Douluo Dragon King: Embarking on the Path to Godhood from the Start

Chapter 80: Successive Escapes

Faced with the massive and well-coordinated horde of Flame Lions, Yu Chen knew that ensuring everyone's safe escape in a direct confrontation was virtually impossible.

Even if he is exceptionally strong individually, he can't fight against four opponents. Moreover, there is likely a lion king with a thousand years of cultivation in the pride. In the chaos, it would be difficult for him to protect all five of his companions at the same time.

Therefore, the moment he heard the name "Flame Lion Pack," he gave the order to retreat without hesitation.

At this moment, we can only race against time.

For every extra second they run, their companions can absorb more of the immense spiritual energy accumulated within their bodies, increasing their strength and giving them more confidence to escape safely.

The effect of time zero was removed, and everyone returned to the normal flow of time.

The burst of speed just now successfully increased the distance between them and the pride of lions.

However, the heavy footsteps and violent roars behind him, which seemed to be clinging to his bones, did not recede but instead intensified.

Yu Chen frowned slightly, quickly realizing the problem—the six of them gathered together, and the spiritual energy emanating from them resembled a giant torch in the night.

The allure was too strong for the energy-hungry spirit beasts, and the pride had clearly identified them as their primary targets, determined to achieve their goal at all costs.

Yu Chen abruptly stopped, turned to look at his teammates who were panting but whose eyes remained firm, and said in a deep voice:

"No, we can't shake them off like this. Our clustered together create too much spiritual energy fluctuation; it's like we're using locators on them. We have to separate and distract them!"

He glanced at everyone and quickly made arrangements:

"My spiritual energy is the most concentrated and has the strongest attraction. I'll deliberately expose myself to draw them away. Wu Lin, you're in charge of the rest of the team. Lead everyone to find a hiding place immediately, refine your spiritual energy with all your might, and find a chance to escape!"

"Chen, I'll go with you."

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Yue stepped forward and stood beside Yu Chen. Her voice was clear and resolute, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.

She is not a flower that needs to be protected, but a comrade-in-arms who can face any storm side by side.

Looking into her eyes, Yu Chen understood the unreserved trust and determination in them, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He didn't offer any words of dissuasion, but simply nodded emphatically: "Okay."

However, just as Yu Chen and Gu Yue were about to turn around and rush in another direction, their clothes were suddenly pulled.

"Brother Chen! What are you saying!"

Xie Xie's face was now devoid of its usual playful expression, unusually serious, even showing a hint of anger.

"From the moment we entered Class Zero, from the moment we first entered the Ascension Platform, every time we encountered real danger, it was you who stood in front and led us out of danger."

Without you, we don't know how many times we would have died! Now that we've encountered a pride of lions, you expect us to abandon you and run away?

Although I, Xie Xie, am afraid of death, I would never do something so disloyal!

"that is!"

Tang Wulin gripped Yu Chen's arm tightly, his clear voice filled with stubbornness.

"Brother Chen, we have already completed Teacher Wu's assessment and gained so much spiritual power for nothing. Our soul cultivation has increased significantly. We have already made a fortune!"

Even if we withdraw now, we'll be content. But if we just watch you risk your life to lure away the lions to preserve this little bit of spiritual energy we haven't fully absorbed yet, what would that make us? We wouldn't feel at ease holding onto this spiritual energy!

Although Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi did not speak, their eyes were equally firm. They stood still and made their stance clear through their actions: if we have to retreat, we will retreat together; if we have to fight, we will fight together!

Looking at the five young faces filled with stubbornness and trust, and feeling the firm force coming from his sleeve, Yu Chen fell silent.

His originally calm and rational plan seemed less absolutely necessary in the face of this almost stubborn team spirit.

Moreover, this is already an exam that has been passed, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to be a little willful.

He took a deep breath and felt the tremors on the ground beneath his feet growing more and more intense, the roars of the lions almost right next to his ears.

"call……"

He let out a long breath, the sharp light in his eyes returning, but with less of that desperate gamble and more of a resolute determination to fight side by side.

"Since we can't escape, and you don't want to be separated... then we won't run away!"

His gaze swept quickly across the crowd, and he rapidly redeployed his forces:

"Listen, we don't stand a chance of winning in a direct confrontation. Our objective isn't to annihilate the pride, but to buy time, create chaos, and then seize the opportunity to escape! Everyone, listen to my command!"

"Zhang Yangzi, Wang Jinxi! You two prepare to unleash your Martial Soul Fusion Technique immediately!"

Remember, the goal isn't how many people are killed, but to disrupt the pride's formation with your strongest attack and draw their attention!

After the first strike, regardless of the outcome, immediately send a distress signal and evacuate! Do not hesitate!

"Wu Lin, Xie Xie! You two, use the terrain and teamwork to engage in hit-and-run tactics, targeting lone or injured ordinary Flame Lions. Your primary objectives are self-preservation and creating chaos. If you feel overwhelmed or receive a signal from me, immediately disengage! Safety first, and absolutely no recklessness!"

"Gu Yue and I will find a way to deal with that lion king who's the leader, to buy you some space! Do you all understand?"

"Understood!" the group replied in unison, quickly adjusting their positions as instructed.

Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi immediately stood back to back, their soul power surging as they attempted to activate their signature Martial Soul Fusion Technique.

However, the next second, both of them showed expressions of astonishment and disbelief.

The fusion process, which was originally seamless and intuitive, has become extremely sluggish. It's as if there's an invisible barrier separating the points where soul power converges, and the familiar fusion power just can't be gathered together!

"How could this be... I can't use my Martial Soul Fusion Technique?!"

Zhang Yangzi cried out in disbelief. Wang Jinxi was also completely bewildered, desperately trying to channel his soul power, but to no avail.

During this fatal delay,

"roar--!"

The deafening roar of the lion was already close at hand!

Several robust lionesses, their bodies wreathed in flames, burst through the trees first. Their scarlet eyes were fixed on Zhang Yangzi and his companion, who were closest to them and whose soul power was fluctuating wildly due to their attempt at fusion. With a powerful kick of their hind legs, they transformed into several streaks of fire and charged straight at them!

"Yangzi! Jinxi! Stop standing around! If you can't use them, get out of here immediately!"

Tang Wulin shouted anxiously upon seeing this.

At the critical moment of life and death, the two finally came to their senses from the shock.

Soul hunting and spiritual power are nothing compared to saving your life right now!

Although dying here wouldn't be life-threatening, the feeling would definitely be unpleasant, especially for Wang Jinxi who had experienced it once.

Almost at the last moment before the lion's claws were about to strike, Zhang Yangzi and Wang Jinxi simultaneously slammed down the red distress signal devices on their wrists!

With a flash of light, the two figures vanished from their spot.

The dense aura of spiritual energy emanating from their bodies, which had not yet been absorbed, drifted out and, under the rules of the Spirit Ascension Platform, automatically converged on the nearest teammates still in the arena—Yu Chen, Gu Yue, Tang Wulin, and Xie Xie.

On the other side, Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were already engaged in battle with the attacking Flame Demon Lion.

Xie Xie pushed his speed to the limit, his figure like a ghost. The Light Dragon Dagger left afterimages, constantly harassing and attracting the attention of the demon lion, creating opportunities for Tang Wulin.

Tang Wulin seized the opportunity and unleashed the Golden Dragon Claw. The golden claws carried an invincible aura, and each strike was relentless, aiming to kill in one blow. In a short time, five hundred-year-old Flame Demon Lions fell to their combined attack!

However, the continuous bursts of Golden Dragon Claws put a tremendous burden on Tang Wulin. His face quickly turned pale, his aura weakened, and his soul power and blood energy were nearly exhausted.

Seeing two more demonic lions rushing towards him, Tang Wulin knew he was no longer able to fight, so he didn't hesitate to send out a distress signal and then disappeared.

Most of the spiritual energy he left behind drifted towards Xie Xie, who was struggling to cope.

"roar--!!!"

The successive losses of members, especially witnessing the devastation caused by Tang Wulin and Xie Xie working together, thoroughly enraged the king deep within the pride!

A roar, more powerful and furious than any before, exploded forth!

A gigantic lion, far larger than an ordinary demonic lion, with flames burning around its body as if they were real and dark gold patterns appearing on its forehead, smashed through the trees blocking its path. Like a moving volcano, it charged straight at Xie Xie, who was desperately trying to dodge on the field, with a ferocious power that could burn everything in its path!

It was that Flame Lion King with a thousand years of cultivation!

"Waaaaah! Brother Chen! Help!!"

Xie Xie was terrified, feeling the scorching heat and the shadow of death engulf him instantly. Apart from calling for help from his last support, he could not do anything effective!

At the critical moment—

Two figures appeared as if they had teleported, blocking Xie Xie and the Lion King!

Yu Chen and Gu Yue stood back to back, their shoulders touching, their soul power and spiritual power merging and resonating without reservation at this moment!

"Our minds are united!"

The two spoke in unison, their deep and firm voices seemingly containing a strange rhythm.

In Yu Chencan's golden eyes, it seemed as if molten lava was flowing.

The second burst of blood erupted instantly. Then he raised his right hand, palm up, as if holding up an invisible authority, and an ancient and majestic dragon chant resounded through the forest:

"My wrath is the wrath of kings... Come from the heights of Babylon, burn like the sun!"

"Word of Power: Lord's Flame!"

Almost at the same instant, a dazzling azure light erupted from Gu Yue's body!

Seemingly in response to Yu Chen's chanting, she also uttered some unintelligible words.

Then, he pushed his ultimate control over the wind element to its peak!

As an elementalist, her affinity for and mastery of basic elements is an innate ability.

"Wind... gather together!" Her thoughts raced, and her soul power fluctuated violently at a specific frequency.

In an instant, the air within a hundred meters radius of Gu Yue seemed to be seized and stirred by an invisible hand!

Visible pale blue air currents surged in from all directions, initially converging like streams, but in an instant transforming into a violent hurricane that tore everything apart!

These hurricanes were not raging randomly, but under Gu Yue's exquisite control, they rotated at high speed counterclockwise and compressed inward, forming a huge, ever-tightening cyan eye that precisely enveloped the area of ​​flames about to erupt in front of Yu Chen!

Ahead, a burst of deep red flames exploded from Yu Chen's palm!

It was not a simple fireball, but rather like dozens of napalm bombs detonating simultaneously. The violent flames surged and spread wildly forward in a destructive fan shape, violently distorting the air in their path and instantly turning vegetation into ashes. It was about to form a chaotic sea of ​​burning flames.

Just as the destructive energy of "Junyan" exploded completely, the highly compressed and rotating violent airflow controlled by Gu Yue met it perfectly!

With the manipulation of the wind element, Gu Yue, at the moment of contact, used the centripetal force of the rotating airflow and its exquisite guidance to forcibly restrain and gather the originally fan-shaped, relatively dispersed "Jun Yan" flames, and spiral them upwards along the direction of the rotating eye of the wind!

"boom--!!!"

The deafening roar of wind and fire colliding, intertwining, and merging reverberated throughout the forest!

Under the relentless injection of oxygen and the extreme compression of the spiral wind pressure, the originally spreading crimson sea of ​​fire was forcibly shaped into a fiery tornado with a diameter of more than ten meters and flashing with dazzling white light inside!

This tornado stretched from the sky to the ground, and the scorching heat caused the leaves of nearby trees to spontaneously combust. The turbulent air currents swept up the rubble and soil along with the burning debris into the sky, like an enraged fire dragon soaring straight into the heavens!

Facing the fiery tornado, which resembled a natural disaster and was created with his own help, Yu Chen opened his arms as if embracing the destructive storm. He was bathed in fire and gale, like a king who held the power of fire!

Gu Yue, standing quietly beside him, had her hair and clothes fluttering in the wind. Her eyes calmly reflected the towering pillar of fire, and her hands were raised as if she were conducting an elemental rhapsody, like an empress who controlled the storm!

Against the backdrop of this scene intertwined with destruction and creation, the figures of the two were deeply imprinted in the eyes of Xie Xie and all those who could witness this scene.

"Holy crap! Brother Chen! Sister Gu Yue! Your teamwork is amazing! This is way more reliable than Zhang Yangzi and the others' unreliable Martial Soul Fusion Technique!!"

Having survived the ordeal, Xie Xie was utterly shocked by the fiery storm that stretched between heaven and earth, and he was speechless with awe.

This fiery tornado, combining the extreme heat of the Sovereign Flame with the exquisite wind control of the Ancient Moon, devoured the arrogant thousand-year-old Flame Lion King with overwhelming force!

Even its fur, comparable to refined gold, and its protective flames were instantly torn apart, incinerated, and vaporized like ice and snow melting in the face of this extreme destructive power that was intertwined with wind and fire and highly compressed and concentrated!

The Lion King didn't even get to utter its final, mournful cry before it transformed into a large, exceptionally dense halo of millennia-old spiritual energy, shimmering with a pale purple light.

The remaining Flame Lions were utterly terrified by this scene that resembled divine punishment. The fear deep within their bloodline overwhelmed their greed, and they let out horrified and desperate howls. No longer caring about hunting, they tucked their tails between their legs and fled in all directions without looking back, disappearing into the depths of the scorched forest.

The fiery tornado slowly dissipated, leaving behind a scorching heat and a burnt smell in the air, and a circular patch of scorched earth tens of meters in diameter.

Yu Chen swayed slightly and immediately reached out to support Gu Yue, who was pale, sweating profusely, and clearly exhausted of her soul power and mental energy.

"Can you hold on?" he asked in a low voice, his voice filled with concern.

Gu Yue leaned against him to steady herself, took a deep breath, and nodded:

"It's just that I've used up a lot of energy, I'll be fine after a rest."

"Just now...it was all thanks to you." Yu Chen looked at Gu Yue, his tone filled with undisguised praise and a hint of lingering fear.

"Without your exquisite control over the wind element, my Sovereign Flame, though powerful, spreads too quickly. Its penetrating and suppressive power against single strong enemies would be much weaker. It would be impossible for it to instantly kill the Lion King, let alone form a tornado of that scale to intimidate the lion pride."

Yu Chen knew in his heart that he had mainly provided the "Junyan" with the fire seed and soul power support.

Gu Yue's performance just now was truly amazing—predicting the burst pattern in an extremely short time, manipulating the wind element with astonishing precision, restraining the flames to prevent accidental damage, guiding the rotation and compression to enhance power, and controlling the tornado to stabilize it...

The calculations and control involved are far more complex than simply unleashing soul power.

It can be said that seven-tenths of the credit for the final effect of that attack goes to Gu Yue's superb elemental control.

"It's because we cooperated well."

Gu Yue looked up at him, a faint, tired yet incredibly bright and satisfied smile spreading across her pale face.