Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow

"So whale rubber actually has that kind of effect? I thought it was just some filthy stuff," Dugu Yan remarked.

"But Lingling, how could you not tell me about something this good beforehand?" Dugu Yan looked at Ye Lingling with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Mmph~" Ye Lingling struggled in Dugu Yan's embrace, but failed to escape her clutches. She could only explain helplessly, "Mom said the effects of whale rubber still needed to be verified, so we haven't told anyone yet. I wasn't deliberately keeping it from you."

Only after hearing that did Dugu Yan let Ye Lingling go. Given her age and experience, she failed to read anything more into it. Dugu Bo, however, was different. Combining Ye Lingling's explanation of whale rubber's effects with what Lu Yang had said earlier, he deduced that it had something to do with improving one's physique, and was also connected to absorbing soul rings beyond the usual limits.

With that in mind, Dugu Bo decided that once they returned from soul hunting, he would pay Ye Qingling a visit and inquire about the matter.

Although the Sunset Forest was not as large as the Star Dou Great Forest, its layout was much the same. Once the group entered the mixed zone, Dugu Bo said, "When we encounter soul beasts, the three of you will deal with them yourselves first. If you can't handle them, I'll step in."

"We know, we know. Grandpa, you're getting more long-winded by the day," Dugu Yan grumbled under her breath.

Ignoring the slightly wounded look on Dugu Bo's face, Lu Yang and the two girls activated their martial souls. No amount of caution was excessive when traveling through a forest of soul beasts. Besides, Dugu Bo intended to put the three of them through their paces, so they naturally had to take things seriously.

Yet when Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling saw Lu Yang undergo Martial Soul Possession and don the golden armor formed from soul power, looking every inch a mighty warrior, their eyes filled with surprise.

"Are you sure your martial soul is a Light Ball, and not that suit of armor?" Dugu Yan asked.

Lu Yang explained with a smile, and only then did the three continue onward.

With Dugu Bo serving as their human navigator, they had no need to wander blindly through the Sunset Forest. The group headed straight for the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrows' habitat to search for a soul beast of a suitable age.

"Screee!"

Suddenly, a piercing cry rang out above the Sunset Forest, and a figure wreathed in flames soared out of a nearby stretch of dense woodland.

This soul beast was one of Lu Yang's targets for this hunt-a Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow. Its exact age was still unknown, but the imposing aura it gave off as it hurtled toward them immediately put all three on their guard.

Following a short distance behind, Dugu Bo had already identified the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow's age. However, he had no intention of intervening just yet. He wanted to see whether Lu Yang and the girls could hold out against it for a while.

Lu Yang stepped to the front without hesitation. Soul power surged within him, and a spear formed from it appeared in his hand.

At the sight, Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes. Now he, too, was beginning to wonder whether Lu Yang's martial soul really was a Light Ball. If it truly was, then a martial soul that could form both armor and weapons was far too unusual.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling showed no surprise, simply because they had no time for it. The Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow had already flown overhead and was diving toward the three of them.

Spear in hand, Lu Yang thrust straight at the descending Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow. He had been practicing spear techniques under She Long all this time, and this was his first chance to put them to use in actual combat.

However, the force of the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow's dive was formidable. Meeting it head-on, Lu Yang was pressed down by the force from above, his feet sinking slightly into the ground. Thanks to his physique, though, he successfully withstood the blow.

The collision also knocked the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow back. But it could fly, and a few beats of its wings were enough to steady itself before it swept high into the sky.

The Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow had no intention of letting these intruders into its territory off so easily. It circled overhead, searching for an opening to deliver a fatal blow to Lu Yang and the girls.

Sheltered behind Lu Yang, Dugu Yan cried anxiously, "What do we do? That thing's flying too high! I can't hit it!"

Lu Yang did not answer her. Soul power surged within him, and the spear in his hand broke apart into countless motes of light before taking shape again in his palm.

This time, what formed was not a spear, but a longbow. Lu Yang drew back the soul-power bowstring, and an arrow formed from fire elements took shape, its tip aimed at the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow overhead. But he had never practiced archery and could not guarantee a hit on his first shot, so as he aimed, he poured a great deal of soul power into the arrow.

Even if this arrow misses the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow, the blast will still leave it half-crippled. With that thought, Lu Yang released the bowstring.

The instant the arrow shot forth, the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow began beating its wings to evade it. But no matter how fast it was, it could not outrun an explosion!

The arrow shot upward against the flow, then exploded upon reaching a certain height. Fierce flames swept across the sky, engulfing the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow.

Even though the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow was a fire-attribute soul beast, it could not withstand the terrifying might of ultimate fire. Its agonized cries rang out from within the flames, making it clear that it had suffered considerable damage.

Lu Yang had no intention of wasting this opportunity. Earlier, the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow had circled too quickly for him to aim properly. Now, however, it had yet to escape the flames. As long as he attacked that spot, his soul skill would not miss.

"Second soul skill, Blazing Sun Shakes the Earth!"

The second soul ring beneath Lu Yang's feet flashed. A fireball formed from soul power appeared in midair and plunged toward the patch of sky shrouded in flames.

Lu Yang's second soul skill and the arrow he had just fired achieved the same result through different means: both were explosive attacks. As the fireball fell into the mass of flames overhead, Lu Yang detonated it.

An explosion even fiercer than the one produced by the arrow swept outward. The shock wave buffeted the surrounding treetops, twisting their crowns and sending leaves and twigs flying. The Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow was also hurled out of the flames by the blast.

Ultimate fire enveloped the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow, searing its body. Before it even hit the ground, its escaping soul power had already condensed into a deep purple soul ring above it. Unable to withstand the consecutive explosions and the scorching ultimate fire, the Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow had died.

At that sight, Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Ye Lingling were all so shocked that they did not know what to say.

The others might not have been able to tell, but Dugu Bo had long since determined that this Sunflare Golden-Winged Sparrow was over nine thousand years old. Even a Four-Ring Soul Ancestor would have had little chance of defeating such a soul beast. Yet Lu Yang, a level-thirty prospective Soul Elder, had killed it with nothing more than one arrow and a single use of his second soul skill?