Making a Move

Seeing the stack of money handed over, Guang Long's eyes lit up.

He raised his hand and gave it a quick count; it was just over five thousand.

"Not bad, Li. You should've paid up sooner once you had the cash."

"Now that the protection fee is paid, your business is under the protection of your Brother Guang. No one will come here to give you trouble."

Guang Long said this with a grin.

With these five thousand in hand, he could spend another day living it up at the club.

He turned to leave as he spoke.

However, seeing the miserable state of the boss, Xie Xie could no longer hold back.

His eyes flickered, and he stepped forward, calling out to stop Guang Long.

"You, stop right there!"

Xie Xie's voice wasn't loud, and his tone even carried a hint of youthful inexperience, but his resolve was firm.

Hearing his words, Guang Long, who was already nearing the door, stopped in his tracks.

He tilted his head slightly to look at Xie Xie, his eyes filled with curiosity and mockery.

"Little brat, who are you?"

"You dare meddle in my business? Truly a newborn calf that isn't afraid of the tiger. Get lost before I make you."

Guang Long spoke with disdain. Since he had the money in hand, he had no real interest in Xie Xie and turned to leave.

But the next second, Xie Xie charged straight at him.

Li Ang watched Xie Xie, offering no judgment on this reckless behavior.

However, he performed a quick analysis: Guang Long's older brother, Guang Biao, was a Soul Grand Master at the level of a Soul Emperor.

A top-tier Soul Emperor like Wu Zhongkong possessed overwhelming strength that he couldn't defeat, but Guang Long's brother seemed manageable. Combined with his own status, this was a matter he could indeed handle.

As Li Ang thought this, his gaze narrowed slightly.

Determined that he could handle this, he stood up calmly.

Guang Long looked at the charging Xie Xie with a sneer.

Two Soul Rings appeared on his body, and he kicked out directly at Xie Xie.

In reality, Xie Xie's strength was not much weaker than his; the two only differed in their Soul Rings.

But there was one fundamental difference between them: one was a student, and the other was an adult.

Beyond the gap in raw power, Xie Xie could not compare in either combat technique or experience.

Just as Xie Xie condensed his Twin Dragon Daggers, preparing to show his strength, Guang Long's eyes sharpened. One white and one yellow Soul Ring appeared around him.

At the same time, he clenched his fist and threw a terrifying punch. Before Xie Xie could react, the blow landed on his face, knocking him straight to the ground.

The scene unfolded suddenly. Seeing the opponent's two Soul Rings, Tang Wulin also stood up, his eyes filled with panic.

This was a Soul Grand Master with two Soul Rings—a Soul Grand Master over level 20!

At this moment, Guang Long tilted his head, and two small soul spirits appeared on his shoulders: an earthy-yellow lizard and an iron-gray lizard.

One had to know that for a soul master, every difference in a ring meant a massive gap in both soul power and soul skills.

Yet, looking at Guang Long's white and yellow Soul Rings, Li Ang suddenly fell silent.

Xie Xie only had one ring at the moment, but he possessed Twin Martial Souls. Under normal circumstances, shouldn't his strength be on par with Guang Long's?

Why did it seem like he was completely unable to fight back?

Watching Xie Xie stumble to his feet while clutching his face, Uncle Li stepped forward, blocking Guang Long's path.

"Brother Guang Long, the money has been given to you. Please, let this child go. He is innocent."

Uncle Li's tone was filled with sincerity, but Guang Long stared fixedly at him—or rather, at Xie Xie.

"Too late. It would have been fine if this kid hadn't laid a hand on me. Now that he has, how could I possibly let him go?"

Guang Long stepped forward as he spoke, his battle intent undisguised.

He didn't intend to kill Xie Xie, but he was prepared to severely injure the boy and make him pay a price.

Seeing Guang Long refuse to let the matter go, Li Ang's expression remained calm for a moment before he slowly stepped forward.

Seeing Li Ang approach, Xie Xie looked at him. He initially wanted to stop him, but remembering Li Ang's strength, which far exceeded his own, he ultimately said nothing.

Li Ang, however, didn't bother with useless words.

He stood still, his gaze fixed on Guang Long. His fair palm shot out, and a terrifying punch descended.

The blow landed on Guang Long's abdomen. A terrifying shockwave rippled out, and Guang Long's body was sent flying.

Blood splattered into the air from the impact of that terrifying punch.

Guang Long's body flew back seven or eight meters from the force, crashing heavily to the ground.

Seeing Guang Long beaten to the brink of death, everyone was stunned.

The spectators who had been lingering nearby instantly shrieked and scattered.

Some were shouting, "Murder! Murder!" as they scrambled away in a panic.

At this moment, Xie Xie, Tang Wulin, and the shop owner, Uncle Li, all stared at Li Ang in a daze.

Li Ang, however, remained calm. He took out his phone, sent a text message to Ming Yue, and then waited silently on the spot.

Less than five minutes later, the federal police arrived.

Yet, once the federal police arrived, they simply verified the situation and hauled the critically injured Guang Long away without the slightest intention of providing him with medical treatment.

Watching this scene, Uncle Li was somewhat bewildered.

Before he could speak, however, Li Ang stood up calmly.

A new address appeared on his phone, along with a message from Ming Yue:

"Young Pagoda Master, do you require us to send men to assist you in taking him down?"

"No need." Li Ang silently typed these two words, then turned his gaze toward Xie Xie and Tang Wulin.

"I have some business to attend to. You two accompany this Uncle Li to the police station, retrieve that money, and explain the situation. Extorting protection fees is illegal under federal law; you can go directly."

After saying this, Li Ang turned and walked away in silence.

Watching Li Ang's retreating figure, the two of them were stunned.

Xie Xie opened his mouth, wanting to ask something, but after thinking for a long time, he ultimately said nothing.

Meanwhile, Li Ang's expression remained calm.

Following the address in his hand, he headed straight for the location of the Eastsea Mecha Brigade.

He did not intend to go inside, but rather to wait at the entrance.

Upon learning that his younger brother had been severely wounded, that six-ring Spirit Emperor known as Guang Biao would surely need to visit the hospital. He would simply intercept and kill him when he came out.

As for why he wouldn't ask the Spirit Pagoda to help handle Guang Biao?

That would be a joke.

Even if the Spirit Pagoda captured him, they wouldn't easily kill a six-ring Spirit Master.

After all, the man was a genuine local tyrant in Eastsea City; even the Spirit Pagoda could not easily dispose of him.

Therefore, rather than leaving himself an enemy, it was better to finish the job completely.

Using a brand-new identity, he would kill the man the moment he emerged to check on his brother, erasing this hidden danger once and for all.

Since he was going to do it, he would do it thoroughly, leaving the opponent with no contingency plans.

As for that man named Guang Long, he was already dead.

Without treatment, there was no way he would survive the night.

If his brother had gone to him earlier, he might have lived, but now, his death was all but certain.