"Well, well, quite the lively scene!"
Gu Xingyue's languid voice drifted over, carrying a touch of casual mockery.
As though the fierce battle before him were nothing more than a street performance.
Hands in his pockets, he strolled out from behind the trees.
Behind him, Huo Yutong clenched her fists tightly.
Her knuckles were white, her emotional state was very wrong, and even the surrounding atmosphere seemed to have changed.
Dai Huabing, who had been beating Ning Tian and the others back, whipped her head around, her long golden hair tracing a sharp arc through the air.
The target was clearly displayed on the soul tool in her hand.
"Ha... hahahaha!" Dai Huabing suddenly threw back her head and laughed, excitement flashing through her mismatched eyes. "Found you! Found you! This is destiny!"
This was precisely the perfect, towering wave she had waited her whole life for!
She had to defeat Gu Xingyue, now, at this very moment.
As for the stories about him having defeated the strongest in the Outer Court?
Dai Huabing did not care.
To her, those rumors were nothing but weaklings playing house.
After all, she and this guy were both Soul Elders, and she was a once-in-a-century genius of the White Tiger Duke's Mansion, the Star Luo Empire's savage tiger. She was extremely confident.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't get my hopes up too much!" Dai Huabing decisively abandoned Ning Tian and strode toward Gu Xingyue.
She rolled her neck, her joints giving crisp cracks.
Just then, Gu Xingyue noticed Huo Yutong's anger.
That fury had almost taken tangible form.
"Calm down." Gu Xingyue took a moment to turn his head and wink at Huo Yutong, a reassuring smile curling his lips. "Small fry like this aren't worth getting angry over."
Then he smiled and turned toward Dai Huabing, his gaze instantly becoming mocking and dangerous. "Where did this little hakimi come from? So cute. But if you keep hissing, I'll string you up and beat you to death."
"Huh?!!" Dai Huabing froze for an instant, then flew into a rage, blood vessels bulging in her mismatched eyes. "You lunatic, what are you talking about?! I'll kill you outright, because I thirst for blood!"
"White Tiger Splitting Light Wave!"
She wasted no more words, her martial soul instantly possessing her.
As her soul rings shone, dazzling white light gathered in her mouth.
The cannon blast of soul power tore through the air with a piercing shriek, heading straight for Gu Xingyue's face!
However-
In another blink.
Gu Xingyue's figure suddenly vanished.
No, he had not vanished.
He was too fast, so fast that he did not even have time to leave an afterimage.
"Masaka?!" Dai Huabing's pupils abruptly contracted. Before she could spit out the light wave in her mouth, her vision blurred.
Gu Xingyue appeared before Dai Huabing in an instant.
So close that she could see the curve of his eyelashes and smell the faint, chilly scent on him.
"Too slow," Gu Xingyue said softly.
Then he moved.
A barrage of blows.
Countless fist shadows erupted in an instant, like pear blossoms in a torrential storm, or a chef furiously pounding beef balls on a chopping board.
Every punch landed precisely on Dai Huabing's abdomen, ribs, and lower back-all the human body's most vulnerable, most painful spots, yet none immediately fatal.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-!!!
The dull sounds of fists striking flesh joined into an unbroken barrage, and Dai Huabing's body shuddered violently in midair.
Like a lump of dough being furiously kneaded by invisible hands.
Her White Tiger martial soul was beaten apart the moment it formed, her imposing presence battered from Godzilla into a decrepit old cat, while the layers of her protective soul-power shield shattered like papier-mâché.
"Pfft-!" Dai Huabing spat out a mouthful of blood, the arrogance and confidence in her eyes instantly replaced by fear.
She wanted to fight back, wanted to raise her hands to block, but her body simply could not keep up with her mind.
Gu Xingyue's punches were too fast, his application of force too deft, and every blow carried a strange penetrating power.
They pierced straight through her muscular defenses, jolting her internal organs until they churned.
How was this a battle?
This was a one-sided crushing, damn it!
"Sorry, make way. Coming through."
Gu Xingyue's voice sounded again, as calm as if he were merely making an offhand remark while passing a stranger.
His final punch settled lightly against Dai Huabing's chest. Then his figure flashed, and he was already behind her, continuing forward as though he had merely passed an obstacle in his path.
And Dai Huabing?
She stood frozen in place, still holding her attacking posture, her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open, as though she still wanted to say something.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
"Urgh... ah..."
A sound like leaking air escaped her throat, and then-
Boom!
Dai Huabing collapsed straight to the ground, her limbs sprawled out, unable to rise again.
Dead silence fell over the entire scene.
Ning Tian lay on the ground, staring at the scene, dumbfounded.
He had fought desperately for ages, been thrashed by Dai Huabing without any chance to fight back, yet Gu Xingyue... had only taken a few seconds?
Wu Feng had just regained consciousness, and nearly fainted again at the sight.
The electrical arcs around Gu Xingyue slowly subsided, while Huo Yutong watched his retreating figure.
The anger in her eyes was gradually replaced by a complicated emotion-shock, reassurance, and a trace of an indescribable flutter.
Gu Xingyue brushed his cuffs, his breathing not even disturbed, then turned toward Ning Tian with a smile. "Oh, still alive? Perfect. Do me a favor."
Ning Tian said, "...Huh?"
"Carry this hakimi out," Gu Xingyue said, pointing at Dai Huabing, who was twitching on the ground, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather.
Ning Tian climbed to his feet, dusted himself off, and lowered his head to glance at Dai Huabing, who lay twitching beside his feet.
His lips moved; he had thought this powerful soul master was speaking to him.
But a teacher hidden in the woods jumped down, making Ning Tian realize she had presumed too much. The teacher landed, grabbed both of Dai Huabing's ankles, and dragged her toward the edge of the woods without expression.
Dai Huabing's back scraped through fallen leaves and dirt, her head swaying from side to side.
Dai Huabing's two teammates were huddled in a corner. They exchanged a glance, each seeing the same meaning on the other's face.
Compared with the other teammate, Zhu Lu, who could fuse with Dai Huabing, had fury burning in his eyes. Clearly, he was deeply unwilling to accept this.
After all, they had lost without even unleashing their martial soul fusion skill. Something like this had actually happened.
They absolutely refused to accept it. As long as they used the strongest martial soul fusion skill, the Netherworld White Tiger, passed down for ten thousand years, they would be invincible!
"Damn it, if only Huabing could still stand up." At that moment, Zhu Lu was like a helpless husband, pounding the ground over and over.
Looking at the ground suffering this unprovoked disaster, Gu Xingyue glanced sidelong at the other two, then said with a smile, "Almost forgot about you. But that's normal enough. You're very weak, after all."
Then a snake-shaped electric current sprang from the ground like a living creature, wrapping around their bodies with a piercing sizzle.
The current was as thin as a little finger, yet held terrifying paralyzing power.
"Aaaaah-!"
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