Killing the Robbers

Li Changqing paid no mind to Scarface. If he feared a Soul Master with only a Ten-Year Soul Ring, he would be unworthy of his Kunpeng Martial Soul.

His lips curled in disdain. "You dare to bark at me with nothing but a Ten-Year Soul Ring? If you're looking for death, I'll grant your wish."

The moment he finished speaking, Li Changqing drove off with both legs. His figure became a blur as he hurtled toward Scarface.

At the same time, he activated his Kunpeng Martial Soul, sending a wisp of Sun True Fire toward his Sword Martial Soul.

The golden flame was slender but fierce, wrapping itself around the entire blade.

Though the flame was tiny, it radiated a terrifying heat that warped the light around it.

Scarface flew into a rage when Li Changqing not only showed no fear but dared to taunt him. Then he saw the boy charge, his battered sword wreathed in terrifying flames.

His expression changed. The kid had kept something in reserve, and he was fast.

Scarface dared not take him lightly. He activated his First Soul Ring and roared, "First Soul Skill: Block!"

As he used the Soul Skill, the cleaver in his hand blazed with light. A translucent image of a cleaver formed before him, glowing faintly white. This was his ten-year Soul Skill. It greatly strengthened his defense and could reflect an opponent's attack.

A smug grin spread across Scarface's twisted face. He could already picture Li Changqing being thrown back by the Soul Skill, then kneeling to beg for mercy.

The next instant, his grin froze.

The sword wreathed in golden flame sliced through the First Soul Skill he was so proud of as easily as tofu. The cleaver's image dispersed.

There was not the slightest resistance. The blade did not pause.

"How is that possible?! You don't even have a Soul Ring! How could you break through my First Soul Skill?!" Scarface's eyes widened in disbelief.

Li Changqing wasted no words. He turned sideways, flicked his wrist, and swept his sword through an arc.

Slash!

Blood sprayed. Scarface's left leg was severed by Li Changqing's blade and fell to the ground.

"Aaagh—!"

His agonized scream rang out, so piercing it startled birds into flight.

Scarface collapsed and rolled across the ground, clutching the stump as blood poured from it. Soon the ground was stained red.

Seeing their boss lose a leg so easily to a child, Scarface's two underlings nearly lost their souls to fright. Their faces turned deathly pale, and cold sweat streamed down their bodies.

"Run! Hurry!" they shrieked, turning to flee as fast as their legs could carry them.

Li Changqing had no intention of letting them go. Against Kunpeng Speed, they moved like snails. He snorted, became a streak of golden light, and caught them in an instant. His sword flashed twice.

Slash! Slash!

Each lost a leg. They fell screaming, blood flowing freely, before the searing pain sent them into unconsciousness.

Only Scarface, stronger than the others and a Soul Master, remained conscious. He kept howling in pain.

Li Changqing walked up to Scarface and crouched. He patted the man's face with his right hand, each slap making a sharp smack. "I gave you a chance, but you couldn't make use of it. What happened? Weren't you awfully arrogant just now? You wanted to rob me and sell me to some noble lord. Why so quiet?"

Pain racked Scarface's body with spasms. Cold sweat poured down his face.

Looking into Li Changqing's icy eyes, he was overcome with regret. He had thought he was picking on a child as soft as a ripe persimmon. Instead, he had met someone ruthless enough to cut off his leg without hesitation.

"P-please, sir, spare me!" Scarface begged, his voice trembling. "I was blind not to recognize who I was dealing with! I was wrong, truly wrong! I'll give you every coin I have. Please spare my miserable life!"

Li Changqing scoffed. "If I don't spare you, your money will be mine when you're dead anyway."

A faint smile touched his lips as he warned, "Now, I ask and you answer. If I catch even half a lie, you can say goodbye to your other leg."

"I wouldn't dare!" Scarface shook his head frantically. "I'll tell you everything I know! I wouldn't dare deceive you!"

Li Changqing nodded and asked his first question. "Who is the current Pope of Spirit Hall?"

This was what mattered most to him. The answer would tell him where he was in the Douluo Continent's timeline.

Scarface answered at once. "Qian Xunji! The Pope of Spirit Hall is His Eminence Qian Xunji!"

Li Changqing's heart stirred at the answer.

According to the original timeline, Qian Xunji had been hunting Tang Hao and Ah Yin when Ah Yin sacrificed herself. Tang Hao broke through to Titled Douluo and severely wounded Qian Xunji. Not long after Qian Xunji returned to Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong killed him and succeeded him as Pope.

That meant the events of Douluo Continent had yet to begin, and Tang San had not been born. Li Changqing just did not know how long it would be until Tang San's birth.

Still, he had plenty of time.

With the Kunpeng Method, Li Changqing could cultivate at tremendous speed. He was confident he could become a Soul Saint within six years and a Titled Douluo within twelve.

Li Changqing set those thoughts aside and continued, "Has anything major happened on the continent recently? Anything unusual with the Clear Sky Sect, the continent's foremost sect?"

Scarface's voice was growing weaker, but he answered anyway. "Nothing major... I don't think... Someone from the Clear Sky Sect is being hunted by Spirit Hall, I think..."

His voice faded. The blood loss was clouding his mind.

Li Changqing had not quite heard him. "What? What did you say? I didn't catch that. Speak up."

Scarface opened his mouth as though to say more, but his head suddenly lolled to one side. He stopped breathing.

Li Changqing paused, then looked at the great pool of blood on the ground and shook his head in understanding. "A Soul Master, and he bled to death after only two questions. How useless."

He stood and brushed the dust from his clothes, then looked at Scarface's two underlings. They lay motionless, faces pale, with large pools of blood beneath them. If Scarface had died despite being a Soul Master, those two were probably dead too.

Li Changqing gazed at the three bodies cooling on the ground. His brow furrowed as an odd feeling stirred within him.

He had thought killing someone for the first time would make him sick, frightened, perhaps even make him vomit. Before crossing over to this world, he had only been a university student.

Yet as he looked at the blood and severed limbs strewn across the ground, he felt frighteningly calm. Not a ripple passed through his heart, as though he had merely stepped on three ants.

Strange... Why do I feel nothing after killing someone for the first time?