"Yue Guan, why are there so many brats tagging along?"
Gui Mei frowned and asked as he caught up with Yue Guan, who was walking at the rear.
"The Holy Maiden gave her word."
"They insisted on coming. What could I do to stop them?"
Hearing this, Gui Mei said nothing more and simply followed along.
At the center of the lava zone—
A rogue soul master named Mo Fan had arrived first, having sensed the disturbance.
From afar, he spotted Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.
As for Lin Feng, who had just emerged from beneath the lava and was standing beside them—Mo Fan completely overlooked him.
"You felt the anomaly too? Are you soul masters drawn here by the disturbance?"
Mo Fan eyed Dugu Bo warily as he spoke.
Dugu Bo glanced at the man clad in a black Daoist robe that obscured most of his features and couldn't be bothered to respond. He turned his head away in disinterest.
"Can't you use your eyes? Figure it out yourself."
Dugu Yan clearly didn't like the newcomers. After all, anyone arriving here now could only have one purpose—to fight them for the Fire Crystals.
Who's to say that he will not kill for the sake of such opportunity?
"What kind of attitude is that, little girl?"
Mo Fan was instantly irritated. Five soul rings lit up beneath his feet.
"Soul King? Hah. Acting all high and mighty."
Dugu Yan glanced at him with disdain.
At that moment, several more groups began arriving in succession.
The atmosphere quickly grew tense, with everyone staring at each other from a distance, no one daring to act first.
Seeing the situation, Mo Fan simply turned around and walked away, setting aside the idea of teaching Dugu Yan a lesson for now.
The first bird to take flight is the first to get shot.
No way he was going to make himself a target.
I'll wait until they start fighting. Then I'll make my move. Slip in, grab what I can, and vanish… Mo Fan, you're a genius.
With that, he ducked behind a boulder to wait in ambush.
Lin Feng swept his gaze over the crowd.
"Except for one soul master with innate soul power at Rank 7, the rest aren't that impressive."
"Just a bunch of Soul Kings and Soul Ancestors."
"Probably just came here hoping for a stroke of luck after hearing about the disturbance."
He activated Trait Insight, carefully analyzing the individuals present.
The groups kept their distance from one another, the tension thick in the air.
"Lin Ye, Patriarch of the Lin Clan, greets Senior Dugu."
Lin Ye arrived and quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands respectfully toward Dugu Bo.
"Hahaha! Isn't this Feng'er's father?"
"We're family—no need for formalities."
"You raised a fine son."
Dugu Bo beamed as he spoke.
"Thank you, Senior Dugu! I appreciate your guidance and care for my son."
Lin Ye was inwardly astonished as he stood up.
When had Lin Feng earned Dugu Bo's approval? Just a few encounters ago, the old man had been glaring and grumbling at him.
Still, this was clearly a good thing. With Dugu Bo's support, their odds of obtaining the Fire Crystal had just gone up significantly.
Lin Ye smiled, turning to Dugu Yan.
"Yan'er, it's been a while."
"My Feng'er talks about you often, always saying that he really likes you."
"Did he really say that at home?"
Dugu Yan's eyes lit up with joy.
"Feng'er even asked me to find a good time to speak with your grandfather about a betrothal."
Lin Ye chuckled kindly and nodded.
"This rascal, already thinking so far ahead!"
Dugu Bo burst out laughing, glancing toward Lin Feng with amusement.
"Senior, if I may boast a little—Feng'er's always been clever and well-behaved."
"He was running at one, climbing trees at three, and by five, he'd already memorized half our family's library."
"And at home, he never even looked at other girls."
"But the moment he met Yan'er at six, he was smitten."
"Every time he came home, he'd say she was the only girl he'd ever marry."
"Hahaha! Imagine that, a kid so young already talking like that!"
Lin Ye laughed heartily as he shared stories from Lin Feng's childhood with Dugu Bo.
Lin Feng rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Unbelievable…"
Where is he pulling this stuff from? I'm cringing just hearing it.
When did I ever become such a perfect son? You were never even home most of the time.
And that stuff about marrying Yan'er—slander! Pure slander!
Lin Feng quickly cleared his throat and blinked a few times, making his presence known.
If he stayed quiet any longer, Lin Ye might just start telling stories about bedwetting.
"Feng'er? You're here?"
Lin Ye laughed awkwardly, still eyeing Lin Feng to make sure it was really him.
"When did you get here?"
"Stop staring—it's me. I've been here the whole time."
Lin Feng gave him a look full of exasperation.
"Right, haha… so, uh… have you eaten?"
Lin Ye scratched his head and fumbled for a change of subject.
"Lin Feng, I didn't know you loved me so much!"
Ignoring the awkwardness between the two, Dugu Yan suddenly leapt into Lin Feng's arms and planted several kisses on his face.
"Alright, alright, enough already."
Lin Ye suddenly straightened, his expression turning grim.
"Senior Dugu, to think a Flame Beast King that hasn't appeared in decades would emerge now…"
"I spotted imperial forces on my way here."
"This Fire Crystal is going to be fiercely contested."
"The Balak Kingdom's general is a fire-type Soul Douluo, and then there's Huo Long from Blazing Academy."
"The Star Luo Empire probably won't send anyone—but if Spirit Hall steps in, we're in real trouble."
Lin Ye sighed repeatedly, his face filled with concern.
"You're right," Dugu Bo nodded.
He fell silent, lost in thought.
Everything Lin Ye said was true—this battle for the Fire Crystal was not going to be easy.
hearty laughter echoed from the distance.
"I wondered who beat me here—turns out it's Senior Dugu and Brother Lin!"
The booming laugh belonged to Huo Long.
The pressure of his eight-ring Soul Douluo cultivation burst out like a tidal wave.
A warning to all the other factions present—
Get involved, and you'll die.
Everyone else was instantly overwhelmed by the aura, chills running down their spines.
"Brothers, let's get out of here…"
"Let whoever wants it have it."
The leader of a mercenary team was the first to back down, retreating quickly with his men.
"I wasn't talking about you?"
"Don't try to be clever in front of me."
Huo Long's gaze casually swept over the crowd and finally landed on Mo Fan, who's still hiding behind a rock.
A wave of spiritual pressure surged directly at him.
30 Advance Chapters on !
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