Chapter 172: The Tragedy of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan

"Rongrong, did you hear something?" At the front of the group, Oscar suddenly stopped Ning Rongrong, his eyes sharp with vigilance.

Having spent the past few years in the northern wilderness, hunting soul beasts with a small team, he had become an expert in survival. Just moments ago, he had faintly detected breathing sounds from the forest ahead—soft, but unmistakable amidst the marching of nearly ten thousand soul masters.

"Huh? No?" Ning Rongrong blinked, then turned to the Sword Douluo. "Grandpa Sword, did you hear anything?"

"Not at the moment," the Sword Douluo replied calmly, though a trace of concern lingered beneath his tone.

"See? Even Grandpa Sword didn't hear anything. You must be imagining things." She reached up playfully, pretending to tug at Oscar's ear. "If you keep spreading panic, I'll make you sleep by the wall forever."

Oscar didn't argue further, but his gaze remained wary, his hands already clutching two Flying Sausages.

He was prepared—if danger struck, he'd grab Ning Rongrong and flee immediately.

The army pressed deeper. Behind them, unnoticed, nearly seven thousand Spider Ground Forces had closed in, maintaining a careful distance.

Meanwhile, the Spider Air Forces on both flanks tightened their encirclement, linking up with the ground units to fully trap the human soul masters.

Then, as the army reached a certain point, the Sword Douluo halted abruptly, his martial soul materializing instantly as he shielded Ning Rongrong.

"What's happening?" The soul masters behind him tensed, summoning their own martial souls in response.

"Something's ahead," the Sword Douluo said tersely, his eyes locked onto the shadows of the forest.

This was the first time he had shown such caution on their march. If even a Titled Douluo was wary… what could it be?

If not a hundred-thousand-year soul beast, it had to be close. Whispers spread—was it the Titan Giant Ape? Or perhaps that legendary serpent?

Seeing that they'd been detected, Xiao Bai and the others abandoned stealth, emerging slowly from the trees.

At the forefront stood the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger and Xiao Bai, both now surpassing the hundred-thousand-year threshold. Behind them, two to three hundred ten-thousand-year soul beasts of various species revealed themselves, their gazes mocking.

The smaller spiders, however, remained hidden.

The human soul masters collectively gulped.

So this was why the forest had been eerily quiet—the soul beasts had been lying in wait!

"Stay calm! Hold formation!" Ning Rongrong's voice, amplified by soul power, rang out. "We outnumber them. After this battle, we go home!"

On paper, the humans held the advantage—ten thousand against a few hundred.

But before they could steady themselves, the soul beasts charged.

The Sword Douluo intercepted Xiao Bai and the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, while Ning Rongrong's Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda bathed him in rainbow light, boosting his power.

The other soul beasts crashed into the human ranks.

Though outnumbered, the beasts knew the terrain—and their physical prowess dwarfed humanity's. Within moments, the human formation shattered.

Then, the earth itself erupted.

Five to six hundred burrowing spider soul beasts surged from below, targeting weaker soul masters. Chaos spread.

These soul masters were a patchwork alliance, lacking unity. Panic set in as some turned to flee—only to find their retreat cut off by thousands of spider-like creatures they'd never seen before.

The Spider Ground Forces had arrived.

With escape routes sealed, more humans scattered sideways—straight into the wings of the Bloodwing Demon Spiders.

A deafening buzz filled the air as thousands of winged spiders descended, impaling soul masters with venomous legs before hauling them skyward.

Primordial fear took hold. Survival, not victory, became the goal.

Xiao Bai let out a strange whistle.

The ground trembled.

Over twenty thousand Spider Cavalry units stormed forth, mounted on soul beasts—some on tigers, others on creatures resembling dragons.

"Holy hell! Spiders riding tigers!" someone screamed.

Another voice followed, "Forget tigers—they've got dragons too!"

The cavalry's charge was merciless. The already-disorganized humans stood no chance.

By the time the dust settled, only twenty to thirty percent of the soul masters remained, fragmented into isolated pockets.

The largest group—barely a thousand—clustered around the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan.

Then, the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger grinned.

With a flick of its tail, it dragged Xiao Bai and several spiders into the Death Battle Arena.

The Sword Douluo's vision twisted. His aged body regressed to childhood, his soul power plummeting below rank ten.

Dozens of crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness.

He sighed. Resistance was futile.

Closing his eyes, he let the beasts end him.

A lifetime of battles… and now, he was tired.

Outside the arena, Ning Rongrong's face drained of color as her connection to the Sword Douluo vanished.

Oscar shoved a Flying Sausage into her hand. "We need to go."

"No! I can't!" Her eyes burned with tears. "My clan is here! And Grandpa Sword—"

A swift chop to her neck silenced her. Oscar caught her as she collapsed, then activated the Flying Sausage and shot into the sky.

Soon after, the Sword Douluo's corpse was ejected from the arena.

With their leader gone and their strongest fallen, the battle was over.

As for the fleeing survivors?

The soul beasts would hunt them down.

Their fates were already sealed.