Yu Xiaogang's hysterical, grief-stricken accusations shattered the deathly silence of the soul arena like a stone thrown into a still lake.
However, there were no cries of sympathy, condemnation, or debate as he might have expected. Instead, after a brief, eerie pause, unprecedented laughter erupted from all directions in the stands.
"Ha! Are you scared of getting hurt in the soul arena? Scared of death?! Did you come here for fun?!"
"Go home and drink milk! This isn't a place for playing house!"
"That's the funniest joke I've heard all year! Ha!"
Who among the crowd in the main arena at Suotou isn't a fan of bloodshed? What they crave is the thrill of violence! Yu Xiaogang's accusations struck them as laughable and ridiculous.
For a while, jeers, whistles, and boos washed over Yu Xiaogang like a tidal wave.
Stunned by the sudden malice, Yu Xiaogang's face turned pale. Embarrassment and anger twisted his features, making his expression even more pitiful.
At that moment, Chen Yi's figure silently entered the ring. Ignoring the miserable Shrek students, he first checked his own teammates. Confirming that they were unharmed, he nodded calmly.
Flender soon returned to the ring with Oscar. Despite the cold, Oscar endured and immediately produced recovery sausages and detoxifying mini-sausages. With his friends' help, he stuffed them into the mouths of Dai Mubai, Zhu Zhuqing, and Yu Tianheng. Shao Xin also rushed over, feeding them soul power jelly beans.
After swallowing the sausages and jelly beans, a few pale faces eased slightly, but their breathing remained frighteningly weak. Their injuries were not only external—there was the extreme cold from the Ice Phoenix, and residual poisons from the hidden weapon's needles. The wounds were complicated and severe. Even with Oscar and Shao Xin's help, their lives were still in danger.
Yu Xiaogang, recovering from the taunting, grasped at his last hope and turned to look at Ye Lingling, who always had a calm and gentle temperament.
"You—yes, you! Nine Heart Begonia! Hurry, heal my disciples! Please!"
Yu Xiaogang didn't originally know about the Nine Heart Begonia martial soul, but in the past two years, as the name of Undying Douluo Ye Cien shook the continent, the terrifying healing power of the Nine Heart Begonia became widely known. At this moment, seeing Ye Lingling, he clung to her as his only hope. Luckily, there was still a healing soul master on the battlefield. If she acted, his students could be saved.
All he could think about now was saving Tang San. He forgot his own position, the rivalry, even basic courtesy or a pleading tone. In his mind, if there was a healing soul master present, it was unforgivable not to save someone on the brink of death!
Ye Lingling frowned slightly, looking at Yu Xiaogang with clear eyes, as if gazing at a madman. She didn't move a step, nor did she release her martial soul.
Is this a joke? I'm a member of the Grand Martial Team, clearly on the opposing side from Shrek. The match just now was even a death match. Why should I heal the enemy? Has this man's brain frozen in the cold?
But Yu Xiaogang, seeing her inaction and frown, let his anxiety and anger overcome what little reason he had left. Hugging Tang San, he hoarsely howled at Ye Lingling:
"Are you deaf?! I asked you to heal their wounds! Can't you see they're dying?! You're a healing soul master. It's your duty to save people—hurry up!"
Chen Yi actually laughed at the man's logic and attitude. With a twist of his wrist, purple-gold lightning condensed in his palm, crackling and transforming instantly into a whip of thunder and lightning.
"Yu Xiaogang," Chen Yi said, his voice calm yet chilling. "Weren't you satisfied enough in Nuoding City last time? Or is your skin itching again, and you want to experience it one more time today?"
As he spoke, his eyes grew colder and colder. Before the words left his mouth, Chen Yi's wrist suddenly flicked!
Snap—!!!
The purple-gold lightning whip sliced through the air like a hungry thunder serpent, exploding with a sharp bang as it lashed Yu Xiaogang's face, twisted with rage and fear.
"Ah—!!!"
Yu Xiaogang shrieked, his entire body spinning half a circle from the blow. A scorched whip mark instantly marred his face, skin split, flesh blossoming, the smell of burning and blood mingling. The pain was so intense he nearly lost consciousness.
But it wasn't over! Chen Yi's wrist moved again. The lightning whip coiled precisely around Yu Xiaogang's ankle.
"Up you go!"
With a light shout, Chen Yi yanked his arm, actually lifting Yu Xiaogang's entire body like a broken sack!
"No—! Let me go! Chen Yi, how dare you—!"
Bang!!
Chen Yi's face was expressionless as he slammed Yu Xiaogang down onto the icy, pitted alloy ring! A loud cracking sound rang out. Yu Xiaogang's cries abruptly stopped, replaced by pained gasps and groans as blood spurted from his mouth.
But still it wasn't over. Chen Yi picked him up again!
Whoosh—
Yu Xiaogang's body traced a parabola, crashing amid the stunned eyes of countless spectators, landing precisely on the wine table of a fat spectator who'd been watching the show with a wine jar in his hand.
"Wow—"
The table shattered, wine jars, glasses, and fruit plates scattering everywhere. Yu Xiaogang was instantly drenched, like a chicken in soup. The alcohol seeped into his whip wounds and broken bones, igniting fresh, burning agony. He howled even louder.
The fat spectator, after a moment's shock, burst into laughter along with the rest of the audience, clapping and cheering.
"Nice smash!"
"Let him perform some more!"
"Feels good!"
Just then, Flender, who had only been tending to his students, saw Yu Xiaogang subjected to such humiliation and torture. His eyes nearly split with rage. He suddenly stood up, glaring at Chen Yi, his voice trembling with anger and fear.
"Young Master Chen, please, be merciful. He was just anxious and didn't choose his words carefully. Why must you humiliate him like this?!"
"Humiliation?" Chen Yi sneered, flicking his wrist. The lightning whip swept Yu Xiaogang back from the ruins of the spectator stands, slamming him down in front of Flender with a bang, sending shards of ice and bloody froth flying, bones crunching audibly.
"I'm teaching him to keep his mouth shut," Chen Yi said coldly, looking down at the twitching, mud-like Yu Xiaogang. "If you dare speak to me disrespectfully again, the next time won't be so easy."
This useless man must not die yet. After all, he's the deepest thorn in Bibi Dong's heart, the only counterweight to sway her emotions. If he truly died here, driving Bibi Dong mad in advance or pushing her to clash desperately with the existentialists, Chen Yi wouldn't fear it, but it'd cause a lot of trouble.
Thinking this, Chen Yi put away the lightning whip. Yu Xiaogang lay on the cold ground, groaning like a dying dog.
Chen Yi's gaze shifted from the ring, focusing on a shadowy corner at the edge of the arena—the spot where Ning Rongrong had earlier been rescued, the aura not yet fully dissipated.
"Come out."
Chen Yi spoke lightly. His voice wasn't loud, but it echoed throughout the soul arena.
The shadow flickered, and two figures emerged. The one who'd rescued Ning Rongrong was a skinny man. Ning Rongrong's face was still pale, her body trembling as she followed the man, looking at the tragic scene in the ring and at Chen Yi with fear and confusion in her eyes.
The skinny man appeared about fifty, with an ordinary face, thin frame, and unremarkable gray suit. But his eyes were exceptionally bright and sharp, his steps light and silent, as though he could slip into the shadows at any moment. He walked to the edge of the ring, bowed slightly to Chen Yi, cupped his fists, and saluted most respectfully.
"Guardian Feng Bing of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan greets Young Master Chen Yi."
Feng Bing's voice was calm, his tone apologetic. "The situation was urgent just now. Miss Ning Rongrong was in danger—fulfilling my duty, I had no choice but to intervene and rescue her from the ring. Please forgive my offense, and accept this token of my sincerity as compensation and apology for my rash actions just now."
As he spoke, he took out a gold card with mithril patterns, holding it respectfully in both hands.
But Feng Bing's heart was far less calm than he appeared. He'd always been responsible for Ning Rongrong's secret protection. Like many, he'd been skeptical of the rumors about Chen Yi, thinking them exaggerated. But just now, he'd sensed the opponent's soul power—bottomless as an abyss, faintly carrying the aura of destructive lightning. He immediately realized: the rumors were true! In fact, they might even underestimate him!
This seemingly young boy possessed terrifying power, definitely at the Titled Douluo level. Feng Bing himself was an agility-based Soul Douluo at level 82 and the fastest in his class, but against Chen Yi, he instinctively felt that if the latter was serious, he might not even have a chance to escape!