Hu Liena in Danger!

Chu Fan looked around and said mildly, "That little girl's recruiting skills are really terrible. With just these few people, she thinks she can teach me a lesson?"

After looking around, Chu Fan found seven or eight people surrounding him. The leader was a level forty-six Soul Ancestor holding a golden saber. The others were all Soul Elders above level thirty.

This also reflected the strength of Spirit Hall. Even Hu Liena's subordinates included a Soul Ancestor.

Chu Fan knew that Hu Liena had not made a grand arrangement this time. She had merely picked a few people at random from her usual subordinates. Given that Hu Liena was Bibi Dong's disciple, the people at her disposal were certainly not limited to Soul Elders. There was even a strong possibility that some were Soul Douluo-level experts.

Fine, I'll play with you lot for a while, Chu Fan thought.

"Attack!"

At the lead guard's command, everyone entered combat mode.

A burly guard was the first to charge out.

He had investigated Chu Fan earlier and discovered no signs of Soul Power flowing through him. He was secretly delighted, thinking, This is a great chance to stand out. If Miss is pleased, she might even promote me to captain. He immediately rushed forward.

He clenched his hand into a fist, gathering Soul Power in it as he smashed toward Chu Fan. "Mountain Collapse Fist!"

This punch has to carry a thousand pounds of force. That kid will definitely be smashed into pulp.

What he had not expected was that no fear appeared on Chu Fan's face. Instead, Chu Fan remained perfectly calm, as if the attack could not shake him in the slightest. He simply watched the fist come at him.

Chu Fan lightly raised both hands, turning them into palms as he met the attack.

Bang!

After a thunderous crash, everyone was dumbfounded.

The guard was sent back more than a dozen steps. His torn sleeve hung from his arm, which dangled limply and trembled without stop. Chu Fan, on the other hand, remained where he was without moving even half a step. He shook out his hand as though nothing had happened.

The other guards also became alert. Not a trace of their earlier contempt remained.

"Together!"

At those words, all the guards released their martial souls.

Six Assault Type soul masters charged at Chu Fan.

From beginning to end, Chu Fan did not mobilize any Soul Power. He relied entirely on the strength of his body to contend against them. Their own force rebounded upon them, shaking their internal organs until they ached, and the taste of blood surged into their mouths. Moments later, only the lead guard could barely remain standing.

He had never imagined that Chu Fan would be so terrifying. The strength of his physical body had already reached an utterly dreadful level.

"That's all?" Chu Fan twisted his arms as he spoke, then walked toward the guards.

"We're done fighting. We surrender," the guard in front hurriedly said. He had no desire to take another two punches from Chu Fan.

"Brother Chu, please spare us. We were only following orders," a guard lying on the ground said with difficulty, unable to endure the pain.

"Where's your master?" Chu Fan demanded coldly.

Chu Fan did not intend to make things difficult for them. He knew Hu Liena had given the order, and they had not dared disobey. He was not someone who killed without blinking. A small lesson was enough.

"Our master... she isn't with us," they answered.

Chu Fan scanned the surroundings with his spiritual power and wondered, With that little fox's personality, she would definitely want to watch these guards beat me to a pulp. So why isn't she here?

Suddenly, Chu Fan's gaze turned stern. "Did your master say where she was going?"

Seeing his expression, the others trembled in fear and shook their heads. "No. We wouldn't dare ask about our master's affairs."

"This is bad!" Chu Fan's heart jolted, and he immediately raced forward.

Chu Fan remembered Qian Renxue telling him before she left that Spirit City was not safe. Many rebels who had not been fully purged were hiding in its streets and alleys, often targeting the children of Spirit Hall.

If Hu Liena was not nearby, then there was only one possibility: she had been captured by the rebels.

Chu Fan released his spiritual power and searched for Hu Liena's aura. In an alley, he abruptly spotted the cotton candy Hu Liena had bought earlier.

Seeing the cotton candy on the ground further confirmed his suspicion.

Chu Fan continued chasing ahead, releasing his spiritual power all along the way to observe his surroundings.

Meanwhile, at some ruins on the outskirts of Spirit City, six or seven raggedly dressed men had gathered together, their faces filled with wicked smiles.

"Big Brother, we searched far and wide only to find her without any effort. I caught this little girl," the bearded man said with a smug grin, extremely pleased with his achievement.

"Well done, Third Brother. With this little girl, we have a bargaining chip to negotiate with Spirit Hall," the leader praised.

Just as they discussed their next step in negotiating with Spirit Hall, the unconscious Hu Liena woke up.

Hu Liena found herself in a ruin, her hands and feet tied with rope. Her entire body was bound to a wooden stake.

Hu Liena struggled to raise her head. The moment she saw the man before her, she was shocked.

"You're the one who sold cotton candy?"

"Damn it, if you have the guts, untie me!" Hu Liena snapped.

"I'm warning you, I'm from Spirit Hall. If you dare hurt me, my teacher will never spare you."

At this moment, Hu Liena knew that against these desperadoes, only by revealing her backing could she make them wary and prevent them from acting rashly.

The man called Big Brother walked over, fury blazing in his eyes. With a sharp slap, he struck Hu Liena across the face.

"Spirit Hall. What a fine Spirit Hall."

Her fair face instantly turned red, and a burning pain spread across her cheek. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Hu Liena glared fiercely at the man before her.

"It was your Spirit Hall that destroyed our families and ruined our lives. I'll make Bibi Dong understand what it feels like to lose someone."

Hu Liena finally understood that the people who had kidnapped her were members of sects unwilling to submit to Spirit Hall. However, those sects had already been permanently erased from the world.

"Hahaha!" Hu Liena laughed through the pain, her eyes filled with disdain.

"Pah! A bunch of stray dogs. You remnants of Spirit Hall think you're worthy of opposing my teacher?"

"Even your sect master had to kneel before my teacher and beg for mercy. What right do you have to shout here?"

"Shut up!" the rebel leader roared furiously. Thinking of the tragic destruction of his sect, his master's miserable death, and how only a few brothers remained, rage surged within him. His eyes turned bloodshot and his expression twisted viciously as he clenched his fist and smashed it heavily into the stone slab beside Hu Liena.

The stone slab shattered at once, and Hu Liena felt the blast of air sweep over her hand.

Suddenly, all the violent hostility vanished from the rebel leader. His reddened eyes stared fixedly at Hu Liena as he said coldly, "Little girl, you sure know how to talk. I hope you can still keep that stubborn mouth of yours later."

Hu Liena knew the disappearance of the rebel leader's hostility was not a good sign. On the contrary, it was even worse. When grief reached its extreme, it turned into laughter; only someone consumed by rage could become like this. Unease immediately rose in her heart.