"Damn it!" Yu Mei'er let out a delicate shout, whipping her lash towards Zhang Ergou.
Zhang Ergou dodged, his hand shooting out like lightning to seize the whip. Yu Mei'er tugged several times with all her might but couldn't break free.
Off balance, she stumbled directly as Zhang Ergou pulled her. Following up with a kick, Zhang Ergou sent Yu Mei'er crashing to the ground.
Pfft! Yu Mei'er spat out a mouthful of blood, collapsing and unable to rise.
"What the...!" Liu Chuchen and his brother were stunned!
Zhang Ergou was clearly only at the early stage of Qi Refining, yet he had managed to knock Yu Mei'er down without using any spiritual energy.
Yu Mei'er was a genuine perfected Qi Refining stage powerhouse!
Was this a joke?
Was this still the early stage of Qi Refining?
The two looked at Zhang Ergou in shock. Although his cultivation hadn't changed in the short span of twenty days, his combat power had clearly improved significantly!
This was completely beyond their imagination and comprehension.
"Liu Chuchen, kill him for me!" Yu Mei'er shrieked from the ground.
Liu Chuchen and his brother exchanged glances. "We'll go together!"
Sensing that Zhang Ergou was difficult to deal with, they each drew a treasure sword, spiritual energy swirling around them, and attacked from both sides.
To the current Zhang Ergou, their moves were utterly contemptible.
"Get lost!"
With a roar, Liu Chuchen was knocked to the ground by Zhang Ergou's Lion's Roar, the move Lion's Pat. He lay not far from Yu Mei'er, spitting blood uncontrollably.
Then, with a sudden turn, Zhang Ergou leaped high into the air and attacked Liu Chufeng.
Easily dodging Liu Chufeng's sword strike, he landed a palm on Liu Chufeng's shoulder.
With a crack, Liu Chufeng's arm, which held the sword, drooped limply. Zhang Ergou followed up with another palm strike in reverse.
Liu Chufeng flew into the air, landing squarely on Liu Chuchen.
A wail followed.
After incapacitating the Liu Chuchen brothers, Zhang Ergou quickly walked to Liu Cuilan and helped her up.
"Sister Cuilan, are you alright?" Zhang Ergou's eyes were filled with concern.
If not for him, Sister Cuilan wouldn't have left Xinshan Village with him, nor would she have suffered such humiliation.
"Ergou, it's not your fault. It's their narrow-mindedness!"
Liu Cuilan had, after all, cultivated with Chunyang Sanren for some time and could endure such injuries.
But seeing the bruises on Liu Cuilan's face and her torn clothes, Zhang Ergou's heart ached.
He used spiritual energy to smooth out the bruises on Liu Cuilan's face, restoring her bright and charming appearance.
"I, Zhang Ergou, swear here today that I will never let Sister Cuilan suffer any harm again."
He helped Liu Cuilan into the house and, after about another hour, channeled spiritual energy into her body.
This helped to alleviate her internal injuries.
Fortunately, her life was not in danger. Seeing Liu Cuilan asleep on the bed, Zhang Ergou walked out of the room again.
"We know we were wrong, we won't dare again!" Liu Chuchen, still pinned down, begged for mercy.
"Hmph, you think a simple 'we were wrong' will suffice? Then what's the point of us cultivating?"
"Wrongdoing must have its consequences!" a cold voice declared.
After their repeated transgressions, he was utterly disgusted with the brothers.
Zhang Ergou raised a foot and kicked them.
"Ah! My leg!" A sound of bone cracking accompanied a scream.
Clutching his profusely bleeding knee, Liu Chufeng looked at Zhang Ergou with fear.
Zhang Ergou then strode towards Liu Chuchen.
"No, no, don't come near me..." Liu Chuchen, his face contorted with terror, crawled backward but could not escape.
Ah...!
With a shriek, Liu Chuchen's knee cap was also shattered, blood gushing from his leg. [Sudan Novel Network]
Finally, Zhang Ergou turned his gaze to Yu Mei'er, who was still lying on the ground.
Yu Mei'er was now somewhat timid, but she did not beg for mercy.
She hadn't expected Zhang Ergou to be so ruthless, having broken the legs of both Liu Chuchen brothers.
As the one who had inflicted the deepest harm on Liu Cuilan, Yu Mei'er was destined to face Zhang Ergou's retribution.
"Do you know who my master is? My master is Xiayang Sanren, and I am his most beloved disciple!"
Yu Mei'er attempted to intimidate Zhang Ergou by bringing up her master.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Ergou harbored resentment towards Xiayang Sanren already.
"I said before, if I don't carry you out of here today, I'll stand on my head and shit!"
His voice was chillingly cold. With a swift and decisive kick, Zhang Ergou crippled Yu Mei'er's legs.
Ah...!
The screams were gruesome. At this moment, Yu Mei'er was no longer the pampered princess basking in adoration.
Now, she finally understood regret, regretting ever provoking Zhang Ergou.
"For the harm done to Sister Cuilan, I will return it tenfold, a hundredfold!"
Zhang Ergou's fury had not yet completely subsided.
He took out a black pill from his spatial ring, crushed it, and sprinkled it onto the wounds of the three individuals.
This poison was an item from the hunchbacked elder. Those poisoned would not die but would suffer from unbearable itching, as if being devoured by poisonous insects.
Ah... ah...!
A series of agonizing cries rose one after another. The three frantically scratched at their legs, creating bloody gashes.
"Please spare me, it was Senior Brother Li Qiang who sent us!" Liu Chuchen clutched Zhang Ergou's leg.
"He took a fancy to Liu Cuilan and wanted us to beat you up, then abduct Liu Cuilan."
"Li Qiang!" Cold light flashed in Zhang Ergou's eyes. He hadn't expected anyone to have designs on Liu Cuilan.
With a sudden turn, he found ropes and bound the three. Zhang Ergou then carried them, one by one, and strode towards Xiayang Peak.
His body exuded a palpable aura of ferocity, his killing intent no longer concealable.
"Even if I die, I will make you pay." Liu Cuilan was his absolute bottom line.
At this moment, on Xiayang Peak, Xiayang Sanren was imparting cultivation insights to his Foundation Establishment disciples.
"In the path of cultivation, one must revere the Heavenly Dao, act in accordance with the flow, absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Cultivators should primarily focus on Qi Refining."
Below, the Foundation Establishment disciples sat respectfully, taking every word of Xiayang Sanren to heart.
They dared not be careless. They were quite afraid of Xiayang Sanren.
Glancing at the disciples below, Xiayang Sanren felt a hint of pride.
Among the four main peaks—Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter—his subordinates had the largest number of Foundation Establishment disciples.
Looking at the eyes filled with reverence, Xiayang Sanren relished this feeling.
On Xiayang Peak, he was absolutely the one in command.
"Li Qiang, I await you at the training grounds!" Suddenly, an icy voice echoed up to Xiayang Peak.
Following that, three figures landed precisely outside the main hall of Xiayang Peak.
"Who is challenging Senior Brother Li? Isn't that Junior Sister Yu Mei'er and the others?"
The scene immediately became chaotic.
"Could it be a Foundation Establishment disciple from another main peak?"
"It doesn't matter who it is. Senior Brother Li Qiang has now broken through to the late stage of Foundation Establishment, and he also possesses secret arts taught by our master."
"Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators are no match for him, except for the chief disciples of the four main peaks."
Li Qiang, in the main hall, a look of amusement flickered across his face upon hearing Zhang Ergou's voice.
Looking at the three figures lying outside the door, he knew without a doubt who was making the commotion.