As his words fell, Xiao Mu leisurely pushed through the crowd and strode forward, one step at a time.
The din around them gradually ebbed, and the eyes of several thugs all swung toward him.
The bald man shot him a sidelong glance and sneered. "Where'd this busybody crawl out from? You dare stick your nose in our business?"
Xiao Mu stood amid the broken tiles and spilled soup, his voice cold. "So you're Guang Long. Pretty arrogant, aren't you? Think being a Soul Master means you can do whatever you want?"
"Doesn't your conscience hurt?"
"What conscience? I threw that away ages ago. I just want money." Guang Long answered bluntly, without a shred of guilt.
As his voice faded, a crimson halo suddenly rose behind Xiao Mu, like a blazing sun suspended in the sky. Its tremendous aura spread in every direction on the autumn breeze.
Na'er knew Xiao Mu was angry. She quietly stepped half a pace back and stood safely to one side, watching.
The oncoming pressure made Guang Long's brows knot. His earlier arrogance dwindled, and the two lackeys beside him instinctively shrank back as well.
Xie Xie and Wulin retreated with them. Gazing at the dazzling red sun, they felt an intense heat.
That red sun was none other than Xiao Mu's Soul Spirit.
Light surged around Xiao Mu's feet, and his first Soul Ring suddenly lit up. An invisible field spread across the ground.
He raised a hand as if gripping Guang Long by the throat from a distance.
An invisible force clamped down around Guang Long. No longer held by the pull of gravity, he abruptly rose off the ground and hung suspended in midair.
Guang Long thrashed wildly, forcing out a defiant threat. "So what if we're both two-ring Soul Masters? You can't break through my defenses!"
Before he'd even finished speaking, his exposed skin rapidly turned iron gray. Hard scales bulged along his neck, and thick, rigid armor enveloped his entire body.
Xiao Mu lowered his eyes to the man suspended in the air. "Pretty arrogant, aren't you? You really think there's nothing I can do to you?"
He reached into his Soul Tool with his right hand and drew out an object.
It looked like a gun, with a long barrel and simple lines.
He raised it and aimed at Guang Long in midair.
He pulled the trigger and fired.
Compressed air ignited with a loud bang.
In an instant, Guang Long let out a heart-rending scream.
His defenses shattered at once. Iron-gray scales rained down from the air, clattering against the ground.
Guang Long fell, crashing down among the broken tiles and soup and splashing up a muddy spray.
Xiao Mu lowered his hand, his voice icy. "Did you forget? There are Soul Tools, too!"
"Impossible! These gun-type Soul Tools are all controlled!" Guang Long's voice trembled. He was afraid—terrified of dying.
"This? I can make it myself! The Federation even lets me own it privately. And this isn't a weapon. It's reason. I'm just talking sense with you." Xiao Mu raised the gun and walked toward him, one step at a time. "But if you think this is too unfair, we can use something else."
A glimmer flashed from his Storage Soul Tool, and nine close-combat weapons of chilling design dropped one after another onto the ground.
Ten thousand years ago, every one of them would have been a high-grade Soul Tool, seventh rank or higher. Their metal blades gleamed coldly amid the lingering scent of meat.
The two lackeys beside them instinctively drew back their feet. Every trace of their earlier arrogance had vanished.
Why did this guy have so many weapons?
So many?
Was he some kind of pay-to-win player?
As Guang Long stared at the row of deadly Soul Tool blades, his face gradually turned pale. His reliance, his confidence from moments ago, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The next moment, Soul Power stirred at Xiao Mu's fingertips.
The nine gleaming blades on the ground abruptly rose into the air and hovered in a neat row before him, their edges glinting with a chilling light, their killing intent heavy.
Right after them came an overbearing, powerful force of attraction, roaring out from Xiao Mu's palm and locking Guang Long's body in place.
The scales covering Guang Long's body tensed. He struggled with all his might, his body instinctively shrinking back as he tried to escape the invisible field.
But within that field, Xiao Mu had absolute dominance over anyone of the same rank. The force pulling Guang Long in was so powerful that he couldn't resist at all; every struggle was futile.
His whole body was dragged forward against his will, straight toward the row of pointed blades.
Fear seized him completely. Guang Long's voice quavered, and all his earlier arrogance was gone. "Stop! You can't kill me. My brother's the captain of the East Sea Mecha Brigade!"
"He's a Six-Ring Soul Emperor! That's right, he's a Six-Ring Soul Emperor. You can't afford to offend me!"
Xiao Mu stood still, his expression calm and unreadable. "A Six-Ring Soul Emperor? You really think I'm afraid of him? Nobody can protect you today!"
In an instant, the nine Soul Tool blades hovering in midair adjusted their trajectories, avoiding his heart, throat, and other vital spots.
Several flashes of cold light plunged into Guang Long's limbs, shoulders, arms, and flank.
The sharp blades pierced his iron-gray scales and sank deep into his flesh. Blood slowly seeped from the cuts, staining the cold metal red.
None of the wounds were fatal, but wave after wave of excruciating pain drilled through his bones and marrow.
It was the torment of flesh being sliced and bones and sinews being crushed. It wouldn't kill him, but it was enough to make him wish he were dead.
Guang Long's whole body convulsed violently. Cold sweat instantly soaked his skin, and even his once-hard, taut scales trembled faintly from the pain.
He clenched his teeth, but still couldn't hold back a stifled groan. Not a shred of his arrogance remained.
"I was wrong! Let me go. I'll never come to this shop again!"
He broke down completely. His voice was hoarse and weak, and the agony had drained every last bit of strength from his body. He couldn't muster even a trace of Soul Power.
"The sages said, 'Convince people with reason.' I'm just talking sense with you." A smile curled Xiao Mu's lips. He looked far more dangerous than an Evil Soul Master.
Though they stood amid blazing heat, everyone felt a chill deep in their bones.
"What kind of reason is this?" Guang Long rasped, panic filling his eyes.
What kind of madman had he run into? He really seemed willing to kill him.
"Physics, of course. But if you want to discuss chemistry, that works too. You'd better be ready to take it." As he spoke, Xiao Mu took out a specially made glass bottle.
It was filled to the brim with concentrated sulfuric acid.
He opened the bottle and immediately splashed it over Guang Long. A sizzling, burning sound rang out at once.
Guang Long screamed. "Aah! No, let's stick to physics!"
"Too late. I'm ready to discuss a little biology, too."
Xiao Mu immediately turned to Na'er behind him. "Come on, I'll teach you a few ways to defend yourself."
Na'er bounced over, curiosity filling her eyes. "What are you going to teach me, big brother?"
Pointing to a particular spot, Xiao Mu said, "This spot is very effective on both men and women. If you hit it right, even adrenaline might not be enough to save them."
At those words, all the men present except Xiao Mu felt a chill in their crotches. Couldn't he stick to topics a young girl could hear?
He pointed at the back of Guang Long's neck and continued, "This is the medulla oblongata. A hard blow can stop the heart."
Then his fingertip slid down toward the spinal cord. "A strike to the third lumbar vertebra can paralyze the lower body."
"Come on, give it a try!"
Na'er nodded. She didn't care whether Guang Long agreed or not. He didn't refuse, so he must have agreed.
She took out the Silver Dragon Spear and thrust it straight into the spot Xiao Mu had indicated...
Guang Long immediately felt his lower body go limp.
Then Xiao Mu continued teaching Na'er how to fight: where to strike to cause minor injuries and where to hit to cause serious ones.
Guang Long cooperated the whole time. Apart from the occasional protest, his body was very honest.
As for the two lackeys, they'd run off long ago. They couldn't care less about their boss.
With Satan standing right in front of them, they'd have to be out of their minds to stick around.
But they were loyal in one way: they ran toward the East Sea City Mecha Brigade. It was the only place that could make them feel safe.