Qing Linyun nodded in response to the cloaked man.
He gave a cold laugh and asked,
"Surely you didn't come all this way just to chat with me?"
The cloaked man didn't answer. He simply continued speaking, a trace of admiration in his voice.
"To be honest, I admire you."
"Even when faced with a powerful enemy like me, you can remain calm in the face of danger."
"And at only fifteen, you're already a Seven-Ring Soul Sage."
"Not to mention, you actually managed to kill that Level 92 Evil Soul Master wearing Three-Word Battle Armor."
"Your strength is truly terrifying."
"If I had been born in the same era as you, perhaps even I would have feared you a little. Unfortunately, you're simply too young."
Qing Linyun merely gave a cold laugh at that.
"Surely you didn't come here just to praise me?"
The cloaked man seemed disinclined to keep talking as well.
He got straight to the point.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"One of the Holy Spirit Cult's Four Heavenly Kings."
"Black Hummingbird."
"A Level 98 Super Douluo and Three-Word Battle Armor Master."
Qing Linyun narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had considered that the Holy Spirit Cult might try to intercept and kill him. He hadn't expected them to send a Level 98 Super Douluo right off the bat.
And the long-renowned Black Hummingbird at that.
More importantly, Black Hummingbird and Qing Linyun had a bit of history between them.
That story had to start with Wu Changkong.
In the original work, back when Wu Changkong was still a student at Shrek, he had met a girl named Long Bing.
The two soon fell in love. In truth, however, Long Bing was no ordinary student.
She was Black Hummingbird's daughter, sent to Shrek by him to steal classified information.
Long Bing and Wu Changkong advanced to the inner court together. Their relationship grew closer and closer, until they were even discussing marriage.
But paper could never contain fire. Long Bing's identity was eventually exposed.
Wu Changkong went to plead with his teacher, Zhuo Shi, hoping the academy would show her leniency.
But his pleas did no good.
Long Bing was expelled from the academy nonetheless. As she was leaving, Wu Changkong chased after her to see her off. It was then that Black Hummingbird appeared.
He killed his own daughter, Long Bing, with his own hands, right in front of Wu Changkong.
Then he gravely wounded Wu Changkong.
That was how Wu Changkong had sustained his old injury.
It was also why he had remained stuck at the Soul Saint level for so many years, unable to advance an inch.
So, by that reckoning, Black Hummingbird did indeed have a grudge with Qing Linyun, and a considerable one at that.
Qing Linyun understood the situation.
Black Hummingbird was now a Level 98 Super Douluo and a Three-Word Battle Armor Master.
For Qing Linyun as he was now, he was indeed somewhat troublesome. His thoughts raced.
Mm, I do have a little... regret.
If I'd known I would run into an enemy of this caliber, I shouldn't have let my hands itch and used Death Arena back then.
Death Arena was the innate skill Qing Linyun had gained upon awakening his Seventh Soul Skill, Martial Soul Avatar.
Once activated, it could forcibly drag an enemy into a separate space and suppress the opponent to a childlike state, before their Martial Soul had awakened.
Neither could leave until one side was defeated. But the move also came at a steep cost: after using it, his condition would drop to its worst, and he couldn't use it again for at least three months.
This was an effect brought by the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Martial Soul, and the trump card with which the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger had nearly killed Tang San single-handedly.
Qing Linyun had discovered this side effect through testing, though he didn't know whether the problem could be resolved later. Or did this Dark Demon Evil God Tiger Soul Skill simply have this side effect to begin with?
The last time he had eliminated that Level 92 Evil Soul Master, he had used Death Arena to save trouble and killed him instantly.
And now?
It was still on cooldown.
Qing Linyun cursed inwardly.
Fuck... what a loss.
At that moment, Black Hummingbird was growing impatient with the silent Qing Linyun.
He shook his head and said,
"Kid, I'll give you one minute."
"Speak your last words."
"After one minute, I'm going to kill you."
Qing Linyun looked around.
They were at the entrance to Eastsea Academy.
Although it was night, most people had gone to bed, and the rest of the campus was quiet, there were quite a few people here.
Some skills really weren't suited to being used in a place like this.
Besides, Tang Wulin and Gu Yue were still inside the academy. To be honest, he really didn't want to cause too much of a commotion.
He was confident he could kill Black Hummingbird.
But if they insisted on fighting here,
leaving aside the damage to their surroundings,
the mere disruption of the existing balance between the three forces in Eastsea City was more than he could accept.
After all, an Evil Soul Master capable of threatening Tang Wulin's safety had appeared.
Would that draw Tang San's attention ahead of time, prompting him to exterminate the threat and notice Qing Linyun in the process?
That wasn't a question Qing Linyun wanted to guess at.
Still less was there Gu Yue. If she sensed Tang San's presence, who knew what she might do? She might even lose her temper and start fighting him on the spot.
If those two forces clashed ahead of time,
both his opportunities and room to grow would be greatly reduced.
And once they clashed, it might even draw Tang Hao and Ah Yin into the fray in person.
That wouldn't be good for Qing Linyun.
Having considered all this, Qing Linyun gave Black Hummingbird a faint smile.
He said,
"Since you want to take my life,
"why not let me choose the location?"
Black Hummingbird was somewhat surprised, but after a moment's thought and a consideration of his own strength, he raised his head and gestured for Qing Linyun to continue.
Qing Linyun said,
"If we fight here, we're bound to make quite a commotion."
"If that draws people from Shrek Academy, even if you manage to kill me, it's hard to say whether you'll be able to escape."
"After all, I'm a disciple of a Shrek Sea God Pavilion Elder."
Black Hummingbird thought it over and nodded.
That was indeed true.
Given how fiercely Shrek protected its own, if he really killed Qing Linyun and Shrek caught a trace of him, wouldn't Yun Ming personally tear the Holy Spirit Cult apart?
Ghost Emperor was a Limit Douluo, so he could escape, but how was a mere Super Douluo like Black Hummingbird supposed to get away? Wouldn't Atlas Douluo run him through with a single thrust of his spear?
At that thought, Black Hummingbird couldn't help cursing Ghost Emperor inwardly for being so disloyal. He hadn't even thought this through beforehand. Was he really treating Black Hummingbird as cannon fodder?
Qing Linyun continued:
"Why don't we choose a place over the sea for our fight?"
"That way, when we fight, we won't harm any innocents,
"and we can have a fair battle."
Black Hummingbird's eyes lit up at those words.
He found himself admiring the youth before him a little more, though as far as he was concerned, the boy was about to die.
...Interesting.
Qing Linyun was also laughing inwardly. The best hunters often appeared in the guise of prey; this served as a warning to everyone never to be careless, because carelessness might get you killed.
And so the two reached an agreement.
They flew toward the East Sea, one behind the other.
As they flew, Qing Linyun's lips curled into a cold smile.
A deep crimson card had appeared in his hand at some unknown point.
On the card, a devil's eye flickered ceaselessly with a strange light.
As if announcing the arrival of death.