Chapter 27: Trouble Comes Knocking
Lin Yang first took a good rest in Pelagi City, purchasing a carriage and replenishing supplies along the way.
The next day, the morning light was faint.
The mist had not yet fully dissipated, and dewdrops from the previous night still clung to the grass by the roadside, but the entire city had already begun to come alive.
After feeding the horses, Lin Yang prepared to set off for the Calamity Mountain Range.
"This time, it's just you and me."
Sitting in the carriage, Lin Yang murmured softly.
The leaves of the Blue Silver Emperor quietly extended from his collar, rubbing against his cheek like a caress.
Lin Yang scratched the leaf. "It's a bit itchy..."
The man and the plant chatted as they drove the carriage toward the Calamity Mountain Range.
The Calamity Mountain Range lay to the east of the Pelagi Kingdom, at the border with the Nanao Duchy.
Lin Yang had seen in the spirit beast illustrated manual given to him by Su Hong that a unique Soul Beast called Golden Body Sword Bamboo lived in the Calamity Mountain Range.
Although it was a plant-type Soul Beast, it leaned more toward metal.
Golden Body Sword Bamboo only grew atop Gengjin ore veins.
By absorbing Gengjin Qi, it strengthened its body to be as hard as steel, and could even launch sword-qi attacks capable of piercing metal and shattering stone.
If he could use Golden Body Sword Bamboo as his second Soul Ring, Lin Yang would likely obtain a penetration-attribute Soul Ring, which could further enhance the sharpness of his Nichirin Blade Martial Soul.
In the future, it might even reach the ultimate level.
For this reason, Lin Yang spared no effort in coming to the Calamity Mountain Range, all to find a suitable Golden Body Sword Bamboo.
The seven-day journey was dull and tedious, but the road was calm and extremely smooth.
Just when Lin Yang thought nothing would happen, another merchant caravan approached from the opposite direction.
Following the wind, 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, giving off the faint impression of cages.
The smell of blood was coming from beneath the black cloth.
Lin Yang frowned; this convoy was likely a Slave Catcher Squad disguised as a merchant caravan.
Slave Catcher Squads were notoriously infamous.
Along with Fallen Spirit Masters and Gale Wolftaken, they were known as the three most evil groups on the Douluo Continent.
On the surface, both Empires did their utmost to suppress Slave Catcher Squads.
But such dealings only vanished from the surface, moving into the shadows, and had never been truly eliminated.
After all, only those noble lords enjoyed collecting various kinds of maids and were willing to spend a fortune for them.
Where there is demand, there is trade, and where there is trade, evil is born.
Lin Yang did not choose to take action.
This wasn't just a problem with one Slave Catcher Squad, but a sickness of the entire continent.
However, the tree wants to be still but the wind won't stop; the more Lin Yang wanted to avoid trouble, the more trouble sought him out.
Just as the convoy was about to pass his carriage, a shrill, androgynous voice came from the most luxurious carriage in the caravan.
"Wait."
The guards of this Slave Catcher Squad were well-trained; they stopped immediately upon hearing the voice, orderly and silent.
Lin Yang frowned, an ominous feeling inexplicably rising in his heart.
The curtain of the luxury carriage was slightly pulled back, revealing a crack, and the voice from before spoke again.
"Young man, meeting while traveling is fate. Why not let This servant give you a ride, so we can look out for each other?"
This shrill voice made it impossible to tell if the speaker was male or female, but it gave Lin Yang an inexplicable chill. He immediately shook his head.
"Thank you for the kind offer, but we are not going the same way. Farewell!"
With that, Lin Yang prepared to drive his carriage away.
At the same time, in the cage covered by black cloth at the back of the carriage, a pair of bright eyes snapped open, flashing with a suspicious expression.
Just as Lin Yang was about to start, a spear made of refined steel was thrust in front of him, blocking his path.
Lin Yang's face darkened as he turned to look at the owner of the spear.
It was a fair-skinned young man with sharp features, appearing to be in his twenties.
Though young, the fact that he could constantly accompany the luxury carriage suggested his status was not low.
"What is the meaning of this?" Lin Yang asked coldly.
The young guard was expressionless, his tone cold and hard.
"I advise you to be obedient; you'll live..."
Lin Yang was momentarily amused by the sheer audacity. "And if I don't?"
"You must listen whether you want to or not. To be favored by my master is a blessing you've earned over ten lifetimes."
Both the guard's expression and tone were as cold as a hard rock, clearly brook no argument.
"I cannot afford such a blessing. Move!"
Lin Yang barked, and an invisible aura instantly pressed forward.
Swish!
The other guards moved in unison, their weapons pointing at Lin Yang simultaneously.
A forest of spears rose, and a murderous aura instantly filled the area.
The young guard looked at Lin Yang, a flash of pity crossing his eyes before quickly vanishing.
"I'll say it again: listen to the noble, and you can live..."
"Humph, then come and try."
A cold light flashed in Lin Yang's eyes as he stared directly at the young guard, refusing to back down.
Although he didn't know who was inside the carriage, someone involved in slave-catching was surely not a decent person.
And this bizarre invitation was clearly made with impure motives.
The young guard took a step back and looked toward the carriage.
After a moment, a faint sigh came from inside the carriage.
"Be gentle, don't mar his face. Just teach him a lesson; I have a use for him tonight."
"Yes, Master!"
At this moment, Lin Yang, having realized something, felt goosebumps all over his body.
No wonder the vast majority of the guard unit were fair-skinned, cold-faced, and extremely handsome young men.
It turned out the person in the carriage was such a filthy creature.
Especially since this filthy creature had set its sights on him.
In an instant, the killing intent in Lin Yang's heart intensified to the extreme!
Swish!
The spear in the young guard's hand jerked violently, thrusting forward with a sharp wind.
He moved extremely fast, the tip of the spear a point of cold light aimed straight for Lin Yang's shoulder blade, clearly intending to capture him directly.
Lin Yang snorted coldly and instantly caught the spear in his hand.
The guard was startled and tensed his arms to pull the spear back, but he found Lin Yang's palm was like an iron hoop, unmoving.
Now that his body was a Demon God Body, coupled with the reinforcement of the hundred thousand year spirit bone, his constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people.
With a little force, the refined steel spear was twisted like dough into a braid.
The young guard was shocked and quickly abandoned the spear, stepping back.
"A Soul Master?"
Inside the luxury carriage, the androgynous voice let out a light "eh?" The curtain was pulled back a bit more, but still only revealed a finger wearing a jade thumb ring.
"No wonder you're so confident, young man... This servant is starting to like you more and more."
Hearing this, the young guard's heart suddenly tightened as if he had thought of something terrifying; he no longer held back.
With a flash of light, a Bronze Shield suddenly appeared in his hand.
The surface of the shield was covered with patterns resembling thorns, its edges gleaming with a cold metallic luster, and three Soul Rings appeared beneath his feet in succession.
One white, one yellow, one purple.
Surging Soul Power rushed forth.
This guard was actually a three-ring Soul Elder.