Chapter 17: Smart People Must Die! (Seeking Follow-up Reads, Seeking Collections)

After lying in wait in the outskirts for a long time, no target appeared.

Thanks to having fully stocked up on supplies before setting out, they were at least not in danger of starving or dying of thirst.

During this time, they noticed special herbs growing in the crevices of the rocks.

By using a highly poisonous Flash-Horned Deer to test the toxicity, Wu Qi confirmed that this was indeed a type of poison.

Furthermore, while lying in wait, they had seen carriages transporting these poisonous herbs.

He did not know where the carriages were headed, but since they were using vehicles for transport, these poisonous herbs would ultimately end up in the hands of the Spirit Hall.

At the same time, he guessed that if one were to draw a transport task, it would likely involve escorting these types of carriages and delivering them safely to a designated location.

But why would the Spirit Hall harvest poison here?

Even looking from a god's-eye perspective, Wu Qi had not discovered any place where the Spirit Hall would need to use poison in the future.

Time flew by, and twenty-some days passed.

Wu Qi's Survival Task only required him to survive here for one month, so his task was nearing completion.

Looking at Qiangu Changkong, he had only collected three Golden Badges so far; the goal of ten, or even one Purple Badge, remained a distant prospect.

Seeing time slipping away, Qiangu Changkong gradually lost his composure.

"Brother Wu, why don't we go into the city and assassinate Wang Tong?"

Just waiting here isn't working. In nearly a month, they had only caught two lone Soul Elders. If they kept dragging this out, once other Soul Elders caught wind of it, they certainly wouldn't act alone anymore.

Wu Qi pressed his hand down, "At a time like this, we must be even less impatient!"

According to the address provided by Han Ming, they could indeed find Wang Tong if they entered the city.

But the Black Widow would not let them off; if Wang Tong and the Black Widow joined forces, they would only be in a more passive position.

For now, to avoid falling into a dangerous situation, it is best to do nothing and quietly wait for the prey to take the bait.

In a flash, another two days passed.

Wu Qi's Survival Task was already complete, but he did not abandon Qiangu Changkong, instead continuing to lie in wait here.

Hard work pays off; today, they finally lay in wait for a target.

Every so often, the Spirit Hall would exile criminals to this place.

Within their line of sight, a "green" middle-aged man was scanning his surroundings with a vigilant gaze, his expression nervous and reserved.

The opponent did not release any soul power aura, and with Wu Qi's current strength, he could not determine the man's specific soul power level.

But he could be certain that this person's strength was definitely above level thirty-three.

Golden Badges were also the target of the two; since they had encountered one, there was no reason to let it go!

Wu Qi lightly patted Qiangu Changkong on the shoulder and raised an eyebrow, "Move!"

It was not the first time the two had coordinated; Qiangu Changkong would lead the charge to gauge the opponent's strength, and then Wu Qi would deliver the fatal blow.

"Second Spirit Skill, Coiling Dragon Strike!"

Qiangu Changkong threw the Coiling Dragon Staff in his hand, striking toward the man not far away with extreme speed and force.

The man remained vigilant at all times; sensing the attack, he reacted immediately.

Ducking low, the man dodged the impact of the Coiling Dragon Staff, and immediately after, his Gray Wolf Spirit manifested, his face ferocious with fangs suddenly appearing.

Yellow, yellow, yellow, purple—four soul rings appeared beneath his feet!

"A Soul Ancestor!"

Qiangu Changkong's expression froze, followed immediately by wild joy.

After waiting for so long, a Soul Ancestor had finally come to their door, and since the opponent was acting alone, it wasn't impossible for them to kill him.

Facing a highly vigilant Soul Ancestor, a sneak attack was meaningless!

Wu Qi grew Luan Wings on his back and flew down to Qiangu Changkong's side.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, full of fighting spirit.

"A Soul Elder and a Great Spirit Master dare to ambush me? What a joke!" The man's face turned gloomy.

If they were in the outside world, he would never have looked at them twice. But this was Death Canyon, a paradise for criminals!

Nothing here could be judged by common sense!

He was unsure of the source of their confidence, and his unfamiliarity with the surrounding environment made him afraid to act rashly.

Qiangu Changkong sneered, waving his hand toward the surroundings as if to bluff, "Hand over the Purple Badge, and we might spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Upon being exiled into Death Canyon, the man had received a Purple Badge from the Spirit Hall.

He did not understand the use of other badges besides the Golden Badge. But on the way here, he had seen people fighting over badges and knew their importance.

A Soul Elder and a Great Spirit Master wanted to rob him? What a joke!

Furthermore, after carefully sensing with his martial soul, he found no one else hidden nearby.

This left two possibilities: either there was no one else nearby, or there was a powerhouse hidden nearby.

If it were the latter, he would surely die, but taking them down with him before he died wouldn't be bad.

At this thought, the man bared his teeth, "Just two wet-behind-the-ears brats, do you really think I'm easy to bully!"

"First Soul Skill, Gray Wolf Speed."

The man's speed was extremely fast, and in an instant, he rushed before the two.

The Qingluan Spirit itself was very sensitive to air currents, and with the Soul Guidance Device gifted by Qingluan Douluo, the air currents were visualized before Wu Qi's eyes.

No matter how fast the man's movements were, they were not teleportation; by tracking the air currents, he could easily judge his position.

Wu Qi reacted quickly, kicking Qiangu Changkong away while rapidly ascending; with his Crane Cloud Wings and Luan Wings overlapping, his speed was unimaginably fast.

With his strike missing, the man decisively gave up on Wu Qi, who had the aerial advantage, and targeted Qiangu Changkong instead.

Regaining his composure, Qiangu Changkong reached out to hook back his Coiling Dragon Staff.

Facing a Soul Ancestor, he knew he was no match, but the honor of the Qiangu family could not be tarnished!

"First Soul Skill, Coiling Dragon Flame!"

A layer of flame was added to the Coiling Dragon Staff, and its power was enhanced accordingly.

The Gray Wolf Spirit sniffed, actually sensing a trace of danger.

Qiangu Changkong himself was only a Great Spirit Master; the source of the danger was not the opponent's strength, it was—

The man suddenly raised his head, only to see Wu Qi swooping down at him in the posture of a glider.

Falling rapidly from high altitude, this momentum could not be underestimated!

The man tried to pull away by taking advantage of his speed, but he saw that the Qingluan Spirit had already locked onto him, leaving him nowhere to hide.

Thinking of this, the third Soul Ring beneath his feet lit up, "Third Soul Skill, Space-Rending Claw!"

Wolf claws sprang from his hands, and he swiped them forward with all his might.

At the moment of collision, Wu Qi instantly changed his posture, using his sharpened wings to slice toward the opponent from the side.

Clang!

The sharpened Crane Cloud Wings collided with the wolf claws, and the powerful impact forced the man back.

The man was not annoyed; instead, a ferocious smile appeared on his face.

Under normal circumstances, a flying-type Spirit Master would inevitably land to dissipate their momentum after using a dash.

Once a bird-type martial soul lands, isn't it just a flightless chicken? How could it be his opponent?

Just as he was about to strike with full force, Wu Qi's body rose into the air again in a way that defied common sense.

The man glared coldly, seemingly having figured out the trick, and said with a sinister look, "To be able to do this by relying on your martial soul's ability, your martial soul is not simple!"

"So eager to kill me; it seems I am part of your trial mission, am I right, you two trial-takers?"

Based on the strength of their martial souls and their ages, it was not difficult to deduce the identities of the two.

Wu Qi clicked his tongue, then his expression turned cold: "This world has no need for smart people, so you must die!"

(End of this chapter)