The Wolf Bandits of the Northern Border

A month later, Tang San and his group of five finally emerged from the Frozen Forest.

The sunlight streamed down from above, warming my skin.

Gone was the biting white light of the Frozen Forest; the sunlight became warm and gentle.

The chill in the air was replaced by fresh air.

Tang San stood at the edge of the forest and took a deep breath.

Although the Far North is cold and dangerous, the life of five people relying on each other for survival, with only Soul Beasts and battles, actually makes them very focused.

Now that I'm leaving, I feel a little empty inside.

Tang San walked out of the forest and stood beside the four girls.

It has been almost four months since I left the Blue Silver Forest.

The four months of training made them suffer greatly.

In the frigid, Frozen Forests, Far North, various powerful Soul Beasts struggle for survival every day, constantly being chased across the mountains by these Soul Beasts.

However, through this experience, everyone's abilities have improved.

Tang San reached level 65, Dugu Yan reached level 58, Xiao Wu reached level 55, Ye Lingling reached level 54. Each of the four of them advanced one level.

Shui Bing'er has obtained her Fifth Soul Ring and External Soul Bone, and her Soul Power has now reached level 54.

During the month-long return journey, with Tang San and Dugu Yan's guidance, Shui Bing'er quickly mastered the External Soul Bone, the Frost Dragon Wings, and can now control it rapidly and freely.

After all, they were the two people with the most experience using External Soul Bones.

Tang San possesses the Dreamlike Illusion Eyes and the Thunder God's Heart, Dugu Yan has the Eight Spider Lances. Both of them have reached a very high level of understanding and use of External Soul Bones.

Under their guidance, Shui Bing'er's mastery of the Frost Dragon Wings progressed far beyond expectations.

Although aerial combat is much more difficult than simple flight, Shui Bing'er had prior experience in this area.

She can fly when she is possessed by the Ice Phoenix Martial Soul, so aerial attacks are nothing new to her.

External Soul Bones simply increase flight speed and reduce flight energy consumption; with a little practice, they can be used quickly in battle.

This External Soul Bone was truly a great asset to Shui Bing'er.

Fortunately, Dugu Yan had prepared a lot of specially made clothes in order to make it easier to use the External Soul Bone, the Eight Spider Lances.

When the Eight Spider Lances unfold from behind, they will also tear the back of ordinary clothes, so Dugu Yan specially commissioned a large number of custom-made clothes.

These clothes also suit Shui Bing'er, making it easier for her to use the Frost Dragon Wings.

Although the two have slightly different body types, with some parts being larger or smaller, the clothes that Dugu Yan customized were already quite loose, and they fit Shui Bing'er well.

"Let's go, let's rest for a few days in the small town ahead," Tang San said, pointing ahead.

In the distance, a cluster of low-rise buildings can be faintly seen; it is a small town on the outskirts of the Frozen Forest, and the last stop before entering the Frozen Forest.

The town is of a certain size, specifically providing lodging and supply purchasing services for Soul Masters who enter the Frozen Forest to Soul Hunting.

Upon arriving in the town, Tang San found an inn to stay at.

To "save money," Tang San originally only wanted to book one room, but there wasn't a bed big enough for him.

Left with no other option, we had to book two rooms, with two people in each room.

Tang San planned to treat both the first half of the night in this room and the second half in that room equally.

The group decided to rest for three days and replenish their supplies, including dry food.

We've been in the Frozen Forests and the Far North for almost three months, and our supplies are almost gone; we need to replenish them.

After they settled in, they went downstairs to the restaurant for dinner.

There were more than a dozen tables set up in the lobby on the first floor, and quite a few people were sitting there.

Most of them were Soul Masters preparing to hunt for Soul Rings in the Frozen Forest, and there were also a few people who looked like merchants.

The air was filled with the aroma of food; it had been a long time since the group had smelled such a delightful fragrance, and their stomachs rumbled in unison.

The five of them found a table by the window, ordered more than a dozen dishes, and prepared to have a big meal.

Xiao Wu sat next to Tang San, resting her chin on her hands, and looked at him curiously with her big eyes, asking, "Tang San Third Brother, what are our plans next?"

Just as Tang San was about to speak, the conversation at the next table drifted into his ears.

"Have you heard? Wolf Bandits are rampant in the Northern Border lately; several villages have been looted." A middle-aged man's voice was filled with worry and anger.

"How could I not have heard! My cousin lives in the Northern Border. Last month, their village was attacked by Wolf Bandits, and many people died." Another voice, younger and more agitated, said.

"Is nobody in charge? What are the Imperial Army doing?"

"The Empire's army has also increased patrols, but those Wolf Bandits are elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace, fighting and running away, which is really troublesome. The Northern Border is vast and sparsely populated, and the army simply cannot keep up."

"Sigh, I wonder when this will ever end."

Tang San frowned slightly.

Wolf Bandits. He knew of their existence.

Wolf Bandits are a hybrid of humans and the Soul Beast "Gale Demon Wolf," making them half-human, half-wolf monsters.

The Gale Demon Wolf is inherently cruel and enjoys mating with human women; its offspring become Wolf Bandits.

They possess the robust physique, extreme speed, and wind-attribute talent of the Gale Demon Wolf, as well as a certain degree of human intelligence.

Wolf Bandits are bloodthirsty and brutal by nature; they not only plunder villages but also kill humans for food.

Tang San pondered for a moment, looked at the four girls, and said, "We'll travel eastward along the Northern Border of the Heaven Dou Empire, training and eliminating the Wolf Bandits along the way."

His voice was firm.

"Firstly, it allows me to gain practical experience and consolidate the results of my training over this period; secondly, it allows me to rid the people of harm and do something meaningful."

This was a good deed that rid the people of a scourge, and all the women naturally agreed with it.

Dugu Yan the first to nod, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Third Brother is right, I agree. Those Wolf Bandits have committed countless evils; it's long overdue for someone to deal with them."

Xiao Wu clenched her fist. "I agree too!"

The others naturally nodded in agreement.

So after resting for a few days and purchasing enough supplies, they set off.

The five of them set off from the small town and headed east along the Northern Border of the Heaven Dou Empire.

The vastness of Northern Border is beyond imagination.

It stretches for thousands of miles from the northwest corner to the northeast corner of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Hundreds of villages and towns are scattered along the border.

They all share a common threat: Wolf Bandits.

In each village he visited, Tang San would ask the villagers about the whereabouts of the Wolf Bandits.

The villagers were filled with gratitude when they saw that they were Soul Masters and had come to eliminate the Wolf Bandits.

Some villagers knelt down and kowtowed, holding their hands and weeping uncontrollably, stuffing the only food they had into their homes.

Tang San always politely declined the villagers' kindness, but sometimes, if he couldn't refuse, he would symbolically accept some dry rations.

They relentlessly hunted down Wolf Bandits along their journey.

Wolf Bandits' dens are mostly in valleys and caves, and every battle is a life-or-death struggle.

Wolf Bandits packs range in size from a dozen to hundreds of members, and the strength of Wolf Bandits leaders varies from a thousand to tens of thousands of years.

The leader of the thousand-year-old Wolf Bandits only has the strength of a third-ring master, while the leader of the ten-thousand-year-old Wolf Bandits has the strength of a fifth- to sixth-ring master. Moreover, they both possess intelligence and can command the Wolf Bandits pack to carry out tactical coordination.

However, Tang San cooperated seamlessly and their strength far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters, allowing them to win against overwhelming odds every time.

Ye Lingling and Tang San's healing abilities also came in very handy.

After some villages were ravaged by Wolf Bandits, the villagers were seriously injured and lacked medical care and medicine. If they did not receive timely treatment, many would die from their injuries.

Ye Lingling's Nine Heart Begonia Emperor can heal multiple people at the same time. A pale green light envelops the wounded, and the wounds heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. Broken bones are reconnected within a few breaths, pulling people back from the brink of death.

The villagers were initially stunned by these miraculous healing abilities; some even thought it was a divine intervention and knelt on the ground to kowtow.

Tang San quickly helped them up and explained that this was the power of their Martial Souls.