Chapter 168 - 165: Capture the Ringleader First

Mo Qianqian and the rest of the group were momentarily stunned.

An eleven or twelve-year-old boy, coming out to rob people all by himself?

"Halt!" Zhu Daoren shouted. The team of Spiritual Steeds came to a stop right in front of the little boy.

"Little friend, where are your parents?" Zhu Daoren asked.

"I claimed this mountain, and I planted this tree! If you want to pass, leave your money with me!" the little boy repeated, putting on the most vicious expression he could muster.

However, on his tender, childish face, the attempt at looking fierce was incredibly comical.

The group was left speechless.

An eleven or twelve-year-old coming out to play bandit, trying to rob over a dozen people single-handedly—who on earth taught him this? Moreover, he had already shouted the line once and was repeating it again. Was there something wrong with this little guy’s head?

"Are you going to pay up or not?" the little boy demanded loudly.

"And what if we don’t?" Zhu Daoren asked, still somewhat dumbfounded.

"If you don’t, then get them, brothers!" the little boy roared.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

Following the boy’s shout, a chorus of beastly roars echoed through the area. Mo Qianqian watched as dozens of spirit beasts emerged from all directions.

There were Spirit Tigers, Spirit Wolves, Spirit Lions, and Spiritual Apes.

Aside from the Spiritual Apes beating their chests, the other beasts bared their fangs, every single one of them exuding a fierce and menacing aura.

"Spirit beasts! He can actually control spirit beasts!"

Upon seeing this, the crowd was greatly alarmed. If it had just been a little boy, they wouldn’t have been afraid. After all, he was only eleven or twelve; no matter how monstrous his talent might be, his cultivation base couldn’t be that high. But these spirit beasts all looked incredibly vicious, and there was no telling what tier they belonged to.

"Wait a minute!" Zhu Daoren held up a hand. "We can talk this over! We can definitely negotiate the toll money!"

"Leave these Spiritual Steeds and all your belongings behind, and I’ll spare your lives!" the little boy shouted fiercely at Zhu Daoren.

The group frowned collectively. This wasn’t a negotiation; he wanted to rob them blind, taking even their mounts. If they lost their Spiritual Steeds, the journey back would take a significantly longer time.

"It seems you aren’t going to hand them over! Brothers, attack! Kill them all!" the little boy immediately hollered.

Mo Qianqian was speechless. This little boy was certainly decisive, issuing orders to kill at the slightest disagreement. He didn’t leave any room for negotiation at all.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

The spirit beasts charged toward the group, causing the Spiritual Steeds to neigh in panic.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Eight people sprang into action. All of them were experts in the Early-stage Realm of Communication with Ghosts, while one was an expert at the Sixth Level of Tongyou Realm. They slashed and hacked with their swords and sabers, attacking the oncoming beasts.

BANG! BANG! SLASH!

Blades clashed against the claws of the beasts. Several spirit beasts were sent flying, while others were killed outright. However, some—like the Spiritual Apes—possessed immense combat strength and managed to knock back even the experts at the First Level of Tongyou Realm.

"You dare hit my brothers? I’ll kill you! Ahhh!"

The childish-looking boy in animal-hide clothing let out an angry cry. Moving with explosive, blurring speed, he dashed toward the old man at the Sixth Level of Tongyou Realm and delivered a flying kick.

The old man’s expression changed. He quickly thrust his sword, but he was a step too late. Before his blade could reach its target, the little boy’s foot slammed into his abdomen.

THUD!

With a heavy crash, the old man at the Sixth Level of Tongyou Realm spewed a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward through the air.

"ROAR!" Just then, the little boy let out a beastly roar of his own, and a pair of deer antlers sprouted from his head.

"A shape-shifted spirit beast! He’s a shape-shifted spirit beast!" a middle-aged man nearby cried out in horror.

"What?" Mo Qianqian’s expression drastically changed.

That little boy was a spirit beast capable of taking human form? No wonder he could summon dozens of spirit beasts and call them brothers! But who could have ever imagined that a shape-shifted spirit beast would run out to the side of the road to rob people?

This wasn’t like a spirit beast’s style at all.

"Leave three people behind! You two, go together and deal with that guy," Zhu Daoren ordered solemnly.

An old man and a middle-aged man beside him immediately rushed toward the little boy. Two others who were already near the boy also charged at him.

The antlered boy didn’t seem to have many attack techniques; he only knew how to kick. However, his physical strength was terrifying, and his speed was astonishing. None of the men could land a hit on him. Before long, another person was sent flying by a vicious kick.

An old man—who had stayed behind with Mo Qianqian, Zhu Daoren, and a young man and woman—shouted, "Young Master, let’s retreat first!"

"Retreat!"

Zhu Daoren pulled the reins, turning his Spiritual Steed around.

ROAR!

However, more than a dozen spirit beasts were already charging at them from the rear. The old man beside them, along with two others, began attacking the surrounding beasts.

"You three, get behind me!"

Zhu Daoren finally made his move. He drew his great saber, erupting with the aura of the Fifth Level of Tongyou Realm. Slashing with wide, sweeping strikes, he instantly killed a Spirit Tiger.

Mo Qianqian was surprised. Zhu Daoren was only in his early twenties, yet he had already reached the Fifth Level of Tongyou Realm? If he were in the Great Xia Dynasty, wouldn’t he be considered one of the top monstrous geniuses?

"Li Chen, hurry and protect me!" the woman in the pale green dress cried out in panic. The aura radiating from her body belonged to the Ninth Level of Spirit Profound Realm.

Beside her, the young man named Li Chen was an expert at the First Level of Tongyou Realm. At twenty-four or twenty-five years old, he was also a top-tier genius. He hurriedly blocked the space in front of the woman, sending a Spirit Lion flying with a single slash of his sword and killing it instantly.

"You insisted on taking me to the Li family! If anything happens to me, you can forget about marrying into my family! Just wait for the Li family to be wiped out!" the woman in the pale green dress scolded angrily.

Mo Qianqian frowned. By the looks of it, this young man and woman were a couple, and Li Chen was planning to marry into her family? But listening to her incredibly sharp and mean-spirited words, he figured that if Li Chen truly married into her family, his future days would probably be miserable.

"Here! There’s one over here! Hurry up and save me!" the woman shrieked.

Li Chen spun around and slashed at another Spirit Tiger that was lunging at her, slaying it on the spot.

"Zhu Daoren, aren’t you going to think of a way out of this? Do you want us to die here?" she began scolding Zhu Daoren next.

Mo Qianqian was once again left speechless. To still be hurling insults at a critical juncture like this... this woman was way too bitter and harsh. If Zhu Daoren were to lose his temper, the two of them would likely end up dead here.

"To catch the bandits, first catch their ringleader," Mo Qianqian, who was hiding in the middle of the group, called out as a reminder.

"Right! Catch the ringleader first! Brothers, hurry up and kill him! He’s the boss!"

The little boy pointed at Zhu Daoren and shouted. Dodging the attacks of the others, he sprinted wildly toward Zhu Daoren.

The other spirit beasts also stopped attacking the rest of the group and directed all their aggression toward Zhu Daoren. The others were deeply alarmed and hurried to block and slay the beasts.

Zhu Daoren’s expression shifted, and he couldn’t help but curse, "Son of a bitch!"

’Catch the ringleader first’—who was that supposed to be meant for?!

Mo Qianqian felt exasperated. The shape-shifted spirit beast didn’t seem too bright, but upon hearing his advice, it actually decided to capture *their* "king"?

THUD!

In a flash, the antlered boy closed the distance. The old man standing in front of Zhu Daoren was kicked flying out of the way.

The little boy lunged directly at Zhu Daoren.