Douluo Dalu: Sun Gauntlet

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At the critical moment, Bai Yan's body reacted instinctively.

She flapped her wings vigorously, accelerating her movement in an instant. The fireball that had been aimed at her torso barely grazed past her, missing by a hair's breadth.

In that split second, Bai Yan unleashed her full strength, narrowly avoiding the long-planned attack.

Cold sweat ran down her back from the sudden ambush, and she hurriedly ascended, flapping her wings to escape Huo Wu's attack range.

"Damn it!"

Seeing that Bai Yan had evaded the strike, Huo Wu couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Quan Yi also looked up at Bai Yan with a solemn expression.

This attack had been part of his plan. Although Bai Yan's requirement was for them to last fifteen minutes, Quan Yi had no intention of simply being a passive target.

If he were alone, counterattacking would have been impossible. However, with Huo Wu joining forces with him, they could at least attempt an offensive.

Bai Yan truly hadn't expected Huo Wu's attack.

Quan Yi's overwhelming presence had overshadowed Huo Wu, causing Bai Yan to instinctively disregard her. Moreover, Quan Yi's movements had led her to believe that he was protecting Huo Wu. After all, with her vision obstructed, Huo Wu had seemingly abandoned her own defense.

This misjudgment made Bai Yan completely unaware that Huo Wu was the true offensive force.

The realization surprised her.

However, despite the careful planning behind this strike, Bai Yan had still managed to dodge it.

That fact alone made her completely at ease.

From this exchange, Bai Yan confirmed one crucial point—Huo Wu's attacks no longer posed a real threat to her.

If she could evade them even while caught off guard, then now, with heightened vigilance, she would never be hit.

Quan Yi and Huo Wu understood this as well. From this moment on, Bai Yan could attack Huo Wu from above without hesitation.

As expected, Bai Yan swooped down, closing in on Huo Wu with incredible speed.

"Flame Feather Strike."

Since the attack came from above, the three feathered arrows traveled even faster than usual.

"Flame Bullet!"

Without hesitation, Huo Wu condensed fireballs to counter Bai Yan's long-range assault.

Boom!

The fireballs and feathered arrows collided in mid-air, instantly triggering an explosion.

The impact was powerful, scattering the feathered arrows in all directions.

Bai Yan's attacks were swift, but Quan Yi's tall figure provided a wide defensive range, limiting Bai Yan's attack angles.

This narrow angle gave Huo Wu just enough time to react, allowing her to barely fend off Bai Yan's offensive.

The attack range of Bai Yan's and Huo Wu's first soul abilities was similar, but because Bai Yan was attacking from above, her effective range was significantly extended.

As a result, Huo Wu could only remain on the defensive.

Seizing the advantage, Bai Yan pressed the attack, launching a relentless downpour of arrows.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flame bombs and feathered arrows clashed repeatedly, filling the sky with bursts of fiery orange explosions.

Although the condensing speed of the Flame Bullet was slower than the Flame Feather Strike, the force of the explosions—along with their blinding flashes—slightly disrupted Bai Yan's assault.

In just ten seconds, more than half of Huo Wu's soul power had been drained. The intense concentration required and the massive energy expenditure made her face visibly pale.

Quan Yi quickly noticed Huo Wu's condition, but he couldn't act on his own accord.

In a way, Bai Yan's attacks were a form of surrounding Wei to rescue Zhao—a strategy meant to pressure one target while restricting the other. If Quan Yi moved to help Huo Wu, their formation would collapse instantly.

At that moment, Huo Wu would be completely exposed to Bai Yan's assault.

And the situation would only worsen.

Bai Yan had indeed planned for this outcome, but when she saw that Quan Yi remained unmoved—only staying vigilant—she realized she had no choice but to focus entirely on Huo Wu.

Even if she couldn't shake Quan Yi's position, she could still exploit her superior soul power to completely exhaust Huo Wu.

It was a simple yet effective tactic.

Although Bai Yan's attack line was restricted by Quan Yi's defense, limiting her speed and power, she could still strike through the small opening above his head—targeting Huo Wu from a distance.

The eighth shot. The ninth shot.

"Bang! Bang!"

Huo Wu had blocked three more shots, but she couldn't last much longer.

Fighting against Bai Yan felt like drinking poison to quench thirst—a temporary solution at best.

Yet, the fact that she had endured this long had already exceeded her own expectations.

If this had been a week ago, Huo Wu was certain she wouldn't have lasted this long.

Without Quan Yi's pressure pushing her forward, she never would have progressed to this point.

As the last traces of soul power left her body, an intense glint flashed through Huo Wu's eyes—madness, defiance.

The crimson rain of arrows pouring from the sky was like a trial by fire, washing away her hesitation and igniting her fighting spirit.

The fiery silhouette behind her seemed to sense her burning resolve, its glow intensifying with dazzling brilliance.

Huo Wu raised her left hand, gathering soul power in both hands at once, preparing to launch a simultaneous strike.

The shadow behind her mirrored her movements.

Two fireballs took shape at the same time, their temperature far higher than before. The heat waves lifted Huo Wu's long hair, revealing the unyielding determination in her eyes.

"Double Flame Bullet!"

Two fireballs shot toward Bai Yan in rapid succession.

The first fireball collided with a feathered arrow mid-air, triggering a powerful explosion that instantly dispersed the storm of red arrows.

A brilliant orange flash illuminated the sky, breaking apart Bai Yan's relentless assault while masking the approach of the second fireball.

Huo Wu had timed it perfectly.

The explosion from the first fireball hadn't disrupted the trajectory of the second—on the contrary, it had cleared a direct path for it.

From Bai Yan's perspective, her vision was engulfed in blinding flames, obscuring everything else.

For the first time, her sharp eyes lost their edge in the face of the overwhelming brightness.

She hadn't anticipated a second attack.

"Boom!"

The sudden explosion, accompanied by a powerful shockwave, surged toward Bai Yan.

Although it didn't land directly on her, the proximity—combined with the sheer force—threw off her balance mid-flight.

Her sustained assault was abruptly halted as she struggled to regain control.

After all, Huo Wu's attack range was shorter than Bai Yan's from the air.

Her true goal had never been to hit Bai Yan directly.

Instead, she used the explosion to disrupt Bai Yan's rhythm—buying herself precious time.

This was her moment.

"Xiao Yi!"

Quan Yi understood immediately.

Without hesitation, he swept his hand over the Heart of Fierce Sun on his chest and pulled out a small, palm-sized stone.

Without even looking back, he handed it to Huo Wu.

She grabbed it swiftly, gripping the stone in her right hand as she pointed it in Bai Yan's direction.

She was going to launch it.

Huo Wu gathered all of her remaining soul power into her right hand.

"Go—!"

With her shout, a blazing fireball erupted from her palm, surging toward Bai Yan like a shooting star.

This was Huo Wu's final attack.

Bai Yan, having just stabilized herself, caught sight of the incoming fireball. Instinctively, she crossed her wings in front of her body to block it.

After all, she knew the fireball's range was limited—if she could endure the shockwave of the explosion, she could hold her ground.

But in that instant, Bai Yan made a fatal miscalculation.

And the tide of the entire battle shifted.