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Ning Rongrong quickly moved to stand back-to-back with Ning Tianchen, summoning her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul.
This was the standard formation taught by the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect to its disciples—ensuring there were no blind spots behind them in dangerous situations.
As the flickering flames and electric lights on both sides of the road drew closer, Ning Tianchen spoke in a low, grave voice.
"Damn it, we've fallen into the bandits' trap."
These bandits must have relied on pre-set traps and hidden weapons. Once someone triggered the mechanism, they would swoop in to "clean up."
Moreover, these traps weren't limited to just one location. Advancing blindly under the cover of night would inevitably trigger more of them.
At this point, any hope of escape had been completely dashed.
"Big brother Tianchen, what should we do?" Ning Rongrong's face was pale with fear, her voice trembling with urgency.
Ning Tianchen replied calmly, "Rongrong, don't worry. Not all bandits are soul masters. And even if some are, their strength might not be a match for us."
Not long after, two groups of bandits charged out from both sides of the road.
The two groups quickly merged into a single force of over twenty men, surrounding Ning Tianchen and Ning Rongrong.
"This road was built by our stronghold! If you two think you can pass without paying, you're showing great disrespect to our stronghold!" The burly leader sneered arrogantly.
"Black Wind Stronghold?" Ning Tianchen asked casually.
The burly man's expression faltered for a moment, then he burst out laughing as he looked at their youthful faces. "I didn't expect two kids like you. Since you know about our stronghold, you should also know our rules!"
Ning Tianchen inwardly scoffed.
Did all these bandit strongholds have such generic names?
None of the nearby mountains had proper names, so the bandit strongholds couldn't be named after locations and instead adopted generic titles.
What Black Wind Stronghold, Open Mountain Stronghold…
"I'm not familiar with your rules. We never intended to make enemies with you, so let's call it even and part ways," Ning Tianchen said sternly.
"Think you can just leave?" The burly man waved his hand, and his twenty-plus subordinates immediately stepped forward, brandishing their large blades.
"Our Black Wind Stronghold has a rule: men leave behind payment to pass, but women must stay behind to entertain our brothers. This little girl's a real beauty—let's take her back and raise her for a few years before having fun with her later."
"Hahaha!"
Ning Rongrong was instantly filled with fear, clutching tightly onto Ning Tianchen's arm with her other hand.
"Since there's no room for negotiation, I'll use you lot for practice." Ning Tianchen's eyes narrowed, and three soul rings—yellow, yellow, and purple—appeared beneath his feet.
"A three-ring Soul Elder!"
Upon seeing the soul rings, many of the bandits visibly paled.
A Soul Elder was already considered a pillar of strength in the world of soul masters. In smaller cities, Soul Elders were often the heads of minor families.
The burly leader's expression grew serious.
It wasn't Ning Tianchen's Soul Elder strength that worried him—it was the power behind him.
For someone to reach the level of a Soul Elder at such a young age, it was impossible without the backing of a major family.
If they offended a powerful family, the Black Wind Stronghold would face catastrophic consequences.
"Don't retreat! If their family comes after us, none of us will survive. Attack together and kill them! The money on their bodies will be enough for us to live luxuriously for half our lives!"
More importantly, once they killed them, even if their family investigated, it would be nearly impossible to trace the crime back to them.
Hearing about the prospect of living lavishly for half their lives emboldened the bandits significantly.
Among them, nearly half were soul masters with ten-year soul rings, and there were even three two-ring Great Soul Masters.
The burly leader revealed his own soul rings—he was a three-ring Soul Elder as well.
"Rongrong, boost me," Ning Tianchen said quietly, slowly raising his Seven Kill Sword.
Taking advantage of the brief moment while the enemies activated their martial souls, Ning Tianchen infused his Seven Kill Sword with a layer of soul-powered sword qi.
"Seven treasures emerge from glaze tile; seven treasures are named thus: first is strength, second is speed."
Seven-colored light flowed into Ning Tianchen's body, increasing his strength and speed by thirty percent.
At first, the burly leader hadn't recognized the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda martial soul, but when Ning Rongrong chanted the incantation, he realized the truth.
"They're disciples of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect! We must kill them!"
The burly leader swung his blade martial soul and led the charge toward the two.
"Too late!"
Ning Tianchen let out a fierce shout, sweeping his Seven Kill Sword horizontally.
A violent burst of sword qi erupted. Ordinary people without soul power, even using their blades to block, stood no chance. Their bodies were cleanly severed at the waist by the sword qi.
The remaining soul masters suffered varying degrees of injuries.
"One of the guardian Douluo of the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect wields a sword martial soul. Could you be his disciple?" Witnessing the overwhelming power of the sword qi, the burly leader was filled with terror.
Having chosen to fight, he now had no choice but to see this through to the bitter end.
"Whether or not I am, you'll find out when you're dead."
"First soul skill, Azure Dragon Break!"
The sword qi surged forth, amplified by the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, easily cutting down soul masters. The three Great Soul Masters summoned their full strength to resist.
Ning Tianchen had no intention of sparing them. With the added boost to his speed, his figure blurred like a ghost, darting in front of them.
One slash after another, and the lives of the three were reaped by his blade.
"You bastard, stop right there!" Unbeknownst to Ning Tianchen, the burly leader had somehow appeared beside Ning Rongrong.
His blade was now pressed against Ning Rongrong's neck.
Ning Tianchen turned around.
By now, all of the burly leader's subordinates had been slaughtered by him. Only the leader remained, unable to cause any further trouble.
Ning Rongrong showed remarkable resolve, refusing to beg for mercy. Instead, she said, "Big brother Tianchen, don't worry about me. Kill him quickly. If Rongrong dies, please tell Daddy that I love him. If there's a next life, Rongrong will definitely listen to Daddy's words."
"Shut up, you're annoying!" The burly leader cursed angrily, then immediately laid out his demands. "Boy, you don't want her to die, do you? Give me ten thousand—no, twenty thousand gold spirit coins. After I leave the mountain, I'll release this girl."
Ning Tianchen feigned compliance, adopting an accommodating demeanor. "Do you have any other demands? Go ahead and name them all."
The burly leader thought for a moment before replying, "I also want a shop."
"No problem."
"I want twenty beautiful women to serve me."
"Sure thing."
"I want a mansion, and you must never come after me again."
"Agreed, I guarantee it."
"I also want—"
Just as the burly leader was indulging in his fantasies of the future, the third soul ring beneath Ning Tianchen's feet lit up quietly.
The burly leader suddenly grew wary but, seeing no immediate action from Ning Tianchen, continued listing his demands.
Suddenly, a flash of cold light streaked through the darkness. Multiple flying blades shot out from the side, piercing through the burly leader's neck and severing the arm holding the blade.
"External spirit bone skill: Feather Blade Barrage."
Countless razor feathers returned to hover behind Ning Tianchen. His external spirit bone, the Sword Wings, spread wide, their edges radiating a chilling, sharp glow.
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