A sharp whoosh suddenly ripped through the quiet street.
The long whip swept through the air in a deep-blue blur and lashed viciously across Ma Hongjun's bulky body.
Crack!
The crisp sound of flesh splitting made everyone's scalp crawl.
The dark-red flames protecting Ma Hongjun were like paper in the face of the Blue Silver Grass, torn apart in an instant.
"Argh—!"
His pig-like screams rang through the heavens.
The force of the blow sent his hefty body tumbling across the ground several times.
Gu Qing stepped forward expressionlessly and swung the whip again.
Once, then again.
The dull thuds of the strikes mingled with Ma Hongjun's screams, weaving together into a song with a distinctly rhythmic beat.
Ma Hongjun grimaced in pain and rolled around on the ground.
His once-prized uniform had been whipped into rags, and his body was crisscrossed with bloody welts.
Gu Qing stopped in front of him.
"You call that Evil Fire?"
His gaze looked down on Ma Hongjun, openly contemptuous.
"And you call that a phoenix?"
"A scruffy, low-class bird like that is nothing more than a barnyard chicken."
At the edge of the crowd, Dugu Yan watched Gu Qing's every swing, her beautiful eyes fixed on the whip.
Seeing Ma Hongjun writhing in agony on the ground, she didn't find it cruel.
On the contrary, an exceptionally strange excitement welled up inside her.
The scene by the hot spring in the Star Dou Great Forest a few days ago played over and over in her mind, beyond her control.
The whip's crisp crack against flesh was like a key, unlocking some secret mechanism inside her.
She could almost feel that burning sensation striking her from behind once more.
A tempting flush instantly spread across Dugu Yan's fair cheeks.
She even pressed her legs together, and her breathing grew rapid.
The thrill that only that cold, stern man could bring left her mouth dry.
In the middle of the street,
Gu Qing decided he had taught Ma Hongjun enough of a lesson and drew his wrist back.
The deep-blue whip vanished instantly.
Then a mass of pure darkness burst from his palm.
The Dark Blue Silver Grass shot from the ground like countless black vipers, wrapping around Ma Hongjun.
Sharp barbs pierced his flesh and sank straight into his veins.
Innate Divine Ability: Bloodline Devour.
An immensely terrifying force of suction surged from the Dark Vines.
Ma Hongjun's screams turned hoarse in an instant, and his eyes rolled back.
The frenzied Evil Fire within him, along with the phoenix bloodline he had always been so proud of, was forcibly stripped away through the vines.
Dark-red motes of energy converged in midair, flowing endlessly into Gu Qing's Dark Blue Silver Grass.
The darkness clinging to the vines grew deeper and more substantial.
After only a few breaths,
Gu Qing withdrew his Martial Soul.
The fat man who had weighed over two hundred pounds had now shrunk considerably, lying limp on the flagstones like a puddle of mud.
His Soul Power had been drained, and that scruffy bird of a Martial Soul had been crushed to pieces.
The famed monster of Shrek Academy had been reduced to a complete cripple.
Having finished, Gu Qing didn't even spare the man on the ground another glance.
He turned and beckoned to Dugu Yan, who stood not far away.
"Let's go."
Dugu Yan came back to herself as if from a dream. She quickly patted her burning cheeks and hurried after him like an obedient little follower.
The onlookers automatically parted to make way for them, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Night deepened.
The two found the finest inn in Heaven Dou City and checked in.
The next morning,
the first light of dawn fell through the window lattice onto the wooden floor.
Gu Qing sat cross-legged on the spacious bed and silently said, "Sign in."
The system's voice rang out in his mind right on time.
Reward: three months' worth of Soul Power.
An enormous surge of exceptionally pure energy appeared inside him from nowhere and instantly flooded his limbs and bones.
Gu Qing closed his eyes and guided the energy through his meridians.
The air around him began to twist violently.
The invisible barrier that had held him at the peak of Level 90 shattered beneath the impact of the vast energy.
A powerful surge of Soul Power rippled through the room, then was swiftly drawn back into his body.
His Soul Power settled firmly at Level 91.
"Phew..."
Gu Qing slowly opened his eyes and breathed out a long plume of stale air.
After a quick wash, he changed into a fresh, dark-purple brocade robe and stepped out of his room.
He had important business to take care of today.
With the highest-ranking Pope Token Bibi Dong had given him in hand,
Gu Qing ignored Dugu Yan, who was still asleep in the room next door, and set off into the street alone.
He headed straight for the heart of the Heaven Dou Empire's capital.
He planned to pay a direct visit to the empire's highest authority, Emperor Xue Ye.
At the same time,
at Crown Prince Mansion in Heaven Dou Imperial City,
inside a secluded study,
Qian Renxue, disguised as Xue Qinghe, sat behind a broad desk of golden-threaded nanmu wood.
Holding a vermilion brush, she was reviewing a mountain of imperial documents.
Porcupinefish Douluo appeared in a corner of the study like a ghost, his expression grave.
"Young Master, we've just received an urgent message from our spy at the city gates."
The tip of Qian Renxue's brush paused slightly.
"That bastard named Gu Qing hasn't tried to hide his movements."
"He's carrying the highest-ranking Pope Token from Spirit Hall and has already swaggered into the imperial palace."
"He even submitted a formal request for an audience with Emperor Xue Ye."
Crack.
A sharp snapping sound rang through the quiet study.
Qian Renxue had broken the expensive vermilion brush in two with her bare hands.
Red ink stained her pale fingertips.
The shock on her face, still disguised as Xue Qinghe, was impossible to hide.
What on earth was that bastard trying to do?
He'd come all the way to the Heaven Dou Imperial Capital alone, carrying the Pope Token straight to the emperor of the Heaven Dou Empire.
Could he be planning to announce Spirit Hall's arranged marriage in front of the entire court?
Qian Renxue's breathing quickened, her chest heaving violently.
Just then, the chief eunuch of Crown Prince Mansion called out in his shrill voice from outside the door.
"Your Highness, the emperor has urgently summoned you."
"The Holy Son of Spirit Hall is here. His Majesty has ordered you to go to the Political Affairs Hall at once and join him in receiving the guest."
Qian Renxue took a deep breath and tossed the broken brush into the wastebasket.
She wiped the vermilion ink from her hands with a silk handkerchief, a dangerously cold glint flashing in her eyes.
If she couldn't avoid him, then she'd just have to deal with the reckless bastard herself.
The Political Affairs Hall, Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.
Beneath the resplendent gilded dome, the atmosphere was especially solemn and oppressive.
Emperor Xue Ye sat atop the Coiled Dragon Throne. His face looked somewhat aged, but he radiated the imposing authority of a man long accustomed to the heights of power.
The visitor wasn't just Spirit Hall's newly appointed Holy Son; he was also the adopted son of Pope Bibi Dong.
With credentials so sensitive and extraordinary, there was no way the Heaven Dou Empire could afford to take him lightly.
So Emperor Xue Ye had decided not only to receive him in person, but also to summon Crown Prince Xue Qinghe to the hall.
Before you continue