"Kid, I'm talking to you!"
*Slap!*
Just as Zhang Ergou scrambled to his feet, he was once again knocked to the ground by a fierce slap.
"You brat, hand over the body-refining technique you just used, and I'll let you all go!"
Finally, Qin Lang revealed his true intentions. Obtaining the body-refining technique from Zhang Ergou was his ultimate goal.
"Never!" The stubborn teenager glared at Qin Lang, who stood over him, and whispered with slightly parted lips.
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you! Speak up!"
*Slap!*
Another mercilessly brutal slap landed on the boy's already disfigured cheek.
*Pfft!*
A mouthful of blood spurted out. Zhang Ergou was sent sprawling again by the slap, rolling across the ground.
"Kid, my patience is wearing thin. Before I get angry, quickly hand over the cultivation method for the body-refining technique. Otherwise, today, Senior Brother will teach you how to behave in the inner sect."
Qin Lang bent down, gently patting Zhang Ergou's swollen cheek with his palm.
"Bullying the weak, I spit on you!"
A glob of bloody saliva was forcefully spat out, directly splattering Qin Lang's face as he was caught off guard.
"Argh!"
"I'll cripple you!"
Qin Lang was furious. This presumptuous junior brother dared to spit in his face.
He flicked his hand, using his spiritual energy to clear the blood and grime from his face, and then fiercely struck at Zhang Ergou's head with his palm.
If that blow landed, Zhang Ergou would be dead on the spot.
"Ergou!"
From the periphery, Lin Yichen, Xiao Qingyu, and Wang Teng, who were still struggling, cried out in alarm at the sight.
Their hearts leaped into their throats as they watched Qin Lang's full-force palm strike heading towards Zhang Ergou's head.
They could already imagine Zhang Ergou's gruesome fate, and despair was etched on each of their faces.
Though their acquaintance with Zhang Ergou was short, he was a friend who they clicked with instantly.
Each of them genuinely respected Zhang Ergou as a friend.
Perhaps at first, they had approached Zhang Ergou with ulterior motives, but as time passed and they spent more time together, they were all drawn to Zhang Ergou's unique charisma.
Now, their interactions were less driven by self-interest and more by genuine camaraderie.
The incident of the four brothers jointly robbing inner sect disciples the previous night had only deepened their bond.
If Zhang Ergou couldn't dodge this blow, Qin Lang's vicious palm strike would undoubtedly end his life.
Wang Teng couldn't bear to watch and closed his eyes, unable to stomach the sight of Zhang Ergou's skull exploding.
Hate!
Not only Lin Yichen and Wang Teng, but Xiao Qingyu's heart was filled with nothing but hatred.
They hated Qin Lang's unreasonable aggression, and they hated their own weak cultivation, which left them at the mercy of stronger disciples in the inner sect.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Just as Qin Lang's full-force palm strike was about to connect with Zhang Ergou's head.
"Roar—!"
A powerful dragon's roar suddenly erupted, causing the heavens and earth to change color.
Qin Lang, closest to Zhang Ergou, bore the brunt of it, his body propelled backward by an overwhelming aura.
*Bang!*
Qin Lang's body crashed heavily onto the ground, snapping dead branches and carving a massive, human-shaped crater.
What made Lin Yichen and the others even more stunned was that when the dragon's roar sounded.
Qin Lang had a momentary lapse in consciousness, as if his soul had suffered a powerful attack.
"Roar—!"
Another dragon's roar, even more potent than the last, echoed out. Qin Lang clutched his head, his face filled with terror as he looked at the boy who had already risen to his feet.
As this powerful dragon's roar re-entered his ears, Qin Lang felt an even stronger soul-force attack his spirit than before.
Hiss!
The pain from the depths of his soul was incomparable to any physical injury.
Qin Lang's face was now deathly pale, his previous arrogance completely gone. His gaze towards Zhang Ergou was now one of sheer terror.
"Junior Brother, Senior Brother was wrong. I shouldn't have coveted your body-refining technique. I beg Junior Brother to show mercy."
Qin Lang, clutching his head, curled up on the ground, his face a picture of fawning entreaty as he looked at Zhang Ergou.
Suffering two consecutive soul attacks, even a cultivator at the middle stage of the Golden Core realm couldn't withstand such unspeakable pain.
He wasn't an alchemist, and his soul's strength was only slightly superior to that of an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.
Furthermore, in Qin Lang's experience, cultivators focused on cultivating spells and skills to enhance their own power.
He had never encountered a soul attack before, and Zhang Ergou's successive dragon roars had caught him completely off guard.
However, even if he had been prepared, he would have been powerless against Zhang Ergou's sonic wave attack.
Although the sonic wave attack used spiritual energy, its manifestation was sound. Unless Qin Lang could seal his own ears.
In his rage, Zhang Ergou unleashed the spiritual energy he had suppressed for a long time. These two consecutive dragon roars were his strongest attacks since he learned the 'Furious Dragon's Roar'.
The effect was undeniable. Qin Lang, now clutching his head and curled on the ground, was clearly severely injured.
With Qin Lang injured and no longer able to erect a spiritual energy barrier, Xiao Qingyu, Wang Teng, and Lin Yichen broke free and quickly rushed to Zhang Ergou's side.
"Ergou, are you alright?" Lin Yichen asked with concern.
Although they had all been attacked by Qin Lang, Zhang Ergou had taken the brunt of it.
"I'm fine. Now is not the time to talk about these things," Zhang Ergou shook his head, his expression impassive, revealing no hint of his inner turmoil.
"The priority now isn't my physical injuries, but having a good talk with our esteemed Senior Brother."
A cold smile played on Zhang Ergou's lips, making his swollen face look somewhat comical.
"Ergou, are you really okay?" Lin Yichen and the others were still worried about Zhang Ergou's condition. They had watched Qin Lang slap his face repeatedly.
"I'm fine, Senior Brother Lin, please rest assured!" Zhang Ergou gave them a reassuring look.
He then strode towards Qin Lang, who was lying on the ground.
"Ah..."
Qin Lang let out a pained cry. The aftereffects of the soul attack had not subsided; instead, with the passage of time, the pain in his soul intensified.
Ah!
Qin Lang rolled on the ground, clutching his head, his once handsome and dashing appearance completely gone.
"Ergou, what's wrong with him?" Lin Yichen, Wang Teng, and Xiao Qingyu followed Zhang Ergou to Qin Lang's side.
Seeing Qin Lang writhing on the ground, they looked at Zhang Ergou in confusion.
They knew firsthand how powerful Qin Lang was. Now, seeing him writhing on the ground, it all felt unreal.
"Uh! I don't know either..."
Zhang Ergou scratched his head. He genuinely didn't know how someone attacked by the 'Furious Dragon's Roar' would react. This was his first time using the technique.
"So, what do we do now?"