Ultimate fire! Why was the Auspicious Beast so powerful? Wasn't it because she possessed the dual ultimate attributes of ultimate fire and ultimate light?
If his hellfire could rise to the level of ultimate fire, his strength would increase by at least fifty percent. Even doubling it was not out of the question.
Then, even against a human Level 98 Super Douluo, he would have nothing to fear.
As he was now, the Scarlet King's combat strength was at most equal to that of a human Level 97 Super Douluo. If his opponent's martial soul was even a little more formidable, he would very likely lose.
But among the Titled Douluos who could cultivate to Level 97, how many had poor-quality martial souls? That made it difficult for the Scarlet King to gain the upper hand against a Level 97 Titled Douluo.
While countless thoughts raced through the Scarlet King's mind, the transformation of Zeng Tian's body began nearing its end.
"Roar!!!"
As a dragon's roar resounded across the Lake of Life, the blood-red flames surrounding Zeng Tian finally reached their limit.
Blood-red flames surged dozens of meters into the sky, spreading searing heat. The air compressed and the view warped, as though even space itself would be burned to nothing.
At the same time, an even more dazzling red-and-white light shone at the heart of the boundless, scorching blood-red flames, and Zeng Tian's body began to change.
Beneath the red-and-white light, the horn on Zeng Tian's head began to fork. His body grew taller and more muscular, his neck lengthened, his tail grew longer and thicker, and a pair of dragon wings sprouted from his back. He looked completely different from the Charmeleon he had been.
Yes, bathed in blood-red flames, Zeng Tian completed his evolution from Charmeleon into Charizard.
A moment later, the blood-red flames vanished, and Zeng Tian appeared amid the ashes, swaying his tail with its burning red flame.
"Wow! Zeng Tian, you've changed so much! You're almost as tall as me now."
The next instant, a streak of golden light flashed past, and Miss Auspicious Beast appeared before him.
Miss Auspicious Beast looked Zeng Tian up and down. Compared with before, he looked like an entirely different dragon, and his new appearance was clearly far more handsome.
More importantly, wings had grown from Zeng Tian's back. That meant he now had the ability to fly.
"Yes, I've successfully evolved."
Looking at the stars sparkling in Miss Auspicious Beast's eyes, Zeng Tian nodded.
As the two spoke, the ground Zeng Tian had burned to ashes had already recovered. Under the influence of life force, it returned to its original lush, grassy state.
Just then, the Scarlet King rushed over as well.
His attention, however, was clearly not on the changes in Zeng Tian's appearance, but on his flames.
"Zeng Tian, have your flames become ultimate fire?"
"Ultimate fire? I suppose so!"
Zeng Tian paused in surprise before answering.
"Just as I thought!"
At that, the Scarlet King wore an expression of confirmation and sighed in admiration. "You're truly lucky. Although I can sense that the Dragon-type bloodline within you is still weak, you've turned disaster into a blessing and become a wielder of ultimate fire."
"It's only ultimate fire. Come on, Scarlet King, aren't you exaggerating?"
Seeing the Scarlet King's exaggerated expression, Miss Auspicious Beast rolled her eyes, unconcerned.
She possessed ultimate fire herself, and she felt it was nothing particularly special.
"You're surrounded by blessings and don't even know it!"
Hearing the Auspicious Beast's words, the Scarlet King nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
"My lady Auspicious Beast, ultimate fire is the sovereign of all flames. Not only is it tremendously powerful, it can also suppress and devour other flames.
"In the presence of someone who possesses ultimate fire, even fire-attribute soul beasts cannot unleash half their strength."
"Really? Then why haven't I noticed anything?"
Hearing that, Miss Auspicious Beast looked puzzled and asked in confusion.
Helpless, the Scarlet King continued to explain. "You are the Emperor Auspicious Beast, with an exceptionally potent golden dragon bloodline. Dragons reign supreme over all beasts, so almost no soul beast can unleash even half its strength before you."
There was something else the Scarlet King left unsaid: the Three-Eyed Golden Lion also carried the power of the Star Dou Great Forest's fortune. Anyone who acted against her might very well be spurned by fate and suffer one stroke of bad luck after another.
Thus, unless they had absolutely no choice, almost no soul beast wanted to fight the Auspicious Beast. Even soul beasts she selected as food rarely fought back; if they could run, they ran.
As for someone like Zeng Tian, who had taken the initiative to challenge the Auspicious Beast to a fight on their very first meeting, he was the first.
"But why can Zeng Tian unleash his full strength, then?"
The Auspicious Beast's question left the Scarlet King momentarily speechless. That puzzled him as well. Neither the pressure of her bloodline nor her ultimate fire seemed to affect Zeng Tian.
"Well... perhaps Zeng Tian is simply rather special. Di Tian just said that his physical makeup differs enormously from ordinary soul beasts. He could almost be considered an entirely new kind of soul beast."
The Scarlet King hesitated before answering.
At those words, Miss Auspicious Beast's eyes immediately lit up, and she beamed. "Then it looks like Zeng Tian really is special! Just what I'd expect from the soul beast I chose."
In all her years of life, Zeng Tian was the first soul beast who could interact with her as an equal. He did not look up at her from a lowly position, nor did he cherish and protect her like a piece of exquisite porcelain, terrified she might be chipped or bumped. It was true equality, with neither above nor below the other.
Just then, Zeng Tian suddenly spoke. "Miss Auspicious Beast, I'd like to spar with you again and test my current combat strength."
Not only had he now completed his evolution and risen in level, but under the effects of the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Scale Fruit and the Ten-Thousand-Year Dragon Blood Grass, his body had undergone changes he had never even imagined.
Thus, Zeng Tian could no longer accurately gauge his combat strength. All he knew was that if his former self stood before him, he could absolutely kill him in an instant.
"Spar? Yes, yes! Right here?"
Naturally, Miss Auspicious Beast was delighted by Zeng Tian's invitation. She arched her body, ready to start fighting right there.
But the next instant, Di Tian's deep voice suddenly rang out in the air. "Scarlet King, take those two outside to fight. This is a place for life to rest and recover, not a battleground."
"Yes, Di Tian!"
Hearing Di Tian's voice, the Scarlet King's heart tightened, and he hurriedly answered.
At the same time, Zeng Tian told Miss Auspicious Beast, unsure whether to laugh or cry, "Of course not here. With our current strength, a fight would do considerable damage to the surroundings. How could you bring yourself to ruin such beautiful scenery?"
"Hehe."
Hearing everyone say the same thing, Miss Auspicious Beast's cheeks reddened slightly, and she gave an embarrassed little laugh.
She had been so focused on playing with Zeng Tian that she had not considered anything else.
"I know a place where you can both cut loose."
With that, the Scarlet King's figure flashed, turning into a streak of dark-red light as he headed outside.
Zeng Tian followed close behind, flapping his wings to rise into the air. Then, with a powerful beat, he too became a streak of red light and vanished into the horizon.