She took a single step and landed in front of Zhao Wuji. Her dragon claw pressed down on his chest as Soul Power surged into him like a flood, pinning him so firmly he couldn't move at all.
Zhao Wuji struggled to fight back, but Liu Erlong slapped him across the face. His head spun, and blood mixed with fragments of teeth spilled from the corner of his mouth.
"Still got a smart mouth?" Liu Erlong's voice was edged with ice. "Today, I'll show you what true despair is!"
She lifted her foot and stomped down hard again. Zhao Wuji screamed and went completely limp on the ground, his consciousness beginning to fade.
Liu Erlong looked down at him from above. The anger in her eyes hadn't faded, but she didn't strike a fatal blow.
Xu Yuan and the others, including Xiao Wu, stood at a distance, watching Liu Erlong beat Zhao Wuji as his screams rang out.
Xiao Wu clicked her tongue. "Teacher is way too powerful..."
Zhu Zhuqing nodded silently, a hint of shock flashing in her eyes.
A Soul Douluo-level battle was far more destructive than they could have imagined. If Xu Yuan hadn't reacted quickly just now, they would likely have been caught in the crossfire.
Seeing this, Tang San and the others couldn't help swallowing nervously.
Ma Hongjun in particular thought about what he had done earlier.
After dealing with Zhao Wuji, Liu Erlong came over to Ma Hongjun and the others.
The ground seemed to tremble faintly with every step she took.
The scorching heat still lingering in the air and the Soul Douluo pressure radiating from her made it difficult for Tang San and the others to breathe.
Ma Hongjun's legs trembled with fear. His earlier arrogance had vanished completely, and he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
As he stared at Liu Erlong's blazing, slit-pupiled eyes, his mind filled with the filthy things he had just said to Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing. Cold sweat ran down his cheeks, soaking his collar.
Dai Mubai forced himself to stay calm and stepped in front of Ma Hongjun. His Adam's apple bobbed. "S-Senior, Ma Hongjun was in the wrong. We'll apologize to you on his behalf..."
"Apologize?" Liu Erlong sneered, her gaze scraping across Ma Hongjun like a blade. "You had plenty to say just now. Why don't you repeat those vile thoughts of yours?"
Ma Hongjun dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "S-Senior, I was wrong! I won't dare do it again! Please spare me this once!"
He was genuinely terrified. Even Zhao Wuji had been beaten like that. With his meager strength, he probably wouldn't last a single move against her.
Tang San furrowed his brow and stepped forward, speaking in a low voice. "Senior, Ma Hongjun was indeed at fault, but he knows he was wrong. Please show him mercy."
Oscar hurriedly nodded along. "Yes, yes! He definitely won't do it again!"
Liu Erlong glanced at Tang San, ignoring his plea. She simply stared at Ma Hongjun, her tone icy. "If you run your mouth and say something vile, you deserve a lesson."
As she spoke, she raised her scaled hand, a modest flame gathering in her palm.
Ma Hongjun was scared out of his wits. He squeezed his eyes shut and shrieked.
"Smack!"
With a sharp crack, Liu Erlong's hand came down without a trace of flame. She simply slapped Ma Hongjun hard across the face. The blow was powerful enough to spin him around on the spot, his cheek swelling red in an instant as blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.
"Remember this slap." Liu Erlong drew back her hand, her voice cold as ice. "If you ever say another disrespectful word to any woman, next time a slap will be the least of your worries."
Ma Hongjun lay facedown on the ground, clutching his face and not daring to make a sound. Tears mixed with blood from his nose as they ran down his face. All that remained in his heart was fear.
Liu Erlong swept her gaze over Dai Mubai and Oscar. "Keep an eye on him. If you can't teach him to behave, I'll punish you too."
Dai Mubai and Oscar nodded hurriedly, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Tang San watched this scene, clenching his fists, but in the end, he said nothing more.
He knew perfectly well that Ma Hongjun deserved to be taught a lesson, and given Liu Erlong's strength, it was a blessing she had held back.
But Liu Erlong had still earned her death!
Liu Erlong didn't linger. She turned and walked toward Xu Yuan and the others. Much of the hostility around her had faded, though her eyes remained cold. "Let's go."
Xu Yuan nodded and followed with Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing.
As they passed Tang San, Xiao Wu didn't forget to glare at Ma Hongjun. The disgust in her eyes was impossible to hide.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze fell on Dai Mubai, carrying a hint of distance and disappointment. Then she looked away and hurried after Xu Yuan.
Dai Mubai watched her retreating figure, his face flushing red and then turning pale, his heart a jumble of emotions.
Liu Erlong remembered something, took out a bag of money, and tossed it to the hotel owner.
"Take this. It's compensation."
After giving the money to the owner, Liu Erlong led Xu Yuan and the others to another hotel.
Only after Liu Erlong and her group had gone far away did Tang San help the limp Ma Hongjun to his feet. Looking at his swollen face and terrified expression, he said gravely, "Now you know what fear feels like? Remember today's lesson."
Ma Hongjun nodded miserably, forgetting even to cry out from the pain.
He hated Liu Erlong. In the future, he would rape and then kill her.
Meanwhile, Xu Yuan and the others were on their way to another hotel.
Xu Yuan asked Liu Erlong curiously, "Teacher, when did you reach the Soul Douluo rank?"
God King Tang San had asked him to inquire, and Xu Yuan himself had been curious, so he asked.
Liu Erlong thought for a moment. "Last year. I don't know why, but my cultivation speed has increased a lot these past few years. It's as if... as if there's an endless supply of Soul Power inside me."
After hearing Liu Erlong's words, God King Tang San's expression changed dramatically.
He had figured out the reason: Liu Erlong had already absorbed one wisp of his essence.
No. He absolutely couldn't let Liu Erlong absorb any more.
God King Tang San was getting anxious. He rapidly considered how he could obtain the essence inside Liu Erlong.
Wait...
God King Tang San suddenly thought of a way to get his essence from Liu Erlong.
In the past, after they entered the Star Dou Forest, Erming had appeared at night and taken Xiao Wu away.
He could use that opportunity to guide the Soul Beasts into severely injuring Liu Erlong, then have Xu Yuan obtain the essence from her.
Listening to God King Tang San's thoughts, Xu Yuan was speechless. He couldn't help but grow wary of what God King Tang San might do next.
"Teacher," Xu Yuan said, smoothly changing the subject. His gaze settled on the lights of a hotel up ahead. "There's a hotel just ahead. It looks clean enough. Let's rest there."
Liu Erlong gave a quiet hum. A trace of anger still lingered between her brows; she clearly hadn't fully recovered from the earlier conflict. "All right. We'll turn in early and enter the Star Dou Forest first thing tomorrow morning."
Xiao Wu bounced along beside them, still enthusiastically talking about Liu Erlong beating Zhao Wuji earlier. "Teacher, that slap was so cool! Someone like Ma Hongjun deserves a proper beating!"
Walking on the other side, Zhu Zhuqing gave a slight nod at that. Her eyes held a little more admiration for Liu Erlong.
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