Chapter 59: A Second Encounter

The flesh around the chest is a mess, with shattered bones and a heart about to stop beating visible.

"Y‑You..."

The short man couldn't utter a word for a long while, then completely lost his life.

Tie Li gave a shout with his right hand, and the Forging Hammer flew back into his hand.

Two senior Soul Masters of the Hunting Soul Group who had dodged the arrowheads heard the commotion, were about to come to their leader's aid, but instead witnessed his gruesome death.

"Not good, run."

The two realized the danger and turned to flee toward the distance.

For a strength-type Soul Master, speed is a weakness, but with great power and physique, a burst of speed is not lacking.

He bent both knees to gather force, and with a "bang", two small pits were left in the ground.

A sturdy physique as support, strength as motive, this burst of speed is no weaker than that of an Agile Attack-type Soul Master.

The two heard the booming sounds behind them, like death bells ringing at their ears.

One of them was about to turn his head toward his companion when he saw a massive hammer bearing Lightning Light strike his companion's head.

"Bang"

The sound of a watermelon shattering; he only felt white‑red liquid with an electric arc splashing onto his face.

"Wait, it was the Young Master who ordered us to do this."

"Impossible, it could never be the Young Master."

At this moment, Butler Liu arrived with the noble lady, his face full of shock upon hearing that sentence;

He knew the Young Master's usual behavior—filial to the master, affectionate to his younger siblings—so how could he commit such a deed?

"Such dirty dealings are not uncommon among your aristocracy, are they?" the senior Soul Master said with a sarcastic tone.

"Impossible, you must be lying. Speak quickly—who ordered you to do this? Speak!" Butler Liu roared almost in a howl.

Angry, Butler Liu stepped forward to reprimand him, and only then noticed Tie Li standing nearby.

His face seemed familiar, but he couldn't recall at once.

"You could take him back; then everything would be clear," Tie Li suggested.

"Fine, take him back for the master to deal with."

The noble lady behind Butler Liu stared timidly at Tie Li, wondering why this stranger was helping them.

"Thank you, Soul Master Great Sir, for saving our lives," Butler Liu bowed to Tie Li, expressing gratitude, and added, "Soul Master Great Sir may return with us; the master will surely thank you properly then."

Tie Li was uninterested in Butler Liu's thanks; he merely repaid the life‑saving favor he had received earlier.

Since they didn't recognize him, Tie Li naturally wouldn't go out of his way to explain.

Whatever he does, he only seeks peace of mind.

Tie Li glanced at the area just now: six members of the Hunting Soul Group were hit by arrowheads—three slain, three severely wounded;

The three severely wounded were already dead, each with a clear slash on the neck; evidently, Butler Liu had done all this.

Of the Hunting Soul Group, only one survivor remained.

"It's on the way; I'll take you back to Ancient Sword City," Tie Li said.

"Fine."

At first, Butler Liu and the noble lady didn't think much of it, believing that having a powerful Soul Master guard them back was something to be glad about.

But Butler Liu soon sensed something off—how did he know they were in Ancient Sword City?

Butler Liu led the noble lady onto the carriage, calmly slipped a storage ring into her hand, then acted as the driver, following behind Tie Li's horn‑scaled horse.

As for the second‑ring senior Soul Master, Tie Li bound his limbs and hung him on the horse's rear.

Before night fell, the party rushed back to Ancient Sword City.

Tie Li handed the second‑ring senior Soul Master to Butler Liu, and planned to find an inn to rest.

"Soul Master Great Sir, why not come with us? The master will treat you well; you are the lady's savior," Butler Liu invited.

Free food and drink is something everyone likes; but intuition told Tie Li that this aristocratic household would soon spawn a slew of melodramatic events, possibly dragging him in and delaying his journey to Nuo Ding City.

They once saved his life; now he's returned, and the debt is settled—no need to get involved in their affairs.

"No," Tie Li coldly refused.

"Alright then."

The group parted ways; Tie Li, being quite familiar with Ancient Sword City, found inn prices similar and chose one at random to stay in.

The innkeeper was at the front desk; after paying the deposit, he was tasked with looking after the horn‑scaled horse, while he himself returned to his room to rest.

Back in his room, he removed his inner armor and gauntlets, feeling much lighter, gave himself a thorough wash, and comfortably lay on the bed as drowsiness quickly set in.

"Clack"

Dreaming, Tie Li heard faint footsteps outside the door, instantly awoke, and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.

In an instant, the doors and windows were violently forced open; they were clad in black night‑cloaks that concealed their faces.

But each of them bore obvious soul power fluctuations.

The moment the doors were breached, they lunged at Tie Li on the bed, swinging their long knives fiercely.

Having anticipated, Tie Li leapt upward, evading their attacks.

Against the night backdrop, the Lightning Light gathered in Tie Li's hand shone especially bright.

Two yellow and one purple, three Soul Rings appeared simultaneously.

Tie Li targeted the nearest Black-clothed Person, striking his head with the Forging Hammer.

He hadn't even released his martial soul before a hammer smash shattered his skull.

The other four, seeing the bad omen, immediately unleashed their martial souls and Soul Rings.

Two Soul Elders, with a Soul Ring Configuration of one white, one yellow, and one purple, all wielding beast martial souls.

The other two are Second‑ring Great Soul Masters, one white and one yellow; one wields a beast martial soul, the other a mace martial soul.

They actually deployed so many people to kill me?

When I think of who I might have offended in Ancient Sword City, it's probably only that aristocratic young master, right?

Is it because I'm angry that I ruined his scheme?

Or is there some reason they must kill me to silence me.

Tie Li's First Soul Ring and Third Soul Ring lit up simultaneously, the purple glow unique to the Thousand‑Year Soul Ring, causing the four of them to pale, and they immediately released a powerful Thousand‑Year Soul Technique.

First Soul Technique, Lightning Hammer!

Third Soul Technique, Thousand‑Weight Transformation!

The massive amplification of the Thousand‑Year Soul Technique made the Lightning Armor that originally covered his right arm quickly spread toward his shoulder, extending all the way to the upper torso of his chest cavity.

The inn's room was already small, just right for Tie Li to exert his own advantage.

His mighty force drove raging lightning, making the cramped room feel like an empty battlefield.

The two Soul Elders each deployed their Third Soul Technique, but unfortunately the battlefield they chose was unsuitable, preventing the full power of the Thousand‑Year Soul Technique from being unleashed, and they suffered Tie Li's terrifying counterattack.

(End of Chapter)