Wiped out! Preparing to return [second update]

"Aah!"

"Grab her! It's that bitch!"

The Evil Soul Masters, who had all been swarming toward Ning Chengyi, instantly split into two groups to pursue them.

"Retreat!"

At that shout, another enemy dropped, and the pair turned and fled without the slightest desire to prolong the fight.

These were Evil Soul Masters, after all, not ordinary people.

Two fists could only do so much against four hands!

In an instant, nearly fifty Evil Soul Masters poured out in a dark mass.

But Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Chengyi had no intention of lingering. The moment their enemies began closing in, they pulled back, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

"After them!"

Someone shouted, eager to keep up the pursuit.

"Stop chasing! There was one before, and two today. Who knows whether there's an ambush waiting? Increase the patrols. Everyone sleeps fully dressed."

The chief stood behind the crowd and shouted. The clamor instantly died down.

Everyone fell silent, each fearing for their own life.

"Chief, this looks bad. Just who did we offend? Could it have been those few who went down the mountain?"

"I don't know. Keep the men calm and stay alert."

Just as the others had fallen asleep...

Suddenly, another cry of "Enemy attack!" rang out. The others got up again, cursing as they charged outside.

But the moment they emerged, the pair vanished once more.

"Goddamn those bastards!"

"Chief, let's chase them down and kill them!"

"And get yourselves killed?"

The chief snapped coldly, his face full of displeasure as he stopped them.

Grumbling and cursing, everyone returned to their tents to try to rest again.

Just as their snores began, another shout came from outside.

They ran out again, cursing. Their spirits flagged, their eyes bloodshot, as though every ounce of strength had been drained away. Heavy dark circles lay beneath their half-lidded eyes. Their expressions were numb and vacant, leaving nothing but utterly exhausted shells.

"Damn it, can't we get some decent rest?"

Someone grumbled.

After this happened several more times, the Evil Soul Masters were worn out.

"Enemy attack!"

This cry sounded weak and listless.

But hardly anyone came out of the tents anymore.

"It worked."

"Kill!"

Ning Chengyi spoke to Zhu Zhuqing.

When the enemy tires, attack; when the enemy advances, retreat!

Only then could they purge these festering cancers.

"Get them up!"

The chief was more exhausted than anyone.

When he saw only a scattered handful emerge, panic seized him.

Squelch!

Even as he spoke, several more men fell. The pair moved with terrifying speed, like reapers harvesting lives.

The Evil Soul Masters unleashed their soul power, yellow Soul Rings shining brilliantly beneath their feet in the night.

Soul skills erupted one after another, but none offered any resistance against the pair.

"Damn it!"

The chief roared. His martial soul manifested with a rumble, and a large saber appeared in his hand.

"First soul skill: Sky-Rending Slash!"

A deafening roar rang out, and the saber in the chief's hand seemed imbued with divine might.

The muscles in his arms bulged. He kicked off the ground, his body blurring into an afterimage as he slashed viciously at Ning Chengyi with unstoppable momentum.

"First soul skill: Mystic Edge, Leveling Mountains!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Ning Chengyi spun back with a spear thrust, immediately unleashing his first soul skill. Before the chief could reach him, he lunged forward, following the thrust with a sweeping strike.

"Second soul skill: Chained Cleaves!"

The chief felt no fear. After all, how could a mere Soul Master hurt a Soul Grandmaster like him?

Wouldn't that be a joke?

Their weapons collided, ringing with the clash of metal. Crack! Yet in that single exchange, the saber snapped in two as though it were made of paper.

"How is that possible?!"

"Die!"

An even greater force erupted in an instant.

The spear shaft slammed into the chief's body with the sound of breaking bones. Ning Chengyi then flicked him into the air, sliding the spear forward to pierce his heart.

Disbelief still filled his eyes as he died.

How could this Soul Master be stronger than a Soul Grandmaster?!

He died with his eyes wide open!

Zhu Zhuqing was startled by the sight, especially when she saw that purple Soul Ring.

But others were far more shocked than she was. Seeing even their chief killed, the Evil Soul Masters fell into disarray.

The pair moved even faster. With all order lost amid the chaos, the Evil Soul Masters abandoned resistance and thought only of saving themselves. With no one left to keep them in line, they collapsed in an instant.

Those inside the tents had their throats slit as they slowly woke, dying without a sound.

The battle lasted an hour. Only when the last fleeing Evil Soul Master died did Ning Chengyi and Zhu Zhuqing stop.

Under Zhu Zhuqing's puzzled gaze, Ning Chengyi cleaned up the traces of battle, erasing almost every sign that he had been there.

"That settles things here." Ning Chengyi leaned against a tree, a hint of relief in his eyes. After all, he had completed Xue Qinghe's assignment in four days from start to finish.

"Where are you planning to go?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, curiosity in her eyes.

"None of your business!"

"You..."

At a loss for words, she pinched Ning Chengyi's arm hard, made a face at him, and ducked farther away.

"What are you, a rabid dog?" Ning Chengyi muttered a curse. That had hurt even more than Su Yao's blows. He grimaced at the bruise rapidly forming on his arm.

"Bleh, bleh, bleh..." Zhu Zhuqing walked into the forest. "Hopefully, the next time I see you, you won't be such a jerk."

She left him with those words and was about to leave, but then seemed to remember something. "Here, take this. Keep it safe and give it back next time."

With that, she took a small bell from inside her clothes and tossed it over.

"What's this?" Ning Chengyi looked at the bell in his hand, then turned to ask her.

"The bell my favorite kitten wore. I kept it after it died. Now I'm giving it to you, my little kitten!"

A mischievous glint flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. The corners of her lips lifted into the faintest smile, a beauty utterly pure and untouched by the world.

"Little kitten?" He glanced down at the bell in his hand. By the time he looked up again, Zhu Zhuqing had vanished. "She has such a pretty smile. Why does she insist on looking so stern?"

He put the bell into his Storage Ring alongside Little Black's tooth.

"What an interesting, silly woman."

Ning Chengyi smiled. Rather than linger, he headed toward Suotuo City. There was a Nightglow Tower there too, so he could send word from there.

When Ning Chengyi arrived at the Nightglow Tower, the steward seemed to recognize him and escorted him to a Heaven-Class room. Everything had already been prepared, apparently on someone's specific instructions.

"A bath first, then back. Hopefully, I won't run into any fools looking for trouble."

Ning Chengyi enjoyed a good soak in the tub, then put on the clothes prepared for him, feeling thoroughly refreshed. He had just eaten a little when the door was pushed open.

"You did well on the assignment. Let's head back." Naturally, Snake Lance Douluo had only appeared now because he had gone to inspect the battlefield.

He had seen corpses strewn everywhere. Although the wounds differed, well over half had been killed with a single strike. Someone had helped along the way, but the assignment had been completed flawlessly.

"Okay." Ning Chengyi did not even look up. Nothing mattered more than his stomach; he needed to eat his fill before he had the strength to work.

Once he had eaten enough, Snake Lance Douluo took him back toward Heaven Dou City.