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The earth trembled beneath the Crimson-Flare Beast's charge. Each step it took shattered the stone beneath its claws, leaving trails of molten cracks that glowed like bleeding wounds. With horns aimed forward and wind-flame spiraling around its limbs, it lunged directly at Su Yang.
But Su Yang didn't retreat.
He bent his knees slightly, hands held in a strange circular stance. Karma Fire surged to his fingertips, yet it did not burn outward—it flowed inward, rotating along invisible meridians. His aura condensed.
Then he stepped.
Boom—!
The instant his foot touched the stone, a shockwave erupted. Su Yang launched forward, intercepting the beast's charge like a comet crashing into a storm.
Palm met horn.
A thunderous shock rang out, and crimson sparks flew in all directions. Su Yang's body slid backward, digging trenches into the stone, but he remained upright. The Crimson-Flare Beast snarled, its momentum broken.
> "Jin Hao—now!"
From the right flank, Jin Hao moved like a shadow, his halberd spinning with surging fire energy. The spearhead ignited with green-orange flames—the Wind-Fused Ember Art.
He roared and brought the halberd down.
The beast reacted instantly. Its left leg shifted, kicking up a blast of heat and wind that slammed into Jin Hao like a hammer. The young man grunted and spun mid-air, barely cushioning the impact with his flame cloak before crashing against a boulder.
But the distraction had worked.
> "Bind it!" Su Yang shouted.
From behind, Lin Xue raised both arms, her hands gleaming with chilling blue light. Ice mist condensed in the heated canyon air. Dozens of silver-blue chains made of spiritual frost shot forth from the shadows.
The Crimson-Flare Beast roared and twisted, but the ice chains wrapped around its legs, locking it momentarily in place.
Su Yang dashed forward. His hands blurred in a spiral seal motion.
> "Soul Flame Thread—Ignition!"
Golden threads erupted from his fingers like whips of burning silk, embedding into the beast's scales. The beast howled as the flames didn't just burn its body—they burned its soul.
For a moment, it writhed uncontrollably, spiritual qi dispersing wildly.
> "Jin Hao—strike again. Don't hold back."
Jin Hao coughed but pushed himself up, teeth clenched. He jumped, this time his entire body engulfed in flame. His halberd spun like a sun wheel.
> "Take this—Sky-Flame Spiral Slash!"
The halberd fell like a judgment from the heavens.
BOOM—!
A deep gash split across the beast's flank, spraying molten blood and scorching fumes. The Crimson-Flare Beast screamed, the combined pain of body and soul nearly overwhelming it.
But it did not fall.
It opened its jaws—and the air twisted.
A firestorm of compressed spiritual flame and wind gathered inside its throat, forming a spiraling orb of destruction. A skill. A true beast technique. One that could kill if not blocked.
> "It's going to release it—MOVE!"
Su Yang moved first. He didn't dodge.
He leaped directly in front of the beast, both hands glowing fiercely.
> "Zi Shu—lend me your essence."
The snake beneath his sleeve responded with a high-pitched trill. A drop of Soul Flame Essence seeped into his palm—and fused with his Karma Fire.
Su Yang's entire arm lit up with golden-violet flame.
He thrust both hands forward.
> "Heaven-Flame Shield—Karma Seal!"
A radiant dome of layered flame symbols formed in front of him. Just as the beast released its ultimate attack—
BOOOOOOOMMMM—!!!
The impact cracked the canyon floor. Winds howled like banshees. Fire raged in all directions.
Lin Xue and Jin Hao were thrown back by the force, but not injured. The shield held—but barely. Su Yang's arms bled, but his eyes remained cold and focused.
When the smoke cleared—
The Crimson-Flare Beast panted, weakened and swaying.
Its scales had dimmed. Blood poured from its flanks. Its soul was no longer surging.
It had exhausted itself.
Su Yang stepped forward, raising his hand once more.
But this time—
> "Max."
The golden beast leaped high from the shadows, eyes glowing.
He struck downward with a flame-infused claw—
Right at the beast's horn, shattering it with precision.
The Crimson-Flare Beast collapsed with a final growl, its breath ragged but alive.
Su Yang knelt beside it, placing a talisman on its head. The beast shivered, then fell unconscious.
They had done it.
> "Subdued," Su Yang whispered.
Jin Hao stumbled toward them, laughing breathlessly. "That thing… was ridiculous…"
Lin Xue joined him, her face pale but determined. "We got it. You actually brought it down."
Su Yang stood slowly, glancing at the broken horn, then at the faint spiritual light emanating from the beast's chest.
> "Its Fire Marrow is still intact."
Zi Shu stirred, feeling the resonance. Her soul flame flickered in excitement.
> "One more piece of the puzzle," Su Yang thought.
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