Liu Erlong moved with blinding speed.
The rider atop the Black Horse hadn't even reacted before she slammed into him.
In an instant, horse and rider went tumbling.
Liu Erlong let out a shrill howl and stamped down hard.
The rider rolled away from the horse.
Little did he know, that move had saved his life by sheer chance.
Liu Erlong's stomp carried tremendous force.
It crushed the Black Horse's head to pieces.
It wasn't hard to imagine the horrifying consequences if that stomp had landed squarely on him.
Her foot came down on empty air. Liu Erlong's momentum shifted, and she charged at the rider again, her figure like a tyrannosaurus.
The rider had only just gotten back to his feet.
A tremendous force struck him, sending him flying several meters.
"Someone from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect."
Liu Erlong sneered as she moved closer.
The next moment, hoofbeats sounded again behind her, and a carriage came to an abrupt stop nearby.
"Young Sect Master..."
The rider cried out.
Liu Erlong's brow twitched, and a chill rose in her heart.
As her body tensed, she raised her leg and kicked hard.
She wanted to kill him with one blow and get away quickly. The carriage stopped in the darkness, and the rider's words put too much pressure on her.
Boom-
Brilliant golden light suddenly burst forth.
A miniature Golden Pagoda shot toward them like a rainbow, casting down a vast curtain of light. It protected the rider even as it came crashing down.
Terrifying, quivering Soul Power poured from the pagoda.
It completely separated Liu Erlong from the rider, forcing her to shake out her Soul Power to defend herself.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Seven Soul Rings appeared, one after another.
Liu Erlong roared, her Martial Soul Avatar manifesting as she struck at the Golden Pagoda above her.
But no matter how much strength she unleashed,
the Golden Pagoda remained unmoving, still descending swiftly without the slightest hindrance.
It came down completely, while terror and despair slowly filled Liu Erlong's eyes.
The instant the Golden Exquisite Pagoda enveloped her,
another wave of energy erupted from it, spreading wildly in every direction and swiftly catching up with the carriage carrying Yu Xiaogang.
Boom-
The energy solidified.
It shattered the carriage, sending the driver and Yu Xiaogang tumbling out.
By chance, Yu Xiaogang caught sight of the Golden Pagoda standing there, and his expression changed drastically.
He recognized that Ning Xuan had caught up.
That Golden Pagoda had once slain Ma Hongjun right there at Blue Tyrant Academy.
He cried out in panic,
"Erlong!"
There was no answer. Had she been slain by that pagoda too?
Yu Xiaogang scrambled away on all fours.
He had the Immortal Herb.
He absolutely couldn't let it fall into Ning Xuan's hands.
As for Liu Erlong?
He would have to wait until he escaped before avenging her.
After all, he had the Immortal Herb. If he truly managed to get away and take it, he could break through the Martial Soul Shackles.
Yu Xiaogang believed that, with his accumulated knowledge and understanding of Martial Souls, he could quickly build on his foundation and soar to greatness.
Then everyone who had ever looked down on him
would regret it!
And as for avenging Erlong?
That would be a piece of cake!
But all Yu Xiaogang's beautiful dreams shattered when Ning Xuan sent him flying with a punch.
Ning Xuan was truly fast.
He leaped down from the carriage, and the Second Soul Ring on the Golden Exquisite Pagoda suddenly lit up.
-Fleeting Shadow.
Ning Xuan's speed surged. In the blink of an eye, he had darted a hundred meters.
Then the Golden Exquisite Pagoda flared again.
The First Soul Ring lit up-Power to Pull Up Mountains.
Ning Xuan threw a punch, his strength surging once more. The air itself erupted in a series of sonic booms as his fist slammed toward Yu Xiaogang's back.
Yu Xiaogang was sent flying.
He hit the ground, coughing up blood again and again, battered and wretched.
"Coveting something that was never yours?"
Ning Xuan lifted him off the ground. Looking at Yu Xiaogang's face, he couldn't help punching him again.
In an instant,
Yu Xiaogang's head was blown apart, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere.
Ning Xuan reflexively let go.
Staring at the headless corpse sprawled on the ground, he stood there, somewhat stunned.
He was dead just like that?
Was he really that weak?
And he'd splattered filth all over Ning Xuan. It was disgusting.
Ning Xuan searched the corpse and quickly found his Storage Soul Tool. When he opened it, he saw a jade box inside, just as expected.
The Eight-Petal Immortal Orchid lay quietly within.
Safe and sound.
Ning Xuan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Only then did he turn his gaze back to the Golden Exquisite Pagoda.
He planned to kill Liu Erlong as well.
A bitch and her dog ought to stay together. Either one would be lonely without the other.
"Young Sect Master, you'd better not kill Liu Erlong."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin descended from the sky and said with a wry smile.
"Grandpa Sword, why?"
Ning Xuan wasn't surprised at all.
He had sensed a faint, intermittent sword intent behind him long ago.
"If both of them die, the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan will certainly come demanding an explanation. If the investigation leads back to you, killing your fiancée would be a bad reputation to have."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin said solemnly.
"Heh. With no surviving witnesses, who could know I killed them? Leaving her alive would only invite trouble."
Ning Xuan sneered, his killing intent intense.
"Then I might as well demand the Immortal Herb from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan."
Sword Douluo Chen Xin froze.
Demand the Immortal Herb from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan too?
He could do that?
"Who?"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin suddenly looked up.
Ning Xuan froze, and a fierce warning suddenly rose in his heart.
He looked up too and saw the shadows of the trees swaying, with a burly black figure hovering silently in midair.
A Titled Douluo?
"He was decisive and ruthless, at least. He's better than that useless Ning Fengzhi."
The black figure sneered mockingly.
"But since you've run into me, I'm afraid I'll have to apologize."
As soon as the words fell,
Ning Xuan tapped the ground and shot backward at once.
At the same time, Sword Douluo Chen Xin's body tensed abruptly.
A terrifying presence spread in an instant. His Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul unleashed a violent sword intent, bursting from his body and shooting toward the figure.
Boom-
The black figure lowered his arm slightly.
Light gathered, Soul Power surged, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive Dark Gold Giant Hammer.
The Clear Sky Hammer Martial Soul!
"Are you Tang Hao?"
Ning Xuan blurted out before he could stop himself.
At the same time,
in Heaven Dou City,
at the Crown Prince's Residence,
it was already deep into the night, yet Qian Renxue still hadn't gone to bed.
Official documents and letters were piled high before her.
The room was utterly quiet. Only when she turned the documents did a faint rustling break the silence.
Someone suddenly knocked on the door from outside.
Qian Renxue looked up and asked softly,
"It's so late. Is there something else?"
"Your Highness."
A hesitant voice came from outside the door.
"The gatekeeper sent this note over. He said someone deliberately left it in front of the residence and told him to bring it to you."
"Bring it in."
Qian Renxue said with a frown.
Before long, Qian Renxue was staring thoughtfully at the note on her desk.
[The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect is heading to Blue Tyrant Academy to seize the unclaimed Immortal Herb.]
There were only a few words, but the two words "Immortal Herb" alone were enough to stir the heart and set the imagination running.
There's another chapter after this one.