Whoosh!
From the sky, water clashed fiercely against the blazing attack of the Flame Phoenix!
Boom!
Water met fire, sparking a massive explosion that shrouded the valley in thick mist. But the stalemate lasted only moments before a spear of water burst forth from the haze!
Zing!
It shot straight toward the Flame Phoenix above. Caught off guard, the phoenix was doused and drenched, plummeting down like a soaked chicken.
"Ah… this is Ultimate Water! How is this possible? How can this gourd vine possess both Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Water powers?"
The soul beasts behind It were dumbfounded. This gourd vine was downright unnatural—Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Water were natural opposites! How could one possess both?
Some of the soul beasts began retreating nervously.
Meanwhile, the white tiger that had been flung away earlier was creeping stealthily behind the vine.
"Damn it! So what if it has Ultimate Fire and Ultimate Water? The gourd vine's just a plant—its core must be fragile," the white tiger muttered to itself, growing excited. "If I can devour this vine, maybe my Shadow Bloodline will evolve."
Leaping up, it sank its teeth into a yellow gourd hanging on the vine.
"Ha! I got it!" it shouted triumphantly—only to be hit by an unexpected buzzing sensation inside its mouth.
"Big white cat… why are you licking me? Is this a massage?" the yellow third gourd asked, puzzled. It had no idea why this big white tiger was suddenly giving it a massage. Could it be a friend?
"Massage? What massage? Don't talk nonsense!" the white tiger snarled, biting down harder. Its jaws were among the strongest of all thousand year soul beasts—three thousand years' cultivation—usually powerful enough to crush even ten-thousand-year soul beasts.
"Haha… it's so ticklish and nice!" the third gourd laughed gleefully.
Suddenly, the tiger spat out blood, stunned. A few of its teeth were shattered, and it could barely speak.
"Hahaha! No teeth! No teeth!" The little gourds burst into tinkling laughter.
"Run! Run for your lives! These gourds are demons!"
Finally scared out of their arrogance, the soul beasts turned tail and fled.
"Brothers! Don't let these big bad guys escape!"
"Right!"
The eldest red gourd roared, and the others rallied. Each of the seven gourd brothers unleashed their powers with fierce determination!
The valley shook with the chaos—the roaring and shrieking of confused soul beasts filled the air.
Nearby, some timid beasts awakened and whispered among themselves:
"What's going on? That scream sounded familiar… is the Beast King here? Usually, no human Soul Douluo can match our Beast King. Could a Title Douluo have come?"
Back on the battlefield, the remaining soul beasts lay bruised and battered.
Seeing the gourds poised for another attack, they desperately fell to their knees.
"Please, mighty gourd masters, spare us—we won't dare oppose you again!"
"Yeah, please give us a chance to stay and protect your 'dad' as thanks for your mercy!"
"We are thousand-year soul beasts too, after all."
The clever second gourd exchanged a glance with the eldest and proposed an idea.
"Protect Dad! You have to protect Dad! Big brother can we keep them to protect Dad?"
The others echoed, "Protect Dad! Protect Dad!"
Seeing the injured beasts with broken legs, tails, and wings, the red gourd hesitated but finally agreed.
"Fine, fine. But you better behave from now on. If you dare harm Dad, don't blame us!"
Before he could finish, the soul beasts fainted en masse.
…
Inside the house, the noise outside was muffled by a protective barrier, so Shi Batian didn't hear the battle. He slept soundly until dawn.
Morning light spilled over the eaves as Shi Batian pushed open the door. His jaw dropped in shock at what lay before him.
"What are these things?" he muttered, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He recognized the battered soul beasts immediately and instinctively grabbed a hammer from inside, mimicking hitting motions.
At the same time, he prepared to unleash his Spirit Power silently—determined to protect his children at all costs. If these beasts dared steal or harm his gourds, he'd fight them to the death.
Looking over the wounded beasts, Shi Batian was shocked by their condition.
"These are soul beasts, huh? They look pretty tough…"
"But why is the white tiger missing half its teeth? And this turtle missing half its shell? That bird has singed feathers!"
He was bewildered but cautious.
"Get out of my house! Don't make me get serious."
Shi Batian gave a reassuring glance to the seven gourd brothers on the vine.
"Don't worry, Dad will protect you. I won't let any dangerous soul beast harm a single leaf of yours."
The gourds cheered happily.
"Thanks, Dad! Dad's the best!"
The battered soul beasts on the ground were stunned.
Damn… Dangerous soul beasts? Look at you! Those gourds are the real monsters!
They looked nervously at the humans and the thick vine, still haunted by the horrors of last night—their nightmare for life.
"Meow~" "Howl~" "Chirp~"
A few of the soul beasts tried to look as docile as possible.