"Senior Junting—watch out!"
"They're trying to steal our kill!"
The moment Huo Yuhao's warning rang out, Chen Junting had already sensed the intruder's intent. The Seven Kill Sword shifted to his left hand. With a flash of dark-gold light, a ground-splitting slash tore toward the approaching figure.
But before everyone's eyes, something bizarre happened. The soul beast—whose aura clearly surpassed Chen Junting's—was cleanly split down the middle by that single dark-gold strike, fracturing into two distinct silhouettes that slid apart left and right.
"These are twin soul beasts," Chen Junting realized instantly, sensing the subtle difference between the two auras.
Such creatures were rare but not unheard of—akin to human soul masters who possessed fusion skills. They could coordinate seamlessly, even merging into a single entity when needed. They were known collectively as "Twins."
"Here they come!"
To the left—a flash of lightning.
To the right—a burst of flame.
Chen Junting glanced at Wu Feng, whose expression was stubbornly set. "Xiao Feng, are you sure you can handle it?" His tone was calm, devoid of persuasion. He knew her too well—no amount of劝 would change her mind unless Ning Tian were here.
"Yeah!" she snapped.
He gave a slight nod—granting her request.
The two soul beasts now stood revealed: long, powerful bodies armored with jagged dorsal spines like massive blades. They resembled prehistoric predators—Spinosaurus reborn.
Perfect matches for Bei Bei and Wu Feng's soul ring requirements.
"Truly 'searching far and wide, yet found without effort,'" Chen Junting murmured, already coiling with readiness.
"Attack!"
"Woosh—!"
Earlier, their forms had been obscured by swirling fire and lightning. Now, slowed, their true appearances emerged.
Flame Emperor Dragon—a fire-attribute sub-dragon, roughly 3,500 years old. Its crimson scales glowed like molten lava, radiating searing heat.
Thunderflash Dragon—a lightning-attribute sub-dragon, about 4,500 years old. Blue-white scales crackled with live electricity, arcs dancing across its hide with every movement.
But Chen Junting's expression wasn't one of joy—only gravity.
"This Flame Emperor Dragon is 500 years over Wu Feng's limit."
Still, given Wu Feng's constitution—strengthened since childhood with rare herbs, and having absorbed a 900-year soul ring for her second without strain—pushing her third soul ring 500 years beyond the planned 3,000 might not be fatal.
Just… excruciating.
"Yuhao—don't use Spirit Detection," Chen Junting ordered.
As the twin dragons stood side by side, their scales blazed with elemental fury. Molten rock erupted from the earth beneath them; thunderbolts crashed from the sky above. Fire and lightning converged, spiraling into a colossal vortex of raw energy.
Twin Dragons' Combined Skill—Inferno-Thunder Vortex!
Meteor-like fireballs streaked toward the group. Xu Sanshi's Xuanming Shield Array snapped into place overhead, layer upon layer absorbing the impacts. The rest slammed into the ground—smoke and heat billowing outward.
Behind them, He Caitou bit down on a cigar. The moment it lit, a cannon barrel—thick as a thigh, two meters long—locked onto his right shoulder. Energy surged inside, humming violently.
With a deafening roar, a searing energy beam erupted—like the sun's wrath—aimed straight at the Thunderflash Dragon's head.
The dragon sensed the threat and tried to dodge, but the beam locked on. Electricity flared around it, building into a miniature storm. As the beam neared, the storm exploded—thick lightning bolts lashing out like living whips!
But the energy column was overwhelming. The lightning shattered in seconds, then struck true—blasting the dragon backward in a thunderous explosion of dust and smoke.
Bei Bei seized the opening. His first soul ring flared. Blue lightning coalesced into a Thunderclaw on his right arm, slamming into the wounded dragon's flank—deepening its injuries.
At the same time, Huo Yuhao—hidden beneath the cover of Spirit Detection—sent an invisible soul shock straight into the Flame Emperor Dragon's mind. The beast faltered mid-dodge, dazed.
Chen Junting didn't waste the opening.
Two yellow pentagrams blazed on his sword. Six sword beams carved a human-sized "Kill" character, slashing toward the Flame Emperor Dragon.
The dragon roared, rearing back. Molten spikes along its spine glowed as it gathered a massive fireball in its maw—hot enough to warp the air.
But Chen Junting was already moving.
Sword in hand, he wove a net of sword qi around the beast. Then—with impossible grace—his sword marks coiled around Bei Bei's blue lightning and Wu Feng's crimson dragonfire, merging them into a single red-and-blue dragon of energy that swallowed the Seven Kill Sword whole.
Sword song and dragon roar echoed as one.
The sword tip pierced the heart of the Inferno-Thunder Vortex. Every flame and lightning sword qi slipped through its gaps, unraveling the fusion from within.
A flash of dark-gold—
The Flame Emperor Dragon shrieked. Its tail, armored in hardened scales, shattered under the "Kill" slash—half of it torn clean off!
The twin dragons, realizing their peril, fought desperately. The Thunderflash Dragon lunged at Bei Bei, forcing him back to create space to regroup with its partner.
But it was too late.
Chen Junting's sword descended.
With a final, thunderous detonation, both dragons collapsed—howling in fury, then silence.
Two purple soul rings floated in the air.
Wu Feng, already a bloodied mess—her pores weeping crimson from the violent energy of her new soul ring—trembled uncontrollably. Chen Junting watched, fingers twitching with tension, until her breathing steadied and the bleeding ceased. Only then did he open his eyes, exhaling in relief.
Moments later, Wu Feng whispered, "My clothes… where'd they go!?"
Xu Sanshi, standing behind her, playfully punched Bei Bei—who'd just absorbed his own soul ring and now radiated four soul rings (yellow, yellow, purple, purple), marking him as a Level 41 Soul Ancestor.
Bei Bei brushed off his clothes with mock indignation, then wagged a finger teasingly at Xu Sanshi. "That's not bad luck—that's heaven's blessing!"
Huo Yuhao, standing between them, grinned and congratulated Wu Feng.
The others fidgeted—five students, restless with envy.
Only Chen Junting sat calmly, eyes closed as if meditating.
But then—confusion.
"Huh?" Huo Yuhao frowned.
A moment later—a roar erupted from inside a wooden cage Chen Junting had hastily built by felling trees and weaving sword qi into a sealed enclosure.
Inside, Wu Feng writhed, absorbing her soul ring.
A pity—the Flame Emperor Dragon's soul ring was wasted, since Chen Junting had dealt the killing blow.
An hour passed.
Then another.
Finally, Wu Feng emerged—exhausted but triumphant.
And the hunt continued.
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