Though Lu Jingming found the previous cry quite menacing, no fear rose in his heart. After all, with Jingliu by his side, he figured even the legendary Beast God Ditian showing up wouldn't scare him too much... Okay, maybe just a little, mostly worrying about being caught in the aftermath of a fight and losing his life.
As the cry grew closer, the surrounding air seemed to ignite, and the temperature sharply increased. The originally lush, vibrant leaves withered and turned yellow at a visible rate, as if life had been instantly drained from them.
Soon, a colossal avian soul beast appeared in Lu Jingming's line of sight. This bird was strikingly different from ordinary birds. Its wingspan measured several meters, and its bones were clearly exposed, covered by a layer of dark red, lava-like carapace. Its wings were interwoven with burning black flames and golden-red feathers, each feather seemingly containing endless power. Its beak, crafted from obsidian, shimmered with purplish-red destructive power, as if a mere peck could tear space. What was even more peculiar was that it trailed seven long tails, which swayed like comets streaking across the sky, their ends constantly turning to ash and scattering into the air. Wherever it passed, the air seemed distorted, leaving behind scorched trails.
Lu Jingming had never seen such a bizarre and rare avian soul beast, nor had he read any descriptions of it in the original novel. He couldn't help but inwardly lament how limited the soul beast species mentioned in the original novel were. He had only just entered the Star Dou Great Forest and had already encountered two soul beasts he'd never heard of.
Moreover, judging solely by this avian soul beast's appearance and the powerful aura it exuded, it was likely a soul beast with a top-tier bloodline. Otherwise, how could it have scared the Black Flame Demonic Tiger, also a thousand-year soul beast, into such a pathetic state?
Indeed, after careful perception, this suddenly appearing avian soul beast was also a thousand-year soul beast. Although its appearance was astonishing and its aura extraordinary, judging from the intensity of the soul power fluctuations it emitted, it wasn't much stronger than the Black Flame Demonic Tiger. This meant that these two soul beasts were roughly similar in cultivation age, yet their actual combat power could be vastly different.
The difference in strength between soul beasts couldn't be judged solely by their age; it also depended on the soul beast's species and bloodline intensity. For example, most snake-type soul beasts of the same age couldn't compare to dragon-type soul beasts.
On the Douluo Continent, one could determine a soul beast's age by observing its various external characteristics, and also by perceiving the soul power fluctuations it emitted. Of course, there were some extremely special soul beasts that possessed the ability to hide their soul power fluctuations. However, most soul beasts under a hundred thousand years wouldn't deliberately conceal their soul power fluctuations. Moreover, the age determined by soul power fluctuations was usually just a rough range, making precise accuracy difficult.
Take this avian soul beast before them, for instance. Judging solely by its soul power fluctuations, its cultivation was roughly between one thousand and three thousand years. To further determine its specific age, one would need to consider various factors, including its physical characteristics.
"One thousand five hundred years, Ashen Brilliant Phoenix. It possesses the phoenix bloodline and has the attributes of destruction and fire," Jingliu's voice remained calm and indifferent. At the same time, her hand pulsed with coldness, and the moisture in the surrounding air quickly froze. A long sword radiating chilling cold appeared out of thin air in her hand.
"Caw!" The Ashen Brilliant Phoenix seemed to sense the threat from Jingliu and let out a sharp cry. It abruptly spread its wings, which were wreathed in black flames. Countless feathers instantly transformed into a fiery rain, pouring down on Jingliu. The scene was like a meteor shower of fire, the scorching flames seemingly intending to incinerate everything.
Jingliu's expression was composed. She gently waved the long sword in her hand, and an ice-blue sword qi swept out like lightning. Wherever it passed, the air instantly froze into a shimmering ice curtain. The fiery feathers flying through the sky solidified upon contact with this icy power, then, like hail, they turned into ice shards and fell to the ground, making crisp clattering sounds.
The Ashen Brilliant Phoenix, seeing that its attack was ineffective, to Lu Jingming's surprise, showed no intention of fleeing. Instead, it was unusually courageous, or perhaps a bit hot-headed, as it charged towards Jingliu. Its beak rapidly condensed a strong destructive power, transforming into a surging mass of destructive black flames. It flapped its wings vigorously, its entire body like an arrow released from a bowstring, rushing towards Jingliu. The beak, imbued with destructive power, sliced through the void, leaving a long, chilling black trail, as if it would tear space itself.
Jingliu, however, moved as if taking a leisurely stroll. Her steps shifted lightly, and she elegantly sidestepped the fierce blow. At the same time, she raised the chilling ice sword in her hand and casually struck theAshen Brilliant Phoenix with the flat of her blade. What seemed like a light, nonchalant strike actually contained unimaginable power.
The Ashen Brilliant Phoenix was struck as if by a heavy hammer. The entire bird, like a high-speed cannonball, whistled through the air and slammed directly into a massive tree. With a dull thud, its entire body was deeply embedded in the tree trunk, and the surrounding trees shook from the immense impact.
"Go. Its destruction attribute is quite suitable for you," Jingliu calmly put away her ice sword, as if the battle that had just occurred was nothing more than casually batting the air.
Lu Jingming nodded, a hint of longing involuntarily appearing in his eyes. He secretly thought to himself, when would he be able to be like Jingliu, exuding elegance in every movement, with power so immense that a casual action could easily defeat opponents he considered almost unchallengeable?
Indeed, this Ashen Brilliant Phoenix was a variant of the phoenix bloodline. Although it only had one thousand five hundred years of cultivation, it possessed immensely powerful destructive energy. With this power, its actual combat strength was no less than that of some soul beasts with over five thousand years of cultivation, making it a top-tier contender among soul beasts. Soul beasts with over five thousand years of cultivation, when compared to human Soul Masters, had the combat power of a Soul Ancestor, while soul beasts with over a thousand years of cultivation at most had the combat power of a Soul Grandmaster.