Past and Present

Liu Erlong's order for them to leave was utterly merciless.

Flender heard her out, a bitter smile creeping across his face. His heart was filled with inferiority and helplessness.

Faced with the rebuke of the woman he loved, he was utterly speechless.

For years, Yu Xiaogang and Liu Erlong had waged a cold war like sworn enemies, living as though they were strangers.

Caught between them, all he could do was watch helplessly. He didn't even have the right to step forward and comfort her.

Behind him, Yu Xiaogang had fallen into utter despair.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, drawn by the pressure of Soul Power, then slowly raised his head. His face was a picture of tangled sorrow and deep affection as he rasped:

"Liu Erlong, surely you... surely you haven't forgotten everything we shared?"

He still wanted to make one last, desperate attempt.

He hoped that the deep bond they had forged while adventuring across the continent together might stir the last traces of old affection in Liu Erlong's heart, make her change her mind, and bring her back to his side.

"Everything we shared? Ha."

Liu Erlong laughed as if she'd heard a joke, her voice dripping with scorn.

"Yu Xiaogang, you still have the nerve to bring up our past?"

"I waited here for you, foolishly and faithfully, for over twenty years. My heart turned to ash, and you tore mine to pieces! And now you still have the nerve to bring up the past!"

"But..."

Liu Erlong's tone shifted, suddenly softening a little.

Hearing this unexpected turn, Yu Xiaogang was instantly overcome with joy. His eyes blazed with eager anticipation.

His Liu Erlong had finally softened!

She still had feelings for him after all!

Yu Xiaogang trembled with excitement. Without thinking, he staggered two steps toward Liu Erlong and reached out, hoping to grasp her—and their future...

But Liu Erlong merely shot him a cold glance. An invisible force of Soul Power slammed him back down onto the ground.

Liu Erlong's gaze passed over the disheveled Yu Xiaogang and settled on Xiao Yexuan behind him.

Her eyes, which had been blazing with fury, instantly turned as tender as water, as if they might overflow, and she said:

"But I really should thank you, Yu Xiaogang."

"If you hadn't kept me waiting all these years, how would I ever have met such an outstanding disciple?"

"Brat, what did you do to Liu Erlong? What did you do to her?"

"Give Liu Erlong back to me! Give her back!"

"You little bastard, I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

Being spurned by Liu Erlong in front of everyone filled Yu Xiaogang with such piercing humiliation that he crumpled on the spot.

He went wild, charging at Xiao Yexuan like a rabid dog, claws out, his face twisted as though he meant to tear him limb from limb.

"Yu Xiaogang, you're becoming less and less human!"

"What use are you to anyone, alive in this world?"

Liu Erlong's brows shot up. She raised a hand, and surging Soul Power condensed into a form like an unstoppable wooden stake, hurtling straight toward Yu Xiaogang.

"Don't hurt my teacher! Don't!"

Tang San keenly caught the murderous chill in Liu Erlong's eyes, and his face changed.

His hand flashed over the Twenty-Four Moonlit Bridges, and a Godly Zhuge Crossbow appeared in his grip. Without hesitation, he aimed at Liu Erlong. The bolt was cocked and ready to fly.

Xiao Yexuan had been watching Tang San and Yu Xiaogang closely from the start. He knew the boy was ruthless and could strike without warning.

The instant he saw Tang San reach behind himself, Xiao Yexuan knew exactly what the boy was up to: he was about to use those vicious little Hidden Weapons again.

The Godly Zhuge Crossbow was incredibly powerful. If Tang San attacked at such close range while Liu Erlong was still in the brief gap before releasing her Martial Soul, she would be gravely wounded, with no chance of escape.

So the moment Xiao Yexuan saw Tang San move, his expression turned grave. He flicked his folding fan and unleashed his first Soul Skill without hesitation.

A streak of dark teal light shot from the fan, transforming in the blink of an eye into a great bird with powerful wings.

The bird circled with a beat of its wings, settling in front of Tang San. A gale erupted, and a vast field of wind formed in an instant.

The terrifying suction it generated seemed ready to sweep everything nearby into the black hole at its center.

Tang San's eyes were savage, his fury burning.

Liu Erlong had dared to humiliate his teacher so cruelly and even try to kill him. She had brought death upon herself!

The Godly Zhuge Crossbow in his hand was aimed squarely at Liu Erlong's head. He was certain that once the bolts flew, she would die on the spot.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, the tremendous suction from all around made his body lurch, throwing him off balance.

In his haste, he squeezed the trigger. The bolts flew from the crossbow, but the wind field threw them completely off course, sending them straight into the sky.

Liu Erlong saw the bolts whistle past just above her head, then noticed Tang San staggering in the wind, barely able to stay upright. She understood at once how close she had come to disaster.

A chill raced up her spine and prickled her scalp, leaving her drenched in cold sweat. Then her fury erupted like a volcano.

"You despicable wretch! You dare to ambush me!"

She could clearly sense the terrifying power packed into those bolts. If they had struck her, she might have survived, but she would have been gravely wounded and on the brink of death.

Liu Erlong had always been as hot-tempered as a thunderclap. What had just happened had nearly torn her and her newly taken prized disciple, Xiao Yexuan, apart forever.

Rage swallowed her reason. Blazing flames burst from her body.

Seven Soul Rings appeared, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black, pulsing up and down as they radiated a heart-chilling pressure.

She became like a Fire Dragon wreathed in flames, hurtling toward Tang San with heat enough to burn the sky and boil the sea.

Before she even reached him, Tang San felt scorching heat rush toward him.

The hair all over his body began to curl, and he could even smell his clothes scorching.

"Erlong, stop! Don't hurt him!"

Seeing Liu Erlong looking so ferocious, determined to kill Tang San, Flender was scared out of his wits. He shouted in panic.

Tang San was Tang Hao's precious darling. If Liu Erlong really killed him, she wouldn't survive either. No one in the world could protect her!

As a hopelessly devoted admirer of Liu Erlong, how could he watch her commit such a catastrophic mistake?

His heart pounding with anxiety, he pushed off and rushed between Tang San and Liu Erlong, trying to prevent disaster.

But Liu Erlong was simply too fast—faster than he could have imagined.

Besides, Liu Erlong had just dismissed Flender coldly, leaving him wary of her. He hadn't dared get too close and had only watched from a distance.

By the time he came panting to the scene, Tang San had already been flung away by the powerful flames bursting from Liu Erlong's body.