The air didn't just crackle; it screamed. Tension coiled thick and heavy, a physical entity pressing down, tasting of ozone, dust, and primal fury. Leaves and grit danced in mad vortices around the truly colossal form of the Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff. The Scarlet King.
Its aura wasn't merely pressure; it was a declaration of absolute, incandescent rage made manifest, warping the very air, making the ground beneath tremble preemptively.
Its three heads, each a nightmarish sculpture of canine fury magnified to impossible proportions, fixed six eyes blazing with crimson hellfire upon the lone figure standing defiantly before them. A human.
Song Qing met that six-eyed stare without a flicker of hesitation. His own presence, moments before a calm wellspring of darkness, erupted outwards. Not merely an aura, but a transformation.
"Seventh Soul Ring!" His voice resonated, deeper, layered with an ancient echo. "Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor Avatar!"
WHOOM!
Darkness exploded, coalescing with impossible speed. Shadowy, abyssal energy surged, engulfing Song Qing, reshaping him, expanding him. In moments, where the human had stood, now loomed a titan – a colossal dragon forged from starless night and solidified abyssal power.
The Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor Avatar towered, easily matching the Scarlet King's imposing height. Its scales were shifting obsidian, seeming to drink the light, etched with patterns that spoke of the void.
Dark flames, cold yet burning with soul-draining intensity, wreathed its immense form. Piercing violet eyes, glowing with unholy luminescence, opened within the draconic head, fixing on the Scarlet King.
Fear?
No. Not in those eyes.
Only cold, calculating anticipation. A deep, primal hunger to clash against a powerful beast.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, forgotten momentarily, let out a strangled whimper, scrambling further back, pressing itself flat against the quaking earth.
The sheer pressure radiating from two such monstrous entities was physically painful, an overwhelming sensory assault.
One was the raw, unrestrained tyranny of a three-hundred-thousand-year-old Fierce Beast, a sovereign of the wild.
The other… the other was something fundamentally alien. Ancient beyond reckoning. Profound. Its dominance felt less like earned strength and more like an inherent, primordial truth.
A pressure that resonated not just with power, but with the very essence of existence, chillingly absolute.
The Scarlet King's central head recoiled slightly, not in fear, but in sheer, momentary disbelief. A Soul Avatar? Expected from a Soul Sage, perhaps. But this Avatar? The quality of it, the depth of its abyssal nature, the immediate, nauseating pressure it exerted… it was unlike anything it had ever encountered from a human Soul Master.
'What is this spirit?' the central head thought, the initial surge of rage momentarily tinged with profound confusion. 'This pressure… it feels… wrong. Ancient. Suppressive?'
"You… A Soul Avatar?" the central head roared, the sound waves physically cracking nearby stones, disbelief warring with fury. "You dare manifest such a form before me?" It wasn't the act of using an Avatar that shocked it, but the nature of the Avatar itself.
The colossal dragon head of the Avatar tilted slightly. A low, rumbling chuckle seemed to echo from the depths of the abyss, a sound that grated on the Scarlet King's very soul. "Is my form not to your liking, Scarlet King?" Song Qing's voice emanated from the Avatar, amplified, resonant, laced with chilling power. "Or does the abyss frighten you?"
The mention of the abyss struck a nerve. It reminded the King, faintly, disturbingly, of the pressure exerted by another powerful denizen of the Star Dou Forest – Zi Ji, the Abyss Demon Dark Dragon. But Zi Ji's aura, while imposing, was that of a rival beast. This… this felt like something that commanded the abyss itself. A fundamental authority.
"Insolent whelp!" the right head snarled, fury overriding confusion. "No matter the form, a bug remains a bug! Feel the might of a true king! Scarlet Devil's Charge!"
With a roar that shook the very heavens, the tri-headed behemoth launched itself forward. Its movement was a terrifying paradox – sheer, impossible mass covering the distance in less than a heartbeat, a scarlet blur of claws and gaping maws promising annihilation. The ground fractured and exploded under its thunderous paws.
Song Qing, within the heart of the Avatar, perceived the charge with the enhanced clarity granted by the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown. 'Fast. Incredibly fast.'
But speed alone wasn't enough against his current capabilities.
Avatar Ability: Void Blink!
In the instant before impact, the colossal Abyssal Dragon Avatar simply… wasn't there. It vanished without a ripple, reappearing instantaneously fifty meters to the side and slightly higher in the air. There wasn't even an afterimage, just a sudden absence and presence.
The Scarlet King's charge tore through empty air, its immense momentum carrying it forward, its claws gouging vast trenches where the Avatar had stood fractions of a second before. It skidded to a halt, shaking the earth, its heads whipping around, eyes blazing with renewed fury.
"Coward! You only know how to flee?" snarled the left head, tracking the Avatar's new position.
"Fleeing?" The Avatar's voice echoed, amused. It hovered effortlessly, the dark energy composing it swirling gently. "Merely adjusting my position. And observing."
Passive Ability: Emperor of the Beasts.
He could feel it, amplified significantly through the Avatar's presence. A direct, potent pressure clamping down on the Scarlet King's very bloodline. It wasn't subtle anymore. It was a tangible weight, an inherent challenge to the Fierce Beast's nature.
The Scarlet King felt it too, far stronger than before. A distinct sluggishness trying to creep into its limbs, a slight dissonance in the flow of its vast soul power. It was like trying to run through thickening tar. Infuriating!
'This suppression!' the central head raged internally. 'It's far stronger than Zi Ji's! How? From a mere Soul Sage's Avatar? Impossible!' It shook its massive heads, trying to physically dislodge the oppressive feeling. 'It feels like… like my very bloodline wants to kneel!'
Dismissing the unnerving thought required conscious effort. Suppression from a human, even one with a bizarre spirit, shouldn't be this potent against a 300,000-year-old Fierce Beast King!
"Tricks and evasions won't save you from true power!" the right head bellowed, compensating for the suppression with sheer output. "Scarlet Hellfire Burst!"
Its maw gaped, unleashing a roiling river of viscous, crimson flame. The torrent surged towards the hovering Avatar, radiating heat so intense it instantly incinerated the surrounding foliage and warped the air into shimmering waves.
The Avatar remained poised.
Passive Ability: Frostfire Resistance. The inherent resistance kicked in, mitigating the wave of heat even before the flames arrived.
Fourth Soul Ring Ability (via Avatar): Abyssal Flame Dragon Breath!
From the Avatar's own draconic maw, a torrent of utter blackness erupted downwards. These flames didn't radiate heat in the conventional sense; they radiated cold, absence, and a terrifying, soul-consuming hunger. Abyssal energy swirled within the black fire, potent and corrosive.
BOOM!
Crimson met black mid-air. The resulting explosion was catastrophic. A sphere of volatile energy, half blinding scarlet, half consuming ebony, detonated with unimaginable force. Shockwaves ripped outwards, flattening trees for hundreds of meters, pulverizing stone, and shaking the very foundations of the clearing.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion cried out again, slammed against the ground by the sheer force, its third eye pulsing erratically, overwhelmed by the conflicting, devastating energies.
Through the dissipating, violent energies, the Abyssal Dragon Avatar hovered, untouched.
Passive Ability: Elemental Adaptation. Any lingering traces of heat or anomalous energy effects were instantly neutralized by the Avatar's adaptive nature.
The Scarlet King's six eyes widened fractionally. Its potent Scarlet Hellfire, capable of melting mountains, had been met head-on, and the Avatar seemed utterly unharmed. And that black flame… it carried an insidious quality, a chilling energy that seemed to directly attack the soul, leaving a lingering sense of violation even after the clash.
The suppression intensified again, a direct consequence of the clash of energies, the Avatar's abyssal power asserting its dominance. A tremor, small but undeniable, ran through the Scarlet King's colossal frame.
'Impossible!' The thought echoed across its three minds. 'How can its flame contend with mine? How does it resist my hellfire so completely? He is just a Soul Sage! Level seventy-something! The gap in soul power… it's astronomical!'
A Soul Sage's cultivation versus a 300,000-year-old Fierce Beast. The difference should have been absolute. A single blow should have shattered the Avatar, dispersed the soul. Yet, it stood firm. That damnable spirit, manifested in this terrifying Avatar, radiated a pressure that gnawed at the Scarlet King's pride, its power, its very existence.
Even the Auspicious Emperor Beast, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, felt the shift. While terrified of both, the pressure from the Avatar felt… different. Colder, yes, but carrying an authority that its own noble bloodline seemed to recognize, however fearfully. The raw fury of the Scarlet King felt like a physical blow; the Avatar's presence felt like an undeniable, fundamental law.
This could not stand!
"You possess a troublesome spirit, human," the central head growled, its voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble that vibrated deep within the earth. "But resistance is futile against absolute power! Prepare for annihilation!"
The Scarlet King's aura surged violently, pushing back against the suppression through sheer, overwhelming force. The crimson light radiating from it intensified, staining the air blood-red.
"Domain of Scarlet Fury!" All three heads roared in perfect, terrifying unison.
BOOOOM!
The world twisted. An immense, crushing pressure slammed down, far exceeding the passive aura. The air itself turned thick and crimson, visibility dropping. The very ground seemed to bleed heat and rage. Within this domain, the Scarlet King felt its power surge, its speed enhance, its flames burn hotter, its connection to its own fury amplifying its strength. Any lesser being, even a Titled Douluo, would likely be instantly crushed into paste or have their mind shattered by the raw, undiluted rage embedded within the domain.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion whimpered piteously, its body trembling uncontrollably, pressed so hard into the dirt it seemed about to become one with it. Its Auspicious nature offered scant protection against the unleashed Domain of a peak Fierce Beast.
Song Qing felt it within the Avatar. Like being submerged in boiling lava infused with pure hatred. The rage clawed at the Avatar's form, seeking to tear through the abyssal energy, trying to overwhelm his mind shielded by the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown.
Passive Ability: Abyssal Divinity. The inherent nature of his spirit offered a baseline resistance, a core of abyssal stability against the encroaching divine-level fury. His mental fortitude held firm.
But he wouldn't just endure it.
A deeper, darker power began to emanate from the Abyssal Dragon Avatar, a resonance that felt even older, even more fundamental than the Scarlet King's rage.
"My turn," the Avatar's voice echoed, imbued with layers of abyssal depth. "Inherent Ability: Demonic Dragon Domain!"
WHOOOOSH!
Not an explosion, but an imposition. A wave of pure, starless, absolute darkness surged outwards from the Abyssal Dragon Avatar, colliding head-on with the encroaching Domain of Scarlet Fury.
Where the two domains met, the crimson light didn't shatter; it died. It was consumed, swallowed by the abyssal night, like fire extinguished by the void.
The encroaching darkness spread rapidly, pushing back the boundaries of the crimson domain. Song Qing's domain, fueled by the Abyssal Demonic Dragon God Emperor spirit and amplified by the Avatar state, possessed an inherent, primordial authority.
It didn't overpower the Scarlet King's domain through raw energy – the King still had vastly more of that – but through fundamental quality. It was the difference between a king's decree and a primordial law of nature. Beastly domains, especially, were inherently susceptible to its suppressive authority.
The Scarlet King staggered back a physical step, a collective gasp-roar tearing from its three throats, echoing with disbelief and outrage.
Its Domain! Its Domain of Scarlet Fury! It was being pushed back? Suppressed?! Consumed?!
The oppressive crimson light visibly receded, confined to the immediate vicinity of the King, unable to penetrate the cold, silent darkness spreading relentlessly from the Avatar.
Within his own expanding Demonic Dragon Domain, Song Qing felt his connection to abyssal energy skyrocket (amplified by 60%!). The air grew bitingly cold, shadows deepened, writhed, and seemed to gain sentience, and the very fabric of space felt subtly aligned to his will.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" the Scarlet King bellowed, genuine shock finally cracking through its titanic rage. "WHAT ARE YOU?!"
This was impossible! Unheard of! A Soul Sage's domain, even amplified by an Avatar, suppressing the domain of a 300,000-year-old Fierce Beast King?!
Passive Ability: Emperor of the Beasts. Within the Demonic Dragon Domain, this effect became suffocatingly potent.
The Scarlet King felt it like chains wrapping around its soul. Its bloodline screamed in protest, its soul power circulation became sluggish and difficult, its movements felt heavy, labored. Even its boundless rage felt… muted, distant, struggling against a chilling, authoritative calm. It felt constrained. Suffocated. Weakened.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion felt the immediate difference. Where the abyssal darkness touched, the crushing, furious pressure of the Scarlet King's domain lessened dramatically. It was replaced by a different pressure – cold, immensely powerful, ancient – but strangely, not directly hostile to it.
Its own Emperor Beast bloodline resonated faintly, fearfully, with the overwhelming Emperor of the Beasts aura now dominating the space, feeling a bizarre mix of terror and… awe? Respect? Towards the colossal dark dragon.
'He… suppressed the Scarlet King's Domain?' the young lion thought, its golden eyes wider than saucers. 'With his own domain? How is that possible?'
The Abyssal Dragon Avatar hovered at the epicenter of its expanding darkness, the cold, dark flames swirling around it, its violet eyes fixed on the struggling Fierce Beast.
"I told you, Scarlet King," the Avatar's voice echoed within the overlapping, contested space. "We would see whose power holds true dominion here."
Song Qing knew, intellectually, the raw energy disparity was still immense. 'The suppression is working,' he assessed rapidly, his thoughts accelerated by the Dark Soul Emperor's Crown.
'His domain is contained, bloodline suppression is significant, weakening his output. But the sheer soul power he possesses… it's still monstrous. Ten times mine? Twenty? Maybe more, even weakened. My domain suppresses his quality, my passive weakens his nature, but his raw strength can still obliterate me if he lands a clean hit.'
His goal wasn't outright victory. That was lunacy.
It was to demonstrate. To shock. To establish a threat that transcended conventional power levels. To test his absolute limits.
"ENOUGH TRICKS!" the central head roared, shaking off its shock through sheer, indomitable fury. Even suppressed, weakened, constrained, its power remained terrifying. "You will be ERASED! TRIPLE THREAT ANNIHILATION!"
The three heads coordinated instantly, unleashing their power simultaneously.
The left head fired a concentrated beam of thick, corrosive shadow energy, darker and more potent than simple shadow.
The right head unleashed another torrent of Scarlet Hellfire, now burning with an unsettling blackish tinge at its core within its constrained domain, hotter and more focused.
The central head inhaled massively, then unleashed a devastating sonic roar, not just sound, but pure concussive force mixed with soul-shattering vibrations, designed to bypass physical defenses.
Three distinct, catastrophic attacks converged on the Avatar from different vectors, perfectly synchronized.
Song Qing's mind raced. 'Layered defense required. Let's test the limits.'
Second Soul Ring Ability (via Avatar): Shadow Dominion!
The abyssal darkness of his Demonic Dragon Domain pulsed, and within it, a deeper layer of shadow coalesced instantly around the Avatar, enhancing its senses within this immediate zone, preparing to manipulate the very shadows for defense.
Fifth Soul Ring Ability (via Avatar): Abyssal Shadow Barrier!
A massive, crystalline shield of solidified, nigh-impenetrable shadow erupted around the entire Avatar, swirling with potent abyssal energy, its edges razor sharp. It hummed with absorbed power, ready to lash back.
Simultaneously, his Torso Spirit Bone flared, integrating its power with the Avatar's form. Ancient Abyssal Void Wyvern's Torso activated!
Primary Ability: Abyssal Void Dragon Armor!
Beneath the Shadow Barrier, the Avatar's already obsidian scales shimmered, becoming infused with swirling spatial energy, forming an even tougher, more resilient layer of draconic armor that could warp space itself to deflect attacks.
Layer upon layer upon layer.
BOOM! CRACKLE! ROOOOAR!
The three attacks slammed into the Avatar's position almost simultaneously.
The sonic roar hit first, impacting the Abyssal Shadow Barrier. Cracks instantly spiderwebbed across the massive dark shield, the vibrational energy threatening to shake it apart.
The barrier groaned, absorbing the soul-jarring frequencies, but held. Song Qing felt the vibrations even through the Avatar's core.
The corrosive shadow beam and the enhanced hellfire struck fractions of a second later, concentrating their fury on the already stressed barrier. The shadow energy ate away at the cracks, widening them, while the superheated flames caused the solidified shadow to sublimate and boil.
The Abyssal Shadow Barrier, designed to withstand attacks far exceeding his base soul power, shrieked under the combined assault – an assault still possessing terrifying force despite the domain suppression.
It shattered. Exploding outwards in a shower of dark fragments.
But it had absorbed a massive portion of the initial force and bought a crucial split-second.
The remaining energies – still potent enough to vaporize a lesser Titled Douluo – slammed into the Abyssal Void Dragon Armor layered over the Avatar's form.
The armor flared with incandescent abyssal light and spatial distortions. Space warped visibly around the points of impact, attempting to shunt the energy aside. The inherent abyssal energy neutralized the corrosive shadow, while the spatial ripples deflected the worst of the hellfire.
The colossal Avatar was violently thrown backward through the air within its own domain, the sheer kinetic force undeniable.
But it wasn't destroyed. It wasn't even visibly damaged beyond some flickering in its shadowy form.
Passive Ability: Abyssal Core Regeneration. The torso bone's passive effect, amplified by the Avatar, immediately began stabilizing the Avatar's form, replenishing the energy expended in the defense.
Avatar Ability: Void Blink! Mid-recoil, Song Qing executed another instantaneous blink, stabilizing the Avatar's position fifty meters further back, avoiding further buffeting from the residual energies.
The Scarlet King stared. All six eyes were wide with utter, unadulterated disbelief.
Survived?! It survived Triple Threat Annihilation?! Even weakened by the suppression, the combined force of that attack should have been overwhelming! Those defenses… that barrier, that armor integrated into the Avatar… they were impossibly resilient!
And underpinning it all, that damnable, infuriating suppression that weakened his attack while simultaneously bolstering the Avatar's defenses through its domain and abyssal nature.
"How… HOW?!" the left head stammered, the roar dying in its throat, replaced by sheer astonishment.
Within the Avatar, Song Qing felt the strain. The impact had been immense, rattling him to his core despite the layers of defense. 'Defenses held,' he confirmed, relief mixing with exhilaration. 'Barrier absorbed the brunt, armor took the rest. The suppression was key… weakening the initial output just enough. But that was close. Too close.'
He couldn't just sit back and defend. He needed to press the advantage, however slight. He needed to demonstrate offensive capability that matched the defense.
"You seem surprised, Scarlet King," the Avatar's voice echoed, carrying a hint of a smirk. The massive dragon form tilted its head again. "Did you think defense was my only recourse?"
His External Spirit Bone wings, now manifested as colossal, shadowy-void counterparts on the Avatar, pulsed with power. Ancient Void Dragonbone Wings activated!
Offensive Skill 1: Void Wing Barrage!
With powerful, synchronized beats of the enormous wings, hundreds upon hundreds of razor-sharp projectiles, like oversized feathers forged from solidified bone, abyssal shadow, and warped void space, erupted outwards. They streaked through the Demonic Dragon Domain, empowered by its abyssal energy, converging on the massive, three-headed mastiff.
The Scarlet King scoffed, regaining its composure through sheer fury. "Insignificant weapons!"
It raised a colossal claw, intending to simply swat the incoming barrage aside like annoying insects.
CLANG! CLANG! SCREECH! SPARK!
To its immense surprise and irritation, the projectiles were far harder, sharper, and more potent than anticipated. While its hide was incredibly tough, dozens of the void-feathers pierced through, embedding themselves shallowly, drawing beads of dark scarlet blood. The wounds were utterly superficial, negligible in terms of actual damage.
But they pierced. They drew blood.
The abyssal and void energies infused within them immediately began to corrode the flesh around the minor wounds, causing a deeply unpleasant stinging, chilling sensation that bypassed its innate fire resistance. It was maddening.
"YOU DREW BLOOD?!" the right head snarled, incensed beyond measure. A creature countless levels below it, hiding within an Avatar, had actually managed to inflict bleeding wounds, however minor. It was an unacceptable insult!
"Mere scratches," the Avatar retorted coolly. "A reminder that even a King can bleed. Now, have a taste of this! Fourth Soul Ring!"
He launched another combination attack, leveraging the Avatar's ability to multitask.
Fourth Soul Ring Ability (via Avatar): Frost Spike Barrage!
A storm of colossal ice spikes, each easily the size of a small tree, materialized in the air before the Avatar. They shone with a black, frosty light, infused with potent abyssal energy, radiating an unnatural cold. They launched forward in a dense volley, aiming for the Scarlet King's eyes, joints, and existing minor wounds.
Simultaneously: "Abyssal Flame Dragon Breath!"
Another torrent of the soul-draining black fire erupted from the Avatar's maw, aiming for the Scarlet King's central body, seeking to overwhelm its defenses through sheer corrosive power.
The Scarlet King roared, a sound of pure fury and frustration, finally forced onto the defensive within its suppressed, shrinking domain.
It batted furiously at the Frost Spike Barrage with its claws and heads, shattering many, but some glanced off its hide, leaving trails of black frost that hissed and steamed against its natural heat, momentarily numbing the points of impact and disrupting soul power flow.
It met the Abyssal Flame Dragon Breath with another, desperate burst of its own Scarlet Hellfire.
BOOM!
Another devastating explosion rocked the clearing, the clash of opposing energies even more violent within the confined, overlapping domains. The ground cracked further, and the air screamed.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion could only watch, paralyzed by a mixture of terror and utter fascination. Song Qing… this human Soul Sage… was actually fighting the legendary Scarlet King!
He wasn't just surviving; he was trading blows, suppressing its domain, landing hits!
He was using abilities that defied comprehension – flames that ate souls, ice that pierced Fierce Beast hide, wings that fired void shards, armor that withstood annihilation, and a domain of darkness that challenged the King's authority.
But Song Qing knew he needed more. He hadn't landed a truly significant blow yet. Something to make the King genuinely pause.
'Need something to penetrate deeper,' he thought, focusing his intent. 'Time to test the claw.'
"Third Soul Ring!" the Avatar roared, abyssal energy gathering, swirling violently around its right forelimb. "Abyssal Draconic Claw!"
A colossal claw, far larger than the Avatar's own limb, materialized from pure, solidified abyssal energy. It pulsed with dark power, sharp enough to seemingly cut the light itself.
But he wasn't finished. He infused it further, drawing upon the spatial power inherent in his spirit bones and Avatar.
"Abyssal Draconic Space Rend!"
Visible distortions, like heat haze but far more dangerous, shimmered around the edges of the massive abyssal claw. Space itself warped and buckled around the manifesting attack. This wasn't just energy; it was a blade designed to tear through the fabric of reality.
He then activated another ability, channeling power through the Avatar's wings. Ancient Void Dragonbone Wings: Abyssal Void Dragon Dive!
The Avatar's colossal wings flared, channeling draconic might, abyssal depth, and volatile spatial energy. With a sound like tearing reality, the Avatar plummeted from the sky like a dark comet swathed in spatial distortions, accelerating at an impossible rate. The Space-Rending Abyssal Draconic Claw led the charge, aimed directly at the Scarlet King's central, primary head.
The Scarlet King saw it coming. Felt it coming. The sheer concentration of power, the terrifying spatial instability warping around that dark claw… this was different. This wasn't a minor wound or a resisted energy blast. This attack felt dangerous. Lethal, even, if it struck true.
Its pride, even suppressed, even facing such an unprecedented attack, wouldn't allow it to dodge. Retreat was unthinkable!
"You think THAT can truly harm ME?!" the central head bellowed, pouring immense soul power into a desperate defense. "Scarlet Devil's Barrier!"
An incredibly dense, multi-layered shield of crimson energy, reinforced by raw, unfiltered soul power and the last vestiges of its struggling domain's authority, materialized instantly before its central head. It shimmered with condensed fury.
CRUUUUUNCH! SCREEEEEEECH! VWOOOM!
The Abyssal Draconic Claw, supercharged by the dive and tearing through space with the Rend effect, slammed into the Scarlet Devil's Barrier.
The impact was blinding. Space visibly fractured around the point of collision, creating miniature, fleeting black rifts that swallowed light and energy. The crimson barrier groaned, buckled, and spiderwebbed with catastrophic fractures almost instantly. The spatial energy tore violently at the shield's structure, while the abyssal energy corroded it from within, seeking to unravel its very essence.
The sheer force of the impact sent titanic shockwaves rippling through the Scarlet King's body, forcing it back several steps, its massive paws digging deep trenches into the ravaged, scorched earth.
The barrier held. Barely. It flickered violently, seeming on the verge of collapse, before stabilizing, albeit severely weakened and scarred.
Song Qing, within the Avatar, felt the recoil like a physical blow, his connection momentarily strained, his soul power churning from the exertion and the opposing force. The Avatar was thrown back by the recoil, wings flaring to regain stability via Aerial Supremacy.
Avatar Ability: Void Blink! He instantly blinked further away, putting distance between them as the residual energies dissipated.
A profound silence descended, heavy and charged, broken only by the crackling remnants of energy, the whistling wind through shattered trees, and the ragged, heavy breathing of the Three-Headed Scarlet Devil Mastiff.
The Fierce Beast King stared at the hovering Abyssal Dragon Avatar. Its six eyes burned with a volatile cocktail of emotions: incandescent fury, yes, but now undeniably mixed with disbelief, frustration, and… something else. Something akin to grudging respect. Or perhaps, more accurately, wariness. A deep, instinctual caution.
This human… this Soul Sage… encased within this impossible Avatar…
He had suppressed its Domain.
He had endured its Triple Threat Annihilation.
He had drawn its blood, multiple times.
He had nearly shattered its ultimate defense, the Scarlet Devil's Barrier, with a single, terrifying attack.
All while possessing a fraction of its raw power. A negligible fraction.
The suppression from that bizarre, ancient, terrifying spirit, amplified by the Avatar and Domain, was undeniably potent. More potent than anything it had ever imagined possible from a human.
But even that didn't account for everything. The sheer quality of the human's soul skills, the unbelievable power integrated from his spirit bones, his flawless combat instincts, his utter, infuriating lack of fear, the seamless integration of instantaneous teleportation via Void Blink… it was astounding. Unprecedented. Frightening.
'If he were a Titled Douluo…' The thought sent an involuntary shiver down the Scarlet King's spine, a sensation it hadn't felt in millennia. 'If he possessed soul power even remotely comparable to mine… with this spirit, this Avatar, these abilities… he would be… unstoppable.'
Its gaze flickered towards the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, still pressed flat against the ground, but now watching the Abyssal Dragon Avatar with wide, luminous eyes filled not just with fear, but with unmistakable fascination and awe.
It looked back at the Avatar. The colossal dragon of shadow and abyss hung silently in the air, the dark flames swirling, its violet eyes glowing with challenge, ready for the next exchange.
Song Qing hadn't won. Not even close. He hadn't inflicted any truly meaningful injury on the Scarlet King. The chasm in raw power remained vast, likely insurmountable at his current level. A protracted battle would still inevitably lead to his defeat through sheer attrition of soul power.
But he had achieved his goal.
He had faced a 300,000-year-old Fierce Beast King, a legend of the Star Dou Forest.
He had activated his Avatar.
He had suppressed its Domain with his own.
He had withstood its ultimate attacks.
He had landed blows that commanded attention, drawing blood and nearly breaking its defenses.
He had demonstrated a level of power, skill, and suppressive ability utterly disproportionate to his rank.
He had shocked the Scarlet King to its ancient core.
"Human…" the central head rumbled, the raw fury in its voice finally, noticeably tempered with that complex brew of disbelief, frustration, and grudging acknowledgement. "You… are full of surprises."
The air still thrummed with power. The fight wasn't necessarily over. The Scarlet King was far from defeated, its pride wounded but its power largely intact, albeit constrained.
But everything had changed. The dynamic between the Soul Sage and the Fierce Beast King had irrevocably shifted.