Lin Yang first took a good rest in Pelagi City, buying a carriage and replenishing his supplies along the way.
The next day, dawn broke with a faint glow.
The thin mist had yet to disperse completely, and dew from the night before still clung to the grass beside the road, but the whole city had already begun to come alive.
After feeding the horses, Lin Yang prepared to set out for the Heavenly Calamity Mountains.
"This time, it's just you and me."
Sitting on the carriage, Lin Yang murmured softly.
The Blue Silver Emperor's leaves quietly emerged from his collar and brushed against his cheek as though caressing it.
Lin Yang tickled the leaves. "That's a little itchy..."
The man and the grass chatted as he drove the carriage toward the Heavenly Calamity Mountains.
The Heavenly Calamity Mountains lay east of the Pelagi Kingdom, on its border with the Duchy of Nanao.
In the Soul Beast Illustrated Guide Su Hong had given him, Lin Yang had read about a Soul Beast unique to the Heavenly Calamity Mountains, called Gengjin Sword Bamboo.
Although it was a Plant-type Soul Beast, it leaned more toward metal.
Gengjin Sword Bamboo grew only atop a Gengjin Ore Vein.
By absorbing Gengjin Qi, it strengthened its body until it was as hard as steel, and could even unleash sword Qi attacks that pierced metal and split stone.
If he used Gengjin Sword Bamboo for his second Soul Ring, Lin Yang would very likely obtain a Soul Ring with a piercing attribute, and could further enhance the sharpness of his Nichirin Blade Martial Soul.
It might even reach the ultimate level someday.
That was precisely why Lin Yang had spared no effort to come to the Heavenly Calamity Mountains, all to find a suitable stalk of Gengjin Sword Bamboo.
The seven-day journey was dull and tedious, but everything along the way was calm and went exceptionally smoothly.
Just when Lin Yang thought nothing would happen, another caravan approached from ahead.
With the wind blowing his way, Lin Yang easily caught a faint scent of blood in the air.
In the middle of the caravan, several wagons were covered with black cloth, their shapes vaguely suggesting cages.
The smell of blood came from beneath those black cloths.
Lin Yang frowned. This convoy was very likely a Slave-Catching Band disguised as a merchant caravan.
Slave-Catching Bands were notorious.
Alongside Fallen Soul Masters and the Gale Wolf Bandits, they were known as the three most evil groups on the Douluo Continent.
Publicly, both great empires cracked down hard on Slave-Catching Bands.
But this trade had merely vanished from public view and moved into the shadows. It had never truly been stamped out.
After all, only those noble lords enjoyed collecting all sorts of maids and were willing to lavish fortunes on them.
Where there was demand, there was trade; where there was trade, evil would breed.
Lin Yang did not choose to intervene.
This was not merely a problem with one Slave-Catching Band, but a sickness afflicting the entire continent.
Yet though the tree wished for stillness, the wind would not cease. The more Lin Yang wished to avoid trouble, the more trouble insisted on finding him.
Just as the convoy was about to pass his carriage, a shrill voice, neither masculine nor feminine, came from the caravan's most luxurious carriage.
"Wait."
The Slave-Catching Band's guards were well trained. At the sound of that voice, they immediately stopped in orderly silence.
Lin Yang frowned, an inexplicable sense of foreboding rising within him.
The luxurious carriage's window curtain lifted slightly, opening a narrow gap, and the same voice spoke again.
"Young fellow, meeting while away from home must mean we share a certain fate. Why not let little old me give you a ride? We could look after each other."
Lin Yang could not tell whether that shrill voice belonged to a man or a woman, but it inexplicably sent a chill through him. He immediately shook his head.
"Thank you for your kindness, but we're not going the same way. Let's part here!"
With that, Lin Yang prepared to drive away.
At the same time, in a cage covered with black cloth behind the carriage, a pair of bright eyes suddenly opened, a trace of suspicion flashing through them.
Just as Lin Yang was about to move, a spear forged from refined steel barred his way.
Lin Yang's expression darkened, and he turned to look at the spear's owner.
It was a fair-skinned young man with strong features who looked to be in his twenties.
Although young, he was clearly of no low standing, given that he remained beside the luxurious carriage at all times.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lin Yang asked coldly.
The young guard's face was expressionless, his tone cold and hard.
"I advise you to do as you're told. You'll live..."
Lin Yang laughed in anger. "And if I don't?"
"You'll obey whether you like it or not. Being chosen by my master is a blessing you could only earn through ten lifetimes of good fortune."
Both the guard's expression and his voice were as cold as a hard slab of stone, clearly allowing no argument.
"That's a blessing I can't bear. Move!"
Lin Yang gave a low shout, and an invisible pressure instantly bore down on him.
Whoosh!
The other guards moved in perfect unison, pointing their weapons at Lin Yang at the same time.
Spears bristled, and a deadly atmosphere instantly filled the area.
The young guard looked at Lin Yang. A trace of pity flashed through his eyes, only to disappear just as quickly.
"As I said, obey the honored one, and you'll live..."
"Hmph. Then come and try."
A cold gleam flashed in Lin Yang's eyes as he stared straight at the young guard without yielding an inch.
Although he did not know who sat inside the carriage, anyone involved in a Slave-Catching Band was presumably no decent person.
And this inexplicable invitation clearly came with impure motives.
The young guard took a step back and looked toward the carriage.
After a while, a faint sigh finally drifted from within.
"Go easy. Don't mar his face. Just teach him a lesson. I still have a use for him tonight."
"Yes, Master!"
By now, something had occurred to Lin Yang, and goosebumps covered his entire body.
No wonder the vast majority of the guards were fair-skinned, cold-faced, exceptionally handsome men.
So the person sitting inside this carriage was actually such a filthy wretch.
And worse, this filthy wretch had set his sights on him.
In an instant, Lin Yang's killing intent reached its peak!
Whoosh!
The spear in the young guard's hand suddenly shuddered, then thrust forward with a sharp rush of wind.
He struck extremely quickly, a cold glint at the spear tip aimed straight at Lin Yang's shoulder blade, clearly intending to capture him outright.
Lin Yang snorted coldly and raised his hand, instantly catching the spear.
Startled, the guard tensed his arms and tried to pull the spear free, only to discover that Lin Yang's grip was like an iron clamp, not budging in the slightest.
His body was now a Demon God Body, and with the additional reinforcement of a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone, his physique had long since surpassed that of ordinary people.
With just a little force, he casually twisted the refined-steel spear into a braid as though it were dough.
The young guard was shocked and hurriedly abandoned his spear, retreating two steps.
"A Soul Master?"
Inside the luxurious carriage, the voice that was neither masculine nor feminine gave a soft sound of surprise. The curtain lifted a little farther, yet still revealed only a finger wearing a jade thumb ring.
"No wonder you're so confident. Young fellow... little old me likes you more and more."
Hearing this, the young guard's heart instantly tightened. As though he had thought of something terrifying, he stopped holding back.
With a flash of light, a Bronze Shield appeared in his hand.
Thornlike patterns covered the shield's surface, and its edges shone with a cold, hard metallic luster. Three Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet in succession.
One white, one yellow, and one purple.
Surging Soul Power came flooding forth.
This guard was actually a three-ring Soul Elder.
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