Chapter 71

Chapter 71: Do You Want to Apologize?

With two collateral disciples leading the way, Yu Xiaolong and Yu Xiaogang quickly located Zhao Ling and Ah Yin strolling leisurely through the night market.

The group, seven or eight men strong, surrounded them. The air grew tense as unfriendly glares locked onto Zhao Ling.

Yu Xiaogang stepped forward, his face alight with smugness. "Mr. Zhao, you've humiliated me in public many times and shown me no mercy. If it weren't for my good luck and the intervention of the Great Fighting Soul Arena, I'd already be dead by your hand.

I've waited a long time to take my revenge, but you were always hiding behind the Spirit Hall. Now, the heavens have granted me this chance. Today, you'll pay for everything you've done."

Yu Xiaolong stepped up beside his younger brother, his expression grim and authoritative. "I didn't intend to meddle in my brother's affairs, but you've bullied him one too many times. As his elder brother, I must protect the family's dignity.

Here's how we'll resolve this: kneel and kowtow three times to my brother. If you do, I'll let you and your wife go. Refuse, and you'll face the consequences."

Zhao Ling stared at the brothers in disbelief, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress a laugh. Yu Xiaolong, the so-called elder brother, looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, and his aura suggested a Soul Emperor of about level 60.

'Compared to his useless younger brother, he's certainly better,' Zhao Ling thought. 'But compared to me? He's nothing but a joke.'

Where did Yu Xiaolong find the audacity to demand that *he* kneel? Did this guy have a screw loose?

Beside him, Ah Yin burst into laughter, her voice ringing out like silver bells. She laughed so hard that she had to clutch Zhao Ling's arm for support.

"Haha! Husband, did you hear him? He wants you to kneel and kowtow! Where does he get such confidence? It's hilarious! What a big mouth for such a small man."

Her laughter was infectious, and her teasing words sent Yu Xiaogang and Yu Xiaolong's faces into a deep shade of red.

Yu Xiaogang clenched his fists tightly, his eyes fixed on the mocking pair. He could handle being laughed at—after all, he was used to it—but for his elder brother to be mocked so mercilessly was a direct insult to the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family.

Yu Xiaolong's anger burned even hotter. His family was one of the most prestigious clans on the Douluo Continent, one of the three great sects. For someone to so openly ridicule them was an affront he couldn't tolerate.

His reason briefly reminded him that the reports indicated Zhao Ling had rarely targeted Yu Xiaogang. The Spirit Hall, particularly Bibi Dong, had been the main aggressors. But that rational voice was quickly silenced.

Zhao Ling is close to the Spirit Hall. That's enough to make him guilty, Yu Xiaolong decided.

"Enough!" Yu Xiaolong roared, his martial soul erupting with power. Behind him, a massive Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex materialized, crackling with electricity.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black soul rings spun around him, marking him as a level 60 Soul Emperor. His aura surged, drawing gasps from the crowd.

"I'll ask one last time," Yu Xiaolong declared. "Will you apologize or not? If not, you'll regret it!"

The bustling night market had come to a halt, pedestrians frozen as they watched the spectacle unfold.

"That's the Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex martial soul!" someone exclaimed.

"And he's a Soul Emperor at such a young age. He must be a direct descendant of the clan."

"The Blue Lightning Tyrannosaurus Rex family is one of the three great sects. This man is doomed if he doesn't kneel and apologize."

The murmurs grew louder, and the crowd's consensus was clear: Zhao Ling had no other choice but to kneel.

Zhao Ling, however, remained unmoved. He glanced at the crowd with faint amusement, then shifted his gaze back to Yu Xiaolong. He didn't even bother releasing his martial soul.

Level 60? Zhao Ling thought with disdain. 'Even without my martial soul, my three-times-enhanced physique alone is more than enough to deal with this scum.'

Yu Xiaolong mistook Zhao Ling's calm for arrogance. His fury boiled over.

"Fine," Yu Xiaolong growled. "Let's see how long your arrogance lasts!"

With a roar, Yu Xiaolong activated his second soul skill, *Thunder Dragon Claw.* A massive claw of crackling lightning formed around his hand, and he lunged at Zhao Ling's neck, intending to end the fight in one swift strike.

The crowd held its breath as Yu Xiaolong's thunderous claw reached for Zhao Ling.

But then—*clang!*

The dragon claw came to a screeching halt as it connected with Zhao Ling's neck. Yu Xiaolong's expression froze in shock. It felt as though he'd struck an unyielding wall of steel.

Impossible! Yu Xiaolong's mind screamed. How can his body withstand this?

Before he could process what was happening, Zhao Ling smiled coldly, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

"Is that all you've got?"

Then, without warning, Zhao Ling's hand shot up.

*Pah!*

The sound of his slap echoed through the marketplace like thunder. Yu Xiaolong's head snapped to the side, and his body spun before collapsing in a heap on the ground.

The crowd fell silent, their disbelief palpable.

Zhao Ling dusted his hands off casually, as though swatting away a fly. He turned to Yu Xiaogang, who stood trembling, and said, "Well, what about you? Do you want to apologize?"

Yu Xiaogang opened his mouth, but no words came out. The sight of his brother lying dazed on the ground left him paralyzed with fear.

Ah Yin, still leaning against Zhao Ling, stifled another laugh. "Husband, you're too much. You didn't even give him a chance to fight back!"

Zhao Ling smirked. "If you don't teach some people a lesson quickly, they'll start thinking they're invincible."

...

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(End of Chapter)