"Squelch-"
The greatsword plunged straight into the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon's heart. The Soul Beast let out an unbearably tragic wail, its body twitched twice, and only then did it breathe its last.
Stop?
I don't bow to pressure.
Only when a pitch-black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring rose from the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon's corpse did Yu Xuan turn to look at the newcomers.
Two men and a girl hurried over: a middle-aged man, a young man, and a young girl.
When the middle-aged man saw that a Soul Ring had already risen from the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon, his face darkened and he was about to flare up.
But when he turned his head and saw Yu Yuanzhen's face, his expression changed slightly.
Heh, he's kicked an iron plate... Yu Xuan took in every change in his expression and sneered inwardly.
"Yu Yuanzhen, it's really you? No, I should call you His Eminence Thunder Douluo now. It seems we don't have a chance anymore. Yingjie, Yao'er, let's go."
Once the middle-aged man saw that it was Yu Yuanzhen, he knew the Soul Beast was no longer theirs, even though they had been pursuing it all this time.
The young man, Yingjie, as the middle-aged man had called him, instantly looked displeased.
But seeing that his uncle had backed down, he could only compose himself and let the matter drop.
"Wait!" Yu Yuanzhen suddenly called out.
The middle-aged man turned to him and asked, "Your Eminence, is there anything else?"
Yu Yuanzhen said, "Aren't you Zhu Xun, the Nether Duke of the Star Luo Empire?"
"I didn't expect you to remember me. I'm honored." Zhu Xun nodded, his tone respectful.
"All right, there's no need to pretend to be so polite. This fellow wanted the Soul Beast, didn't he?"
Yu Yuanzhen pointed at Yingjie. He had noticed the young man's expression just now.
Zhu Xun said, "Yes. This is my nephew, Zhu Yingjie. His Martial Soul is a mutated Blazing Fire Spirit Cat. We chased this One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon all the way here, but in the end, you killed it..."
"So you're saying I stole your Soul Beast?" Yu Yuanzhen's face was expressionless, giving no hint of whether he was pleased or angry.
"I wouldn't dare. In the Star Dou Great Forest, all Soul Beasts belong to no one. Although we wounded this One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon, you were the ones who killed it in the end."
Zhu Xun kept a very humble attitude, afraid that Yu Yuanzhen might suddenly turn on them.
Yu Yuanzhen gave the three of them a long look and said, "How about this? We're old acquaintances, after all. Have Zhu Yingjie fight my son, and I'll let you leave."
He had met Zhu Xun decades ago, and they had been on somewhat friendly terms back then.
But later, each of them inherited his family's enterprise, and their friendship gradually faded.
He hadn't expected to run into Zhu Xun in the Star Dou Great Forest today, either.
"Your son?" Zhu Xun paused and looked at Yu Xuan.
Though his face was youthful, he carried himself with an imposing bearing and a natural air of dignity.
He doesn't look like the rumors said he would, does he?
Didn't they say Yu Yuanzhen's son awakened a purple-furred pig as his Martial Soul?
"What are you thinking about?" Yu Yuanzhen asked in a low voice.
"N-nothing." Zhu Xun hurriedly suppressed the dangerous thought and said, "Sect Master Yu, my nephew Zhu Yingjie is already a level-fifty Soul Master. Your son looks very young. I'm afraid he's no match for him."
The One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon had already been killed, so fighting Yu Yuanzhen's son wasn't worth it. Even if Yingjie won, he wouldn't gain the slightest benefit.
"Heh, if your nephew weren't a level-fifty Soul Master, I wouldn't have my son spar with him."
Yu Yuanzhen said calmly, "Although my son is only level thirty, he may well be able to take on a level-fifty Quasi-Soul King. This One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon's Soul Ring is for him to absorb."
Zhu Xun froze. "Your Eminence, are you saying your son's Soul Power cultivation has already reached level thirty, making him a Quasi-Soul Elder? And this Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring is for him to absorb?"
Yu Yuanzhen nodded.
With such an outstanding son, he naturally had to show him off to someone he knew.
If he kept him hidden all the time, how would that be any different from walking at night in fine clothes?
As for whether it would invite villains to assassinate him?
Heh, Yu Xuan stayed in the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan year-round. What fool would run into the clan to assassinate him? The reward was nowhere near worth the risk.
Zhu Xun was shocked. The child before him looked no more than ten or so.
Yet Yu Yuanzhen claimed he had already broken through to level thirty. That was barely believable, but what was truly shocking was that he intended to absorb a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring?
Had he heard that right?
What kind of monster was this?!
Even a Soul King had to be especially careful when absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
Wasn't his son's Martial Soul a purple-skinned pig?
Those rumors had led people badly astray!
At that thought, Zhu Xun took a deep breath and turned to Zhu Yingjie. "Yingjie, have a spar with this young brother. Remember, stop before anyone gets hurt."
"All right."
Zhu Yingjie had originally wanted to teach Yu Xuan a harsh lesson. After all, the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon had been his prey. But now that he had heard his uncle's words, he could only hold back a little.
As for Yu Xuan absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring at level thirty, he didn't believe a single word of it!
Yu Yuanzhen raised a hand and patted Yu Xuan on the shoulder, encouraging him gently. "Go on. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose. The main purpose of this spar is to test your strength."
Yu Xuan nodded, though he didn't take his father's words seriously.
He had to defeat Zhu Yingjie before his father would feel at ease letting him absorb that Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring.
He saw that clearly.
So Yu Xuan had to defeat him cleanly and decisively-defeat the level-fifty Quasi-Soul King standing opposite him!
The clearing in the forest was small, with trees surrounding it on all sides. The two stood facing each other at a distance.
In a forest setting like this, cat-type Martial Souls held a terrain advantage at the low and middle levels.
"Yu Xuan, Martial Soul Fire Dragon King, level-thirty Battle Soul Master with two rings."
Fire Dragon King?
The young man raised an eyebrow and said, "My name is Zhu Yingjie. Martial Soul Blazing Fire Spirit Cat, level-fifty Battle Soul Ancestor with four rings."
The girl called Yao'er looked astonished. He really was a level-thirty Quasi-Soul Elder, and the boy seemed to be a few years younger than her.
In that case, was it also true that the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring from the One-Horned Fire Tyrant Dragon was for this boy to absorb, as the man her father called His Eminence Thunder had said?
A breeze swept past, rustling the leaves in the forest.
Zhu Yingjie raised his right hand and said courteously, "Your Soul Power is lower than mine. You go first."
Yu Xuan gave him a long look and said calmly, "Then I won't hold back. Don't blame me if I take you out in one move."
Tch... Zhu Yingjie scoffed inwardly. A level-thirty Quasi-Soul Elder actually dreamed of taking him, a Quasi-Soul King, out in an instant. He had never seen anyone so unaware of his own limits.
But the next second, his expression changed.
Yu Xuan used Martial Soul Possession, and two purple Soul Rings rose beneath his feet. The second lit up.
The muscles all over his body bulged, and scales of crimson tinged with gold emerged across his arms. Every strand of his hair turned into flowing flame, and in an instant, he completed a partial Dragon Transformation.
Second Soul Skill-Sovereign Flame Dragon Body.
It increased attack, strength, defense, and speed by 150 percent, increased the might of the fire attribute by 150 percent, and allowed him to control every flame within a hundred meters.
His presence surging, Yu Xuan used his body's explosive power to reach Zhu Yingjie in the blink of an eye.
A pair of scorching dragon claws lunged at his body!