Mockery? How Dare You?

Soul rings were an inevitable path for every Soul Master. The higher the age of the soul rings obtained in the early stages, the greater one's potential for later development. The maximum age for a first soul ring was one thousand years.

Zhang Nan planned to hunt an aggressive soul beast between five thousand and ten thousand years old for his Martial Soul, the Peerless Sword Case. He also planned to hunt another soul beast of the same age with dark attributes for his Twin Martial Souls, the Darknight Phantom Leopard.

If he could not find a soul ring over five thousand years old, he would have no choice but to take a stroll through the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Stop!"

Just as Zhang Nan and the others wanted to continue forward, a voice suddenly interrupted their path. Turning around, they saw a middle-aged man with a sleazy appearance, dressed in clothes similar to those of a school instructor.

Judging from his tone, this man was clearly no good person. Zhang Nan did not bother being polite and coldly asked, "What is it?"

"There's a hundred-year soul beast ahead that I, Stedek, was hunting. It escaped after being seriously injured, and it ran in this direction. Go hunt soul beasts somewhere else!"

Seeing that Zhang Nan and the others had steady auras and did not seem like Soul Masters, the man spoke arrogantly. Little did he know that under the system's concealment, Zhang Nan's Soul Master aura could not be detected even by a Title Douluo—let alone a god.

And the Five Tiger Generals were all Title Douluo. How could trash like him possibly sense them?

"Kid, watch your mouth when you speak to your grandpas. What do you mean, go somewhere else? Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"

Zhang Fei glared at the man with bloodshot eyes and a thick neck, enraged by his arrogant tone. At the same time, Zhang Nan, Zhao Yun, and the others were equally speechless at the man's words.

A hundred-year soul beast? I wouldn't even spare it a glance, alright?

Besides, what strength do you have? What strength do I have? Saying that—aren't you afraid of death?

As the tension mounted.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Seven figures landed beside the man at the same time: five men and three women, all middle-aged in appearance. They were probably instructors from some academy as well.

"How was it? Did you find it?"

"Yeah, we can't let it get away. It's a hundred-year soul beast, after all!"

"Don't tell me these people caught it?"

The group chattered endlessly until the man whispered something to them. Their expressions immediately changed from calm to furious.

Zhang Nan instantly understood what had happened. With the vision of his Eye of Reincarnation, he had not seen anything along the way apart from a few tiny soul beasts. Clearly, the man had blamed them for losing the soul beast.

"Speak! Are you instructors from an academy, or are you from somewhere else? In North City, no one has ever dared to snatch soul beasts in front of our academy! Get on your knees and admit your mistake if you know what's good for you, or you'll suffer the consequences!"

"That's right! Did you hear that..."

"Don't make us do this..."

Not one of them bothered to seriously assess the situation. They only kept shouting. Since that was the case, then there was only one option...

--

"Sect Master, let me handle this. I guarantee there won't be a trace left behind!"

At that moment, the usually steady Veteran Huang Zhong volunteered himself, his eyes filled with killing intent.

"Mm."

Zhang Nan said nothing and merely nodded. He found a clean tree stump and sat down, the corner of his lips curling into a faint smile as he quietly waited for the show to begin.

The other four generals did the same, retreating to the side. Those leaning against trees leaned against trees, while those who wanted a better view climbed into the branches.

"Oh? You really want to fight?"

When they saw the oldest-looking man step out, the three women laughed so hard they could barely straighten their backs. The short, fat man at the front stared at Huang Zhong with utter disdain.

"You're sending an old man to fight me? You guys—"

Before he could finish speaking, an incredibly cool crimson bow suddenly appeared in Huang Zhong's hand.

This fiery bow was Huang Zhong's weapon Martial Soul, the Blazing Divine Bow. Flames crackled across its body, and the moment he drew the bowstring, an arrow wreathed in red flames appeared on it out of nowhere.

Thwack!

The arrow flew from the bow and pierced straight through the man's neck. Before his blood could even spray out, blazing flames engulfed his entire body. In less than two seconds, both man and ashes vanished without a trace.

The entire process took less than three seconds. The people who had been leisurely watching were shocked far beyond words. They had thought it would only be a minor scuffle. Who would have expected someone to be killed outright?

One thought instinctively formed in the minds of the remaining people.

Run!

"Trying to run?"

Thwack!

Thwack!

Two more figures had barely taken two steps before they were reduced to ashes, without even the chance to dodge. At that moment, everyone panicked even more. What kind of person had they encountered? How was he so powerful? He was leaving no one alive!

Thwack! Thwack!

Two more people died—both women, the two women who had run the slowest.

There had originally been eight people. Four were dead, leaving only four on the field: three men and one woman.

"Waaah, I don't want to die! Save me... Don't leave me behind!"

The woman at the very back had gone pale with terror and cried out desperately.

But at a life-or-death moment like this, who the hell remembered anyone else? Everyone ran for their lives. Running faster might leave them with a chance to survive; running slower meant no chance at all.

At that moment, everyone activated their soul skills, not to fight, but to flee. Yet they still seemed unaware of what level of powerhouse Huang Zhong was.

Level 95

Peerless Douluo!

As their figures gradually disappeared into the forest, they cleverly weaved back and forth to evade the flaming arrows. Yet Huang Zhong remained where he was, motionless and as steady as a mountain.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Eagle-Eye Pierce, activate!"

"Sixth Soul Skill, Blazing Tracking!"

Eagle-Eye Pierce could ignore any obstacle in front of him and see the people behind it. Blazing Tracking was even more powerful, allowing him to lethally lock onto fleeing enemies unless their strength far surpassed Huang Zhong's.

Otherwise!

Thwack! Thwack!

Thwack!

Three arrows flew from Huang Zhong's Blazing Divine Bow at once. Even from far away, they could hear the three cries of agony as the arrows struck. The last woman, having run too slowly, could only hide behind a tree and tremble. When she heard the three people scream as flames burned them alive, she held her breath and did not dare make a sound, terrified that she would be discovered.

But she did not know that Huang Zhong had discovered her long ago. She had simply not run, so he had planned to deal with her last.

A single thought could lead to hell or heaven. If anyone had stepped forward to stop them just now, or if anyone had refused to go along with them, Zhang Nan would certainly have spared that person. But all Zhang Nan had heard was their giggling mockery.

In a world where strength reigned supreme and no laws restrained anyone, mocking a powerhouse was no different from asking for trouble and courting death.

Thwack~

The final cry rang out as the arrow struck. Perhaps on the road to the underworld, she would finally reflect properly on whether she deserved to die.