Chapter 53: Chapter 53: The Persecuted Breaking Clan
Seeing the soul bone, all four of them were momentarily stunned.
Tang Hao was puzzled. "What kind of luck is this? Killing two spirit beasts in a row and both dropping soul bones?"
Gu La also sensed that his luck was exceptionally good. Recalling his earlier communication with the plane consciousness, he pondered thoughtfully.
"The Child of Fortune."
The possibility crossed Gu La's mind, but he dismissed it with a faint smile.
With the system in place, fortune was just an added bonus. Relying on intangible luck was no substitute for the solid foundation of diligent cultivation.
He tossed the Human-Faced Demon Spider's left arm bone into the air and turned around, saying, "A five-thousand-year soul bone is a bit low-level for us. We should find an opportunity to sell it and exchange it for medicinal herbs."
Tang San nodded. Naturally, he also didn't care much for thousand-year soul bones. "It's your soul bone; you can handle it as you wish."
Xiao Wu didn't care about the soul bone at all. Instead, she looked regretful. "What bad luck. I didn't even get to finish my energy cube—it fell and burned up."
Her eyes pleaded with Gu La, hoping he would catch her hint.
Gu La glanced at the system panel, which indicated that today's three feeding interactions had already been completed. Politely declining, he said, "If you're hungry, eat something else to tide you over."
"No, give me a few more, please!"
Xiao Wu leaned closer to massage Gu La's shoulders, pouting adorably.
Gu La remained unmoved. His points weren't earned easily, and if he didn't manage them carefully, the system wouldn't show him any mercy when he needed it most.
As the three chatted, footsteps echoed through the woods.
"The firelight is just ahead. Those guys are injured and have two girls with them—they couldn't have gone far. They must be hiding nearby. Find them!"
Gu La shushed them, signaling Tang San and Xiao Wu to hide. The trio suppressed their soul power, using the cover of night to conceal themselves behind a large tree.
Five black-clad figures emerged from the forest, radiating strong fluctuations of soul power. Even Gu La couldn't discern their exact levels, but he estimated they were at least four-ring Soul Ancestors or higher.
Gu La's heart tightened. He could handle one or two Soul Ancestors, but five at once was another matter entirely. He hoped Tang Hao wouldn't follow Xuan Zi's example and zone out at a critical moment, only appearing after heavy casualties.
The black-clad men stared in surprise at the charred remains of the forest—it wasn't what they had anticipated.
"Boss!"
One of the black-clad men appeared to be an agility-type soul master. Moving lightly, he scouted ahead and discovered the wounds on the Human-Faced Demon Spider, his tone excited.
The leader's gaze sharpened. "These marks… Someone has obtained a soul bone!"
Behind the tree, Gu La's expression turned frustrated. He had indeed forgotten to clean up the traces left by the Human-Faced Demon Spider, mostly because it was his first time and he hadn't expected anyone to come along so soon.
The five black-clad men's eyes gleamed with greed, but the atmosphere between them grew tense.
Noticing the shift, the leader barked, "Idiots! Snap out of it! Don't start infighting before we even find the soul bone!"
"And remember, we're also here to retrieve the treasures of the Breaking Clan. The family head will reward us handsomely."
Upon hearing the leader mention the family head, the others visibly calmed down. However, the agility-type soul master who had been scouting showed a flicker of disdain:
What reward could possibly compare to a soul bone? Especially a soul bone from a Human-Faced Demon Spider. With one such bone, he was confident he could reach the Soul Sage level.
"Black Panther, sniff around. If you find them, you'll get the credit."
The leader glared at the agility-type soul master, his cold gaze serving as a warning not to entertain any selfish thoughts.
The agility-type soul master's martial soul was a black panther, and since it was difficult to conceal during movement, they used their martial souls as code names.
In his Black Panther martial soul state, his sense of smell was heightened. He sniffed the air, picking up scent particles.
Tang San's heart raced. They hadn't swallowed the energy cubes whole, and breaking the surface film inevitably released some scent.
He could even detect a faint aroma on himself—how much more so for a beast-type soul master?
Thus, he raised his eyebrows at Gu La, pointed to the left, then gestured toward himself and signaled to the right.
Strike first, or suffer the consequences.
Tang San clearly understood this principle well.
While his sleeve arrows had limited power, the compact crossbow strapped to his back was loaded with poisoned arrows. A sudden attack could easily kill an unguarded Soul Lord.
Gu La had already replenished his soul power by drawing from the earth in a short time. He gave Tang San a firm nod, silently agreeing to his plan.
Xiao Wu pointed to herself, opening her mouth as if to speak but hesitating.
Tang San wanted to refuse, thinking Xiao Wu should stay hidden since she was a girl.
But Gu La wasn't as optimistic as Tang San. To be cautious, he extended two fingers, signaling Xiao Wu to use her second soul skill to create clones and divert the black-clad men's attention.
Understanding the gesture, Xiao Wu eagerly nodded, her expression eager to participate.
Once they were ready, the Black Panther soul master was about to speak when Tang San suddenly stepped out from behind the tree. Crouching quickly, he triggered the mechanism at his waist. A half-meter-long arrow shot out with a whoosh, its tip glowing faintly blue under the hazy moonlight. It struck the Black Panther soul master squarely in the throat.
A fatal blow!
The Black Panther soul master clutched his throat, black blood oozing from the wound. His legs buckled, and he collapsed, lifeless within moments, his eyes wide open in death.
Gu La's move came slightly slower but still unleashed a two-meter-wide wave of flames before the black-clad men could react.
Flamethrower!
Three Xiao Wu clones leaped out from behind the trees, their agile forms bounding through the forest. They charged at the black-clad men from both sides of the magma, their second purple soul ring shining brightly.
Moonlight Clone!
"Black Panther!"
The leader gasped, seeing the fallen Black Panther soul master. He cursed under his breath, "Worthless!"
His eyes turned fierce as he drew a long blade. Three yellow and two purple soul rings revealed him to be a five-ring Soul King.
"A Soul King? Thankfully, no ten-thousand-year soul rings."
Gu La let out a sigh of relief. The presence or absence of ten-thousand-year soul rings made a world of difference in combat capability.
He activated Lava Immortal Body, transforming into a magma elemental and striking a bodybuilder pose to enhance his attack and defense.
Seeing Gu La standing still, the leader sneered, "Looking for death!"
Third Soul Skill: Soul-Severing Slash!
Delivered at incredible speed, it dealt double damage. Moreover, there were no obvious signs when it was used aside from the soul rings lighting up.
The opponent had to constantly guess whether the next strike included the soul skill, or risk being caught off guard by a devastating blow.
Gu La saw no elemental aura on the blade and didn't flinch, taking the leader's slash head-on.
With a sharp sound, the blade cut through Gu La's body, splitting his upper half into two halves. But instead of blood, molten red lava poured out, with no trace of blood spilling.
The leader froze momentarily, clearly having never seen such an advanced elemental transformation soul skill before.
But as a five-ring Soul King, his reaction was quick. He retracted his martial soul while the fourth soul ring began to fluctuate violently with soul power.
"Too slow."
Gu La inwardly scoffed. His claw-like hand erupted in flames, illuminated by the radiant orb of sunlight above. With a swift motion, he swung his fist forward.
Fire Punch!
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