Douluo Continent: The Real World

The male Jidianhuo Luan (Male Fire Phoenix) hovered in the air, his eyes filled with murderous intent. His wife was in danger—the wife who had stood by him for hundreds of years. He had cultivated for more than a thousand years and, though lacking wisdom, he knew one thing: if his wife died, he would follow her. But before joining her in death, he was determined to avenge her.

With a furious flap of his wings, he dived down, letting out a cry that shook the skies. The flames and lightning that coated his wings flared with all their power. In this moment, his speed soared to its limit, like a missile encased in fire and lightning. Yu Tianyan realized there was no way to dodge this attack, absolutely none. His body, already wounded, couldn't withstand the thunderous onslaught.

He had only one option left.

A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.

The last reserves of his soul power ignited, fueling the Fallen Heart Flame. Like a Kamehameha, he unleashed all the strange fire he could muster.

He wanted to see which would come first: his death at the claws of this beast, or its death by his fire.

At worst, he would trade his life for the beast's. He had always fought without regard for his own safety; it was like this in his previous life, and it was the same now.

This nearly invisible blast of flame struck fear into the heart of Jidianhuo Luan.

No soul beast was unafraid of lightning from the heavens and fire from the earth. These two elements carried immense destructive power, both feared as natural disasters by soul beasts.

A trace of fear caused the beast to hesitate.

The shockwave of flames met the phoenix's claws.

The rock-hard claws emitted white smoke under the intense heat of the Fallen Heart Flame. The unbearable pain caused the beast to lose balance, and at such a high speed, it overshot Yu Tianyan, hurtling toward the ground.

However, its charge had also torn through the flame shockwave.

The sharp talons skimmed over Yu Tianyan's scalp, and the wind pressure shaved the top of his head.

Yu Tianyan collapsed weakly on the ground, clutching his chest and panting heavily, his teeth clenched as he stared at the fallen phoenix.

The Jidianhuo Luan, hurtling towards the ground, was in a miserable state. Its immense speed gave it unrivaled attack power, but at a cost. The collision had left the creature, whose defenses were weak, with severe internal injuries. Worse, its claws couldn't withstand the strange fire's burn, and all four toes were scorched, with invisible flames consuming its legs.

Seeing this, Yu Tianyan knew he had won, and a smile crept onto his face. Though seriously injured, he had emerged victorious. This was his first battle in this world, ending with the defeat of two thousand-year-old soul beasts.

Yet three seconds later, he could no longer smile.

The grievously wounded male Jidianhuo Luan let out a pained scream, eyes wild with madness. Despite the agony, it pushed itself up on its burnt legs, screeching in sorrow.

Its wings spread wide, and it slowly approached Yu Tianyan, unable to achieve its former speed.

As it flew, it wailed as if making a final farewell. Its enormous body and soul surged wildly, on the brink of explosion. It knew death awaited it, but it was determined to avenge its mate before that happened.

Yu Tianyan's eyes widened in despair. The phoenix was planning to self-destruct.

At this moment, he was immobile, drained of soul power. He knew he was doomed.

He thought briefly of how sad Liu Erlong would be if he died before avenging his past life and completing his plans. Her face imprinted itself in his mind.

Then, a powerful voice shattered the tension.

"You beast, you're courting death!"

A platinum-white light shot from behind Yu Tianyan, piercing the head of the phoenix, which was inching towards self-destruction.

Watching the phoenix's body collapse and its self-destruction dissolve, Yu Tianyan shouted in relief, "Sister!"

Liu Erlong, dressed in a black battle skirt, let out a sigh of relief.

In that critical moment, she had activated the soul bone skill from the three-headed fire dragon—the Divine Power, an intense mental attack that obliterated the Jidianhuo Luan's brain instantly.

Without wasting a moment, she rushed to Yu Tianyan and helped him up, using her enhanced mental powers to assess his injuries.

"Sister Erlong, did you finish absorbing the soul bone so quickly?" Yu Tianyan asked as he looked up at her. He was stunned by her newfound radiance.

The absorption had indeed been unusually swift. When Yu Tianyan was injured, the heart fire within Liu Erlong had sensed it. The fire's relentless impact helped her absorb soul power almost ten times faster. In the briefest time, all the soul power had merged, raising her power to the peak of level 86.

As the final soul rings and bones settled, Liu Erlong regained consciousness and spotted the phoenix about to self-destruct. Ignoring her injuries, she leaped into action.

Looking around, tears welled in Liu Erlong's eyes. Yu Tianyan's blood stained the ground, and the distant female phoenix cried weakly, its life nearly extinguished by the flames.

"Xiaoyan, promise your sister you'll never do anything this dangerous again."

If he had interrupted her absorption, she could have crushed the two phoenixes with ease. But to let her absorb the soul ring safely, he had risked everything. Liu Erlong could not bear the thought.

As warmth settled over him, Yu Tianyan released his fatigue, resting in Liu Erlong's arms.

Liu Erlong placed him gently on her lap, staring at the dying female phoenix and memorizing its form, her gaze filled with unrelenting fury.

If she encountered such a soul beast again, she vowed to reduce it to ashes.

Liu Erlong was unwavering. Those who dared to hurt her loved ones would face her wrath.

(End of the Chapter)