Phoenix Bloodline Drawn, Ma Hongjun Crippled!

Upon hearing the names Shrek Academy and Soul Elder, a collective gasp of cold air rippled through the crowd.

Everyone could only watch helplessly as the innocent woman was humiliated, shaking their heads and sighing.

Dugu Yan stood on the periphery of the crowd, her face turning livid with rage.

She had always despised such base acts of bullying.

A thick, green poisonous mist had already begun to gather faintly in the palm of her hand.

"Absolute scum!"

"To dare to forcibly seize a woman in broad daylight within Heaven Dou City!"

Just as Dugu Yan prepared to step forward and teach this fat pig a harsh lesson.

A black-clad figure had already surged past her.

Gu Qing did not waste a single word.

With one stride, his figure moved like a ghost through the crowd, appearing directly behind Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun was just puckering his lips, ready to plant a kiss.

Suddenly, he felt a terrifying, immense force grab the back of his collar.

Gu Qing seized Ma Hongjun by the back of his shirt and yanked him backward as if he were tossing out trash.

The terrified woman finally broke free from his grasp and collapsed onto the ground.

Ma Hongjun stumbled from the sudden, violent force, not even having the chance to start cursing.

Gu Qing raised his right hand and delivered a fierce slap.

Smack!

A crisp, teeth-grinding sound exploded across the street.

Although Gu Qing had not used any soul power, the sheer, terrifying base strength granted by the hundred-thousand-year Titan Giant Ape right arm bone was something no level thirty Soul Elder could withstand.

Ma Hongjun's two-hundred-plus-pound, obese frame was lifted clean off the ground by the force of the blow.

He spun in mid-air like a top, completing three and a half full rotations!

Thud!

Ma Hongjun slammed heavily onto the bluestone pavement, landing face-first in the dirt.

Several teeth stained with blood flew from his mouth and rolled across the ground.

The entire scene fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared with wide, terrified eyes at the young man who had suddenly intervened.

Gu Qing paid no attention to the fat pig on the ground.

He turned his head to look at the trembling civilian woman on the ground, his tone remarkably calm.

"Go find your family at once."

"You have no further business here."

As if granted a pardon, the woman scrambled to her feet.

With eyes full of tears, she bowed deeply to Gu Qing.

"Thank you for saving my life, young master! Thank you!"

With that, the woman squeezed desperately through the crowd and vanished in a flash.

At this moment, Ma Hongjun, lying on the ground, finally began to recover from the dizzying vertigo.

Half of his face was swollen like a purple-red steamed bun, with five distinct finger marks clearly imprinted upon it.

His head felt as if hundreds of bees were buzzing inside; he couldn't even stand steadily, swaying unsteadily several times before barely managing to regain his balance.

The intense pain and the humiliation of being disgraced in public sent Ma Hongjun into a blind rage.

He glared at Gu Qing, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"You bastard!"

"How dare you meddle in your Grandpa Ma's business? And you dare to hit me!"

"Do you have any idea who I am?"

Ma Hongjun pointed at Gu Qing's nose, spittle flying everywhere.

"I am a monster from Shrek Academy!"

"If I don't burn you to ashes today, I am no Evil Fire Phoenix!"

Accompanied by an extremely sharp, piercing bird cry.

A manic, dark-red flame erupted from within Ma Hongjun's body.

The scorching heat instantly swept across the entire street.

A phantom of a phoenix, wreathed in evil flames, manifested formidably behind him.

Yellow, yellow, purple.

Three standard, optimal soul ring configurations lit up in sequence from beneath his feet.

The surrounding passersby were forced to retreat repeatedly by the scorching heat wave, terrified of being caught in the flames.

Watching his opponent reveal his martial soul, the expression on Gu Qing's face remained entirely calm.

He did not even move his feet by half an inch.

He merely raised his left hand slowly, his five fingers slightly spread.

A vine of Blue Silver Grass, deep blue in its entirety, slowly emerged from the center of his palm.

The vine swayed gently in the air, looking completely harmless.

Seeing this, Ma Hongjun was stunned for a moment, then clutched his swollen cheeks and laughed hysterically.

"Hahahaha!"

"I thought you were some incredible expert."

"Turns out, you're just a piece of trash wielding the useless Blue Silver Grass martial soul!"

The flames on Ma Hongjun's body burned even more fiercely, his entire being filled with extreme arrogance.

"My Evil Fire Phoenix is the top-tier mutated fire-attribute martial soul on the entire continent!"

"My fire is specifically designed to counter grass."

"You dare to play the hero in front of your Grandpa Ma using this pathetic weed?"

"You're finished today!"

Ma Hongjun's arrogant laughter echoed through the wide street.

His face, swollen like a pig's head, looked somewhat distorted from excessive excitement.

Dark red flames soared into the sky from beneath his feet.

The intense fluctuations of soul power caused the flags of nearby shops to snap and flutter violently.

The commoners who had retreated into the distance were so frightened they backed away another dozen steps.

The scorching heat wave seemed almost capable of igniting the air itself.

"Third soul skill, Phoenix Sky-Screaming Strike!"

Ma Hongjun roared, and the third purple, thousand-year soul ring on his body shone brilliantly.

Accompanied by a sharp bird cry, the phantom of the dark red phoenix suddenly spread its wings.

A terrifying pillar of fire, several times larger than before, smashed down toward Gu Qing's position like a volcanic eruption.

The sea of fire instantly engulfed Gu Qing's upright figure.

Along with the deep blue blade of grass in his hand, which looked as though it would break in the wind, he vanished into the blinding glare of the flames.

Ma Hongjun triumphantly brushed the dust off his hands.

A fire of this magnitude would surely burn a soul master with a useless martial soul—who hadn't even bothered to reveal his soul rings—into charcoal.

However.

As the sea of dark red flames gradually dissipated, the scene in the center of the street made everyone gasp in shock.

Gu Qing still stood quietly in place, one hand behind his back.

Not even a corner of his clothing showed signs of being scorched.

What was most astonishing was the Blue Silver Grass in his hand.

After being subjected to the burning of what was claimed to be a top-tier mutated fire-attribute martial soul, the blade of grass had not withered in the slightest.

Instead, it appeared even more lush and vibrant, radiating immense vitality.

The triumph on Ma Hongjun's face froze instantly.

His eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets.

He rubbed his small, bean-like eyes vigorously, suspecting he was hallucinating from the beating he'd received.

How is this possible?

That is my Evil Fire Phoenix!

How could it fail to burn through even a single piece of the most useless Blue Silver Grass!

Gu Qing looked at the fat man on the verge of a breakdown, his expression extremely indifferent.

In the face of the Life Domain and the terrifying recovery capabilities of the Life Blue Silver Grass, let alone a level thirty Soul Elder.

Even if this fat man stood here and burned for ten thousand years, he wouldn't be able to harm him in the slightest.

Without giving his opponent any time to continue dazed, Gu Qing flicked his left wrist.

The delicate Life Blue Silver Grass instantly surged, transforming into a long, tough whip.