Dai Yueheng Crippled

Di Tian stepped out of the void and stood in midair, looking down at the devastated clearing below.

His gaze fell first upon Scarlet King.

"Scarlet King." Di Tian spoke calmly, as though stating the simplest fact in the world. Yet beneath that calm was rage suppressed to its absolute limit, enough to burn heaven and earth. "Where is the Auspicious Beast?"

Scarlet King shuddered all over and dropped to his knees with a thud, lowering his head deeply. His voice was hoarse with fear. "Lord Di Tian... the Auspicious Beast... the Auspicious Beast was severely wounded by humans. This subordinate... failed to protect her. I deserve death!"

"Severely wounded?" Di Tian's gaze shifted to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion lying in a pool of blood, her breath faint.

When he saw the wound on the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's abdomen, more than half healed but still savage-looking; when he saw the bone-deep injuries across her body, crushed open by spatial power; when he saw her golden vertical pupils, open yet unfocused...

The pure black in Di Tian's eyes instantly began to boil.

It was like a red-hot iron cast into an ocean of ink, like a colossal boulder crashing into a still lake.

A terrifying, indescribable killing intent, as if it could destroy the world itself, erupted from Di Tian. It materialized into a black storm that raged wildly above the forest.

"Who did this?"

Di Tian asked calmly, but that calm was more chilling than any hysterical roar.

Scarlet King did not dare conceal anything. He recounted everything that had just happened exactly as it had occurred.

How Xuan Zi had bullied the weak with his strength, using the power of a level ninety-eight Super Douluo to forcibly imprison and severely wound the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

How Dai Yueheng, consumed by greed, had wanted to kill the Three-Eyed Golden Lion for her soul ring.

How Xuan Zi had indulged him, even personally suppressing Scarlet King to create an opportunity for Dai Yueheng.

How Dai Yueheng had "slipped up," losing control of his Soul Power as his right hand was scorched by that strange black fire, and dealt the Three-Eyed Golden Lion a fatal blow.

And how... Du Busi had suddenly appeared, stopped Xuan Zi, and saved the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

How Dai Tu had stabilized the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's injuries with a healing soul skill.

Di Tian listened silently, without any expression on his face. Yet the storm in his pitch-black eyes grew fiercer, and his killing intent grew denser.

When he heard that Dai Yueheng had "accidentally" severely wounded the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, Di Tian abruptly turned his gaze toward another part of the forest.

The seven from Shrek were fleeing in panic there.

But in Di Tian's eyes, they moved as slowly as snails crawling.

"Trying to leave?"

Di Tian raised his right hand and lightly clenched it in that direction.

"Come here."

Di Tian beckoned lightly in Xuan Zi's direction.

The spatial freeze was lifted, but an irresistible and terrifying force of suction seized Dai Yueheng and the others, dragging them through the air like chicks and slamming them viciously into the clearing before Di Tian.

Xuan Zi's expression was ugly. He had intended to let the children escape first while he held Di Tian back.

But he could feel that the gap between himself and Di Tian was like that between a firefly and the bright moon, between an ant and a dragon. It was not a difference in Soul Power Level, but an uncrossable chasm in the essence of life and the level of laws.

"Di Tian..." Xuan Zi drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down as he spoke in a low voice. "What happened today was this old man's failure to discipline his disciples. Their recklessness injured the Auspicious Beast. But she has already been saved by that young friend and is no longer in danger. Could we let this matter rest? Shrek Academy is willing to compensate you, willing to..."

"Compensate?" Di Tian cut him off. His voice was soft, but every word struck Xuan Zi's heart like a heavy hammer. "What will you use to compensate? Will the lives of everyone at Shrek Academy be enough?"

Xuan Zi's face instantly turned extremely ugly.

"Di Tian, don't go too far!" Xuan Zi's voice turned cold as well.

"The Auspicious Beast is not dead. That is a blessing amid misfortune. If you insist on fighting, this old man will accompany you! But think carefully. Becoming enemies with Shrek Academy means becoming enemies with all humanity on Douluo Continent! Can your Star Dou Great Forest bear the consequences?"

"Humanity?" Di Tian laughed, his smile icy and mocking. "You think you deserve to represent humanity? A pack of selfish, greedy, shameless ants, and you dare threaten me?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Xuan Zi, Dai Yueheng, Ma Xiaotao, and the others before finally returning to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

"The Auspicious Beast survived because of her own fortune and that young friend's skill, not because you showed mercy."

Di Tian raised his hand toward Xuan Zi and directly unleashed the Dragon God Claw.

Xuan Zi immediately activated his martial soul.

Two yellow, two purple, four black, and one red soul rings appeared—nine in total.

A Taotie phantom condensed, preparing to block the attack.

But the next moment!

Boom!

Xuan Zi's defenses crumpled like paper. He was struck as if by lightning and sent flying, crashing violently into an ancient tree that would have taken three people to encircle. He snapped the tree cleanly in half.

He fell to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs. His face instantly turned ashen, and his aura weakened by more than half.

One claw had severely wounded a level ninety-eight Super Douluo.

Everyone was stunned.

Ma Xiaotao, Gongyang Mo, Chen Zifeng, Xi Xi, Ling Luochen, and Yao Haoxuan were all terrified out of their wits. They huddled together like quails, trembling so hard that none of them dared even breathe loudly.

Dai Yueheng was even more frightened. Lying on the ground, he looked at Di Tian, at those pure black eyes that seemed able to devour souls, and his pants darkened—he had lost control of his bladder.

"Xuan Zi, I spare your life today because the Auspicious Beast did not die."

Di Tian's voice seemed to come from the depths of hell, cold without the slightest trace of warmth.

"Go back to your Shrek Academy and tell Mu En this: for one year, no one from Shrek Academy may set foot in the Star Dou Great Forest. Otherwise, I will kill one for every one who comes. Two come, I kill them both. I will keep killing until you no longer dare come."

Xuan Zi struggled to his feet, clutching his chest. His face was livid, and his eyes were filled with humiliation and fury, yet he did not dare say a single word.

He knew Di Tian meant it. Di Tian had already held back in that strike just now. Otherwise, he would already be a corpse.

"As for you..."

Di Tian's gaze settled on Dai Yueheng.

Dai Yueheng shuddered all over. Like a frog watched by a venomous snake, he did not dare move at all.

"Which hand injured the Auspicious Beast?" Di Tian asked calmly.

Dai Yueheng opened his mouth. He wanted to say, "I didn't mean to." He wanted to say, "That black fire was to blame." But when the words reached his lips, he could not utter a single one.

Under Di Tian's pressure, he could not even think. He could only instinctively raise... his right hand.

Di Tian glanced at it and nodded.

"Very good."

He raised his right hand and lightly swiped toward Dai Yueheng.

Ssh—

There was no sound, no flash of light, nothing at all.

Yet Dai Yueheng's right arm was severed at the shoulder.

The severed surface was as smooth as a mirror. There was no blood, no splintered bone. It was as if that arm had never existed.

"Aaaah!!!"

Dai Yueheng stared blankly for two seconds before the soul-rending pain struck him.

He let out a shriek so miserable it no longer sounded human. Clutching the stump of his arm, he rolled madly across the ground as blood gushed from the wound and pooled beneath him.

But Di Tian was not finished.

He raised his hand again and swiped toward Dai Yueheng's left leg.

Ssh

His left leg was severed at the knee.

Dai Yueheng's scream stopped abruptly.

His eyes widened, filled with unimaginable terror and despair. His mouth hung open, but no sound came out. Then his head tilted to one side, and he fainted.

"Yueheng!!!" Xuan Zi's eyes nearly split apart. He wanted to rush over, but a glance from Di Tian froze him in place, leaving him unable to move.

"Taking one arm and one leg is the interest." Di Tian withdrew his hand, his voice icy. "If anything happens to the Auspicious Beast, I will make him... wish he were dead."