Unlock Kamen Riders in Douluo's Way Ch 56

The soul beast looming over the skeleton chariot was immense, rivaling the Ghost-Faced Griffin King in size. It was a majestic avian, adorned with a vibrant green crest and resplendent red feathers. A shimmering golden light pulsed across its plumage, and its long, flowing tail feathers radiated a soft, ethereal glow. A pair of piercingly clear blue eyes burned with palpable fury. In essence, it resembled a colossal phoenix, imbued with an exotic, otherworldly grace.

This was no ordinary soul beast. Within the annals of human knowledge, it was documented as one of the five overlords of the lava mountains, a super soul beast sharing dominance with the Ghost-Faced Griffin King and three others, all exceeding a hundred thousand years of age—The Azure Phoenix King.

In truth, its age mirrored that of the Ghost-Faced Griffin King, having surpassed 170,000 years long ago.

"Speak quickly," it boomed, its voice resonating with barely restrained rage. "Where did you send my grandson? Don't think I don't know you look different from normal."

The Ghost-Faced Griffin King, previously reclining with an air of indolence, bristled at the accusation.

"Shut your beak, you old windbag!" he retorted, his voice laced with menace. "Don't presume my temper has waned after a millennium of peace. Dare to test me, and I'll devour you whole!"

"Devour me? Try it, if you dare!" Azure Phoenix King challenged, its eyes blazing with defiance. "It's been far too long since a proper fight!"

The very air crackled with their mounting aggression, and the ground beneath them trembled. Even the lava mountains themselves seemed to shudder in anticipation of the impending conflict. Panic seized the Ghost-Faced Griffin flock, driving them to retreat from the Scorched Stone Forest in a flurry of wings and fear-filled cries.

Suddenly, a powerful aura emanated from the super volcano at the heart of the lava mountain range. It surged outwards, blanketing the entire region, quelling the escalating rage of the two overlords and soothing the terrified soul beasts.

Both the Ghost-Faced Griffin King and Azure Phoenix King turned their gazes towards the volcano, a hint of trepidation in their eyes. The aura served as a clear warning: any disturbance would not be tolerated.

The Ghost-Faced Griffin King scoffed, though his tone held a newfound restraint. "Since Emperor Yan has intervened, I shall spare your miserable life."

Azure Phoenix King countered with a dismissive snort, "How laughable. I wonder who is truly clinging to life."

"Be gone! Your presence is unwelcome here!" the Griffin King declared, his voice dripping with disdain.

"A jest! When did the Scorched Stone Forest become your domain? I come and go as I please," Azure Phoenix King retorted. "Spare me your empty words. Tell me, where is my grandson? Did you truly condemn him to become a soul ring for some human? If so, even Emperor Yan himself cannot stay my hand; I shall tear this place asunder!"

The Ghost-Faced Griffin King remained unfazed by Azure Phoenix King's threats but saw no merit in prolonging their squabble.

"You dare to call him your grandson now? You were the first to abandon him," he pointed out, his voice laced with accusation. "Besides, if he is your grandson, is he not also mine?"

"Silence, you brute!" Azure Phoenix King exploded, its rage reaching a fever pitch. "You are the vile creature who corrupted my descendant! If your offspring hadn't attacked my daughter all those years ago, none of this would have transpired! You bear the burden of responsibility!" Azure Phoenix King's voice dripped with venom, "Why did I leave, you don’t know? My Azure Phoenix lineage originally reproduced sparsely, so it’s not like your ghost-faced griffins! You have sex all year round, so there is such a large-scale group. The harm caused by letting it stay with you can be minimized.”

While reproductive isolation existed between soul beasts, it was not an insurmountable barrier. With sufficient cultivation and age, different species could, on rare occasions, produce offspring. These offspring, however, invariably inherited the traits of either the mother's or the father's race.

Yet, in a twist of fate, the direct son of the Ghost-Faced Griffin King and the direct daughter of Azure Phoenix King had defied the natural order, birthing a mutant that possessed the blood of both lineages—the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin.

The very blood of soul beasts carried unique, subtle fluctuations, and the emergence of such a mutant threatened the reproductive stability of both species.

As if to affirm this, at the moment of the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin's birth, its parents were themselves subjected to the volatile influence of its blood, undergoing forced mutations. The mutations failed, however, leaving them in a perpetual slumber within the super volcano, under the watchful eye of Tuoyou Lava Mountain's true sovereign, Emperor Yan.

While the Ghost-Faced Griffin King and Azure Phoenix King harbored no ill will towards their offspring, they recognized the danger it posed to their respective species. The Ghost-Faced Griffins, with their vast numbers, could absorb some of the impact. But Azure Phoenix King's lineage, already struggling with a low reproductive rate, faced potential destruction.

Reluctantly, Azure Phoenix King had ceded custody of the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin to the Ghost-Faced Griffin flock, returning once a century to observe its progress. A millennium had passed since its last visit.

"You have been absent for over a thousand years," the Ghost-Faced Griffin King observed, "I presumed you had resigned yourself to my decisions."

Azure Phoenix King found itself unable to refute the accusation. It was true that, on its last visit, the Ghost-Faced Griffin King had suggested allowing worthy humans to claim the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin as a soul ring. Azure Phoenix King had offered no response at the time, and its subsequent silence had, in effect, served as tacit approval.

But acquiescence did not equate to indifference. When it sensed the sudden vanishing of the Azure Flame Heaven Griffin's presence, panic seized it. After two days of agonizing contemplation, it succumbed to its anxieties and sought answers. Discovering that its offspring had indeed vanished, it prepared for the worst, its heart brimming with resentment. This resentment had fueled its confrontation with the Ghost-Faced Griffin King.

Observing Azure Phoenix King's complex emotions, its eyes filled with guilt, the Ghost-Faced Griffin King ceased his taunts. A faint smile played on his beak as he spoke, "Enough. Your grandson yet lives. Did you not sense his presence?"

"Indeed!" Azure Phoenix King exclaimed, its eyes lighting up with renewed hope. "But that is not all. I also sensed violent surges of his Emotional Flames. The Emotional Flame is a unique fire of our Azure Phoenix clan, so I could feel that it was very excited at the time, but the last time I sensed it, the fluctuation of the flame was very strange. What's going on?"

"Our grandson has encountered a great opportunity," the Ghost-Faced Griffin King declared, a hint of pride in his voice. "Such talent should not be wasted in death. I shall unveil the truth to you."

He cast a beam of light into Azure Phoenix King's eyes, granting it a glimpse of recent events. Azure Phoenix King witnessed the battle, the emergence of the Kamen Rider, and the subsequent transformation of Ma Hongjun.

"Kamen Rider…" Azure Phoenix King murmured, its voice laced with wonder. "When did humanity discover such a novel means of harnessing power?"

Now knowing that its grandson had indeed found a path to survival, the resentment in Azure Phoenix King's heart began to dissipate. It found itself intrigued by this phenomenon known as the Kamen Rider.

The Ghost-Faced Griffin King settled back onto the ground, adopting a more relaxed posture. "You witnessed the human battling alongside our grandson. Such power is unfamiliar to us, suggesting that the Kamen Riders have only recently emerged. Perhaps human society itself is yet to fully grasp their existence. In this regard, our grandson may be considered a pioneer. I sense that, should this path spread, it may gradually diminish the rift between soul beasts and humans, leading to a true symbiosis."

"Hmph, your optimism is misplaced," Cang Huang countered. "The animosity between humans and soul beasts spans millennia. Such deep-seated grievances cannot be erased so easily. Regardless, I intend to meet this individual and ascertain whether he is truly worthy of wielding the power of a Kamen Rider transformed by my grandson."

"Patience!" The Ghost-Faced Griffin King interjected, attempting to dissuade Azure Phoenix King from acting rashly. "He passed on the power to another, did you not sense the strange fluctuations of Emotional Flames? I glimpsed it from afar; it was merely a human child, a disciple of the human you witnessed earlier. Weak in strength, perhaps, but capable of igniting the Emotional Flames. That merits observation."

"What are you saying?!" Azure Phoenix King erupted, its rage flaring anew. "He transformed my grandson into the power of a Kamen Rider, only to bestow it upon a frail human child? What does this imply? That he deems my grandson inadequate? An insult! I shall seek him out and demand an explanation!"

"Oh, calm yourself! He is, by all accounts, a benefactor to you and, more importantly, to our grandson. Must you always view matters through such a warped lens?"

The Ghost-Faced Griffin King raised a massive claw, attempting to restrain Azure Phoenix King's wings, but was swatted aside with a dismissive flick.

"You fail to grasp the magnitude of this affront! I cannot tolerate such humiliation," Azure Phoenix King thundered. "I must assess this individual, to see if he is truly capable. If he dares to slight my grandson, I shall see justice done!"

A surge of soul power erupted from its body, and its eyes blazed with determination.

"Excellent," it hissed, a cruel smile twisting its beak. "This individual remains within the lava mountains. I shall pay him a visit!"

"Hey! Wait! Don't do this!!"

Seeing Azure Phoenix King take flight, the Ghost-Faced Griffin King grew frantic, flapping his wings in a desperate attempt to give chase. Alas, despite his superior strength, he could not match Azure Phoenix King's aerial speed.

"Stop this! You'll ruin everything!!"

His desperate pleas were lost to the wind, as Azure Phoenix King rapidly closed the distance to Yin Xiaoya. Given the magnitude of the disturbance, it was only a matter of time before it drew his attention.

"Blast it all," the Ghost-Faced Griffin King muttered. "Well, at least I will be around to prevent things from getting out of hand. Perhaps this is a good opportunity to ask if that matter can be resolved with this person…"

Meanwhile, Yin Xiaoya was reclining comfortably in the Skullgarry, drifting in and out of sleep. Though he had vaguely registered a few violent jolts, he attributed them to the rough terrain and paid them no mind.

The system, unable to detect the presence of soul beasts exceeding seventy thousand years in age, remained blissfully unaware. Thus, when two colossal figures descended upon him, it triggered a frantic, ear-splitting alarm.

[Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning!...]

BOOM!

Almost simultaneously with the system's warning, the skeleton chariot screeched to an abrupt halt. The impact, jarring and unexpected, jolted Yin Xiaoya awake.

"Ah!? What in the world?" he groaned, rubbing his eyes. "A car accident? Unbelievable! I can't trust this so-called self-driving feature!"

He cursed under his breath, instinctively reaching for the door release.

[Host, no! Don't do it!]

"Huh? What's wrong?" Yin Xiaoya paused, momentarily bewildered. "Did you just issue an alarm?"

But it was too late. His hand was already hovering over the button.

[Host, may the heavens have mercy on you.]

"What?"

As the Skullgarry's door slowly creaked open, no sunlight streamed in. Instead, a massive, furious face filled his entire field of vision.