After learning that Chen Ming's target this time was a Blazing Winged Dragon between fifteen and eighteen thousand years old, Qian Daoliu carefully considered the matter for quite some time before ultimately summoning the Azure Luan Douluo from the Worship Hall and assigning him to accompany Chen Ming.
Among the five-colored phoenixes, the azure one was known as the luan.
Azure Luan Douluo's Martial Soul was the Azure Luan—a true phoenix Martial Soul that stood on the same level as genuine dragon Martial Souls.
Although he was not particularly famous, his power in the skies was still extraordinarily formidable.
If Qian Daoliu was the undisputed strongest existence in the skies above the Douluo Continent, then Azure Luan Douluo was unquestionably second only to him.
With Azure Luan Douluo's current strength—already at Level 97 and beginning his advance toward Level 98—combined with the power of his Martial Soul, he was more than capable of protecting Chen Ming and allowing him to freely select the Spirit Beast he desired from within an enormous dragon flock.
As for Qian Renfeng, he naturally had to accompany them as well. However, his role remained that of Chen Ming's personal guard.
"Morning, Xiao Ming. You already broke through to Level 40? You really gave me a huge scare." Azure Luan Douluo laughed. "If I'd possessed your level of talent back when I was your age—no, forget that. Even if I'd only had half your talent, I'd probably be trying to challenge the realm of Limit Douluo by now."
Azure Luan Douluo still appeared rather young overall. Because Martial Souls affected the appearance of their owners, his face was not only handsome, but also carried a regal aura akin to that of a sovereign.
Previously, because he had already passed the age of one hundred and his body had begun showing signs of aging, his overall temperament had seemed somewhat heavy and restrained, hiding much of that natural bearing.
But after replenishing his depleted vitality through medicinal pills and further advancing in all aspects due to condensing a Spirit Core, Azure Luan Douluo now looked like nothing more than a noble young aristocrat.
"You flatter me, Third Martial Uncle. With your current condition, you'll probably reach level 98 within a few years and begin attempting to break through to Limit Douluo yourself."
"If we're only talking about accumulating Spirit Power, then in another year or two at most, I should be able to reach level 98." Azure Luan Douluo shook his head. "But level 99 is truly difficult."
"Without hundred-thousand-year Spirit Rings and hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones, reaching Limit Douluo is still extremely hard. Who could be as lucky as you, kid, encountering both hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts and hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bones?" He sighed dramatically. "Ah, if only someday I could run into a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast suitable for me."
Although Azure Luan Douluo clearly regretted lacking hundred-thousand-year Spirit Rings and Spirit Bones himself, he held no covetous thoughts whatsoever toward Chen Ming's hundred-thousand-year Spirit Bone or Xiao Wu.
"Xiao Ming, keep cultivating well and continue your research properly. Maybe someday, thanks to your support, this old bag of bones might even break through to the Limit Douluo realm." Azure Luan Douluo patted Chen Ming on the shoulder as he spoke, his tone half teasing and half serious.
At this point, the talent Chen Ming had displayed had already surpassed the simple concept of reaching Limit Douluo.
Though nobody openly voiced it, everyone who truly understood Chen Ming had already begun wondering whether he might one day shatter the limitations of becoming a god—just as he had shattered the upper limit of the Angel God's meditation technique—and become the first new god since the Angel God herself.
"I'll do my best to continue cultivating and researching," Chen Ming replied as he scratched the back of his head.
After a brief exchange, Azure Luan Douluo led Chen Ming and Qian Renfeng toward the volcanic island chain located beyond the seas surrounding the Douluo Continent.
Because underwater earthquakes and small volcanic eruptions constantly occurred beneath the seabed, the environment throughout this region could only be described as extremely hostile.
With the shipbuilding technology of the Douluo Continent—which could practically be considered primitive by modern standards—even the finest ships would be incapable of navigating these waters.
As such, there were only two possible ways to reach this place. Either a top-tier water-attributed Spirit Master escorted someone through the sea itself, or a powerful flying Spirit Master carried them through the skies.
Ordinary methods simply could not reach this island chain.
When Chen Ming and the others arrived, the volcanic archipelago happened to be in a particularly active phase. Underwater volcanoes were erupting continuously, while the exposed volcanic peaks above the sea were also spewing lava. Intense heat surged upward into the clouds, the earth trembled constantly, and the surrounding environment was utterly devastated. Under such conditions, almost no lifeforms could survive.
After bypassing several erupting volcanoes, the group finally discovered traces of the Spirit Beast they had come searching for—the Blazing Winged Dragon.
It was a small dragon pack, consisting of more than twenty Blazing Winged Dragons gathered together. Although the surrounding environment was harsh, with the earth constantly shaking and ash clouds endlessly billowing, these Blazing Winged Dragons had long since adapted to such conditions and clearly understood how to survive here.
The smallest among them had barely reached the hundred-year level, while the largest appeared to possess slightly over ten thousand years of cultivation.
The group hunted in an organized manner across the sea, distributing prey according to a clear structure.
The adult Blazing Winged Dragons took turns diving into the ocean to catch fish through high-speed plunges. Pregnant dragons and the younger individuals received food first, followed by healthy adults, and only afterward those carrying injuries.
"No wonder this species was once specifically targeted by humanity as rulers of the skies," Chen Ming remarked with a nod, giving the dragon pack extremely high praise. "Not only are they individually powerful, but their numbers are considerable, and they possess exceptional coordination."
The strongest Blazing Winged Dragon here was only around ten thousand years old, but if such a large group acted together collectively, then with their flight capabilities and discipline, anyone below the level of Titled Douluo would truly have no effective way to deal with them.
"The strongest one only seems to be around twelve thousand years old. That's still a little too low," Azure Luan Douluo said after observing them briefly. "Let's change locations and keep searching."
"Blazing Winged Dragons constantly migrate between these volcanic islands. If we keep looking, we might run into one with a higher cultivation level."
Azure Luan Douluo continued leading Chen Ming through the volcanic island chain, searching for a suitable Blazing Winged Dragon.
In the end, within a medium-sized dragon pack, the group finally discovered a Blazing Winged Dragon that met Chen Ming's requirements.
Its cultivation was slightly above sixteen thousand years.
The scales covering its body were crimson red, resembling metal refined from blazing ore. Its claws and fangs were sharp and pristine, radiating both bloody savagery and imposing majesty.
From head to tail, its body measured over six meters long, while its wingspan reached nearly fifteen meters. Its physique was compact yet explosively powerful.
Although it was merely a sub-dragon species, its overall appearance resembled a true dragon by nearly eighty percent. Whether in terms of cultivation age or physical condition, it was clearly an exceptionally well-developed Spirit Beast specimen.
...
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