They Suffered Heaven's Wrath

The caravan's first two days on the road went smoothly enough.

The official road was bumpy, but at least no bandits blocked their way.

Whenever a few Ten-Year Soul Beasts appeared, the caravan guards drove them off before they got close.

Apart from meals, Tang Hao spent each day leaning against a cargo crate with his eyes closed.

Partly, he was conserving his strength. Partly, he was getting used to the Soul Power inside him.

The power his body's previous owner had left behind was immense.

Level ninety-five Soul Power, Divine Slaughter's Domain, the Clear Sky Hammer, and the Blue Silver Emperor Right Leg Bone—any one of them could have served an ordinary Soul Master for a lifetime.

But just because the power belonged to this body did not mean he could wield it freely right away.

If Tang Hao fought a Titled Douluo of the same level, the combat instincts left behind by the body's previous owner would probably let him bring out eighty percent of his strength.

That sounded decent enough.

The problem was, whether his opponent died was anyone's guess. He himself would probably cough up a few mouthfuls of blood first.

So the most important thing right now was not picking fights. It was keeping his hands to himself.

If reason worked, he would reason. If money worked, he would pay.

If neither worked, he could use his hammer to help the other party calm down.

"Brother Tang, want something to eat?"

A scrawny merchant beside him offered him a piece of flatbread.

His name was Ma Liu, and he traded furs in Nuoding City.

Two days ago, Tang Hao had fended him off with the word "contagious." Unfortunately, Ma Liu's urge to chat had eventually won out.

Tang Hao took the flatbread.

"Thanks."

"No need for that. We're all friends on the road."

Ma Liu glanced left and right, then lowered his voice. "Brother Tang, you've been sleeping these past few days. Are you very ill?"

"I won't die just yet."

"That's good."

Ma Liu did not find the remark ominous. If anything, he looked relieved.

"Blackstone Ridge is up ahead. They say bandits have been showing up there lately. If we run into trouble, hide under a wagon. Whatever you do, don't run around."

Tang Hao took a bite of flatbread.

It was dry and hard, the opposite extreme from Tang San's porridge, but at least it would fill his stomach.

"Aren't you scared?"

"What good would that do?"

Ma Liu patted the bundle in his arms. "Everything I own is in here. If I lose these goods, my whole family will be left living on the northwest wind."

Tang Hao glanced at him.

Soul Masters stood high above everyone else on the Douluo Continent, but ordinary people's lives were nowhere near as exciting.

The original story had always revolved around geniuses, sects, and divine thrones.

Yet the people who truly made up this world were ordinary folk like Ma Liu, people who did not even have Soul Rings.

If bandits really appeared, Tang Hao would not mind dealing with them while he was here.

He could hardly do otherwise. He had eaten the man's bread, and now his mouth was too soft to refuse.

As the caravan pressed on, the trees on both sides of the official road grew denser, and the wagon wheels crunched over gravel.

The Soul Elder leading the guards rode at the front, his expression growing grave.

"Stop!"

He suddenly raised a hand.

The entire caravan came to a quick halt.

Tang Hao opened his eyes. A faint smell of blood reached his nose.

In the woods a hundred-odd meters ahead, several bodies lay sprawled in all directions.

Swords and bundles were scattered around them. Judging by their clothes, they were the bandits Ma Liu had mentioned.

But they had died miserable deaths.

Two of them had only half their bodies left, and broad claw marks scarred the ground.

"Soul Beasts! Everyone, stay alert!"

The Soul Elder swung down from his horse, and three Soul Rings rose beneath his feet.

The other guards drew their weapons and surrounded the wagons.

Ma Liu turned pale and edged toward the tall Tang Hao without thinking.

"The Soul Beasts ate the bandits?"

"Looks that way."

Tang Hao sent out a thread of mental power.

A dozen or so Riftwind Wolves lurked in the woods. The strongest was nearly a thousand years old, while most of the others were around a hundred.

These Soul Beasts liked to hunt in packs. They were fast, and they held grudges.

Once they marked prey, they pursued it until one side died.

The caravan might be able to hold them off, but half its people would die in the attempt.

"Everyone, stay together! Don't leave the caravan!"

The Soul Elder had clearly recognized their attackers too.

He summoned his Martial Soul, and a layer of dark gray armor plates spread rapidly over his arms.

"First Soul Skill: Iron Armor!"

Two Riftwind Wolves burst from the woods first.

The Soul Elder met one head-on, while two Soul Grandmasters joined forces to stop the other.

The fight erupted in an instant.

More Riftwind Wolves followed, lunging at the wagons from both sides of the road.

The ordinary guards formed a defensive line and barely held off the first charge.

But there were too many wolves. After a few probing attacks, one soon broke through.

"Over here, you beast!"

Ma Liu grabbed a wooden pole and hammered it against the wagon bed, trying to draw a Riftwind Wolf away from the cargo.

The goods were safe. Ma Liu, on the other hand, was in trouble.

A hundred-year Riftwind Wolf changed course and sprang straight at him.

"Wait, you're actually coming over?"

Ma Liu dropped the pole, turned, and ran.

Sitting on the wagon, Tang Hao almost laughed at him.

He did not have much ability, but his courage was admirable.

The Riftwind Wolf was already behind Ma Liu, its sharp claws reaching for the back of his neck.

Tang Hao flicked a finger.

A pebble the size of a soybean shot through the air and pierced the wolf's skull in an instant.

The wolf's body held its lunging pose as it crashed down beside Ma Liu's feet.

Ma Liu fell onto his backside in fright.

"It's... it's dead?"

"Looks like it hit a rock."

Tang Hao walked over and pulled him up.

Ma Liu looked at the bloody hole in the wolf's head, then at the gravel scattered across the ground, and scratched his head in confusion.

"Is that what happened?"

"What else?"

Tang Hao kept a perfectly straight face. "It's not as if the rock jumped up and hit it."

As he spoke, a low growl suddenly came from deep within the pack.

The Riftwind Wolf King, nearly a thousand years old, finally appeared.

It was twice the size of an ordinary Riftwind Wolf. Its blue-gray fur stirred in the wind, and its dark green eyes locked onto the Soul Elder fighting the pack.

The next moment, the wolf king became a blur and lunged at him from the side.

The Soul Elder had just blocked two hundred-year Riftwind Wolves. He had no time to dodge.

If those claws landed, half his head would be crushed.

Tang Hao sighed.

If the guards died, he would have to walk to Barak City himself.

Those five Silver Soul Coins could not go to waste.

He tapped the ground lightly with his right foot, sending an invisible force spreading through the earth.

A fist-sized stone beside the road sprang up and struck the wolf king square in the belly.

Thud!

A dull impact rang out.

The wolf king's massive body flew sideways, snapped two small trees in succession, then hit the ground and lay still.

The entire battlefield fell briefly silent.

The Soul Elder stared at the wolf king's corpse, looking baffled.

With their leader gone, the wolves immediately thought of retreat.

The remaining Riftwind Wolves gave a few mournful howls and fled into the woods.

The guards did not pursue them.

After counting their casualties, they found that only three people had been injured. No one had died.

"Which senior saved us?"

The Soul Elder looked around.

No one answered.

Tang Hao had already returned to the wagon and pulled his cloak back over his face.

Nothing good would come of revealing his identity. For now, he was just a sick man on the road.

He could hang out the gilded signboard of the Clear Sky Douluo once his injuries had healed.

The caravan hurried away from Blackstone Ridge.

For the rest of the journey, Ma Liu was noticeably quieter, though he could not stop stealing glances at Tang Hao.

Only at dusk did he lower his voice and ask, "Brother Tang, those two rocks—were they really a coincidence?"

"No."

Tang Hao decided to tell the truth.

Ma Liu caught his breath. "I knew it. You're actually..."

"The wolf pack had committed so many evil deeds that it suffered heaven's wrath."

"..."

Ma Liu opened his mouth, then wisely decided not to ask again.

Five days later, the caravan reached Barak City.

Compared with Nuoding City, Barak City was far more prosperous.

Soul Masters wearing badges could be seen everywhere on its streets, and a branch of Spirit Hall stood in the city center.

Tang Hao first found an inn, then asked an attendant about caravans bound for Heaven Dou City.

"A noble's caravan is heading north in three days," the attendant replied.

"How expensive?"

"It's not about money. It's about status. Status, understand?"

Tang Hao gave him a look.

"Then I haven't offered enough money."

The attendant had no answer.

Half an hour later, Tang Hao spent five Gold Soul Coins and secured a place with the caravan.

It turned out that most problems money could not solve simply needed a higher offer.

Sunset Forest was drawing closer.

Tang Hao stood by the window of his room and looked toward Heaven Dou City.

Once he found Dugu Bo, he hoped the Poison Douluo would listen to reason.

If he did not, that was fine too.

Tang Hao had also prepared a less-than-civilized approach to negotiations.