**Chapter 8: A God's Casual Whim**
The desperate roar of Ghost Douluo still echoed in the torn clearing. Hu Liena, gripping her short dagger, prepared to follow his order, dragging her terrified teammates with her even if she had to. Survival was paramount.
But there was no "after."
In the space between one heartbeat and the next, a man appeared. He didn't teleport in a flash of light or blur with speed. He simply... was there, standing between the faltering Ghost Douluo and the charging Titan Giant Ape. He stood with his hands clasped casually behind his back, his simple black tunic unruffled by the hurricane of power being thrown around him.
He looked impossibly calm. He looked like he was on an afternoon stroll.
Hu Liena's mind screeched to a halt. The sheer absurdity of it—a handsome, unarmed man facing down a hundred-thousand-year-old sovereign—was so total it defied belief. Was he a fool? A madman?
Luo Yan let out a soft, almost bored sigh. He wasn't even looking at the ape. Instead, he released a sliver of his presence. Not an aura, not spirit pressure, but the simple, undeniable weight of a Planetary Level 7 existence. It was the equivalent of dropping a sun into a wading pool.
The effect was absolute.
The Titan Giant Ape, King of the Star Dou Forest, froze mid-charge. Its world-shaking momentum died as if it had run into a wall made of reality itself. Its massive eyes, once full of berserk rage, were now wide with a primordial, soul-deep terror it had never known. The King of the Forest had just met the concept of finality. Its colossal knees buckled. With a trembling groan that sounded like cracking mountains, the beast collapsed, its limbs giving out as it was forced to its knees, then flat onto the ground, utterly suppressed and unable to move a single muscle.
The clearing fell into a stunned, deafening silence.
Ghost Douluo, Xie Yue, Yan, and Hu Liena stared, their minds refusing to process what they were seeing. A being had appeared from nowhere and, with his presence alone, had brought the Titan Giant Ape to its knees.
Only then did Luo Yan deign to look down at the trembling, whimpering behemoth. He recognized it, of course. Da Ming. Xiao Wu's sworn brother. Pointless to kill. But making a statement was necessary.
"Go home," Luo Yan said, his voice calm and utterly devoid of effort, yet it echoed in the clearing like a divine decree. "Back to your lake."
He then performed a simple action. He kicked.
It was not a vicious, power-filled kick. It was a casual, almost lazy motion, like shooing away a bothersome dog. His foot connected with the Ape's massive flank. There was no explosive boom of spirit power. There was only a dull *thud*.
The Titan Giant Ape simply *vanished* from the ground. A split second later, a distant, fading sonic boom could be heard as the hundred-ton beast was sent rocketing through the sky, tumbling end over end for dozens of kilometers, destined to splash down squarely back in the Life Lake in the forest's core.
The four remaining humans shuddered violently, a cold dread seeping into their bones and chilling their very souls. That kick... it wasn't about power. It was about *authority*. The authority to dismiss a king of the forest as if it were nothing.
Ghost Douluo, his near-fatal injuries forgotten, stumbled forward from his spectral form, his solid body now trembling. The fear in his eyes was absolute. This was not a Titled Douluo. This was not a Limit Douluo. This was a god. Clasping his hands, he bowed deeply from the waist in the most respectful salute he knew, his head nearly touching the ground.
"This junior, Gui Mei of Spirit Hall, gives his most profound thanks to the Senior for his divine intervention! We are eternally in your debt!"
"It's nothing," Luo Yan replied, his voice breezy and dismissive. "I was just passing by and found the noise bothersome." He then let his gaze drift over the terrified group, his eyes landing pointedly, and with deliberate interest, on Hu Liena.
The others followed his look. At that moment, Yan and Xie Yue, the other two members of the Golden Generation, felt a primal survival instinct so powerful it overrode all reason. They both took an unconscious half-step away from Hu Liena, creating a clear, unmistakable distance. Their minds screamed a single, unified thought: *That kick... if that gaze filled with possessive interest turns to anger... not even our bones will be found.*
Hu Liena felt his gaze like a physical touch. The terror that had frozen her a moment ago was suddenly eclipsed by a bewildering, intense heat that flooded her cheeks. This handsome, god-like man who had just displayed power beyond imagination was looking at *her*. She instinctively lowered her head, her foxy eyes wide, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Ghost Douluo, a master of intrigue and politics despite his ghostly nature, saw it all. The pointed look, the boys' terrified reaction, Hu Liena's blush. The pieces clicked into place with terrifying clarity. *It's because of her!* he realized, a shiver of fear and opportunity running down his spine. *This divine being didn't just 'pass by.' He intervened for Nana!* He had to treat Hu Liena like a goddess from now on. The consequences of failing to do so would be a kick he would remember for the rest of his very short afterlife.
Coughing softly to break the thick, reverent tension, Ghost Douluo moved forward again, his posture even more fawning. "Senior, your power is magnificent! To show our boundless gratitude for saving the Holy Maiden and my humble self, please allow us to host you at Spirit Hall. We would be honored to repay your kindness."
Luo Yan tilted his head, feigning consideration. *And the invitation is served on a silver platter.* "Spirit Hall, you say?" he mused, as if weighing the name. "Very well. I am somewhat curious about your organization. Lead the way."
Ghost Douluo's face lit up with ecstatic relief. Securing such a being, even as a temporary guest, was a monumental benefit for Spirit Hall! Perhaps even a blessing from the gods themselves! "Of course, Senior! This way, please! The carriages are waiting!"
He led them with the utmost deference to three luxurious, waiting carriages. Luo Yan, without a word, entered the first and largest one, the one reserved for the highest-status individual. Ghost Douluo's spectral eyes then swiveled to Hu Liena. He leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper only she could hear.
"Nana, go in and attend to the Senior. See if he requires anything." He paused, his tone becoming gravely serious, imbued with all the weight of his station as an Elder. "Do *not* displease him. This is an opportunity for both you and for Spirit Hall." He then added softly, "Best of luck."
Hu Liena's face, which had just returned to its normal color, bloomed into a brilliant crimson. *Attend to him? Alone in a carriage?* Her mind flashed with an image of the stranger's handsome face, his powerful, effortless grace, the casual might of that single kick.
With shaky legs and a heart threatening to beat its way out of her chest, she took a deep breath. She was the Holy Maiden of Spirit Hall. She would not show weakness. Steeling her nerves, she inclined her head in understanding to the Elder and entered the carriage.
The door closed, sealing them inside. The journey to Spirit Hall had begun.
To be continue.