Who is the Prey

Knock, knock.

The door was rapped. Ye Tian sat motionless and asked in a clear voice, "Who is it?"

"Master Ye Tian, it's me, Third!"

"We only survived today thanks to you, Master. We've prepared some food and wine; we wonder if you might grace us with your presence?"

Third stood at the doorway, his tone respectful, though he felt uneasy inside.

Would this Ye Tian actually come?

"Lead the way."

The door opened, and Ye Tian stepped out.

"Right away, Master Ye Tian, this way!" Third led the way enthusiastically, secretly sneering in his heart. Does this Ye Tian really think he's safe just because the leader is injured?

Third had experienced this exact scenario four times in the past month; they had even taken down two level 49 Soul Ancestor experts before.

"Brother Ye Tian, come, sit!" Seeing Ye Tian, Leader Wang stood up and enthusiastically guided him to a seat beside him.

Ye Tian nodded faintly and sat opposite Leader Wang, not giving him the slightest bit of face.

The smile on Leader Wang's face stiffened for a moment before he quickly suppressed his irritation.

"Brother Ye Tian, we owe it to your help today, otherwise we would have perished at the hands of that Dark Giant Tiger."

The food and wine were served, and everyone began to eat and drink. With Yao Rao there, the atmosphere at the table remained lively even though Ye Tian stayed silent.

Leader Wang raised his wine bowl, looking at Ye Tian with a hearty, boisterous grin.

"Brother Ye Tian, I'm very glad to have met you. I hope we can continue to team up in the future."

"I'll finish this bowl first!"

Leader Wang downed the wine in one gulp and wiped his mouth, only to notice that Ye Tian hadn't even lifted a finger. Being slighted so openly, Leader Wang's expression darkened instantly.

"Brother Ye Tian, what's wrong? Is the wine not to your liking?"

Yao Rao and the others also quieted down, their gazes fixed on Ye Tian.

Ye Tian set his chopsticks down unhurriedly, wiped his mouth, and spoke slowly: "The food is decent, but the wine is lacking."

"Please forgive us, Brother Ye Tian, we're in the middle of nowhere. Once we return to Tiandou City, I'll treat you to some Hundred Fragrance Drunk!"

Yao Rao chimed in to smooth things over.

Ye Tian chuckled, picked up his wine bowl, and took a small sip. The gloom on Leader Wang's face quickly turned back into a smile.

But Ye Tian's next sentence left Leader Wang and the others stunned.

"If you hadn't added poisons like Scorpion Tail and Cockscomb Red, the wine would actually taste quite good."

Seeming surprised by the silence of the banquet, Ye Tian scanned the room. "Why has everyone stopped talking?"

The room fell silent for a heartbeat before Leader Wang and the others attacked almost simultaneously.

Hundreds of spider threads swept toward Ye Tian. Fourth and Fifth flanked him from left and right, while Third darted behind him to threaten his blind spot.

From the front, Leader Wang let out a roar, his body swelling to three meters tall, and he smashed a fierce, lightning-charged fist toward Ye Tian.

Ye Tian didn't move at all. He swept his Overlord Spear in a circle, and to Yao Rao's shock, all the spider threads snapped instantly.

The momentum of the spear didn't wane as it swept toward Fourth and Fifth.

"Brother, block him!" Fourth also roared. Taking advantage of the moment Ye Tian attacked Fifth, he leaped into the air, his sandbag-sized fist slamming toward Ye Tian's head.

In Fourth's estimation, Ye Tian would at least have to retract his spear to deal with this strike, which would allow Fifth to be saved.

However, facing this attack, Ye Tian didn't even turn his head. He simply released one hand, held the spear with his other, and smashed Fifth away. Simultaneously, he reached his right hand backward, palm open, meeting Fourth's fist head-on.

With a thud, Fourth felt his fist collide with a piece of diamond, the vibration making his arm ache. He stared at his own fist in shock.

A single palm had caught his fist firmly.

How is this possible?

His punch carried five hundred pounds of force; how could he fail to move Ye Tian, who hadn't even used his soul rings?

Ye Tian tightened his right hand, and Fourth felt a sharp pain in his fist, as if he were being hammered from all sides. Then, to his horror, he felt his body uncontrollably lifted off the ground.

Realizing what was happening, Fourth hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Master, spare me!"

"I'll never dare to do it again!"

Ye Tian couldn't be bothered with Fourth; he swung him around and hurled him at Leader Wang.

Everything happened too fast. Leader Wang only felt a blur before his eyes, and suddenly Fourth was in front of his fist.

He couldn't change his move now; forcing a stop would only injure himself. He smashed Fourth away and continued his attack toward Ye Tian with undiminished momentum.

A soul ring flashed briefly behind Ye Tian as he met Wang Ping with his Overlord Spear.

The moment the spear and fist collided, Wang Ping's expression changed drastically. He shouted, "Explode!"

A soul bone in his left arm lit up instantly. The shockwave from the explosion forced Leader Wang back several meters, and the tip of the Overlord Spear grazed past his scalp.

Though his spirit bone was forced to self-destruct, Leader Wang could not spare a moment for regret; taking advantage of the distance created by the explosion, he smashed through the window and fled without looking back.

The five of them had joined forces, yet they couldn't even force out a single soul ring skill from Ye Tian. This man was definitely no commoner.

Run!

Must run!

Ye Tian scanned the room. Aside from the severely injured and unconscious Fourth and Fifth, there was one person left. His gaze fell upon Yao Rao, who had been a step too slow, and his aura locked onto her.

"My lord, please spare my life. I am willing to do anything."

As Yao Rao spoke, her clothes began to slip, her eyes filled with a mix of pleading and pitiful charm.

Ye Tian toyed with the Overlord Spear, then suddenly thrust it toward the rafters, where a muffled groan echoed from above.

"Since this lady can't live, you can die with me!"

Seeing the plan had failed, the energy within Yao Rao turned violent. She threw herself at Ye Tian, clearly intending to self-destruct and take him down with her.

Ye Tian sneered. Just as the energy within Yao Rao reached its limit, he pierced her heart with his spear. With a twist of the tip, the light in Yao Rao's eyes faded into total darkness.

After finishing off the severely wounded Fourth and Fifth, Ye Tian quickly collected the storage bags from the four of them. He left a few Gold Soul Coins as compensation for the innkeeper, glanced in the direction Leader Wang had fled, and gave chase.

Half an hour later, Leader Wang collapsed to the ground, unwilling to the end, a hole punched through his back.

Tossing the corpse into the forest, Ye Tian took stock of today's haul.

As expected, this kind of no-cost business was the most profitable venture. The items he gathered from these four people included over ten thousand Gold Soul Coins alone.

He even found a spirit bone on Wang Ping. Although it was only a thousand-year-old specimen, it would still be highly sought after by many soul masters at an auction house.

The schemes of Leader Wang and his group were actually quite meticulous. Had Ye Tian not exchanged for a Detox Pill in advance and possessed strength an entire major realm higher than theirs, anyone else might have been overturned.

However, the fortune that Leader Wang and his men had worked so hard to accumulate now belonged to him. Ye Tian was even more expectant for the upcoming auction now, hoping there would be more treasures to be found.