Bandits attack

The wilderness stretched as far as the eye could see, nothing but a monotonous expanse of dusty yellow.

Occasionally, a small patch of shrubs added a touch of another color to the dreary canvas.

A caravan was slowly making its way across it, its wheels creaking as they churned up clouds of dust.

Inside a slightly bumpy carriage, Lin Yang sat with his eyes closed in concentration, his hands resting lightly on Crimson Interval across his legs, oblivious to everything outside himself.

He was both meditating and cultivating.

A faint layer of silver light vaguely shrouded his body.

Two or three blades of Blue Silver Grass poked playfully out of his collar, unfurling their tender leaves as though breathing.

Suddenly, the caravan stopped.

Calls rang out outside, mixed with all sorts of shouts.

Then someone knocked on the carriage.

Lin Yang opened his eyes. A keen gleam flashed through his dark gaze before it swiftly returned to calm.

A hint of amusement crossed his eyes as he glanced at the Blue Silver Emperor's leaves rubbing against his cheek.

He had not expected the Blue Silver Domain to work so well. It brought him closer to nature during meditation, increasing his meditation efficiency by a full twenty percent.

It truly lived up to its name as the Blue Silver Emperor's domain skill.

Even with her strength only restored to that of a thousand-year Soul Beast, the domain's effects were outstanding.

He gently stroked the leaves. Only then did the Blue Silver Emperor seem satisfied and slowly retreat inside his collar, after which Lin Yang stepped out of the carriage.

A middle-aged man stood outside.

When he saw Lin Yang emerge, the smile on his somewhat weathered face seemed to become much more sincere.

"Master Lin, we're planning to camp here and rest. If you don't mind, why not come down and eat with us? You can take a break too."

Lin Yang surveyed his surroundings and nodded slightly. "All right!"

After leaving Red Maple Village, Lin Yang had sought out a caravan and become one of its guards under the identity of Lin Ze, a two-ring Soul Master.

The middle-aged man before him, Phil, was the caravan's manager.

Their destination on this trip was the Yunluo Principality in the Star Luo Empire, where they intended to do business.

Lin Yang, meanwhile, was heading for the Heavenly Calamity Mountains in the Star Luo Empire, so he could travel with them for part of the way.

Out in this remote wilderness, creatures that could run or jump were few and far between.

The caravan therefore carried cured meat and dry provisions prepared beforehand, supplemented by a small amount of fresh fruit.

Although the food tasted ordinary, it had a flavor of its own.

After the meal, Phil approached Lin Yang, took a roll of yellowed parchment from inside his clothes, and slowly spread it open.

"Master Lin, we're still within the Heaven Dou Empire's territory. At today's pace, we should reach Border Pass tomorrow."

At this point, Phil gave Lin Yang a quick glance, seemingly hesitant to continue.

Lin Yang naturally picked up the conversation. "Is there a problem with Border Pass?"

"There's nothing wrong with the pass itself. As long as we pay the full passage fee, they generally won't make things difficult."

"But beyond the pass, there's a lawless stretch between Heaven Dou and the Star Luo Empire. Bandits run rampant there, and Fallen Soul Masters might appear."

Lin Yang raised an eyebrow, his expression shifting slightly. "Fallen Soul Masters? Roughly how strong are they?"

"Most have around one or two rings," Phil explained with a smile.

"Because Spirit Hall has always taken the stance of exterminating Fallen Soul Masters to the last, there generally aren't any particularly powerful ones around."

"You can rest assured on that count, Master Lin."

Lin Yang nodded slightly.

Whatever Bibi Dong might do in the future, at least for now, Spirit Hall persisted in awakening commoners' Martial Souls every year and eliminating Fallen Soul Masters.

For commoners, these two things genuinely did more good than harm.

To think that during the Douluo II era, commoners even needed credentials supplied by nobles to enroll in school.

That simply let the nobles monopolize the path by which commoners could rise to become Soul Masters.

Then there were the Evil Soul Masters who had thrown the entire continent into foul chaos.

Tang San could hardly escape blame for the origins of all this.

You wanted to uproot Spirit Hall? Fine. You blew up Slaughter City? That was fine too.

But at least clean up the mess you made.

Instead, their pure-as-ice-and-jade Third Young Master Tang only dug holes without filling them in. In the end, he dusted off his backside and ascended to the Divine Realm, leaving others to wipe up the shit behind him.

At that thought, Lin Yang could not help inwardly cursing, Tang San, you really deserve to die!

Seeing that Lin Yang's expression remained normal, Phil felt reassured and continued.

"If we encounter bandits, I hope you'll lend us a hand, Master Lin."

Lin Yang waved a hand. "Since I've accepted the duty of a guard, I'll do my best. Rest assured, Manager Phil."

A weight lifted from Phil's shoulders, and he cupped his hands in salute. "Thank you, Master Lin."

On the Douluo Continent, Soul Masters were ultimately only a minority. The vast majority were unremarkable ordinary people.

In this caravan, Phil was the only other person who qualified as a Soul Master, and he was merely rank eighteen, with a white Soul Ring at that.

Judging by his age, reaching rank twenty would already be the limit of what he could achieve in this lifetime.

That was precisely why Phil attached such importance to the two-ring Lin Yang. He had even specially provided him with a carriage and treated him well throughout the journey.

After all, when transporting goods for trade, the slightest carelessness could mean ruined cargo and lost lives.

Having someone strong overseeing things could put people considerably more at ease.

The night passed without incident, and the caravan set off again the next day.

Sure enough, just as Phil had predicted, the caravan reached Border Pass around noon.

Once they passed through Border Pass, they would officially have left the Heaven Dou Empire.

Naturally, Phil handled the formalities for leaving.

He was an old hand who had spent years traveling this route and knew the ropes.

In less than half an hour, amid calls back and forth, the caravan slowly passed through Border Pass.

The moment they emerged from the pass, the atmosphere throughout the caravan changed.

Every guard was on edge, their expressions grave. There was much less joking and laughter between them.

An invisible pressure hung over the whole caravan. It would not have been an exaggeration to say that every bush and tree looked like an enemy, every gust of wind and crane's cry an alarm.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened that afternoon, allowing everyone to breathe a sigh of relief.

After night fell, all the caravan's wagons were linked together and arranged in a circle.

The tents were pitched in the middle, and the guards split into two shifts to take turns keeping watch.

After dinner, Lin Yang returned to his carriage to continue meditating and cultivating.

Before long, the Blue Silver Emperor suddenly emerged from his collar, her broad leaves rubbing incessantly against his face.

Lin Yang's eyes snapped open, a sharp gleam flashing through them.

"I thought tonight might be peaceful, but what was coming came all the same."

He swiftly got out of the carriage and found Phil, who was yawning.

"Master Lin, what's wrong?"

"Have everyone get ready. Bandits are approaching."

At those words, Phil jolted, all his drowsiness vanishing. Without asking further questions, he turned and roused every guard.

Several hundred meters away, the bandits who had intended to creep closer under cover of darkness saw what was happening and immediately realized they had been exposed.

"Damn it, how did they spot us?"

A burly, one-eyed man cursed, suspecting that a mole among them had tipped the caravan off, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

In the end, they were all desperate outlaws. Who would believe anything they said?

He therefore leaned more toward the possibility that this unremarkable little caravan had a Soul Master with a detection skill.

Since they had been discovered, there was no point hiding any longer.

The burly man, blazing with vicious menace, abruptly stood, his voice thundering.

"Brothers, follow me!"

"Once we finish this job, there'll be meat, booze, and all the women you want!"

Whether it was true or not, those shouts instantly ignited the bandits' savagery.

Amid strange cries, dark figures surged forward, one wave after another charging toward the caravan's camp.