Douluo: Soul-Breaking spear

Chapter 26: An Ambush Encounter

Sure enough, not long after, five people approached Yang Wudi and Yang Potian.

The five were all spirit masters, with four men and one woman. Leading them was an older man, appearing to be in his fifties. The other three men looked to be in their early forties, and the woman, who seemed the youngest, looked to be in her early thirties.

The older man was slim but wiry, with a shrewd look in his eyes. Among the three middle-aged men, one was exceptionally tall, over two meters, while the other two had more ordinary faces but were clearly muscular and strong. The woman wore revealing clothing and had a striking appearance, with a figure and face that would rival celebrities from Yang Potian's past life.

Yang Potian couldn't help but think, So my first trip into a spirit beast forest with Grandfather, and we run into bandits?

The five positioned themselves in a loose circle around Yang Wudi. The older man spoke up, "Greetings, elder. We are the Blood Mantis Mercenary Group. I'm curious, what kind of spirit beast are you here to hunt? If you need assistance, our group is at your service."

Yang Wudi didn't even look at them. "No need. We'll manage just fine on our own."

The old man pressed on, ignoring the refusal. "Elder, we're only here to make a little money. Hand over all your valuables, and we'll make sure to help you secure a suitable spirit beast. We have a Spirit King and four Spirit Ancestors among us; hunting a spirit beast will be a breeze."

With that, the five revealed their spirit rings and spirit forms: one Spirit King and four Spirit Ancestors. The old man's spirit was a mantis, while the other three men's spirits were a bear, a rat, and a curved blade, and the woman's spirit was a snake. The old man's spirit rings shone with two yellow and three purple rings, while the other four each had one white, one yellow, and two purple rings.

Yang Wudi sneered. "I told you—no need. Go find someone else if you're looking to make money. Don't bother me."

The old man seemed unfazed by this rejection, smiling as he continued, "Elder, it's not about whether you want our services. It's more a matter of us needing to make this deal happen."

"Oh? So you're saying you plan to rob us, is that it?"

"Not exactly. I have no doubt you're skilled, but with a child to look after, I'm afraid you're no match for all five of us."

Without acknowledging their threat, Yang Wudi turned to his grandson. "Potian, I'm going to teach you an important lesson now. Watch carefully."

The moment he finished speaking, a massive spear—the Po Soul Spear—materialized in Yang Wudi's hands, accompanied by his spirit rings: two yellow, two purple, and three black. Without another word, he lunged at the leader.

The five stared in shock at Yang Wudi's spirit rings. But in an instant, his spear was upon the old man, who, in desperation, activated his fifth spirit ring, and a pair of mantis-like scythe legs emerged, swinging toward Yang Wudi's attack.

But the attack proved futile. The spear pierced through the mantis limbs effortlessly, impaling the man's body in one swift strike.

Seeing this, the other four knew they'd bitten off more than they could chew. They immediately turned to flee.

Yang Wudi moved quickly. His spear struck down another middle-aged man, seriously injuring him, before he turned and flung his spear, sending another man flying.

The last two tried to flee in terror, but Yang Wudi wasn't about to let them escape. With astonishing speed, he chased down another, piercing the man's torso. The last woman had managed to run dozens of meters away, but Yang Wudi threw his spear like a javelin, pinning her to the ground in an instant.

In mere moments, Yang Wudi had eliminated the five mercenaries. Not a single one had escaped.

Yang Potian watched, awestruck. His grandfather had dispatched five spirit masters as though it were nothing, without even using a single spirit skill. The scene was brutal: three of them lay dead with gaping wounds from the spear, another had been struck with such force that he was unrecognizable, and the last lay mortally wounded, struggling for breath.

Yang Wudi walked over and finished him with a single thrust of his spear, indifferent to the carnage.

With all five dead, the scene was a gruesome mess of blood and scattered organs. This was Yang Potian's first time witnessing such a violent scene, and he couldn't help but feel nauseated.

Yang Wudi ignored his grandson's reaction and said, "Potian, check their bodies. Take anything valuable."

Swallowing down his disgust, Yang Potian approached the bodies. He started with the leader, whose chest had been pierced straight through by the spear. Blood continued to drip from the large wound, staining his entire torso.

After rummaging through the man's bloody belongings, he found a soul tool. Moving from one body to the next, Yang Potian carefully searched each of the other four, his hands shaking slightly as he gathered whatever valuable items he could find.

By the time he returned to his grandfather, Yang Potian was covered in blood, his stomach churning. He finally gave in, vomiting on the ground, feeling as though he were expelling every last meal he'd eaten.

Unfazed, Yang Wudi handed him a large bag of water and a fresh set of clothes from his own soul tool. "Wash off the blood and change into clean clothes. We need to leave this area."

Yang Potian, still trembling, took the water from his grandfather, cleaned himself off as best he could, and changed into fresh clothes.

Once he was ready, Yang Wudi took his grandson's hand and led him away from the scene, as if nothing unusual had happened.

Yang Potian felt a distinct change in his grandfather's demeanor. From the moment they'd encountered those mercenaries, his grandfather had shed his usual kindness and become cold and merciless. It was as though the man beside him was a stranger.

After about half an hour of walking, they stopped in a new clearing, and Yang Wudi set up the tent once again.

After they sat down, Yang Wudi finally spoke. "Potian, tell me: based on what happened just now, what questions do you have? What insights did you gain?"

It was clear that Yang Wudi intended to turn this incident into a lesson for his grandson.

(End of Chapter)

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