The Power of the Soul Piercing Strike

Not long ago, Jia Lie Ao had only just left one of Wutan City's pleasure houses after spending the night there, reluctant to depart even though the sun was already high in the sky. He had still been savoring last night's sensual delights as he bragged about his prowess to several lackeys who had indulged alongside him.

But just as he swaggered through the neighborhood, enjoying the crowd's flattery and fawning, a young man and woman standing not far away abruptly caught his attention—

More accurately, it was not the young man.

Jia Lie Ao considered himself a seasoned hunter of beauties and knew every lovely woman in Wutan City like the back of his hand. Though he had earned a reputation for seducing and abandoning women, he felt no shame whatsoever. On the contrary, he even treated it as something to boast about.

Yet no matter how hard he searched his memories, he had no impression of this breathtaking young woman. Her delicate, sprite-like figure and the captivating charm she revealed inadvertently left his mouth dry and made him unable to look away.

"Again, that Third Young Master of the Xiao Family. He's nothing but a worthless piece of trash, yet he's always got exceptional women by his side. What a lucky little bastard!" Recalling Xun'er's appearance, Jia Lie Ao burned with jealousy and completely forgot the courtesan he had spent the night with.

Although word had come from the Xiao Family that Xiao Yan had recovered his talent and broken through two Dou Qi bottlenecks in a single month, Jia Lie Ao scoffed at it, believing it to be nothing more than a rumor concocted by idle people.

Two stages in one month? Even making up stories had its limits.

Even if he took a step back and assumed the other party had truly improved by two stages, that would only put him at the Fifth Stage of Dou Qi. With his strength as a One-star Fighter, wouldn't dealing with him be effortless?

With that thought, Jia Lie Ao stopped hesitating and walked straight toward Hun Ruoruo and Xiao Yan.

"Little bastard, you're not worthy of a beauty like this."

Xiao Yan raised his head and looked at the richly dressed young man who had stopped not far away. He spoke indifferently. "Young Master Jia Lie Ao, may I ask why you have blocked our path?"

"..."

The richly dressed young man whom Xiao Yan had called Jia Lie Ao did not answer. Instead, as though possessed, he stared fixedly at the Blue-haired Girl behind Xiao Yan, his gaze filled with undisguised possessiveness.

A mere fleeting glimpse from afar had been enough to make him fall for her. Now that he was observing her up close, a sickly flush appeared on Jia Lie Ao's pale face, and even his breathing grew heavier.

After coming back to his senses, he seemed to realize that he had been somewhat rude. He hurriedly cleared his throat and said solemnly, "Young Master Xiao Yan, I heard from passersby in the neighborhood earlier that you once harshly reprimanded the young lady beside you. Is that true?"

"That neighborhood is, after all, territory of my Jia Lie Family. This Young Master cannot simply stand by in the face of such behavior."

Hearing this, Xiao Yan rolled his eyes. "Young Master Jia Lie Ao, we were merely joking around. Since when did it become your place to interfere?"

It would have been one thing if those passersby had failed to see what happened, but Jia Lie Ao had watched the two of them from the side for so long that he could not possibly have failed to notice whether Hun Ruoruo had been bullied. Xiao Yan knew perfectly well that the only reason the man was spouting such nonsense was to use the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Hun Ruoruo.

The thought left him both annoyed and amused—

He was clearly the one being pushed around, yet now he had to speak up for Hun Ruoruo instead. Did being pretty mean she could turn right into wrong?

But Hun Ruoruo did not want to reveal her strength, so he could only grit his teeth and accept it.

Seeing that his ploy had been exposed, a vicious glint flashed through Jia Lie Ao's eyes. Looking at the girl hiding behind Xiao Yan, he once again forced a smile onto his face.

"Hehe, this young lady looks unfamiliar. She shouldn't be from the Xiao Family, should she?"

"Ah..."

When he suddenly mentioned her, Hun Ruoruo hurriedly grabbed Xiao Yan's sleeve. Lowering her head timidly, she said, "This little woman is of lowly status. I am indeed not from the Xiao Family."

Not from the Xiao Family!

Jia Lie Ao was ecstatic. He compared the cluster of Guards gathered around him with the few scattered Guards belonging to the Xiao Family in the distance, and a mad idea immediately formed in his mind.

Unlike Xiao Yan, Jia Lie Ao was used to putting on a show of force and always had a group of Guards with him. Since this woman was not from the Xiao Family, couldn't he detain her first on the grounds of disrupting order in the neighborhood, then release Xiao Yan alone?

That way, even the Xiao Family would have nothing to say.

Well practiced in abducting innocent women, Jia Lie Ao let out a whistle. The surrounding Guards immediately erupted with considerable presence. At a rough glance, nearly every one of them possessed cultivation at the Fighter realm or above, their auras fierce and intimidating.

"This young lady appears to have been coerced by Young Master Xiao Yan. Since this happened in a neighborhood under my Jia Lie Family, this Young Master naturally takes it very seriously." Jia Lie Ao spoke hypocritically, his gaze constantly roaming over Hun Ruoruo's frightened pretty face.

"Please do not worry, Miss. This Young Master will question you separately and make sure justice is done for you."

With that, he raised his chin and assumed the righteous image of a defender of justice. Yet at the corner of his mouth was an uncontrollable lecherous grin.

Xiao Yan felt nothing but contempt for such hypocrisy.

However, he did not seem flustered. Instead, he sighed somewhat helplessly and lowered his voice. "Ruoruo, wouldn't it have been better if you had just admitted earlier that you were from the Xiao Family? Why did you have to make things more troublesome?"

"I wasn't from the Xiao Family to begin with. How could I lie? Besides..."

Hun Ruoruo kept her eyes lowered, her face still timid, but her soft voice brushed lightly against Xiao Yan's ear. "Three."

"Three? What three?" Xiao Yan froze, and an inexplicable unease rose within him.

"Two."

"..."

"One."

The instant her words fell, an exceedingly faint streak of Purple Light burst from Hun Ruoruo's eyes. At a speed no one noticed, it struck Jia Lie Ao squarely between the brows.

"Urgh..."

Jia Lie Ao's pale, flushed face suddenly stiffened. His eyes rolled back, while the corners of his spread lips still seemed to retain their previous arrogance and wild pride.

With a thud, he fell straight to the ground and did not move.

"Young Master! Protect Young Master!"

"Why did Young Master suddenly faint?"

The Guards, who had been poised to act, were shocked out of their wits. They hurried forward and crouched beside Jia Lie Ao. One Guard who was especially close to him seemed to notice something; his expression turned panicked as he quickly placed a hand over Jia Lie Ao's heart meridian—

"Dead?!"

His face went deathly pale, and his voice trembled. "Young Master Jia Lie Ao... died suddenly!"

Upon hearing this, several Guards who had been close to Jia Lie Ao earlier dropped to their knees as if their parents had died, their bodies going limp as though every bone had been pulled from them.

Jia Lie Ao was dead!

The Girl's soft murmur had been like a countdown to death, accurately foretelling Jia Lie Ao's demise.

There had been no aura, no fluctuation. It had seemed as illusory as a dream, yet it was hard to believe it had merely been a coincidence.

Xiao Yan's lips twitched as he stiffly turned his head to look at the Girl beside him, who still appeared timid and panicked.

He licked his dry lips and asked hoarsely, "You did this?"

"Hehe, didn't Third Young Master want to cultivate a Soul Dou Technique? So I found an opportunity to demonstrate it for you. I just took his soul while I was at it."

Seeing that no one around them had the time to pay attention to her, Hun Ruoruo no longer continued playing the role of a pitiful common girl.

"Don't worry. No one will notice anything."

"...So even this shopping trip was part of your plan?"

"Just trying my luck." Hun Ruoruo raised her brows slightly and smiled. "Running into this kind of blind little noble was quite the unexpected bonus."

"..."

Recalling the brief moment of tenderness and fluttering feelings from before, Xiao Yan's expression changed again and again, his heart trembling uncontrollably.

That feeling was even more agonizing than the searing heat of Old Man Yao's Bone Spirit Cold Flame.