The Path to Death, Five Kills in an Instant

Deep within the dense forest stood Su Mo and Bibi Dong.

Su Mo had not intended to meddle in other people's affairs.

He had heard the words Soul Bone earlier and had indeed been curious, but after discovering it was merely a thousand-year Soul Bone, he immediately lost interest.

His mind was now filled with the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well. He only wanted to find that treasure ground as soon as possible and had no desire to stir up unnecessary trouble.

So he took Bibi Dong's hand, preparing to leave without a sound.

Yet just as they turned around, they were discovered.

At that moment, a soul skill suddenly blasted toward the forest where they stood.

With a thunderous boom, trees shattered and branches and leaves flew everywhere.

Su Mo pulled Bibi Dong aside at high speed, dodging the attack.

The forest was cleared into an open space, thoroughly exposing Su Mo and Bibi Dong to everyone present.

"Are you all right?" Su Mo turned to look at Bibi Dong, a trace of chill flashing through his eyes.

He did not want trouble, but that did not mean he feared it.

Since they had taken the initiative to court death, they could not blame him.

"I'm fine." Bibi Dong shook her head, her expression calm.

With Golden Crocodile Douluo hidden nearby, she was not worried about her or Su Mo's safety at all.

"Boss, look at that little girl. That face, that figure... tsk, tsk, she's an absolute beauty!"

The instant the burly man saw Bibi Dong, his eyes went wide, and his breathing grew noticeably heavier.

He looked Bibi Dong up and down, his gaze roaming over her body without the slightest restraint. Greed and lust nearly spilled from his eyes.

"Who would've thought that today, we'd not only find a Soul Bone, but have a little beauty deliver herself right to us?" he said with a grin. "She's a little young, but that's exactly how I like them!"

Several of his underlings let out knowing, lewd laughs, their eyes likewise roaming brazenly over Bibi Dong.

Bibi Dong's expression instantly turned cold, killing intent flashing through her eyes.

From childhood until now, no one had ever dared look at her with such eyes or insult her with such filthy words!

Yet the burly man remained completely oblivious, his gaze growing even more unrestrained.

"Little beauty, Sunset Forest is dangerous!" Carrying his axe over his shoulder, he took two steps forward. "Soul Beasts are everywhere. A delicate little girl like you—wouldn't it be a pity if some beast ate you?"

He chuckled and continued, "Why not follow this lord instead? I'll make sure you eat and drink well. Whatever you want, you'll have it. Surely that's far better than following some scrawny little brat. Look at that little lover of yours—he looks like he'd topple in a breeze. Can he protect you?"

"Exactly!" one of his underlings chimed in. "Our boss is a powerful Rank 44 Soul Ancestor!"

The burly man said, "Kid, if you know what's good for you, hand over the little beauty beside you. I'm in a good mood today, so I can leave you an intact corpse."

Su Mo and Bibi Dong were dressed extravagantly, clearly the children of some noble family.

To avoid trouble afterward, he had already decided that not only would he kill Su Mo later, but he would also deal with those other bothersome people to prevent any news from leaking out.

Su Mo looked coldly at the group.

Since they dared ogle Bibi Dong like that and speak to her in such a filthy manner, in God King Tang's words, they had chosen the path to death!

"Hide behind me." Su Mo shielded Bibi Dong behind him and slowly walked forward.

"Haha!" The burly man's underlings laughed even harder at the sight. "Boss, look! That brat's coming over! Don't tell me he's scared and really plans to hand over the little beauty?"

Just then, an urgent voice suddenly rang out. "Little brother, don't come over! Run!"

The tall, thin middle-aged man looked anxious as he desperately waved at Su Mo and Bibi Dong.

Though he did not know Su Mo, he could not bear to watch two young people lose their lives because of this unexpected disaster.

The people across from them were no good.

Su Mo gave him an indifferent glance but ignored him. Without slowing, he walked directly to a spot not far from the group and stopped.

Seeing this, the burly man swaggered toward Su Mo and Bibi Dong with his axe over his shoulder, every step radiating arrogant certainty.

"Not bad, kid. You know what's good for you." Grinning, he looked past Su Mo at Bibi Dong behind him. "Little beauty, don't worry. I'll take good care of—"

Before he could finish, a sudden change erupted!

Crack—

A crisp sound suddenly came from behind Su Mo!

Black-gold light burst forth in an instant. A pair of enormous Sword Wings spread open, then immediately broke apart. Countless Sword Feathers detached and gathered in midair into an incomparably sharp Cone Sword Stream, which shot toward the burly man's heart with a piercing shriek through the air!

The Cone Sword Stream was incredibly fast!

So fast that the burly man had no time to react, much less make any defensive move.

He had not taken Su Mo seriously at all, and the distance between them was too short.

Splat—

A bloody hole the size of a fist instantly appeared in the burly man's chest, piercing straight through him!

Blood sprayed out like a fountain.

The lustful expression on the burly man's face vanished completely, leaving only endless shock, fear, and disbelief.

He slowly lowered his head, staring at the horrifying bloody hole in his chest. His lips moved, but not a single word came out.

Thud—

His entire body fell straight backward.

A powerful Rank 44 Soul Ancestor, killed in a single strike!

The entire area fell deathly silent!

The tall, thin middle-aged man and his group stared with their eyes wide open, mouths hanging wide enough to fit an egg, their minds utterly blank.

The burly man's underlings were even more rigid, as though they had been struck by a paralysis spell, unable to move at all.

What was that?

What were those wings?!

They were all commoner Spirit Masters who made a living by hunting Soul Beasts in groups and selling materials. In their entire lives, they had never seen such a treasure, nor had they even heard of one.

They knew only one thing: their boss, a Rank 44 Soul Ancestor, had been instantly killed by the seemingly harmless young man before them!

He had not even been given time to react!

However, in the very instant they froze, the Cone Sword Stream broke apart again, transforming into four incomparably sharp streaks of sword light. Trailing black-gold afterimages, they shot toward the burly man's four underlings!

Su Mo's Soul Power had now reached Rank 40, and after being pressured by the might of Spirit Hall's elders, his External Soul Bone had completely fused with him.

Its speed and power were already incomparable to what they had been two years ago!

They were merely four Soul Elders. There was no way they could react in time.

Splat! Splat! Splat! Splat!

Four dull impacts sounded almost simultaneously.

Four corpses fell to the ground, each with an extra bloody hole in the chest.

Clean and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

From the moment Su Mo made his move to the deaths of all five men, the entire process had taken no more than a single breath.

The tall, thin middle-aged man and his group were completely dumbfounded.

They looked at the five corpses on the ground, then at the indifferent young man before them. Not one of them dared speak; they even instinctively held their breath.

Bibi Dong, meanwhile, stared intently at Su Mo's back. The corners of her lips lifted slightly, and an unusual light flickered in her eyes.

Being protected like this felt rather nice.

At that moment, the tall, thin man came back to his senses.

"M-My lord!"

He hurried over, his face showing a mixture of fear and, even more so, respect.

Holding the Soul Bone in both hands, he carefully offered it to Su Mo and bowed.

"My lord, this Soul Bone... is a small token of our gratitude. If not for your intervention, not only would my brothers and I have failed to keep the Soul Bone today, we likely would have lost our lives as well. Please accept it!"

Cold sweat still beaded on his forehead as he spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

What had just happened was far too shocking. Five people had died in a single breath.

He feared Su Mo might attack them for the Soul Bone, so he could only take the initiative to offer it up.

The three brothers behind him hurriedly bowed as well, scarcely daring to breathe.

Su Mo's gaze fell upon the Soul Bone.

To ordinary Spirit Masters, it was indeed a priceless treasure worth risking their lives for, but to him, it was nothing special.

Still, bringing it back to Spirit Hall to reward those who had rendered merit, or using it to cultivate his own followers, would not be bad.

"Since that is the case, I'll accept it." Su Mo nodded indifferently.

The tall, thin middle-aged man immediately felt as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and much of the fear left his face.

Su Mo accepted the Soul Bone without saying anything more.

He turned back around, the coldness already gone from his face, replaced by a gentle smile.

"Let's go, Senior Sister."

Bibi Dong nodded heavily. Stepping forward, she wrapped her arm around Su Mo's and lifted her little face, her expression full of admiration and longing.

"Junior Brother, your External Soul Bone is amazing! When will I have one too?"

"You will," Su Mo said with a smile. "I'll find you the very best one someday."

"You said it! No going back on your word!"

"Of course not."

Talking and laughing, the two gradually disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.