Hostage Hu Liena, Chrysanthemum Douluo's Fury

The frigid Extreme Cold Qi enveloped everyone from Spirit Hall.

Yet at that very moment, a figure containing both ice and wood elements shot out of the lake at an unbelievable speed, nearly instantly fleeing far from this Frost Forest.

Chrysanthemum Douluo was already on the verge of fury after that battle. Now that the "culprit" had actually come out on his own, it saved him the trouble of using Soul Power to search.

"Hu Liena, take the injured Yan and Xie Yue somewhere safe to hide. I'll go kill this bastard first!"

As Chrysanthemum Douluo spoke, his figure flashed and vanished from where he stood.

Under Chrysanthemum Douluo's treatment, Xie Yue had regained the ability to move. However, Yan, whose throat was still pinned by those sharp frost branches, was in far less optimistic condition.

Fortunately, his martial soul naturally possessed both earth and fire elements, granting him far greater resistance to the cold than Hu Liena and Xie Yue.

But at that moment, another figure covered from head to toe in sky-blue solid ice burst from the lake.

Elsewhere, two thousand meters away, the puppet dummy before Chrysanthemum Douluo exploded.

The ice crystals scattered by the puppet's explosion also caused him a bit of trouble.

"Not good! Hu Liena and the others are in danger!"

Only now did Chrysanthemum Douluo realize that he had been tricked—and that the other party had deliberately lured him away from Hu Liena and the others!

Covered in ice crystal armor, Luo Zixi knew perfectly well that he was still not capable of fighting a Titled Douluo.

The dummy he had released earlier had merely been testing whether Chrysanthemum Douluo truly intended to kill him. The answer was obvious now; after all, he had left his own people behind just to pursue and kill him.

As for a hostage, Xie Yue was not important enough, and Yan was even less worth mentioning. Only Hu Liena, that seductive fox, had a somewhat special status as Pope Bibi Dong's personal disciple.

With that comparison, the choice was obvious.

Other than Hu Liena, the best possible hostage, he could not think of anyone better.

"Who are you?! Why were you in the lake?!"

Xie Yue spoke first, shielding his sister behind him. Luo Zixi could not be bothered to waste words with him. His figure flashed, and he appeared directly before him.

"Bang!!!"

Luo Zixi's fist, infused with Extreme Cold ice crystals, slammed directly into Xie Yue's chest.

"Boom!!!"

"Pfft!!!"

That overwhelming punch sent him crashing through two Frost Trees. Finally, sharp branches pierced through both his shoulders, leaving him hanging in midair.

"Pfft!"

Xie Yue spat out a mouthful of warm blood, his aura exceedingly weak.

The power of a single punch was terrifying beyond measure.

"Brother!"

When Hu Liena saw her brother nailed to a Frost Tree ten meters in the air, her dark brown eyes filled with panic and fear.

Yet before she could recover, a hand containing Ultimate Ice clamped around her throat.

"Crack, crack, crack."

In an instant, Hu Liena felt her body temperature plummeting. Her vision gradually blurred, and her consciousness slowly descended into chaos.

A thin layer of ice froze over her body almost instantly.

"Get away from her! Don't you dare hurt Na Na!!"

"Flame Lord, possess me!!!"

As one of Spirit Hall's Golden Generation, when Yan saw his goddess about to be harmed, he actually acted like a man for once. Enduring the tearing pain in his arms, he forcibly summoned his martial soul.

"Fourth Soul Skill, Lava Hell!!!"

As he unleashed his fourth soul skill, Luo Zixi merely watched calmly as Yan released his strongest soul skill at him.

What a joke. He could remain composed even when facing a Titled Douluo, let alone a mere Soul Ancestor like this.

Luo Zixi gripped Hu Liena, who still retained a sliver of consciousness, with one hand. At the same time, a layer of white frost quietly spread across his other hand.

That was right. This was his improved version of the Illusory Wood Cotton Palm. However, the energy infused into it now was not wood attribute energy, but ice—ultimate cold ice!

"Exclusive improved version, Great Cold Without Snow!"

His lips moved slightly as Luo Zixi's "soft and gentle" palm strike landed directly on the lava giant beast's chest. Using the force of the blow, he pulled away with Hu Liena to a safe distance.

"Crack."

A crisp sound rang out as fine ice crystals rapidly spread outward from the opponent's chest.

Yan soon lost consciousness and collapsed, his eyes gradually turning unfocused.

At that moment, several golden petals gleaming with cold light shot out from the Frost Forest, then spread out around Luo Zixi in five directions.

"Third Soul Skill, Aura Barrier!"

That was right! After realizing he had been played, Chrysanthemum Douluo had finally rushed back!

As the golden petals filling the sky enclosed Luo Zixi, he discovered that he could no longer move!

"Kid, you're something else. If I don't kill you here today, I might as well throw away what little face I have left."

At this moment, Luo Zixi's entire body was encased in ice crystals, and Chrysanthemum Douluo could not see his face.

However, he could sense the other's Soul Power Level. He was merely a low-level Soul King.

(Here, Soul King refers to Soul Power Level, not the number of soul rings, so don't split hairs. The protagonist only has three soul rings right now.)

"Heh, isn't that true? Then lose it all. Your face doesn't seem to be worth much anyway."

Luo Zixi was not frightened by Chrysanthemum Douluo's threat.

After all, Hu Liena was in his hands right now. As for this Aura Barrier? Who said it could restrain him?

"Kid, you're courting death!"

Chrysanthemum Douluo attacked in fury. In his eyes, his Aura Barrier could absolutely hold down a mere Soul King.

Yet he had not expected that Luo Zixi was no ordinary Soul King.

Crack.

Inside the barrier, just as the petals controlled by Chrysanthemum Douluo were about to shoot toward his head, Luo Zixi's motionless hand slowly curled.

Crack, crack.

The sharp ice-crystal armor cut across Hu Liena's snow-white neck. With a casual wave of his hand, Luo Zixi directly used her body as his shield.

Clang!

The scattered golden petals rapidly dispersed in all directions the instant they were about to touch Hu Liena. The powerful impact rang out against the surrounding ice like metal striking metal.

Seeing this, the corner of Luo Zixi's lips curled upward, while cold sweat had already soaked Chrysanthemum Douluo's back.

That was close! If he had not withdrawn his attack in time, Hu Liena would have died along with him! He was a madman!

"Tsk, what a pity. You were just a tiny bit away from killing me."

Turning back to look at Chrysanthemum Douluo, Luo Zixi's eyes were filled with mockery.

"I can let you go, but you must release Hu Liena!"

He could ignore Yan and Xie Yue's lives, but not Hu Liena's!

She was Pope Bibi Dong's personal disciple. If anything happened to her under his watch, he would have no way to explain himself when he returned.

"No. I don't trust you."

Luo Zixi shook his head. Who knew what kind of scheme Chrysanthemum Douluo was plotting?

Now that enmity had been forged, he had to keep the initiative in his own hands!

Haha, a late chapter, cheaper than grass. I'll punish myself with three drinks.