"Black Hell King?" Lin Yu scoffed, stifling a laugh. "A mere soul master with a record of twenty-some wins in the Hell Slaughter Arena—acting all high and mighty. Seriously?"
Turning to the lanky soul master hyping up his leader, Lin Yu crossed his arms and sneered, "So, Black Hell King, huh? Sounds impressive, but who knows if it's all show? So, what is it? Got something to say, or just hot air?"
"You…!" The lanky soul master fumed, practically hopping with rage.
But Black Hell King himself, a burly man with a grizzled beard, narrowed his eyes, his face darkening. "Kid, you looking to get yourself killed? This isn't the outside world—this is Slaughter City. Newcomers like you should watch your mouth unless you want me to crush you like a bug."
As he spoke, Black Hell King released an aura of killing intent, his soul power flaring up to intimidate Lin Yu and Liu Erlong. But both of them stood unaffected, their expressions bored.
Lin Yu had pretty much figured out why Black Hell King had come over. A sly grin crept onto his face. "Oh, no! I'm so scared. Tell me, though—what do we need to do to make sure you don't squash us, big guy?"
Black Hell King's gaze shifted to Liu Erlong, a lecherous gleam in his eye. He licked his lips and smirked. "That's more like it, kid. Now, let's keep things simple. I'll let you go free if you leave your sister here with me. I'll even protect you two from now on. Deal?"
Liu Erlong's expression immediately turned frosty. As Black Hell King leered at her, her eyes filled with fiery rage. She grits her teeth, her voice dripping with menace. "You want me… to stay with you?"
Before Black Hell King could even blink, Liu Erlong unleashed her Fire Dragon Martial Soul, her entire aura exploding with power.
A roar reverberated through the air as a pair of dragon wings materialized from her back, her hair turning from black to a blazing red as flames crackled around her. Her skin grew adorned with red dragon scales, her height increased, and her already striking figure became even more powerful.
Around her feet, seven soul rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black-lit up in a dark yet unmistakable glow.
"Seven rings? A Soul Sage?!" Black Hell King's face paled. This wasn't supposed to happen! How could this beautiful woman be a Soul Sage?
Black Hell King was unlucky, plain and simple. As a fellow Soul Sage himself, he had become arrogant from his position in Slaughter City, lording his power over the weak. To him, only fools or criminals would throw away their status and power in the outside world to come to a place like Slaughter City.
But, if he had known about Liu Erlong's strength, he would have steered clear. Unfortunately, it was too late for that.
With a cold shout, Liu Erlong charged forward, her fist—a massive, flame-clad, red-scaled dragon claw—swung directly at Black Hell King.
Seeing her furious attack, Black Hell King quickly dodged and summoned his weapon soul: a large black axe. Seven dim soul rings—white, yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black—appeared around him, confirming his Soul Sage rank. However, his soul ring setup and weapon quality paled compared to Liu Erlong's, and he quickly fell into a defensive stance.
The woman in his arms and his small crew began to panic, their expressions terrified as they tried to flee the scene.
"Oh no, you don't!" Lin Yu's cold grin returned as he saw Black Hell King's followers attempting to escape. Activating his Dual Pupils Martial Soul, he readied to pursue.
But as the enhanced vision of his Dual Pupils took effect, Lin Yu froze, his expression shifting to one of shock and disbelief.
Under the piercing gaze of his martial soul, the so-called "beautiful" woman in Black Hell King's arms was revealed for what she truly was: a portly, unattractive lady with a slimy conch shell-shaped martial soul sticking out of her head. Her face was scrunched in terror, her features barely recognizable.
This… this was a disaster.
Lin Yu nearly burst out laughing, trying to contain his shock. The sight was jarring enough on its own, but knowing that Black Hell King had openly claimed this "beauty" made it all the more hilarious.
Sympathy crossed Lin Yu's mind, imagining Black Hell King's reaction if he ever learned the truth about his prized "beauty." Judging by how comfortably he'd held her earlier, Black Hell King thought he was holding a ravishing woman.
"Maybe I should let him in on the secret…" Lin Yu mused but then paused. Maybe there was a better way to use this "Granny Bi Luo" to his advantage.
With a shrug, he allowed her to flee, for now, focusing on the remaining followers of Black Hell King. Using his Mountain Sea Fist and Fierce Leg Arts, he swiftly dispatched the other henchmen.
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong's fury burned unabated. Black Hell King tried pleading for his life, but she wasn't having it. Her fists pummeled him relentlessly until, with one final blow, he lay motionless on the ground.
"Ha! Useless scum daring to mess with me!" She stomped on his body, a final display of her wrath. Then, finally noticing Lin Yu watching, Liu Erlong's fiery demeanor softened. She canceled her martial soul fusion, looking slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry about that, Little Brother Aotian. I hope I didn't scare you?"
Lin Yu chuckled. "Not at all, Sister Erlong. I think your fierce side is pretty inspiring!"