Douluo Continent: Starting with the Burning Blade, he was then entangled with Ma Xiaotao.

Chapter 87 Vermilion Bird's Departure Fire

"Again. This amount of firepower is not enough." The tamed fireball in Lin Feng's palm extinguished silently. He looked up at Li Yan, his tone calm but with a condescending scrutiny.

"Then so be it!" Li Yan replied, as two yellow and three purple soul rings suddenly rose from beneath his feet.

For Soul Masters, unless absolutely necessary, they rarely reveal their Martial Soul or use Soul Skills directly in battle. This is their hidden trump card and their last resort. But at this moment, facing Lin Feng's unfathomable strength, he dared not hold back in the slightest.

His fourth and fifth spirit rings suddenly lit up, their red light merging into the rising flames around him. The flames, which were originally mottled and flickering, seemed to be infused with violent energy, bursting into flames and deepening in color.

Immediately afterwards, he channeled all of the surging flames into the soul-guided cannon on his shoulder.

The cannon emitted a groan of unbearable strain, and the air pointed at by the muzzle began to distort violently. The energy level it emitted subtly rose, reaching a terrifying level comparable to the strongest attack of a Soul Emperor.

This was Li Yan's desperate attack, and also his strongest trump card. This move required a long time to charge up and relied heavily on the cover of his teammates, making it difficult to execute in a one-on-one duel in the arena.

He was betting on Lin Feng's arrogance, the pride of a strongman, and that Lin Feng wouldn't launch a sneak attack while he was gathering his strength.

Lin Feng did not move. He simply stood quietly in place, watching Li Yan push his soul power and flames to their limits, a hint of assessment even flashing in his eyes.

He had his own considerations; the purpose of this battle went far beyond victory or defeat.

"Got it!"

With a hiss, Li Yan's light on the Soul Guidance Cannon suddenly contracted, and then a dark red ray, condensed to the extreme, was released instantly with a piercing shriek and an aura that could burn everything, and slammed straight into Lin Feng's chest.

Lin Feng remained unmoved, silently activating the Burning Technique. Facing this terrifying ray comparable to a Soul Emperor's full-force attack, he even spread his arms as if to welcome it, allowing the scorching torrent of destruction to crash heavily into his chest.

boom-!

Blazing light exploded, and a wave of heat swept through. But the expected scene of flying blood and flesh did not occur.

The ray, highly compressed from the mixed fire, vanished the moment it touched Lin Feng's body, failing to even scorch the hem of his clothes. The raging fire energy seemed to have found its home, surging wildly into his body.

An even more shocking scene unfolded: the raging flames that invaded Lin Feng's body not only failed to cause harm, but were instead quickly devoured, refined, and purified by him.

The color of the flames became pure and bright at a speed visible to the naked eye, subtly carrying a hint of ancient nobility.

In just a few breaths, all the fire was absorbed. On Lin Feng's chest, a small but incredibly clear crimson mark, radiating a dazzling aura, slowly emerged, shaped like a divine bird spreading its wings.

"The Vermilion Bird's Flame?! This—how is this possible?!"

Li Yan's pupils constricted sharply, and he cried out in shock. This attack had almost drained all his soul power. A strong sense of weakness overwhelmed him, forcing him to kneel on one knee and use his soul-guided cannon to support his body. He stared in disbelief at the gradually solidifying mark on Lin Feng's body.

"I lost." Li Yan uttered three words bitterly, his voice hoarse. The outcome was decided, the gap between them as vast as an insurmountable chasm.

Lin Feng stepped forward, not pursuing, but instead extending a hand: "If I'm not mistaken, your ancestors should have possessed the Vermilion Bird Martial Soul, or at least the Vermilion Bird Blazing Fire Martial Soul containing the Vermilion Bird's original power. Unfortunately, by the time it was passed down to you, the bloodline was diluted, leaving only the empty name of Blazing Fire."

Li Yan suddenly looked up, his eyes flashing with shock and complex emotions. He didn't refuse Lin Feng's outstretched hand, using it to help him stand up with difficulty, and asked urgently, "You—you're right. There are indeed some scattered records in the family's ancient books—I just want to ask you, was what you just condensed the Vermilion Bird's Blazing Fire Origin?"

"It's just the initial form." Lin Feng said succinctly. He opened his palm, and a wisp of crimson flame with a faint golden glow quietly flickered. Although it was small, it exuded a heat far purer, nobler, and more ancient than the flame of the Vermilion Bird Flame. It was the original form of the Vermilion Bird Flame.

Li Yan's gaze was fixed on that wisp of flame, and his breathing became heavy.

The Vermilion Bird! That's one of the legendary Four Divine Beasts, a terrifying being of ultimate fire. It's not just power, but also the only hope for his Li clan to regain the glory of the Vermilion Bird.

All pride and resentment were washed away by an even stronger desire at this moment.

"Now—is it too late to ask me to be your underling?" He looked at Lin Feng with burning eyes, his voice trembling with determination, almost without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng smiled knowingly, and the flames in his palm dissipated. "It was just a provocation earlier, don't take it seriously. As for whether to follow or not—you should ask your academy if they'll release you. But I still have to thank you for the Vermilion Bird Flame."

He said no more, turned towards the referee's table, and nodded slightly.

Huang Jinxu, the Heavenly Fiend Douluo, gave Lin Feng a deep look, then, without further delay, his icy voice resounded throughout the arena: "The winner of the first individual elimination match is Lin Feng from Shrek Academy."

Li Yan walked off the stage with slightly unsteady steps, his face still somewhat pale, but the light in his eyes was completely different from the dejection of defeat; instead, it was as if a dark flame had been ignited.

He lowered his head slightly, as if deep in thought, or perhaps suppressing some turbulent emotions. The Vermilion Bird Flame echoed repeatedly in his mind like a curse.

The ensuing battles became almost entirely Lin Feng's solo performance.

Whether relying on long-range soul-guided artillery bombardment or close-combat soul-guided devices for surprise attacks, they all appeared fragile and powerless in the face of Lin Feng's flames that seemed capable of burning everything.

His flames were domineering. The outer shell of ordinary metal soul tools would be instantly vaporized by the terrifying heat if one got too close.

Even the rare metals used in the core magic array melted rapidly under the scorching red flames, and the soul guides were reduced to scrap metal before they could fully exert their power.

In a short period of time, Lin Feng has achieved a remarkable six-game winning streak, showing unstoppable momentum.

Even the highly anticipated siblings of the Sun and Moon team, Xiao Hongchen and Meng Hongchen, could not stop him.

The strongest Soul King, invincible!

On the VIP seats atop the city wall, Emperor Xu Jiawei of the Star Luo Empire gazed at the tall, crimson figure on the arena below, his admiration deepening. He couldn't help but murmur, "It seems the title of the strongest Soul King in this competition truly belongs to this young man. Jiu Jiu, what do you think?"

Princess Xu Jiujiu, who was standing to the side, glanced at the arena with a slightly flickering look in her eyes and admitted, "She is indeed very strong—even Xiao Hongchen was easily defeated."

"Both sides send out their next competitors. Shrek Academy, Lin Feng. Sun Moon Royal Soul Master Academy, Ma Rulong. Please step onto the stage." The voice of Heavenly Fiend Douluo Huang Jinxu rang out again, coldly announcing the start of the seventh battle.

Ma Rulong stood up with a solemn expression. Although the outcome was already decided—even if he could defeat the weakened Lin Feng, Soul Saint Ma Xiaotao and three other Soul Emperors were still waiting in the wings, making a comeback hopeless—as the captain, he absolutely could not accept the humiliation of being defeated seven times by a single Soul King. This battle concerned his last shred of dignity.

Lin Feng let out a soft breath, his eyes turning serious. The continuous high-intensity battles, though he hadn't been injured, had taken a toll.

The man before them, Ma Rulong, was not only a Soul Emperor, but also a top-tier Soul Master capable of wielding a level-seven Soul Tool. His true combat strength was comparable to that of a Soul Saint.

This will be a tough battle.