"Given Dai Mubai's innate talent and qualifications, if not for Mu Muqing, I would never have let him off so easily! I would have long since crushed him into dust."
"But since he dared to provoke Mu Muqing, making the Soul Venerable of the Spirit Hall suffer so much, how could I possibly let him go? He must pay the price."
Today, after the battle ended, Mu Muqing and Xiao Wu looked toward Huoyao together.
Xiao Wu was much more composed. As an outsider watching from the sidelines, she naturally felt that Huoyao's image in her heart had become rather extraordinary—but that was all.
Mu Muqing, however, was a very emotional person. After seeing all this, her heart was deeply moved.
The more Huoyao showed off, the more envious Dai Mubai became. It was as though he had become a clown. Mu Muqing's heart had already tilted toward Huoyao, and now Dai Mubai's behavior only made her despise him more.
Dai Mubai had completely taken Huoyao's performance to heart. After all, Mu Muqing looked several years younger than him, yet she had treated Taolangke as an honored guest and had even taken the initiative to shake hands with him. This was simply too humiliating.
"You two can go up together. I'm in a hurry."
Finally, Dai Mubai twisted his neck and revealed a mocking smile toward the little monster with the phoenix-like martial soul. The meaning behind it was obvious.
Huoyao deliberately suppressed him and made him suffer a loss.
If Dai Mubai's performance was already embarrassing, then it was truly worth letting him feel a little gratitude. After all, even if he had a future, he would find it difficult to forget Mu Muqing's kindness.
Things turned out just as expected. Mu Muqing watched Dai Mubai struggling to hold on. Her anger came quickly and went just as quickly, and the tense atmosphere immediately returned to normal.
Since he had already promised that he would fight two opponents at once, Dai Mubai did not care whether he and Tang San stood together. He attacked Xiao Wu first.
Huoyao could guess what Mu Muqing was thinking. To deepen her impression of Dai Mubai, he deliberately acted as though he were merely a useless coward.
"What about you? I can handle it myself. I don't need to borrow her hand."
Huoyao intentionally called out Mu Muqing's name, allowing Dai Mubai to understand her identity. Tomorrow, when they went to the History Academy, he would tell him everything.
Dai Mubai, who did not know the truth, glanced at Huoyao and felt that he was being looked down upon. Rage immediately surged through him. He let out a low roar and charged forward.
"Then come on!"
Since he wanted to see just how powerful the little brat was, Dai Mubai chose not to hold back. His soul power burst out in an instant, and he shouted in a low voice.
"White Tiger, Possession!"
A dazzling white light suddenly erupted from his body. Dai Mubai's arms extended at the same time, his chest swelling outward. His entire body seemed to expand, and every muscle beneath his clothes bulged conspicuously.
A black-and-white pattern spread across Dai Mubai's body. Four faint lines floated on his forehead, forming the shape of a king character.
What shocked everyone most was that three yellow spirit rings rose slowly from beneath him, clearly displaying his identity as a thirty-year Soul Venerable.
"A thirty-year Soul Venerable—and one with a thousand-year Demon Power!"
Han San's eyes narrowed, and his heart was filled with astonishment.
He had never imagined that a small place like Suotu City could hide such a monstrous genius.
Facing such a terrifying opponent, how could he possibly endure it?
Was this truly a direct confrontation, or was it simply a battle between generations?
Tang San looked toward Huoyao with curiosity. Apart from his expression, which showed no change at all, Huoyao acted as if he had completely ignored Dai Mubai.
"Does he have enough support to be so confident, or is he simply an idiot?"
While Tang San was suspicious, the person behind him—Dai Mubai—spoke in a deep and heavy voice.
"Dai Mubai, White Tiger Possession, thirty-seven soul power. Please advise me!"
A thirty-seven-soul-power Soul Venerable might not amount to much in other places, but in a small place like Suotu City, he was still an impressive powerhouse.
At the very least, the proprietors and waiters of the Rose Hotel had already become frightened by the strength he displayed.
However, when facing Huoyao's terrifying power, their expressions remained calm. Deep in their dark eyes, a cold and sinister light emerged.
The next second, everyone's expression changed drastically.
They saw three yellow spirit rings emerge from beneath Huoyao. What differed from Dai Mubai was that all three of Huoyao's spirit rings were actually black.
"Huoyao, Martial Soul Possession, thirty-one soul power."
Accompanied by Huoyao's low voice, a terrifying aura erupted like a tide. The proprietors and waiters were frightened out of their wits.
Dai Mubai, who stood directly in front of Huoyao, was naturally the first to bear the brunt. Under that terrifying pressure, his legs trembled uncontrollably, and he crashed heavily to the ground before he could even react.
If he had not braced himself with his hands, he would probably have fallen flat on his face.
"Impossible! How could this be?!"
The first to lose his composure was not Dai Mubai. At that moment, he was so shocked that he could barely speak. He was almost about to faint from fear.
Tang San and Xiao Wu looked toward Huoyao's spirit rings in shock. Both of them wore expressions of disbelief.
What did the black spirit rings mean?
They represented ten thousand years of cultivation!
A thirty-one-soul-power Soul Venerable possessing three ten-thousand-year spirit rings—what sort of terrifying existence was this?
Huoyao ignored Tang San and strode toward Dai Mubai. Seeing the latter's body trembling violently, his eyes filled with coldness.
"So you're telling me now—how dare you provoke me?"
The ancient, monstrous aura surrounding Huoyao was like a primordial beast. Dai Mubai felt as though his soul were about to be torn apart. Even lifting his head to face Huoyao's brave and imposing presence was beyond him. He used all his strength to force the words from his throat.
"I... I don't dare..."
From the outside, Dai Mubai looked arrogant and domineering, but deep down he was genuinely afraid of death. Especially after experiencing the enormous gap between himself and Huoyao, he no longer had even the slightest thought of resisting.
If he had truly been brave, he would never have performed such a cowardly act as ambushing Mu Muqing before running away.
The Huoyao standing before him possessed three ten-thousand-year spirit rings. His choice to beg for mercy was entirely in keeping with his character.
Unfortunately, Huoyao clearly had no intention of easily letting him go. With the third spirit ring flashing, the terrifying power of the third ring instantly swept toward Dai Mubai like a storm.
"Ugh!"
The invisible mental attack struck. Dai Mubai could not even make a sound before his face went pale and he collapsed to the ground.
Yet, from the corners of his eyes and mouth, and even from his ears, dark red blood slowly began to seep out.
Regardless of whether it was Mu Muqing or Xiao Wu and Tang San, all of them instantly recognized that this was Huoyao's remnant technique.
Before you continue