"Aren't you afraid of death?"
Yu Yan looked at the Third Leader of the Bandits with considerable surprise; among all the robbers and Bandits he had faced, this was the only one who would rather die than submit and refused to cooperate.
"I, Wang San, haven't had much schooling, but I know that I cannot betray the Boss. Besides, if I cooperate with you, will you let me go?"
The Third Leader of the Bandits stared at Yu Yan calmly, uttering the final few sentences of his life one word at a time.
"You have a lot of courage. Goodbye."
After praising the Third Leader of the Bandits, Yu Yan controlled the tip of the Profound Ice Chain to pierce his heart, sending him to his death.
Until the moment he died, the Third Leader of the Bandits maintained his previous expression, showing no fear due to death.
"Sorry, this was my mistake. I didn't expect this guy to have such backbone."
"Xiao Wu, prepare for battle."
After apologizing for his negligence, seven Profound Ice Chains hovered around Yu Yan, ready to attack any enemies that appeared at any time.
"It's not your fault."
Xiao Wu stood by Yu Yan's side and reached out to tap his head, feeling nothing about the upcoming battle.
"Third Leader!"
"Third Leader!!!"
The Bandits running from the depths of the tomb saw the Third Leader lying in a pool of blood. Those who had a good relationship with him called out his name loudly in grief.
The deceased Wang San naturally could not respond to them; what responded to them were the attacks of Yu Yan and Xiao Wu.
The Profound Ice Chains, along with the Moonlight Chains simulated by Xiao Wu's Moonlight Energy, flew toward the Bandits, killing them easily.
Among the Bandits who arrived, the strongest one was surrounded by a single white spirit ring.
With such strength, they couldn't even last a single exchange before Yu Yan and Xiao Wu.
After dealing with all the attackers, Yu Yan cut off the head of the Third Leader of the Bandits, froze it with ice, and put it into a black bag he carried. The Soul Master Guild's task to exterminate the Bandits required the heads of the three leaders as proof of success.
"These lackeys are really poor. Let's keep moving forward."
After searching everyone there and confirming they had nothing else on them, Yu Yan called for Xiao Wu and Bai Chenxiang to continue forward.
While the Bandit lackeys were poor individually, their combined wealth allowed Yu Yan to scavenge over a hundred gold coins.
Bai Chenxiang watched Yu Yan's actions, wanting to say something but hesitating. She felt that experts should have their own pride, but she didn't know how to advise Yu Yan to accept her point of view.
Due to the report from the escaping Bandits, the trio encountered no other Bandits on the path ahead. This didn't mean there were no Bandits; if they weren't mistaken, all the Bandits would gather in one place to wait for Yu Yan and the others for a final battle... In a relatively large and intact burial chamber, the Bandits finally encountered Yu Yan's group of three.
The First Leader of the Bandits was named Li Hu, a Three-Ring Spirit Elder with two yellow and one purple ring. He was powerful and burly, his scarred body carrying a naturally fierce aura.
The Second Leader of the Bandits was named Zhao Xiao, a Level 29 Two-Ring Spirit Grandmaster. He wore an eyepatch and stared fiercely at the three people who walked in.
The other Bandits were all burly men with blood-red eyes. They stared at Yu Yan's trio, waiting only for the command from the two leaders to rush forward and tear them apart.
"Were you the ones who killed Wang San?"
Standing in the very center of the Bandits, Li Hu's tiger-like eyes scanned Yu Yan up and down, confirming the news of the third brother's death.
"Yes. I wanted to ask him some questions, but he wasn't very cooperative and even exposed my location. Since we're enemies, I didn't have much of a choice."
Being watched by the crowd, Yu Yan ignored those angry gazes and answered the question of the Bandit First Leader, Li Hu, in a relaxed tone.
After providing the answer, Yu Yan asked Li Hu directly before he could speak:
"I've answered your question, so can you tell me: did you discover this place by accident and use it as your base, or are you grave robbers operating here?"
"Very good, you have guts. We are grave robbers working here," Li Hu answered Yu Yan's question. "Is this what you asked Wang San?"
"Exactly, but unfortunately, he wasn't willing to say anything."
Because of Li Hu's frankness, Yu Yan answered his question without reservation.
"Tch—such a simple question. If he'd said it, he'd have said it; it's no big deal. I wouldn't have blamed him."
Li Hu stood up as he spoke, and a Black Tiger Spirit appeared beside him, quickly completing the Martial Soul Possession.
Tiger stripes appeared on Li Hu's body, and a large black 'King' character emerged on his forehead. Two yellow and one purple spirit ring fluctuated rapidly, manifesting his inner turmoil.
"I think you're overthinking it. I took the mission to exterminate you. Whether your Wang San answered my questions or not, he had to die, and you all have to die too."
Not intending to back down, Yu Yan made a slicing motion across his neck, arrogantly provoking the Bandit First Leader, Li Hu.
If a small provocation could make Li Hu lose his mind, he could gain a significant advantage in the battle.
"A mere Two-Ring Spirit Grandmaster—what gives you the nerve to be so arrogant in front of me?"
Seeing the two spirit rings surrounding Yu Yan, Li Hu felt a moment of bewilderment.
"You'll find out."
With the battle about to begin, Yu Yan did not have the habit of voluntarily exposing his own information.
Zhao Xiao, who had been standing beside Li Hu without speaking, had a pure black Night Owl appear behind him as Li Hu prepared to move.
"The dark night is the curtain, all is silent!"
Following the low-pitched soul incantation, a thick surge of black Qi billowed out from Zhao Xiao, obscuring the surroundings and making Yu Yan focus with absolute concentration.
Amidst the rolling black Qi, Li Hu's second spirit ring descended, and he transformed into a dark shadow within the Qi, rushing toward Yu Yan.
"A trivial trick. Moonlight Energy."
Li Hu had a helper, and Yu Yan naturally had help as well. Xiao Wu, who had been standing by Yu Yan's side, would not just stand by and watch Yu Yan be double-teamed.
The Moonlight Energy floating around Xiao Wu turned into ripples that spread outward, forcing back the encroaching black Qi.
Without the black Qi for cover, Yu Yan saw Li Hu leap out, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he reached Yu Yan's side, swinging a hand that looked much like a tiger's paw at him.
Li Hu's Second Spirit Ability was called Shadow Leap; while transforming into afterimages to confuse the opponent, it also enhanced his own speed.
After closing in on the target, Li Hu would immediately follow up with his First Spirit Ability, Nether Tearing Palm, to launch a sneak attack.
In the past, with Zhao Xiao's black Qi as a screen, this move had never failed.
Now, Xiao Wu had easily dispersed the black Qi that provided cover, and Yu Yan had noticed his movements in advance.
Frost Scale Armor appeared. The fist wrapped in black Qi and the fist encased in Frost Scale Armor collided, producing a dull thud.