Boom!
Hu Liena and Xie Yue were stunned as if struck by lightning.
After revealing their identities, they had assumed the matter was settled. In this world, who would dare offend the Spirit Hall? Even the emperors of the two major empires had to show respect and greet the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall.
But here, this man, despite not revealing his martial soul, was clearly not a Title Douluo by the fluctuations in his soul power. And yet, after they stated their identities, he still acted so arrogantly, showing no respect at all!
How dare he?
Did he not fear the retaliation from Spirit Hall?
As Li Yu held Hu Liena's chin, their faces were mere inches apart. Xie Yue couldn't stand it any longer.
He roared:
"Thief, how dare you insult us like this? Don't you fear the revenge of Spirit Hall?"
"With your strength, Spirit Hall could easily kill you a hundred times over!"
"I advise you to stop now, release her, and there may still be a way to resolve this. Otherwise, you will surely regret it!"
Xie Yue eyes were filled with bloodshot fury.
Hu Liena, treated like this, made him lose control.
"Shut up."
Li Yu didn't even look at him. With a slight movement of his will, the space around Xie Yue immediately began to constrict.
"Ahhh~"
Xie Yue screamed in agony, but his voice was silenced by the pressure of the space.
Hu Liena peripheral vision caught sight of Xie Yue suffering, her heart became increasingly restless. Her eyes began to water.
"Mm?"
Li Yu tightened his grip on Hu Liena chin, furrowing his brows. He was playing the villain part to perfection.
"Let go..."
At that moment, Yan enraged voice came from behind Li Yu: "Nana..."
Thud!
The voice suddenly cut off.
Hu Liena and Xie Yue pupils shrank in horror.
Yan, who had leaped into the air, was pierced in the abdomen by an unseen force. His body froze in mid-air and could no longer move. Only his twisted face and the blood spilling from his abdomen indicated he was still alive.
"I..."
Hu Liena lips trembled, her tears welling up.
As a disciple of the Supreme Pontiff, Bibi Dong, she had never endured such humiliation. Wherever she went, she was always treated with respect.
But today, despite revealing their identities and calling upon her teacher name, the man still showed no regard.
She felt hatred flooding her heart as she engraved Li Yu face in her mind.
But what she hated more was her own weakness. She had been granted such great resources, and yet she had to rely on her teacher's name to survive. And now, when others disregarded her teacher, she had no power to defend her.
With difficulty, she parted her lips to say the words "spare me."
But at that moment...
"Heh heh heh!"
"This girl looks so delicate. How could you bear to harm her?"
"Listen to me, just deal with her here. You won't regret it."
A hoarse, eerie voice suddenly rang out.
Everyone froze. Then, black mist began to spread, and a hunched figure, cloaked in black, appeared in mid-air.
Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan were filled with despair.
Xie Yue and Yan eyes widened in shock.
Was this the accomplice of the mysterious figure?
To deal with it... they actually wanted to hurt Nana in front of them!
How despicable!
How dare they!
They misunderstood the situation, instinctively thinking that this figure was an ally of Li Yu.
Li Yu, however, was on high alert.
This person... was powerful!
Most likely a Title Douluo!
Li Yu released his grip on Hu Liena chin, his gaze now carefully focused on the mysterious figure.
"Who are you?"
His words caused Hu Liena, Xie Yue, and Yan to freeze in confusion. Not an ally?
"Hmm?"
The hunched figure hesitated, then his voice grew cold. "You're not one of my Holy Spirit Cult's people?"
"Holy Spirit Cult?"
Li Yu narrowed his eyes, then realized he was still wearing their "uniform."
With a slight thought, the black cloak he was wearing fell off in tatters.
He then spoke casually: "I'm not one of your so-called Holy Spirit Cult members, but I'm very interested in your Holy Spirit Cult."
He paused, then asked, "Are you the so-called leader?"
"Heh heh."
The hunched figure was initially angry. After all, this person dared to impersonate a member of the Holy Spirit Cult. But upon hearing Li Yu express interest in the Holy Spirit Cult and seeing his strength, his anger subsided.
"Those who don't know are fearless."
"If it were anyone else who spoke to me like this, I'd slap them to death with one strike!"
"But you..."
The hunched figure's eyes glowed red as he scanned Li Yu.
His brow furrowed. "I can't see through you, how strange!"
After a pause, he added, "But no matter. Judging by your appearance, you can't be more than 20 years old!"
"At such a young age, your talent is extraordinary!"
"My Holy Spirit Cult lacks people like you. If you're willing to join us, I'll spare your life and offer you opportunities that outsiders couldn't even dream of!"
"How about it, young one? Are you interested in joining my Holy Spirit Cult?"
As he spoke, the hunched figure's tone shifted to one of negotiation, but his martial soul quietly released.
A massive Skull appeared behind him, and simultaneously, nine soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and five black—floated up from his feet.
The full power of a Title Douluo was now on display.
Clearly, his so-called "negotiation" was just a facade.
Li Yu seemed to have only two options:
One, join.
Two, die.
Li Yu fell silent, carefully weighing whether he could match this Title Douluo in combat.
The hunched figure, sensing Li Yu hesitation, didn't rush him.
With his strength, he was confident he could control the situation.
His gaze turned to Hu Liena and the others, his eyes filled with regret.
"The golden generation of Spirit Hall, I've heard of you. Your talents are impressive, but..."
"I don't like Spirit Hall. So, it seems you must die."
"Heh heh heh~"
Hu Liena and Xie Yue eyes dimmed.
Since when had being from Spirit Hall become a disadvantage?
They couldn't accept it, but they had no way to argue.
Even Li Yu couldn't defeat this person, how could they?
Moreover, they were also curious about Li Yu identity.
Li Yu wasn't part of the so-called Holy Spirit Cult!
Then why wear the same black cloak... Was he trying to infiltrate the Holy Spirit Cult?
Did this mean they shared the same goal?
Hiss...
Once they understood this, they felt somewhat speechless.
So, because of a misunderstanding, they had been beaten up for nothing and were now trapped in a life-or-death situation!
How could this happen to them?
More importantly, as the hunched figure had said, Li Yu was only around their age!
And in front of their same-aged peer, they were no match for him!
They hadn't even forced his martial soul out when they had used their fusion technique!
Was there such a huge gap between peers?
The golden generation of Spirit Hall's trio felt their beliefs shatter, as they realized they were powerless.
"Have you thought it through?"
The hunched figure urged, "This doesn't seem like a difficult choice!"
Live... or die.
"Very well!"
Li Yu nodded, his eyes narrowing.
"So..."
"You're a Title Douluo, huh? Let me see... your strength!"