The Earth King's Dying Counterattack

The Earth King before them, with its cultivation of nearly fifteen thousand years, would undoubtedly be considered formidable even in the core area of the Sunset Forest.

The Earth King's massive body emerged from the darkness.

Its cold eyes scanned the pair, finally letting out a hiss toward the icy-faced Liu Erlong, seemingly having sensed how troublesome she was.

Having gauged the strength of the Earth King before her, Liu Erlong could no longer be bothered to keep up appearances.

Seven bright soul rings rose from beneath her feet, pulsing around her tall figure as a tyrannical wave of soul power erupted from her body.

Without waiting to see if the Earth King intended to strike first, she had already lost her patience and moved.

A soul ring on Liu Erlong's body flashed, as if she had received some form of enhancement, and her figure transformed into a streak of bright red light, lunging directly at the Earth King.

Though she appeared somewhat hurried, she was well aware that this core area was home to more than just this one ten-thousand-year soul beast.

Her goal was to crush this Earth King with thunderous momentum, intimidating the surrounding soul beasts to avoid a constant stream of trouble.

The Earth King was not indifferent; as Liu Erlong rapidly closed the distance, it extended its massive pincers and smashed them toward the red light she had become.

Under Mo Li's watchful gaze, it was clear the Earth King was not merely passively receiving the blow; he could clearly see that as the beast raised its pincers to meet Liu Erlong, fire erupted from its tail hook.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the Earth King seemed to be struck by a massive force, its enormous body actually retreating quite a distance. It was clear that it had been bested in the first exchange with Liu Erlong.

At the same time, the fire on the Earth King's tail hook had finished condensing. As its body recoiled, a thick pillar of fire blasted directly toward Liu Erlong's chest.

Facing such a perilous situation, Liu Erlong's cold, beautiful face showed only the slightest change, remaining as frigid as ever.

The moment she was engulfed by the pillar of fire, her fifth soul ring lit up instantly, and almost simultaneously, her body was completely swallowed by the flames.

Mo Li had been sent far away by her the moment she started the fight, and he happened to witness the scene of Liu Erlong being completely consumed by the fire pillar.

Although he had full confidence in Liu Erlong's strength as a Soul Saint, seeing such a dangerous moment still made him worry for her involuntarily.

"Sister Erlong, watch out!" Mo Li shouted from afar.

"I know!"

Soon, Liu Erlong demonstrated with her actions that Mo Li's worry was entirely unnecessary.

The next moment, the thick pillar of fire emitted by the Earth King's tail hook was torn asunder, transforming into a sky full of sparks.

A figure of extreme beauty stepped slowly from within, her long black hair drifting behind her. Her slender frame was illuminated by the sea of fire, making her look incredibly vivid, like a goddess of war.

On her body, the first, second, and fifth soul rings were pulsing with light. Liu Erlong's expression remained indifferent, though her eyes had grown increasingly cold.

A pair of dragon wings suddenly unfurled from her back, causing Liu Erlong's aura to surge once more.

Bolstered by several soul skills, she flashed out from the sea of fire, her speed far greater than it had been before.

Soul beasts always possessed keen senses; the higher their cultivation, the more sensitive they were to danger.

This ten-thousand-year Earth King had been completely suppressed during their brief contact.

Realizing how troublesome Liu Erlong was, it had already begun to consider fleeing.

However, Liu Erlong's aura had already locked onto it; the moment it showed any sign of retreat, it would likely invite a thunderous strike.

Only by fighting to the death would it have a chance of survival.

In an instant, red light erupted from the Earth King's entire body. With it as the center, the air within a radius of several dozen square meters began to distort, and the ground beneath it cracked instantly.

It slammed its two massive front pincers into the ground with force, and a powerful shockwave immediately rippled through the distorted air.

Seeing this, Mo Li suddenly remembered something—the Earth King's strongest skill mentioned in the original work.

Magma Earth-Splitting Strike.

The terrifying aspect of this skill was not just its formidable attack power, but the distorted light that covered a semi-circular area before the attack was released.

Within the range of that distorted air shockwave, enemies could be rendered dizzy.

Once the opponent's body was stunned, the pillar of fire would erupt in the next moment, and the high-temperature magma-like flames would deliver a fatal blow.

"Avoid that light!"

Mo Li shouted from a distance.

In the original work, Liu Erlong had taken a hit from a five-thousand-year Earth King head-on, but this one had over ten thousand years of cultivation.

No one could guarantee how much damage the Magma Earth-Splitting Strike would inflict.

While he couldn't help in the fight, he could at least offer a warning.

The moment she heard Mo Li's voice, Liu Erlong flapped her dragon wings and flashed out of the range of the light.

As the skill missed, the Earth King's combo did not stop. The cracked ground beneath it erupted with a deafening roar, and a crimson pillar of fire shot into the sky.

The pillar was nearly ten meters in diameter, covering exactly the center of the distorted air—the very spot where Liu Erlong had been standing just moments before.

That was close.

Mo Li let out a sigh of relief.

During this battle, the surrounding forest had been scorched by raging fires, and the ground where they fought had been blasted into deep craters.

Sister Erlong and this Earth King are truly competing to see who can cause more destruction.

Having missed its strike, the Earth King let out an angry roar.

Its red eyes darted toward Mo Li in the distance; it had clearly realized that Mo Li was not as formidable as Liu Erlong.

The next moment, the Earth King's massive body surged toward Mo Li, its pale frame scraping against the ground as it crawled with incredible, flight-like speed.

At the same time, its tail, several meters long, transformed into a cold glint, ready to deliver a lethal blow to Mo Li at any moment.

Seeing the Earth King turn to pursue him, Mo Li broke into a cold sweat and cursed under his breath.

Spineless Earth King, you can't beat Sister Erlong, so you come to bully me!

Yet, he did not hesitate for a second, unleashing his first soul skill without delay as he dashed toward Liu Erlong.

Even though his reaction was swift, he was far slower than the Earth King.

Within mere seconds, he had already fallen into the attack range of the Earth King's tail bone.

A cold glint, carrying ripples of black soul power, thrust toward Mo Li.

Even with the enhancement of Peering at Heaven and Earth, Mo Li could only catch a glimpse of a gray flash.

"Nine Nether Domain!"

In this moment of crisis, Mo Li dared not be the least bit careless, unleashing his domain to its full extent without holding anything back.

Within the domain, Black Flame surged upward, instantly igniting the soul power in the air; as the tail hook descended into it, its power was significantly dampened.

Yet, even so, it still looked terrifying.

He gritted his teeth, straining to shift his body to avoid his vitals while summoning his martial soul and wrapping his body in soul power.

Although this defense seemed negligible before the attack of a ten-thousand-year soul beast, it could at least provide some resistance.

Just as Mo Li braced himself for the near-fatal tail strike, a heaven-shaking dragon roar erupted from behind him.