Chapter 111: Endless Troubles


    "Old Man Feng, what brings you here? Trying to steal my prize?" the middle-aged man, known as Old Man Huo, laughed heartily, pointing at Han Ming. "I''m here for this little guy. I won''t touch your stuff."


    Old Man Feng''s eyelids twitched slightly, his voice low and cold. "This boy is my prey. I have unfinished business with him. Stay out of it."


    Old Man Huo sneered. "Unfinished business? Don''t make me laugh. A fourth-tier old man like you has no business with a second-tier water mage. You''re just after the Slaughter Mark above his head, aren''t you? You want to cash in on the Desert Serpent Clan''s bounty. Don''t think you''re the only one who knows about their offer."


    Old Man Feng''s eyes turned fierce. Without another word, he lunged at Han Ming. As a wind-attribute Battle Soul, his speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Han Ming, his palm slicing through the air like a blade.


    Han Ming dodged to the side, his leg snapping out in a whip-like kick that deflected Old Man Feng''s strike. The two separated briefly, and Han Ming rotated his ankle, feeling a tingling numbness in his foot.


    "This old guy''s strength is insane," Han Ming thought grimly.


    Whoosh!


    A fist wrapped in blazing combat aura came at him. Han Ming leaned back, narrowly avoiding the fiery punch, and countered with a chop aimed at the elbow of the attacking arm.


    Old Man Huo laughed and sidestepped the attack. "Old Man Feng! Since you want to compete with me, let''s see who can kill this kid first!"


    With a roar, Old Man Huo charged at Han Ming again. Old Man Feng, cursing under his breath, darted to Han Ming''s side.


    "Aren''t you going to help? If I die, you won''t survive either," Han Ming said coldly to the demon spirit beside him. He dodged Old Man Feng''s attack with an agile movement, while the spirit flicked her fingers, sending a barrage of silver threads toward Old Man Huo.


    The threads clashed with Old Man Huo''s fiery fist, sparks flying everywhere and forcing him to retreat temporarily.


    "A fourth-tier fire spirit... Not bad, you''ve got some skills," Old Man Huo said excitedly, shifting his focus to the spirit. He threw a powerful punch, and a thick column of fire shot from his fist, hurtling toward the spirit.


    Meanwhile, Han Ming exchanged a few more blows with Old Man Feng, gradually falling into a disadvantage.


    "Rin... look, that guy is fighting two Battle Souls!" the shorter man stammered.


    "Run!" Rin shouted, seeing that the two old men were occupied with Han Ming. She turned and fled, the other two men quickly following suit.


    Thud!


    Han Ming took a punch to his left shoulder from Old Man Feng. Using the momentum, he retreated and dashed into the raging storm.


    "Trying to run?" Old Man Feng''s eyes narrowed, and he gave chase. Old Man Huo, no longer bothering with the spirit, also pursued Han Ming. The spirit, now a streak of silver light, returned to Han Ming''s side. She was bound to him by an invisible link and couldn''t stray too far.


    "Why are you two in such a hurry to leave?"


    A soft, ethereal voice drifted through the air as a graceful figure landed in front of the two Battle Souls. She brushed dust off her shoulders casually, her tone calm.


    The two Battle Souls froze, taking several steps back.


    "Demoness!"


    Old Man Huo visibly paled, his voice trembling. "What... what are you doing here? Aren''t you supposed to be in the underground city?"


    The Demoness giggled, glancing at Old Man Huo. "Han Er and I have crossed paths before. He reminds me of an old friend. Why don''t you two do me a favor and let him go?"


    The two men exchanged frustrated glances, then turned and disappeared into the storm.


    The Demoness laughed softly, her gaze shifting to Rin and her companions, who had been hiding nearby.


    "Have any of you seen a young man named Han? He''s fair-skinned, with delicate features, about the same height as your friend Han Er," the Demoness asked with a charming smile.


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    The shorter man, completely entranced by her beauty, eagerly replied, "No, we haven''t. But if you need help finding him, we''d be happy to assist!"


    The Demoness glanced at the other two, who shook their heads.


    "No need," she said with a giggle.


    In an instant, her hands shot out, gripping the heads of the two men. Their life force drained away, and they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.


    Rin screamed and tried to run.


    "Now, now, no need to be afraid," the Demoness''s voice whispered in Rin''s ear, her breath sending shivers down the girl''s spine.


    "Please, don''t kill me!" Rin begged, her legs giving out as she fell to the ground.


    The Demoness circled Rin, her laughter light and melodic. "You''re quite pretty, and your potential isn''t bad. From now on, you''re a member of my Secret Sect. Follow me, and I''ll keep you safe."


    Rin looked up at the woman, who was several times more beautiful than herself, and nodded eagerly. As long as she wasn''t killed, she was willing to do anything.


    The Demoness gazed into the distance, murmuring to herself, "I heard he was heading deep into the wild forest, but I don''t know where exactly. That fool is so reckless, venturing into such a dangerous place with his meager strength. What if he gets himself killed?"


    Her expression suddenly darkened, her eyes filled with murderous intent. "If anyone dares to harm him, I''ll make sure they suffer a fate worse than death."


    Rin shivered, watching the Demoness''s rapidly shifting emotions. This woman was as beautiful as she was terrifying, her moods changing on a whim.


    "Let''s go. It seems he won''t be coming this way," the Demoness said, her tone calm once more.


    Rin, too scared to speak, forced a smile. "Who... who are you waiting for?"


    "A fool."


    ---


    Han Ming ran for three days straight, only stopping when he was sure the two Battle Souls weren''t following him. He ducked behind a large boulder, gulping water from his flask and catching his breath.


    Swish!


    A faint whistling sound reached his ears. Han Ming''s eyes narrowed as he caught the blade of a sword mid-swing. He countered with a punch, shattering the attacker''s face.


    Seeing that it was just a low-tier Battle Frenzy warrior, Han Ming sighed bitterly. "Looks like peace is a luxury now that Mentor Merlin is gone. All these small fry are coming out of the woodwork. I need to get to the Wild Fire Prison as soon as possible."


    After looting the man''s belongings, Han Ming set off again.


    In his current state, Han Ming stood no chance against a Battle Soul. Even with the demon spirit''s help, he could only hold out for a few dozen moves before being overwhelmed. If the opponent also summoned their beast spirit, the outcome would be even worse.


    His previous victory over the snake woman had been due to her being burdened. Facing two Battle Souls head-on was a death sentence. His only option was to flee.


    The gap in strength was simply too vast. A whole tier of difference couldn''t be bridged by skill alone.


    As the wind howled around him, Han Ming noticed a group of five people struggling against the storm. It seemed like everyone had suddenly appeared in this desolate place.


    "Dad! Look, what''s that above that guy''s head?" a young boy pointed at Han Ming.


    A middle-aged man patted the boy''s head affectionately. "That''s the Slaughter Mark of the Desert Serpent Clan, Xiao''er. We''re outsiders here, so it''s best not to get involved. You''re my pride and joy, and we''re here to get you a fire-attribute core to boost your strength."


    "What about me, Dad? Aren''t you proud of me too?" a slightly older girl pouted.


    The man laughed. "Lin''er, you''re already an earth-attribute Grand Mage. How could I not be proud of you?"


    The girl still looked dissatisfied, glaring at the approaching figure. She was also a Battle Soul.


    "Fine, you say not to cause trouble, but I''ll show you I''m just as good as my brother," she thought stubbornly.


    Han Ming noticed the family ahead. The middle-aged man was likely the father of the two youths, while the other two appeared to be servants. The man was clearly a Battle Soul.


    "Damn it, where did all these powerful people come from?" Han Ming muttered. But then again, this was the edge of the Wild Fire Prison. Only the strongest dared to venture here, and it wasn''t unusual for people from other continents to come seeking powerful beast cores.


    "Hey! You! The guy with the blood mark above your head! Stop!" the girl, Lin''er, shouted angrily.


    Han Ming didn''t want trouble. With a Battle Soul in the group, it was best to avoid conflict. He adjusted his path slightly, trying to bypass them.


    This wasn''t because Han Ming was afraid to avoid people, but the group was directly in his path to the Wild Fire Prison. He had no choice.


    "Lin''er, stop causing trouble!" the father scolded.


    The girl, already feeling neglected, grew even angrier. "You''re always favoring my brother! Why are you yelling at me?"


    She didn''t dare say this out loud, so she directed her anger at Han Ming.


    "Are you deaf or stupid? I told you to stop!" she shouted, summoning a massive earth spike in front of Han Ming.


    Han Ming nimbly dodged the spike, but more kept appearing under his feet.


    The delay allowed the group to catch up to him.


    "Apologies, friend. My daughter can be a bit impulsive," the middle-aged man said with a friendly smile.


    Han Ming, seeing the man''s polite demeanor, decided not to escalate. He clasped his fists in return. "No harm done. I have urgent matters to attend to, so I''ll take my leave."


    "Not so fast!" The girl, now clad in a suit of earth armor with sharp spikes protruding from her arms and shoulders, charged at Han Ming.


    "You''re just a first-tier water mage. How dare you ignore me!" she fumed. Her father didn''t value her, and now this lowly mage was disrespecting her too.


    Han Ming''s eyes turned cold as he sidestepped her attack. He mentally scolded the demon spirit, which was stirring within him. "Stay put! If you come out without my permission, I''ll stop absorbing magic energy and let you wither away!"


    He didn''t want to provoke unnecessary conflict.


    "Shouldn''t you control your child? Such impulsiveness isn''t a good trait," Han Ming said to the father.


    The man''s brow furrowed. He was fiercely protective of his children and didn''t appreciate outsiders criticizing them.


    "Since my daughter is so eager, why don''t you humor her with a little sparring?" the man said with a forced smile.


    Han Ming''s expression darkened. He understood the man''s protectiveness, but this was pushing it.


    "You think you''re so great? Die!" the girl screamed, summoning her low-tier earth beast spirit.


    A giant rat-like earth beast materialized behind Han Ming, leaping at his neck with its jaws wide open.