With a tremendous roar, several figures rushed over from the distance, led by Huyan Zhen, whom Yang Xiong had encountered during the Soul Master Tournament.
After Yang Xiong's battle with the White-Eyed Demon Tiger King, the scene was already unrecognizable. Even the corpses of the four members of the Elephant Armor Sect were mutilated beyond recognition.
In addition to Huyan Zhen, the group included a Soul Douluo from the Elephant Armor Sect, three Soul Sages, and Huyan Li, whom Yang Xiong had met during the tournament.
Huyan Zhen bellowed furiously: "You brat from the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect, hand over that soul bone now, or I'll make sure you leave here without a grave!"
Huyan Zhen's perception was indeed sharp. With just a glance at the surroundings, he deduced that Yang Xiong had obtained an exceptional right arm soul bone.
Yang Xiong smirked coldly: "What kind of nonsense is this, Lord Huyan? Do you really think our Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect is so easy to bully?"
Huyan Zhen sneered: "You little whelp, do you honestly believe you can walk away unscathed today?"
Clearly, both Huyan Zhen and his companions underestimated Yang Xiong. Though they sensed that Yang Xiong had reached the Soul Emperor level, his strength still paled in comparison to their combined might.
An overwhelming aura emanated from Huyan Zhen—unsurprising for a top-tier defensive Soul Douluo. In terms of sheer power, he undoubtedly rivaled Title Douluos.
Yang Xiong's expression grew serious. While he wasn't afraid of Huyan Zhen alone, the sheer number of opponents made the situation troublesome.
Unfortunately, all of Yang Xiong's allies had already departed. Otherwise, how could someone like Huyan Zhen dare to act so brazenly?
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong teleported, appearing instantly a hundred meters away. He even sneered disdainfully: "The Elephant Armor Sect is nothing but a bunch of bullies preying on the weak. Mark my words, the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect will settle this score."
Huyan Zhen roared furiously: "How dare you! If you escape today, where will the Elephant Armor Sect's dignity stand?"
Yang Xiong felt an immense pressure closing in from afar, as if the entire ground was about to collapse—it was the gravity control of a power-type Soul Douluo.
Huyan Zhen was confident in his gravity control, but Yang Xiong seemed entirely unaffected, sprinting away effortlessly.
The Elephant Armor Sect members were enraged, all of them pursuing Yang Xiong relentlessly. It seemed they wouldn't stop until they killed him.
However, despite Huyan Zhen's formidable strength, his speed was no match for Yang Xiong's—if anything, he was at a slight disadvantage.
Yang Xiong ran swiftly through Sunset Forest, neither evading their pursuit entirely nor allowing the Elephant Armor Sect members to close in. It almost felt like he was toying with them.
While Huyan Zhen and his group cursed angrily behind him, they refused to give up the chase.
Yang Xiong couldn't help but feel exasperated. The intelligence of these Elephant Armor Sect members was clearly lacking—they were nothing but a group of reckless brutes. Did they not consider how Yang Xiong could move so freely in Sunset Forest if he were merely an ordinary Soul Emperor?
Of course, the Elephant Armor Sect members had arrived late and hadn't witnessed Yang Xiong's martial soul or soul rings, which was why they chased him so confidently.
For some unknown reason, Yang Xiong's speed suddenly slowed slightly. Just as the Elephant Armor Sect members thought they were about to catch up, Yang Xiong's figure flashed—he instantly teleported beside Huyan Li.
Yang Xiong's muscles tensed as he unleashed a devastating punch toward Huyan Li. This punch carried boundless force—it was his self-created soul skill: Bone-Crushing Punch.
The Elephant Armor Sect members were astonished. They hadn't expected Yang Xiong, while being pursued by so many, to launch a counterattack. Especially since this strike appeared incredibly powerful, as if it aimed to shatter Huyan Li completely.
The Soul Douluo protecting Huyan Li was also startled. He transformed into a colossal diamond mammoth, activating his fifth soul ring—his fifth soul skill: Mammoth Greatsword. It seemed he intended to use a diversionary tactic.
But Yang Xiong paid no heed, delivering a full-force punch directly at Huyan Li.
In a critical moment, Huyan Li gritted his teeth, realizing he couldn't evade this attack. His fourth soul ring activated—his fourth soul skill: Thousand-Jun Shield, summoning a massive diamond mammoth to block the blow.
However, Yang Xiong's punch was overwhelmingly powerful, shattering the Thousand-Jun Shield and landing squarely on Huyan Li's body.
At the last moment, a radiant glow erupted from Huyan Li's head, colliding with Yang Xiong's fist.
Even so, Huyan Li was sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth—he was clearly gravely injured.
At the same time, the Soul Douluo's fifth soul skill, Mammoth Greatsword, approached Yang Xiong. Despite Yang Xiong grabbing at the attack with claw-like hands, he felt an endless surge of force, sending him flying over ten meters.
Yang Xiong sneered: "Huyan Li, you should thank that head soul bone for saving your life. Let's hope you have such good luck next time."
Just then, an immense pressure descended from above—it was Huyan Zhen launching a full-force attack. Clearly, Huyan Zhen was enraged; Yang Xiong's previous strike had nearly cost his grandson his life.
Yang Xiong sneered again and turned to flee.
Against someone like Huyan Zhen—a lumbering brute whose speed was naturally slow—long-range pressure attacks posed no real threat to Yang Xiong.
Seeing his grandson severely injured, Huyan Zhen became even more determined to capture Yang Xiong.
After chasing Yang Xiong in circles through Sunset Forest for three to four hours,
At this moment, a massive Soul-Breaking Spear descended from the sky, blocking Huyan Zhen and his group.
Huyan Zhen exploded in anger: "Yang Wudi, what do you think you're doing? Are you and the Breaking Family planning to oppose the Elephant Armor Sect?"
Yang Wudi roared furiously: "You lot from the Elephant Armor Sect are nothing but cowards! A group of Soul Douluos chasing after a child—where's the dignity of a major sect?"
"Especially you, Huyan Zhen! Don't think aligning yourself with the Spirit Hall gives you the right to act so arrogantly. Why waste words on a lapdog of the Spirit Hall like you?"
Huyan Zhen's face turned livid with rage: "Yang Wudi, don't think you'll leave here alive today. Let's see what qualifications you have to say such things!"
Yang Wudi ignored Huyan Zhen, turning instead to Yang Xiong: "Little Bear, aren't you always so strong-willed? How did you end up being chased by these cowards from the Elephant Armor Sect?"
Yang Xiong chuckled: "I was just playing with them. Otherwise, how would they take the bait?"
Yang Xiong knew it would be difficult to handle so many from the Elephant Armor Sect alone. Thus, he had led them in circles through Sunset Forest, subtly guiding them toward the Ice-Fire Yin Yang Well while secretly signaling Yang Wudi.
With Yang Wudi present, their combined strength would be more than enough to subdue the entire Elephant Armor Sect group.
Yang Wudi asked: "What's the plan now? There are five of them. If I focus on dealing with Huyan Zhen, it'll take some time to secure a victory."
Yang Xiong casually replied: "Why hasn't Elder Dugu Bo shown up? Isn't he with you?"
Yang Wudi raised an eyebrow: "You have the nerve to mention Dugu Bo? That venomous old man despises you. He's probably delighted to see you being chased—why would he help you?"
Yang Xiong was speechless. Was Dugu Bo still holding a grudge over that? Sure, Yang Xiong had taken some immortal herbs from him, but he had also asked Yang Wudi to cure his poison and even gifted him a soul bone.
"Elder Yang, we need to take down everyone here. I'll handle Huyan Zhen—you deal with the rest. No problem, right?"
Yang Wudi snorted: "Don't underestimate me. Dealing with these minor fry isn't even worth mentioning. However, Huyan Zhen does have some real strength—his defense likely rivals that of a Title Douluo. You sure you can handle him?"
Yang Xiong smiled: "Let's give it a try. I'd like to see what this so-called 'strongest defense under heaven' is all about."
With that, Yang Xiong walked toward Huyan Zhen: "Old fool, you enjoyed chasing me earlier, didn't you? Today, your entire Elephant Armor Sect will be annihilated here."
Meanwhile, Yang Wudi gripped the Soul-Breaking Spear and advanced toward the others, clearly intending to wipe them all out.
Huyan Zhen roared furiously: "You insolent brat! How dare you look down on the mighty Elephant Armor Sect? Today, I'll tear you to pieces to vent my hatred!"
A faint smile appeared on Yang Xiong's lips: "You're just a frog at the bottom of a well. Let me show you what true power looks like."
With that, Yang Xiong summoned his martial soul and soul rings. His body turned blood-red, and two yellow, one purple, two black, and one red soul ring appeared around him.
When Yang Xiong's blood-red soul ring emerged, everyone present gasped, feeling immense pressure. Even Huyan Zhen's expression turned extremely grave—he clearly understood the significance of a hundred-thousand-year soul ring.
Huyan Zhen let out a thunderous roar, transforming into a colossal diamond mammoth. Four soul rings appeared around him: two yellow, two purple, and four black.
Without hesitation, Yang Xiong charged at Huyan Zhen, his hands brimming with seemingly infinite power as he unleashed claw-like strikes.
But Huyan Zhen showed no fear. After all, he was over twenty levels higher than Yang Xiong and had absolute confidence in his defense.
In an instant, Yang Xiong's claws collided with Huyan Zhen's fists. Huyan Zhen stood firm, while Yang Xiong felt a tremendous force repelling him, sending him flying back several dozen meters.
At this moment, Yang Xiong finally understood why Huyan Zhen was called the strongest defense under heaven. His entire body was like tempered steel—terrifyingly hard. In terms of raw power, he likely surpassed even newly minted Title Douluos.
Yang Xiong didn't hesitate. He activated his fourth soul skill: Dragon Elephant Steel Body. His body instantly became bulkier, with a significant boost in both strength and defense.
Simultaneously, the three external soul bones on his body manifested. Thick armor covered his body, his hands now resembling scales, and razor-sharp claws extended from his fingers.
Huyan Zhen merely snorted: "Boy, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. Let's see what you're really made of."
Huyan Zhen charged at Yang Xiong, the ground trembling beneath his feet as if he possessed infinite strength.
Yang Xiong wasted no words, unleashing his full-force Ice-Fire Dragon Claw at Huyan Zhen, pushing its power to the absolute limit.
But Huyan Zhen crashed into him like a charging elephant, forcing Yang Xiong back several meters. The gap in their strength—and especially their soul power—was simply too vast.
However, Yang Xiong couldn't afford to care anymore. His movements became increasingly aggressive as he attacked Huyan Zhen with extreme speed.
Within minutes, the two exchanged countless blows—fists, claws, and bodies colliding repeatedly in a pure test of raw power.
In comparison, Yang Xiong looked worse off. He was repeatedly forced back by Huyan Zhen, his hands aching as if struck by colossal forces, leaving them sore and numb.
Yet Yang Xiong's attacks seemed ineffective against Huyan Zhen. Even the Ice-Fire Dragon Claw couldn't penetrate his defense, leaving only faint scratches on his body.
It was clear that Huyan Zhen had undergone brutal physical tempering. His physical prowess was unmatched among the Soul Douluos Yang Xiong had encountered—even surpassing Niu Gao's. He had truly reached the pinnacle of defense.
Meanwhile, Yang Wudi was engaging the remaining members of the Elephant Armor Sect, handling them with ease.
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