Chapter 346: Evil Begets Evil
Though his greed and underestimation of Qi Han due to the youth's age led him to a poor judgment, Yu Lan was, after all, a seasoned spirit master.
The moment he saw Qi Han's spirit rings, he made the most rational decision:
Have his son attack together with him.
Do not give the opponent a single chance to survive.
That kind of spirit ring configuration—even the monstrous geniuses from Shrek Academy couldn't achieve it.
If this person wasn't eliminated now, he would be a future threat beyond imagining.
With killing intent burning in his eyes, Yu Lan's spirit rings flared brighter, and he unleashed one of his strongest spirit skills without hesitation.
Though Yu Hong lacked his father's experience, he obeyed Yu Lan's command and attacked immediately, without question.
He had long harbored resentment toward the young man who had interrupted his attempt to obtain a spirit ring. Now, his attack carried the full weight of his fury.
Qi Han responded by activating his first and fourth spirit skills in tandem. The enormous blade arc generated by "One Cut, Two Breaks" became even denser and sharper under the effects of "Refining Power to Silk", then, guided with pinpoint accuracy by "Spirit-Linked Slash", it struck the exact spot of Yu Lan's greatest vulnerability: the previous gash on his whip from Qi Han's earlier strike.
Two strikes, same spot.
Under the absolute power of a ten-thousand-year spirit skill, Yu Lan's snake-whip was instantly severed.
As Qi Han followed through with one slash, he twisted his body to deliver a second that deflected Yu Hong's attack outright. A cold light gleamed in his eyes as he stepped forward toward Yu Hong.
'This bastard hurt Pururu. He's going to pay for that.'
"Pfft!"
Yu Lan had already been reeling from the earlier damage to his martial spirit. Now that it was completely severed, he couldn't suppress the backlash and vomited blood, as if struck by thunder.
Before he could recover, Yu Lan saw Qi Han rapidly advancing on his son.
His eyes widened in shock and fury.
"Stop!"
His heart filled with both fear and regret. The youth before him was far stronger than he had imagined. Just two strikes had utterly destroyed his martial spirit.
'Is this the power… of a ten-thousand-year spirit skill?'
As Qi Han drew ever closer to Yu Hong, Yu Lan's eyes filled with despair. He suddenly dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, slamming his forehead into the ground.
"Please! I beg you—spare my son!"
Qi Han was already gripping Yu Hong's whip in one hand, immobilizing it, while holding his cleaver in the other. Just as the blade was about to fall, he instinctively turned toward Yu Lan's voice and saw him kneeling on the ground.
Qi Han let out a cold snort.
Rationality told him clearly: he shouldn't let this father and son live.
Even if he spared them, they would never be grateful.
But seeing Yu Lan kneeling and begging for his son's life…
Qi Han couldn't help but recall the image of his father from his previous life.
'Qi Han, what are you doing playing the saint right now?!'
He cursed himself silently—but still, the cleaver in his hand wouldn't swing down.
Noticing the hesitation in Qi Han's eyes, Yu Lan was overjoyed. He slammed his head to the ground again, pleading desperately:
"Please! Please let him go. We'll leave immediately—we'll never bother you again! I beg you, show mercy!"
'Damn it…'
In both this life and the last, Qi Han had never killed anyone.
These two might not be good people, but they weren't bloodthirsty, inhuman evil spirit masters either.
Yu Lan's relentless begging had struck a chord somewhere deep inside.
After a brief silence, Qi Han lowered his blade with a sigh and kicked Yu Hong several meters away, hard enough that the young man coughed up a mouthful of blood and lay there, seriously wounded.
'Let's call that payback for Pururu.'
"Get out. Now. Don't ever let me see you again."
He barked the command coldly, eyes still filled with vigilance as he stared at Yu Lan.
Yu Lan made no further moves. He quickly stood, picked up his injured son, and hurriedly fled the scene.
Qi Han remained standing for a while, then finally sighed in frustration.
He was still too soft-hearted.
'Let's hope those two know better than to come back and provoke me again.'
Though Qi Han wasn't particularly strong right now, he wasn't worried. His spirit power increased faster than anyone else's.
From the moment he arrived in this world, it had only been about four months, and he'd gone from having no spirit power at all to reaching the four-ring Spirit Ancestor level.
Even if someone held a grudge against him, they'd never be able to keep up with his rate of improvement.
"Let's eat," Qi Han said as he turned back to comfort Pururu and Zhui Yun.
Though they were spirit beasts, Pururu had been captured as a newborn and trafficked. Zhui Yun had been raised entirely by humans, completely lacking in wild instincts and with barely any combat experience. In a real fight, they were at a clear disadvantage.
'Maybe it's time I started training them in battle…'
Qi Han mused silently.
'A spirit beast trainer in the world of Douluo?'
The idea didn't sound bad at all.
He pulled some dry wood from his system space, stacked it neatly, and started a fire. As the flames crackled and the meat and fish began to roast, a rich aroma filled the air. Qi Han couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva, all the chaotic thoughts in his head momentarily forgotten.
Time to eat!
…
"Father… are we really just letting this go?"
On Yu Lan's back, Yu Hong still looked pale, but his eyes burned with hatred.
Yu Lan paused mid-step, a trace of viciousness crossing his face.
"Let it go? How could we possibly let it go!"
"I've memorized his face. Next, I'll find out exactly who he is and then I'll find the chance to kill him!"
His face twisted in a snarl.
To escape with his life, he had suffered the ultimate humiliation—kneeling to a youth barely older than his son, begging for mercy.
The last time he'd been so humiliated was years ago, when he'd accidentally provoked a Spirit Sage.
A mere four-ring spirit master… no matter how strong his spirit skills, could he possibly defeat a Spirit King, or even a Spirit Emperor?
He couldn't kill him himself, but he could find someone stronger to do it.
That brat would be crushed to dust, and he would have his revenge.
"Such powerful hatred~"
A voice, cold and eerie, suddenly echoed in the air.
"Who's there?!"
Yu Lan whipped his head around, heart pounding. The voice alone made his skin crawl and his scalp tingle.
"No need to look—I'm right here."
As Yu Lan searched frantically, a figure in a black cloak and hood appeared out of nowhere right in front of him.
Only the pale lower half of a face was visible.
Yu Lan jumped back in shock, eyes narrowing in alarm.
"Who are you? What do you want?"
"What do I want?"
The cloaked figure repeated his words with a sneer, then gave a chilling laugh.
"Why, I want to taste the soul soaked in that thick hatred of yours. I imagine…"
"It'll be absolutely delicious."
"An evil spirit master!"
Yu Lan's face filled with horror. The moment he heard those words, he knew what this man was.
His expression turned resolute. He shoved Yu Hong with all his might.
"Ah Hong, run!"
"Too late~"
The evil spirit master let out a savage grin. Behind him, six spirit rings rose slowly into view:
Yellow, Yellow, Purple, Purple, Black, Black.
The ideal configuration—
A top-tier evil spirit master!
Yu Lan's final sliver of hope shattered.
A wave of black mist engulfed him, and in an instant, he vanished.
Even Yu Hong, who had run dozens of meters away, wasn't spared. His scream rang out before he, too, was swallowed by the darkness.
When the mist cleared, all that remained were two puddles of foul-smelling slime.
Floating before the evil spirit master were two faint red phantoms.
The moment they appeared, they thrashed and howled in agony, their twisted faces still bearing the vague resemblance of Yu Lan and Yu Hong.
"Now then…"
The evil spirit master chuckled, voice hoarse and cold as an owl's call in the dead of night.
"Let's see what surprises you two have in store for me."
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