On the outskirts of the Qingchuan Mountain Range.
More and more Soul Masters arrived from every direction.
The roads leading into the mountains were almost completely blocked by teams of Soul Masters.
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan, the first to arrive, had already followed the river deep into the mountains.
Yu Yuanzhen walked at the head of the group.
The part of his right hand struck by the White Tiger had yet to fully recover.
Even after treatment by a healing-type Soul Master, it had only improved somewhat.
The White Tiger's lingering Soul Power was not so easy to deal with.
One of the clan elders could not help saying:
"Clan leader, should we rest first?"
"The Azure Dragon has the bloodline of an ancient divine beast. Its strength probably won't be any less than the White Tiger's."
"We'll have a better chance if you recover before we attack!"
Yu Yuanzhen shook his head.
"More and more people are coming up behind us."
"Stopping now would mean handing the initiative to someone else."
"Keep searching!"
The members of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan could only press on.
They had already dispatched several Soul Masters skilled at concealing their presence to lie in wait wherever the Azure Dragon might appear.
But the Qingchuan Mountain Range was extremely vast.
The sky screen had only given them the rough location of an upstream river bend.
Finding the Azure Dragon was not as easy as everyone had imagined!
The rivers in the mountains kept branching, with several tributaries converging from different directions.
Dense trees lined the banks everywhere.
Soul Masters unfamiliar with the routes would soon lose their bearings once they entered!
"Clan leader, someone's catching up behind us!"
An elder turned to look into the distance.
Several nimble figures were rapidly approaching through the trees.
They wore the uniforms of the Heaven Dou Empire's court Soul Masters.
Their leader had an extremely powerful presence and was a Soul Douluo!
Behind them was another team of Soul Masters.
Surrounded in their midst was a young man dressed in lavish robes.
He wore a black gauze hat that concealed his appearance.
He was clearly a member of the Heaven Dou Imperial Family, though it was unclear which prince he was.
Beside him was none other than Poison Douluo, Dugu Bo.
A court worship looked at the traces left by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's search up ahead.
"They're even more interested in the Azure Dragon than we imagined."
The person beside him nodded.
"The Azure Dragon possesses lightning abilities."
"If Yu Yuanzhen absorbs the Azure Dragon's Soul Ring, his strength will definitely increase substantially."
The worship glanced back at the member of the imperial family.
"Once we find the Azure Dragon, remember that protecting His Highness must come first."
As he spoke, he stole a glance at Poison Douluo.
He did not dare address Poison Douluo directly and could only make his point indirectly.
"We must secure the Azure Dragon Soul Beast's Soul Ring and Soul Bone!"
The Heaven Dou Empire's intentions were very clear.
They wanted a member of the imperial family to personally deliver the final blow and obtain the Azure Dragon's Soul Ring!
Then they would bring back its two-hundred-thousand-year Soul Bone!
"Ignore them."
Yu Yuanzhen paid little heed to the Heaven Dou Empire. "With the strength of the two great empires, they won't amount to much!"
"The Heaven Dou Empire only has one Titled Douluo, Dugu Bo, and he's merely a guest elder."
"He might not risk his life at a critical moment, so they aren't much of a threat."
"The only troublesome thing is his poison."
"The Azure Dragon's Soul Ring will definitely be ours!"
The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan continued forward.
Before long, a mass of Soul Power fluctuations came from another direction.
The Star Luo Empire's reinforcements had arrived too!
The Star Luo Empire's party was also led by a Titled Douluo.
The presence of the White Tiger Martial Soul could even be sensed within their ranks.
Clearly, the Star Luo Imperial Family had also sent someone capable of absorbing a sacred beast's Soul Ring!
The two empires' parties exchanged a glance across a river, then continued searching for the Azure Dragon.
They had not found the Azure Dragon yet.
Starting a conflict now would be unwise.
Both sides had already sent agility-attack-type Soul Masters to search the mountains in different directions.
Whoever found the Azure Dragon first would seize the initiative!
On the outskirts of the mountains.
The members of the Lower Four Sects also arrived one after another.
The Elephant Armor Sect's Soul Masters were the most conspicuous.
They were enormous, and after entering the mountain forest, they knocked the trees along their path every which way.
The members of the other sects kept their distance from them in tacit agreement.
"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan has already gone in!"
"The people from Heaven Dou and the Star Luo Empire are here too!"
"Hurry and follow them!"
"We have to get our hands on the Azure Dragon's Soul Ring!"
Someone shouted.
At once, all the Soul Masters at the mountain entrance surged forward.
More and more Soul Masters rushed into the forest at the same time, and the scene gradually descended into chaos.
Fortunately, there were hardly any Soul Beasts in this forest.
Otherwise, every Soul Beast would have met an untimely end under these Soul Masters' sweep.
"Get out of the way!"
"Anyone who dares compete with us is making an enemy of our sect!"
"We haven't even found the Azure Dragon. What's the rush?"
"Let's get inside first!"
The Soul Masters' curses rang out one after another.
Before they had even seen the Azure Dragon, several teams had already clashed over the road.
Soul Rings lit up one after another.
But their leaders stopped them all; fighting now would serve no purpose.
More people quietly slipped away from their teams.
They had never intended to kill the Azure Dragon head-on and only planned to hide near the battlefield.
Once the Azure Dragon and the major factions had fought until both sides were badly wounded, they would see if they could fish in troubled waters!
The Azure Dragon has to be mine! Countless people silently prayed.
On the road, still quite far from the Qingchuan Mountain Range.
Golden Crocodile Douluo could already sense the chaotic Soul Power fluctuations ahead.
He glanced at the Spirit Hall party behind him and began to feel somewhat anxious as well.
To contend with the other factions, they had brought quite a few high-ranking Soul Masters.
But their speeds varied greatly, making it difficult to move quickly.
"Second Worship, why don't you go ahead?" a Soul Douluo could not help suggesting.
"We'll catch up as soon as possible!"
Hearing this, Golden Crocodile Douluo considered the suggestion.
Now, Soul Masters across the entire continent had their eyes on the Azure Dragon.
Everyone treated the Azure Dragon like a soft persimmon they could squeeze as they pleased.
If he kept traveling with the main party, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan might very well find the Azure Dragon first.
By the time he arrived, even the daylilies might have gone cold.
"Keep moving. I'll go confirm the Azure Dragon's location first!"
Golden Crocodile Douluo finally made his decision.
As his words fell.
Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet.
A terrifying presence erupted in an instant!
Golden light enveloped his body, and he shot toward the Qingchuan Mountain Range like a cannonball!
White Tiger Canyon.
Squelch!
Two purplish-black spider legs once again plunged viciously into the White Tiger's left foreleg.
Blood sprayed!
Even the White Tiger could not help letting out a furious roar as its massive paw slammed into the ground.
Bibi Dong immediately pulled back.
A crack a hundred meters long spread past, almost grazing the Soul Devouring Spider Emperor's body!
Several Soul Douluo behind her failed to dodge in time and were sent flying by the upheaved rubble.
"Keep attacking its wound!"
Bibi Dong's voice rang throughout the canyon.
Bibi Dong had already struck the White Tiger's left foreleg successfully more times than she could count.
"Keep this pace up. If this continues, we can win!" Bibi Dong rallied everyone's spirits!