Douluo Dalu (Soul Land): Shadow Monarch

Cheng Xiao's lips curled into a smile as he watched Flender make his choice. A sudden, icy gleam appeared in his dark eyes. "If you cripple the Grandmaster, you can leave."

"That's impossible!" Flender's face twisted, gritting his teeth. "Cheng Xiao, you know that I and the Grandmaster..."

"If you won't cripple him, then you can wait to be crippled yourself." Cheng Xiao gestured with a flick of his hand. Instantly, dozens of shadowy figures emerged from his shadow on the ground. In no time, these shadow soldiers had surrounded Flender and his companions completely.

"Oh, I nearly forgot—the Three-Eyed Demon Ape has a strong interest in female soul masters. If you don't want your precious Erlong to be harmed, you'll do as I say."

Having said this, Cheng Xiao wasted no further words. With a thought, the Three-Eyed Demon Ape appeared behind him. It grabbed Liu Erlong by both wrists, rendering her completely helpless.

"Erlong!" Flender's face went pale as he watched Liu Erlong being captured by the Three-Eyed Demon Ape. He didn't want to hurt his brother, but he couldn't bear the thought of the woman he loved being humiliated by a soul beast! "Flender, don't hurt Xiaogang. He's already lost his manhood. What's he supposed to do afterward?" Liu Erlong sobbed.

"Erlong…" At that moment, the entire fate of the Golden Iron Triangle rested solely on Flender. If he didn't do as Cheng Xiao demanded, none of them would survive. But if he did as Cheng Xiao demanded, the Grandmaster would be left crippled for life.

Watching Erlong suffer at the hands of a soul beast would be worse than death! "Xiaogang, don't blame me; I have no choice. To protect Erlong, I have to make this heart-wrenching decision."

After making up his mind, Flender turned away and walked out of the encirclement of shadow soldiers, his steps quickening as he tried to spare Liu Erlong any further injury.

When he reached the unconscious Grandmaster, he picked up a large stone without hesitation and slammed it down onto the Grandmaster's thigh.

"No!" Liu Erlong screamed in horror as she watched the stone strike the Grandmaster's leg.

Crack!

The stone smashed into the Grandmaster's knee with a crisp, sharp sound. The Grandmaster, though unconscious, let out a tortured scream from the pain.

"Aaah!" Another agonized scream filled the air.

"Xiaogang, don't blame me. I can't just stand by and watch Erlong suffer. I'm sorry!" Flender whispered, but his hands didn't falter.

He slammed the stone down repeatedly, all eyes following the movement of the stone in Flender's hand. When the Grandmaster's arm was also broken, Dugu Bo, who was watching alongside Cheng Xiao, couldn't help but draw in a cold breath.

"Kid, your ruthlessness is on par with my own," Dugu Bo remarked with a click of his tongue.

"Showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. I'm sure you, Old Poison, know this better than anyone," Cheng Xiao said with a sly smile.

"Haha, no wonder we get along so well. We're cut from the same cloth!" Dugu Bo chuckled, stroking his chin.

"A kindred spirit, then." Cheng Xiao grinned and gestured to the Three-Eyed Demon Ape.

The Three-Eyed Demon Ape understood its master's signal and released Liu Erlong, transforming into a wisp of black smoke and vanishing.

The other shadow soldiers also dispersed into smoke.

In truth, the Three-Eyed Demon Ape had no interest in human female soul masters. That interest lay with a different type of ape soul beast. Cheng Xiao only said it to force Flender into making a choice. After all, what could be more amusing than seeing friends forced into tearing each other apart?

After the Grandmaster's cries faded, Flender finished breaking his limbs. To avoid any room for Cheng Xiao to find fault, he was even more ruthless than he'd planned, nearly killing the Grandmaster in the process.

"Cheng… Cheng Xiao, I did as you asked. Can we… leave now?" Flender, his body trembling, approached Cheng Xiao. As he walked, he noticed Liu Erlong lying on the ground in a pitiful state, but he dared not meet her gaze.

"Hmm… well done, Dean Flender. You followed instructions perfectly." Cheng Xiao cast a glance at the nearly lifeless Grandmaster, then turned to Dugubo with a respectful bow. "Senior Dugubo, they've received their punishment. Please, spare their lives."

In Cheng Xiao's mind, killing them would indeed be satisfying, but sometimes living is far more painful than dying. Besides, killing them would bring unnecessary complications. Though he himself could likely avoid most consequences, Dugu Bo would end up as a fugitive, and Cheng Xiao didn't wish that upon a friend.

Letting them go might save a lot of trouble.

Dugu Bo's eye twitched as he looked at the mentally shattered Golden Iron Triangle trio. He sneered and said, "Out of respect for Cheng Xiao, I'll let you off once. But remember, if you see me again, you'd best keep your distance."

Dugu Bo knew that if he truly killed the Golden Iron Triangle and Tang San, he'd be fine. But he also had a granddaughter. He couldn't keep her in hiding forever. And realistically, he couldn't protect her forever. When he eventually passed, what would become of her? For his granddaughter's sake and his own peace of mind, he decided to let the four go. He didn't mind a vendetta; he'd faced enough in his day. But his enemies rarely survived to carry one out.

When they realized that Dugu Bo was genuinely letting them leave, Flender and Liu Erlong exchanged glances, barely able to believe their luck. But seeing Dugu Bo's impatient look, they quickly picked up Tang San and the Grandmaster.

"Thank you, Senior Dugu Bo, for sparing our lives today. The Golden Iron Triangle will take our leave."

With that, Flender and Liu Erlong hurriedly left, carrying the unconscious pair with them, too afraid to look back lest Dugu Bo changed his mind.

...

Watching them disappear into the distance, Dugu Bo made no move to stop them. When they were out of sight, he gave Cheng Xiao a knowing look. "If it hadn't been for Nash's dragon roar, I would've poisoned them to death."

"Old Poison, actually… that dragon roar wasn't from Nash. It was from me." Cheng Xiao scratched his head awkwardly.

"What? From you?" Dugu Bo was stunned, then gave Cheng Xiao a playful slap to the back of the head, laughing. "You really know how to cause a stir. Even I, a titled Douluo, got shaken up by your dragon roar. Any soul master on the same level as you would probably have been killed outright."

"But you really are ruthless, boy. Letting those three off so easily is a bit of a shame. If it weren't for Yan Yan, I wouldn't care about any of this."

"Haha, Old Poison, if you actually killed them, both the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan and Tang Hao would be after you. That would hardly be worth it." Cheng Xiao replied with a light smile, "I'm saving you from a bigger headache, you know."

"Tch, don't try to act like you're doing me a favor." Dugu Bo shook his head, his gaze drifting over the surrounding immortal herbs. "Honestly, hiding away might mean leaving all these plants behind."

"Well, you're not in hiding yet, are you? If it comes to it, you could ask my teacher to help you."

"I don't need that damn Chrysanthemum Douluo's help. A grown man obsessed with fragrance—it's sickening! I don't know how Ghost Douluo puts up with him."