Ambush

"Tiger, are you sure he's a fat sheep? Don't make us waste a trip."

The middle-aged man who had watched Ning Bei leave town was nicknamed Tiger. After returning to the town, he sought out several acquaintances to rob Ning Bei together.

However, a one-eyed man doubted whether his information was reliable.

"Rest assured. I'd been following that kid since he was eating. Do you know how much his clothes are worth?"

The one-eyed man became interested at once.

"How much?"

"At least several thousand Gold Soul Coins, perhaps even more. He gave several Gold Soul Coins as a tip when he ate, and the carriage he bought was the most luxurious kind. How could he possibly be short on money?"

"Really? Then this is indeed a big score. It's much more worthwhile than robbing those mercenaries. We just don't know how strong he is."

Tiger gave a disdainful laugh.

"One-Eye, when did you become such a coward? That kid looks barely ten years old. How strong could he possibly be?"

The one-eyed man flushed red at his words.

"I'm just being cautious. But since you're so sure, let's pull off this job."

The two of them called their underlings over and chased after Ning Bei in the direction he had left.

A luxurious carriage traveled along a road that had fallen into disrepair over the years. Since this place was so close to the Star Dou Great Forest, there was barely any sign of human habitation. Dense vegetation covered the landscape, but the air was exceptionally fresh.

This was Ning Bei's first time traveling so far on his own. Every so often, he would lift the small curtain over the carriage window and stick his head out to admire the scenery.

Father and the two Grandfathers must be worried sick by now. I wonder what expressions they'll have when they see a whole bracelet full of Spirit Bones.

Ning Bei imagined their reunion with a mischievous grin, unable to suppress the anticipation in his heart.

Half a day passed quietly. Just as Ning Bei and the Coachman finished their dried rations and prepared to set off again, a coarse shout rang out beside them.

"Hey, kid! The brothers have been a little short on cash lately. How about lending us some money to spend?"

Looking toward the voice, Ning Bei saw seven or eight figures appear before him.

Tiger and One-Eye stood at the front.

At the sight of these desperate outlaws, the Coachman trembled from head to toe and retreated behind the carriage.

Ning Bei looked at them with amusement. Had he run into bandits? How novel. The thought even made him a little excited!

He decided to toy with these people who did not know their own limits.

"Is that so? Would 10,000 Gold Soul Coins be enough?"

The moment they heard Ning Bei's words, greed filled their eyes.

"Oh? You have that much money? Hand it over."

Ning Bei let out a mocking laugh.

"Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins should be enough to buy your coffins, right? You people are really easy to satisfy! What a bunch of scum."

The group immediately flew into a rage.

"Damn brat! You dare toy with us? You're courting death! Brothers, get him!"

They all revealed their Martial Souls. For a moment, Soul Rings of every color bloomed across the road.

Tiger and One-Eye, who stood at the front, were both Four Ring Soul Elders, with the Black Tiger and Jackal as their Martial Souls.

The other five were all Soul Elders, though most of them only had ten-year white first Soul Rings.

"Why are there even white Soul Rings? How many years are those? I've never seen them before."

Ning Bei taunted those Soul Elders, making them even angrier.

"Kid, once I smash out your teeth, let's see how glib you can still be."

Seeing that they were about to make their move, Ning Bei stopped teasing them. His gaze gradually turned cold.

With a flash of the Pill Pagoda in his hand, A Bao, A Zhu, Chang'e, and Yao Yao appeared before everyone.

Chang'e and Yao Yao were the Emerald Swan and Demon Eye Magic Tree, while A Zhu was the Man Faced Demon Spider. Since the others had all received names while his old companion, the Man Faced Demon Spider, had not, Ning Bei felt it was a little unfair and decisively gave it one.

The appearance of the four Soul Beasts nearly blinded the eight people opposite them.

"S-Soul Beasts?"

"How can there be Soul Beasts?"

"There's something strange about this kid."

Before they could react, Ning Bei produced Elixirs of various colors. He stuffed Beast Strength Pills, Power Storage Pills, Wind Walker Pills, and Qi Enhancing Pills into the mouths of the Soul Beasts all at once.

"Go, brothers and sisters. Let them know what cruelty is."

With that, A Bao and A Zhu charged straight at them. Yao Yao rooted herself in the ground, her branches burrowing underground, while Chang'e circled above the crowd to prevent A Bao and the others from getting hurt.

A Bao and A Zhu already possessed strength comparable to Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. After consuming all sorts of support Elixirs, their strength became even more terrifying. The desperate outlaws immediately began crying for their fathers and mothers.

"Spare me! I'll never dare do it again!"

"Let me go! Ah! My biceps, as scorching as fire!"

"Ah! My Slender Jade Hand!"

Cries of agony rose one after another. The Demon Eye Magic Tree subjected the men to inhumane bondage play. Its already poisonous branches, combined with the Man Faced Demon Spider's lethal venom, left them wishing they were dead. Then A Bao rushed forward, one claw per victim, harvesting the battlefield.

In less than five minutes, all eight men lay on the ground without a trace of life. The scene was so revolting that Ning Bei did not even feel like collecting the spoils. Besides, those paupers hardly looked like they had anything worth taking.

He hurriedly called for the Coachman, who was trembling on the ground, to get the carriage moving and leave the area.

Seven Treasure City was still two days away. Sword and Bone, the two Titled Douluo, could fly around with him in just a few hours, but after traveling the route himself, Ning Bei realized that the distance was still quite considerable.

Over the following days, Ning Bei did not encounter any more fools looking for trouble and arrived safely at Seven Treasure City.

Looking at the familiar city before him, a faint smile appeared on Ning Bei's face.

"Your emperor has returned."

After giving the Coachman a generous tip, the man's face bloomed with a grin. He thanked Ning Bei respectfully before leaving on his own. Ning Bei made his way skillfully to the Sect entrance, handed the carriage over to the guards, and walked straight inside.

When he arrived at the Council Hall, he found his parents, Old Sword Man, and Gu Rong all present. Their expressions were extremely grim, while his mother was wiping tears from her eyes. She was clearly still worried about him.

Moved by their concern, Ning Bei greeted them.

"Father, Mother, and my two Grandfathers, I'm baaack."

Hearing his voice, everyone looked toward the entrance in delighted surprise. When they saw the familiar figure, they rushed toward him happily.

A mother's strength was truly remarkable. Worried sick about Ning Bei's safety, Ning's Mother ran faster than even a Titled Douluo and reached him first. She grabbed his shoulders with both hands and carefully examined him. Once she confirmed that he was unharmed, she pulled him into her embrace.

"Bei Er, you scared Mother to death."

"Sorry for making everyone worry."

After some greetings, Ning Fengzhi, Old Sword Man, and Gu Rong finally voiced their confusion.

"Bei Er, who exactly abducted you? Why couldn't Old Sword Man and I even react in time?"

Hearing Gu Rong's question, Ning Bei thought for a moment before deciding to answer truthfully.

"Father, Grandfathers, the one who took me was the Soul Beast overlord—the Black Dragon King, Di Tian, with eight hundred thousand years of cultivation."

"The Black Dragon King?"

"Eight hundred thousand years of cultivation?"

"Bei Er, is that true?"

Sure enough, everyone was stunned by Ning Bei's words and voiced their disbelief.

In their minds, a hundred thousand years of cultivation was already the pinnacle for Soul Beasts. Eight hundred thousand years was a number they had never even dared to imagine.

Ning Bei nodded, indicating that he was not lying.