Phoenix Sky-Shaking Strike
When the King of the Earth crawled out of the forest, half of the excitement on Ma Hongjun's face disappeared.
It was a giant scorpion, dark red all over, taller than a person even when its body was close to the ground, with two front pincers like red-hot iron clamps. Its nine tail vertebrae were raised high, and a ball of purplish-red flame was condensed at the tip of its stinger. Every drop that fell would burn a black hole in the mud.
Tang San stared at his tailbone and counted.
"Around 4,500 years, that's a suitable cultivation level. Be careful of the tail needle; its fire poison can enter the meridians through the Soul Power."
Ma Hongjun swallowed hard. "Four thousand five hundred years, that doesn't sound like much."
The King of the Earth smashed its two claws into the ground.
The fire wave swept across the Woodland, Ma Hongjun was blown back several meters as soon as he reached the top. The Phoenix Flame created a crimson barrier in front of him, but his clothes were still singed with several small holes.
Oscar covered his nose. "It's not that big, only a few dozen sizes bigger than you."
"Shut up!"
Ma Hongjun's First Soul Ring lit up, and Phoenix Fire Line shot directly at the giant scorpion. The King of the Earth raised its left claw to block the flames, its carapace turning red from the heat, but its movements were not significantly affected. Its right claw swept across, forcing Ma Hongjun to roll to the side.
"Don't try to out-burn it," Yuan Yu cautioned, "Just hit the joints."
Dai Mubai had already rushed to the left side of the giant scorpion. The White Tiger Fierce Light Wave struck the second leg, followed by a heavy punch. Zhu Zhuqing cut in from the other side, her claws striking three times, all landing on the seams of the carapace.
The King of the Earth let out a sharp hiss, and his scorpion tail suddenly lashed out.
Tang San's Blue Silver Grass wrapped around Dai Mubai's tailbone, but it only held him off for a moment before being burned off by the purplish-red flames. When the tailbone was only half a foot away from Dai Mubai's back, a sheathed longsword came crashing in from the side.
Yuan Yu's wrist sank, and the Rock Pattern pressed down along the scabbard towards the coccyx. The two forces collided, the ground beneath their feet cracked open, and the tail needle veered to the side, embedding itself in a boulder.
The purplish-red fire poison spread rapidly, and the entire stone shattered in the middle.
"If this had hit someone, Teacher Zhao would have been bedridden for days." Ma Hongjun got up from the ground.
Zhao Wuji, arms crossed, said from behind, "You can give it a try."
"I'm not stupid."
Ma Hongjun kept talking, but his actions became much more steady. He circled behind the King of the Earth, activating the Phoenix in Flames and Phoenix Wing Soaring simultaneously, skimming across the ground. The Phoenix Fire Line no longer burned the thick carapace, but instead focused their attack on the joints that Zhu Zhuqing had cut open.
Flames poured into the crevice, and the two legs on the left side of the King of the Earth immediately curled up.
It was completely enraged, and its front claws slammed shut.
Dark Red Light burst forth from beneath the carapace, causing the ground within a ten-foot radius to tremble. Pillars of fire erupted from the earth, completely engulfing the area where everyone stood.
"Climb the tree!"
Tang San flung his Blue Silver Grass high into the air. Ning Rongrong and Oscar were immediately lifted off the ground, Xiao Wu leaped up continuously through the gaps in the fire pillars, and Dai Mubai withstood an explosion thanks to his White Tiger Vajra Transformation.
Yuan Yu did not retreat.
Six of the Nine-Slot Round Wheel on the Sun Wheel Blade lit up, Water Pattern spread out beneath his feet, and Wind Pattern spun rapidly along the water's surface. The flames rushing towards him were split in two by the wind, one half sweeping to the left and the other half swirling to the right.
"Flame Breathing - Fourth Form, Blazing Flame Vortex"
The Sun Wheel Blade spun once, and crimson-gold flames spiraled upwards along its blade. The flames spewed by the King of the Earth were drawn into it, transforming into a thick pillar of fire that shot straight up to the treetops.
Yuan Yu only blocked the front.
The remaining opportunities are in Ma Hongjun's hands.
"Fatty, down there!"
After the King of the Earth unleashed its area-of-effect Soul Skill, its abdominal carapace was in an open state. Ma Hongjun swooped down from mid-air, and the Phoenix Fire Line blasted between its two front claws.
The giant scorpion suddenly flipped its body over.
Dai Mubai grabbed the right claw with both hands, and the White Tiger unleashed its full power, flipping it to the side. Xiao Wu's Waist Bow arched down to the base of her tailbone, while Zhu Zhuqing cut open the last layer of soft armor on its abdomen.
Ma Hongjun pulled out a short knife from his Storage Soul Tool and stabbed it into the wound.
The King of the Earth twitched a few times, its scorpion tail smashing a nearby sapling, before becoming completely still.
Ma Hongjun didn't sit down immediately. He walked around the King of the Earth once to make sure the fire poison on the tail needle had been extinguished, and then asked Tang San to check if the short knife was contaminated with poison.
Tang San wiped the hilt of the sword with medicinal powder. "There's no poison. Let's begin; dragging this out will attract other Soul Beast."
A deep purple Spirit Ring condensed above the corpse.
"It's my turn."
Ma Hongjun sat down cross-legged and guided his Spirit Ring toward the Evil Fire Phoenix. As soon as the King of the Earth's violent fire energy entered his body, his entire body trembled, and his skin quickly turned bright red.
Yuan Yu sat beside him, the clear stream of Water Pattern flowing around the ground, helping to lower the surrounding temperature, but without touching the power of the Spirit Ring. The Evil Fire Phoenix let out a long cry, and its crimson wings unfolded behind Ma Hongjun, with dark golden flames gradually appearing between its feathers.
Half an hour later, the fourth Spirit Ring was absorbed.
The fiery energy of the King of the Earth was still surging within Ma Hongjun's body. He sat there for another quarter of an hour, until the Phoenix Flame turned from crimson to a deeper dark red, before slowly withdrawing his Martial Soul. The medicinal power left by the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower was also activated by the new Spirit Ring, and his aura did not stop after surpassing level forty, finally stabilizing at level forty-one.
Ma Hongjun opened his eyes, not even bothering to brush the mud off his clothes, and ran straight to an open space.
"Make way, everyone, and witness my Fourth Spirit Skill!"
With a flap of his wings, he soared into the air. After his fourth Spirit Ring lit up, a ring of flames surged from the ground, lifting the boulder Zhao Wuji had designated to a higher position. Ma Hongjun swooped down, his fists, imbued with Phoenix Flame, slamming into the stone surface.
"Phoenix Sky-Shaking Strike!"
Boom!
The boulder exploded in mid-air, and the fragments were already glowing red-hot before they even hit the ground.
Ma Hongjun landed in the firelight, hands on his hips, laughing loudly, "Boss Dai, how was it?"
Dai Mubai pointed behind him.
That attack just now ignited two dead trees. The flames climbed up the bark and had already reached the canopy.
The sound effect of Ma Hongjun laughing is stuck.
"Water! Quick, get some water!"
Yuan Yu drew his Sun Wheel Blade, and a stream of clear water swept over the two trees, extinguishing all the flames. The Wind Pattern carried away the white smoke, while the Flame Pattern drew back the lingering fire elements on the ground.
The fiery energy left behind by the King of the Earth, the Phoenix Fire released by Ma Hongjun's Fourth Spirit Skill, and the wind element brought up by the water vapor all entered Myriad Phenomena Origin Embryo.
The six bright slots flashed in succession.
After accumulating Soul Power for several months, Yuan Yu's aura rose to a higher level.
Level 68.
Just as Ma Hongjun was about to boast about reaching level 41, he saw that Yuan Yu's six Spirit Rings had already appeared, and his smile immediately fell.
"I went through so much trouble to level up, and you could just stand next to me and put out a fire and level up too?"
Yuan Yu sheathed his knife. "You started the fire. Consider it partly your doing."
"Then you'll give me half a grade."
"That's a good idea."
After counting the number of people, Liu Erlong's gaze fell on Xiao Wu.
Of the three people who needed Spirit Ring, she was the only one left.
Xiao Wu gazed deeper into the forest, her fingers tightening slightly.
Her fourth Spirit Ring doesn't require hunting Soul Beast at all.