Kill, Finish Them Off, Then Loot the Corpses

The destructive power of three five-thousand-year soul beasts in a berserk state was terrifying. They charged into the crowd, and with a single sweep, snapped the surrounding trees in half. Even the ground could not withstand it, cracking open like a spiderweb.

"Damn it! Defend yourselves, defend yourselves!" Dai Chong roared.

The group immediately summoned their martial souls to resist the attacks of the three five-thousand-year soul beasts, while Cheng Xiao, who had caused all this, had long since vanished without a trace.

Although they had raised their defenses at once, several people were still injured after only a few exchanges.

Five-thousand-year soul beasts were nothing like three-thousand-year ones. Even Soul Ancestors had to treat them with utmost caution. If there had only been one, the seven of them could have used their coordination to wear it down and kill it.

But three had appeared at once, making them hard to handle. One slight lapse in coordination, and someone would be injured.

"Stop holding back! End this quickly!"

Seeing that the situation was going wrong, Dai Chong finally dared not remain careless. He brought out his true strength and fought the three soul beasts with everything he had.

Boom!

When the last soul beast fell, the seven of them had finally slain all three. But they had paid a considerable price as well. Everyone was wounded and covered in blood. The most seriously injured had even lost an arm!

"You can all still hold on, right?" Dai Chong asked, his face full of viciousness as he swept his gaze over the battered group.

"I won't die." Seventh Brother clutched his severed arm, pain making the corners of his eyes twitch uncontrollably.

"Damn little bastard!" Sixth Brother gritted his teeth and said viciously, "Kill him. We have to kill him!"

"Right, we can't let him go!"

"Bastard!"

For a time, the group was filled with rage.

"Oh? You're all still alive?"

Suddenly, that familiar childish voice rang out again. Like a death knell, it sent a chill through the hearts of the seven, making their scalps gradually go numb. Their curses stopped abruptly as a terrible premonition rose within them.

"Little brother, we'll admit defeat this time." Dai Chong's expression was grave as he took two purple cards from his robes. "This is the payment for hiring us. Consider it our apology and compensation, all right? As long as you let us leave, we'll keep out of each other's way from now on. We will never make things difficult for you again."

Their group was in terrible condition now. After killing the three soul beasts, they no longer had the strength to fight. Their Soul Power was exhausted, and Seventh Brother had even lost an arm. If they clashed again with Cheng Xiao, whose strength they knew nothing about, the consequences would be impossible to predict.

However, Cheng Xiao was not buying it. He was not a three-year-old child; how could he be so easily fooled? If he let them leave over a few soul coins, what would happen if they returned to cause him trouble after recovering from their injuries?

His family members were all ordinary people. If these people came back for revenge, his whole family would be finished!

Besides, he could get Gold Soul Coins by killing them too!

"Leave none alive!" Cheng Xiao was no softhearted person. A mocking curve rose at the corners of his lips, and the few softly spoken words carried chilling killing intent. "Kill them!"

The next instant, Cheng Xiao's shadow stirred as though it had come alive. Tentacles continuously stretched out from it, linking with the surrounding trees and forming an enormous crisscrossing net. In the next moment, thirteen soul beast shadows crawled out of that darkness as though emerging from the abyss of hell. Roaring and howling, they surrounded the seven so completely that not even water could pass through.

"Y-you..."

The seven were horrified. They stared in terror at six of the soul beasts. These were clearly the ones they had helped hunt earlier!

No wonder! No wonder this brat had hired them to hunt soul beasts and refused to let them watch!

Everything made sense now!

This brat actually possessed such a bizarre ability!

"Fight!" Sixth Brother roared and charged forward first.

"Together!" Dai Chong drew a deep breath, then waved his hand with a grave expression. "Protect Sixth Brother. Break through and seize that brat."

Since there was no peaceful way out, they could only risk everything. Fortunately, none of the thirteen soul beasts were over three thousand years old. If they could charge desperately toward the brat and take him hostage, they might still have a chance to survive.

Bang!

Boom!

The seven endured injury after injury as they killed the weakest Tiger Demon Cat, trying to break through the line of soul beasts and rush toward Cheng Xiao.

However, when two soul beasts closed in from both sides, the seven discovered in horror that the Tiger Demon Cat they had just killed behind them was being wrapped in shadow and revived once again!

"W-what the hell is this!?" The seven were scared out of their wits.

They had never seen such a bizarre method. Those shadowy figures radiated an aura of deathly stillness, yet they could revive endlessly...

This was definitely not something a normal soul master could do!

It was more like... those Fallen Ones hunted down by Spirit Hall!

Fallen Soul Masters! The moment they thought of those words, the seven felt as though they had fallen into an icy abyss.

"It's over. It's all over!" One man dropped to his knees in despair.

If these soul beasts could be killed, perhaps one or two of them might still have had a chance to escape. But the soul beasts could revive without end. No matter how well they coordinated, they could not escape death.

"It's all your fault, all yours! We told you not to get greedy!" Someone shoved Sixth Brother.

"I don't want to die. I still have children at home. Boss, think of something."

Cheng Xiao watched their pathetic display, but his heart was as hard as steel, untouched in the slightest. With a light wave of his hand, seven soul beasts pounced at once, while five remained on the outside to plug any gaps. Relying on their endless recovery, they wore down the enemy's Soul Power before killing them once they could no longer hold on.

Only after all seven had fallen did Cheng Xiao withdraw the Shadow Domain. He pulled out a dagger and finished them off one corpse at a time. Kill them, make sure they were dead, then loot the bodies. Good habits had to be cultivated early, and Cheng Xiao understood that all too well.

Sixth Brother's limbs had already been gnawed clean by the soul beasts, yet he still had one last breath left. Watching Cheng Xiao methodically finish off each person, he felt his entire body turn stiff and cold. Just how had this brat been raised? He even knew to finish people off!?

Cheng Xiao's still-small body blocked out the sunlight like the shadow of death.

As death approached, Sixth Brother's heart filled with endless regret. If he had not been so greedy back then, perhaps he would not have ended up like this.

"Y-you... won't live... for much longer either..." Sixth Brother suddenly widened his eyes. A flash of light erupted from those deathly eyes as he forced himself to hold on, vomiting blood while laughing loudly.

"Ha ha ha ha! Come to hell with us..."

"Pfft!" Cheng Xiao sneered, taking it for nothing more than a vicious deathbed curse.

He crouched down, preparing to drive his dagger into Sixth Brother's heart and end his life.

However, Cheng Xiao's expression changed drastically the next instant. A fierce aura enveloped him completely.

Cheng Xiao's eyelids twitched wildly. The pressure came from behind him, and the sunlight was blocked out by something enormous. That terrifying aura made his heart pound like a drum.

He stiffly turned his head and saw a massive bear, towering in stature, that had silently approached behind him while he was finishing the others off!

Cheng Xiao's breath caught. "D-Dark Golden Dreadclaw Bear!?"