Oscar had suffered a severe concussion after the Hell White Tiger struck him with its paw, and the injury had left lasting effects. Whenever he got nervous, he would get a headache and feel nauseated.
Dai Mubai had suffered severe burns, while Zhu Zhuqing had only suffered mild burns.
During the match, the instant the Hell White Tiger burst through the Golden Flame Wall, Dai Mubai had pulled Zhu Zhuqing into his arms. That was why she had suffered only minor burns.
Dai Mubai was now wrapped up like a dumpling. There was a good chance he would never be able to ride at a gallop again.
Zhu Zhuqing had fared better. After taking a bath, she found no major injuries on her body, and her skin was still as fair and smooth as cream. The only problem was that half her hair had been burned off.
The worst off was Ma Hongjun. He had taken Li Jiutian's Holy Light Burst God Fist head-on, and if he hadn't been treated in time, he would have been a goner.
Ma Hongjun had already been the least handsome of the Shrek Seven Monsters. Now the right side of his face was disfigured, and he would have to keep it wrapped in bandages for the rest of his life.
"Damn Li Jiutian! I'll kill him one day!"
Ma Hongjun looked at his reflection in the mirror and spat out the words in anger.
"Ugh, Li Jiutian's a monster. The seven of us couldn't beat him together. How are we supposed to kill him?"
"We need to train hard and break through to the Titled Douluo realm as soon as possible. Only then will we have even the slightest chance against him."
Ning Rongrong shook her head helplessly. Looking at Ma Hongjun in this state, she thought:
"Li Jiutian really went too far. Good thing I'd exhausted my Soul Power and been eliminated early back then. That's the only reason I escaped this fate."
"If I'd been disfigured, I wouldn't want to live!"
Star Dou Great Forest.
In a secluded patch of woods.
"Where am I?"
"Where's my Xiao Wu?"
Tang San opened his eyes and looked around. He had moved too forcefully, and a ripping pain flared in his chest.
"Xiao San, you're finally awake!"
Tang Hao sat beside the fire, his voice low.
"Dad!"
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Is Xiao Wu all right?"
Only after speaking did Tang San realize that his whole body was wrapped in bandages.
"You were unconscious for a full forty-five days. I sent that girl Xiao Wu back to the center of the Star Dou Great Forest. Only there is she truly safe!"
"From now on, I'll put you through a year of special training, then send you to that place!"
Tang Hao stood up, resolve filling his eyes.
"You said Xiao Wu would only be safe at the center of the Star Dou Great Forest?"
"Could it be... could it be that everyone knows she's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast?"
Tang San was shocked.
"Alas, if I hadn't shown up, you and Xiao Wu would both have died!"
"Xiao San, your mother was also a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast. But when your mother and I got together, I was already a Soul Douluo above level eighty. I had the strength to protect her."
"What you need to do now is reach the Titled Douluo realm as soon as possible. Only when you have the strength to protect Xiao Wu can you stay by her side and be together forever."
"Don't let the tragedy your mother and I suffered happen again!"
Tang Hao spoke seriously. As he recalled those painful memories, his eyes slowly grew moist.
The next morning.
After a brief farewell to everyone, Li Jiutian set off for Slaughter City with Hu Liena!
In the carriage, Hu Liena suddenly asked, "Xiao Tian, what kind of girl do you like?"
"What did you say?"
Li Jiutian was deep in thought about establishing a sect in the future and hadn't heard her clearly.
"N...nothing!"
Hu Liena's face turned red as a ripe apple, and she quickly lowered her head.
Just then, the carriage suddenly came to a stop.
"G-General, this is bad! We've run into bandits!"
The driver turned around, his voice taut with nerves.
"Come on, let's go take a look!"
Li Jiutian said, then stepped out of the carriage. Hu Liena followed close behind.
Up ahead stood more than sixty people. Their leader was a bandit chieftain who was actually a level-72 Soul Saint.
"Well, well, there's a pretty little thing here!"
"Brother Zhu, we've really hit the jackpot this time. Look at that yellow-haired beauty—she's gorgeous!"
A shifty-eyed underling said this beside the bandit chief.
"You dare rob a carriage from Spirit Hall?"
Hu Liena said coldly, looking at the bandits as if they were idiots.
"Heh, would Spirit Hall really take this remote road into my territory?"
"Besides, you don't have a single guard with you. There's just a driver. Spirit Hall, you say? Who are you trying to fool?"
"Hand over everything valuable you have, then leave that little beauty here to be my wife. Make me happy, and I'll make sure you live in luxury!"
The bandit chief stared lecherously at Hu Liena's pale chest, his eyes never straying elsewhere.
He wished he could pounce on her right then and fondle her to his heart's content. He was as disgusting as they came.
The bandit chief was named Zhu Kanglie. He stood two meters tall, with a body packed with bulging muscles and a small mustache. Years of drinking and debauchery had left him completely bald.
This was a wasteland surrounded by mountains, beyond the control of any authority. That was what had emboldened Zhu Kanglie.
The bandits had no idea how strong Li Jiutian was. He hadn't brought any Soul Masters to guard him simply because he found them a nuisance—and they would have slowed him down.
"You're going to rob me? Are you sure?"
Li Jiutian walked slowly toward the bandits. Soul Rings appeared around him in turn: purple, purple, black, black, black, red.
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Chapter 40: Blood Stains the Valley! (Please Bookmark and Vote!)
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The instant the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring appeared, the entire valley was dyed bloodred.
"Xiao Tian, I'll leave these beasts to you!"
"Killing them would only dirty my hands!"
After saying this, Hu Liena turned and went back into the carriage.
"A...a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring!"
Zhu Kanglie broke into a cold sweat, stammering as he spoke.
"Brother Zhu, where'd all that swagger go?"
"Just so you know, I've got thirty million Gold Soul Coins in my Soul Tool. You think you can take them?"
As Li Jiutian spoke, golden light burst from him, dyeing the surrounding sky gold. The Angel Domain spread out and enveloped the bandits.
Quite a few of the bandits had wet themselves at the sight of the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. They turned and fled in all directions!
But no matter how far they ran, a powerful force dragged them right back to where they had started.
These bandits were clearly no good. Who knew how many people they had robbed and killed? With Li Jiutian's temperament, how could he possibly let them go?
"B-Brother, surely we can talk this out!"
Zhu Kanglie felt the icy killing intent rolling off Li Jiutian and spoke nervously.
"What is there to discuss with something like you, who doesn't even count as human?"
"Kill yourselves. This is the greatest mercy I can grant you."
"Otherwise, once I make my move, you won't even have a whole corpse left!"
Li Jiutian said in a low voice.
"Damn it, you think you can look down on me?"
"I'm a level-72 Soul Saint. Killing you will be as easy as flipping my hand!"
"Lads, he's got thirty million Gold Soul Coins on him. Kill him, and we won't have to worry about food or drink for ten generations!"
"Come with me and butcher him!"
After saying this, Zhu Kanglie summoned his Martial Soul, the Nine-Foot Rake.
"The boss is right! Once we kill this kid, we can quit being bandits and head to Spirit City to eat, drink, and have a different pretty girl every day!"
"Exactly! There's only one of him and more than sixty of us. We can chop him to death even if we use nothing but random swings. What's a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring worth, anyway?"
The underlings all chimed in. In the end, greed overcame fear, and they surged toward Li Jiutian in a swarm.
Zhu Kanglie was extremely crafty. After summoning his Martial Soul, he didn't charge at Li Jiutian himself. Instead, he sent his underlings in first.
"The journey's been dull anyway. I'll have some fun with you lot!"
"Fifth Soul Skill, Flame Aurora Sword!"
Li Jiutian gripped the Aurora Sword wreathed in flames, then shot toward the bandits in a streak of golden light!
"Whoosh!"
Wherever the golden light passed, bandits' heads dropped to the ground. In less than thirty seconds, all of Zhu Kanglie's underlings had perished. Only he remained!
"Y-You little punk, I'm a Soul Saint. There's no way you can beat me!"
"Sure, you killed all my men, but I'll let bygones be bygones. How about I spare your life?"
Zhu Kanglie forced down his fear and shouted without much conviction.
His words made Hu Liena laugh from inside the carriage.
"You idiot. I don't even take Soul Douluos seriously. Why would I fear a mere Soul Saint like you?"
Holding the Aurora Sword, Li Jiutian started walking slowly toward him!
"Seventh Soul Skill, Rake True Form!"
"Fourth Soul Skill, Berserk Power!"
Seeing no hope of escape, Zhu Kanglie's muscles suddenly turned red. Then his Martial Soul shone with white light, and the rake in his hands grew to eight meters long.
"Interesting!"
Li Jiutian smiled faintly as he looked at Zhu Kanglie, now red from head to toe.
"My Berserk Power can boost my strength by fifty percent for a short time!"
"My strength is practically at the Titled Douluo level now!"
"If you beg for mercy now, I might spare your life!"
Zhu Kanglie said confidently, though despite being a Soul Saint, he didn't dare attack Li Jiutian lightly.
After all, Li Jiutian had just effortlessly sent more than sixty heads tumbling to the ground. It had truly scared him.
"Brother Zhu, when it comes to bragging, you're number one on the whole continent. No one else even comes close!"
"Strength close to a Titled Douluo? Someone as worthless as you would be killed by a Titled Douluo with a single flick to the forehead!"
"Come on, make your move. Let's see what you can really do!"
Li Jiutian taunted him, raising his middle finger.