However, when the Hidden Weapons were still a foot away from Tie Tang, a Soul Guidance Barrier suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked them.
"Hahaha, trash is trash!" Tie Tang laughed. Turning to the Iron Blood Sect disciples around him, he said, "See? That little girl was the one who attacked first. Come on, everyone, let's rush in!"
"Let's see you try! When my mom and dad get back, they'll make you pay!" Tang Ya was so frantic that tears welled in her eyes. How could a nine-year-old girl stand up to the burly men in front of her?
"Heh, might as well tell you: my father, Tie Li, has already broken through to Soul Emperor. So what if your parents show up?" Tie Tang sneered dismissively.
The Iron Blood Sect disciples at his side all activated their Martial Souls. They were mostly two- and three-ring Soul Masters.
Seeing this, Tang Ya's small frame trembled with fear, but she still stood in the doorway of the Tang Sect and cried out, "Dad! Mom!"
"Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!"
Thunder roared. Several Thunder Dragon Claws shot forth, electrocuting the Iron Blood Sect disciples who had charged forward until they were charred and twitching uncontrollably.
"You call someone 'Dad' the moment you meet them? You're far too polite." Bei Bei walked over slowly. Seeing Tang Ya looking like a frightened quail, he couldn't help teasing her.
Tang Ya stared at Bei Bei, momentarily stunned. His handsome features and sunny smile were unforgettable, especially the warm glow radiating from him.
But she quickly recovered and snapped, "Y-You dare take advantage of me!"
"I was helping you, you know," Bei Bei said with a smile.
"Who are you? How dare you meddle in the Iron Blood Sect's business!" Tie Tang was furious. The Iron Blood Sect disciples he had brought were almost all incapacitated.
Bei Bei slowly turned his head and looked at him disdainfully. "And where did you get the nerve to come here and run wild?"
The commotion he had caused was considerable, yet the Heaven Dou City law enforcement team still hadn't come to investigate. It seemed the Iron Blood Sect had some secret arrangement with them. They had clearly decided to swallow up the Tang Sect's remaining assets.
Seeing Bei Bei distracted, Tie Tang immediately summoned his Martial Soul, the Iron Arm Bear. Three Soul Rings—white, yellow, and yellow—rose beneath his feet as he charged at Bei Bei.
"Look out!" Tang Ya cried.
Bei Bei calmly summoned his own Martial Soul. A high-pitched dragon's roar rang out, a platinum-colored scale appeared on his forehead, and wild golden lightning coiled around his body.
Unlike before, Bei Bei had now reached Soul Elder and could use the Dragon Transformation Secret Art.
His right arm grew thick and powerful, tearing through his sleeve. Platinum scales emerged, and his hand transformed into a sharp Platinum Dragon Claw. Golden lightning coursed over it, while three purple Soul Rings circled his transformed arm.
After using the Dragon Transformation Secret Art, each transformed body part gave rise to a skill.
Dragon Claw—Dragon's Fury.
Bei Bei's attack power, defense, and strength all doubled, while his control over lightning elements increased dramatically.
"First Soul Skill, Radiant Dragon Claw!"
Golden lightning burst from his hand with a crackle that made the heart tremble, gathering into a golden dragon claw that struck toward Tie Tang.
A Soul Power Barrier appeared around Tie Tang. It was the level-three Defensive Soul Tool he carried.
But faced with Bei Bei's attack, the barrier quickly filled with cracks under the golden lightning. The golden dragon claw then struck his chest with unstoppable force.
As the smell of burning flesh filled the air, Tie Tang's chest was instantly left mangled. He was sent flying several meters and fell to the ground, his life or death unknown.
"Pretty fragile, aren't you?" Bei Bei watched with a faint smile always resting at the corner of his mouth.
"S-So amazing!" Tang Ya murmured, excitement and surprise on her face.
Bei Bei had moved too quickly. His clean, decisive strike had finished off his opponent before either Tang Ya or Tie Tang could see the three purple Soul Rings that had flashed across his arm.
"The Tang Sect was once the greatest sect of all. How did it fall so low that even some obscure little sect could come and bully you at your doorstep?" Bei Bei turned to Tang Ya.
He simply couldn't understand how they could watch the Tang Sect decline without lifting a finger to change or reform it, clinging stubbornly to outdated rules that had remained unchanged for ten thousand years.
Hearing him speak ill of the Tang Sect, Tang Ya was about to argue.
Then two anxious voices called out from nearby.
"Xiao Ya, are you all right?"
Two figures hurried over and shielded Tang Ya behind them.
"Dad, Mom, what took you so long? Those bad guys from the Iron Blood Sect came again!" Seeing her parents, Tang Ya's eyes filled with tears, and her voice turned choked with sobs.
"That fellow Tie Li brought a few people to keep us tied up. It took us ages to get away from them." Tang Ya's father gently reassured her. "You're not hurt, are you?"
Tang Ya's mother pulled her straight into her arms.
Bei Bei looked the two of them up and down. Tang Ya's father was a Soul King, and her mother was a Soul Ancestor.
Their Soul Ring Configuration was decent enough, but their Martial Souls left much to be desired. Both had the same Trash Martial Soul: Blue Silver Grass.
Honestly, it was a miracle that a sect as hidebound, old-fashioned, and inflexible as the Tang Sect hadn't vanished completely by now.
Even the Nine Treasures Glazed Tile Sect knew that you should find a partner with strong combat ability.
Only the Tang Sect remained enamored with the Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul.
Of course, ten thousand years of passing it down hadn't been entirely fruitless.
After so many generations, even the Trash Martial Soul, Blue Silver Grass, could now reliably awaken Soul Power.
Unfortunately, a Trash Martial Soul was still a Trash Martial Soul. Reaching Soul King was the limit for them.
"That big brother saved me." Tang Ya pointed at Bei Bei.
Tang Ya's father glanced around at the Iron Blood Sect disciples lying in such a sorry state and furrowed his brow slightly.
Then he looked at Bei Bei and thanked him. "May I ask your name, young man? Thank you for coming to our aid."
"You can call me Bei Bei," he replied with a smile.
"It's forbidden for Soul Masters to fight within Heaven Dou City. You may have some trouble after injuring them," Tang Ya's father said with an uneasy expression.
Seeing him like this, Bei Bei's opinion of him sank even further. In addition to his earlier faults, he was timid and foolish—almost a bit of an idiot!
"These are small matters. Nothing to worry about," Bei Bei said with a wave of his hand. "My ancestors had some connection to the Tang Sect, and I just happened to be passing by when I stepped in to help."
"Who was it? Who hurt my son?" an enraged voice called from nearby.
An old man who looked remarkably like Tie Tang hurried over with a group of Iron Blood Sect disciples.
It was Tie Li, the Iron Blood Sect's leader. He was a Six-Ring Soul Emperor. The two men beside him were also Soul Kings, while the other Iron Blood Sect disciples were all Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors.