but the scorching ground was enough to melt their soles, so they could only manage a simple bow.

"Is this how you share my burden? You're clearly just creating more trouble for me!" He roared, sliding his hands toward them, and several shimmering protective shields manifested around the trio.

Feeling the heat vanish and even a hint of coolness, the three looked gratefully at the cold-faced Lin Yi and bowed once more.

"I'll deal with you when we get back!" Lin Yi said, using a soul skill to lift the three high into the air. He was uninjured, but he saw the cracked skin on their faces—a sign of severe dehydration.

Back home, Lin Yi placed the three on their respective beds and arranged for others to care for them before preparing to hunt for the Storm War Dragon.

According to his latest intelligence, while the Storm War Dragon had appeared at Ghost Sorrow Cliff, it was not currently there. Instead, it was in the heart of the Star Dou Great Forest, deep within the lake where the Azure Bull Python resided.

Not to mention that the Azure Bull Python was a soul beast over a hundred thousand years old, the Storm War Dragon was in the water. If it unleashed its soul skills, wouldn't every soul beast in the lake suffer?

"System Notification: Twelve hours remaining for the quest."

The system's prompt echoed in his mind. Lin Yi was frantic, not knowing what to do. He didn't know what the reward for success would be, but he knew that if he failed, he would certainly never be able to go home.

"I can't worry about that anymore." Lin Yi roared and activated his soul skill, arriving at the Star Dou Great Forest.

Standing at the entrance of the forest, the guards recognized him and immediately cleared the path.

Lin Yi walked into the forest. He did not want to use his soul skills because his Soul Power was too immense; he feared harming the smaller, underdeveloped soul beasts.

He was too strong now. Even a minor soul skill could instantly turn a century-old soul beast into dust, and he did not want that.

The sound of wind rustling through leaves filled his ears. Lin Yi walked cautiously through the Star Dou Great Forest. The deeper he went, the denser the woods became and the more powerful the soul beasts grew, yet he traveled on, completely unobstructed.