Counterattack

These people were stronger than the assassins who had attacked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!

Five Soul Saints and ten Soul Emperors!

The leader was an Eighty-Five Rank Soul Douluo!

Claude and Jason fought desperately, but they were entangled by two Soul Saints, barely holding on as danger closed in!

Tie Shan roared as he battled a Soul Emperor, his entire body drenched in blood!

Ying Shu darted through the shadows, launching sneak attacks, but there were simply too many enemies for him to stop them all!

The Eighty-Five Rank Soul Douluo had already charged to the front of the carriage. With one palm strike, he shattered the defensive Soul Tool at the outer perimeter!

His target was those three Specially-made Carriages!

As long as he destroyed this shipment, the mission would fail!

Just as his palm was about to press against the carriage compartment...

A Deep Blue figure appeared soundlessly before him.

Lan Aotian.

He did not attack. He merely stood there, quietly looking at the Soul Douluo.

The Soul Douluo's pupils contracted sharply!

He had not sensed how this person had appeared at all!

But his reaction was extremely fast. He changed his palm into a fist, the light of eight Soul Rings flaring brilliantly as he punched toward Lan Aotian's chest!

That punch was powerful enough to shatter metal and split stone!

Lan Aotian still did not move.

He merely raised his right hand and lightly clenched it.

The fist that had been heading for his chest stopped.

The Soul Douluo had not stopped it himself.

It had been forcibly imprisoned in midair by an invisible force.

The Soul Douluo's eyes widened. He frantically circulated his Soul Power, only to find that his fist remained completely immobile, as if clamped in an iron vise!

"You... who are you?!"

His voice trembled.

Lan Aotian looked at him, his gaze calm.

"You touched my things."

Warning bells rang wildly in the Soul Douluo's heart. His other hand flashed to his waist and drew a short sword, stabbing toward Lan Aotian's throat!

Lan Aotian did not even look at him.

He merely applied a little more force with the hand gripping the Soul Douluo's fist.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bones rang out clearly!

The Soul Douluo let out a scream, and the short sword slipped from his hand and fell to the ground!

Lan Aotian released his grip.

Clutching his deformed palm, the Soul Douluo staggered backward, his face filled with terror!

"Retreat! Retreat, now!"

The remaining assassins had long since been scared out of their wits. Upon hearing the order, they fled desperately into the darkness as if granted a reprieve!

Lan Aotian watched their fleeing backs and spoke indifferently.

"Since you've come, don't bother leaving."

He raised his hand, and a mass of Azure Blue light appeared in his palm.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Perception Ring—Earth Vein Heavenly Eye."

Vmmm!

With him at the center, the earth within a thousand-meter radius suddenly lit up with countless Azure Blue patterns!

The patterns spread and interwove like blood vessels, instantly forming a massive formation!

Azure Blue light simultaneously appeared beneath the feet of every fleeing assassin!

Thick vines burst from the light and instantly wrapped around their legs!

"No—!"

"Let me go!"

Screams rose one after another!

Five Soul Saints and ten Soul Emperors were all bound by the vines and hung upside down in midair!

The Eighty-Five Rank Soul Douluo was no exception. He struggled frantically, exploding with Soul Power, but he could not break free of those seemingly soft vines!

Lan Aotian slowly walked up to him.

"Who sent you?"

The Soul Douluo ground his teeth. "Don't even think about finding out!"

Lan Aotian nodded.

"Quite the backbone."

He raised his hand and touched the Soul Douluo's brow with one finger.

"Sixth Soul Skill, Symbiosis Ring—Life Link."

Azure Blue light surged into the Soul Douluo's body.

The Soul Douluo's body suddenly stiffened, and the light in his eyes instantly faded!

A moment later, Lan Aotian withdrew his finger.

The Soul Douluo's corpse drooped limply, completely devoid of life.

Lan Aotian turned and looked at the assassins hanging in midair.

"What about you? Talk, or die?"

The remaining assassins looked ashen. After exchanging glances, one of them finally broke down.

"I'll talk! I'll talk! It was... it was someone from within Spirit Hall! They ordered us to destroy this shipment and, while we were at it... while we were at it, create chaos and test your strength!"

A flicker passed through Lan Aotian's eyes.

Someone from within Spirit Hall?

Interesting.

He looked toward the three Specially-made Carriages.

What secret was hidden in this shipment?

What was worth going to such lengths for, even by someone within Spirit Hall?

At that moment, three figures tore through the air and arrived.

Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Ning Rongrong landed inside the camp.

Looking at the assassins hanging from the vines throughout the area and the completely lifeless Soul Douluo corpse, shock flashed through all three of their eyes.

Chen Xin's gaze fell on the vines, and a trace of solemnity crossed his aged face.

These vines... were not an ordinary plant-type Soul Skill.

The aura of life contained within them was so pure that even he felt a chill in his heart.

Ning Fengzhi took a deep breath and looked toward Lan Aotian.

"Brother Lin, this..."

Lan Aotian did not explain. He merely said indifferently, "Someone wanted to destroy this shipment and, while doing so, test you and me."

Ning Fengzhi's eyes narrowed.

Test you and me?

In other words, the assassins who had attacked the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect had not been targeting Rongrong either. They had been trying to... draw him and Uncle Jian away?

His expression darkened.

"Brother Lin, do you know who was behind this?"

Lan Aotian looked toward the three Specially-made Carriages, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"I don't know."

He paused.

"But I'll find out soon."

The Night Wind howled, and the air reeked of blood.

This assassination in the dark of night was only the beginning.

The Night Wind howled, and the air reeked of blood.

Fifteen assassins were hung upside down in midair by Jade Green Vines, like ripe fruit hanging from branches, swaying gently in the wind.

Their struggles grew weaker and weaker. Those seemingly soft vines appeared capable of absorbing Soul Power. With every extra moment of entanglement, another portion of their strength drained away.

Lan Aotian slowly walked to the Soul Douluo's corpse and looked down at it.

Eighty-Five Rank. He would be considered a powerhouse anywhere. What a pity that he had chosen the wrong opponent.

He crouched down and pressed his palm against the corpse's forehead.

Azure Blue light flared.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand, a trace of understanding flashing through his eyes.

"An elder of Shadow Tower, but the true employer..." He paused and looked north. "...came from Spirit City."

Ning Fengzhi's expression changed slightly. "Spirit City? You mean..."

Lan Aotian stood up and dusted off nonexistent ash from his hands. "Someone doesn't want this shipment to reach Spirit City. More precisely, they don't want it to fall into the hands of the Papal Palace."

He looked toward the three Specially-made Carriages.

Only then did Claude stagger over. He was badly wounded, and a deep, bone-exposing gash on his left shoulder was still bleeding, but he had no time to bandage it. With a thud, he dropped to his knees before Lan Aotian.

"Your Majesty! Thank you for saving our lives! If not for Your Majesty's intervention, we would all have died today!"

Lan Aotian did not look at him. He merely said indifferently, "Get up. Do you have any medicine for your wounds?"

Claude froze, then nodded repeatedly. "Yes! Yes! Thank you for Your Majesty's concern!"

He got to his feet and called over the surviving guards to treat the wounded and clean up the battlefield.

Lan Aotian walked to the three Specially-made Carriages and carefully examined the compartments.

The compartments had been reinforced with special metal, and complex Soul Tool patterns were engraved across their surfaces. Even the Soul Douluo's full-powered strike had only left several cracks in the protective shield and had not truly damaged the compartments themselves.

He placed his hand against one of the compartments, and his Mental Power slowly seeped inside.

An extremely powerful seal had been placed inside the compartment. Even with his current Mental Power, he could not penetrate it. But the method used to create the seal... his eyes flickered slightly.

It seemed somewhat familiar.

It was as if he had seen it somewhere before.