Chapter 363 The Savior: A Gift and a Curse
The golden lion-mastiff howled mournfully on the rock wall, the eye pattern on its back emitting a faint glow.
Its injuries began to slowly heal; its burned fur grew back, the wound on its neck quickly scabbed over and stopped bleeding, then new shoots emerged.
Seeing this, Madmos's golden eyes flashed with understanding.
The creator of this secret realm did not want any casualties on either side; it was not a life-or-death battle, merely a test.
Afterward, he ignored the golden lion-mastiff.
Since it had been teleported away, it meant it had been eliminated. Now it was time to help Bai E.
The golden lion head raised its head high, letting out a victor's roar, and then Madmos began to run, crushing all obstacles like a golden windfall, marching towards Bai E.
Wood chips mixed with soil scattered on both sides of the golden road, returning to the earth, becoming nourishment for those who followed.
Bai E was still locked in a stalemate with the Blue Demon Bird and the Thunderous Hell Vine.
The Thunderous Hell Vine was slightly weaker than the Golden Lion and the Blue Demon Bird in terms of bloodline.
However, due to its high age and the thunderclouds in its core area, contrary to Bai E's initial guess, it was actually the strongest of the three soul beasts.
In Douluo Continent, terrain is crucial. For example, in the far north, the Snow Empress dared to confront Di Tian head-on; at sea, the Sea Princess fearlessly faced the Evil Eye Tyrant Ruler, daring to tear off his tentacles if he dared to approach.
Humans are similar; sea soul masters are almost on completely different levels of combat power on land and at sea.
The core area of the Disaster Mountain system, cultivated by numerous Thunderous Hell Vine, had long been a paradise for thunder-attribute soul beasts.
The Thunderous Hell Vine would receive a significant boost here.
With the Blue Demon Bird's assistance, Bai E couldn't defeat its opponent anytime soon.
The Destruction Stance was extremely taxing; only a top-tier soul master with high-quality, durable soul power could maintain it for so long.
But if this dragged on, Bai E would have to consider burning his Dream Coins.
As Mu En's disciple and the designated leader of the Sea God Pavilion, he possessed a large amount of Dream Coins.
Mu En would occasionally give him some, always reminding him not to take out online loans.
The Dream Coin loans on the Magic Network were truly insidious; even Mu En couldn't help but complain, calling it a blatant conspiracy.
What Soul Master wouldn't want more Dream Coins? They were truly life-saving.
Who wouldn't want a final burst of power before death? What if it saved them?
The current battles were based on suspicion; people avoided fighting opponents of similar level unless absolutely necessary, fearing a real fight.
Some on the continent, unable to bear being stuck at a bottleneck, decided to go all in, betting on online loans and all their savings to break through.
Winning meant joining the Hall of Strongest; losing meant suicide and starting over—such news was commonplace on the Magic Network.
Shrek Academy was most worried about its students taking out large online loans—that would be a death sentence!
Some even discovered the death clause Huo Yuhao had written in the loan agreement: if you owed money, you'd have to work even after death.
Huo Yuhao never hid these rules; there were plenty of people willing to lend them out.
Just as Bai E was considering burning his Dream Coins to unleash a powerful attack on the two beasts, Medemos appeared behind them.
Undeterred by the thunder, the golden lion head transformed into a meteor and rushed towards the battlefield.
A smile appeared on Bai E's divine face as his first spirit ring lit up, and the Dawnbreaker Greatsword glowed with a dark red light.
An aura of destruction licked at the world, and ominous power enveloped the Thunderous Hell Vine and the Blue Demon Bird.
Bai E's first spirit skill, Bloodthorn Crossing Death, unleashed its destructive stance.
It possessed a powerful defense-breaking ability, plunging those hit into a state of continuous destructive erosion.
The Blue Demon Bird and Thunderous Hell Vine were now drenched in sweat.
Before them stood the young beast charging its destructive power, and behind them, the menacing lion boy.
The fact that the lion boy was here meant the golden-haired lion had already retreated.
With the protection of a deity, death was unlikely, but the beasts were probably badly injured.
The auras of destruction and savagery sandwiched the two spirit beasts between them.
Thunderous Hell Vine touched the Blue Demon Bird with its dark purple leaves, using its mental power to inquire if it could teleport them away from the encirclement.
The Blue Demon Bird shook its head violently.
Running away on its own was easy, but taking the Thunderous Hell Vine with it was tantamount to suicide.
Although its spatial power was high-level, it only had seven thousand years of cultivation, and its mana bar wasn't long enough.
Carrying a ten-thousand-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine wouldn't get it far, and it would also have to worry about being locked onto by the Yellow-Purple Youth's Destructive True Intent.
Destructive power was no joke; even a single touch would mean praying to a deity for salvation.
"Screech! (I can run, but you can't.)"
The Thunderous Hell Vine panicked, its leaves trembling rapidly as it frantically transmitted information to the Blue Demon Bird.
"You dare call yourself the Phoenix Ancestor? You're utterly pathetic."
"You're not even as good as Big Yellow, at least he actually dared to fight!"
"Don't tell me you're trying to run away alone, we're brothers!"
The Blue Demon Bird's forehead was covered in the character "井" (well), and it used its sharp beak to fiercely peck at the Thunderous Hell Vine beside it, how dare it cry out:
"Screech, screech! (You're just bullying Big Yellow because he's stupid, brothers, what a bastard, we're not even blood brothers!)"
"Screech! (Let me go, I'm running away!)"
How could the Thunderous Hell Vine let it escape?
It immediately wrapped its vines around the bird and then used electricity to severely punish its internet addiction.
"Hmph? Trying to escape? You're the ones who angered them.
I told you to just put on a show and let them in, but you insisted on testing their mettle."
"Now look what happened, you've tested your mettle."
"I don't care, although we weren't born at the same time, we must die together!"
The Blue Demon Bird was convulsing from the electric shock, feeling incredibly good, its eyes rolling back.
Bird-type soul beasts are notoriously fragile in their defense.
Just as the two beasts were fighting amongst themselves, Bai E's dark red sword light and Medemos's golden lion head were less than ten meters away.
The two beasts had already embraced each other, silently chanting Huo Yuhao's name, praying for protection.
The howling of the surrounding air sounded like the tolling of death bells.
"Boom!!!"
Just as the attacks were about to hit the two beasts, the thunderclouds in the sky began to roar. Purple lightning almost instantly completed its preparation.
Countless bolts of lightning tore through the sky and struck the earth heavily.
Huge amounts of soil were ripped up, and the mountains were filled with the stench of mud.
The Cataclysmic Mountain Range was thus hit by a massive earthquake.
High-intensity hurricanes appeared on the outer edge of the mountain range, and various natural disasters occurred at the same time, wantonly displaying the power of nature.
Bai E and Medemos's attacks were blocked by the lightning.
The two men retreated and prepared for a second round of attacks.
"Two visitors, please stop."
"You have passed the King's test, please do not harm their lives."
A pleasant female voice rang out on the battlefield.
Thunderous Hell Vine and Blue Demon Bird breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
They exchanged a glance and realized they had somehow clung to each other.
Blue Demon Bird disgustedly pushed Thunderous Hell Vine away, wiping its body with its wings as if there was something unclean about it.
Thunderous Hell Vine next to it did the same.
Soon, a dark purple Thunderous Hell Vine with golden patterns stretched out from the canyon.
It was Little Hell Vine, the child of the 100,000-year-old Thunderous Hell Vine, personally named by Huo Yuhao, becoming the manager of this place.
Little Hell Vine glanced helplessly at the two beasts behind it and said,
"Look at the mess you've made, you've made a complete mess of things."
"Go take Big Yellow back to heal its wounds."
Both Thunderous Hell Vine and Blue Demon Bird lowered their heads like quails and went to find the golden-haired lion-mastiff resting on the rock wall.
The golden-haired lion-mastiff licked its wound and followed the two beasts to Xiao Yan.
It obediently rubbed against Xiao Yan's branches, its ears turning into airplane ears and its tail wagging incessantly, looking utterly adorable.
When Huo Yuhao created them, he entrusted them to Xiao Yan's care; in a sense, Xiao Yan was their foster mother.
Xiao Yan's branches pointed to the canyon behind them, signaling the three beasts to return.
Those with heads lowered their heads, those with tails tucked their tails between their legs, and those with nothing lowered their voices, sheepishly returning to the canyon.
Xiao Yan looked at the two and said,
"Please come in, both of you. Your deserved rewards are in the canyon."
Bai E, having already reverted to its destructive form, exchanged a glance with Medmos and nodded to Xiao Yan together.
"Then, please follow me."
The dark purple vines began to retract, and Bai E and Medmos followed closely as they passed through the dimly lit passage.
The rock walls here were covered with alchemical runes—an alchemical barrier set up by Huo Yuhao and controlled by Xiao Yan.
After passing through the passage, both Bai E and Maidemus stared wide-eyed.
It was a blue-purple world, with countless rare and exotic plants growing on the ground.
The rock walls on both sides were covered with Thunderous Hell Vines, their branches and leaves trembling as if welcoming their arrival.
Xiao Yan's voice reached their ears again.
"Your rewards are ahead, gentlemen."
Maidemus and Bai E followed the voice's guidance, carefully avoiding stepping on the plants.
Some they recognized, others were unfamiliar. Those they did recognize were all
rare and precious spiritual herbs long extinct in the outside world.
Following the voice, they arrived at an open area, where the rewards the woman had mentioned came into view.
A dark purple right arm bone crackled with lightning, emanating a terrifying aura.
Bai E and the others had encountered ten-thousand-year soul bones at Shrek Academy, so they could sense that this soul bone's quality far exceeded ten thousand years, probably a hundred-thousand-year soul bone.
On the other side was a golden-red torso bone, its aura likely ten-thousand-year, with a black soul ring above it.
Maidemoss immediately felt a strong attraction; his martial soul was leaping with joy, yearning for this soul bone and soul ring.
"Here's a ten-thousand-year soul ring, a hundred-thousand-year soul bone, and a ten-thousand-year soul bone.
You can allocate them as you see fit."
"After absorbing the soul ring and soul bone, you can also choose two immortal herbs here. I'll introduce them to you."
After Xiao Yan's voice subsided, Maidemus looked at Bai E and said,
"Which one do you want?"
Bai E smiled and scratched his head, saying,
"You choose first, I don't mind."
Maidemus had already anticipated Bai E's attitude, sighed, and pointed to the ten-thousand-year soul ring and soul bone, saying,
"That soul ring and soul bone have a strong attraction for me, I'll take them."
Bai E, smiling like a Samoyed, nodded happily and said,
"Well, then I'll take the hundred-thousand-year soul bone."
However, Bai E hesitated slightly for a moment, then said,
"Maidemus, that's a ten-thousand-year soul ring. Judging from its aura, its age might not be low. Are you sure you can handle it?"
Maidemus crossed his arms and said,
"The word 'retreat' doesn't exist in my dictionary."
"The thing is right in front of us. Since we're here, let's give it a try."
Hearing Bai E's hesitation from the rock wall, Xiao Yan explained,
"Don't worry, this soul ring has been here for a long time. Its will dissipated long ago in the thunder.
You just need to withstand its powerful soul energy.
I suggest absorbing the soul bone first, then the soul ring; it will reduce the difficulty considerably."
Medmos had already walked to the soul bone and begun absorbing it.
Even with Xiao Yan's assurance, Bai E was still somewhat uneasy.
He didn't choose to directly absorb the 100,000-year soul bone, but instead stood beside Medmos, watching over him.
He never took his companions' safety lightly, just as he had always dreamed.
The destiny of a savior is both a blessing and a curse.
Whether for the world or for an individual, savior is never a good word.
(End of Chapter)
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