The Weakest Titled Douluo, the Ye Family Caravan!

That was a Ten Thousand Year Soul Bone!

Even though he was already a Titled Douluo, this was his first time absorbing one.

He had never imagined he would obtain the first Soul Bone of his life while "traveling on business" with his young master.

"Thank you for this reward, Young Master!"

There was nothing to hesitate over. Sea Horse Douluo called out to Lin Hao's retreating figure, then sat down cross-legged and began absorbing the Soul Bone.

Lin Hao smiled faintly. Everyone on Sea God Island was his subordinate, and none of them would ever betray him.

Naturally, whenever he had something good, he looked after his own people first.

The Tang Sect Hidden Weapons were one example.

Once he had packed up the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, he could make the Seven Sacred Pillars of Sea God Island a force no weaker than the Seven Consecrated of Spirit Hall.

They all served First-Level Gods. How could their cultivation levels fail to match?

They needed strengthening—serious strengthening!

A Titled Douluo could absorb a Soul Bone extremely quickly. Half an hour later, Sea Horse Douluo finished without a hitch.

His cultivation, stagnant for years, also broke through to rank ninety-three.

Hmm... At rank ninety-three, he should be able to beat Dugu Bo, right? Sea Horse Douluo couldn't show up and immediately take the title of weakest Titled Douluo off Dugu Bo's hands.

Lin Hao's thoughts wandered.

At sea, Sea Soul Masters could fight at a hundred and twenty percent of their strength. On land, however, they struggled to adapt and could only bring out eighty to ninety percent.

So although Sea Horse Douluo outranked Dugu Bo, there was no telling which of them would win a fight.

By the time they had dealt with the Wolf Bandits' bodies, dawn was breaking. Rather than disturb the villagers again, Lin Hao and Sea Horse Douluo headed straight on toward Heaven Dou City.

It was not until the sun stood high in the sky that the family who had taken Lin Hao in discovered he had long since left.

They had no idea he had saved their village from utter destruction.

Lin Hao had also left three Gold Soul Coins in the room, leaving the old man beside himself with excitement.

A caravan stretching ten meters long moved slowly along the broad official road.

"Have the caravan stop for a rest," a pleasant female voice said from inside one of the carriages.

"Yes, Miss!" the driver answered from beyond the curtain. He stood and shouted, "Everyone, stop! Take a break!"

At his call, the whole caravan came to a halt.

After half a day on the road, people and horses alike were tired. Some raised waterskins and poured water down their parched throats; others fed the weary horses; still others struck up conversations.

"Brother Lin Hao, you must be from a prominent family, right?"

A dark-skinned, rugged-looking man sidled up to Lin Hao with a knowing smile.

"What makes you say that, Brother Tie Lei?" Lin Hao asked, taken aback.

He had encountered this caravan yesterday. Since it was headed to Heaven Dou City too, he had shown a little of his cultivation, joined the group, and hitched a ride.

"Heh. Fair skin, a powerful aura—you're clearly no ordinary fellow. And then there's my young lady. I've seen plenty of people join a caravan to get close to her."

Tie Lei wore an I know look, as though he had seen through everything.

I haven't even met your young lady, Lin Hao thought, his eye twitching. What if she looks like a monster? No amount of money would make me give in.

"You're reading too much into it, Brother Tie Lei." Lin Hao shook his head helplessly.

"Don't be shy! My young lady is a famous ice beauty around Heaven Dou City. Countless talented young men have come to ask for her hand. Ah, the yearnings of youth—I understand."

Thinking he had hit upon Lin Hao's secret and made him bashful, Tie Lei gave him an understanding look.

"...So, Brother Tie Lei, who is your young lady?" Lin Hao asked evenly after a moment's silence.

"She's Miss Ye Lingling, the only daughter of the Ye Family of Heaven Dou. The Ye Family is renowned for medicine. They've treated more Soul Masters and ordinary folk than anyone can count. Mr. Ye is a great benefactor too. He gave us brothers a way to make a living."

Respect shone in Tie Lei's eyes. He clearly held Mr. Ye in high regard.

Lin Hao, meanwhile, was surprised. He glanced at the carriage in the distance. So the person inside was Ye Lingling.

The greatest healer on Douluo Continent!

"Mr. Ye has only one daughter?"

"It's just the two of them, father and daughter, depending on each other. Why can't the heavens let good people live in peace?"

"Then a lot of people must be after Miss Ye, right?"

"Of course... Huh?"

Tie Lei nodded as if it were obvious. She was the finest healing Soul Master on Douluo Continent. What faction wouldn't want her?

Besides, Ye Lingling was the Ye Family's only heir. Winning her over meant gaining all the prestige the Ye Family had built over decades.

It would be like striking gold.

But Tie Lei had no time to think about any of that. Something in Lin Hao's words made him stare at him, eyes widening.

Lin Hao shrugged and looked around.

The air, warm moments ago beneath the sunshine, suddenly turned cold and sinister.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Countless arrows flew at the caravan from every direction. Some guards, still resting, had no time to react before arrows pierced their chests and their lives went silent.

"Enemy attack!"

"Protect the young lady!"

The resting travelers fell into chaos. Lin Hao reached out and pulled Tie Lei, who was still stunned, aside. An instant later, an arrow struck where Tie Lei had been sitting. Its shaft continued to quiver, and Tie Lei's heart hammered.

"Gulp... Brother Lin Hao... you saved my life!"

"Too early to say that!"

Lin Hao calmly watched the black-clad figures closing in from all sides. At their head, a bare-chested brute built like a bear fixed a murderous stare on Ye Lingling's carriage.

"Hahaha! Boys, looks like we've caught ourselves a big fish this time."

The brute roared with laughter at the sight of the Ye Family's guards, now reduced to barely a dozen.

His companions laughed greedily as well.

Their band numbered over a hundred. Besides the brute, a Soul King, it included seven Soul Ancestors and more than twenty Soul Elders and Soul Grandmasters. They were a formidable armed force.

Among the Ye Family guards, not counting Lin Hao, only six were Soul Masters. The strongest was the driver who had given the order earlier; he, too, was a Soul King.

Of the other five, only Tie Lei was a Soul Ancestor. The rest were Soul Grandmasters.

The difference in strength was plain to see.

"This is a Ye Family caravan! The Ye Family holds the title of Begonia Marquis in the Heaven Dou Empire. If you dare rob us, aren't you afraid the imperial army will hunt you down?" the driver barked at the bandits surrounding them, keeping himself firmly between them and Ye Lingling's carriage.

At the same time, Soul Power befitting a Soul King surged outward in every direction, and a dangerous aura rolled off him.