A few days later, the Luo family had already set out for Heaven Dou City. They had bought a carriage, but the one pulling it was the Blazing Wolf.
As Luo Chen's strength grew, the Blazing Wolf's cultivation had also increased. By now, it had surpassed five hundred years.
"Big brother, how much longer until we get there?" Luo An'an had never traveled far from home. At first, everything had felt new and exciting, but as time passed, she grew bored. All she could do was sit in the carriage.
"It'll still take a while. What's wrong, An'an?"
Luo An'an said, "An'an's so bored, big brother! Can we go sit on the big bird?"
"Sure!" Luo Chen scooped Luo An'an up, told their parents, then summoned the Ice Feather Eagle and flew off with her. Of course, they didn't go far; they just circled nearby.
As for why they had so little luggage, it was because Luo Chen had put it all inside the Nightmare Ring. He was actually quite puzzled. Why did this Nightmare Ring have such a huge space? A Soul Tool with that much storage space shouldn't appear so easily, should it?
Could this ring have some other secret? He didn't think much more about it, though, and simply held his little sister as they soared through the sky.
"Wow, big brother, look! Everyone down there is so tiny!" Luo An'an cheered. "The scenery here isn't like the scenery around our home!"
"That's right. This is a plain, so it's wide open. Our home is by the sea, isn't it?"
"It is!"
At last, Luo An'an grew tired, and so did the Ice Feather Eagle. It had genuinely come to feel that flying was a burden. But what could it do? This little ancestor was its master's younger sister!
The thousand-year-old Ice Feather Eagle actually displayed a human emotion—grievance.
Luo Chen waited until his little sister had had enough before heading back. But when he sensed where his parents were, he discovered some strangers nearby.
Luo Chen's gaze turned cold. He could clearly sense the malice radiating from that group!
"Ice Feather Eagle, full speed back!"
Sensing its master's mood, the Ice Feather Eagle beat its wings hard, its speed surging in an instant. The cold wind roared past their ears.
The sudden acceleration startled Luo An'an, and she clung tightly to Luo Chen's neck.
"Big brother, why are we going so fast all of a sudden? An'an's scared!"
"It's okay, An'an. Be good and close your eyes. Big brother's here, so don't be scared."
Though Luo An'an was little, she was very obedient. She immediately buried her face against Luo Chen's chest and closed her eyes.
Violet light blazed in Luo Chen's left eye as his Spirit Abyss Realm spiritual power spread out like a tide, instantly enveloping several miles around them.
He "saw" their carriage stopped in the middle of the road. Several Soul Grandmasters had looped ropes around the Blazing Wolf, which was struggling violently.
Luo Dashan was being held to the ground by two men. A burly man with a face full of flesh was gripping Lin Xiaomei by the arm, and seven or eight men carrying knives and clubs stood nearby.
Luo Chen was furious!
The Ice Feather Eagle immediately dived! The gale from its wings swept up the dust below, sending it swirling through the air!
Luo Chen didn't wait for the Ice Feather Eagle to land. Holding Luo An'an, he jumped straight down from the sky.
The instant he landed, he dropped to one knee to absorb the force. Luo An'an nestled quietly in his arms, not jostled at all.
"Who are you?" The burly man who looked like the bandit leader jumped in fright and whipped around.
He saw a silver-haired young man leap down from the back of a gigantic white eagle, a little girl in his arms. He froze for a moment.
Luo Chen ignored him.
He set Luo An'an on the ground, crouched down, and rubbed her head. Then he said softly, "An'an, stay right here and don't move, okay? Close your eyes and cover your ears. When you count to ten, open your eyes, all right?"
"Mhm!" Luo An'an nodded firmly.
Luo Chen stood and turned toward the bandits.
His left eye was a violet vertical pupil, his right eye a silver round one. His long, silver-white hair fluttered gently in the wind.
He released all the spiritual power of the Spirit Abyss Realm without holding back. An invisible pressure filled the air.
"Who gave you permission to hurt my parents?" Luo Chen asked coldly, his voice so low it sent chills through everyone!
The bandit leader gripping Lin Xiaomei unconsciously let go.
Luo Chen didn't answer. He went over to Luo Dashan and looked down at the two men holding his father down. His spiritual power had already drained the color from their faces, and their grip had long since loosened.
A flash of light passed through Luo Chen's eyes. The two men rolled their eyes back and died on the spot!
Two Soul Grandmasters had been killed in an instant by Luo Chen!
Luo Dashan climbed to his feet. There was blood at the corner of his mouth and a bruise on his face, but he seemed otherwise unharmed.
He saw his son kill the two men with a single attack. His lips moved, but in the end, he only said, "Be careful."
Luo Chen continued, "I'll ask one more time. Who gave you permission to hurt my parents?"
The leader thought Luo Chen had only knocked the two men out. He swallowed, then continued, "I'm the king around these parts! This road's under my control, too. Anyone who passes through has to pay a toll to keep their life! If your old man won't pay, then I'll—!"
Before he could finish, Luo Chen was already in front of him, gripping him by the throat.
The distance was over ten meters, but Luo Chen covered it in two quick strides. He clamped a hand around the leader's neck, squeezing until veins bulged!
The bandit leader's eyes nearly popped out. His face went from white to red, then from red to purple, and a hoarse "kh-kh" sound came from his throat.
"Hmph. So you're just a menace to society." Luo Chen showed no more mercy. A flash of light crossed his eyes, and a mental attack plunged straight into the leader's mind. In an instant, his brain turned to mush, and he met his end right there.
After killing the three men, Luo Chen saw that the rest were merely Soul Masters, and weak ones at that. The Blazing Wolf wasn't having it, though. They had taken advantage of it when it was tired!
They had waited until it was exhausted to loop ropes around it. It really wanted to tear every one of them to pieces.
Luo Chen didn't even look at the men. Instead, he released several Soul Beasts and let them deal with the bandits!
They had truly crossed Luo Chen's line. He was certain the bandits would be tortured to death by the Soul Beasts.
Luo An'an had already counted to ten. She asked impatiently, "Big brother, are you done?"
"All done, An'an. Big brother's coming to get you."
Lin Xiaomei walked over and took Luo An'an from Luo Chen's arms, then looked him up and down. "You're not hurt, are you?"
"I'm fine. What about Father?"
"He's fine, just some flesh wounds." Luo Dashan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and glanced at the bandits, frowning. "What are you going to do with them?"
Luo Chen didn't answer. He gave Luo Dashan a long look, and Luo Dashan understood something from it. A chill ran down his spine.
Those men had most likely already been reduced to bones. Of course, Luo Chen couldn't say that. He was afraid of frightening his mother and little sister.
The family gathered their things. Fortunately, most of their luggage was with Luo Chen. Otherwise, the bandits might have already run off with it.
This incident had also served as a reminder to Luo Chen: he needed to speed up the development of the Gulu Ball Soul Tool. He couldn't stay by his parents' side every moment, so he would find them some powerful "bodyguards"!
Before long, the Soul Beasts returned...
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