The battle ended far sooner than anyone had imagined. Xie Yue and the others only felt their vision suddenly blur before they were sent flying dozens of paces away, followed by an explosion of dazzling brilliance. They could sense a powerful force from somewhere protecting their bodies and gently, smoothly releasing them from their Martial Soul Possession and Martial Soul Fusion Skill states. This gentle yet powerful force held the full destructive power of the explosion at bay, several meters away from them. Only then did the devastating attack, which from their perspective had seemed to burn everything away like a heavenly demon descending upon the world, leave them entirely unharmed.
The move was breathtaking in its might, a shocking sight to behold. A moment later, the thick smoke from the Fire Lotus explosion dispersed, and only then did everyone discover that the enormous magma pool had vanished without a trace. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but scorched earth. At the center of the scorched ground, a black Soul Ring rotated silently. Xie Yue and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief; at least their efforts had not been in vain.
Clearly, the giant ape, as massive as a small mountain, had been reduced to nothing, not even its bones remaining. Only its Soul Ring was left behind.
Xie Yue and the others were utterly shaken. Let alone a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, even the attacks of an ordinary Soul Douluo would likely fall short of this strike. What frightened them even more was that it had come from a youth who had only just advanced to four rings. At that thought, fear abruptly welled up in them: everything had a price. To unleash such a terrifying skill, far beyond his own level, Xiao Yan surely could not have escaped unscathed. He might even have paid a considerable price...
They rushed toward Xiao Yan as fast as they could. He lay silently on the ground, that powerful spiritual force now completely gone. His breath was extremely weak, his face pale, and he seemed even thinner than before. Wounds of all sizes covered his body, seeping blood that stained the grass beneath him red.
"Junior brother Xiao Yan..." Hu Liena's voice choked. Grief and remorse left her unable to stand, and she collapsed to the ground. Xie Yue and Yan lowered their heads. Clearly, although they too had been badly beaten, Xiao Yan's miserable condition was still a shocking sight to them. Xiao Yan had known full well how great a risk he would face, yet he had left all those pills to them... Hot tears streamed uncontrollably down their faces. If they had previously been merely a team, friends on good terms, then after this battle on the brink of death and Xiao Yan's self-sacrificing strike, they had gone beyond such ordinary bonds and become family who shared life and death.
At this moment, Yan Xiao's presence was also extremely weak. Although the power of his Emperor Realm Soul was not so easily exhausted outright, forcibly using a power that had probably been restricted by this world had left him willing but unable to do more. In fact, even his remaining soul power would have been enough to protect Xiao Yan, but before he took control of Xiao Yan's body, Xiao Yan had already been injured by the residual force of the Heavenly Flames while forcing the three flames together. That was where the wounds covering his body had come from.
Though these injuries looked frightening, they were only superficial and would not endanger his life. Xie Yue and the other two were young, but they were also rare geniuses with considerable knowledge, and they knew Xiao Yan was not in serious danger. The most important thing now was to get the weakened Xiao Yan out of the Star Dou Great Forest as quickly as possible.
"Ahem, ahem, senior sister, don't cry..." Xiao Yan's voice suddenly sounded. Weak and feeble, he forced a smile that looked uglier than a crying face. At the sight, Hu Liena cried even harder, but she still wiped her tear-streaked face, pulled Xiao Yan up with all her strength, and supported him as they made their way toward the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest, pausing with every step.
"Brother, help guard Yan while he absorbs that Soul Ring as quickly as possible. It isn't safe here." Hu Liena's voice trembled, thick with tears; evidently, she still could not hold back her emotions. That was hardly surprising. No matter how strong Hu Liena was, she was only a sixteen-year-old girl. To expect a girl to calmly watch someone she had grown up with and regarded as a younger brother suffer such terrible injuries was clearly too much to ask. Hu Liena continued, "I'll take junior brother Xiao Yan away. Grandpa Ghost must be nearby."
"Wait." Xiao Yan, half slumped against Hu Liena, suddenly opened his eyes and slowly extended his right hand. A tiny flame rested quietly in his palm. "That giant ape was probably over twenty thousand years old, beyond the limit of what an ordinary person can absorb as a fifth ring. This flame can temporarily boost your strength, and it also has a suppressive effect on fire attributes. It might suppress that Soul Ring too." With that, the flame flew into Yan's body. Yan could barely contain his Soul Power at once. Not only did his Soul Power seem to have risen by two levels, but his physical condition and the quality of his Martial Soul also seemed to have undergone a tempering. Greatly encouraged, Yan did not stand on ceremony. He immediately sat down and seized the time to absorb the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
That was right. The flame was a Child Flame of the Green Lotus Core Flame. This was another thing Xiao Yan had entrusted Yan Xiao to do. Ever since discovering the Soul Beast's age, Xiao Yan had come up with this trick to quickly improve Yan's strength and physical condition. Unfortunately, Xiao Yan was weak at present, and the Child Flame was naturally very faint, possessing less than a tenth of the power of a true Green Lotus Core Flame Child Flame. Even so, it was enough for a Soul King.
With the help of the Green Lotus Core Flame Child Flame, absorbing the Soul Ring became unusually easy for Yan. After only a few breaths, before Hu Liena and Xiao Yan had gone far, they felt a powerful fluctuation of Soul Power erupt behind them. Hu Liena turned to see Yan standing proudly on the ground, a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring shining brilliantly. His Martial Soul, the Flame Lord, also seemed to have grown larger. Its body was still dark and covered in magma, but unlike before, intricate and exquisite cyan lotus patterns had appeared across it, and a faint layer of cyan flame covered its enormous body. If someone with a keen eye had been present, they would have seen that the terrifying heat contained in those cyan flames likely far exceeded that of the lava on the Flame Lord's body. Clearly, Yan's Martial Soul had undergone a leap in evolution. Xiao Yan smiled faintly. This time, his plan had plainly been a resounding success.
Yet unexpected changes often came when things were going best.
A roar of fury that shook the mountains swept across countless trees, creating a powerful shock wave. Xie Yue's gaze froze. He grabbed Yan, who was showing off, and shouted, "Run!"
Xiao Yan's smile froze as well. As the person present with the strongest soul power, he sensed more quickly and clearly than the others what kind of being that furious roar had come from.
The king of the forest, that legendary hundred-thousand-year-old king of the forest.