Who Was the Prey?

Knock, knock.

Ye Tian sat still as someone rapped on the door. "Who is it?" he called.

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

"We made it through today thanks to you, sir. We've prepared some food and wine. Would you do us the honor of joining us?"

Third stood outside the door, his tone respectful, though he wasn't sure how things would go.

Would Ye Tian actually come?

"Lead the way."

The door opened, and Ye Tian stepped out.

"Right this way, Lord Ye Tian!" Third eagerly led him along, silently scoffing to himself. Did Ye Tian really think he was safe just because their leader was injured?

Third had been through scenes like this four times in the past month. They'd even taken down two level forty-nine Soul Ancestors.

"Brother Ye Tian, come, sit!" Leader Wang rose at the sight of Ye Tian and warmly ushered him to the seat beside himself.

Ye Tian gave a faint nod and sat across from Leader Wang, showing him no courtesy at all.

The smile on Leader Wang's face stiffened for an instant, but he quickly suppressed his displeasure.

"Brother Ye Tian, we owe you a great deal for helping us today. Otherwise, that Dark Giant Tiger would've finished us off."

The food and wine were served, and everyone began eating and drinking. With Yao Rao there, the table stayed lively even though Ye Tian remained silent.

Leader Wang lifted his bowl of wine and looked at Ye Tian with a hearty smile.

"Brother Ye Tian, I'm glad we've met. I hope we can team up again in the future."

"I'll finish this bowl first!"

Leader Wang drained his bowl in one go and wiped his mouth. Ye Tian hadn't even lifted a hand. Leader Wang's face darkened at such a blatant snub.

"Brother Ye Tian, what's wrong? Not used to this wine?"

Yao Rao and the others fell silent, their eyes turning to Ye Tian.

Ye Tian set down his chopsticks unhurriedly, wiped his mouth, and spoke slowly. "The food is good, but the wine could be better."

"This backwater place is hardly the sort of place to find fine wine, Brother Ye. Please don't hold it against us. When we get back to Heaven Dou City, I'll treat you to some Hundred Fragrance Drunk!"

Yao Rao tried to smooth things over.

Ye Tian chuckled and lifted the bowl for a small sip. The gloom on Leader Wang's face quickly gave way to a smile.

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

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

Seeing how quiet the table had become, Ye Tian glanced around. "Why has everyone gone silent?"

The room went still for an instant. Leader Wang and the others attacked almost simultaneously.

Hundreds of strands of webbing swept toward Ye Tian. Fourth and Fifth moved in from either side, while Third darted behind Ye Tian, threatening him from the rear.

From the front, Leader Wang roared as his body swelled to three meters tall. He drove a fierce punch, wrapped in surging lightning, toward Ye Tian.

Ye Tian didn't move at all. The Overlord Spear swept in a circle through his hands, snapping every strand of webbing under Yao Rao's astonished gaze.

The spear's momentum didn't let up as it swept toward Fourth and Fifth.

"Little brother, hold him off!" Fourth roared. While Ye Tian was attacking Fifth, he leaped into the air and swung a fist as big as a sandbag at Ye Tian's head.

Fourth had expected that, faced with his attack, Ye Tian would at least have to pull back his spear, giving Fifth a chance to escape.

Yet Ye Tian didn't even turn his head. He released one hand and wielded the spear one-handed, knocking Fifth away. At the same time, he reached behind himself with his right hand, opened his palm, and met Fourth's fist head-on.

With a bang, Fourth felt as if his fist had struck a diamond. Pain shot through his arm, and he stared at his knuckles in disbelief.

A bare hand had caught his fist and held it fast.

How was that possible?

His punch had packed five hundred pounds of force, yet it hadn't even taken down Ye Tian, who hadn't used a Soul Ring at all.

Ye Tian's right hand tightened. Fourth's fist throbbed with agony, as if it were being hammered from every direction. Then, to his horror, he realized his feet had left the ground.

Fourth understood what was coming and hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Sir, spare me!"

"I'll never do it again!"

Ye Tian couldn't be bothered to answer. He grabbed Fourth, swung him around, and hurled him at Leader Wang.

It all happened too quickly. Leader Wang's vision blurred, and someone appeared in front of his fist: Fourth, his teammate.

He couldn't change his move now. Forcing himself to stop his skill would only injure him, so he punched Fourth away, his momentum carrying him on toward Ye Tian.

The Soul Ring behind Ye Tian flashed and vanished. He thrust the Overlord Spear forward to meet Wang Ping.

The moment spear and fist collided, Wang Ping's face changed. He roared, "Explode!"

A Soul Bone in his left arm lit up. The blast's shockwave drove Leader Wang back several meters, while the Overlord Spear's tip grazed his scalp.

The Soul Bone had been forcibly detonated, but Leader Wang had no time to mourn its loss. Using 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 hadn't even forced Ye Tian to use his Soul Ring skill. He couldn't possibly be a commoner.

Run!

Run for your lives!

Ye Tian swept his gaze around the room. Fourth and Fifth lay gravely wounded and unconscious; one other person remained. His eyes settled on Yao Rao, who had been a step too slow, and he locked onto her with his presence.

"Sir, please spare my life. I'll do anything you want."

As Yao Rao spoke, her clothes began to slip from her shoulders. Her eyes were pleading, her expression pitiful.

Ye Tian toyed with the Overlord Spear, then suddenly thrust it toward the rafters. A muffled groan sounded from above.

"If I can't get out alive, then you're coming with me!"

Seeing her plan had failed, Yao Rao's energy turned volatile. She lunged at Ye Tian, clearly intending to self-destruct and take him with her.

Ye Tian sneered. Just as the energy inside Yao Rao reached its limit, he ran her through the heart with his spear. He twisted the tip, and the light in her eyes faded completely.

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

Half an hour later, Leader Wang fell to the ground, his face full of unwillingness. A hole had been torn through his back.

Ye Tian tossed the body into the forest and took stock of what he'd gained that day.

Sure enough, robbing others was the quickest way to make a fortune. The four of them had carried more than ten thousand Gold Soul Coins alone.

He'd even found a Soul Bone on Wang Ping. It was only a thousand years old, but plenty of Soul Masters would still clamor for it at an auction house.

Wang Ping and the others had been careful in their planning. If Ye Tian hadn't exchanged for a Detox Pill beforehand, and if he hadn't been a whole major realm stronger than them, someone else might well have fallen into their trap.

But now, the wealth Leader Wang and the others had painstakingly amassed belonged to him. Ye Tian was looking forward to the upcoming auction even more. He hoped there would be plenty of treasures there.