Chapter 184: Golden Holy Fire Astral

This plan sounded simple, but in practice, it was challenging.

For example, using Cheng Zicheng as bait was very risky. She was only at the fifth order, and one wrong move could mean certain death if she was caught by an adult Winged Tiger.

Therefore, she couldn't attract the Winged Tigers alone; Tang San had to assist her to ensure she wasn't caught before she could fully accelerate.

Then there was Wu Bingji's team.

Du Bai controlled their fate. With good luck, the plan would proceed smoothly, and they would be safer. Gu Li ensured the Winged Tigers would stop abruptly in the middle of their high-speed flight. Wu Bingji guided the Winged Tiger to attack with his nearly invisible ice needles.

Wu Bingji was tense; he knew that whether it was facing the Winged Tigers or the Beauty and the Beasts team, either party was beyond their abilities to deal with.

The enemy might think the first time they were discovered by Winged Tigers was coincidental. But the second time? That could not possibly be a coincidence. They would surely suspect that someone was messing with them.

Thus, Tang San had carefully selected stronger Winged Tigers for the second wave—one eighth-order tiger and two seventh-order ones. A group like this was the limit for the Beauty and the Beasts team. They were tired from their previous battles, and whether they knew it was a trap or not made no difference; facing such strong foes and emerging unscathed would take all they had.

When Wu Bingji sensed the Winged Tigers rushing in the direction he guided them in, away from him and Du Bai, the way he looked at Du Bai changed.

Without a doubt, fate played a significant role. Otherwise, it wouldn't be impossible for the Winged Tigers, with its perception, to discover them, given the difference in strength.

Gu Li's face was pale, whether from overusing his Chrono Croc Transformation or from fear.

When they heard the sounds of fierce battle nearby, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. By this point, it was clear that Tang San's plan was successful.

Now, all these little orioles sitting in a tree had to do was wait for mantis and the cicada to finish fighting, then swoop in to claim their prize.

"Can you see the battle over there?" Wu Bingji quietly asked Du Bai.

"I can't. I'm too tired. I’ll have to rest for a bit." Maintaining the fate enhancement had drained Du Bai. He would need the Celestial Fox Vision and the Purple Demon Eyes to peer through the tree canopy, and that was a tall order right now.

"Eldest senior brother, what do we do now?" Gu Li quietly asked.

Wu Bingji shook his head and said, "Stay put and wait for Little Tang's signal. Zicheng will relay the situation here to him. He'll surely be ready with the next steps."

He didn't know what Tang San would do, but he believed the Beauty and the Beast team must be going crazy by now.

𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

And indeed, Song Junhou was really on the verge of going mad.

He had great confidence in his strength and golden bloodline, but that also depended on the opponents. If he faced opponents that were too great in numbers or in strength, even he couldn't withstand them!

When the three Winged Tigers madly charged at them, Song Junhou's face turned pale.

If it were just three seventh-order tigers, his team could manage, but one of them was eighth-order. In terms of strength, they were on par with Song Junhou's team, especially after their previous two battles.

The three Winged Tigers would certainly not consider them friends, as they carried the bloody scent of the previously slain Winged Tigers. These demonic beasts would not misidentify the smell of their kind.

The eighth-order Winged Tiger's eyes were a bright cyan. Facing those smeared with the blood of its kin, it didn't hesitate for even a moment. Blades of wind, solid as reality itself, roared forth under the push of Wind Astral, transforming into a sweeping storm.

The Beauty and the Beasts team could no longer afford to speculate about who was plotting against them. Song Junhou dashed out in a flash, no longer fighting in human form. Accompanied by a mighty roar, he transformed into a golden lion over eight meters long, and his dazzling golden flames burst forth. His mighty bloodline power was unleashed without restraint. The Golden Holy Fire surged instantly, colliding with the storm. Immediately, golden flames erupted in the forest, turning many trees into ash.

In peak condition, even facing an eighth-order Winged Tiger, Song Junhou would be confident in defeating it. But the previous two battles had taken their toll. After all, the Winged Tigers were powerful demon beasts. Continuous use of the Golden Holy Fire had caused his bloodline power to deplete, and at his level, it would take some time to recover. Only at the ninth order would his recovery truly accelerate.

The eighth-order Winged Tiger opposite was not ordinary; it was a pinnacle eighth-order powerhouse, close to the level of a Tiger King. Each of its hairs was imbued with Wind Astral, making it look as if it were carved from cyan jade.

The Golden Holy Fire Astral blocked the Winged Tiger's storm, but it visibly lost power in the process.

The Golden Lion Song Junhou had transformed into roared, "Use all you have and let’s end this quickly! Other enemies are lurking in the dark!"

Intense golden flames enveloped him as he spoke, and a massive golden lion silhouette emerged behind him. It merged with him immediately, and his eyes turned pure gold. On his forehead, a faint golden light shadow emerged.

A golden crown only appeared on demons with golden bloodlines, or those of an even higher tier. Although the golden crown on Song Junhou’s head still looked very ethereal, as if it had just been condensed and not yet solidified, the fact that he could form a shadow of a golden crown also proved the purity of his bloodline, and it indicated a future possibility of him leading the lion clans.

With the emergence of the Golden Crown, Song Junhou's aura surged, elevating him to the pinnacle of the eighth order. The crown radiated a golden light that formed a halo around it, causing the cyan light on the opposing eighth-order Winged Tiger to noticeably weaken and proving that bloodline suppression was still effective.

The madness in the eyes of the eighth-order Winged Tiger visibly diminished, and a hint of caution appeared in its gaze. Although it wasn't truly intelligent, it knew opportunity and danger when faced with them.

Three massive wind blades slowly condensed in front of it. They looked perfectly solid, much unlike something made of air, and they reached a frightening five meters in length.

The Winged Tiger let out a resounding roar at the sky. Among the three wind blades, two shot directly toward Song Junhou, while the third soared into the sky, turning into a bright cyan light.

Song Junhou's pupils contracted instantly. Calling for help—this creature was calling for reinforcements!

They could not afford to waste time; if more Winged Tigers were drawn in, even they would be in danger.

At this moment, he held nothing back. As he pounced forward, he was enveloped in an even more intense layer of golden light, which expanded outward and then merged into a silhouette around his body, making his original eight-meter length increase to ten meters.

This was the Golden Holy Fire Astral, formed by the condensation of the Golden Holy Fire, a powerful ability that could only be cultivated by the golden bloodline.

The two massive wind blades had barely reached him when they were instantly shattered by his claws. He then lunged directly at the eighth-order Winged Tiger.

The Wind Astral of the eighth-order Winged Tiger was also at its peak. As they collided, gold and cyan lights burst out continuously. The eighth-order Winged Tiger was forced to retreat step by step under Song Junhou's attack. It was completely suppressed in both strength and attributes.

While Song Junhou unleashed its full combat power to suppress the eighth-order Winged Tiger, his teammates were also engaged in battle with the two seventh-order ones.