Soul Land: Legend of Saint Seiya

Chapter 221: The Ever-Advancing Path of Battle (Part 2)

The Fourth Hell was a dark swamp meant for punishing the discontented and the wrathful. The swamp resembled a dense forest, filled with the damp scent of soil. Submerged trees and bushes still maintained their original forms, adding an eerie and mysterious atmosphere to this desolate underworld.

"We should just fly!"

The swampy terrain, where soil and vegetation intertwined, made the path muddy and treacherous. Each step was arduous, and mud easily clung to their shoes and pants.

Vanity is a natural trait for girls. No matter how strong they were, even Qian Renxue couldn't resist. Her suggestion immediately gained the support of Huo Wu and Ye Lingling.

With the three girls in agreement, the majority ruled. Besides, Xiao Yu himself despised the swampy, slippery ground and raised no objections.

"Let's go!"

Huo Wu gleefully stepped forward, preparing to approach Xiao Yu. Although she often complained about her inability to fly, she now felt lucky. Whenever flight was required, she could monopolize Xiao Yu's embrace.

"Hey, Qian Renxue, what are you doing?"

Before she could reach Xiao Yu, Qian Renxue suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Qian Renxue's lips curled into an amused smile, her sharp gaze locking onto Huo Wu as though penetrating her very being. "Didn't I say I'd take you flying? There's no need to trouble Xiao Yu."

As she spoke, two pairs of golden wings, each over three meters long, unfurled from her back. With a firm grip on Huo Wu's wrist, she took to the skies.

"Ah! Qian Renxue, slow down!"

Huo Wu's screams echoed in the air as their figures ascended rapidly, vanishing from Xiao Yu's sight.

Xiao Yu shook his head helplessly. This was clearly Qian Renxue using public means to settle a private score. However, he trusted her to know her limits—at most, she'd scare Huo Wu, not harm her.

"Lingling, let's go!"

Unfurling his black four wings, Xiao Yu levitated and spoke gently, "The beast guarding this place hasn't shown itself yet. It might be lurking in the sky, so stay close to me."

Xiao Yu wasn't worried about Qian Renxue. With her current strength, unless they encountered a beast with ferocious-level combat power, it was unclear who would be hunting whom.

Ye Lingling nodded obediently, activating the flying ability of her Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone. She floated up, and the two of them flew in the direction Qian Renxue had gone.

Qian Renxue, intending only to teach Huo Wu a lesson, had secretly used her soul power to fly at extreme speed right after takeoff. Satisfied that she had frightened Huo Wu enough, she soon slowed down. It wasn't long before Xiao Yu and Ye Lingling caught up.

"Xiao Yu, you're finally here!"

Huo Wu's fiery personality made her unwilling to show fear, even when scared. Seeing Xiao Yu approach, she immediately felt emboldened.

Breaking free from Qian Renxue's grip, she threw herself into Xiao Yu's arms, clinging to him like an octopus and refusing to let go.

Qian Renxue snorted coldly at the sight.

Xiao Yu could only give a wry smile. As someone intent on opening a harem, he had to endure these struggles on his own. Fortunately, Ye Lingling's gentle and understanding nature brought him some solace. Otherwise, resolving the conflicts within his harem would have cost him countless brain cells.

The group of four continued flying forward. Time seemed to blur as they ventured deeper, the air gradually growing thin.

Suddenly, alarm bells rang in Xiao Yu's spiritual sea. Without hesitation, he fully activated his Nether God Domain, enveloping himself, Qian Renxue, Huo Wu, and Ye Lingling within its protection.

In the next moment, the sky darkened as a shadow loomed overhead. A deathly attack descended like a blanket, sweeping across the high skies in a carpet-like manner.

Qian Renxue's eyes flashed with gratitude. "What a powerful aura! If you hadn't activated your domain in time, taking that attack head-on might not have harmed us, but Lingling and... a certain someone would have been in danger!"

Huo Wu, the "certain someone," snorted softly but didn't retort. With her current strength as a Soul Emperor who had just absorbed her sixth spirit ring, an unguarded hit from that attack could have left her severely injured.

"We should land. It seems a big one is coming our way!"

Xiao Yu spoke in a deep voice, and the three women nodded in unison. After all, none of them were Titled Douluos. Whether it was Xiao Yu and Qian Renxue using their martial spirits or Ye Lingling relying on her soul bone ability to fly, it consumed soul power. In an aerial battlefield, they would be at a disadvantage.

The Fourth Hell was filled with swamps, and the group struggled to find a patch of grass sturdy enough to land on.

As soon as they touched down, the colossal creature speeding toward them in the distance finally came into view.

It was a skeletal dragon over a hundred meters long. Its entire body was reduced to a framework of bones, gleaming like jade and faintly glowing. On its head was a massive horn five meters long, and its spine bristled with sharp bone spikes. At the center of its back was a pair of skeletal wings, their vast span capable of generating winds strong enough to topple anything in their path.

In the hollow sockets of the bone dragon's eyes burned a flickering blue flame. The flame seemed alive, leaping and dancing with an eerie vitality.

This was the guardian of the Fourth Hell, the Rampaging Bone Dragon King.

The bone dragon quickly spotted Xiao Yu and his group. With a deafening roar, the ground and surrounding vegetation trembled violently.

Ye Lingling and Huo Wu, being less powerful, groaned and staggered back several steps under the pressure of the roar.

Xiao Yu shouted in anger, releasing a surge of powerful energy from his feet. The energy spread outward in a rippling shockwave, canceling out the bone dragon's soundwave attack. This allowed Ye Lingling and Huo Wu to steady themselves with difficulty.

The power of this bone dragon was likely on the verge of reaching the level of a rank-95 Titled Douluo!

Xiao Yu immediately assessed the Rampaging Bone Dragon King's strength. Considering the terrifying innate combat abilities of dragon-type creatures, even rank-95 Titled Douluos like Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei would likely be defeated if they faced this bone dragon.

"Now this is interesting!"

Xiao Yu's lips curved into a grin, his eyes brimming with fighting spirit. Only battles with such formidable opponents could help him further explore the realm of Soul Douluo.

Moreover, the bone dragon was steeped in death and darkness—perfect attributes for becoming his eighth spirit ring.

(End of Chapter)

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