Feng Qing'er, Take a Blow from Old Sun's Cudgel!

Just then, golden light flared deep in the sky.

A colossal golden cudgel plunged straight down from above the clouds. As thick as a mountain peak, its entire length flowed with golden light and was covered in arcane patterns. With the force of ten thousand tons, it smashed into the very center of the tsunami.

Boom-!

The wall of waves seemed to have struck the Sea-Calming Divine Needle, pinned fast where it stood.

Water exploded a hundred zhang into the air, but could not advance another inch.

The colossal cudgel stood in the waves without budging, its golden light casting the entire tsunami in brilliant yellow.

Sun Qi stirred a thought.

The hundred-meter-tall cudgel abruptly shrank into a golden staff a little over two meters long, its thickness a comfortable fit for his hand, the golden bands at both ends gleaming brilliantly.

The golden cudgel floated lightly into Sun Qi's palm. He twirled it several times, its shadow whirling as it sent the wind howling.

Sun Qi hefted it.

Thirteen thousand five hundred jin, just the right weight for him.

He was a Stone Monkey born of nature, with a formidable body. Even magical beasts with ancient bloodlines could not shake him in the slightest at the same cultivation level.

Now that he had the Ruyi Golden Cudgel in hand, let alone a Dou Ling of the same level, even if a low-level Dou Emperor came, he could still remain undefeated.

As for the old monsters above the Dou Emperor level, if he couldn't beat them, he could always flee on his Somersault Cloud. One somersault carried him a hundred and eight thousand li; as long as he didn't run into a spatial blockade, who could catch him?

The more Sun Qi looked at the cudgel, the more he liked it. He stirred another thought.

With a hum, the Golden Cudgel shrank to the size of an embroidery needle and flew into his ear of its own accord, coming to rest securely.

He patted his ear and glanced northwest.

"Han Feng... you'd better have run far enough!"

The Somersault Cloud carried him through the air, leaving only a white trail of cloud across the sky.

Sun Qi sat cross-legged atop the cloud, thinking about what he should do with Han Feng once he caught him.

He had flown little more than a hundred li when his brow suddenly furrowed.

Dou Qi fluctuations were rapidly approaching from behind.

Sun Qi looked back and saw a streak of blue-green light racing after him beneath the clouds. It was fast, but clearly no match for the Somersault Cloud.

As Sun Qi watched the pursuing figure, he found it unusually familiar, but couldn't quite recall who it was.

He reined in the cloud and hovered in midair, wanting to see who had come.

The streak of light caught up in the blink of an eye and hovered before Sun Qi, beating a pair of blue-green wings.

It was a petite girl in a blue-green one-piece dress, her face as delicate as a porcelain doll's. Her black hair was bound in a high ponytail with a golden ring, and a stretch of fair calf showed beneath her skirt.

Her phoenix eyes were blazing as she glared fixedly at Sun Qi.

"Stinking monkey!"

The moment Sun Qi heard her voice, he grinned. Wasn't this Feng Qing'er, whose background was no small matter?

"Well, if it isn't Feng Qing'er! What brought you to the Southern Region?"

Feng Qing'er wasted no words. She put away her wings and whipped up a leg, sending a fierce gust of wind straight at Sun Qi's face.

Sun Qi leaned back and flipped away, dodging with ease.

The sudden attack made Sun Qi somewhat angry, and he cursed:

"You stupid bird, how rude of you!" Sun Qi stepped back two paces on the cloud and pointed at her. "You're a bird who's taken human form, at least, and you attack Old Sun the moment we meet?"

At the words "taken human form," Feng Qing'er's face flushed crimson in an instant, the color burning from her ears down to her neck.

"Stinking monkey, you still dare bring that up!"

With a turn of her wrist, a sharp-edged longsword appeared out of thin air. Pale cyan Dou Qi wrapped around the blade as she chopped down at Sun Qi's head.

Sun Qi tilted his head aside to dodge the blade, then tapped his toe against the cloud and glided three zhang away.

Unlike the furious Feng Qing'er, Sun Qi paid it no mind.

"Didn't I just pluck a few of your feathers back then?" Sun Qi waved a hand as he dodged. "Didn't Old Sun pluck a big handful of monkey hair afterward to make amends and apologize to you?"

Feng Qing'er's face grew even redder with embarrassment, and her sword moves became somewhat unsteady.

"Stinking monkey, shut your mouth!"

It was a long story.

Back at the Four Pavilions Assembly, Yao Chen had brought Sun Qi along. Feng Qing'er had been cultivating at the Wind Lightning Pavilion at the time and had come with her elders.

When the two met, one was proud and haughty, the other mischievous. As expected, they turned the Four Pavilions Assembly upside down.

But it was another incident that truly started their feud.

Sun Qi had just broken through to Dou Shi and learned the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Transformations, so he had used the technique to sneak into the Wind Lightning Pavilion.

As it happened, he blundered into the secluded cultivation courtyard where Feng Qing'er was staying.

By coincidence, Feng Qing'er had taken a Transformation Pill and was in the middle of transforming.

The feather-plucking had been an accident during the final stage of Feng Qing'er's transformation...

Sun Qi only remembered that the feathers he had plucked had been very small...

Afterward, Sun Qi realized he had caused a great disaster, so he plucked a tuft of monkey hair from himself and stuck it onto Feng Qing'er, then apologized to her.

But after something like that had happened, how could someone as proud as Feng Qing'er possibly accept it?

She chased Sun Qi, attacking him all the way.

In the end, she couldn't beat him and was instead brought to tears by a single monkey punch from Sun Qi.

From then on, Feng Qing'er went into seclusion and cultivated bitterly, breaking through all the way to Half-Step Dou Ling. Today, she had come specifically to the Southern Region of the Central Plains to lie in wait for this monkey and settle the score!

Feng Qing'er slashed at him again and again. Sun Qi dodged left and right, never once striking back.

"Stinking monkey, why do you keep dodging?!" The more Feng Qing'er fought, the angrier she became, and her sword strikes grew faster. "I've cultivated bitterly in seclusion, and now I've broken through to Peak Da Dou Shi! If you willingly become my mount, I'll let you off!"

Sun Qi slid forward, ducked beneath the blade, and casually flicked her ponytail.

"Peak Da Dou Shi?" He grinned. "Old Sun is a Three-Star Dou Ling. Are you sure you want me as your mount?"

Feng Qing'er froze, then understood-Three-Star Dou Ling against Peak Da Dou Shi; Sun Qi, that monkey, hadn't taken her cultivation seriously at all.

She stamped her foot in anger and pointed her sword straight at the tip of Sun Qi's nose.

"You! Stinking monkey, don't get cocky! I'm a Heavenly Demon Phoenix! Fighting above my level is as easy as eating and drinking!"

Sun Qi raised a finger and pushed the sword tip aside.

"All right, all right, you're formidable, but Old Sun has no time to tangle with you today. Let's fight another day, how about it?"

Feng Qing'er stood in his way and spread her arms.

"No! I've been lying in wait for you in the Southern Region for three months. If I don't avenge that old grudge today, don't even think about leaving!"

Seeing her stance, Sun Qi knew there was no avoiding a fight today.

This stupid bird was stubborn. She had lain in wait for him in the Southern Region for three months; if he didn't beat her into submission, she might well make trouble all the way to Starfall Pavilion.

"All right, then." Sun Qi put away his playful grin, folded his arms, and nodded. "We can fight, but Old Sun has conditions."

Feng Qing'er arched a slender brow. "What conditions?"

"If I win, what happened back then is wiped clean." Sun Qi held up one finger. "If I lose, you can do as you please with me."

After hearing him out, Feng Qing'er curled her lips into a smile and barely hesitated.

"Deal!"

Feng Qing'er was, after all, still young and reckless, but one thing was certain: Sun Qi would give her a blow with his cudgel that she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Seeing her agree so readily, Sun Qi couldn't help shaking his head.

Back at the Four Pavilions Assembly, when the two had fought at the same level, Sun Qi had made Feng Qing'er cry with a single punch.

Now that he was a whole major realm above her, fighting Feng Qing'er was nothing more than an old man toying with a naughty child.