Xiao Se shook his head lightly. "I never said you had to call me big brother."
"Then what is it? Don't keep me in suspense—this is killing me," she said, pouting.
A trace of sly amusement surfaced in Xiao Se's eyes. He crooked his finger at Dongfang Qinlan, beckoning her closer. When she leaned in, Xiao Se lowered his voice and whispered a few words into her ear.
Dongfang Qinlan froze.
For a brief moment, her body stiffened, and disbelief flashed through her beautiful eyes. She glanced at Dongfang Huaizhu, then back at Xiao Se. Understanding dawned instantly. After hesitating for a heartbeat, she lifted her fair, delicate chin with a playful little tilt.
"With your conditions… I guess it's not impossible," she said slowly. "But just one storage ring isn't enough."
"Oh?" Xiao Se smiled faintly. "Then what else do you want?"
"The food boxes you gave me last time," Dongfang Qinlan replied at once. "Three of them—no! Five!" She first held up three fingers, then spread all five decisively.
Xiao Se's lips twitched.
He glanced toward Dongfang Huaizhu, a hint of sympathy flashing in his eyes. Having a sister like this… Huaizhu really must have used up eight lifetimes' worth of bad luck.
Without another word, Xiao Se retrieved ten food boxes from his storage ring, placed them into a low-grade storage ring, and handed it to Dongfang Qinlan.
"Ten portions," he said calmly. "Each one has a different flavor."
"Wow!" Dongfang Qinlan took the ring, fondling it with obvious affection, unwilling to let it go. "How do you use it?"
"Wear it on your left ring finger and inject some energy into it," Xiao Se replied seriously. "Dou qi works. Your spiritual power works too."
"That's it?" Dongfang Qinlan immediately slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. She pulled out a food box, opened it, and started eating on the spot. As she chewed, she spoke with her mouth half full. "Mmm—so convenient! From now on, I'm going to stuff this thing full of food. But hey, Xiao Se, why does it have to be the left ring finger?"
"Because it represents justice," Xiao Se said without changing his expression.
"Justice!" A cold, furious voice suddenly echoed across the land. "Such fine 'justice'! You dare bully my people of the Southern Kingdom—leave your life behind today!"
From the distance, a short, elderly figure walked toward them.
The terrifying thing was that he took only a single step, yet wherever he passed, grass and trees withered instantly. A dense, poisonous mist poured out from his body, corroding everything it touched.
In the blink of an eye, a towering tree over a hundred meters tall dried up completely and collapsed into decay.
This small old man was none other than Huandu Qingtian.
"Not good!" Dongfang Huaizhu's expression changed dramatically. "Young Master Xiao Se, Qinlan—fly up! Avoid the poison mist!"
She grabbed the old man and the child by their collars, preparing to take off into the air.
"There's no need for that, Miss Huaizhu," Xiao Se said gently, pressing a hand onto her fragrant shoulder. He raised his right hand, and a vast azure barrier bloomed outward.
The moment the poison mist approached, it was blocked by the deep-blue light screen, unable to advance even half a step.
"This is…?" Dongfang Huaizhu stared in shock as the terrifying poison was kept completely outside.
"Wait here for me," Xiao Se said with a faint smile. He didn't explain further. He gave her shoulder a light pat, then stepped out of the protective barrier.
On the other side, the sudden appearance of the barrier caused Huandu Qingtian to lose sight of Xiao Se and the others. He frowned deeply, muttering in confusion, "Strange… where did they go?"
"Old man, no need to look—I'm right here."
The blue light rippled gently. Before Huandu Qingtian's astonished gaze, Xiao Se appeared out of thin air.
"Father! It's him—it's him! He bullied me! Hurry up and teach him a lesson!" Huandu Luolan shouted, pointing angrily at Xiao Se from behind her father.
"Playing tricks!" Huandu Qingtian snorted coldly and gave a slight nod to Huandu Luolan. Thick poison mist surged forward, wrapping around Xiao Se from all directions.
Facing the oncoming poison, Xiao Se remained utterly calm. Pink flames burst forth, enveloping his body and instantly dispersing the toxic fog.
"Old man," Xiao Se chuckled, "you'd better show something real. This level of poison is honestly nothing impressive. Compared to someone I know, you're still far behind."
His gaze shifted lazily toward Huandu Luolan behind him. "Little girl, you're back again. Aren't you afraid I'll smack your butt this time too?"
"You insolent brat!" Being completely ignored as a dignified Demon King, Huandu Qingtian flew into a rage.
His shriveled hands waved violently. Poison mist gathered endlessly, condensing into clusters of demonic clouds. In an instant, the entire sky was swallowed by purple haze. Color vanished from the world as the very air became lethally toxic.
"Sister… Xiao Se isn't going to be okay, is he?" Dongfang Qinlan's face went pale as she stared at the overwhelming scene.
"With such demonic power… in this realm, there's only one," Dongfang Huaizhu said grimly. "The Southern Border Demon King—Huandu Qingtian."
She tried to rush out to help Xiao Se, but no matter what she did, she couldn't break through the deep-blue barrier.
"Boy," Huandu Qingtian roared, "this day next year will be your death anniversary!"
He swung his arm down. The poison clouds converged into a gigantic hand that blotted out the sky, reaching down to seize Xiao Se.
"Then let's see whose anniversary it really is," Xiao Se replied coolly.
With a flick of his right hand, pink flames surged together, forming a colossal sword of exotic fire. Flames wrapped around the blade as he brought it down in a powerful vertical slash, shouting, "Crimson Flame Sword—Heaven-Piercing Eightfold!"
A massive sword aura, blazing with terrifying exotic fire, shot forward. With a sharp sizzle, the poisonous giant hand was cleaved apart with ease.
Xiao Se was never the type to just stand there and take hits.
The instant the poison hand dispersed, he tapped the ground lightly with his toes. His body turned into a wisp of smoke, ignoring the poisonous haze entirely as he shot straight toward Huandu Qingtian.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived.
"Got you. Eightfold Mountain Stack."
Xiao Se grinned. Dou qi surged from his right palm as eight phantom mountain peaks manifested in midair. Layer upon layer, they slammed forward violently.
"Not good!"
Xiao Se's sudden approach shocked Huandu Qingtian. He hastily mobilized his poison to defend, but it was useless—upon touching the exotic fire, the poison vanished instantly.
Left with no other choice, Huandu Qingtian clenched his teeth and relied on his vast Demon King-level power to block the attack head-on.
Boom—!
The massive mountain phantoms collided with Huandu Qingtian. His short figure was sent flying like a kite with a snapped string, hurtling hundreds of meters before crashing heavily into the ground.
"Father!"
Seeing the godlike figure in her heart blasted away, Huandu Luolan froze in shock. She snapped back to her senses almost immediately and rushed toward him. The Panda Elder followed close behind.
"Elder… Luolan… run—cough!"
Huandu Qingtian spat out a mouthful of blood and forced himself upright, glaring at the Panda Elder.
Xiao Se was far stronger than he had imagined. Not only did he possess pink flames that surpassed even Pure Yang Fire and completely ignored poison, but his own combat strength was terrifying. That single palm strike had nearly taken his life.
"Father, if we go, we go together!" Huandu Luolan supported him, tears choking her voice.
"Go? Go where?"
An indifferent voice sounded.
At some point, Xiao Se was already standing in front of them.
"What do you want to do?" Huandu Qingtian stepped in front of Huandu Luolan protectively.
"Nothing much," Xiao Se said lightly. "I'm just here to make good on something I said earlier."
As he spoke, his fingers curled slightly. With a casual pull, Huandu Luolan was dragged straight into his arms.
And then—
He raised his hand and delivered a series of merciless, resounding smacks to her backside.
The sound echoed crisply across the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)
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