Douluo: My Clone Is Groudon

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Spoils of War



Upon hearing the bandits' confessions of their crimes—murder, arson, robbery, and every other evil act imaginable—Xiao Wu's expression grew complex as she sighed:

"How can people be so evil? Aren't they also human? For a bit of money and fun, can they really kill their own kind?"

Tang San was momentarily speechless. Since childhood, he had been taught in the Tang Sect how to kill, believing that those he killed deserved it, never hesitating or feeling conflicted.

"Xiao Wu, killing doesn't require a reason. We only need to know that they are evil, and they wanted to kill us. Therefore, we can kill them too."

"This is the way of survival in this world."

Tang San paraphrased the teachings of the Xuan Tian Bao Lu (Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record) and relayed them to Xiao Wu.

But Xiao Wu still didn't understand. She turned to Gu La.

"Gu La, what do you think?"

Gu La was busy using his psychic powers to gather the spoils of war. Without looking up, he replied:

"I never torture myself over others' mistakes. A group of bandits? Kill them and be done with it. Who cares about their reasons? If you want to kill, you must be prepared to be killed."

"People die when they're killed. Instead of overthinking it, why not think about what to have for dinner?"

Gu La's expression remained calm and unruffled. Having traveled to the Douluo Continent, he had mentally prepared himself for killing. Starting with a group of bandits wasn't a bad beginning.

Moreover, his clone Groudon, as a divine beast, inevitably influenced Gu La's mindset, making him feel no discomfort when killing. At most, he felt a little uneasy, but he quickly overcame it.

"Oh, a pleasant surprise."

Gu La dug through the mud mound and found a cubic storage soul tool on Black-Faced Fiend's body. Inside were numerous bottles and jars.

"They're marked, but unlabeled. Quite cautious, aren't they? Too bad they ran into me."

The past was set, but the future was ever-changing.

Looking into the future consumed a lot of soul power for Gu La, but viewing events from the past required much less energy and allowed him to see further.

He switched to his Celebi martial soul and used the storage soul tool to glimpse Black-Faced Fiend preparing potions.

In an instant, his vision shifted to a dimly lit cave, echoing with faint howls and ghostly cries.

Black-Faced Fiend swallowed a yellow pill and pressed down on a hundred-year-old black wolf…

"Dear heavens, disgusting! My eyes!"

Gu La snapped back to reality, staggering slightly and nearly collapsing to his knees. He steadied himself against a tree by the road, tears streaming from his eyes.

He… was tainted.

And he was still just a kid! If only he hadn't been curious.

Who could've… who would've thought that the leader of the bandits was such a person!

Practicing dual cultivation with spirit beasts—what a ruthless monster!

Gu La considered throwing away the storage soul tool, but then he remembered it was worth at least five figures. Gritting his teeth, he wrapped it in something and stashed it away.

"Gu La, what's wrong?"

Tang San noticed Gu La's unusual mood and asked.

"Nothing!" Gu La growled, glaring at Black-Faced Fiend's corpse.

Though he said so, Gu La felt psychologically scarred and needed something beautiful to cleanse his mind—or perhaps somewhere to vent.

"Follow me. The bandits' hideout is nearby, on top of a mountain. We need to root out the problem completely. All the coins and supplies they've looted are there—we'll bring them back to the academy."

Gu La led the way, while Tang San and Xiao Wu wondered how Gu La knew about the bandits' lair. They followed without asking, sensing his foul mood.

As they entered the forest, traces of the bandits remained. Gu La communicated with the surrounding plants and followed the trail to the foot of a mountain.

"There should be sentries above. Be careful not to get ambushed. I'll go check first."

Transparent wings sprouted from Gu La's back, and he flapped them to ascend into the sky.

Celebi could use psychic powers to fly, so its wings weren't particularly strong, but they were still capable of executing limited flight-based moves.

Through the rocks, Gu La sensed two bandits and flapped his wings to release pollen.

The pollen was Sleep Powder, barely noticeable in the dim light. Carried by the gentle breeze, it silently settled on the two men's heads, causing them to yawn.

"Damn, suddenly so sleepy…"

Their soul power was weak. Their bodies swayed, and they collapsed, slumping onto the rocks without reaction.

With Gu La's strength, he could've stormed the stronghold directly, but to prevent the bandits from damaging the spoils, he decided to sneak in quietly.

He flew out and called to Tang San: "Xiao Wu, stay here and guard against any stragglers. Xiao San, come with me. Don't let the bandits destroy the spoils."

"Got it." Tang San was thrilled. The hideout of dozens of bandits should yield a good amount of gold coins.

Rarely did Xiao Wu oppose Gu La this time; she nodded in agreement.

Gu La charged into the stronghold. In the complex terrain, his psychic powers proved more effective than wide-range attacks—precise, efficient, and never missing their mark.

One by one, blasts of psychic force struck the bandits' brains, knocking out even the highest-ranked Soul Masters among them. If that didn't work, he simply hit them again.

Tang San followed behind, finishing off the unconscious bandits. Watching Gu La float in midair, he couldn't help but envy him.

Why didn't his own martial soul have such cool abilities? Silently eliminating enemies was perfect for assassination.

Reaching the heart of the stronghold, the bandits finally realized there were intruders. One of them began beating a gong and shouting, "Intruders!"

Before he could finish, a burst of psychic force knocked him unconscious. Tang San moved like a ghost, swiftly delivering the finishing blow.

The two of them slaughtered their way through without encountering significant resistance. After all, a group of bandits rarely had more than one four-ring Soul Elder. Stronger individuals would have ventured out to sea to become pirates, where the abundant resources offered better prospects than living as bandits.

Approaching the buildings where the bandits had imprisoned their captives, the remaining few bandits hid inside, planning to ambush Gu La and Tang San.

Gu La massaged his temples. "My psychic power is almost at its limit. Let's move in."

"Alright, I'll handle it." Tang San volunteered, using his Ghost Shadow Perplexing Steps to approach stealthily. Before the bandits could react, Tang San slit their throats.

Gu La smiled. The arena battles had actually restricted Tang San. In a life-or-death fight, even a Soul Elder might not stand a chance against him.

"Perfect stealth. Let's go and collect the spoils."

Tang San's lips twitched slightly. It was the first time he'd heard someone describe slaughtering everyone as "stealth," but it suited his style just fine.

Gu La entered the largest room and found a cabinet containing the bandit leader's collection.

Gold jewelry, antique sculptures, rare treasures… none of that was there.

The bandit leader had peculiar tastes. His robberies were aimed at gathering resources to enhance his cultivation. Most of the money he earned was exchanged for drugs that boosted soul power. He didn't care about potential, which was how he managed to reach Soul Ancestor level.

Of course, a Soul Ancestor who relied solely on drugs lacked real combat ability. Even ordinary Soul Masters who trained properly could overpower him. That was why he had been easily defeated by Gu La without any resistance.

What the bandit leader collected were medicinal herbs—and all of them were rare.

Tang San leaned in, amazed: "Blood Ganoderma, Tri-Color Deer antler, thousand-year whale glue, Dragon Whisker Tiger Whip… so many rare herbs. But… why are they all aphrodisiacs and blood-nourishing tonics?"

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