I said, stop, don't go any further!

Outskirts of the Star Dou Forest.

"Hey, big guy, can't we talk this out? Could you at least untie this rope first?" The pale blonde girl, lying on the ground like a worm, pleaded pitifully at Feng Yu beside her. But Feng Yu ignored her, simply returning to his original spot and continuing to gnaw on the chicken leg in his hand.

That's right, this was Tina, the one who had used Feng Xiao as a shield and then fled. Now, wrapped around her body was an extremely "artistic" rope. The artistry of the rope not only accentuated Tina's figure but also added a hint of tempting allure to her overall appearance.

Unfortunately, everyone present had no such desires in their hearts—well, except for Feng Xiao, but he wasn't some old pervert either. The reason he had Feng Yu tie her up like this was merely to punish Tina while indulging in a bit of twisted amusement.

Seeing that Feng Yu wasn't paying her any attention, Tina then turned her gaze to Suo Ying. However, Suo Ying completely ignored her; his heart held only his blade, not women.

Just then, Feng Xiao leisurely sat down in front of Tina and said, "Don't bother. Without my say-so, they won't acknowledge you. And your little scheme is pretty outrageous—do you really think you can use us?"

At that moment, Tina finally realized that this handsome young man was the one in charge of the group. A plan quickly formed in her mind. She looked at Feng Xiao with pitiful eyes and said in a wronged tone, "I'm sorry, okay? I was wrong. I shouldn't have used you as a shield."

But Feng Xiao knew exactly what she was thinking. He said flatly, "Don't even think about running. See that guy over there? The one who caught you? He's a Title Douluo. In front of a Title Douluo, you don't honestly think you still have a chance to escape, do you?"

At these words, Tina's expression darkened, and she instantly deflated. She knew Feng Xiao probably wasn't lying, because she herself had no idea how she'd been caught and tied up. It had happened in the blink of an eye, bringing her back here from far away.

Feng Xiao didn't bother mentioning that Feng Yu was a god-level powerhouse, since no one would believe it anyway. On the continent, the strongest known to most people were still Title Douluos.

"Alright, just come clean about what happened. Who are you, and why were you being chased?" As he spoke, Feng Xiao walked over to the campfire, tore off a wing from the Fire Phoenix Chicken, and started eating.

After a few seconds of silence, Tina began recounting her story. But luckily, Feng Xiao had the system's information, or he might have been fooled by Tina's exquisite acting and her tale that sounded like a real experience.

"That's how it went, and then I got chased. As for what happened after that, well, here we are." After finishing her story, Tina's eyes were red-rimmed. Yet Feng Xiao just looked at her with a cheerful grin, his expression clearly saying, Keep going.

"Everything I said is true! I swear, if even half a word is a lie, may lightning strike me dead!"

The next second, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, which had been clear and cloudless, followed by a rolling peal of thunder.

Tina's little face twitched slightly. "You've got to be kidding me? A thunderbolt from a clear sky? Are you messing with me?"

"Oh my, looks like your 'true words' didn't even make it to half a sentence~"

Under Feng Xiao's teasing gaze, even Tina, who usually had a thick skin, couldn't help but blush.

"I'll give you one more chance. Come clean, or I can't guarantee my knife will behave~" As he spoke, Feng Xiao pulled a small knife from his bosom and traced it slowly down Tina's pale neck, the tingling sensation through her clothes sending shivers into her mind. Just as it was about to cross her collar and touch those firm peaks...

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

Seeing Tina's face flushed—whether from shame or anger—Feng Xiao smiled and put the knife away.

Then, Tina honestly confessed everything.

It turned out that Tina had stolen something from a certain noble's young master, and he had sent people to chase her down. She just hadn't expected the item she stole to be so valuable, leading to a pursuit all the way here.

And as luck would have it, the person Tina had stolen from was none other than Xiao Huo, the young master of the Xiao Clan. This Xiao Huo was the son of Xiao Zhan, the head of the Xiao Clan.

From the system's information, Feng Xiao learned that Xiao Huo was here to obtain his third Spirit Ring.

Then, Feng Xiao turned to look at Suo Ying and said, "Suo Ying, want to hear some good news?"

Suo Ying looked puzzled. "What good news?"

"You know Xiao Huo, right?"

In an instant, Suo Ying's gaze turned icy. "Xiao Huo? Hmph, how could I not know him? Because of him, my village was..."

"Xiao Huo brought six people to the Star Dou Forest to get his third Spirit Ring. Three Spirit Kings are already dead. The remaining three are two low-level Spirit Emperors and one high-level Spirit Emperor. What do you plan to do?"

As Feng Xiao said this, a cruel smile appeared in his eyes, the meaning clear.

"I want to kill him with my own hands, then throw his head at Xiao Zhan's feet. I want him to experience the pain of losing a loved one firsthand!"

At that moment, a dense killing intent burst forth from Suo Ying, making Tina's face turn pale. She had never felt such terrifying killing intent before. Even Feng Xiao was taken aback—it was the first time he had sensed such murderous aura. But Feng Yu, as if he had known all along, remained expressionless.

Then, Feng Xiao looked back at Tina on the ground. "The person you stole from, if I'm not mistaken, is the young master of the Xiao Clan in Nuo Xing Province. As a professional thief, you should know that, right? His father is a Spirit Saint."

At first, Tina only found the names Xiao Huo and Xiao Zhan familiar, but when she heard "Xiao Clan of Nuo Xing Province," her face darkened. The reason was that she knew this Xiao Clan.

This Xiao Clan might not have a big reputation outside, but in the small Nuo Xing Province, they were infamous for their evil deeds. And the clan head was a Spirit Saint.

But the main thing was that Tina's village, her home, was in that very same small Nuo Xing Province. She never expected that she had stolen from the young master of that Xiao Clan. For a moment, she felt like she was the unluckiest person alive. (Had heard of them, never seen them in person.)

If her identity were exposed, her village would face an unimaginable massacre. After all, six years ago, the Xiao Clan had done exactly that—wiped out a village called Suo Village. She knew about it. Officially, it was blamed on evil spirit masters, but everyone knew the Xiao Clan was responsible. There was just no evidence, and even if there were, no one dared to speak up.

Strength was the only voice that mattered!

For a moment, Tina's mind was in chaos. Normally, she wouldn't have revealed her identity, but suddenly, she recalled the conversation between Feng Xiao and Suo Ying.

"Kill Xiao Huo, throw his head at Xiao Zhan's feet..."

She whipped her head around, staring at Feng Xiao in disbelief. "You... you're really going to kill Xiao Huo?"

Seeing her expression, Feng Xiao grinned cheerfully. "Just catching on now? But you got one thing wrong—we're not just going to kill Xiao Huo. We're going to kill Xiao Zhan too. Hell, we're going to wipe out the entire Xiao Clan!"

"Isn't that right, Suo Ying?"

In that second, Tina felt a chill run down her spine!