Chapter 3: Escape and a Bloody Battle Against a Soul Emperor
In the forest of jagged rocks, the atmosphere was as stagnant as iron.
Yu Yuanchen was surrounded in a triangular formation by three Soul Emperors. The oppressive weight of their Soul Power felt tangible, making his breathing slightly difficult. Yet, his tall, straight figure stood as firm as a javelin. Blue electric snakes flickered incessantly on his dragonified right arm, while a pair of deep blue eyes calmly scanned the three enemies, his mind racing.
A direct confrontation offered no chance of victory. Even with his over-limit Soul Rings and top-tier Martial Soul, he could briefly hold his own against an ordinary Soul Emperor. However, facing three opponents with tacit coordination—especially that Rock Turtle Soul Emperor with his startling defensive power—he would undoubtedly lose in a prolonged battle.
The only path to survival lay in speed, in breaking through!
His gaze instantly locked onto the Gale Wolf Soul Emperor who had just been injured. This man was the fastest and the greatest threat, but right now, he was also the weakest link among the three!
"Do it!" Long Li, the Black Flame Flood Dragon Soul Emperor, clearly didn't intend to give Yu Yuanchen any more time to think. With a low shout, his fifth Soul Ring lit up. Pitch-black flames condensed in his hand into a spear burning with an eerie black fire. Carrying the dual Auras of corrosion and burning, he violently hurled it at Yu Yuanchen!
At the same time, the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor roared, his third Soul Ring flashing as he slammed both fists heavily into the ground!
"Third Soul skills, Ground Wave Oscillation!"
Boom! The ground rose and fell like waves, and a powerful shockwave spread toward Yu Yuanchen's feet, intending to disrupt his balance and limit his ability to dodge.
Meanwhile, the injured Gale Wolf Soul Emperor endured his wounds, his body transforming into a green shadow as he flanked around from the side. His sharp claws flickered with a cold light, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Facing this near-desperate encirclement, a fierce light flashed in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. He didn't choose to meet the most powerful black flame spear head-on, nor did he try to stabilize his stance against the Ground Wave Oscillation.
Just a moment before the attacks landed, he made a move that caught everyone off guard!
"Second Soul skills, Thunderous Fury!"
He didn't release the energy of the Thunderous Fury outward. Instead, he forcibly restrained it, violently guiding the vast majority of the thunder power into the Meridians of his own legs!
"Zzzt—!"
The piercing crackle of electric currents exploded from his legs; one could even see fine sparks of lightning bursting from beneath his trouser legs. An indescribable, sharp pain instantly surged through him, as if every inch of muscle and every meridian in his legs were being torn and scorched by the violent thunder! This was an extremely dangerous move. Had his body not undergone multiple over-limit Soul Ring absorptions and tempering in the Thunder Valley, far exceeding those of his rank, his legs would likely have been ruined instantly!
But the resulting effect was also incredibly significant!
"Boom!"
His body seemed to turn into a bolt of true lightning, leaving a faint blue afterimage where he stood. His speed suddenly exploded several times over! Almost hugging the ground, he moved in a manner nearly identical to Teleportation, narrowly avoiding the pierce of the black flame spear and the core area of the Ground Wave Oscillation.
"What?!" Long Li's pupils constricted. He hadn't expected Yu Yuanchen would dare to use such a self-mutilating method to forcibly boost his speed!
"Stop him!" the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor bellowed, trying to block the path with his massive body.
However, Yu Yuanchen's target wasn't him at all! The impact brought by that extreme speed made him like a cannonball launched from its barrel, pointing straight at the Gale Wolf Soul Emperor, who had momentary dazed due to the sudden outburst!
"First Soul skills, Thunder Dragon Claw!"
The dragonified right claw, accompanied by a shrill sound of breaking air and exploding blue light, mercilessly clawed at the Gale Wolf Soul Emperor's chest! This time, the dragon claw didn't grow massive; instead, it was extremely condensed. His five fingers were like hooks, with all destructive power concentrated at the tips, pursuing ultimate penetration!
The Gale Wolf Soul Emperor had just taken a hit earlier, and his internal blood and Qi hadn't settled yet. Seeing Yu Yuanchen charging with such terrifying speed, he could only hurriedly spread his Soul Power across his arms to block again.
"Pfft!"
The power of the condensed thunder claw far exceeded the previous time, instantly tearing through his Soul Power defense and leaving charred, bone-deep wounds on his crossed arms. The residual thunder power surged into his body, causing him to scream as he was sent flying like a kite with a broken string. After hitting the ground heavily and struggling a few times, he was actually unable to get up for a moment, completely losing his ability to pursue.
Having succeeded in one strike, Yu Yuanchen didn't linger. Borrowing the counter-shock force, he completely detonated the lightning-attribute Soul Power that was raging within him from stimulating his legs. He turned into a streak of blue lightning and fled for his life toward the deeper parts of the stone forest, which also led toward the outer perimeter of the mountain range, without looking back!
"Useless!" Seeing this, Long Li was so furious he stomped his feet. He hadn't expected that two Soul Emperors working together would have one of their number instantly incapacitated by a newly promoted Spirit Ancestor. "Chase him! We cannot let him escape!"
He and the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor immediately set off in pursuit.
However, the speed Yu Yuanchen had gained through self-injury was truly too startling. The Rock Turtle Soul Emperor excelled in defense, and speed was his weakness; even with a full outburst, he could only watch helplessly as the distance between himself and that blue lightning grew further and further apart.
In just over a dozen breaths, the Rock Turtle Soul Emperor had been left far behind, able only to roar in frustration.
Only Long Li, relying on the impressive physical constitution brought by his Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul and his robust Soul Power as a Soul Emperor, could still stay tightly on Yu Yuanchen's tail. Although he couldn't close the gap immediately, Yu Yuanchen found it difficult to completely shake him off for the time being.
One chasing and one fleeing, they were like two colored meteors rapidly weaving through the jungles and valleys on the outskirts of the Thunder Mountain Range.
Yu Yuanchen felt the waves of tearing pain and increasing numbness from his legs, knowing that this escape technique of stimulating his Meridians could not be sustained. Furthermore, the consumption rate of his Soul Power was terrifying. Had he not just been promoted to Rank 42 with a greatly increased total volume of Soul Power, he likely would have been exhausted already.
"I must find a way to lose him, or... finish him!" A cold light flickered in Yu Yuanchen's eyes. Being pursued so closely by a Soul Emperor was too risky; once his Soul Power failed or his legs could no longer hold out, it would be a dead end.
While maintaining his high-speed flight, he quietly circulated his Soul Power, attempting to mobilize that strand of newborn Thunder God Power within him. This power was of an extremely high quality, but its total amount was very scarce, and mobilizing it placed a significant burden on his Spiritual Power.
"Perhaps... I can give it a try!"
Yu Yuanchen's gaze swept over the terrain ahead and spotted a dried-up riverbed with steep earthen slopes on both sides. He immediately had a plan in mind.
He suddenly changed direction, rushing into the dry riverbed, and then abruptly stopped and turned around! His massive momentum caused his feet to plow two deep furrows into the gravel of the riverbed.
Long Li, who was in hot pursuit, was stunned to see Yu Yuanchen suddenly stop, then he began to sneer: "Can't run anymore? Kid, to force me to personally hunt you for so long, you have enough to be proud of! Die obediently, and I can give you a quick end!"
Yu Yuanchen panted heavily, his face somewhat pale from the consumption of Soul Power and the pain in his legs, but his eyes were like ten-thousand-year-old ice, showing no signs of wavering. "Want to kill me? Then show me your true skills!"
"Courting death!" Long Li shouted angrily, his third Soul Ring lighting up. "Third Soul skills, Black Flame Breath!"
A thick pillar of black fire, carrying a cold Aura that could corrode everything, surged toward Yu Yuanchen.
Yu Yuanchen dared not be careless; his first and third Soul Rings flashed simultaneously.
"Wrath of Thunder! Thunder Dragon Claw!"
Under the enhancement of Wrath of Thunder, a massive Thunder Dragon Claw struck out violently, colliding fiercely with the Black Flame Breath.
Boom!
The collision of thunder and fire erupted in a violent energy shockwave. Blue light and black flames splashed in all directions, shearing a layer off the earthen slopes on both sides of the riverbed. Yu Yuanchen gave a muffled groan, his body staggering back several steps. A sweetness rose in his throat as a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. The quality of Soul Power at the Soul Emperor level was, after all, far superior to his own.
"Hmph, like a mantis trying to stop a carriage!" Long Li pressed his advantage, his fifth Soul Ring lighting up again. That black flame spear condensed once more and shot through the air with an even more sharp and fierce Aura!
Yu Yuanchen's pupils constricted, knowing he couldn't take it head-on again. His footwork shifted, and his body flickered left and right within the narrow riverbed as if he had eyes in the back of his head, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from the spear.
However, the black flames attached to the spear still grazed his shoulder as it flew past, leaving a charred wound and a burning, stinging pain.
"Let's see how many more times you can dodge!" Long Li's offensive was like a tide, with various Martial Soul Abilities bombarding one after another. The powerful attack power of the Black Flame Flood Dragon Martial Soul was fully revealed, forcing Yu Yuanchen to constantly dodge and block, his situation becoming precarious.
After several collisions, the wounds on Yu Yuanchen's body increased, his Soul Power was consuming rapidly, and his Aura began to grow erratic. He appeared to be at the end of his rope, as if he would be completely defeated at any moment.
A bloodthirsty look of pleasure flashed in Long Li's eyes, as if he could already see the scene of this Genius from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan dying miserably at his hands. To end the battle as quickly as possible, he took a sudden step forward to close the distance and threw a right fist condensed with thick black flames directly at Yu Yuanchen's face! This punch was heavy and powerful, containing the full strength of a Soul Emperor.
However, at the very moment his fist was about to land, Yu Yuanchen—who had been on the defensive and seemed to be teetering—suddenly erupted with an unprecedented brilliance in his eyes!
This was the opportunity he had been waiting for! A perfect moment when the opponent believed victory was assured, relaxed their guard, and closed the distance!
"Now!"
Within Yu Yuanchen's body, that dormant streak of purple-gold Thunder God Power was completely triggered, like a sleeping dragon awakening! He didn't use this bit of power to buff any Soul skills; instead, he poured all of it into his own legs!
At the same time, enduring the sharp pain in his Meridians, he also frantically injected his remaining Soul Power into his legs!
"Boom!"
His legs seemed to turn into two sources of thunder. Dazzling purple-gold electric light erupted instantly, even temporarily suppressing the blue lightning of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon itself! A speed and explosive power far exceeding anything before it violently emerged!
He didn't dodge backward, but... forward! Facing Long Li's fist, he adopted a strange posture almost hugging the ground, narrowly avoiding that lethal punch. Like a thunder snake sliding along the earth, he instantly invaded Long Li's inner circle!
"What?!" This sudden turn of events was completely beyond Long Li's expectations! His old strength was spent and new strength had yet to form, leaving his center wide open!
Yu Yuanchen's gaze was as cold as a blade. On his dragonified right arm, all Soul Power, along with the residual lightning triggered by the burst of the Thunder God Power, was highly compressed and condensed at his fingertips!
He didn't use any Soul skills, because activating one required a brief moment, and right now, he was fighting for that split second! This was pure power—a strike that condensed all his essence, energy, and Martial Soul, merging Soul Power, blood Qi, and his ultimate control over lightning!
"Break for me!"
Accompanied by a low roar, Yu Yuanchen's right hand joined its fingers like a sword, carrying the extremely condensed, destructive thunder light. Like a true spear of divine thunder, he violently stabbed at the side of Long Li's knees!
Fast! Accurate! Ruthless!
"Crack!"
The clear sound of bone fracturing rang out!
"Aaaargh!" Long Li let out an incredibly shrill scream. A heart-piercing pain and numbness surged from his knees, his condensed Soul Power instantly dissipated, and he lost all support. He fell to his knees with a thud, his face filled with unbelievable pain and horror.
He could never have imagined that he would actually fall at the hands of a Spirit Ancestor kid, and in such a manner—having his legs crippled in close quarters!
Having succeeded in one strike, Yu Yuanchen didn't linger to fight, nor did he even look at Long Li's miserable state. He knew that although this strike had heavily wounded the opponent, it was far from enough to kill a Soul Emperor. He could clearly feel that the Meridians in his legs were on the verge of collapse, and his Soul Power was almost completely exhausted.
He forced out his last breath of Origin Qi, dragging his nearly senseless legs, and erupted with his remaining speed one last time. Without looking back, he rushed out of the dry riverbed and disappeared into the dense jungle.
Long Li knelt on the ground, looking in the direction Yu Yuanchen had disappeared. He wanted to pursue, but the sharp pain and numbness in his legs made it impossible for him to even stand. He could only let out roars of fury and frustration.
"You little bastard... I will kill you! Aaaargh!"
The roars echoed in the river valley, but Yu Yuanchen's figure had already blended into the mountain forest, leaving no trace.
This pursuit of disparate strength finally ended with one pursuer heavily wounded, one lightly injured, and one left behind. It came at the cost of Yu Yuanchen suffering multiple injuries and severe overexertion, but he had survived a brush with death.
Dragging his broken body and relying on his stubborn will and keen perception of the terrain, he continued to struggle forward toward Dragon City. Every wound was in pain, every bit of Soul Power was wailing, but his eyes were brighter and firmer than ever before.
After this battle, the fledgling dragon had been bathed in blood, and the sharpness of its scales and claws had begun to show its first signs.